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The exposed crystal facets of the catalysts are crucial to the catalytic performances for soot combustion as a typical heterogeneous catalysis reaction. Herein, we have successfully synthesized the well-defined catalysts of α-Mn2O3 nanocrystals with three morphologies of octahedrons (α-Mn2O3-O), truncated octahedral bipyramids (α-Mn2O3-TOB) and hexagonal nanosheets (α-Mn2O3-HN) via the adjusting amount of glucose in the hydrothermal method, and their predominantly exposed facets are {111}, {211} and {001}, respectively. The catalytic activities of α-Mn2O3 catalysts for soot combustion were tuned by the exposed crystal facet of α-Mn2O3 arranged in the order: α-Mn2O3-HN > α-Mn2O3-TOB > α-Mn2O3-O, and the α-Mn2O3-HN catalyst shows the highest catalytic activity during soot combustion, its T10, T50 and T90 values are 282, 373 and 424 °C, respectively. The α-Mn2O3 catalysts possess good catalytic stability during four cycles of soot-TPO. The crystal facet-dependent activity of α-Mn2O3 catalysts for soot combustion is systematically investigated by means of various characterizations. The exposed {001} crystal facets of α-Mn2O3-HN catalyst can improve the surface density of active oxygen species and enhance the low-temperature reducibility of Mn4+ species. The research highlights a new strategy to the fabrication of efficient α-Mn2O3-based catalysts for the catalytic removal of diesel soot particles or other pollution.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting serves as one of the promising approaches for producing clean and renewable energy, and their solar-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency depends on the interfacial charge separation and carrier mobility. Herein, we report an effective strategy to promote the PEC performance by fabricating a WO3 photoanode rich in oxygen vacancies (Ov) modified by NiFe-based layered double hydroxide (LDH). When WO3-Ov/NiFe-LDH is used as a photoanode, the maximum photocurrent density at 1.8 V versus RHE has been significantly enhanced to 2.58 mA·cm-2, which is 4.3 times higher than that of WO3. In addition, analogues were studied in controlled experiments without Ov, which further demonstrated that the synergistic effect of NiFe-LDH and Ov resulted in increased carrier concentration and driving force. According to electrical impedance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Mott-Schottky analysis, the built-in electronic field in WO3 homojunction, along with the accelerated hole capture by the NiFe-LDH cocatalyst contributes to the improved charge separation and transport in the WO3-Ov/NiFe-LDH electrode. This work proposes an efficient and valuable strategy for designing the structure of WO3-based photoelectrodes.

The catalysts of three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) Al2O3-supported core-shell structured Pt@MnOx nanoparticles (3DOM-Pt@MnOx/Al2O3) were successfully prepared by the gas bubbling-assisted membrane reduction-precipitation (GBMR/P) method. Pt@MnOx core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) are highly dispersed on the inner surface of 3DOM-Al2O3 support. Pt@MnOx/3DOM-Al2O3 catalysts, which combine both advantages of high-efficiency soot-catalyst contact by 3DOM-Al2O3 structure and the abundant active sites by the optimized Pt-MnOx interface, exhibit high catalytic activities for soot combustion, and the catalytic activities are strongly dependent on the thickness of MnOx shell. Among the catalysts, 3DOM-Pt@MnOx/Al2O3-1 catalyst with optimized Pt-MnOx interface shows the highest catalytic activity for soot combustion, i.e., its values of T50 and SCO2m are 351 °C and 98.6%, respectively. The highest density of Pt-MnOx active sites for adsorption-activation of gaseous O2 is responsible for enhancing catalytic activity for soot combustion. Pt@MnOx/3DOM-Al2O3 catalysts are promising to practical applications for the emission reduction of soot particles.

A new high-entropy monoboride (Mo0.2Ta0.2Ni0.2Cr0.2W0.2)B ceramic with a WB-type orthogonal structure was designed and synthesised by in-situ reactive hot pressing at 2000 °C and 30 MPa for 1.5 h under an argon atmosphere. The microstructure of the sintered samples was comprehensively characterised, and the formation of a high-entropy monoboride (Mo0.2Ta0.2Ni0.2Cr0.2W0.2)B ceramic was confirmed. Owing to the high density of the dislocations and strengthening metal-boron bonds, the high-entropy (Mo0.2Ta0.2Ni0.2Cr0.2W0.2)B ceramic exhibited a hardness of 48.51 ± 4.07 GPa, which enabled it to be classed as a new superhard material. In addition, the thermal conductivity (2.05 ± 0.10 W/(m·K) at 400 °C) and electric conductivity (132.30 S/cm) were determined.

Intelligent networking and big data analytics are two important pillars for the operation of systems. Edge computing is frequently used in smart IoT systems, particularly in those which cannot be served efficiently through cloud computing due to the limitations in bandwidth, latency and Internet connectivity. However, applications always generate a large amount of data, which are pre-programmed and predefined to run on the cloud or edge platform and can't be changed at run time. The applications may gain better performance if they synergistically run on the cloud and edge platform. In this study, a novel algorithm called Dynamic Switching Algorithm is proposed to ensure intelligent dynamics where all tasks are either offloaded on cloud or edge according to the system's real-time conditions. We further divide applications into four types based on their real-time requirements. Each type of application is set to a reasonable latency to make sure the system to have less processing time. The results demonstrate that our method outperforms two state-of-the-art methods, decreasing both the average delay and energy consumption of offloading by 8.17%~66.90% and 3.76%~78.60% respectively. The experimental evaluations show that the performance of the proposed method could effectively offload tasks in smart IoT systems.

A series of three-dimensionally ordered macroporous-mesoporous (3DOM-m) ceria-zirconia oxide (Ce1-xZrxO2) catalysts were synthesized successfully by combined methods of the evaporation-induced interfacial self-assembly and colloidal crystal templates (EISA−CCT). The hierarchical porous nanostructure of 3DOM-m Ce1-xZrxO2 catalysts possess the highly ordered macroporous framework with the average pore size of 250 nm; and the plenty of ordered mesopores (5 nm) are dispersed on the inner walls of spherical macropores. 3DOM-m Ce1-xZrxO2 catalysts with abundant oxygen vacancies have the excellent storage oxygen capacity, which is benefit for improving the catalytic activity for soot oxidation. Ordered macroporous framework enhances the contact efficiency between solid soot particles and catalysts, while the ordered mesoporous nanostructure improves the specific surface area dramatically for promoting the contact efficiency of gaseous reactants (O2 and NO) and active sites. The enrichment of Ce component as active sites was observed on the inner wall of ordered mesopores formed by the Kirkendall effect during thermal treatment, which can improve the adsorption-activation ability for gaseous reactants. 3DOM-m Ce1-xZrxO2 catalysts with hierarchical porous nanostructure exhibit high catalytic activity and stability for soot oxidation. The facile fabrication strategy of 3DOM-m catalysts can be extended to other oxides. And insight into the catalytic activity dependence on the both elemental composition and porous nanostructure is not only meaningful for development of advanced catalysts for soot oxidation, but also supports the development of 3DOM-m catalysts for practical applications.

Climate change is increasing the severity and length of heat waves. Heat stress limits crop productivity and can make plants more sensitive to other biotic and abiotic stresses. New methods for managing heat stress are needed. Herein, we have developed ∼30 nm diameter poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PAA-b-PNIPAm) star polymers with varying block ratios for temperature-programmed release of a model antimicrobial agent (crystal violet, CV) at plant-relevant pH. Hyperspectral-Enhanced Dark field Microscopy was used to investigate star polymer-leaf interactions and route of entrance. The majority of loaded star polymers entered plant leaves through cuticular and epidermis penetration when applied with the adjuvant Silwet L-77. Up to 43 wt % of star polymers (20 μL at 200 mg L-1 polymer concentration) applied onto tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves translocated to other plant compartments (younger and older shoots, stem, and root) over 3 days. Without Silwet L-77, the star polymers penetrated the cuticle, but mainly accumulated at the epidermis cell layer. The degree of the star polymer temperature responsiveness for CV release in vitro in the range of 20 to 40 °C depends on pH and the ratio of the PAA to PNIPAm blocks. Temperature-responsive release of CV was also observed in vivo in tomato leaves. These results underline the potential for PAA-b-PNIPAm star polymers to provide efficient and temperature-programmed delivery of cationic agrochemicals into plants for protection against heat stress.

This paper studies an important real-life perishable inventory management problem, which has not been properly addressed by the existing research. In the problem setting, a number of agents are ren...

Several novel pyridine-oxadiazole iridium complexes were synthesized and characterized through X-ray crystallography. The designed iridium complexes revealed surprisingly high catalytic activity in C N bondformation of amides and benzyl alcohols with the assistance of non-coordinating anions. In an attempt to achieve borrowing hydrogen reactions of amides with benzyl alcohols, N,N'-(phenylmethylene)dibenzamide products were unexpectedly isolated under non-coordinating anion conditions, whereas N-benzylbenzamide products were achieved in the absence of non-coordinating anions. The mechanism explorations excluded the possibility of "silver effect" (silver-assisted or bimetallic catalysis) and revealed that the reactivity of iridium catalyst was varied by non-coordinating anions. This work provided a convenient and useful methodology that allowed the iridium complex to be a chemoselective catalyst and demonstrated the first example of non-coordinating-anion-tuned selective C N bond formation

Carbon dots (CDs) with multi-color emissive properties and a high photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) have attracted great attention recently due to their potential applications in chemical, environmental, biological and photo-electronic fields. Solvent-dependent effect in photoluminescence provides a facial and effective approach to tune the emission of CDs. In this study, green emissive nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) are synthesized from p-hydroquinone and ethylenediamine through a simple hydrothermal method. The as-prepared N-CDs possess a robust excitation-independent green luminescence and a high PLQY of up to 15.9%. Further spectroscopic characterization indicates that the high PLQY is achieved by the balance of nitrogen doping states and the surface passivation extent in CDs. The N-CDs also exhibit solvent-dependent multi-color emissive property and distinct PLQY in different solvents (the maximum can reach up to 25.3%). Furthermore, the as-prepared N-CDs are applied as fluorescence probes to detect acetone and H2O2 in water. This method has exhibited a low detection limit of acetone (less than 0.1%) and a quick and linear response to the H2O2 with the concentration from 0 to 120 μmol/L. This work broadens the knowledge of applying CDs as probes in the bio and chemical sensing fields.

Kerogen is known as an important organic part for absorbing and forming shale gas whose absorption function, especially mechanical and tribological properties, has not been fully revealed. Here, we use Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis to reveal the chemical structure of kerogen. We report the first study of the adhesion and friction behavior of kerogen using atomic force microscope (AFM) Nanoman technology. Our finding reveals the friction of kerogen is decreased at higher pressure while is inhibited at increased temperature, and friction decreases logarithmically as the sliding speed increases. The weakened of Al O linkage at high temperature have great influence on the decrease of friction forces between kerogen and alumina pellet. This finding lays the mechanism for understanding the dynamic adhesion behavior of kerogen in frictions, therefore attracting increasing interests from scientists, researchers, petroleum engineers and investors.

La2O3 nanorods (La2O3-R) with exposed {110} crystal facets were synthesized. The hemispherical platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) are uniformly deposited on the {110} surfaces of La2O3-R (Pt/La2O3-R) ...

Aggregation of nZVI and sulfur-modified nZVI (S-nZVI) can lower its reactivity with contaminants in water. To overcome this limitation, we synthesized biochar-supported nZVI and S-nZVI using a phosphate pretreatment of the biochar (pBC) to uniformly distribute the nZVI and S-nZVI onto the biochar support. The participation of phosphorus groups in the synthesis, and the good distribution of S-nZVI on the pBC were confirmed by FTIR, SEM, XRD, and XPS. Pretreatment of the biochar led to smaller well-dispersed S-nZVI compared to S-nZVI supported on untreated biochar. This increased the surface area of the S-nZVI and the reaction rate with the antibiotic florfenicol (FF). The removal rate of FF by pBC-S-nZVI was 4.3 times higher than that by unsupported S-nZVI. Even though FF strongly adsorbed to the pBC support, FF was fully degraded based on the mass balance results. Surface area normalized reaction rate constants (kSA) for FF removal by S-nZVI, BC-S-nZVI, and pBC-S-nZVI were similar, suggesting that the enhanced reactivity is due to the greater dispersion of S-nZVI on the treated biochar. These results provide a simple pretreatment method for dispersing nZVI or S-nZVI onto biochar supports.

Effective bone tissue engineering is important to overcome the unmet clinical challenges of periodontal tissue regeneration. Successful bone tissue engineering comprises three key factors: stem cells, growth factors, and scaffolds. 6-Bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO) is an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) that can activate the Wnt signaling pathway by enhancing β-catenin activity. In this study, the effects of BIO on the proliferation, migration, and osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) were investigated. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and hyaluronic acid (HA) emerged as promising biomaterials; thus, we developed a novel HA hydrogel embedded with BIO-encapsulated PLGA microspheres and injected the formulation into the gingival sulcus of mice with experimental periodontitis. The release speed of this system was fast in the first week and followed a sustained release phase until week 4. In vivo experiments showed that this PLGA-BIO-HA hydrogel system can inhibit periodontal inflammation, promote bone regeneration, and induce the expression of bone-forming markers alkaline phosphatase (ALP), runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), and osteocalcin (OCN) in a mouse periodontitis model. Therefore, this PLGA-BIO-HA hydrogel system provides a promising therapeutic strategy for periodontal bone regeneration.

There is a nonlinear coupling relationship between the vehicle in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions, which brings great difficulties to the design of the controller. To tackle the chattering problem, a hierarchical integrated controller for distributed electric vehicle is proposed to improve driving safety, handling stability, ride comfort, and road tracking capabilities. The proposed algorithm has been developed to overcome a major challenge of the conventional method, which can improve only partial dynamic performance of the vehicle. The optimal pre-pointing lateral acceleration model is used to simulate the operator's expected reaction to the vehicle. The body control layer decouples complex problems to achieve multi-target independent tracking through a nonlinear sliding-mode control algorithm, and calculates the expected total body force to meet the upper level instructions. The tire force distribution layer is designed to optimize the function by reducing the tire load ratio and balancing the vertical dynamic load coefficient to improve the vehicle's driving stability and ride comfort. The lower actuator control layer controls the corresponding actuator to achieve the optimal tire force output from the middle layer. Finally, the effectiveness of the chassis integrated control system is verified in CarSim and MATLAB co-simulation.

In this study, a novel approach was developed for the dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorobenzoic acid (2,4-DCBA) via the combination of the moveable activated carbon (AC) supported palladium (Pd) nanoparticles and nickel (Ni) foam electrode. The morphology and chemical structure of Pd/AC catalyst was investigated by various characterization techniques, including SEM, TEM, EXS-mapping, XRD, and XPS. Pd nanoparticles was successfully loaded and dispersed on the AC, accompanied with the significantly enhanced reactivity. The removal rate of 2,4-DCBA by Ni electrode with moveable Pd/AC catalyst was 222, 25, and 5 folds higher than dispersed AC and Ni electrode system, chemical deposited Pd/Ni electrode, and electrodeposited Pd/Ni electrode, respectively. Compared with the conventional electrocatalytic reductive approach which deposited Pd on the Ni foam electrode, moveable Pd/AC catalyst possesses higher surface area, more atomic H∗ production and more active sites, favored mass transfer, and enhanced reactivity, without the consideration of catalyst loss and deactivation. The effects of Pd:AC mass ratio, constant current, initial solution pH, and electrolyte concentration on the dechlorination of 2,4-DCBA were studied. Generally, high Pd loading, constant current, and acidity favored the dechlorination of 2,4-DCBA, while excessive electrolyte would inhibit the dechlorination of 2,4-DCBA. Good longevity and recyclability of moveable Pd/AC catalyst was confirmed via consecutive experiments. The findings of the present study show that making the catalyst moveable is a promising strategy for electrocatalytic remediation technology.

Quantum dots, derived from two-dimensional (2D) materials, have shown promise in bioimaging, sensing and photothermal applications, and in white light emitting devices (WLEDs). Herein, nitrogen and phosphorus functionalized Ti3C2 MXene based quantum dots (N,P-MQDs) were successfully prepared through a top-bottom hydrothermal method. This type of photoluminescent quantum dots has realized green fluorescence for the first time at around 560 nm with a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 20.1%, the highest ever reported; meanwhile, it also exhibits excellent photostability and pH resistance capacities. Comprehensive characterization and well-resolved density functional theory (DFT) calculation were implemented to determine the mechanism of fluorescence shift and enhancement. Furthermore, the N,P-MQDs have been proved to efficiently act as fluorescent probes for macrophage labeling. In addition, the high sensitivity of the N,P-MQDs toward Cu2+ ions made them a low cost, sensitive, environment-friendly, and label-free fluorescence platform for Cu2+ detection. The outstanding performance of Ti3C2 MXene based quantum dots has demonstrated their great potential to be used as promising fluorescent probes in the fields of biological imaging, optical sensing, photoelectric conversion, etc.

In recent years, online sexual exploitation targeting teenagers has been on the rise. Given teenagers' growing reluctance toward face-to-face communication, using a counseling chatbot could be a more effective way to provide teenage victims with necessary information and emotional support. There is a small number of counseling chatbots for victims of sexual crime, but none targeting teenagers specifically. This research suggests design guidelines for building a counseling chatbot for teenage victims of online sexual exploitation with a focus on establishing rapport by empathizing with their stories and providing them with the proper information. We conducted in-depth interviews with peer counselors at the Teenage Women's Human Rights Center, who have been consulting teenage victims in their age group using online messengers. The four key findings from our research suggested using open-ended questions, using teenager-friendly language, helping teenagers understand that they are victims and offering age-relevant information.

Carminic acid (CA) extracted from cochineal is widely used in food additives as a natural colorant, and its potential risk to human health makes its detection important. In this work, a layered doubled hydroxide (LDH)–luminol–H2O2 system-based chemiluminescence (CL) platform has been successfully applied for CA sensing. The principle detection consists of two steps: first, LDH adsorbs CA onto the surface via electrostatic attraction; second, CA quenches the CL of the LDH–luminol–H2O2 system via the synergistic effect of CL resonance energy transfer, reduction of reactive oxygen species, and occupation of positively charged centers of brucite-like layers. With this CL approach, 0.5 μM CA is detectable using a CL spectrometer, and the limit of detection is 0.03 μM. This CL system exhibited a linear response to CA in the concentration range from 0.5 to 10 μM. In addition, the practical application of the designed CL sensing system is evaluated with dried pork slice samples.

The structural phase transition of synthetic ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles (ZFO NPs) is investigated as a function of pressure up to 40.6 GPa at room temperature for the first time, and its associated intriguing electrical transport properties are resolved from in situ impedance spectra and magnetoresistivity measurements. Significant anomalies are observed in the properties of the grain boundary resistance (Rgb), the relaxation frequency (fmax), and the relative permittivity (er) in the ZFO NPs under the pressures around 17.5–21.5 GPa. These anomalies are believed to be correlated with a cubic-to-orthorhombic phase transition of ZnFe2O4 at the pressures between 21.9 and 25.7 GPa, which is found to be partially reversible. The pressure-tuned dielectric properties are measured for the cubic and the orthorhombic phases of ZFO, respectively. Remarkably, Rgb decreases up to 6 orders of magnitude as a function of pressure in the cubic phase. The dielectric polarization is obviously strengthened with increased fmax and...

Novel ZnWO4 thin films were achieved by annealing sandwich WO3/ZnO/WO3 (WZW) heterolayer that were deposited on clean fused silica substrates by RF magnetron sputtering technique. The crystal structures, surface morphologies and photoluminescence (PL) properties of the annealed WZW heterolayers were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and PL measurements. The XRD and Raman patterns show that the ZnWO4 thin films formed from WZW heterolayers possess the monoclinic wolframite structure with a preferential orientation along the a-axis. The annealing temperature of WZW heterolayer plays a vital role in determining the crystallization, surface morphologies and PL properties of the formed ZnWO4 films. The SEM graphs and PL spectra indicate that the annealing treatment at about 750 °C for 30min is very effective for deposited WZW heterolayer to form the flat ZnWO4 thin film with the regular nanometer grains (200–400 nm) and the strongest PL emission near about 495 nm, while further increasing annealing temperature to 850 °C leads to a rough surface and weakened PL intensity. The PL spectra from all the annealed WZW films display a broad and asymmetrical shape and are depend on the excitation wavelengths in the range of 240–290 nm as well as annealing temperature. The related PL mechanisms were analyzed and discussed according to the excitation spectra monitored at 410 nm and 495 nm, respectively. It is suggested that the coexistence of the ZnWO4 and ZnO excitation bands in the film should be responsible for the evolving of PL shapes with the excitation wavelengths. Finally, the average PL decay time of the formed ZnWO4 film was determined to be about 22μs by time-resolving the three intrinsic emissions of the ZnWO4 crystallites. This work illustrates that magnetron sputtering is an effective technique to prepare the fluorescing ZnWO4 film.

Mn-doped BiFeO 3 (BiFe 1–x Mn x O 3 , x = 0, 0.03, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) polycrystalline multiferroic thin films were successfully synthesized using the facile sol-gel spin-coating method. The crystal structures, surface features, elements valences, and magnetic properties of as-prepared samples were systematically explored. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies revealed the substitutions of Mn into the Fe site and a rhombohedral-to-orthorhombic phase transition. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy showed a decrease in the average particle sizes and an improvement of surface morphology with increasing the concentration of the substitutes. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed the doping concentration of Mn 2+ in the samples. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated the co-existence of Mn 2+ /Mn 3+ ions in the doped films. The remnant magnetization value of BiFe 0.90 Mn 0.10 O 3 thin film was found to be approximately six times than that of pure BiFeO 3 thin film under a magnetic field of 10 kOe. The enhanced magnetic property of BiFe 0.90 Mn 0.10 O 3 thin film was mainly ascribed to the structural distortion of spin cycloid and the enhancement of super-exchange interaction between the Fe 3+ (Mn 2+ ) and O 2- ions.

The solubility data of 1,6-Bis[3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionamido]hexane, whose abbreviation is Irganox 1098, in eight pure solvents and two binary solvent mixtures were measured at temperatures ranging from (273.15 to 318.15) K by a static analytical method. The results showed that the solubility data of Irganox 1098 in all the selected solvents increased with the rising of temperature in the investigated temperature range. Furthermore, four thermodynamic models including the modified Apelblat equation, λh equation, NRTL Model and the Jouyban–Acree model were used to correlate the experimental solubility data. The calculation results showed that the modified Apelblat equation and NRTL model can obtain better result for pure solvents and Jouyban–Acree model can give better correlation results for binary solvent mixtures. Finally, the dissolution thermodynamic properties including Gibbs energy, enthalpy and entropy of Irganox 1098 in the eight pure solvents were also calculated and analyzed.

BiFeO 3 (BFO) thin films and Rare-Earth (RE) element substitutions were successfully fabricated on silicon substrates by sol–gel technology. Multiferroic properties of BFO had been improved considerably on RE (La, Ho, Er)-substitution at Bi site. The RE-substitution principle was presented in Fig. 1(the simulative images of ions matching). The single phase and the perovskite based rhombohedral structure with R3c space group of BFO and RE-substitution films were confirmed through the full pattern fitting of surface and section XRD profiles. There were obvious agglomeration phenomena for RE-substitution films via FESEM patterns, and the AFM images shown that the RE-substation films possessed smoother surface texture comparing with the BFO. The RE-substitution films showed higher saturation magnetization (Ms) and remanent magnetization (Mr) due to the reduced concentration of defects (oxygen vacancy), RE ions with smaller radii size (size effect) and surface structure of compactness. Fe 3+ and O 2− ions play an essential role in superexchange interaction, the XPS, surface and vertical EDS images revealed increasing tendency of Fe 3+ ions and O 2− ions.

Multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO) and BiFe1−xCrxO3 (BF1−xCxO, x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2) thin films were successfully synthesized on silicon (111) substrates via sol–gel technology. The effect of Cr3+ ion doping on the phase structure, surface morphology, valence states for Fe element and magnetic property was investigated. The introduction for simulation images of ionic space arrangement was to better comprehend the substitution site and superexchange interaction between the Fe3+ (Cr3+) and O2− ions. The phase structure of Cr-doping thin films transition from rhombohedral to orthorhombic was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman measurements, and the obtained results also demonstrated that the Cr3+ ions successfully located in Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions sites of BFO lattice system. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) patterns clearly exhibited that the grains sizes were remarkably decreased by Cr3+ ions doping, and the surfaces textures got glossier and smoother judging from the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) images. The dense surface structure can restrict the O2− ions escaping from the lattices system, which is beneficial for the release of magnetic property due to superexchange interaction of improvement. It was found that the saturation magnetization (Ms) was significantly linearly increased accompanying the adding of Cr-doping due to destroying of spatial modulation helical structure and enhancing of superexchange interaction. Moreover, the Hall-effect results firstly revealed that the carrier concentration and mobility rate played significant roles in magnetoelectric effect behaviors.

An efficient approach for acoustic topology optimization to minimize the radiated sound power from a vibrating structure is described. The topology optimization is implemented by modifying the local stiffness at discrete locations on the surface of the structure. The radiated sound power level from the structure is directly chosen as the objective function to be minimized. A sensitivity analysis is then implemented to further optimize the layout of the locations of the modified local stiffness. To speed up the computational process, the radiated sound power is computed based on mapped acoustic radiation modes. To demonstrate the acoustic topology optimization using mapped acoustic radiation modes, the radiated sound power of a compressor housing is examined. Based on results from the numerical model, the local stiffness of a compressor housing was experimentally modified. Good agreement in sound power reduction obtained both numerically and experimentally was observed for the overall trend for the sound power levels as a function of one-third octave frequency bands.

Existing studies have shown that various types of information on the online social network (OSN) can help predict the early stage of depression. However, studies using machine learning methods to accomplish depression detection tasks still do not have high classification performance, suggesting that there is much potential for improvement in their feature engineering. In this paper, we first construct a dataset on Sina Weibo (a leading OSN with the largest number of active users in the Chinese community), namely the Weibo User Depression Detection Dataset (WU3D). It includes more than 10,000 depressed users and 20,000 normal users, both of which are manually labeled and rechecked by specialists. Then, we extract text-based word features using the popular pretrained model XLNet and summarize nine statistical features related to user text, social behavior, and pictures. Moreover, we construct a deep neural network classification model, i.e. Multimodal Feature Fusion Network (MFFN), to fuse the above-extracted features from different information sources and further accomplish the classification task. The experimental results show that our approach achieves an F1-Score of 0.9685 on the test dataset, which has a good performance improvement compared to the existing works. In addition, we verify that our multimodal detecting approach is more robust than multimodel ensemble ones. Our work could also provide new research methods for depression detection on other OSN platforms.

This paper designs an Intelligent Ashcan Management System (IAMS) which is one of the most important part in a smart city. Traditional ashcan management is inefficient and has many disadvantages, because managers cannot obtain the realtime state of ashcans efficiently. As a result, it often happens that ashcans are full but not collected in time. Moreover, in special cases that ashcans fall, catch fire, etc., managers should find these ashcans and handle these emergencies as soon as possible. To manage ashcans efficiently, economically and intelligently, in this paper, we propose an edge computing based IAMS. Specifically, in IAMS, each ashcan has an intelligent user equipment (UE) equipped with sensors to measure distance, temperature, smog and tilt. For data transmission, IAMS uses Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), which has advantages of large transmission range and low cost. Combined with edge computing, the collected data can be processed rapidly and managers can obtain the real-time state of each ashcan. Moreover, managers can view global information through web browser and mobile devices. According to the real-time state of ashcans, we also design an IAMS algorithm to get an efficient garbage collection path based on genetic algorithm. Finally, we deployed the proposed IAMS in Soochow University and experimental results show its efficiency and stability.

In this study, we employed a microwave plasma assisted reduction (MPAR) method to prepare metallic nanoparticles with desirable morphology. Compared with the hydrogen thermal reduction technique, the MPAR technique could greatly maintain the original morphology of self-sacrificing precursors, as well as proving to be highly efficient, energy-saving and pollution-free. Taking ferromagnetic metallic Co as a forerunner, Co nanosheets with inerratic hexagonal morphology were successfully synthesized on a large scale uniformly. The lateral dimension of the achieved Co nanosheets is in the range of 3∼5 μm with tens of nanometers in thickness. The intact hexagonal flaky shape of Co nanosheets is beneficial for improving dielectric loss by increasing electric channels and interfacial polarization. Consequently, the minimum reflection loss could reach up to -71 dB at a thin thickness of 1.2 mm. Furthermore, the effective bandwidth (RL

Main melody in one piece of music serves as a significant feature for music style analysis and music information retrieval. This paper proposes a dictionary-based algorithm to extract the main melody from numerical music scores. Classical music is chosen as our target of research. First, the melody line that can best represent the original music is extracted from the sophisticated score which contains various harmonies and instruments. Then, inspired by implication-realization theory, the direction of intervals instead of notes are used as input of our proposed algorithm, which is adapted from the classic algorithm Lempel Ziv 78 (LZ-78), to generate a dictionary that has numerous repeated patterns. After that, some post-processes including elimination, splicing, and extension are implemented on the dictionary to obtain one or more main melodies.

Geckos have adapted to the complicated natural environment with its excellent climbing ability. Current artificial gecko-inspired synthetic adhesives (GSAs) mimic gecko's attach-detach mechanism by creating anisotropic and hierarchical structures. Easy detachment and high self-cleaning capability are still the unsolved problems in GSAs. This study presents an unprecedented photodetachable mechanism of making bioinspired smart surfaces utilizing carbon dot (CD)-doped polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites. Under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, it could be triggered up to 80.46% reduction of adhesion force between PDMS-CDs bioinspired surfaces and contaminating particles. A load-drag-pull (i.e., LDP) test mimicking gecko's locomotion was adopted to test the dry self-cleaning capabilities of these bioinspired surfaces, where the falling rate of the model contaminates (PS micropellets; average size in diameter ∼8 μm) can reach up to 54.83% after seven repeated steps under UV irradiation. The significantly improved dry self-cleaning capability is attributed to the photothermal effect of CDs inside the PDMS matrix. The mechanism proposed in this work will find its applications in the realms of climbing robots, space adhesive devices, and self-cleaning, advanced gripping technologies for pick and place or assembly.

According to the fact that gecko-inspired vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNTs) exhibit ultrastrong adhesion, dopamine is utilized to make a modification to this traditional biomimetic material. The composite material is tested for adhesion performance under different environmental conditions by an atomic force microscope. The adhesion force of the modified VA-CNTs does not show obvious fluctuation during the gradual heating process; however, the material gains improved adhesion when increasing the ambient humidity. In addition, the modified CNTs show a stronger adhesion force than the original CNTs in their performance tests. The dopamine polymer has a good combination with CNTs, which is responsible for the aforementioned excellent performance. Overall, this modification method is simple, convenient, efficient, and environmentally friendly, which all indicates a promising future in its application. The modified CNTs are expected to be used for super-adhesion in harsh environments, as well as in the field of microelectronics.

Herein, the hierarchical porous catalysts of three dimensional ordered macro-mesoporous (3DOMM) ZrO2-supported active Pd nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by two-step methods of evaporation-induced self-assembly-colloid crystal template (EISA-CCT) and gas bubbling-assisted membrane reduction (GBMR). Ordered macroporous structure can enhance diffusion and mass transfer of soot particles; ordered mesoporous structure is beneficial to enhance activation ability for gaseous reactants. Synergistic effect of hierarchical porous structure in the catalysts is important to improve catalytic activity for soot oxidation. Pd/3DOMM-ZrO2 catalyst exhibits the highest activity (T50 = 404 °C) for soot oxidation compared with the single macroporous or mesoporous structure. The catalytic kinetics of hierarchical porous Pd/3DOMM-ZrO2 catalyst for soot oxidation was systemically investigated, i.e., its reaction rate is 0.038 μmol g-1 s−1 at 310 °C, which is 2.7-fold of power-type Pd/normal-ZrO2 catalyst (0.014 μmol g-1 s−1). The hierarchical porous structure is a good strategy to boost catalytic activity during soot oxidation.

A new probe TR-V (Indolo[2,1–b]quinazoline-6,12-dione,6-{(6Z),(2′E)-2′- [(2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methylene]hydra zinylidene}) based on tryptanthrin has been synthesized for selective and rapid detection of Cu2+. The synthetic route is facile, economical and viable. TR-V reacts in Tris-HCl buffer solution (pH = 8.0) with cupric to a deep yellow chelate which has a significant peak at 450 nm in the UV–Vis spectra. The reaction is instantaneous, ranging from light yellow to dark yellow and the change in color can be observed with the naked eye. Over 13 competitive metal ions do not interfere in the determination. The detection limit is 84 nM (R2 = 0.9998). Thus, this method was selected for the analysis of copper ions in tap, bottled water and traditional Chinese medicine samples under optimized experimental conditions.

Nonmetal (NM) doping is a promising method to functionalize WSe2. In this work, the electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of NM (C, N, P, O, S, F, and Cl) doped monolayer WSe2 are systematically investigated by first principles study. It is found that NM atoms prefer to occupy at Se sites rather than interstitial positions. A general odd-even rule is proposed for NM doping to regulate magnetic properties, that is, doping with NM with an odd (or even) number of valence electrons will (or not) induce a magnetic moment in WSe2. More importantly, N doping increases the infrared (IR) light absorption area of WSe2 by 10.46 times. The reason is that the impurity level appearing above the valence band maximum increases light absorption. This work will provide a theoretical guidance for promoting the application of monolayer WSe2 in spintronic devices and optoelectronic devices.

In this report, a simple chemiluminescence (CL) approach for detecting an anionic dye, alizarin red S (ARS), based on layered double hydroxides (LDHs)-improved CL from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and luminol system is proposed. The LDHs-improved H2O2–luminol CL is due to the adsorption of luminol dianion and peroxide anion onto the positively charged brucite-like layers and the facilitated formation of carbonate radicals, which benefits the generation of light-emitting intermediate 3-aminophthalate anions. Notably, the LDHs-improved H2O2–luminol CL signal is markedly restrained in the presence of ARS, which is assigned to the ARS-mediated occupation of the positively charged centres on the brucite-like layers and the inhibition of the formation of 3-aminophthalate anions. Thus, a facile CL method for ARS perception based on the suppression effect of ARS toward the LDHs-improved H2O2–luminol CL has been developed. This simple CL approach shows a limit of detection of 0.1 μM toward ARS and exhibits a linear response in the concentration range from 0.5 to 30 μM. In addition, the proposed method exhibits a high specificity toward ARS over other small molecules, metal ions or anions. Furthermore, the practical application of the proposed method for ARS sensing is evaluated with the dye wastewater samples.

Non-conventional fluorescent materials without aromatic structures have attracted much research attention in recent years. However, the working mechanism responsible for their fluorescence remains mysterious. Here we decipher the origin of fluorescence by studying the photophysical properties of a series of non-aromatic biogenic and synthetic peptides. An experimental study suggests that the turn-on fluorescence in the aggregation state/condensed phase is associated with the communication of amide groups, where hydrogen bonds are playing a critical role in bringing these functionalities into close proximity. This explanation is further justified by the study of the hierarchical influence on fluorescence and applied to biomimetic polymers in a more general content. This discovery provides a more comprehensive insight into the bioluminescence system. It may stimulate future development of new fluorescent materials, and inspire research on disease diagnostics, biomechanics measurements, etc. that are associated with protein morphology.

In aquatic ecosystems, titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) coexist with heavy metals and influence the existing forms and toxicities of the metal in water. However, limited information is available regarding the ecological risk of this coexistence in sediments. In this study, the effect of nano-TiO2 on Cu speciation in sediments was investigated using sequential extraction. The microcosm approach was also employed to analyze the effects of the coexistence of nano-TiO2 and Cu on extracellular enzyme activity and bacterial communities in sediments. Results showed that nano-TiO2 decreased the organic matter-bound fraction of Cu and increased the corresponding residual fraction Cu. As a result, speciation of exogenous Cu in sediments changed. During the course of the 30-day experiment, the presence of nano-TiO2 did not affect Cu-induced changes in bacterial community structure. However, the coexistence of nano-TiO2 and Cu restrained the activity of bacterial extracellular enzymes, such as alkaline phosphatase and β-glucosidase. The degree of inhibition also varied because of the different properties of extracellular enzymes. This research highlighted the importance of understanding and predicting the effects of the coexistence of nanomaterials and other pollutants in sediments.

Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) processors increase performance by allowing concurrent execution of multiple independent threads with sharing of key datapath components and better utilization of the resources. An SMT processor usually maintains a shared register file to accommodate multiple threads for register renaming. By supporting inter-thread sharing of the physical registers, an SMT system processor can reduce the number of registers that would have been required in multiple superscalar processors while achieving a comparable throughput. However, congested shared resources due to slower threads can easily lead to inefficient usage of the resources and thus an undesirable performance outcome. In this paper, we propose an allocation algorithm at the architectural level for a better utilization of the shared register file. We show that, by limiting the number of the physical register entries each thread is allowed to occupy at any given time, the overall system throughput is enhanced by a substantial margin. An improvement in IPC of up to 44.6% and 32.7% is observed when the proposed technique is applied to a 4-threaded and a 6-threaded SMT system, respectively. Furthermore, a 4-threaded system with a physical register file of 160 entries can deliver a performance comparable to that of a default system with 256 entries, reflecting a resource saving of 37.5%.

Topological insulators (TIs) with unique band structures have wide application prospects in the fields of ultrafast optical and spintronic devices. The dynamics of hot carriers plays a key role in these TI-based devices. In this work, using the time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy technique, the relaxation process of the hot carriers in Cr-doped Bi2Se3 has been systematically studied since the ferromagnetic TI is one of the key building blocks for next-generation spintronics. It is found that electronic temperature (Te) and chemical potential (μ) decrease faster with the increase in the Cr doping concentration. Similarly, the lifetime (τ) of the excited electrons also decreases with more Cr doped into Bi2Se3. The results suggest a mechanism of impurity band-assisted carrier relaxation, where the impurity band within the bulk bandgap introduced by Cr doping provides significant recombination channels for the excited electrons. This work directly illustrates the dynamic process of the photon-generated carriers in Cr-doped Bi2Se3, which is expected to promote the applications of (Bi1-xCrx)2Se3 in photoelectric devices.

In this study, two polysaccharide components named WSRP-2a and WSRP-2b, were purified from Rosa setate x Rosa rugosa waste via anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. Monosaccharide composition, Congo red assay, FT-IR and NMR spectra analysis confirmed that both of these fractions were mainly composed of galacturonic acid, arabinose, galactose and rhamnose, which were pectin-type polysaccharides with non-triple-helix structure. WSRP-2a and WSRP-2b, however, differed in molecular weight of 56.8 kD and 23.9 kD. The followed bioassay presented their impressive hypoglycemic and immunomodulatory activities. WSRP-2a promoted more proliferation, NO release, and the secretion of cytokines in RAW264.7 macrophages, while WSRP-2b presented higher α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Collectively, these results suggested that the Rosa Setate x Rosa Rugosa waste biomass could be used as a promising source of bioactive pectic polysaccharides.

Multi-scale porous micro-nano structures can exhibit perfect broadband antireflection performances on material surface and have essential importance in optical and optoelectronic devices. However, heat accumulation between the subsequent laser pulses increases the temperature of the material substrate and eventually changes micro-nano structures, affecting the antireflection performance. In this study, a strategy for preparing antireflection structures was proposed by weakening the heat accumulation behavior of femtosecond pulses on materials, and the proposed strategy was experimentally demonstrated. This strategy can tune the multi-scale porosity properties of the surface structure by cooling the material substrate under high-repetition-rate laser irradiation. Thus, comprehensively improved antireflection performances can be realized over ultraviolet to near-infrared spectral regions. When the pulse repetition rate is 150 kHz, the average reflectance of the silicon and Cu surfaces is 3.50% and 3.82%, respectively. The reduction rate of the reflectance on silicon and Cu surfaces reaches 25.21% and 19.75%, respectively. More importantly, the processing speed increased three times by increasing the pulse repetition rate. The presented strategy opens a novel and convenient route for the preparation of multi-scale porous micro-nano structures for various types of structural absorbing materials.

This study reported on the fabrication of nanoripples via femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface oxidation on titanium film, which can work both for the structural colors in reflection mode and transmission mode. The periods and heights of nanoripples were obtained under different pulse energies and scanning speeds. To obtain the structural colors in the transmission mode, the height of the nanoripples was above 175 nm. The experimental results showed that the spectral changes in the reflection mode and transmission mode were consistent, which conformed to the principle of grating diffraction. Moreover, it could be seen that the colors were very sensitive to the angles. The ripples orientation affected the intensity of the color, while the viewing angle and the incident angle affected the type of the color. According to the spectral characteristics of structural colors, the display and encryption of information were realized. On this basis, we used the method of pattern segmentation to achieve the encryption and decryption of information on the condition that the overall pattern was not missing. This study provided a new idea to realize the color display, information security, and anti-counterfeiting on both sides of the sample.

The thermodynamic properties including enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy are important parameters, which can provide a theoretical basis for utilizing salt lake resources. In addition, the dissolution equilibrium constant (K), activity coefficient (γ) and osmotic coefficient (Φ) of inorganic salt solution, especially for sodium borate, are critical and fundamental, but scarce owing to the difficulty to measure them. These data are not only important theoretical basis in analytical and physical chemistry, but also reliable information in determining chemical production processes. In this paper, the dissolution enthalpies (∆Hsθ) of sodium metaborate tetrahydrate (NaBO2·4H2O) and sodium metaborate dehydrate (NaBO2·2H2O) were determined using a microcalorimeter TAM IV. Based on our experimental data and the Pitzer electrolyte model, values of dissolution equilibrium constant (K, 8.7986 mol2·kg−2 for NaBO2·4H2O, 9.9560 mol2·kg−2 for NaBO2·2H2O), activity coefficient (γ, 0.2932), osmotic coefficient (Φ, 0.7999) of NaBO2 were measured with precision. According to the designed thermochemical cycle and the basic formula of thermodynamics, the standard enthalpy of formation (∆Hfθ), the standard entropy of formation (∆Sfθ), the standard Gibbs free energy (∆Gfθ), the standard enthalpy of dissolution (∆Hsθ), the standard entropy of dissolution (∆Ssθ), and the dissolution Gibbs free energy (∆Gsθ) of NaBO2·4H2O and NaBO2·2H2O at 298.15 K, which are not reported in the literature, were obtained with exactitude. These results indicate that the dissolution of both hydrates are all endothermic, spontaneous and entropy driven processes.

Background Evidence shows that individuals who are under long-term exposure to environmental PM2.5 are at increased risk of chronic kidney disease. Various laboratory experiments also suggest several mechanistic links between PM2.5 exposure and kidney injury. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common organic chemicals existing in PM2.5. However, whether benzo [b]fluoranthene (BbF), the most potent carcinogens and the highest content of PAHs, plays an important role in podocyte injury via reducing autophagy, have not been reported. Methods Podocytes were exposed to different concentrations and times of BbF. Cell viability was assessed by using CCK-8. Morphological phenotypes were detected by using optical microscopy. Cytoskeletons were detected by using immunofluorescence assay. Expression of podocyte injury markers were determined by Western blot. Podocytes were observed under TEM, autophagic activity was evaluated by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence assay. A possible effect of an inhibitor (CQ, chloroquine) or an inducer (rapamycin) of autophagy on BbF-induced podocyte injury also was examined. Results BbF changed cellular morphology, decreased cell viability and rearranged cytoskeleton. The proteins' expression level of autophagy and the numbers of autophagosomes under TEM was decreased and the proteins’ expression level of slit diaphragm was increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, BbF-induced podocyte injury was enhanced by inhibition of autophagy and inhibited by activation of autophagy in podocytes. Conclusions Taken together, our data suggest that BbF is toxic to podocytes, as well as reduce autophagy. Furthermore, inhibition of autophagy plays a regulatory role in BbF-induced podocyte injury.

Nanoenabled foliar-applied agrochemicals can potentially be safer and more efficient than conventional products. However, limited understanding about how nanoparticle properties influence their interactions with plant leaves, uptake, translocation through the mesophyll to the vasculature, and transport to the rest of the plant prevents rational design. This study used a combination of Au quantification and spatial analysis to investigate how size (3, 10, or 50 nm) and coating chemistry (PVP versus citrate) of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) influence these processes. Following wheat foliar exposure to AuNPs suspensions (∼280 ng per plant), adhesion on the leaf surface was increased for smaller sizes, and PVP-AuNPs compared to citrate-AuNPs. After 2 weeks, there was incomplete uptake of citrate-AuNPs with some AuNPs remaining on the outside of the cuticle layer. However, the fraction of citrate-AuNPs that had entered the leaf was translocated efficiently to the plant vasculature. In contrast, for similar sizes, virtually all of the PVP-AuNPs crossed the cuticle layer after 2 weeks, but its transport through the mesophyll cells was lower. As a consequence of PVP-AuNP accumulation in the leaf mesophyll, wheat photosynthesis was impaired. Regardless of their coating and sizes, the majority of the transported AuNPs accumulated in younger shoots (10–30%) and in roots (10–25%), and 5–15% of the NPs

In this work, we report the application of the aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) as color converters for visible light communication (VLC). In the form of pure solid powder, the AIEgens studied herein have demonstrated blue-to-red full-color emissions, large -6 dB electrical modulation bandwidths up to 279 MHz (∼56× that of commercial phosphor), and most of them can achieve high data rates of 428-493 Mbps (up to ∼49× that of commercial phosphor) at a maximum bit error rate of 3.8 × 10-3 using on-off keying. Their data communication performances strongly suggest that AIEgens are very promising candidates as color converters for VLC applications, together with their unique AIE properties that will benefit usage in high concentration. Based on the comprehensive experimental results, we further propose some insights into improving data rate of the color converter in VLC: the data rate limit is influenced by modulation bandwidth and signal-noise ratio (SNR). We have experimentally proved that the -6 dB electrical modulation bandwidth f c can be estimated from the effective lifetime τ of the color converter with the theoretical prediction of [Formula: see text] within experimental uncertainties, while theoretically derived that the SNR is proportional to its PL quantum efficiency. These observations and implications are very profound for exploring materials as color converters and improve the data transmission performance in VLC.

Ti-based implants sometimes fail to integrate with surrounding bone tissue due to insufficiency of new bone formation and surface bonding. To overcome this problem, this research focused on establishing a sustained bone growth factor delivery system by applying anodized TiO2 nanotube arrays and PLGA film on the titanium implant surface. TiO2 nanotube arrays were made by anodic oxidation method, and were then filled with rhBMP2 by vacuum freeze-drying. Next, PLGA was deposition on the surface of this material. The designed system was characterized, pharmacokinetic release rate of rhBMP2 was determined. Adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation activity of osteoblasts cultured on the new surfaces and traditional titanium surfaced were compared. SEM showed that a surface of TiO2 nanotube arrays were successfully generated. PLGA membranes of 50 nm, 250 nm, 800 nm thickness were successfully deposited on the surfaces of TiO2 nanotube layers by using 1%, 3%, 10% PLGA solutions. PLGA film of 250 nm thickness showed ideally controlled release of rhBMP2, lasting for 4 weeks. Furthermore, 250 nm thickness PLGA film improved osteoblast adhesion, proliferation, and levels of alkaline phosphatase. In conclusion, the PLGA film / TiO2 nanotube growth factor delivery system can effectively sustain the release of rhBMP-2, and promote proliferation and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts.

The effects of different enhancement methods, including adding bentonite (1.25%, w/w, wet substrate) and autoclaved de-oiling pretreatment (121 °C, 30 min), on the anaerobic digestion of kitchen waste (KW) were comparably studied. Mesophilic continuous stirred tank reactors were used under different organic loading rates (OLRs) of 1.11–1.84 gVS (volatile solid)L −1 d −1 and two different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) (20 d and 25 d). In this study, two enhancement methods and extending HRT could prevent volatile fatty acids (VFA) accumulation and obtain a high methane production at low OLR. Owing to the effect of providing nutrients and buffering capacity, the maximum methane yield was obtained with adding bentonite at OLR of 1.39 gVSL −1 d −1 . However, for high OLR (1.84 gVSL −1 d −1 ), a decrease of the methane yield and system breakdown occurred due to the accumulation of VFAs. Engineering design and process evaluation of a CSTR biogas plant treating with KW based on the laboratory experiment was stated.

International audience; The thermal stability of the Al/NbMoN/NbMoON/SiO2 solar selective absorbing coatings is investigated to determine its potential applications in concentrated solar power (CSP). The coatings are deposited on stainless steel (SS) substrate by using magnetron reactive sputtering method, which exhibit high solar absorptance (αs = 0.948) and low thermal emittance (ε = 0.11, at 400 °C). The coatings are aged (in vacuum and air) at different temperatures and time durations. The aging effect is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Vis.-IR spectroscopy. There is no significant change in surface morphology and spectral selectivity (performance criterion (PC) value is 0.021) of the coating after aging at 500 °C for 240 h in vacuum. The coatings also keep high spectral selectivity (PC = 0.034) after aging at 450 °C for 200 h in air. Unfortunately, the value of PC increases to 0.161 when the coating is aged at the temperature of 500 °C for 200 h in air, which is attributed to diffusion and oxidation in the absorbing layers and degradation of the dense surface morphology and structure, as evidenced by XRD and SEM analysis. These results indicate that the Al/NbMoN/NbMoON/SiO2 coatings is stable up to 500 °C in vacuum and below 450 °C in air, which means enough thermal stability for potential applications in parabolic trough CSP.