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The great development of transpiration cooling technology challenges the coolant medium seriously. In this paper, porous ZrO2–ZrO2 ceramics have been satisfactorily prepared to meet the requirements of the coolant medium in transpiration cooling. The results illustrate that porous ZrO2–ZrO2 ceramics have excellent compressive strengths; meanwhile, percentages of compressive strength difference (parallel and perpendicular to the mold‐pressing direction) have an upward trend due to the increasing fiber contents. Besides, the failure mode has a huge distinction between parallelity (45° oblique section) and perpendicularity (wedge shape). These ceramics have unimodal pore size distribution (2–10 µm), and their wettability has a substantial improvement reflected by contact angle from 118° to 0°. Permeability behavior across these ceramics has been accurately described using the Darcy–Forchheimer equation, while obtaining viscous and inertial resistance coefficients, respectively. This work can provide an essential reference for coolant medium in transpiration cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to improve the catalytic activity and hydrothermal stability of Cu‐SSZ‐39 zeolite by coupling it with cerium zirconium oxides (CeZrOx), which possesses excellent oxidizing ability, and a hybrid catalyst CeZrOx/Cu‐SSZ‐39 was prepared. It is found that it exhibited enhanced low‐temperature activity, high‐temperature activity, and a wider effective temperature range compared to Cu‐SSZ‐39. Characterization results showed that the CeZrOx/Cu‐SSZ‐39 catalyst had a higher concentration of active Cu2+ ion species and improved redox properties, which could potentially promote the NH3‐SCR reaction. Additionally, the CeZrOx/Cu‐SSZ‐39 catalyst had increased chemisorbed oxygen species on its surface, facilitating the oxidation of NO to NO2 and enhancing the rate of the SCR reaction. Moreover, even after undergoing hydrothermal aging treatment, the CeZrOx/Cu‐SSZ‐39 catalyst exhibited superior catalytic activity and improved hydrothermal stability, surpassing the performance of Cu‐SSZ‐39. It is found the CeZrOx coupling allowed the hybrid catalyst to maintain a better specific surface area and pore structure during hydrothermal aging, resulting in reduced activity loss. Therefore, the addition of CeZrOx enhanced the NH3‐SCR activity of Cu‐SSZ‐39 zeolite, leading to improved catalytic activity and hydrothermal stability. CeZrOx/Cu‐SSZ‐39 catalyst has shown promising aspect for reducing NOx emissions from diesel vehicle exhaust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Cu−SSZ‐13 zeolites are successfully coated with mesoporous metal oxides (CeO2, Fe2O3, TiO2 and SiO2) and prepared as core‐shell Cu−SSZ‐13@meso‐MOx samples with hierarchical pore structure. Compared with Cu−SSZ‐13, the catalytic activity and hydrothermal stability of the Cu−SSZ‐13@meso‐MOx have been greatly improved. The promoting effect of meso‐MOx shell on the catalytic activity of Cu−SSZ‐13 is mainly attribute to the presence of both microporous and mesoporous structures, the formation of more active isolated Cu2+ ions and more L‐acid sites, and the synergistic effect between Cu−SSZ‐13 and meso‐MOx interaction. Moreover, all the Cu−SSZ‐13@meso‐MOx catalysts maintain their activities to a greater extent after hydrothermal aging. The core‐shell structure may play a protective role and greatly improve the hydrothermal stability of Cu−SSZ‐13. More L‐acidic sites and more isolated Cu2+ ions are preserved under the protection of mesoporous structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis is potential to relieve drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) is a critical modulator of ferroptosis. This study discussed the mechanism of GPX4-inhibited ferroptosis in sorafenib resistance in HCC. HCG18 in HCC cells was detected. Sorafenib resistant (SR) cell line Huh7-SR cells were treated with sorafenib (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 μM). After silencing HCG18 in Huh7-SR cells, cell activity, proliferation and apoptosis were detected. The levels of iron, the concentration of MDA, GSH and lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured to evaluate the ferroptosis. The downstream mechanism of HCG18 was predicted and verified. Huh7-SR cells were infected with lentivirus sh-HCG18 to establish xenograft tumor model. HCG18 was elevated in HCC cells and associated with sorafenib resistance. Silencing HCG18 inhibited cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, and impaired sorafenib resistance. Ferroptosis was inhibited in Huh7-SR cells, while silencing HCG18 inhibited sorafenib resistance by promoting ferroptosis. GPX4 overexpression averted the promotion of sh-HCG18 on ferroptosis, thereby reducing sorafenib resistance. HCG18 sponged miR-450b-5p to regulate GPX4. Collectively, Silencing HCG18 inhibits GPX4 by binding to miR-450b-5p, promotes GPX4-inhibited ferroptosis, and averts sorafenib resistance in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fusion of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensing information can effectively improve the environment modeling and localization accuracy of navigation systems. To realize the spatiotemporal unification of data collected by the IMU and the LiDAR, a two-step spatiotemporal calibration method combining coarse and fine is proposed. The method mainly includes two aspects: (1) Modeling continuous-time trajectories of IMU attitude motion using B-spline basis functions; the motion of the LiDAR is estimated by using the normal distributions transform (NDT) point cloud registration algorithm, taking the Hausdorff distance between the local trajectories as the cost function and combining it with the hand–eye calibration method to solve the initial value of the spatiotemporal relationship between the two sensors' coordinate systems, and then using the measurement data of the IMU to correct the LiDAR distortion. (2) According to the IMU preintegration, and the point, line, and plane features of the lidar point cloud, the corresponding nonlinear optimization objective function is constructed. Combined with the corrected LiDAR data and the initial value of the spatiotemporal calibration of the coordinate systems, the target is optimized under the nonlinear graph optimization framework. The rationality, accuracy, and robustness of the proposed algorithm are verified by simulation analysis and actual test experiments. The results show that the accuracy of the proposed algorithm in the spatial coordinate system relationship calibration was better than 0.08° (3δ) and 5 mm (3δ), respectively, and the time deviation calibration accuracy was better than 0.1 ms and had strong environmental adaptability. This can meet the high-precision calibration requirements of multisensor spatiotemporal parameters of field robot navigation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence demonstrated that FOXD1 dysregulation was correlated with a broad spectrum of malignancies. However, litter is known about the role of FOXD1 in the progression of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). We conducted the comprehensive bioinformatics analysis to investigate FOXD1 expression in LUSC from TCGA and GEO datasets, and validated the FOXD1 expression pattern in clinical samples using immunohistochemistry method. ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms were performed to assess the relationship of FOXD1 and tumor microenvironment and immune cell infiltration. Our study showed that FOXD1 expression was significantly upregulated in LUSC tissues in TCGA dataset, validated by GEO datasets and clinical samples. In TCGA dataset, Kaplan-Meier curves showed that high FOXD1 expression was significantly correlated with favorable prognosis in LUSC patients. Moreover, FOXD1 expression has an impact on immune score and the proportions of immune cell infiltration subgroups. Finally, we predicted FOXD1 may be involved in many immune-related biological functions and cancer-related signaling pathways. Taken together, FOXD1 was upregulated in LUSC tissues, and FOXD1 expression could be a potential prognostic marker. FOXD1 might be associated with tumor microenvironment and perhaps a potential target in the tumor immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • RRC8A, an obligatory subunit of VRACs identified recently, could be the critical target to regulate VRAC functions. • LRRC8A plays the pleiotropic roles in different swollen brain cells. • Specific targeting LRRC8A may be a candidate strategy for the treatment of cell swelling-related CNS diseases. • LRRC8A-dependent VRACs may be involved in the process of cerebral ischemia and affect neuronal apoptosis and axonopathy. • Astrocytic and microglial VRACs may be swollen-activated to influence neuronal activity, forming a pathological cross-talk. Cell swelling usually initiates the regulatory volume decrease (RVD) process mediated mainly by volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs), which are formed by multiple different leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 8 (LRRC8) family members. VRAC currents have been widely recorded in astrocytes, neurons and microglia in the brain, and VRACs have been suggested to be involved in the important pathogenesis of cell swelling-related central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as ischemic stroke, epilepsy and epileptogenesis, glioblastoma (GBM), and so on. Recently, the increasing studies started to focus on LRRC8A (SWELL1), an obligatory subunit of VRAC indentified in 2014, which may be the key target to regulate the VRAC functions. After cerebral ischemia, the swollen astrocytes, neurons and microglia can activate LRRC8A-dependent VRACs, which may respectively promote the release of excitatory amino acids (EAA), interaction with ionotropic glutamate receptors, and regulating inflammation, suggesting the pleiotropic roles of LRRC8A in swollen brain cells. For the treatment of cell swelling-related CNS diseases, specific targeting LRRC8A may be a superior strategy to inhibit swollen-induced VRAC hyperactivity without blocking the normal VRAC function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient recovery of nickel from chloride systems has long presented a challenge in the field. While solvent extraction is a viable approach, conventional extractants have been associated with drawbacks such as a high requirement for chloride ions and substantial consumption of acids and alkalis. In response to these challenges, this investigation developed and synthesized a novel thiazole-based extractant, N, N-Bis(4-thiazolylmethyl)octylamine (NNBT), tailored for the selective extraction of nickel from chloride systems. Findings from the study indicate that the nitrogen atom situated on the benzylamine framework within NNBT can interact synergistically with the chelating thiazole ring, facilitating effective nickel extraction and notably reducing the need for chloride ions. Furthermore, the extractant can be regenerated using deionized water, thereby obviating the necessity for additional consumption of acids and alkalis. Following the validation of NNBT as an environmentally sustainable and efficient nickel extractant within the chloride ion system, it was successfully employed to selectively and effectively extract nickel from the nickel-aluminum slag of spent HDP catalyst. The extracted nickel and aluminum were subsequently processed into electroplated nickel chloride and polyaluminum chloride, respectively, meeting the national standards of China. These outcomes underscore the eco-friendliness and promise of NNBT for nickel extraction from chloride systems. [Display omitted] • A more stable chelating extractant for nickel was designed and synthesized. • The nickel extraction mechanism in the chlorination system was revealed. • Efficient utilization of nickel-aluminum slag from spent catalysts. • Clean water achieves the nickel stripping and extractant regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, glucose was used in the synthesis of SSZ-13 zeolites; it acted as a zeolite growth regulator to successfully change the morphology of SSZ-13 zeolites. The particle size of the SSZ-13 zeolites reduced from 10 to 3 μm, and the morphology of the zeolite surface changed from rough and irregular spherical to smooth and uniform cubic. The glucose-modified SSZ-13 zeolites were ion-exchanged with Cu2+ ions (named as Cu-SSZ-13-Glu) and tested for the catalytic reduction of NO x with NH 3 (NH 3 –SCR). The results demonstrated that the catalyst Cu-SSZ-13-Glu exhibited better NH 3 –SCR catalytic performance than that of conventional Cu-SSZ-13, with a wider effective reaction window, superior low-temperature SCR performance, favorable anti-SO 2 poisoning ability, and excellent hydrothermal stability. The characterization results of the Cu-SSZ-13-Glu sample revealed an increase in crystallinity as well as acidic sites, and an improvement in the redox properties. After hydrothermal aging, compared with traditional Cu-SSZ-13, the Cu-SSZ-13-Glu zeolites exhibited a more stable structure and maintained higher crystallinity, larger specific surface area, and microporous volume. Moreover, the Cu2+ ions in the Cu-SSZ-13-Glu zeolites were more stable, and fewer CuO x species were generated after hydrothermal aging, retaining more Cu2+ ions species and acidic sites. To summarize, the simply prepared Cu-SSZ-13-Glu zeolites exhibited excellent catalytic activity and hydrothermal stability, showing broad application prospects in the field of nitrogen oxide removal from automotive exhausts. [Display omitted] • Glucose acted as a zeolite growth regulator to successfully change the morphology of SSZ-13 zeolites. • Cu-SSZ-13-Glu exhibited better NH 3 –SCR catalytic performance than that of conventional Cu-SSZ-13. • Cu-SSZ-13-Glu revealed an increase in crystallinity as well as acidic sites, and an improvement in the redox properties. • After hydrothermal aging Cu-SSZ-13-Glu maintained higher crystallinity, larger specific surface area and microporous volume. • Fewer CuO x species were generated after hydrothermal aging, retaining more Cu2+ ions species and acidic sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) belongs to a progressive, gradual aortic rupture, which can lead to death without surgical intervention. The key factors regulating the occurrence and progress of AAA are not clear. Increasing studies have indicated that microRNA (miRNA) plays an important role in cancer development. miR-124a serves as a tumor suppressor in several neoplasms, and its upregulation can greatly inhibit the life activities such as malignant growth and migration of tumor cells. Aim. The objective of this study is to explore the association of miR-124a with AAA and to uncover the regulated mechanism of miR-124a on AAA progression. Methods. The specimens from the AAA patients were used for observing the miR-124a expression, and human aortic endothelial cells (hAoECs) were treated with AngII to establish the AAA cell models. The quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), CCK-8, transwell assay, flow cytometry assay, and western blot were conducted to unearth the regulation mechanism of miR-124a on AAA, and the dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed to investigate the downstream target of miR-124a. Results. miR-124a was significantly downregulated in the whole blood of the patients, and the decreased miR-124a was also observed in AAA cell models. Overexpressing miR-124a could effectively inhibit the proliferation and migration and promote the apoptosis of the AAA cells. The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that BRD4 was a downstream target of miR-124a, and BRD4 upregulation could obviously reverse the effects of miR-124a on the phenotype of AAA cells. Moreover, it was found that miR-124a could regulate the activities of Wnt/β-catenin and P53 pathways via targeting the BRD4. Conclusion. Our data suggested that miR-124a could regulate the activities of Wnt/β-catenin and P53 to suppress the AAA progression via targeting the BRD4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyimide is a class of resins with high heat resistance, and their composites have a wide range of applications in military and civilian. However, the application of polyimides as an ablation and thermal insulation material has always been a challenge due to their low char yield during ablation in the air. Herein, we described the first application of polyimide composites—albite/glass powder doped polyimide hybrid materials - as an ablation and thermal insulation material. The key to the success of this case is that the process of the ceramization of albite/glass powder can greatly reduce the carbon loss of polyimide during the ablation process in the air. Moreover, the mechanical properties, thermal stability, ablation and thermal insulation properties of these polyimide hybrid materials have been studied systematically. This work not only opens up a new application for polyimide, but also provides a new idea for the design of novel ablation and thermal insulation material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-classical acid–base neutralization reactions of ammonia borane (NH3·BH3, AB) with acetic acids are moderate, affected by strengths of acetic acid and its chloro derivatives, and concentrations and ratios of reactants. The experiment results indicate that only one hydridic hydrogen of B–H in AB is substituted and fortunately, four ammonia B-monoacyloxy boranes (NH3·BH2OOCR, R = CHnCl3−n, n = 0–3) are prepared. Two single crystals of 2NH3BH2OOCCH2Cl·C12H24O6 and 2NH3BH2OOCCHCl2·C12H24O6 were obtained and analyzed first. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that these reactions are two-step elimination-addition process that takes advantage of the formation of dihydrogen bonds (DHBs) and hydrogen bonds (HBs), and aminoborane (NH2BH2, AoB) is identified as the key intermediate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the introduction of two cyano ligands containing different single-branch N-donor groups, 4-(benzoimidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzonitrile (4-BICN) and 4-[2-(1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridyl-1-ylmethyl]benzonitrile (4-PPCN) to a reaction system based on polyoxometalates, six polyoxometalate-based supramolecular complexes have been prepared by using different polyoxoanions and metal ions under hydrothermal conditions. In the structures of complexes 1–4, the 4-(benzoimidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzoic acid (4-BIBAH) and 4-[2-(1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridyl-1-ylmethyl]benzoic acid (4-PPBAH) ligands originated from in situ transformation of the 4-BICN and 4-PPCN ligands relying on the hydrolysis of cyano to carboxyl groups, coordinating with metal centers to result in diverse metal–organic fragments and linking modes of PMo12 or SiMo12 polyoxoanions. But, the in situ hydrolysis of the cyano group did not occur in the presence of SiW12 and Cu2+ (or Co2+) ions for complexes 5 and 6, indicating that the polyoxoanions and metal centers showed important influences on the in situ ligand transformation. Complexes 1 and 3 have better electrocatalytic activities for the reduction of H2O2, while 1, 3, 4 and 5 exhibit good photocatalytic activities towards the degradation of crystal violet and methylene blue under UV irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, photocatalysis technology, a typical mild and environmentally friendly technique, can use sunlight to drive the oxidation/reduction reactions on the surface of catalysts. However, single semiconductor materials can hardly meet the requirements of photocatalytic application due to the low availability of visible light, quick e− − h+ recombination, and the insufficiency of active sites. Cocatalysts are often introduced to solve the above problems. Among the numerous cocatalysts, NiS cocatalysts exhibit excellent properties, such as superior chemical stability, suitable band structure, and larger specific surface area, which can improve the photocatalytic efficiency of various semiconductors. Herein, the research progress of NiS cocatalysts in photocatalysis is reviewed. First, the structure of NiS and several common preparation methods are briefly introduced. Second, the NiS cocatalytic principle about how to achieve the effective separation of photogenerated carriers is introduced. Third, the methods to optimize the catalytic activity of NiS are mainly summarized. At the same time, the review summarizes the research progress of composite photocatalysts based on NiS cocatalyst. Finally, the review discusses the existing challenges and obstacles of NiS‐based photocatalytic systems and proposes feasible improvements and ideas to meet the future requirements of practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of phenolphthalein polyethersulfones, containing varying contents of carboxyl groups, were synthesized via SN2 nucleophilic reaction. Structure of the prepared copolymers was confirmed by 1H NMR and FTIR. The phenolphthalein polyethersulfone comprising carboxyl groups exhibited excellent hydrophilicity and mechanical properties in the fabrication of ultrafiltration membrane. The properties of the membrane were measured using scanning electron microscopy and ultrafiltration membrane evaluator. The membrane showed superior ultrafiltration performance with a pure water flux of 399 (L·m−2·h−1), which was 1.9 times higher than that of the pristine phenolphthalein polyethersulfone. The pure water flux of the membrane with the pore-forming agent Tween 80 was up to 1082 (L·m−2·h−1), and its BSA rejection was up to 97% at 0.1 MPa. This work provided a new resin material with better performance for water treatment membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the connection of phosphorus (P) forms with peatland succession and history of fire in Tuqiang peatland, a 57 cm peat core was sampled with high-resolution (1-cm intervals) in the north of the Great Khingan mountain (Northeast China). AMS 14C dating techniques combined with sequential chemical extraction was used to determine and calculate the accumulation rates of phosphorus fractions. Phosphorus forms were mainly composed with NaOH-P o , hot concentrated HCl–P (conc. HCl–P) and residual-P. Active phosphorus pools were enriched in the top 8–10 cm of the peat surface. The concentrations of organic phosphorus forms and residual-P were generally high during 1200 to 500 cal yr BP, and the accumulation rate of that gradually decreased since 1600 cal yr BP. Both of concentration and accumulation of organic phosphorus decreased after 600 cal yr BP. The accumulation rate of organic phosphorus forms significantly corresponded with peat development frequency, pollen records and other paleo evidence. The concentration and accumulation of organic phosphorus, especially NaOH-P o, was positively connected with concentration of pollen and Cyperaceae , and decreased when relative abundance of moss or shrubs occurred. Fire changed the vegetation community, decreased the concentration and accumulation of P o , and reduced inactive P o /P i at the same time. Fire events could also leave geochemical evidence on peat. It is necessary to consider the both changes of inactive P o /P i and organic phosphorus accumulation rate when reflected the fire history by phosphorus in core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depending on the in situ ligand transformation of 3,5-di(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)benzonitrile (DTCN) to 3,5-di(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)benzoic acid (DTCA) under hydrothermal condition, three polyoxometalate-based copper complexes, [CuI4CuII2(OH)2(H2O)4(DTCA)4(HPMoVI10MoV2O39)] (1), [Cu4(OH)2(H2O)4(DTCA)2(SiW12O40)]·11H2O (2), and {Cu2Cl(H2O)(HDTCA)2[CrMo6(OH)6O18)]}·4H2O (3), have been isolated through changing the polyoxoanions. Introducing Keggin-type polyoxoanions [PMo12O40]3− or [SiW12O40]4− to reaction systems, both 1 and 2 display 3-D framework structures containing Cu/DTCA metal-organic belts, and a kind of poly-Keggin chain derived from [PMo12O40]3− polyoxoanions exist in 1. When the Anderson-type polyoxoanion [CrMo6(OH)6O18)]3− is utilized, a 2-D grid-like layer resulted in 3, in which the DTCA ligands are embedded, revealing that the polyoxoanions have key roles in regulating the structures of complexes. The investigations on electrochemical properties and photocatalytic activities for the degradation of organic dyes of 1–3 have been carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of urbanization in recent years, thousands of people have flooded into the city, which has brought tremendous pressure on the supervision and operation of relevant traffic management departments. In particular, the unexpected events in the urban rail transit system have caused great troubles for city managers. Aiming at the problem of abnormal passenger flow in the metro, this paper proposes a visual analytic method to support the abnormal passenger flow detection, verification, and diffusion analysis in the metro system. The method provides an intuitive visual metaphor and allows users to perform simple interactive operations to verify abnormal passenger flow. In addition, the method reveals the diffusion law of abnormal passenger flow in time and space in a two-dimensional diffusion view. The Beijing Rail Transit AFC data are used to validate the developed system, and two reliable analysis cases are presented. The system can help users quickly grasp the abnormal propagation rules and help them to develop different scheduling strategies for different anomalous propagation paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the tunneling phenomenon occurring in a pair structure made of epsilon-negative (ENG) and mu-negative (MNG) metamaterials is experimentally studied. The ENG and MNG metamaterials are fabricated using coplanar waveguide loading with lumped-element series capacitors and shunt inductors. The properties of the tunneling mode are investigated by means of the transfer-matrix method, based on the experiment parameters of effective permittivity and permeability. The results show that the tunneling frequency is independent of the pair length and the electric field is highly localized at the interface of the ENG-MNG pair. These features illustrate that the pair behaves as a cavity with strongly enhanced electric field and with dimensions beyond the half-wavelength limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saline-alkali soil significantly impairs crop growth. This research employs the impacts of the modifier and water-soluble fertilizer, as well as their interaction, on the root systems of alfalfa and leymus chinensis in saline-alkali soil. The results exhibit that the hydrochar source modifier effectively enhances the root growth of both forage species. There are certain improvements in the root growth indicators of both crops at a dosage of 20 g/kg. Root enzyme activity and rhizosphere soil enzyme activity are enhanced in alfalfa, showing significant improvements in the first planting compared to the second planting. The application of water-soluble fertilizers also promotes root growth and root dehydrogenase activity. The root dehydrogenase activity of alfalfa and leymus chinensis are enhanced 62.18% and 10.15% in first planting than that of blank, respectively. Additionally, the two-factor variance analysis revealed a correlation between rhizosphere soil enzyme activity and changes in root traits. Higher rhizosphere soil enzyme activity is observed in conjunction with better root growth. The combined application of a modifier and water-soluble fertilizer has demonstrated a significant interaction effect on various aspects of the first planting of alfalfa and leymus chinensis. Moreover, the combined application of the modifier and water-soluble fertilizer has yielded superior results when compared to the individual application of either the modifier or the water-soluble fertilizer alone. This combined approach has proven effective in improving saline-alkali soil conditions and promoting crop growth in such challenging environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High accuracy of locating the sphere center imaging points is crucial for the vision measurement system. This paper investigates the effect of projection projective model on extraction of the sphere center, upon which the sub-pixel edge-location algorithm based on the sphere projection model is proposed. The sphere center projection model is established by analysing the process of sphere imaging, and the sub-pixel edge-location algorithm consisted of the novel edge model and the improved Zernike moment computing is studied. The novel edge model based on the Erf (error function) is adopted for modelling the practical edge part, which obtains the edge distribution points with high precision. Then a closed-form solution of edge locating error compensation is calculated based on Zernike moments. Finally, the proposed method is verified via simulations and experiments. The relevant results show that the proposed method can accurately locate the sphere center imaging point, which further improves the precision and robustness of the vision measurement system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, it is confirmed that without addition of organic solvent and embedding polymer hydrogel into glass nanopore, bare glass nanopore can faithfully measure various lengths of DNA duplexes from 200 to 3000 base pairs with 200 base pairs resolution, showing well-separated peak amplitudes of blockage currents. Furthermore, motivated by this readout capability of duplex DNA, amplicons from Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification are straightforwardly discriminated by bare glassy nanopore without fluorescent labeling. Except simultaneous discrimination of up to 7 different segments of the same lambda genome, various pathogenic bacteria and viruses including SARS-CoV-2 and its mutants in clinical samples can be discriminated at high resolution. Moreover, quantitative measurement of PCR amplicons is obtained with detection range spanning from 0.75 aM to 7.5 pM and detection limit of 7.5 aM, which reveals that bare glass nanopore can faithfully disclose PCR results without any extra labeling. [Display omitted] • Bare glassy nanopore for length-dependent resolution of PCR amplicons. • Bare glassy nanopore for selection of unique gene with best PCR efficiency. • The detection limit can be lowered down to 7.5 aM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Hydrogen bonding is widely present and plays a significant role in material science and supramolecular chemistry. This work reports a straightforward strategy for the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles from neutral poly(2‐oxazoline)s (POx) and tannic acid (TA) driven by their intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements showed that POx bearing different substituents, that is, methyl, ethyl and n‐propyl in the 2‐position all could assemble with TA into stable nanoparticles in water or ethanol. The diameter of the assembled nanoparticles could be manipulated by varying parameters such as molecular weight of POx, concentration and ratio of POx, and TA. Interestingly, POx/TA nanoparticles exhibited upper critical solution temperature (UCST)‐type thermoresponsive properties in ethanol or water depending on the molecular weight and substituent in the 2‐position of POx. Increasing or decreasing the temperature at the transition point resulted in the reversible transformation between assembled nanoparticles and disassembled poly(2‐n‐propyl‐2‐oxazoline) (PnPrOx) and TA. In view of the tailored size of the stable nanoparticles and the biocompatibilities of POx and TA, the prepared thermoresponsive nanoparticles are promising candidates as carriers for medicine toward related biomedical applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 1520–1527 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermosetting phenolic resins are widely used in the field of matrix resin of high-tech materials due to their excellent ablation performance, structural integrity and thermal stability. Traditionally, the synthesis of almost all thermosetting phenolic resin often requires alkali catalyst. These alkali catalysts are difficult to be completely removed from the resin, and their residue will adversely affect thermal performances of these resins to a certain extent. Herein, we described a strategy for the synthesis of boron-modified thermosetting phenolic resin under alkali-free conditions. The key to the success of this process lies in Lewis acidity of borate ester which can promote the condensation of phenol and aldehyde. In addition, in order to further investigate the properties of this resin, its montmorillonite/silica based nanocomposites have been prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AKT pathway is a fundamental signaling pathway that mediates multiple cellular processes, such as cell proliferation and survival, angiogenesis, and glucose metabolism. We recently reported that the immunophilin FKBP51 is a scaffolding protein that can enhance PHLPP- AKT interaction and facilitate PHLPP-mediated dephosphorylation of AKT at Ser473, negatively regulating AKT activation. However, the regulation of FKBP51- PHLPP- AKT pathway remains unclear. Here we report that a deubiquitinase, USP49, is a new regulator of the AKT pathway. Mechanistically, USP49 deubiquitinates and stabilizes FKBP51, which in turn enhances PHLPP's capability to dephosphorylate AKT. Furthermore, USP49 inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and enhanced cellular response to gemcitabine in a FKBP51- AKT-dependent manner. Clinically, decreased expression of USP49 in patients with pancreatic cancer was associated with decreased FKBP51 expression and increased AKT phosphorylation. Overall, our findings establish USP49 as a novel regulator of AKT pathway with a critical role in tumorigenesis and chemo-response in pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ERK signaling is one of the important mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). However, the role of ERK signaling in the regulation of response to engineered nanomaterial exposure is still largely unclear. In this study, usingin vivoassay system ofCaenorhabditis elegans, we investigated the function of ERK signaling in response to graphene oxide (GO) exposure and the underlying molecular mechanism. GO exposure increased the expression of MEK-2/MEK and MPK-1/ERK in the ERK signaling pathway. Mutation ofmek-2ormpk-1resulted in a susceptibility to GO toxicity. Both the MEK-2 and the MPK-1 acted in neurons to regulate the response to GO exposure, and the neuronal expression of MEK-2 or MPK-1 caused a resistance to GO toxicity. In the neurons, SKN-1b/Nrf acted downstream of the MPK-1, and AEX-3, a guanine exchange factor for GTPase, further acted downstream of the SKN-1b to regulate the response to GO exposure. Therefore, a signaling cascade of MEK-2-MPK-1-SKN-1b/-AEX-3 was identified in the neurons required for the regulation of response to GO exposure. Moreover, genetic interaction assay demonstrated that the neuronal ERK signaling-mediated signaling pathway and the intestinal p38 MAPK-mediated signaling pathway functioned synergistically in the regulation of response to GO exposure. Our results highlight the crucial function of the neuronal ERK signaling in the regulation of response to nanomaterial exposure in organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) at room temperature. Well-aligned DLC nanofiber arrays are structured using porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates. Along with a slow process of template etching, the DLC nanofibers gradually bend over and closely weave into a mask, preventing the AAO from entirely dissolving into the etching solution. This resist-mask of DLC/AAO nanostructure is removed by the effect of electric charge accumulation at a high electric field and then the DLC nano-whisker array is formed. The electron field emission (EFE) properties of DLC nanoarrays indicate a low turn-on field of 1.60 V µm−1 and a threshold field of 2.98 V µm−1. These DLC nanowhisker arrays signify a high potential for assembling carbon-based vacuum microelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Soil structure became stable after natural restoration. • Warming exerted less effect on the soil structure in restored land. • Warming weaken the protection of P fractions by macroaggregates under natural restoration. • The release risk of available P in smaller-sized aggregates needs to be focused. • Biological factors in P-cycling model help gauge P-fraction climate-change responses. The responses of soil aggregation and aggregate-associated phosphorus (P) fractions under natural restoration to climate warming remain unclear. Here, we conducted an eight-year mesocosm experiment wherein farmland soil from a colder site was transplanted to a warmer site to simulate climate warming and established continuous soybean cultivation and natural restoration treatments at each site. We investigated soil aggregate stability and the associated P fractions and soil properties under two land-use systems in a warming climate. Our results revealed that natural restoration significantly increased macroaggregates and macroaggregate-associated NaHCO 3 -Pi, NaOH-Po, and TP, but warming impeded the increases of these P fractions without changing soil aggregation. Although TP within microaggregates and the silt and clay fractions remained consistent across treatments, warming resulted in higher NaHCO 3 -Pi concentrations in both fractions and lower NaHCO 3 -Po and NaOH-Po within microaggregates in restored land. Bacterial community and alkaline phosphatase activity may be responsible for organic P mineralization within microaggregates. The enrichment of NaHCO 3 -Pi in smaller-sized aggregates and non-aggregate particles with warming likely increased the risk for P loss. Fungal and bacterial phospholipid fatty acid explained the most variation in the P fractions within macroaggregates and microaggregates, respectively, suggesting that biological processes are involved in determining P distribution. Our study indicates that the distribution of P fractions in differently sized aggregates during natural restoration can be significantly influenced by warming and highlights that incorporating the responses of soil microorganisms and enzymes will improve our understanding of the P cycling in a warming climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple synthetic approach for graphene-templated nanostructured MnO2 nanowires self-inserted with Co3O4 nanocages is proposed in this work. The Co3O4 nanocages were penetrated in situ by MnO2 nanowires. As an anode, the as-obtained MnO2-Co3O4-RGO composite exhibits remarkable enhanced performance compared with the MnO2-RGO and Co3O4-RGO samples. The MnO2-Co3O4-RGO electrode delivers a reversible capacity of up to 577.4 mA h g−1 after 400 cycles at 500 mA g−1 and the Coulombic efficiency of MnO2-Co3O4-RGO is about 96 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the risk of melanoma among men and women in the U.S. It examines sleep duration, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and the association between melanoma and obstructive sleep apnea in the Nurses' Health Study. It proposes that there is no link between SDB and sleep duration and melanoma risk.

In this paper, quantum well (QW) effect in a hybridization bandgap (HBG) structure via hiring deep subwavelength coupled meta-atoms is investigated. Subwavelength zero-index-metamaterial-based resonators acting as meta-atoms are side-coupled to a microstrip, forming the HBG structure. Both numerical and microwave experimental results confirm that, through properly hiring another set of meta-atoms, band mismatch between two HBGs can be introduced resulting in the HBG QW effect. Compared with the conventional QW structure based on Bragg interferences in photonic crystal, the device length of the proposed HBG QW structure can be reduced to only 1/4, demonstrating well the deep subwavelength property. Therefore, the above features make our design of HBG QW structures suitable to be utilized as multi-channel filters or multiplexers in microwave and optical communication system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global warming becomes more pronounced, climate change and human activities are leading to frequent peat fire incidents. Fire plays an important role in the environmental distribution of trace metals in peat soils. In the current study, we collected peat soils from six peatlands of the Great Khingan Mountains in Northeast China, where wildfires have often occurred in recent decades. To investigate the transformation of trace metals in peat soils by fire, burning experiments at 250°C (light) or 600°C (severe) and under aerobic (AE, flaming) and anaerobic (AN, smouldering) conditions (AE250, AE600, AN250, AN600) were carried out in the laboratory to investigate the effect of different burning intensities on the distribution of Cu, As, Pb, and Cd in peat soils. The European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction method for metal fractions was applied for partitioning four fractions (exchangeable, reducible, oxidizable, and residual). The results showed that AE600 significantly decreased the percentages of oxidizable Cu, As, Cd and Pb (Cuoxi, Asoxi Cdoxi and Pboxi) compared with those of the original samples, e.g., Cuoxi decreased from 68.84% ± 12.76% to 15.82% ± 8.02% in peat under moss, which might result from organic matter decrease. Under AN250 conditions, the exchangeable As (Asexc) and Pb (Pbexc) significantly increased by more than twice. Different burning intensities significantly changed the various fractions of Cu, e.g., more than 20% Cuoxi transferred to exchangeable and reducible fractions as the temperature increased. Most of the available fractions of As transformed to residual As after burning. Our study suggests that the AE600 treatment increased the ecotoxicity and bioavailability of Cu, Pb and Cd in peat soils, while AN250 burning decreased the potential ecotoxicity of Cu, As, and Pb. Compared with lower temperature flaming burning (AE250), the ecotoxicity and bioavailability of Cu and Pb were greater in high temperature (AE600) conditions. Smouldering fires at both temperatures (AN250 and AN600) maintained a high potential ecotoxicity and bioavailability of Cu and Pb in peat soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] An effective strain identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa S240 was successfully isolated. [•] A biotrickling filter inoculated with strain S240 achieved a high D4 removal efficiency exceeding 74%. [•] Di-rhamnolipids played an important role in improving D4 removal. [•] Methanol was firstly detected in the degradation products of D4. [•] Hydroxylation of dimethylsilanediol was a rate-limiting step for D4 aerobic biodegradation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Phosphorus was one of the nutrient limitations to vegetations in wetland ecosystem. In peatland, organic phosphorus is accumulated as vegetation residues in anaerobic conditions, affecting the contents of phosphorus pools for long time. It is unclear that different vegetations affect the contents of phosphorus and whether successions of vegetations could reflected by sedimentation of phosphorus forms. Phosphorus forms from six surface soils plots and four dominant vegetations in the north of the Great Khingan mountains were detected to investigate the differences of phosphorus forms of soil between different vegetations. Phosphorus forms and macrofossil were also detected in a 77-cm peat core (1-cm intervals) in TQ. A fingerprinting historical vegetations were reconstructed by phosphors forms to reflect successions of vegetations during 2200 cal yr BP in TQ area. The results showed that the main phosphorus forms in peatland were NaOH-P o and conc. HCl-P o. The percentages of inorganic phosphorus forms of trees were generally higher than other vegetations. Moss was more conducive for accumulation of organic phosphorus. NaHCO 3 -P i , NaOH-P i , conc. HCl-P o and P i were selected into linear discrimination analysis. The vegetations reconstructed by phosphorus forms were strongly correlated with the pollen records of moss, herbs and shrubs, as well as with macrofossils in herbs. The fingerprinting of vegetations by phosphorus has potential geochemical reference to reflect the successions of vegetation in peatland. • The inorganic phosphorus forms of trees were higher in peatlands. • The organic phosphorus forms of moss were higher than herbs, shrub and trees. • Four phosphorus forms were used to reconstruct succession of vegetations. • Phosphorus forms reconstructed changes of vegetations of moss, herbs and shrubs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus was one of the nutrient limitations to vegetations in wetland ecosystem. In peatland, organic phosphorus is accumulated as vegetation residues in anaerobic conditions, affecting the contents of phosphorus pools for long time. It is unclear that different vegetations affect the contents of phosphorus and whether successions of vegetations could reflected by sedimentation of phosphorus forms. Phosphorus forms from six surface soils plots and four dominant vegetations in the north of the Great Khingan mountains were detected to investigate the differences of phosphorus forms of soil between different vegetations. Phosphorus forms and macrofossil were also detected in a 77-cm peat core (1-cm intervals) in TQ. A fingerprinting historical vegetations were reconstructed by phosphors forms to reflect successions of vegetations during 2200 cal yr BP in TQ area. The results showed that the main phosphorus forms in peatland were NaOH-P o and conc. HCl-P o. The percentages of inorganic phosphorus forms of trees were generally higher than other vegetations. Moss was more conducive for accumulation of organic phosphorus. NaHCO 3 -P i , NaOH-P i , conc. HCl-P o and P i were selected into linear discrimination analysis. The vegetations reconstructed by phosphorus forms were strongly correlated with the pollen records of moss, herbs and shrubs, as well as with macrofossils in herbs. The fingerprinting of vegetations by phosphorus has potential geochemical reference to reflect the successions of vegetation in peatland. • The inorganic phosphorus forms of trees were higher in peatlands. • The organic phosphorus forms of moss were higher than herbs, shrub and trees. • Four phosphorus forms were used to reconstruct succession of vegetations. • Phosphorus forms reconstructed changes of vegetations of moss, herbs and shrubs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluid fine tailings (FFT) are a by-product of the oil sands bitumen extraction process and are composed of sand, fines (silts and clays), water, and residual bitumen. FFT can take decades to settle without intervention due to the small size of particles suspended in the water, resulting in a large footprint of environmental disturbance. Therefore, FFT are required to be managed to create a sustainable terrain for mine closure. In this study, a simple, rapid, and one-cycle directional desiccation-freeze-thaw method was developed on a small laboratory scale under a three-dimensional closed freezing condition. Two types of chemically and physically treated fluid fine tailings were prepared by two approaches: 1) two types of fluid fine tailings were flocculated with an anionic polyacrylamide and dried to four different desiccation points; 2) two types of fluid fine tailings were coagulated with alum, followed by flocculation with the anionic polyacrylamide. The chemically amended FFT samples were then subjected to shear energy to simulate pipeline transportation. The sheared-FFT were dried to four different desiccation points. All the dried materials prepared by the two approaches were frozen at −15 °C for 24 h and then completely thawed at room temperature. Four factors were discussed to assess the impact on the freeze-thaw dewatering effect: coagulant addition, flocculent dosage, shear energy input, and desiccation point. In addition, a term of water layer index was introduced to evaluate the tailings management performance. • A simple, rapid, and directional desiccation-freeze-thaw dewatering method of fluid fine tailings. • Fluid fine tailings treatment with the combination of coagulation, flocculation, and conveyance. • No reduction of freeze-thaw dewatering effect on the flocculated fluid fine tailings with alum amendment after shearing. • The extent of desiccation is the most critical factor in the freeze-thaw dewatering effect of fluid fine tailings. • Use of the thickness of the adsorbed water layer on the surfaces of clay minerals to evaluate the tailings dewatering performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Knowledge for the distribution and genetic diversity of Blastocystis sp. can provide novel insights for the prevention and control of this parasite. The present study first reported the occurrence of Blastocystis infection in Camelus bactrianus, an important economic animal in northwestern China. We found the existence of eight Blastocystis subtypes in C. bactrianus, indicating potential risks and transmission of Blastocystis sp. for C. bactrianus. Blastocystis sp. is an important zoonotic protist in humans and various animals with worldwide distribution. However, there have been no data on the occurrence of Blastocystis sp. in C. bactrianus, an important economic animal in northwestern China. In the present study, a PCR-sequencing tool based on the SSU rRNA gene was applied to investigate the prevalence and genetic diversity of Blastocystis sp. in 638 faecal samples from C. bactrianus in 21 sampling sites within three main breeding areas (Gansu, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang) in northwestern China. The total prevalence of Blastocystis sp. was 21.8% (139/638) in C. bactrianus, with the infection rates of 29.5% (18/61), 50.0% (14/28) and 19.5% (107/549) for animals aged <2 years, 2–6 years and >6 years, respectively. Significant differences in prevalence were detected among C. bactrianus from three geographic areas (χ2 = 19.972, df = 2, p < 0.001) and all sampling sites (χ2 = 104.154, df = 20, p < 0.001). A total of 16 of 21 sampling sites were positive for Blastocystis sp., with the prevalence ranging from 7.7% to 70.6%. Sequence analysis of the SSU rRNA gene identified eight subtypes in C. bactrianus in the present study, including seven animal adapted subtypes (ST10, ST14, ST21, ST24, ST25, ST26 and ST30) and one potentially novel subtype, with ST10 being the dominant one. To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first insight for the occurrence and genetic make-up of Blastocystis sp. in C. bactrianus and contributes to the understanding of the transmission of Blastocystis infection in C. bactrianus in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical Tamm states (OTSs) in hetero-structures consisting of highly dispersive planar plasmonic metamaterials and truncated photonic crystal (PC) are investigated numerically. Compared to conventional OTSs in metal-PC structures, the reflectance of tunneling mode can be reduced from -10.2 dB to -32.0 dB, with an optimized Q-factor up to 17 times higher simultaneously. Further study on electromagnetic (EM) field distribution confirms that EM waves are highly localized at some special points. The confinement along the propagating direction provided by OTSs and the in-plane localization originated from the planar plasmonic metamaterials give rise to the three-dimensional enhancement of sub-wavelength EM localization corporately. As the advantages above are not at a cost of extra device volume, this structure is promising to be applied in highly sensitive dielectric sensing, nonlinear optical devices, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state nanopores have been proven as a powerful platform for label-free single-molecule analysis. However, due to its relatively low resolution and selectivity, developing biosensors with good translocation signals faces two significant challenges: (1) small-sized chemical or biological targets show difficulty in producing recognizable translocation signals because of their weak interaction with the nanopore and (2) protein interferents that widely exist in biological samples or buffers would considerably deteriorate the noise level of the nanopore, submerging the translocation signal. Herein, we demonstrate an effective way to overcome both the challenges. DNA cubes were used as signal transducers that can achieve an ultra-high (>50 : 1) signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) translocation signal, which is maintained even in protein interferent-rich buffers. A sensing strategy was constructed via hepatitis B virus (HBV) target-triggered cleavage of the component elements of the DNA cube with the assistance of the CRISPR–Cas12a technology, which caused a great drop in the translocation rate. The elements to cleave were optimized, and the sensor performance was tested in different protein stabilizer-rich buffers and human serum. Coupling with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) pre-amplification technology, HBV-positive or -negative classification was achieved with the detection limit reaching 5 aM. It is worth noting that in our method, all reaction buffers were directly used without further optimization, which is of great help for the practical application of solid-state nanopores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nucleic acid aptamers have attracted much interest in the bioanalytical field and have been employed to construct aptamer-based sensors (aptasensors) for the determination of multifarious disease biomarkers, attributing to their prominent advantages, such as good chemical and thermodynamic stability, ease of synthesis, utilization, and low cost. Along with acquisition of more and more effective aptamers, numerous aptasensors have been developed with many techniques, including UV-Vis (colorimetry), fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, chemiluminescence/electrochemiluminescence, and electrochemical methods, and various types of biomarkers were detected, such as cardiac troponin I, carcinoembryonic antigen, and C-reactive protein, etc. Through overviewing these related typical works, this minireview aims to reveal effective approaches to high sensitivity, for example, DNA-based amplification and nanoprobe design, point out critical issues that impede the further practical use, and hopefully contribute to the development of aptasensors in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper presents a rapid method for the determination of dioxopromethazine hydrochloride (DPZ), an antihistamine drug, by the capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescene detection (CE–ECL) using tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)3 2+) reagent. This CE–ECL detection method has high sensitivity, good selectivity and reproducibility for DPZ analysis. Under the optimized conditions: separation capillary, 38cm length (25μm i.d.); sample injection, 10s at 8kV; separation voltage, 12.5kV; running buffer, 20mmolL−1 sodium phosphate of pH 6.0; detection potential, 1.15V; 50mmolL−1 of phosphate buffer (pH 7.14) containing 5mmolL−1 of Ru(bpy)3 2+ in ECL detection cell, the detection limit of DPZ was 0.05μmolL−1 (S/N=3). The linear range extended from 5 to 100μmolL−1. The linear curve obtained was Y =181.62+9.28X with a correlation coefficient of 0.9970. The relative standard deviations of the ECL intensity and the migration time for six continuous injections of 5μmolL−1 DPZ were 3.7% and 0.92%, respectively. The CE–ECL method was applied to analyze DPZ in real samples including tablets, rat serum and human urine, and satisfactory results were obtained without interference from samples matrix. The CE–ECL technique was proved to be a potential method for the detection of DPZ in clinic analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In situ synthesis of terbium carboxyl complexes in an organic–inorganic hybrid matrix by a sol–gel process has been proposed. The formation of terbium carboxyl complexes in the hybrid matrix is confirmed by the luminescence spectra and IR spectra. It is observed that the location at the amino group in aminobenzoic acid has a large effect on the luminescence properties and lifetimes. Furthermore, the emission intensity decreases with increasing temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The dewatering of flocculated high density slurry presents a significant challenge to most mining industries. The new technologies to treat high density slurry require a consistent and robust flocculation method in order to enter the market of tailings management. The flocculation of high density slurry, however, due to its complexity, is always a challenge to be undertaken appropriately and to evaluate the dewatering performance correctly. This paper probes the complexity by using a torque-controlled mixing technique to demonstrate the influence of feed properties, polymer type, polymer dosage, and mixing conditions on dewatering performance. The study shows that flocculant should be dosed at the optimal range to achieve the highest dewatering performance. A full dosage responsive curve including under dosage, optimal dosage, and overdosage is critical to evaluate the dewatering performance of high density slurries and flocculants. The mixing conditions such as mixing speed, mixing time, and geometry of the mixing impeller affect the flocculation efficacy. It was found that the dewatering performance of high density slurry is sensitive to solids content, water chemistry, and clay activity. High sodicity and high clay activity in the high density slurry decreases the dewatering performance. Therefore, it is critical to evaluate flocculants across multiple feeds and dosages with replication in order to select optimal dewatering performance. Using multiple key performance indicators (KPIs) to build technical and economic criteria is also critical for polymer evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep transfer learning (DTL), which incorporates new ideas from deep neural networks into transfer learning (TL), has achieved excellent success in computer vision, text classification, behavior recognition, and natural language processing. As a branch of machine learning, DTL applies end-to-end learning to overcome the drawback of traditional machine learning that regards each dataset individually. Although some valuable and impressive general surveys exist on TL, special attention and recent advances in DTL are lacking. In this survey, we first review more than 50 representative approaches of DTL in the last decade and systematically summarize them into four categories. In particular, we further divide each category into subcategories according to models, functions, and operation objects. In addition, we discuss recent advances in TL in other fields and unsupervised TL. Finally, we provide some possible and exciting future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first high damage resistant ultra-high temperature ceramic ScB 2 C 2 with excellent hydrolysis resistance was successfully prepared through boron carbon thermal reduction and hot pressing sintering using Sc 2 O 3 , B 4 C and graphite as raw materials. The Vickers hardness, flexural strength, fracture toughness, Young's modulus, shear modulus, bulk modulus and Poisson's ratio of as-prepared ScB 2 C 2 ceramic are 6.0 ± 0.2 GPa, 246 ± 17 MPa, 4.11 ± 0.18 MPa·m1/2, 240 GPa, 101 GPa, 127 GPa and 0.18, respectively. In the a - b plane (B 2 C 2 sheet) and along the c -axis direction, ScB 2 C 2 exhibits extremely strong anisotropy of chemical bonds and elastic properties. The high residual strength, damage tolerance factor D t and fracture toughness to strength ratio K Ic /σ f indicates that ScB 2 C 2 has excellent damage tolerance. In addition, ScB 2 C 2 displayed remarkable thermal shock resistance and hydrolysis resistance. These unique features endow ScB 2 C 2 with significant potential for future ultra-high temperature applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new method of motion parameters measurement in ground test of complex aircraft based on vector is presented. • Detailed analysis of error transfer in pose measurement is given. • Compared with binocular stereo vision, the accuracy of attitude angle measurement is improved by 100%. The purpose of this work is aiming at the problem of high precision and large-scale measurement of motion parameters of aircraft ground test. Based on the traditional vision measurement method of motion parameters, a new measurement method of motion parameters based on intersected planes is discussed. Firstly, the measurement of 3D coordinates of laser spots was performed using the 3 D vision technique combined with plane constraints of curtain wall, the images of laser spot projected on the parallel curtain wall were processed using the centroid method, the calibration of multi-coordinates were unified by the unique coordinate system method, then the pose was solved using the proposed method that the normal vector of the intersect plane fixed on the vehicle is used. Finally, according to the measurement principle, the influence of spot center positioning, camera parameter calibration and target geometric error on the calculation results of aircraft motion parameters is analyzed, and the error propagation model is given. The experimental results show that in the measurement range of 8000 mm × 4000 mm × 4000 mm, the measurement error of attitude parameters is less than 0.14°, and the measurement error of position parameters is less than 2 mm. Compared with binocular stereo vision, the accuracy of attitude angle measurement is improved by 100%. Therefore, the measurement method proposed in this paper can achieve high precision and large-scale measurement of the motion parameters of the test aircraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study aims to compare the changes of venous flow parameters of the lower limbs under the assessment based on the duplex ultrasound scanning in obese and non-obese individuals by complying with body mass index during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in non-obese (body mass index <25 kg/m2) and obese individuals (body mass index >30 kg/m2) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy to analyze venous hemodynamics of the lower limbs. The assessment was conducted on Femoral vein diameter, Femoral vein cross-sectional area, Femoral vein peak velocity, and Femoral vein volume flow. The change values (%) of venous flow parameters of the lower limbs were calculated as a percentage by: (intra-operative parameter-pre-operative parameter)/ pre-operative parametersX100%. Results: 45 right lower limbs were examined in 45 non-obese individuals and 33 right lower limbs in 33 obese individuals during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The statistically significant difference was identified in the pre-operative and intra-operative values of Femoral vein diameter, Femoral vein cross-sectional area, Femoral vein peak velocity, as well as Femoral vein volume flow in both groups when these were analyzed independently (p =.00). When the change values of venous flow parameters of the lower limbs of the two groups were compared, more changes were identified significantly in the obese group, Femoral vein diameter (p =.042), Femoral vein cross-sectional area (p =.013), Femoral vein peak velocity (p =.002), and Femoral vein volume flow (p =.032). Conclusion: The changes of lower limb venous flow parameters showed more significant difference in obese than in non-obese individuals during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The mentioned findings may in part explain why obese patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy have a higher rate of post op deep venous thrombosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic has been extensively used in our social life, but its poor biodegradability has led to serious environmental pollution and aroused worldwide concern. Up to now, various strategies have been proposed to address the issue, yet such strategies remain seriously impeded by many obstacles. Herein, waste PET plastic was selectively carbonized into three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon nanosheets (PCS) with high yield of 36.4 wt%, to be further hybridized with MnO2 nanoflakes to form PCS-MnO2 composites. Due to the introduction of an appropriate amount of MnO2 nanoflakes, the resulting PCS-MnO2 composite exhibited a specific capacitance of 210.5 F g−1 as well as a high areal capacitance of 0.33 F m−2. Furthermore, the PCS-MnO2 composite also showed excellent cycle stability (90.1% capacitance retention over 5000 cycles under a current density of 10 A g−1). The present study paved an avenue for the highly efficient recycling of PET waste into high value-added products (PCSs) for electrochemical energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]