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Objective: A partition multi‐effect precision‐care gel facial mask conforming to facial skin characteristics was prepared using three‐dimensional (3D) printing technology. Methods: First, the hydrogel matrix and humectant of a 3D‐printed gel for facial masks were screened, and three 3D‐printed gels of arbutin, hexapeptide, and salicylic acid were prepared with whitening, wrinkle removal, and oil control functions, respectively. Skin irritation tests were performed on the gels. Physicochemical properties such as pH, heat and cold tolerance were evaluated. The efficacy of three 3D‐printed gels was assessed by measuring melanin value, wrinkle depression score, and oil secretion. Finally, the facial mask model design and printing parameters were studied, and a partition multi‐effect precision‐care gel facial mask was printed in line with facial skin characteristics. Results: For the 3D‐printed facial mask, the gel prescription with 2% hydroxyethyl cellulose gel as matrix and 7% glycerol as humectant was the best. The prepared 3D‐printed gel did not irritate the human skin, and its physicochemical properties met the Chinese facial mask industry standard (QB/T2872‐2017). We showed that three types of 3D‐printed gels containing arbutin, hexapeptide, and salicylic acid could be applied to the corresponding parts of the face to solve different problems, such as facial skin dullness, wrinkles, and oil secretion. Therefore, according to facial physiological characteristics, the facial mask model was designed for the forehead and nasolabial fold, which needs to be anti‐wrinkled; the cheek, which needs to be whitened; and the nose and chin, which need oil control. The optimal printing parameters were 0.26 mm nozzle diameter, 90 mm/s printing speed, 30% filling density, 140% wire extrusion ratio, and 0.25 mm layer height. Different skin care effects can be achieved using a three‐nozzle printer to print arbutin, hexapeptide, or salicylic acid gel on the mask's forehead and nasolabial fold, cheek, and nose and chin, respectively. Conclusion: The 3D‐printed partition multi‐effect care gel facial mask prepared according to the skin features of different parts of the face can overcome the problem of the single skincare effect of the mass‐produced facial masks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes has been reported to induce brain metabolic disturbance, but the effect of transient neonatal hyperglycemia (TNH) on brain metabolism remains unclear. Herein the rats were treated with a single intraperitoneal injection of 100 µg/g body weight of streptozotocin within 12 h after birth and displayed a typical clinical characteristic of TNH. Then we used NMR-based metabolomics to examine the metabolic changes in the hippocampus between TNH and normal control (Ctrl) rats at postnatal 7 days (P7) and 21 days (P21). The results show that TNH rats had significantly increased levels of N-acetyl aspartate, glutamine, aspartate and choline in the hippocampus relative to Ctrl rats at P7. Moreover, we found that the levels of alanine, myo-inositol and choline were significantly lower in TNH rats, although their blood glucose levels have been recovered to the normal level at P21. Therefore, our results suggest that TNH may have a long-term effect on hippocampal metabolic changes mainly involving neurotransmitter metabolism and choline metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the tracking and control problem of a spacecraft rendezvous with a non-cooperative and tumbling space target subject to parametric uncertainty and unknown external disturbances. The kinematics and dynamics of spacecraft position and attitude are described by dual quaternions. A novel adaptive sliding mode disturbance observer is proposed to track the pose of non-cooperative tumbling target without need for upper bounds of first and second derivatives of lumped disturbance. Based on the proposed observer, a finite time sliding mode control is developed in term of dual quaternion. Different from existing sliding mode control schemes, the conditions on the controller parameters bounds are relaxed. The stability and robustness of the overall closed-loop control is proved by the Lyapunov framework. The robustness and effectiveness of the proposed control scheme are validated by numerical simulations in comparison with existing approaches. • Track and control of spacecraft rendezvous with non-cooperative and tumbling targets. • Adaptive sliding mode disturbance observer. • Dual quaternion description of kinematics and dynamics of spacecraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal organic frameworks derived hybrid microspheres consisted of Ni3N and nitrogen-doped carbon were prepared by a facile in situ nitridation process. The as prepared Ni3N@C electrocatalysts displayed superior performance for non-enzymatic glucose sensing with two linear detection ranges. The sensitivity in the lower detection range (0.001–3 mM) is 1511.59 μ AmM−1 cm−2 with detection limit of 0.3 μM. The sensitivity in higher detection range (3–7 mM) is calculated to be 783.75 μ A mM−1 cm−2. The excellent electrochemical performance of Ni3N@C for glucose sensing was mainly attributed to its fast charge transfer ability stemming from the synergistic effect of nitrogen-doped carbon and uniform dispersed Ni3N nanoparticles. Furthermore, the as constructed Ni3N@C sensor also showed good feasibility for glucose detection in serum sample and acceptable recovery in analysis. Thus, the preparation of Ni3N@C may hold a new promise for designing highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates an optimal fuel station (FS) arrangement problem for multiple geosynchronous (GEO) spacecrafts with many-to-many (M2M) refueling, subject to the capacity of the servicing spacecraft (SSC) and the different fuel requirements of the targets. Several FSs with their reusable SSC are arranged on GEO, while the SSC commutes between fuel-deficient targets and FSs to refuel the multiple targets. To avoid building a fuel station at the exact position of the target in traditional M2M refueling, the problem is formulated as a location–allocation problem. Based on that, a novel modified K-means clustering is proposed, in which the difficulty caused by the limitation of the SSC's capacity is solved. With the proposed method, the FS is allowed to be arranged in the exact region without inaccessible targets, where the minimum number of the required FS and the minimized fuel cost are determined in turn. Finally, numerical simulations validate the performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel nitride decorated nitrogen doped carbon spheres (Ni 3 N/NCS) were synthesized via an eco-friendly one pot nitridation process. The morphology and structure, chemical composition, and electrochemical properties of Ni 3 N/NCS were characterized vie different methods. The Ni 3 N nanoparticles with average diameter of 20 nm were uniformly decorated on the surface of nitrogen doped carbon spheres. The constructed Ni 3 N/NCS sensor exhibited excellent performance for non-enzymatic glucose sensing, which included two wide linear ranges of 1 μM–3000 μM and 3000 μM - 7000 μM with high sensitivity of 2024.18 μAmM−1cm−2 and 1256.98 μAmM−1cm−2. The corresponding detection limits in lower and higher concentration ranges were 0.1 μM and 0.35 μM respectively. The significantly improved electrochemical performance of Ni 3 N/NCS may be due to the rapid charge transfer and high conductivity of Ni 3 N/NCS/GCE, originating from the synergistic effect of Ni 3 N and nitrogen doped carbon spheres. Moreover, the Ni 3 N/NCS sensor also displayed satisfactory recovery results for glucose detection in serum samples. The kinetics of glucose oxidation on the Ni 3 N/NCS electrode were also studied to understand the electrochemical reaction on the surface of the materials. Moreover, the possible mechanisms about the glucose sensing and the formation of Ni 3 N/NCS were also discussed. The present study may provide a rational strategy to eco-friendly prepare highly efficient electrocatalysts for non-enzymatic glucose sensing applications. • The Ni 3 N/NCS was prepared via a facile eco-friendly one pot nitridation process. • Highly improved non-enzymatic glucose sensing performance was obtained on Ni 3 N/NCS. • Enhanced electrochemical activity may be due to the synergistic effect of Ni 3 N and NCS. • The combination of Ni 3 N with NCS accelerated the charge transfer in the electrocatalyst. • The study may provide a rational strategy to design highly efficient sensing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic cognitive decline has been associated with the gut microbial disorders, but its potential gut-brain axis mechanisms remain unclear. Herein we transplanted the gut microbiota from healthy mice into type 1 diabetic (T1D) mice and then investigated the effect of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on cognitive function and the gut-brain metabolic axis. The results demonstrate that FMT from healthy mice effectively improved the learning and memory abilities in T1D mice, and significantly reduced neuroinflammation and neuron injury in the cortex and hippocampus. Moreover, FMT partly reversed the gut microbiota and gut-brain metabolic disorders, particularly glutamate metabolism. In vitro study, we found that glutamate notably decreased microglia activation and the expression levels of proinflammatory factor. Hence, our study suggests that glutamate serves as a key signal metabolite connecting the gut to brain and affects cognitive functions. • FMT relieves microglia activation and neuroinflammation in the brain of T1D mice. • FMT alleviates astrocyte proliferation and neuronal damage in T1D mice. • FMT might be a potential therapeutic strategy for diabetic cognitive decline. • Glutamate as a signal molecule linking the gut to brain mediates cognitive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UV detection has been generally used in external insulation detection of equipment. Currently used detection methods have many shortcomings, such as incomprehensive consideration of influencing factors, poor model adaption, and low accuracy. We propose a method that detects the ultraviolet pulse number (P), temperature (T), and humidity (H). Meanwhile, discharge intensity (J') was preliminarily estimated by UV detection using a fuzzy algorithm. Next, the ANFIS algorithm with a self‐study mechanism and an artificial neural network was introduced, which assessed that the discharge intensity is J. A UV detection circuit was established while carrying out a field test. The preliminary evaluation data of the fuzzy were used as training and testing data of ANFIS. The optimized model was obtained after ANFIS multiple trainings. Experimental results show that the relationships between P, T, H, and J in the optimized model are consistent with those of theoretical deduction. The assessment results remain highly stable with the occurrence of changes in external conditions, which indicates the feasibility of the ANFIS algorithm in UV detection of discharge intensity of electric equipment. This study can provide effective suggestions for online insulation monitoring and equipment maintenance. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: HIV/AIDS patients who fail to respond to first-line treatment protocols are switched to second-line ART. Identifying factors that influence effective second-line treatment can improve utilization of limited medical resources. We investigated the efficacy of long-term second-line anti-retroviral therapy (ART) after first-line virologic failure as well as the impact of non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), and protease inhibitor (PI) resistance mutations and medication adherence on ineffective viral suppression.Methods: A total of 120 patients were evaluated at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 48 months after initiation of second-line ART; a paper questionnaire was administered via a face-to-face interview and venous blood samples were collected. CD4+ T cell count, viral load, and drug resistance genotypes were quantified.Results: CD4+ T cell counts increased from 170 cells/μL (IQR 100-272) at baseline to 359 cells/μL (IQR 236-501) after 48 months of second-line treatment. Viral load (log10) decreased from 4.58 copies/mL (IQR 3.96-5.17) to 1.00 copies/mL (IQR 1.00-3.15). After switching to second-line ART, nine patients newly acquired the NRTI drug-resistant mutation, M184 V/I. No major PI resistance mutations were detected. Logistical regression analysis indicated that medication adherence < 90% in the previous month was associated with ineffective viral suppression; baseline high/low/moderate level resistance to 3TC/TDF was protective towards effective viral suppression.Conclusions: Long-term second line ART was effective in the Henan region of China. Drug resistance mutations to NRTIs were detected in patients receiving second-line ART, suggesting that drug resistance surveillance should be continued to prevent the spread of resistant strains. Patient medication adherence supervision and management should be strengthened to improve the efficacy of antiviral treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical Nb 2 O 5 microflowers architectures assembled with 2D ultrathin nanosheets were successfully constructed via a facile hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized microflowers with a diameter of ca. 1.4 μm are assembled by ultrathin nanosheets with the thickness of 3–4 nm. The initial discharge capacities of Nb 2 O 5 microflowers are 247 mA h g −1 at a current density of 20 mA g −1 , meanwhile the retention capacities are 190.1 mA h g −1 after 100 cycles. Hence, the Nb 2 O 5 microflowers can be developed as a promising negative material for high-rate lithium ion storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hierarchical carpet-like WO 3 microflowers were synthesized via a facile one-step hydrothermal method by using oleic acid as a oriented growth reagent. The as-synthesized WO 3 microflowers show a triclinic crystal structure and are basically hierarchical assemblies of carpet-like nanosheets made up of the subunit of bundle-like nanowires. Based on the morphology evolution process, a possible crystal growth and nanostructure assembling mechanism were proposed. The prepared WO 3 microflower sensor exhibits a gas sensing response of about 228 when exposed to 10 ppm of toxic NO 2 gas at 200 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urchin-like Nb 2 O 5 nanospheres having an overall diameter of 300–500 nm and containing well-ordered independent nanorods with a diameter of 5–10 nm and a length of about 100 nm were synthesized using a facile and template-free method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy results showed that the morphology of Nb 2 O 5 can be regulated by adjusting the ratio of water/ethanol in the starting solution. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images indicated that the nanorods grew along the [001] zone direction. Then, the formation mechanism of the urchin-like Nb 2 O 5 was investigated through XRD and transmission electron microscopy. The urchin-like Nb 2 O 5 -1-1 nanospheres obtained at a water/ethanol ratio of 1/1 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light, showing about 4.4 times of the activity of Nb 2 O 5 -1-4 and about 4.1 times of that of TiO 2 (P25). The degradation mechanism of RhB on the urchin-like Nb 2 O 5 nanospheres was demonstrated by terephthalic acid photoluminescence technique and photoelectrochemical measurements. The results revealed that the dye-sensitized photodegradation process was the main mechanism of RhB degradation under visible light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate novel Nb 2 O 5 ·nH 2 O/LDH composites that were firstly fabricated via hydrothermal synthesis of Nb 2 O 5 microspheres followed by in situ growth of ZnAl–LDH shell. The structure of the Nb 2 O 5 ·nH 2 O/LDH was investigated, and the results showed that the ZnAl–LDH had grew inside the slit of burr–surface of Nb 2 O 5 ·nH 2 O microspheres. Its calcined product Nb 2 O 5 /LDO shows a high adsorption capacity of the congo red (abbr. CR). The photocatalytic experiment results indicate that the Nb 2 O 5 /LDO displays obviously photoactivity and the degradation of CR could reach a ratio of 85% under visible–light irradiation, but the Nb 2 O 5 alone exhibits no photocatalytic activity for CR. The •OH radicals may be predominant oxidative species responsible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Co-free anti-bacterial Cr-Fe-Ni-Cu-Si HEAs were designed. • These HEAs have high mechanical properties and good corrosion resistance. • Increasing Si would lead to the enhancement in strength but decrease in plasticity. [Display omitted] In this work, a series of Co-free CrFeNiCuSi x (x = 0.2, 0.3) high entropy alloys (HEAs) were designed and fabricated by suction casting, and their microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and anti-bacterial behaviors have been systematically investigated. It is found that, all these HEAs are composed of FCC phase and have dendrite structure, while the dendrite and inter-dendrite regions are Cu-deplete and Cu-rich, respectively. Moreover, the increase in Si leads to the strengthening of this series of HEAs but would reduce their plasticity. The corrosion resistance is closely correlated with the distribution of Cu in these HEAs. The anti-bacterial rate against E. coli. is ~97% when x = 0.2, while that is ~90% when x = 0.3, indicating high anti-bacterial properties of these HEAs. This work indicates that these designed Co-free HEAs could have excellent comprehensive properties combining high ultimate tensile strength and plasticity, as well as good corrosion resistance and anti-bacterial properties, which provides a novel route in designing high-performance and low-cost anti-bacterial HEAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of ring-substituted ethyl- and heptyl-linked 4-aminoquinoline dimers were synthesized and evaluated for their affinities at the 3 human α 1 -adrenoceptor (α 1 -AR) subtypes and the human serotonin 5-HT 1A -receptor (5-HT 1A -R). We find that the structure-specificity profiles are different for the two series at the α 1 -AR subtypes, which suggests that homobivalent 4-aminoquinolines can be developed with α 1 -AR subtype selectivity. The 8-methyl (8-Me) ethyl-linked analogue has the highest affinity for the α 1A -AR, 7 nM, and the greatest capacity for discriminating between α 1A -AR and α 1B -AR (6-fold), α 1D -AR (68-fold), and the 5-HT 1A -R (168-fold). α 1B -AR selectivity was observed with the 6-methyl (6-Me) derivative of the ethyl- and heptyl-linked 4-aminoquinoline dimers and the 7-methoxy (7-OMe) derivative of the heptyl-linked analogue. These substitutions result in 4- to 80-fold selectivity for α 1B -AR over α 1A -AR, α 1D -AR, and 5-HT 1A -R. In contrast, 4-aminoquinoline dimers with selectivity for α 1D -AR are more elusive, since none studied to date has greater affinity for the α 1D -AR over the other two α 1 -ARs. The selectivity of the 8-Me ethyl-linked 4-aminoquinoline dimer for the α 1A -AR, and 6-Me ethyl-linked, and the 6-Me and 7-OMe heptyl-linked 4-aminoquinoline dimers for the α 1B -AR, makes them promising leads for drug development of α 1A -AR or α 1B -AR subtype selective ligands with reduced 5-HT 1A -R affinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of sub-type selective α 1 adrenoceptor ligands has been hampered by the high sequence similarity of the amino acids forming the orthosteric binding pocket of the three α 1 adrenoceptor subtypes, along with other biogenic amine receptors. One possible approach to overcome this issue is to target allosteric sites on the α 1 adrenoceptors. Previous docking studies suggested that one of the quinoline moieties of a bis(4-aminoquinoline), comprising a 9-carbon methylene linker attached via the amine groups, could interact with residues outside of the orthosteric binding site while, simultaneously, the other quinoline moiety bound within the orthosteric site. We therefore hypothesized that this compound could act in a bitopic manner, displaying both orthosteric and allosteric binding properties. To test this proposition, we investigated the allosteric activity of a series of bis(4-aminoquinoline)s with linker lengths ranging from 2 to 12 methylene units (designated C2–C12). A linear trend of increasing [3H]prazosin dissociation rate with increasing linker length between C7 and C11 was observed, confirming their action as allosteric modulators. These data suggest that the optimal linker length for the bis(4-aminoquinoline)s to occupy the allosteric site of the α 1A adrenoceptor is between 7 and 11 methylene units. In addition, the ability of C9 bis(4-aminoquinoline) to modulate the activation of the α 1A adrenoceptor by norepinephrine was subsequently examined, showing that C9 acts as a non-competitive antagonist. Our findings indicate that the bis(4-aminoquinolines) are acting as allosteric modulators of orthosteric ligand binding, but not efficacy, in a bitopic manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: α1-adrenoceptor (α1-AR) subtype-selective ligands lacking off-target affinity for the 5-HT1A receptor (5-HT1A-R) will provide therapeutic benefits in the treatment of urogenital conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia. In this study we determined the affinity of 4-aminoquinoline and eleven homobivalent 4-aminoquinoline ligands (diquinolines) with alkane linkers of 2–12 atoms (C2–C12) for α1A, α1B and α1D -ARs and the 5-HT1A-R. These ligands are α1A-AR antagonists with nanomolar affinity for α1A and α1B -ARs. They display linker-length dependent selectivity for α1A/B -ARs over α1D-AR and the 5-HT1A-R. The C2 diquinoline has the highest affinity for α1A-AR (pK i 7.60±0.26) and greater than 30-fold and 600-fold selectivity for α1A-AR over α1D-AR and 5-HT1A-R respectively. A decrease in affinity for α1-ARs is observed as the linker length increases, reaching a nadir at 5 (α1A/1B-ARs) or 6 (α1D-AR) atoms; after which affinity increases as the linker is lengthened, peaking at 9 (α1A/1B/1D-ARs) or 8 (5-HT1A-R) atoms. Docking studies suggest that 4-aminoquinoline and C2 bind within the orthosteric binding site, while for C9 one end is situated within the orthosteric binding pocket, while the other 4-aminoquinoline moiety interacts with the extracellular surface. The limited α1D-AR and 5-HT1A-R affinity of these compounds makes them promising leads for future drug development of α1A-AR selective ligands without α1D-AR and the 5-HT1A-R off-target activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ag–OMS-2 nanorods were synthesized by a simple solid-state reaction of AgMnO4 with manganese acetate. The nanorods had a diameter of about 8nm and lengths of 50–150nm with the co-existence of micropores and mesopores. Structural analysis revealed that the nanorods were amorphous but exhibited lattice fringes of Ag–hollandite structure. The silver species presented as Ag+ and the average oxidation state of manganese was 3.7. Most importantly, the Ag–OMS-2 nanorods showed quite high catalytic performance for CO oxidation with 100% CO conversion at 90°C, mainly because of the significantly enhanced oxygen activation and CO adsorption with the presence of Ag+ in the tunnels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: MnO x –CeO2 mixed oxides with a Mn/(Mn+Ce) molar ratios of 0–1 were prepared by a modified coprecipitation method and investigated for the complete oxidation of formaldehyde. The MnO x –CeO2 with Mn/(Mn+Ce) molar ratio of 0.5 exhibited the highest catalytic activity among the MnO x –CeO2 mixed oxides. Structure analysis by X-ray powder diffraction and temperature-programmed reduction of hydrogen revealed that the formation of MnO x –CeO2 solid solution greatly improved the low-temperature reducibility, resulting in a higher catalytic activity for the oxidation of formaldehyde. Promoting effect of Pt on the MnO x –CeO2 mixed oxide indicated that both the Pt precursors and the reduction temperature greatly affected the catalytic performance. Pt/MnO x –CeO2 catalyst prepared from chlorine-free precursor showed extremely high activity and stability after pretreatment with hydrogen at 473K. 100% conversion of formaldehyde was achieved at ambient temperature and no deactivation was observed for 120h time-on-stream. The promoting effect of Pt was ascribed to enhance the effective activation of oxygen molecule on the MnO x –CeO2 support. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The influence of crystal phase of zirconia on the performance of Au/ZrO2 catalysts for low temperature water gas shift reaction was investigated. Au/ZrO2 catalysts with pure tetragonal and monoclinic phases of ZrO2 were prepared by the deposition-precipitation method with similar gold loading and dispersion. It was found that the Au/m-ZrO2 catalyst showed much higher activity than that of the Au/t-ZrO2 catalyst, which could be attributed to the higher CO adsorption capacity of the Au/m-ZrO2 catalyst. The chemical state of gold that was strongly related to the pretreatment atmosphere also played an essential role in determining the catalytic activity for water gas shift reaction. Hydrogen and/or helium pretreated samples only contained Au0 species and exhibited higher activity than that of the sample pretreated with oxygen-containing atmosphere which resulted in the co-existence of Au0 and Au+ species. FTIR study further revealed that the formate species formed by the reaction of the adsorbed CO on gold nanoparticle with the hydroxyl groups on the surface of m-ZrO2 acted as the most important intermediates for the water gas shift reaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Complete oxidization of formaldehyde into harmless water and carbon dioxide was obtained over Ag/MnO x –CeO2 catalysts at a temperature as low as 373K. Structural analysis by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) measurements revealed that the formation of MnO x –CeO2 solid solution and the subsequent addition of silver species resulted in significant improvement in the effective activation of oxygen molecules in the reaction stream. Accordingly, a consecutive oxygen transfer mechanism starting from the oxygen reservoir of CeO2 to active Ag2O sites through MnO x was proposed. The oxygen species released from the decomposition of Ag2O participated in the oxidation of formaldehyde, and the reoxidation of Ag to Ag2O was achieved through the oxygen species from MnO2. Simultaneously, the transformation of the produced Mn2O3 to MnO2 was realized by the oxygen species from the oxygen reservoir of CeO2, and the Ce2O3 thus formed can be reoxidized into CeO2 by the oxygen in the feed stream. Such a consecutive oxygen pathway was suggested to play an important role in the complete oxidation of formaldehyde. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines a direct sequence code division multiple access based on multiwavelet packet transform (MWPT). Improvement in the performance of the system of asynchronous transmission and multipath delay; Properties of MWPT; Increase of bit error rate.

Alcaligenes faecalis strain WT14 is heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification bacterium, newly isolated from a constructed wetland, and its feasibility in nitrogen removal was investigated. The result showed sodium citrate was more readily utilized by WT14 as a carbon source. The response surface methodology model revealed the highest total nitrogen removal by WT14 occurred at 20.3 °C, 113.5 r·min−1, C/N 10.8, and pH 8.4. Under adapted environmental conditions, up to 55.9 mg·L−1·h−1 of ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 +-N) was removed by WT14, and its NH 4 +-N tolerance ability reached 2000 mg·L−1. In addition to the reported high NH 4 +-resistance of Alcaligenes faecalis , WT14 multiplied fast and had strong nitrate or nitrite removal capacity when high strength nitrate or nitrite was provided as the single nitrogen source; which differed from other Alcaligenes faecalis species. These results show WT14 is a novel strain of Alcaligenes faecalis and its nitrogen removal pathway will be carried out in the further study. • Alcaligenes faecalis strain WT14 was newly isolated and identified. • WT14 had excellent ability for heterotrophic nitrification/aerobic denitrification. • WT14 had NH 4 +-N tolerance capability reaching up to 2000 mg L−1. • Nitrogen removal of WT14 differed from the reported Alcaligenes faecalis species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio frequency interference (RFI) is a significant threat to accurate microwave remote sensing. The RFI signals manifest themselves in unpredictable locations and patterns in the image, which will cause measurement distortion and image degradation or even lead to wrong retrievals of the geophysical parameters. Accurate detection of RFI artifacts is a prerequisite step to preserve the overall quality of remote sensing quality. In this article, a semantic cognitive enhancement network for RFI signature detection is proposed. It employs an encoder–decoder architecture, which incorporates the atrous spatial pyramid pooling, depthwise convolution, and self-attentional mechanism. Rather than detecting the existence of RFI artifacts for an entire image, the proposed scheme can realize RFI recognition in a pixelwise manner without setting predefined thresholds. Extensive experimental results on diverse scenarios in Sentinel-1 images with various RFI types are provided, which demonstrates robust detection performance for both strong and weak interference without requiring a large number of training samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies an observer-based adaptive learning control for spacecraft attitude stabilization subject to actuator fault, parameter uncertainty and external disturbance. Specifically, a new Barrier Function-based Iterative Learning Observer is proposed to estimate the lumped disturbance. Unlike existing iterative learning observer scheme, the newly proposed observer allows the gain matrix to fluctuate in accordance with exact values of the estimation errors, which leads to the estimation errors converges to a predefined neighborhood of zero independent of the adaptive gain matrix in finite time. Then, a composite control law is developed for spacecraft attitude stabilization by combining the newly proposed observer with a robust feedback controller. The stability of the overall closed-loop control system is proved in the Lyapunov framework. Finally, the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed strategy is demonstrated by numerical simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report a new multi-scale NPR composite based on auxetic fabric/elastomer matrix (AF/EM) composite structure. The multi-scale AF was obtained via using helical auxetic yarn (HAY) as weft yarns and constructing re-entrant hexagonal (REH) geometry structure on the macro scale, then the AF was combined with EM to fabricate the auxetic composite (AC). The AF and AC exhibit the NPR of −1.492 and −0.379. Simultaneously, high tensile strain over 108% (AF) and 82% (AC) can be subjected, indicating good mechanical performance. The superior performance of the AC is its ability to maintain NPR and resilience, with elastic recovery ratio over 94% and work recovery coefficient with a stable value over 80% after 10 cycles. Also, the damping properties results further evidence the good elasticity of our AC. The paper shows that our AF and AC are promising candidates in protective composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zepatier® (Elbasvir and Grazoprevir) is a novel two-drug, fixed-dose combination product containing elbasvir and grazoprevir used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Various forced degradation studies of the two drugs had been conducted in order to identify significant degradation products and establish the degradation pathway induced by thermal, photolytic, acid/base hydrolytic and/or oxidative stress conditions. A reversed phase C18 UHPLC-PDA method has been developed for the analysis of the stressed samples. Seven significant degradation products of elbasvir and five significant degradation products of grazoprevir were found and investigated further by high resolution ESI-QTOF-MS with high accurate mass measurement (−1.96 to 1.36 ppm). The chemical structures of each degradation product were proposed based on their relative MS/MS fragmentation spectra in comparison with the corresponding parent drugs and the chemical synthetic knowledge of process chemists. The validated stability-indicating UHPLC method can be used in routine analysis for the simultaneous determination of elbasvir and grazoprevir in pharmaceutical formulations. As more and more combination drugs will enter into the market, this study can also shed light on stability indicating method development for combined drugs at early development stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, an effective clutter suppression algorithm is presented for the space-borne azimuth multiantenna high-resolution and wide-swath (HRWS) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, which is based on the null-space technique. First, the echo of bistatic geosynchronous-low earth orbit (GEO-LEO) azimuth multiantenna HRWS SAR-ground moving target indication (GMTI) system is utilized to deduce the coarse-focused image of moving targets and clutter, where the Chirp Fourier transform (CFT) in azimuth is involved. Then, the matrix form can be utilized to describe the coarse-focused image of the multiantenna SAR system and the corresponding covariance matrix can be estimated. After that, the null-space is constructed using the covariance matrix corresponding to clutter, where at least a redundant channel freedom is required. Since the null-space vector is orthogonal to signal-space vector, it can be used to suppress the clutter. As an equivalent phase is brought by the slant velocity, the moving targets’ echo can be preserved during clutter suppression. Then, the optimization and suboptimization vectors for clutter suppression are introduced. It is worth noting that the proposed clutter suppression algorithm is robust for the antenna mismatch, that is, the antenna mismatch in phase and the corresponding position error. Finally, the theoretical investigations are validated using some simulation experiments, where the experiments for bistatic GEO-LEO and single-platform azimuth multiantenna HRWS SAR-GMTI system are both included. In addition, the real measured single-platform azimuth multiantenna HRWS SAR data experiments are also performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spacecraft formation maneuvering will inevitably induce flexible vibration from flexible appendages of spacecraft such as solar array appendages or antennae, which leads to complex disturbances with unknown fundamental frequencies. To achieve high performance of spacecraft formation flying, a novel adaptive iterative learning disturbance observer based on adaptive notch filter is designed to estimate and compensate unknown multi-frequency disturbances. Different from existing results on iterative learning disturbance observer, the newly proposed observer can estimate effectively both low-frequency disturbances and high-frequency periodic disturbances. Based on the proposed observer, an output feedback pose tracking law is derived by combining the proposed velocity observer and a feedback controller in dual quaternions description. The stability of the closed-loop system is approved based on the Lyapunov framework. Finally, the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed observer and controller are demonstrated successfully by numerical simulations. • Developed a novel adaptive iterative learning control for flexible spacecraft formation. • Developed adaptive iterative learning observer to estimate multi-frequency disturbances. • Formulated 6DOF spacecraft formation maneuvering by dual quaternions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reaction mechanisms of direct conversion of methane to methanol (DCMM) catalyzed by single vacancy graphene supported single Cu atoms (Cu/C3-Gr and Cu/N3-Gr) were investigated using first principles calculations, taking N2O as the oxidant. The catalytic performance was tuned drastically by replacing three coordinated carbon atoms of active center Cu (Cu/C3-Gr) with three nitrogen atoms (Cu/N3-Gr). For Cu/N3-Gr catalyzing DCMM, a crossing between potential energy profiles of the triplet state and the singlet state occurs after transition state of C–H activation. It makes the reaction energy profile downhill and the free energy barrier of C–H activation is only 0.4 eV. The calculation results indicate that Cu/N3-Gr is likely to be an excellent catalyst for DCMM at room temperature, more superior to Cu/C3-Gr. By modulating micro-coordination environment of single atom Cu, both reactivity and selectivity of DCMM were improved remarkably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) mixing test, different incubation time, factor VIII inhibitor, acquired hemophilia A At each level, the samples used for the APTT mixing test and FVIII INH test were all in triplicate for investigation at different incubation time of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 h. Keywords: acquired hemophilia A; activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) mixing test; different incubation time; factor VIII inhibitor EN acquired hemophilia A activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) mixing test different incubation time factor VIII inhibitor e195 e197 3 06/21/22 20220701 NES 220701 To the Editor, Acquired hemophilia A (AHA) is a rare hemorrhagic disease caused by autoantibodies (inhibitor, INH) against Factor VIII (FVIII). [Extracted from the article]

Counterfeiting is a serious worldwide issue that threatens human health and economic security. How to apply anti-counterfeiting techniques to textile materials remains a great challenge. Herein, we report bimetallic Au Ag nanoclusters (NCs) synthesized by one-step reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl 4) and silver nitrate (AgNO 3) with wool keratin (WK) as reducer and silk fibroin (SF) as stabilizer. The strongest orange-red fluorescence under ultraviolet light as well as the highest zeta potential absolute values of −27.97 mV were simultaneously realized in the optimal proportion Au-AgNCs2 (WK/SF is 3/2), which was further processed to a series of anti-counterfeiting films by blending with SF, silk sericin (SS), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). After successfully being numbered into fifteen colors, a dark blue-orange-dark red-dark blue cyclic fluorescent anti-counterfeiting color chart was designed. In addition, a two-Maxwell-unit model was constructed to assist with the microstructure analysis, which found that the formation of hydrogen bonds and the secondary structure transition from α-helices to β -sheets during stretching were responsible for improving the mechanical properties and the two-staged fracture curves of films, respectively. Finally, a patterned and multicolor fluorescence anti-counterfeiting fabric application was demonstrated by combining the color chart and screen printing, indicating the great potential in textile anti-counterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A beamforming technique based on the genetic algorithm is proposed in this paper. This method reconstructs acoustic sources by exploiting the sparsity. To reduce the computational cost and speed up the implementation, a highly efficient algorithm is further developed by narrowing down the search domain for the genetic algorithm. The performance is numerically investigated through a quantitative analysis of the position and amplitude error of the recovered source, and experimentally demonstrated in acoustic imaging. For this newly established approach, the results indicate a higher resolution capability than the conventional beamforming, and better accuracy and robustness than the compressive sensing beamforming. Overall, the present work can enrich existing high-resolution beamforming methods and benefit relevant acoustic testing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the calculated fundamental band gaps of wurtzite ternary alloys Zn1−xMxO (M = Mg, Cd) and the band offsets of the ZnO/Zn1−xMxO heterojunctions, these II-VI materials are important for electronics and optoelectronics. Our calculation is based on density functional theory within the linear muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) approach where the modified Becke-Johnson (MBJ) semi-local exchange is used to accurately produce the band gaps, and the coherent potential approximation (CPA) is applied to deal with configurational average for the ternary alloys. The combined LMTO-MBJ-CPA approach allows one to simultaneously determine both the conduction band and valence band offsets of the heterojunctions. The calculated band gap data of the ZnO alloys scale as Eg = 3.35 + 2.33x and Eg = 3.36 − 2.33x + 1.77x2 for Zn1−xMgxO and Zn1−xCdxO, respectively, where x being the impurity concentration. These scaling as well as the composition dependent band offsets are quantitatively compared to the available experimental data. The capability of predicting the band parameters and band alignments of ZnO and its ternary alloys with the LMTO-CPA-MBJ approach indicate the promising application of this method in the design of emerging electronics and optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hierarchical CuCo2O4/C microspheres have been fabricated via a two-step method involving hydrothermal and calcination processes. SEM, TEM, HRTEM, XRD and XPS were used to characterize the morphology, structure, and composition of the materials. The CuCo2O4/C microspheres have a hierarchically flower-like structure composed of nanoparticles-stacked nanosheets. Moreover, the as-prepared double-metal oxide hierarchical microsphere composites exhibit greatly improved electrochemical performance than that of pure CuCo2O4, owing to the synergistic effect of CuCo2O4 and carbon spheres. The CuCo2O4/C 5:1 modified electrode exhibited high sensitivity of 707.71 μA mM−1cm−2 in a wide linear range from 5 to 8000 μM with detection limit of about 1.5 μM. The outstanding glucose sensing performance of CuCo2O4/C 5:1 demonstrated that this kind of spinel bimetallic oxides composites can be favorable candidates for the development of non-enzymatic sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ipomoea plants possess important commercial, medicinal, and ornamental value. Molecular and morphological studies have confirmed that most species of this genus exhibit similar phenotypes but complex phylogenetic relationships. To date, limited information is available on these evolutionary relationships. In this study, systematic analysis of diverse species from Ipomoea was used to elucidate the relationships in this genus. To this end, we employed the concept of codon usage bias (CUB) to analyze the codon usage bias of five Ipomoea species such as effective number of codons (ENC) and GC content at the third synonym codon position (GC3s). Three types of plots including ENC-GC3s, parity rule 2 (PR2) and neutrality plots were employed to discover the factors determining CUB, and the frequency of hydrogen bonds and nucleotide were calculated to dissect changes in GC content at the 5′-end of the coding sequence. Our results showed little distinctness in CUB among the five species, with a reduction of hydrogen bonds content at the 5′-end (with similar changes in cytosines). In addition, optimal codons of Ipomoea aquatica ended with G or C, different from those of the other four species, which ended in A or T. These results may be useful for exploring the evolutionary relationships among this group, and for understanding the reasons for the variation among Ipomoea species. • The number of hydrogen bonds in each codon at the 5′-end of CDS both exhibited a decline trend among five Ipomoea species. • Natural selection plays a dominant role in the codon usage bias pattern of five Ipomoea species. • The optimal codons in Ipomoea aquatica ended with G or C, but other four species ended with A or T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of inulin in alleviating obesity-related disorders has been documented; yet, its underlying mechanisms still need to be further investigated. This study attempted to elucidate the causative link between the gut microbiota and the beneficial effect of inulin on obesity-related disorders via transferring the fecal microbiota from inulin-dosed mice to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese recipient mice. The results show that inulin supplementation can decrease body weight, fat accumulation, and systemic inflammation and can also enhance glucose metabolism in HFD-induced obese mice. Treatment with inulin reshaped the structure and composition of the gut microbiota in HFD-induced obese mice, as characterized by increases in the relative abundances of Bifidobacterium and Muribaculum and decreases in unidentified_Lachnospiraceae and Lachnoclostridium. In addition, we found that these favorable effects of inulin could be partially transferable by fecal microbiota transplantation, and Bifidobacterium and Muribaculum might be the key bacterial genera. Therefore, our results suggest that inulin ameliorates obesity-related disorders by targeting the gut microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon nanotubes entangled Ni/NiO porous polyhedrons were obtained by in situ growing process with Ni-MOF precursor acting as both the carbon source and catalyst (Ni/NiO) source, which showed highly improved electrochemical performance. The enhanced glucose oxidation activity of Ni/NiO/CNTs may be due to the synergistic effect of metallic nickel and carbon nanotubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano-modified asphalt binder has been focused in pavement projects because of its excellent performance. The major goal of this study was to inquiry nano-montmorillonite (MMT) affected the rheological characteristics, fatigue resistance, and active healing capabilities of asphalt binders. The physicochemical parameters, rheological performance of base asphalt and SBS modified asphalt binder with varying MMT doping were evaluated. The fatigue prediction model and time sweep test with a rest period were used to assess fatigue resistance and self-healing capacity. The results show that MMT can be uniformly distributed in the asphalt binder and present as the stable intercalated or exfoliated structure. It enhances the viscosity and improves to the high temperature resistance to permanent deformation while having an adverse influence on low temperature characteristic of binders. At intermediate temperatures, MMT dosages more than 3wt% can significantly promote the fatigue resistance and healing capability of asphalt binder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat diabetes for a long time, but its application has not been widely accepted due to unstandardized product quality and complex pharmacological mechanisms. The modernization of TCM is crucial for its further development, and in recent years the metabolomics technique has largely driven its modernization. This review focuses on the application of NMR-based metabolomics in diabetic therapy using TCM. We identified a series of metabolic pathways that altered significantly after TCM treatment, providing a better understanding of the metabolic mechanisms of TCM for diabetes care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver transplantation (LT) is the only effective method of treating end‐stage liver disease, such as various types of liver failure. China has the largest number of patients with hepatitis B virus‐related disease, which is also the main cause of liver failure. From the first LT performed in 1977, and especially over the past two decades, LT has experienced rapid development as a result of continuous research and innovation in China. China performs the second‐highest number of LTs every year worldwide, and the quality of LT continues to improve. Starting January 1, 2015, all donor's livers have been from deceased donors and familial donors. Thus, China entered into a new era of LT. However, LT is still a challenging procedure in China. In this review, we introduced the brief history of LT in China, the epidemiology, aetiology and clinical outcomes of LT for liver failure in China and summarized the experience of LT from Chinese LT surgeons and scholars. The future perspectives of LT were also discussed, and it is expected that China's LT research could be further integrated elsewhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A Co-free corrosion-resistant HEA with high hardness was designed. • This HEA has fully BCC structure under rapid-solidification condition. • This rapid-solidified HEA has two-stage passivation behavior before pitting. In this paper, a CrFeNiAl 0.2 Si 0.2 high entropy alloy (HEA) was fabricated via laser-surface melting (LSM). The result shows that, this HEA could form fully BCC structure under such rapid-solidification condition. Moreover, it exhibits excellent corrosion resistance in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution with two-stage passivation, and could maintain good protectiveness until 1.06 V vs SCE during electrochemical polarization, which is much higher than stainless steel. In addition, this rapid-solidified HEA shows high hardness of ∼667 Hv. Such excellent corrosion resistance and unique passivation process are possibly caused by the diversity in compositional constitution of the passive films under different electrochemical corrosion conditions. This work provides a novel route for designing low-cost corrosion-resistant HEAs with high hardness for coating applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SnxTi1-xO2 core-shell microspheres were synthesized through a simple one-step hydrothermal method. The structural and morphologic properties were unambiguously characterized, and the electrochemical performance of the SnxTi1-xO2 microspheres was determined by cyclic voltammetry. The possible formation mechanism of SnxTi1-xO2 microspheres was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The α-adrenoceptors (α-ARs), in particular the α-AR subtype, are current therapeutic targets of choice for the treatment of urogenital conditions, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Due to the similarity between the transmembrane domains of the α-AR subtypes, and the serotonin receptor subtype 1A (5-HT-R), currently used α-AR subtype-selective drugs to treat BPH display considerable off-target affinity for the 5-HT-R, leading to side effects. We describe the construction and validation of pharmacophores for 5-HT-R agonists and antagonists. Through the structural diversity of the training sets used in their development, these pharmacophores define the properties of a compound needed to bind to 5-HT receptors. Using these and previously published pharmacophores in virtual screening and profiling, we have identified unique chemical compounds (hits) that fit the requirements to bind to our target, the α-AR, selectively over the off-target, the 5-HT-R. Selected hits have been obtained and their affinities for α-AR, α-AR and 5-HT-R determined in radioligand binding assays, using membrane preparations which contain human receptors expressed individually. Three of the tested hits demonstrate statistically significant selectivity for α-AR over 5-HT-R. All seven tested hits bind to α-AR, with two compounds displaying K values below 1 μM, and a further two K values of around 10 μM. The insights and knowledge gained through the development of the new 5-HT-R pharmacophores will greatly aid in the design and synthesis of derivatives of our lead compound, and allow the generation of more efficacious and selective ligands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Binuclear copper(II) compound [Cu2(NTA)(phen)3]NO3·6H2O was synthesized (NTA=nitrilotriacetate, phen=1,10-phenanthroline), and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and thermal gravimetric analyses. This compound used as a copper source was decomposed on MnO x -CeO2 in N2 at 400°C and subsequently in air at 500°C to obtain a Cu/MnO x -CeO2 catalyst. The results of catalytic activity test showed that compared with a referential Cu/MnO x -CeO2 catalyst prepared using conventional copper nitrate as a precursor, the obtained Cu/MnO x -CeO2 catalyst exhibited higher catalytic activity toward complete oxidation of formaldehyde. Analyses by BET and XRD techniques revealed that CuO with smaller particle sizes was highly dispersed on the external surface of the MnO x -CeO2 mixed oxide, which was responsible for its higher catalytic activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: One-dimensional titanium–cryptomelane manganese oxide nanomaterials were successfully synthesized and characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD, XPS, and BET surface area and pore size distribution measurements. Nanosizes of titanium–cryptomelane nanomaterials were effectively controlled by the synthesis routes, and uniform nanorods were obtained by the reflux method and nanofibers by the hydrothermal one. HRTEM, XRD and N2 adsorption–desorption analyses revealed that the materials exhibited the cryptomelane crystal structure with the pore diameters of about 0.5nm. XPS studies demonstrated that Ti4+ cations of titanium–cryptomelane materials were located at the octahedral coordinated environments, and that the average oxidation states of manganese species were about 3.9. These materials showed high catalytic activities toward CO oxidation at ambient temperature, and catalytic behaviors showed a correlation with the surface area, the morphology and the titanium content. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Taking the reaction between styrene oxide and CO2 to yield cyclocarbonate as the target, the activities of synergistic catalysts, which are composed of Br− and alcohol compounds serving as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs), were predicted by DFT calculations and confirmed by subsequent experiments. Intramolecular reactions of the active intermediate as well as intermolecular reactions between the active intermediate and styrene oxide were possible side reactions. DFT calculation results show that the most likely by-product is phenylacetone, which is produced from the intramolecular reaction of the active intermediate. According to the calculation results, the catalytic activity of a synergistic catalyst is related to the pKa of the HBD, and the optimal calculated pKa is about 3–4 fold higher than the pKa of 2-bromo-1-phenylethanol, which is the protonated active intermediate of the target reaction. The combination of water and tetraethylammonium bromide (TEAB) was found to be a promising synergistic catalyst, and it can give a conversion of 50% and a yield of 43% under the conditions of 1% (mol%) catalyst loading, solvent free, 100 °C, 1.0 MPa and 1 h. Additionally, the TEAB can be reused. The observed catalytic activity of water is higher than expected but similar to that of styrene glycol, which is the hydration product of styrene oxide. Water is therefore an indirect catalyst and the catalytic activity is mainly contributed by the styrene glycol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a fixed time disturbance observer (FTDO) based fixed time sliding mode control scheme for spacecraft proximity operations in the presence of parameter uncertainties and disturbances. The FTDO is designed to estimate the lumped disturbance which includes kinematic couplings, parameter uncertainties, and disturbances. Based on the observation of lumped disturbance, the fixed time sliding mode control is developed to achieve fixed time convergence, where the FTDO is employed to counteract the lumped disturbances and eliminate the chattering phenomenon. What's more, the proposed control method can speed up the convergence and improve the control accuracy. Finally, the stability of the closed-loop system is proved via the Lyapunov analysis. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The bimetallic NiAu alloy dendrites were electrodeposited with a template free method. • The deposited NiAu on carbon papers can be used as disposable glucose sensors. • The as prepared NiAu alloy dendrites showed superior glucose sensing performance. • Enhanced performance may be due to dendrite structures and synergistic effects of Ni and Au. The bimetallic NiAu alloy dendrites were directly grown on the carbon papers using template free electrodeposition approaches, which demonstrated superior non-enzymatic glucose sensing performance. The enhanced electrochemical performance may be due to the dendrite structure and the low charge transfer resistance originating from the synergistic effect of Ni and Au. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]