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Fusarium pseudograminearum causes destructive crown disease in wheat. The velvet protein family is a crucial regulator in development, virulence, and secondary metabolism of fungi. We conducted a functional analysis of FpVelB using a gene replacement strategy. The deletion of FpVelB decreased radial growth and enhanced conidial production compared to that of wild type. Furthermore, FpVelB modulates the fungal responses to abiotic stress through diverse mechanisms. Significantly, virulence decreased after the deletion of FpVelB in both the stem base and head of wheat. Genome-wide gene expression profiling revealed that the regulation of genes by FpVelB is associated with several processes related to the aforementioned phenotype, including "immune", "membrane", and "antioxidant activity", particularly with regard to secondary metabolites. Most importantly, we demonstrated that FpVelB regulates pathogen virulence by influencing deoxynivalenol production and modulating the expression of the PKS11 gene. In conclusion, FpVelB is crucial for plant growth, asexual development, and abiotic stress response and is essential for full virulence via secondary metabolism in F. pseudograminearum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) have been subjected to alternating hygrothermal conditions, and frequent load changes significantly reduces the proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) lifetime. PEMs with a reinforced layer of e-PTFE have gained widespread application with the PEMFC development. However, the fatigue mechanism beyond the glass transition temperature remains to be elucidated. In this study, two accelerated stress tests (AMFT-85 and AMFT-95) are designed to investigate the PEM response to humidity under varying operating temperatures. In-situ fatigue experiments are conducted to comprehensively examine the fatigue mechanism of MEAs through the integration of electrochemical property characterization, mechanical property evaluation, and surface morphology analysis. The polarization curve results indicate that the AMFT-95 condition accelerates output performance degradation. The catalyzer-coated membrane displays a diminishing trend regarding of final strain, ultimate tensile strength, fracture toughness, and glass transition temperature due to the formation of cracks and delamination induced by cyclic stresses during physical fatigue. This decreasing trend becomes more pronounced with higher operating temperatures. Furthermore, elevated temperatures decreased the viscoelastic properties of the membranes, rendering catalyzer-coated membranes more susceptible to creep-fatigue failure and microstructural damage. This study proposes an experimental approach to enhance the understanding of physical fatigue in PEMs, contributing to mitigate fatigue failure and enhance PEMFC service life. • These paper focus on the temperature on CCM mechanical degradation mechanism. • The results confirm the relationship between temperature and cracks. • Elevated temperature degraded CCMs have lower glass transition temperatures. • Mechanical degradation is more severe above glass transition temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of catalyst‐free ester‐based covalent adaptable networks (CANs) provides a new approach to achieve milder reaction conditions to reprocess thermoset resins. Despite recent advances, however, accelerating network rearrangements requires the introduction of hydroxyl groups into the network. In this study, disulfide bonds are introduced into the CANs to add new kinetically facile pathways to accelerate network rearrangement. Kinetic experiments using small molecule models of the CANs show that the presence of the disulfide bonds can accelerate transesterification. These insights are applied to synthesize new kinds of poly(β‐hydrazide disulfide esters) (PSHEs) using thioctic acyl hydrazine (TAH) as a precursor for ring‐opening polymerization with the hydroxyl‐free multifunctional acrylates. The PSHE CANs have lower relaxation times (505–652 s) than the polymer containing only β‐hydrazide esters (2903 s). The ring‐opening polymerization of TAH improves the crosslinking density, heating resistance deformation temperature, and UV shielding performance of the PSHEs. Thus, this work provides a practical strategy to reduce the reprocessing temperatures of CANs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional deformation velocity field can reveal fine characteristics of surface deformation, and provide data support for the research on crustal motion mechanism and seismic hazard. In this study, the ascending and descending InSAR deformation velocity fields in the middle and east parts of Haiyuan fault zone are firstly obtained with Sentinel-1A data and SBAS InSAR technology. Then, by combining with GPS observations, the three-dimensional deformation velocity field is extracted and analyzed. Finally, the locking depths and deep slip rates at different locations are inverted by using the classical two-dimensional screw dislocation model, and the maximum shear-strain rate is investigated. The results indicate that there are significant differences in the InSAR deformation velocity field between both sides of the middle and east parts of Haiyuan fault zone. The east–west deformation velocity field clearly reveals the left-lateral strike-slip characteristic of the fault zone. The northward movement gradually changes to southward movement from northwest to southeast. The vertical deformation velocity field displays significant differences on both sides of the section between MMSF and the middle of LHSF, and the middle and eastern of HYE fault. For LHSF, the locking depth and deep slip rate are 9.7 km and 4.9 mm/a; for HYW fault, they gradually decrease from west to east, with the locking depths of 6.4 km, 3.6 km and 3.2 km, respectively, and the deep slip rates of 5.5 mm/a, 4.2 mm/a and 3.8 mm/a, respectively; for HYM fault, they are 7 km and 4.7 mm/a; for HYE fault, they are 5.8 km and 3.6 mm/a. There are two obvious extreme regions of maximum shear-strain rate along the fault strike. This study can provide a reference for investigating the mechanism of regional uplift and extension and seismic hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss the accuracy of phase estimation for single-qubit and multi-qubit systems under energy conservation constraints. For the case where both the target and the auxiliary system are qubits, we analytically maximize the FI over all possible energy-conserving joint measurements and auxiliary states, and derive the form of optimal measurement and state. Then, we generalize the results to the case where the auxiliary system is d-dimensional and discover that the achievable FI can approximate quantum Fisher information for large d. Finally, we discuss the difference between global and local measurements when considering multi-qubit target systems. Our results can contribute to the study of restrictions of conservation laws on quantum measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Tumor-initiating cells, also known as cancer stem cells, are a subset of cancer cells in a tumor that sustain the tumor and are often responsible for therapy resistance and relapse. Developmentally, they are evolved from the cellular origin of their corresponding cancer type and, as a result, may inherit some expression programs from the cellular origin. This review aims to summarize data from the literature showing that several hormone-related cancers (i.e., breast, prostate, and ovarian) have a preferred luminal progenitor origin. These luminal progenitors express a common innate immune program (e.g., Toll-like receptors and their associated genes). Tumor-initiating cells originated from such luminal progenitors may inherit this program, which may contribute to their formation via activation of Toll-like receptor pathways and crosstalk with immune cells (e.g., macrophages). We propose a potential strategy to eliminate such tumor-initiating cells by enhancing immunotherapy via further activation of their inherited innate immune pathways. Tumor-initiating cells (TICs), also known as cancer stem cells (CSCs), are cancer cells that can initiate a tumor, possess self-renewal capacity, and can contribute to tumor heterogeneity. TICs/CSCs are developed from their cells-of-origin. In breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers, progenitor cells for mammary alveolar cells, prostate luminal (secretory) cells, and fallopian tube secretory cells are the preferred cellular origins for their corresponding cancer types. These luminal progenitors (LPs) express common innate immune program (e.g., Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling)-related genes. Microbes such as bacteria are now found in breast, prostate, and fallopian tube tissues and their corresponding cancer types, raising the possibility that their LPs may sense the presence of microbes and trigger their innate immune/TLR pathways, leading to an inflammatory microenvironment. Crosstalk between immune cells (e.g., macrophages) and affected epithelial cells (e.g., LPs) may eventually contribute to formation of TICs/CSCs from their corresponding LPs, in part via STAT3 and/or NFκB pathways. As such, TICs/CSCs can inherit expression of innate-immunity/TLR-pathway-related genes from their cells-of-origin; the innate immune program may also represent their unique vulnerability, which can be explored therapeutically (e.g., by enhancing immunotherapy via augmenting TLR signaling). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pavement macrotexture is one of the major factors affecting pavement functions, and it is meaningful to reconstruct the pavement macrotexture rapidly and accurately for pavement life cycle performance and quality evaluation. To reconstruct pavement macrotexture from monocular image, a novel method was developed based on a deep convolutional neural network (CNN). First, the red‐green‐blue (RGB) images and depth maps (RGB‐D) of pavement texture were acquired by smartphone and laser texture scanner, respectively, from various asphalt mixture slab specimens fabricated in the laboratory, and the pavement texture RGB‐D dataset was established from scratch. Then, an encoder–decoder CNN architecture was proposed based on residual network‐101, and different training strategies were discussed for model optimization. Finally, the precision of the CNN and the three‐dimensional characteristics of the reconstructed macrotexture were analyzed. The results show that the established RGB‐D dataset can be used for training directly, and the established CNN architecture is plausible and effective. The mean texture depth and f8mac of the reconstructed macrotexture both correlate with the benchmarks significantly, and the correlation coefficients are 0.88 and 0.96, respectively. It could be concluded that the proposed CNN can reconstruct the macrotexture from monocular RGB images precisely, and the reconstructed macrotexture could be further used for pavement macrotexture evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sound absorption coefficient was evaluated for the acoustic performance of the pavement in many studies, which is an evaluation index generated by the non-contact interaction between the tyre and pavement. The impedance tube is not enough to simulate the noise of tyre/pavement interaction. This paper presents the findings of a lab and field evaluation of noise characteristics of porous asphalt pavement on the use of the tyre-rolling-down (TRD) and impedance tube methods as well as OBSI method. The effect of different factors (pavement type, pavement thickness, void ratio, maximum nominal particle size) on the pavement noise were investigated by TRD. It is well synchronised with the impedance tube test and a comprehensive pavement noise evaluation method is formed in lab. Combined with the Grey correlation analysis methods, influence degree of four parameters were analysed and then the correlation between noise level and sound absorption coefficient is tried to establish. Then, the effects of lane distribution and aging, abrasion of road on noise were also investigated at two test sections of in service highway. The lab results demonstrated that A-weighted SPL and maximum absorption coefficient showed better negative correlation under different porosity conditions compared to average absorption coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the effects of the types (MFL and acetate anti-icing filler) and the replacement rate of anti-icing additives on the performance of asphalt mixtures. Additionally, the road performance as well as ice inhibition capacity between environmental (acetate anti-icing filler) and conventional (MFL) anti-icing materials were compared. The equivalent volume displacement method was applied to determine the amount of anti-icing filler in asphalt mixture. In this paper, the high-temperature stability, low-temperature bending properties, water stability, ice inhibition properties and anti-icing persistence of the mixture were investigated in the laboratory. The results show that the ice inhibitor has negative effects on the rutting resistance, crack resistance and moisture sensitivity of the asphalt mixture. Additionally, the adverse effects become more obvious as the replacement rate increases. There was a similar trend in the mixtures with three kinds of ice inhibition filler in general. The tests also proved that the anti-icing fillers can effectively delay and inhibit the occurrence of road icing, weaken the bonding force between pavement surface and the ice layer and make the ice layer easy to be removed. It is found that the comprehensive performance of traditional ice inhibitors is better. Moreover, the high-temperature stability, anti-icing capacity and ice inhibition persistence of environmentally friendly anti-icing additives need to be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of styrene–butadiene-styrene (SBS)-modified asphalt depends on the diffusion and enhancement mechanism between SBS modifier and asphalt, and particularly the styrene/butadiene (S/B) ratio is a crucial factor affecting the enhancement properties of the modified asphalt. In this study, the effects of S/B ratios (20/80, 30/70 and 40/60) on the interaction mechanism between SBS modifier and asphalt was studied using viscoelasticity characterisation and molecular simulations. The diffusion coefficient and binding energy were adopted to reveal the mechanism of dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) variation. The results showed that the binding energy of asphaltenes with light components (saturates and aromatics) was gradually raised with the styrene ratio, increasing from 11.5% to 22.1%, while the binding energy between SBS polymer and light components gradually decreases from 8.9% to 112.7%. In addition, as the S/B ratio gradually decreases from 40/60 to 20/80, the diffusion coefficients of asphalt molecular gradually increase from 1% to 20%. The DSR test result was consistent with the molecular simulation results as the deformation resistance of the modified asphalt is weakened as the S/B ratio increases. This study provided the reference for the high-performance block copolymer-modified asphalt design and application in the highway and building industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaculture plays important roles in global food security. Prized as a valuable commercial species, the aquaculture industry of half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) has faced unprecedented challenge due to bacterial diseases, including vibriosis caused by Vibrio anguillarum. Alternative splicing (AS) is an important layer of post-transcriptional regulation, being involved in almost all biological processes, including development, reproduction, and immunity. However, its roles in immunity in half-smooth tongue sole remain elusive. In this study, therefore, we profiled the changes of alternative splicing in half-smooth tongue sole after infection with different concentrations of V. anguillarum , and investigated their functions by both enrichment analysis and targeted gene transcript overexpression analysis with half-smooth tongue sole macrophages. Intriguingly, differentially alternatively spliced (DAS) genes were found to be involved in RNA splicing for each bacterial treatment and for the shared gene set, consistent with previous studies that splicing factor themselves often underwent alternative splicing. A set of 12 immune-related shared DAS genes were identified, including hp , c5 , and traf2b. Targeted gene analysis using the shared DAS gene, haptoglobin (hp), showed that alternative splicing resulted in changes of protein domains, and overexpression analysis demonstrated that two transcripts of hp exhibited contrary roles in stimulating or reducing the expression of immune factors in response to lipopolysaccharides (LPS), reflecting the vital roles of alternative splicing in immunity of tongue sole. DAS events were further verified by qRT-PCR (20 primer pairs for 10 DAS events) to confirm the reliability of our bioinformatics analysis. This study, for the first time, revealed the involvement of alternative splicing in immune responses of half-smooth tongue sole using both omics data and targeted gene functional analysis, setting a solid foundation for further analysis and providing clues for potential usage in controlling bacterial diseases in aquaculture. • RNA splicing was enriched for DAS genes in each comparison and the shared gene set. • A set of 12 immune-related genes were identified in 104 shared DAS genes. • Two hp splicing isoforms exhibited contrary roles in stimulation of immune factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation was carried out to study the effects of the type and amount of supplementary cementitious materials on mechanical properties and surface durability of Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement. Three supplementary cementitious materials, two types of fly ash and one ground granulated blast furnace slag, were selected to substitute for a portion of Portland cement with three level contents (5, 15, 25 wt% and 15, 25, 35 wt% for single and compound adding, respectively) in the concrete mixtures. Properties of the concrete were evaluated in laboratory including compressive strength, flexural strength, surface abrasion resistance, surface frost resistance,and microstructure analysis. The results show that the early age strength values of concretes were affected as increasing the replacement contents regardless of fly ash and slag. Effects of both the type and dosage of supplementary cementitious materials on surface abrasion resistance and frost resistance of concrete were remarkable. The concrete with slag had poorer wear resistance than reference concrete and those with fly ash. In addition, general fly ash concrete had worse surface frost resistance than other mixtures, and concrete with slag exhibited better surface frost resistance in saturated sodium chloride solution than reference one and fly ash concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processing waste tyres into crumb rubber (CR) powder as an asphalt modifier is an efficient solution to solid waste management. It has been found to have significant environmental and economic benefits. However, current research on rubber modified asphalt (CRMA) mainly concentrates on improving the binder properties, overlooking the systematic research on rubber modified emulsified asphalt (E-CRMA). Thus, this study investigates the preparation and development of E-CRMA technology. To achieve rubber asphalt with low viscosity, excellent uniformity, and emulsification, CR was first activated with waste oil. Cracking catalyst was later added during the preparation process of CRMA. A controlled variable method was employed to examine the impact of preparation temperature, preparation time, CR particle size, and dosage on the production of CRMA that is suitable for emulsification. The optimal conditions for preparing E-CRMA were identified as 18 wt% 80 mesh CR mixed with asphalt, stirred at 220 ℃ for 75 min. Additionally, the impact of emulsifier and stabilizer types and quantities on E-CRMA performance were examined. The emulsification conditions of 3% medium split emulsifier and 0.77% compound organic/inorganic stabilizer were identified. The study compared and analyzed the storage stability, basic physical properties of evaporative residue, and rheological properties of E-CRMA, base emulsified asphalt (EA), SBS/SBR modified emulsified asphalt at high and low temperatures. Direct shear and tensile tests were conducted to determine the optimal amount of E-CRMA for use as an adhesive and sealing layer, which was found to be 0.8 kg/m2. The study reveals that E-CRMA possesses comparable shear and tensile properties to E-SBRMA and E-SBSMA at the optimal sprinkling amount. Moreover, the water seepage resistance of E-CRMA has shown an increase of 80%, 66.7%, 28.6%, and 21.9% over that of no sealing layer, EA, E-SBSMA, and E-SBRMA, correspondingly. The E-CRMA produced in this study broadened the application scope of CRMA, filled the gap in the research area of E-CRMA applications. In the future, it is expected to be applied to the bonding between road surface layers and the lower sealing layer between the surface layer and the base layer. • Waste oil can accelerate the dissolution rate of rubber powder in asphalt. • Preparation conditions of rubber modified asphalt suitable for emulsification were determined. • Emulsification process of rubber modified asphalt was determined. • The rheological properties of rubber-modified emulsified asphalt exhibit a significant improvement compared to ordinary emulsified asphalt. • Application of rubber-modified emulsified asphalt in adhesive and sealing layers yields favorable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The indication error, as a characteristic of the interferometer, can be obtained through verification and calibration, and the uncertainty during measurement represents the reliability of the indication error. This paper employed the modified absolute measurement method to gain the indication error. First, the improved absolute algorithm was derived. Then, the absolute measurements were conducted with a 150-mm-aperture Fizeau interferometer. The measured indication error conforms to the maximum allowable error of the interferometer. Finally, the measurement uncertainty evaluation was carried out based on the method to characterize the indication error's dependability, which was much less than one-third of the maximum allowable error. • Through the improved absolute measurement method, the indication error is 0.0034 wave (PV), which less than the maximum allowable error. • The improved absolute measurement method can obtain three absolute profiles simultaneously and ensure the repeatability of the measurement. • The expanded uncertainty is λ / 192 far less than one-third of the maximum allowable error, indicating the measurement repeatability is well controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum computers promise to perform certain tasks that are believed to be intractable to classical computers. Boson sampling is such a task and is considered a strong candidate to demonstrate the quantum computational advantage. We performed Gaussian boson sampling by sending 50 indistinguishable single-mode squeezed states into a 100-mode ultralow-loss interferometer with full connectivity and random matrix—the whole optical setup is phase-locked—and sampling the output using 100 high-efficiency single-photon detectors. The obtained samples were validated against plausible hypotheses exploiting thermal states, distinguishable photons, and uniform distribution. The photonic quantum computer, Jiuzhang, generates up to 76 output photon clicks, which yields an output state-space dimension of 1030 and a sampling rate that is faster than using the state-of-the-art simulation strategy and supercomputers by a factor of ~1014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An optimised design of pavement considering the noise reduction performance is desired to reduce the tyre/pavement noise. A cost-effective and user-friendly laboratory test method for measuring the tyre/pavement noise pressure spectrum is deemed necessary towards an optimised design taking into account the noise reduction performance. In this paper, a novel laboratory tyre/pavement noise measurement method, namely tyre rolling-down (TR) method, is developed to quantify the tyre/pavement noise pressure spectrum. The analysis of noise generation mechanism on TR shows that it is capable of simulating the tyre/pavement noise generated through tyre vibration and aerodynamic effect. The tyre/pavement noise wave band is identified by conducting an experiment where different mixture samples are compacted in laboratory to generate a reasonable range of tyre/pavement noise levels. In addition, a 2-Dimensional Image Texture Analysis Method (2D-ITAM) is applied to measure surface texture properties of these specimens, which are input parameters of the empirical rolling noise prediction models. The total A-weighting tyre/pavement noise pressure levels from TR are compared and verified with those from empirical rolling noise prediction models based on pavement surface texture spectrum and acoustic absorption coefficient. It is shown that TR results correlate well with those calculated from the prediction models and could be considered as an effective method to characterise tyre/pavement noise in laboratory during the stage of asphalt pavement design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the actual working condition, the cavitation phenomenon is inevitably accompanied by the collapse of a large number of bubbles, and will affect the performance of hydraulic machinery. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the process of multi-bubble collapse. The double bubble system is the most simplified one in multi-bubble system, and it is also the basis of studying multi-bubble. However, the existing bubble dynamic studies mainly focused on single bubble and its interaction with the wall. This paper studies the interaction between two bubbles with different sizes and the influence of the wall on the process of bubble collapse by the VOF method. We have already investigated the interaction between two bubbles with different sizes without a wall (in free water) in our previous study. In this paper, we find that if there is a wall nearby, these two bubbles move close to each other when collapsing, and both move close to the wall at the same time. Through the study of bubble collapse time in the single bubble and the double bubble system, we find that the existence of the wall will delay the collapse time of bubble. However, the existence of the wall can also increase the intensity of collapse and rebound process of the bubble. Through the study of the center displacement of the bubble, we find that the double bubble system can increase the displacement of both bubbles. The method used in this paper can be easily extended to the study of multi-bubble, which provides a feasible method for the simulation of multi-bubble collapse near the wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of UGT1A1*6 and UGT1A1*28 polymorphisms on the safety and efficacy of metronomic irinotecan‐based chemotherapy (IBC) in Chinese patients with pulmonary neuroendocrine tumours (PNTs). Methods: Sixty‐eight PNT patients who received metronomic IBC were observed. The quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction was used to detect UGT1A1*6 and UGT1A1*28 polymorphisms. The follow‐up data were collected to investigate the relationship between different genotypes and adverse drug reactions. The clinical outcomes of metronomic IBC were also evaluated. Key findings: In the genotype–toxicity association analysis, patients with homozygous UGT1A1*6 had the highest incidence of grade 3‐4 diarrhoea (P = 0.010). Compared to other groups, patients with the haplotype of UGT1A1*28 showed a trend towards an increased incidence of grade 4 neutropaenia (P = 0.047). A higher incidence of grade 3–4 leucopaenia was found in groups with UGT1A1*1/*28 (P = 0.023) and UGT1A1*28/*28 (P = 0.022). Grade 1 total bilirubin elevation was associated with the homozygous UGT1A1*6 mutation (P = 0.027) or any UGT1A1*6 variants (P = 0.047). However, neither UGTA1A*28 nor UGT1A1*6 showed any significant association with tumour response or clinical outcomes. Conclusions: The impact of UGT1A1 polymorphisms varies in different irinotecan‐based chemotherapies. UGT1A1*6 and UGTA1A*28 were useful for the prediction of irinotecan‐related severe toxicity in Chinese PNT patients treated with metronomic IBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the extraction performance, a mesoporous silica was modified with ordered mesoporous carbon for solid‐phase microextraction. Three stainless‐steel wires coated with the mesoporous material were placed in a polyetheretherketone tube for getting an extraction tube. The tube was coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector, and the online analysis system was constructed. Then its extraction performance was evaluated using hydrophobic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, and hydrophilic neonicotinoids. The best selectivity was presented for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Several main conditions were optimized such as sampling volume, sampling rate, methanol concentration in the sample, and desorption time, a rapid and sensitive analytical method was established toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The analytical method exhibited wide linear range from 0.017 to 15 µg/L with acceptable correlation coefficients more than 0.9990, limits of detection in 0.005‐0.020 µg/L, limits of quantification ranging from 0.017 to 0.066 µg/L as well as large enrichment factors of 377‐2314. It was successfully applied to detect trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in some real water samples including tap water, snow water, and domestic sewage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bis(arylimino)acenaphthene (Ar-BIAN) ligands have been recognized as robust scaffolds for metal complexes since the 1990 s and most of their coordination chemistry was developed with transition metals. Notably, there have been relatively few reports on complexes comprising main group elements, especially those capitalizing on the redox non-innocence of Ar-BIAN ligands supporting p-block elements. Here we present an overview of synthetic approaches to Ar-BIAN ligands and their p-block complexes using conventional solution-based methodologies and environmentally-benign mechanochemical routes. This is followed by a discussion on their catalytic properties, including comparisons to transition metal counterparts, as well as key structural and electronic properties of p-block Ar-BIAN complexes. Bis(arylimino)acenaphthene ligands were recognized as robust scaffolds for metal complexes decades ago, but their redox non-innocence as well as their potential to mediate electro- or photo-catalysis remain subjects of active research. Here, the authors review the synthesis and properties of these poly-aromatic diimine ligands complexed to nominally redox-innocent p-block elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we describe a coupled nonlinear electromechanical torsional vibration model of a high-speed permanent magnet synchronous motor driven system based on the Lagrange–Maxwell theory. The chaotic state is induced by external excitation forces. A multitime delay feedback control scheme is derived to suppress chaos in such vibrations. An analytical criterion condition for chaos is deduced by Melnikov's method. Detailed numerical studies, including bifurcation diagram, phase portrait, and a Poincaré map, confirm the analytical prediction. It is revealed that the chaotic motion can be effectively suppressed by reducing or increasing the feedback parameters of the multitime delay feedback control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rutting has been one of the primary concerns for highway engineers in China. Granulated polymer anti-rutting additive may be an effective way to solve this problem. However, it is difficult to find previous research on the application of granulated polymer as an anti-rutting additive in different types of asphalt mixtures. This research aims to investigate the influences of the anti-rutting additive contents on road performances based on different types of asphalt mixtures, and also explores potential reasons for road performance improvement. Three types of asphalt mixtures: dense-graded asphalt concrete (DG-AC), dense-graded Superpave (DG-Superpave)，semi-open-graded asphalt macadam (SOG-AM), were included. Road performances, including high-temperature performance, low-temperature performance and moisture susceptibility, were studied at three anti-rutting additive percentages: 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4% weight of the asphalt mixture. The mixtures without the anti-rutting additive were regarded as control groups. In order to better analyse the road performance improvements, the properties of modified asphalt with 0.4% anti-rutting additive were studied, as well as the anti-rutting additive physical form in the asphalt mixture. It was found that the anti-rutting additive improved mixture's high-temperature performance significantly while its effects on low-temperature performance were not so. It reduced low-temperature tensile strain within 12.9% range. Moisture susceptibility was improved greatly after adding 0.2% anti-rutting additive as compared to the corresponding control groups. By increasing the additive contents to 0.3 and 0.4%, the moisture susceptibility had no significant difference compared with that of the 0.2% additive content group. Road performance improvements may relate to the combined action of reinforcement and gap filling by the elongated anti-rutting additive, as well as asphalt modification within short time. When the additive content is no more than 0.3%, the materials costs of the additive-modified asphalt mixtures are less than that of SBS-modified asphalt mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: YajQ, a binding protein of the universal bacterial second messenger cyclic di‐GMP (c‐di‐GMP), affects virulence in several bacterial pathogens, including Xanthomonas campestris. In this bacterium, YajQ interacts with the transcription factor LysR. Upon c‐di‐GMP binding, the whole c‐di‐GMP‐YajQ‐LysR complex is found to dissociate from DNA, resulting in virulence gene regulation. Here, we identify a YajQ‐LysR‐like system in the bacterial biocontrol agent Lysobacter enzymogenes OH11 that secretes an antifungal antibiotic, heat‐stable antifungal factor (HSAF) against crop fungal pathogens. We show that the YajQ homologue, CdgL (c‐di‐GMP receptor interacting with LysR) affects expression of the HSAF biosynthesis operon by interacting with the transcription activator LysR. The CdgL‐LysR interaction enhances the apparent affinity of LysR to the promoter region upstream of the HSAF biosynthesis operon, which increases operon expression. Unlike the homologues CdgL (YajQ)‐LysR system in X. campestris, we show that c‐di‐GMP binding to CdgL seems to weaken CdgL‐LysR interactions and promote the release of CdgL from the LysR‐DNA complex, which leads to decreased expression. Together, this study takes the YajQ‐LysR‐like system from bacterial pathogens to a crop‐protecting bacterium that is able to regulate antifungal HSAF biosynthesis via disassembly of the c‐di‐GMP receptor–transcription activator complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An electromechanical coupled dynamic model was derived. • A stability criteria of electromechanical coupled motion was provided. • A vibration damping method was explored. The rotor of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) is an electromechanical coupled dynamics system. The asymmetrical magnetic field-induced mechanical vibration has important effect on the operation performance of the high speed and high power density PMSM. In this paper, an electromechanical coupled lateral/torsional dynamic model caused by electromagnetic excitation is derived based on a Lagrange–Maxwell approach. The stability of the equilibrium was analyzed using a linearized matrix of the system equation. A stability criteria of coupled torsional-lateral motions was provided, and the influences of the electromagnetic and mechanical parameters on mechanical vibration stability were investigated. Finally, the vibration damping of the electromechanical coupling parameters vibration was explored. These results we represent get us better to understand the nonlinear response of the eccentric PMSM rotor system and are beneficial to control and diagnose the eccentric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano‐molybdenum trioxide was prepared from nano‐molybdenum disulfide by simple firing in muffle furnace. Nano‐molybdenum trioxide was used as the extraction coating on the stainless steel wire. Four wires were filled in a polyetheretherketone tube to get an extraction tube. The tube was connected to the six‐port valve of a high performance liquid chromatograph, and the online analysis system was constructed. Extraction selectivity of the tube for different types of compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, plasticizers, estrogens, anilines and neonicotinoids, was studied. Good enrichment ability for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, but the extraction efficiency of others was not satisfactory. Using eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as the targets, an analytical method was established after optimizing main factors such as sampling volume, sampling rate, methanol content, and desorption time. The established method exhibited wide linear range to 0.016–20.00 μg/L and low limits of detection to 0.005 μg/L, and the enrichment factors can be up to 2443. The method was applied to the detection of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tap water and river water, and a good recovery was obtained. The tube showed good durability and chemical stability, and it still remained good extraction effect after more than 140 run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new laboratory test method for tire-pavement was introduced. • Contact time of tire-pavement was identified by the camera and weighing sensor. • Sound pressure level and 1/3 octave band sound spectrums were compared. • Five data analysis methods were attempted and compared with OBSI test results. • Suitable data analysis method was recommended based on comparison results. Little previous research results have been reported from laboratory tire-pavement noise test methods, especially on small laboratory specimens. This research aims to introduce and explore the feasibility of a new test method used with laboratory specimens. The proposed method measured the tire-pavement noise when a rolling tire from a sloping track hit a horizontal slab specimen of a given pavement mixture. A high speed camera and a weighing sensor were utilized to identify the tire-pavement contact time and distance. The contact time was found to be 30.72 ms. The exact start time of contact was determined by analyzing the recorded sound signal. Altogether, five data analysis methods were employed. The analysis results were evaluated using Sound Pressure Level (SPL) and 1/3 octave band spectrum. They were compared with the corresponding reference pavements from past research, and on site results. Finally, two methods were recommended. They may potentially characterize laboratory tire-pavement noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hydrophobic anti-icing emulsified asphalt was prepared. • The effect of hydrophobic agent roughness, dosage and incorporation method on hydrophobic effect was analyzed. • Anti-icing and anti-skidding properties of hydrophobic coating were tested. • An indoor simulated anti-icing test was designed and the evaluation criteria for anti-icing performance were proposed. • The adhesion and durability between hydrophobic coating and asphalt pavement were improved by interfacial agent. Icing on asphalt pavement may lead to potential hazards for driving safety. To reduce the security risk, this paper aims at preparing a hydrophobic emulsified asphalt coating on asphalt pavement by adding a hydrophobic agent (HPA, Polytetrafluoroethylene powder) to emulsified asphalt. Considering the factors influencing hydrophobic effect, such as roughness of hydrophobic agent, dosage and incorporation method, the ice-repellency of hydrophobic emulsified asphalt coating was characterized by means of contact angle. It was found the hydrophobic properties of emulsified asphalt were significantly affected by roughness, dosage and incorporation methods of HPA and the highest contact angle was 94.3° when the HPA with 1250 meshes and dosage of 15% was added by the external addition method. Through the interlayer shear test and the indoor anti-icing test, hydrophobic asphalt pavement could reduce the bond strength between pavement and ice so that the ice layer could be easily broken and cleared, and the bond strength could be reduced by about 40% at 0.3 kg/m2 dosage of hydrophobic emulsified asphalt. It was proved that the skid resistance performance of the hydrophobic emulsified asphalt coating could conform to the requirements of the specification. The addition of interfacial agent can significantly improve the adhesion between emulsified asphalt and aggregates. These findings demonstrated the potential of using hydrophobic emulsified asphalt coating on highways in adverse weather to provide better anti-icing performance and contribute to traffic safety in winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is a rare and poorly differentiated type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with specific characteristics, which usually presents a challenge in clinical practice. Mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET) gene has been identified as a promising target for treatments in the past few years. Here, we report a case of a patient with PSC harboring MET exon 14 mutation, who responded to a novel MET inhibitor – savolitinib. Case presentation: A 75-year-old male patient with symptoms of cough, dyspnea and intermittent chest pain was diagnosed with sarcomatoid carcinoma. The tumor involved the right lung, the right hilum and multiple lesions in the right pleura, indicating a clinical disease stage IV. Next-generation sequencing of lung biopsy specimen indicated a MET exon 14 skipping mutation (NM_000245:c.3028+3A>G), with a variant allele frequency of 73.9%. The patient achieved a rapid and durable partial response with the initiation of savolitinib administration (600 mg, orally, once daily). The progression-free survival in this patient was 36 weeks. There were no ≥grade 3 adverse events reported and there was no dose reduction during treatment. Following savolitinib treatment, the allele frequency of MET exon 14 mutation in plasma circulating tumor DNA decreased with the reduction in tumor size. At the time of disease progression, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), EGFR and KRAS gene amplification were newly identified in tumor biopsy sample. Conclusion: This patient with PSC harboring MET exon 14 skipping mutation achieved significant clinical benefit with savolitinib treatment. Emergence of FGFR1, EGFR and KRAS gene amplification at the time of disease progression was likely responsible for the resistance to savolitinib in this case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Comprehensive performance of Polyurethane Porous Elastic Mixture (PUPEM) is studied. • The rubber particle content has an important impact on the performance of PUPEM. • A rubber content of 10% and PU-Ⅰ with larger isocyanate index are recommended. • The PUPEM has the potential to balance road performance and noise reduction. Poroelastic road surface (PERS)has high rubber particle content and air void, and its noise reduction performance is excellent. However, the performance of Polyurethane Porous Elastic Mixture (PUPEM) prepared with different contents of rubber particles and different types of polyurethane (PU) are rarely studied. This study aims to evaluate the comprehensive and functional performance of PUPEM and to analyze the influence of rubber particle content and PU type on PUPEM. PUPEM was prepared using different types of PU and different rubber particle content. The high-temperature performance, low-temperature bending performance, water stability performance, and skid resistance performance of PUPEM were evaluated by rutting test, low-temperature bending test, freeze–thaw splitting test, immersion Cantabro loss test, pendulum friction coefficient tester and sand patch method. The effects of air void content, rubber particle content, and thickness on the noise reduction performance of PUPEM were also studied by impedance tube test and dynamic modulus test. The results indicate that the PUPEM has excellent high-temperature performance, favorable low-temperature bending performance and skid resistance, and its water stability can meet the specification requirements. PUPEM also has favorable sound absorption and noise reduction performance through voids and noise reduction performance through elastic damping. In addition, the maximum sound absorption coefficient of PUPEM corresponds to a frequency that is influenced by the thickness. In order to balance the road performance and noise reduction of PUPEM mixture, it is recommended that the rubber particle content is 10%, and the polyurethane PU-Ⅰ with larger isocyanate index is used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of multi-bubble collapse is one of the key technologies that need to be overcome in the development of large submersibles, which is urgently needed to study and explore. The VOF method is used to study the collapse process of a multi-bubble system near the rigid wall. The bubble collapse process is analyzed under three different bubble numbers and four different initial bubble wall distances. The influence of the number of bubbles and initial bubble wall distance on the bubble collapse process is obtained, and the mechanism of multi-bubble collapsing near the rigid wall is revealed. The results indicate that in a multi-bubble system, as the number of bubbles increases, the duration of bubble collapse increases, the minimum bubble radius decreases, and the maximum central pressure increases. The closer the bubble is to the rigid wall, the longer the duration of bubble collapse, which also lead to fluctuations in the maximum center pressure and maximum interface velocity of a multi-bubble system. The results of this study are expected to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the design and performance optimization of deep submersible mechanical seals. • The number of bubbles have a significant impact on bubble collapse. • Bubble-wall distance have a significant impact on bubble collapse. • Bubble interaction can lead to significant fluctuations during collapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposed a rotation detector to accurately locate wheat heads. • Adopted Gray Encoding Label to reduce rotation detector parameters. • Utilized a novel unsupervised segmentation to enhances the accuracy of pre-segmentation. The detection of Fusarium head blight (FHB), a destructive disease in wheat, can be performed through digit imaging. To improve detection accuracy and overcome challenges related to accurate labelling and detection efficacy, this study introduced two new networks: the Rotation Yolo Wheat Detection (RYWD) network and the Simple Spatial Attention (SSA) network. The RYWD network, utilizing the Yolo structure, served as a novel rotation detector capable of detecting wheat head images with detection boxes of arbitrary orientations. Angle prediction performance was enhanced by employing gray coding labels for angle encoding. Additionally, the SSA network, an unsupervised segmentation network, incorporated a spatial attention module and a spatial continuity loss to extract wheat features based on their spatial distribution. FHB detection was accomplished through HSV threshold segmentation and K-Means segmentation. The proposed method achieved an average accuracy of 94.66% in predicting the levels of FHB across two different years and locations. Comparatively, the proposed method outperformed previous research, exhibiting significant increases in both accuracy (11.8% increase) and precision (10.7% increase). These findings highlight the considerable improvement attainable through the integration of a rotation detector in crop disease detection, demonstrating its enhanced efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The new binder of WEREA was introduced to micro-surfacing mixtures. • WEREA micro-surfacing mixtures design was studied. • Early pavement performance and durability of WEREA micro-surfacing were satisfactory. Micro-surfacing is an available choice for pavement preventive maintenance. This paper introduced a new micro-surfacing using developed Waterborne Epoxy Resin (WER) modified emulsified asphalt to overcome the common distress, such as abrasion, rutting, ravelling and poor durability. The skid resistance, bonding, rutting and wear performances of different formulations of the proposed micro-surfacing materials were compared with Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR) modified micro-surfacing by load wheel tests, wet track abrasion tests, skid resistance tests, load wheel tracking tests, cantabro tests and accelerated loading tests. Results indicated that WER could improve the early pavement performance of micro-surfacing significantly, especially their bonding and rutting resistance. WER also produced improved durability performance. The damage in the critical condition of water immersion, freeze–thaw and heavy traffic was alleviated greatly by the use of WER. Therefore, it can be concluded that WER modified emulsified asphalt is a good binder for micro-surfacing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A predictive model was established by artificial neural network (ANN), and the complex viscosity η* of asphalt was estimated based on Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. By linearizing the logarithmic model of complex viscosity, constants and were obtained as independent variables in ANN, and spectral data were taken as dependent variables. Comparing the measured values with the predicted values, it is found that the predicted and actual values of the η*-T curve are consistent. It provided an innovative method basis for rapid prediction of asphalt viscosity by FTIR in engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deterioration of asphalt binders rheological behaviors in different aging stages were investigated by using self-developed indoor aging equipment SAT (simple aging test), and the corresponding relationship between indoor simulated aging and field asphalt aging was established. It was found that SAT equipment can better simulate the aging process of asphalt on site, with asphalt film thickness of 2 mm, short-term aging temperature at 150 °C, long-term aging temperature at 95 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum-to-classical transition is a fundamental open question in physics frontier. Quantum decoherence theory points out that the inevitable interaction with environment is a sink carrying away quantum coherence, which is responsible for the suppression of quantum superposition in open quantum system. Recently, quantum Darwinism theory further extends the role of environment, serving as communication channel, to explain the classical objectivity emerging in quantum measurement process. Here, we used a six-photon quantum simulator to investigate classical and quantum information proliferation in quantum Darwinism process. In the simulation, many environmental photons are scattered from an observed quantum system and they are collected and used to infer the system's state. We observed redundancy of system's classical information and suppression of quantum correlation in the fragments of environmental photons. Our results experimentally show that the classical objectivity of quantum system can be established through quantum Darwinism mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pavement skid resistance plays a key role in traffic safety. Meanwhile, tire-pavement noise is a major source of traffic noise in urban areas. Current asphalt mixture design methods, however, mostly focus on volumetric and mechanical properties and pay little attention to the skid resistance and noise reduction performance of asphalt mixtures, which are significantly affected by the surface textures of asphalt mixtures. Incorporating the evaluation of surface texture into the mixture design would aid in a more rational selection of materials considering both mechanical and functional properties of asphalt mixtures. In this paper, the surface texture properties of several types of asphalt mixtures are measured using a recently developed 2-Dimensional Image Texture Analysis Method. A prediction model correlating the mixture surface texture levels at different central texture wavelength in octave band with the important mix design parameters is established using a multivariate non-linear regression analysis. The model is validated through laboratory test and imaging measurement indicating its capability of predicting the level and distributions of mixture surface texture. The prediction model is anticipated to provide a basis of optimised mixture design considering the skid resistance and noise reduction performances of asphalt pavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaussian Boson sampling (GBS) provides a highly efficient approach to make use of squeezed states from parametric down-conversion to solve a classically hard-to-solve sampling problem. The GBS protocol not only significantly enhances the photon generation probability, compared to standard Boson sampling with single photon Fock states, but also links to potential applications such as dense subgraph problems and molecular vibronic spectra. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of GBS using squeezed-state sources with simultaneously high photon indistinguishability and collection efficiency. We implement and validate 3-, 4- and 5-photon GBS with high sampling rates of 832, 163 and 23 kHz, respectively, which is more than 4.4, 12.0, and 29.5 times faster than the previous experiments. Further, we observe a quantum speed-up on a NP-hard optimization problem when comparing with simulated thermal sampler and uniform sampler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural cotton fiber was applied as a green extraction material for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction. Cotton fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscope. A bundle of cotton fibers (685 mg, 20 cm) was directly packed into a polyetheretherketone tube (i.d. 0.75 mm) to get the extraction device. It was connected into high performance liquid chromatography, building an online extraction and dectection system. Through the online analysis system, several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were used as the targets to evaluate the extraction performace of the device. In order to get high extraction efficiency and sensitivity, the extraction and desorption conditions were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the sensitive analysis method was established, and provided low limits of detection of 0.02 and 0.05 μg/L, good linearity ranges of 0.06–15 and 0.16–15 μg/L, as well as high enrichment factors of 176–1868. The method was applied to the online determination of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in snow water and river water, and the relative recoveries corresponding to 2 and 5 μg/L were in the range of 80–116%. The repeatability of extraction and preparation of the device was investigated and the relative standard deviations (n = 3) were less than 3.6 and 5.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interlayer of pavement overlays or bridge deck pavement using waterborne epoxy resin emulsified asphalt (WEREA) is proposed for the purpose of preventing pavement from shoving at bridge deck. This study consists of theoretical analysis on cohesion and simulation failure tests of cohesion and waterproof. The results show that the cohesion performance is affected by temperature and the choice of curing agent, and the shear strength performance is related to interlayer contact texture. The components and network microstructure of WEREA enhance the cohesion property of interlayer and improve the material viscoelasticity, and as a result it improves the shear strength and pullout strength performance. In addition, WEREA also has a strong waterproof performance on the bridge deck pavement as tack coat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulatory T cells play critical roles in self-tolerance and tumor evasion. CD4+NKG2D+ cells with regulatory activity are present in patients with NKG2DL+ tumors and juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus. We previously showed that TGF-β-producing CD4+NKG2D+ T cells are present in pCD86-Rae-1ε transgenic mice. Here, we performed both ex vivo and in vivo studies on pCD86-Rae-1ε transgenic mice and an MC38 tumor-bearing mouse model and show that NK1.1−CD4+NKG2D+ T cells have regulatory activity in pCD86-Rae-1ε transgenic mice. Furthermore, this T-cell subset was induced in mice transplanted with NKG2DL+ tumor cells and produced TGF-β and FasL, and secreted low amounts of IFN-γ. This T-cell subset downregulated the function of effector T cells and dendritic cells, which were abolished by anti-TGF-β antibody. In vivo, adoptive transfer of NK1.1−CD4+NKG2D+ T cells promoted TGF-β-dependent tumor growth in mice. We further found that ex vivo induction of NK1.1−CD4+NKG2D+ T cells was dependent on both anti-CD3 and NKG2DL stimulation. Furthermore, regulatory NK1.1−CD4+NKG2D+ T cells did not express Foxp3 or CD25 and expressed intermediate levels of T-bet. Western-blotting showed that STAT3 signaling was activated in NK1.1−CD4+NKG2D+ T cells of MC38 tumor-bearing and pCD86-Rae-1ε transgenic mice. In conclusion, we describe a regulatory NK1.1−CD4+NKG2D+ T-cell population, different from other regulatory T cells and abnormally elevated in pCD86-Rae-1ε transgenic and MC38 tumor-bearing mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our society's current energy demands are largely met by the exploitation of fossil fuels, which are unsustainable and environmentally harmful resources. However, Nature has provided us with a clean and virtually limitless alternative in the form of solar energy. This abundant resource is utilized constantly by photosynthetic organisms, which has in turn motivated decades of research in our quest to create artificial counterparts of comparable scales. In this feature article, we will highlight some of the recent novel approaches in the field of artificial photosynthesis (AP), which we define by a more general term as a process that stores energy overall by generating fuels and chemicals using light. We will particularly emphasize on the potential of a highly modular plug-and-play concept that we hope will persuade the community to explore a more inclusive variety of multielectron redox catalysis to complement the proton reduction and water oxidation half-reactions in traditional solar water splitting systems. We discuss some of the latest developments in the vital functions of light harvesting, charge separation, and multielectron reductive and oxidative catalysis, as well as their optimization, to achieve the ultimate goal of storing sunlight in chemical bonds. Specific attention is dedicated to the use of earth-abundant elements and molecular catalysts that offer greater product selectivity and more intricate control over the reactivity than heterogeneous systems. In this context, we showcase our team's contributions in presenting a unique oxidative carbon–carbon bond cleavage reaction in aliphatic alcohols and biomass model compounds, under ambient atmospheric conditions, facilitated by vanadium photocatalysts. We offer this discovery as a promising alternative to water oxidation in an integrated AP system, which would concurrently generate both solar fuels and valuable solar chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The long-term hydrophobic and anti-icing performance of asphalt mixtures with three types new EFHAAs were evaluated. • The skid resistance and its evolution law of asphalt mixtures with three types new EFHAAs were investigated. • The effects of three types new EFHAAs on the functional durability and skid resistance of asphalt mixtures were compared and analyzed. The ecologically friendly hydrophobic anti-icing fillers have gained great prominence due to the increasing demand for the green environment. However, two major challenges are the durability of hydrophobic anti-icing performance and the pavement skid resistance when incorporated to asphalt mixtures. Therefore, the aims of this work are to introduce three new ecologically friendly hydrophobic anti-icing additives (EFHAAs), that is, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Polyurea (PU) as well as Polyethylene wax microparticles (PEWMP) and to evaluate the durability of hydrophobic anti-icing performance and the skid resistance evolution rule. In detail, the long-term hydrophobic performance of EFHAAs was investigated by water droplets sliding time test. The long-term anti-icing performance was evaluated by ice-breaking test and water droplets condensation time test. In addition, the skid resistance evolution rule was studied through the sand patch method, British Pendulum Tester (BPT) as well as Walking Frictional Tester (WFT). Moreover, the consideration of long-term performance was achieved by simulating the actual service condition of the pavement through subjecting the specimens to 60d of outdoor exposure and 10,000 times of accelerated abrasion. The results obtained pointed out that the three EFHAAs can effectively enhance the hydrophobic and ice-suppression performance of asphalt mixtures. The durability of hydrophobic anti-icing performance of three EFHAAs can be ranked as PTFE > PU > PEWMP. Whereas the skid resistance of the mixture deteriorated due to the loss of partial pavement micro-texture caused by the addition of EFHAAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chip-sprinkling cement concrete (CSCC) pavement can provide satisfactory friction and has potential for noise attenuation due to its exposed surface texture, making abrasion resistance significant. The abrasion resistance of CSCC pavement was evaluated using the Cantabro test method, with smooth surface concrete as the control group. This method uses a Los Angeles Abrasion Machine without steel balls. Using the same method, the abrasion durability of CSCC was also assessed using different concentrations of sodium chloride solutions. The effects of different water/cement ratios and chip-sprinkling parameters were analyzed. The latter variables included aggregate particle size, aggregate spreading area ratio, and aggregate pressing depth ratio. Data indicate that the abrasion losses of CSCC specimens change quickly at first, but later they change more gradually. Aggregate particle sizes of 9.5–13.2 mm may be better when just considering the effect of aggregate particle size on the abrasion resistance. Abrasion losses of CSCC specimens multiply with increasing aggregate spreading area ratios and decrease with the rising aggregate pressing depth ratios. On the whole, abrasion resistance of CSCC is superior to the smooth surface concrete in the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A potential field-based Extended Dynamic Window Approach (EDWA) is proposed to fulfill the real-time trajectory planning for automatic berthing. To avoid falling into a local minimum, an nonuniform Theta* (NT*) is introduced to search the global path considering the risk of obstacles. Three potential fields are established: the attractive potential field guides the unmanned surface vehicle (USV) along its global path; the grid-based repulsive potential field is designed to keep the USV away from shores; and the COLREGs-compliant repulsive potential field is to avoid collision from other USVs. Taking the dynamic constraints of the USV into account, EDWA generates predicted trajectories of both constant force and deceleration phases. The objective function is subsequently produced to select them optimally according to the established potential fields. Finally, a linear MPC is presented to track the designed berthing trajectory considering the real-time requirement. The whole automatic berthing scheme is simulated on the Dalian port. The results indicate that the USVs avoid the potential collisions in accordance with COLREGs, and successfully reach their desired berthing spots with reasonable small deviations. • An nonuniform Theta* is introduced to plan the global path for automatic berthing. • A potential field-based EDWA is developed to implement collision avoidance. • A linear MPC is proposed to track the designed berthing trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Impacts of microphone positions were analyzed, and two-side placement method is recommended. • Repeatability of the RTT noise tests considering tire landing positions and RTT noise variability was investigated. • Impacts of abrasion cycles on abrasion effects were analyzed and when to terminate was determined. • The overall noise level increases with abrasion cycles and a linear relation between them exists. • Spectral difference in 1/3 octave band after different abrasion cycles is in frequency above 1000 Hz. Tire-pavement noise and its durability have long been investigated by onsite observations. This research aims to explore a laboratory evaluation method of tire-pavement noise deterioration that combines the Rolling Tire down Tester (RTT) with the accelerated abrasion machine. Firstly, microphone placement was determined and repeatability of the laboratory RTT noise test method was evaluated, considering tire landing positions and RTT noise variability. Secondly, impacts of abrasion cycles on abrasion effects were analyzed based on the selected multi-variable accelerated abrasion machine (MAAM). Finally, noise deterioration characteristics were investigated combining RTT with MAAM. Placing microphones on two sides is recommended and the abrasion is terminated after 24,000 abrasion cycles. Overall noise level arises with increasing abrasion cycles, and linear correlation exists. The laboratory changes of noise level, 1/3 octave band spectrum, and noise growth rates are generally consistent with previous research, demonstrating feasibility of evaluating noise deterioration combining RTT with MAAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a dynamically hybrid path planning scheme incorporating the global guidance, real-time motion planning and collision-free maneuvering for Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). To ensure safe navigation in narrow waters, the non-uniform costmaps with risk function is designed for global planning. Non-uniform Theta* (NT*) performs a reverse search from the goal node to establish the mapping relation containing the parent node and minimum path-cost of each cell. To prevent USV trapping into local minimum after avoiding the dynamic obstacles, the parent node is dynamically selected as the local target of improved dynamic window approach (IDWA), rather than tracing the sub-target fixed in global path as DWA does. In order to intensify navigation efficiency of the USV, the minimum path-cost from current cell to the goal is also implemented to the objective function of IDWA for evaluating the predicted trajectories. The proposed algorithms are validated by comparative numerical analysis and proven to work effectively. • The Nonuniform-Theta* is employed to established the global mapping relation which guides the USV away from obstacles. • The traditional DWA is improved to enhance the navigation efficiency of USV. • The hybrid path planning scheme dynamically selects local target to intensify the dynamic collision-free capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: QTL analysis for Fusarium resistance traits with multiple connected families detected more QTL than single-family analysis. Prediction accuracy was tightly associated with the kinship of the validation and training set. Abstract: QTL mapping has recently shifted from analysis of single families to multiple, connected families and several biometric models have been suggested. Using a high-density consensus map with 2472 marker loci, we performed QTL mapping with five connected bi-parental families with 639 doubled-haploid (DH) lines in maize for ear rot resistance and analyzed traits DON, Gibberella ear rot severity (GER), and days to silking (DS). Five biometric models differing in the assumption about the number and effects of alleles at QTL were compared. Model 2 to 5 performing joint analyses across all families and using linkage and/or linkage disequilibrium (LD) information identified all and even further QTL than Model 1 (single-family analyses) and generally explained a higher proportion p of the genotypic variance for all three traits. QTL for DON and GER were mostly family specific, but several QTL for DS occurred in multiple families. Many QTL displayed large additive effects and most alleles increasing resistance originated from a resistant parent. Interactions between detected QTL and genetic background (family) occurred rarely and were comparatively small. Detailed analysis of three fully connected families yielded higher p values for Model 3 or 4 than for Model 2 and 5, irrespective of the size N of the training set (TS). In conclusion, Model 3 and 4 can be recommended for QTL-based prediction with larger families. Including a sufficiently large number of full sibs in the TS helped to increase QTL-based prediction accuracy ( r) for various scenarios differing in the composition of the TS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research evaluates the effects and effectiveness of a sodium chloride-based anti-icing filler on andesite and limestone asphalt mixtures. The asphalt mixtures containing different amount of anti-icing fillers were designated based on the equivalent volume replacement method. In this study, the rutting susceptibility and low-temperature flexural properties, moisture susceptibility, anti-icing properties and snow melting capacity of mixtures were evaluated in the laboratory. The results showed that the specimens containing anti-icing fillers decreased their dynamic stability, flexural strain, residual Marshall stability ratio, and TSR values compared to those control ones. The mixtures made from two aggregate sources exhibit similar trends in general. It was also proved that the asphalt mixtures containing anti-icing fillers had anti-icing and snow melting capacity at a certain condition. In this research, it could be found that the replacement of anti-icing filler was 70% (by total volume) of mineral filler, providing a good anti-icing and snow melting capacity while the mixtures were still performed very well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gibberella ear rot ( GER) caused by Fusarium graminearum is a destructive disease in maize of temperate regions resulting in yield reduction and contamination by the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol ( DON) and zearalenone ( ZON). We wanted to analyse whether prediction of DON and ZON concentrations is feasible either by GER severity ratings or by near-infrared spectroscopy ( NIRS). We analysed 80 and 102 lines developed by backcrossing doubled-haploid lines from segregating populations to the resistant and susceptible parent, respectively, by artificial infection at three locations in Germany and France. Both backcross ( BC) populations differed substantially in their means for all traits with significant (P < 0.01) genotypic variances. DON and ZON concentrations measured by immunotests were significantly (P < 0.01) correlated with each other and with GER severity within each BC population (0.6 ≤ r ≤ 0.9, P < 0.01). DON concentration measured by immunotest and NIRS significantly correlated ( r ≈ 0.9, P < 0.01). In conclusion, DON and ZON concentrations could be reliably predicted by GER severity. Additional NIRS analysis of DON concentration might be useful for the positively selected fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]