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Fiber‐reinforced composites have emerged as versatile materials with applications spanning diverse industries, driven by their exceptional mechanical properties and lightweight nature. This review provides a comprehensive overview of natural fiber‐reinforced composites, focusing on their enhanced mechanical and functional properties achieved through modern processing techniques. The study delves into various manufacturing methods, such as thermoforming, additive manufacturing, compression molding, electro‐spinning, pultrusion and autoclave molding, which have significantly contributed to the advancement of these composites. The review further investigates the multifaceted properties of these composites, which highlights the versatility and applicability of these materials and provides a holistic understanding of their potential applications. Additionally, the work addresses current research gaps and identifies prospects, shedding light on the evolving landscape of natural fiber‐reinforced composites. The synthesis of processing techniques, material properties and potential applications offers valuable insights for researchers, practitioners and industries aiming to harness the full potential of these sustainable and high‐performance materials. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of DCC catalytic cracking slurry were analyzed by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscope and other methods. The results indicate that DCC catalytic cracking slurry contains rich polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the aromatic content reaches 54. 24%, and the hydrogen carbon ratio reaches 0. 928 3, molecular weight is mainly 250 〜600 Da, aromatic fused ring compounds with two to four rings・ The results also indicate that, the slurry contains high ash and residual carbon, ash content up to 0. 39%, aluminum and silicon elements was 9 901 mg/L and 520 mg/L, respectively; the particle size of the solid catalyst powder between 2・ 0 〜4・ 0 pini. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both developed and developing countries around the world are increasingly utilizing biodegradable products and bio-based materials. This is required to curb rampant environmental pollution caused by synthetic materials and their by-products. In this study, banana and bamboo fibers were prepared from agricultural and industrial wastes, respectively. Banana and bamboo fibers were obtained with aid of mechanical and waste extractions, respectively. Both fibers were subjected to a retting process for 24 hours, using normal warm water at a room temperature (27 ± 3 °C) to remove the impurities. Then, a comparative investigation and analysis was conducted concerning their properties and applications. The biomass level, physical, and chemical properties, structure, experimental analysis, and moisture regain behaviors of the plant materials were studied. Additionally, the antibacterial property of the samples was discussed. The biomass level was measured per hectare for banana (36.1 tons) and per plant for bamboo (65%), and the physical and chemical properties were identified via some basic testing techniques. The molecular, crystalline, and morphology structures were observed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Finally, the industrial applications were elucidated to establish the possibility of using both fibers as promising sustainable, renewable, recyclable, and eco-friendly materials.

The role of electrolyte is very important in improving the performance of batteries, such as higher energy density and higher power. This comprehensive paper summarizes two main topics: research on the redox resistance of electrolyte solutions, which is essential for high energy density, and research on improving the reaction rate of active materials, which is essential for high power. With regard to the redox resistance, the concentration effect and local pH in the vicinity of the electrode were focused on. As for the improvement of the active material reaction rate, a novel method for analyzing the current-potential curve using the concept of electrocatalytic reaction was proposed. The availability of the conductometric titration for analyzing complexes in the electrolyte was also presented. These fundamental studies, based on electrochemical theory and methods from a thermodynamic and kinetic point of view, are important for the design of battery electrolytes and for the interpretation of the phenomena.

Both developed and developing countries around the world are increasingly utilizing biodegradable products and bio-based materials. This is required to curb rampant environmental pollution caused by synthetic materials and their by-products. In this study, banana and bamboo fibers were prepared from agricultural and industrial wastes, respectively. Banana and bamboo fibers were obtained with aid of mechanical and waste extractions, respectively. Both fibers were subjected to a retting process for 24 hours, using normal warm water at a room temperature (27 ± 3 °C) to remove the impurities. Then, a comparative investigation and analysis was conducted concerning their properties and applications. The biomass level, physical, and chemical properties, structure, experimental analysis, and moisture regain behaviors of the plant materials were studied. Additionally, the antibacterial property of the samples was discussed. The biomass level was measured per hectare for banana (36.1 tons) and per plant for bamboo (65%), and the physical and chemical properties were identified via some basic testing techniques. The molecular, crystalline, and morphology structures were observed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Finally, the industrial applications were elucidated to establish the possibility of using both fibers as promising sustainable, renewable, recyclable, and eco-friendly materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is the world's largest resource of animal proteins and is thought to be a high-quality resource for future marine healthy foods and functional products. Therefore, Antarctic krill was degreased and separately hydrolyzed using flavourzyme, pepsin, papain, and alcalase. Protein hydrolysate (AKH) of Antarctic krill prepared by trypsin showed the highest Ca-chelating rate under the optimized chelating conditions: a pH of 8.0, reaction time of 50 min, temperature of 50 °C, and material/calcium ratio of 1:15. Subsequently, fourteen Ca-chelating peptides were isolated from APK by ultrafiltration and a series of chromatographic methods and identified as AK, EAR, AEA, VERG, VAS, GPK, SP, GPKG, APRGH, GVPG, LEPGP, LEKGA, FPPGR, and GEPG with molecular weights of 217.27, 374.40, 289.29, 459.50, 275.30, 300.36, 202.21, 357.41, 536.59, 328.37, 511.58, 516.60, 572.66, and 358.35 Da, respectively. Among fourteen Ca-chelating peptides, VERG presented the highest Ca-chelating ability. Ultraviolet spectrum (UV), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis indicated that the VERG-Ca chelate had a dense granular structure because the N-H, C=O and -COOH groups of VERG combined with Ca2+. Moreover, the VERG-Ca chelate is stable in gastrointestinal digestion and can significantly improve Ca transport in Caco-2 cell monolayer experiments, but phytate could significantly reduce the absorption of Ca derived from the VERG-Ca chelate. Therefore, Ca-chelating peptides from protein hydrolysate of Antarctic krill possess the potential to serve as a Ca supplement in developing healthy foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prepare Eucheuma spinosum sulfated polysaccharides with low viscosity, high solubility and high bioavailability, fermented Eucheuma spinosum sulfate polysaccharides (F-ESP) was prepared by fermenting Lactobacillus rhamnoides, a common probiotic bacteria in fermented food, response surface methodology was used to optimize the preparation process with the yield of crude polysaccharide as the index. Low temperature freeze-thaw Eucheuma spinosum sulfate polysaccharide (L-ESP) was used as control. After purification by DEAE-52 column chromatography, the contents of total sugar, reducing sugar, sulfate and other substances and monosaccharide composition were determined, and the chemical composition of F-ESP was analyzed. The physical properties of F-ESP were characterized by viscosity, solubility, molecular weight and microstructure. The functional group structure of F-ESP was analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. The antiallergic activity of F-ESP was evaluated by Rat Basophilic Leukemia-2H3 (RBL-2H3) degranulation assay. When the ratio of material to liquid was 1:70, the inoculation amount was 5%, and the fermentation time was 24 h, the yield of crude polysaccharide was the highest (41.70%±2.00%). The purified F-ESP-3 monosaccharide structure was mainly composed of galactose, and the total sugar content was 97.77%±1.10%. The sulfate content was 28.40%±1.40%. Compared with L-ESP-3, the reducing sugar content of F-ESP-3 (7.87%±0.09%) was significantly higher, the molecular weight (33.58 kD) was significantly decreased (P

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is the world’s largest resource of animal proteins and is thought to be a high-quality resource for future marine healthy foods and functional products. Therefore, Antarctic krill was degreased and separately hydrolyzed using flavourzyme, pepsin, papain, and alcalase. Protein hydrolysate (AKH) of Antarctic krill prepared by trypsin showed the highest Ca-chelating rate under the optimized chelating conditions: a pH of 8.0, reaction time of 50 min, temperature of 50 °C, and material/calcium ratio of 1:15. Subsequently, fourteen Ca-chelating peptides were isolated from APK by ultrafiltration and a series of chromatographic methods and identified as AK, EAR, AEA, VERG, VAS, GPK, SP, GPKG, APRGH, GVPG, LEPGP, LEKGA, FPPGR, and GEPG with molecular weights of 217.27, 374.40, 289.29, 459.50, 275.30, 300.36, 202.21, 357.41, 536.59, 328.37, 511.58, 516.60, 572.66, and 358.35 Da, respectively. Among fourteen Ca-chelating peptides, VERG presented the highest Ca-chelating ability. Ultraviolet spectrum (UV), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis indicated that the VERG-Ca chelate had a dense granular structure because the N-H, C=O and -COOH groups of VERG combined with Ca2+. Moreover, the VERG-Ca chelate is stable in gastrointestinal digestion and can significantly improve Ca transport in Caco-2 cell monolayer experiments, but phytate could significantly reduce the absorption of Ca derived from the VERG-Ca chelate. Therefore, Ca-chelating peptides from protein hydrolysate of Antarctic krill possess the potential to serve as a Ca supplement in developing healthy foods.

Copyright of China Forest Products Industry is the property of China Forest Products Industry Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Petri net (PN) is one of the promising computational and mathematical formalisms used to represent and study the behavior of complex metabolic networks. The various available analysis techniques of PN could be used to validate and analyze the network in different scenarios. Plasmodium falciparum is one of the threatening parasites which causes malaria, a deadly disease affecting a large number of today's world population. The development of antimalarial drug resistance is an emerging global threat, highlighting the need to discover novel antimalarial targets. The fatty acid biosynthesis of malarial parasite is one of the essential metabolic pathways required for its growth and is present in apicoplast, a non-photosynthetic plastid. The malarial parasite obtains fatty acids by using type two fatty acid synthase (FAS II) enzyme, which is different from type one enzyme used by human host, making it an ideal drug target. This article proposes and studies the PN model of the parasite's FAS II pathway to analyze the mechanism of potential drug targets in this pathway. The proposed PN model can serve as a base for further findings in the field of antimalarial drug targets to decrease the malaria mortality rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Dual-energy CT (DECT) can acknowledge differences in tissue compositions and can colour-code tissues with specific features including monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. However, when evaluating gout patients, DECT frequently colour-codes material not truly representing MSU crystals and this might lead to misinterpretations. The characteristics of and variations in properties of colour-coded DECT lesions in gout patients have not yet been systematically investigated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the properties and locations of colour-coded DECT lesions in gout patients. Methods DECT of the hands, knees and feet were performed in patients with suspected gout using factory default gout settings, and colour-coded DECT lesions were registered. For each lesion, properties [mean density (mean of Hounsfield Units (HU) at 80 kV and Sn150kV), mean DECT ratio and size] and location were determined. Subgroup analysis was performed post hoc evaluating differences in locations of lesions when divided into definite MSU depositions and possibly other lesions. Results In total, 4033 lesions were registered in 27 patients (23 gout patients, 3918 lesions; 4 non-gout patients, 115 lesions). In gout patients, lesions had a median density of 160.6 HU and median size of 6 voxels, and DECT ratios showed an approximated normal distribution (mean 1.06, SD 0.10), but with a right heavy tail consistent with the presence of smaller amounts of high effective atomic number lesions (e.g. calcium-containing lesions). The most common locations of lesions were 1st metatarsophalangeal (MTP1), knee and midtarsal joints along with quadriceps and patella tendons. Subgroup analyses showed that definite MSU depositions (large volume, low DECT ratio, high density) had a similar distribution pattern, whereas possible calcium-containing material (high DECT ratio) and non-gout MSU-imitating lesions (properties as definite MSU depositions in non-gout patients) were primarily found in some larger joints (knee, midtarsal and talocrural) and tendons (Achilles and quadriceps). MTP1 joints and patella tendons showed only definite MSU depositions. Conclusion Colour-coded DECT lesions in gout patients showed heterogeneity in properties and distribution. MTP1 joints and patella tendons exclusively showed definite MSU depositions. Hence, a sole focus on these regions in the evaluation of gout patients may improve the specificity of DECT scans.

Petri net (PN) is an effective modeling and analysis tool for discrete event systems. By attaching a first-order logic predicate logic formula to a transition in a PN, a high-level Petri net named Logic Petri Net (LPN) is obtained. LPN has been proved to have equivalent modeling capability with inhibition Petri nets but keeps simpler net structures than the latter. It has the advantage of modeling the cooperative systems with the function to process batch and indeterminate resources. This paper proposes a vector computational method for LPN compositional analysis. It studies the composition of LPNs with the shared P-type subnets. Each logical expression is transformed into a unique disjunctive normal one and then into a unique set of vectors. A vector computational method is proposed such that the properties of the composition of the shared P-type subnets such as liveness, boundedness, and reversibility are verified. An E-commerce system with customers, merchants, and a third-party is constructed to illustrate the method. This paper can improve the state of the art in the theory of LPNs.

Extended colored logic Petri nets (ECLPNs) are extensions of logic Petri nets (LPNs) and colored logic Petri nets (CLPNs). They are equivalent to LPNs and CLPNs, which can describe the batch processing and indeterminacy functions of resources in cooperative systems. The advantage of ECLPNs is that their net structures are much simpler than their equivalent CLPNs, and therefore, ECLPNs can be easily used to model and analyze cooperative systems. For systems containing several subsystems with the same function and structure, we can describe them by a single ECLPN. Then we propose a composition method of ECLPNs. We define the robustness of a system based on ECLPN which reflects the validity of the collaboration of subsystems. We define a strict conservativeness that guarantees data security. The robustness and strict conservativeness of composed ECLPNs are analyzed. An E-commerce example is presented to illustrate the modeling capacity and the advantage of ECLPNs.

The obvious brittleness, poor tensile properties and crack resistance and other defects of cement- based materials often lead to reduced performance of components and structures, seriously restricting its application and the development of engineering industry. Calcium sulfate whiskers can strengthen and toughen cement-based materials, and silica fume can be used as a mineral admixture for cement-based materials to improve their mechanical properties; therefore, this paper analyzed the mechanical properties, durability and permeability resistance of calcium- sulfate-whisker-reinforced cement-based materials modified and incorporated with silica fume. Experimental results show that when silica fumes are incorporated alone with their volume fraction of 0.55%, the compressive strength of cement-based materials has increased by 23.14% compared with pure cement-based materials; when calcium sulfate whiskers are incorporated alone with their volume fraction of 1.54%, the flexural strength of cement-based materials has increased by 27.19%; when silica fumes are incorporated alone with their volume fraction of 0.28%, the flexural strength of cement-based materials has increased by 19.07%; the reduction ratio is positively correlated with the amount of silica fumes; when the amount of silica fume is 18.50%, the reduction ratio reaches 0.314, which is an increase of 46.38% compared with no silica fume. Therefore, silica fume can improve the microstructure, interior and interface area of cement-based materials, and significantly enhance their physical and mechanical properties and durability. Calcium sulfate whiskers mainly play a role in increasing tensile strength, cracking resistance, and deformability in cement- based materials, and their type, length, and amount affect the effect of whisker reinforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logic Petri Nets (LPNs) is a high-level Petri net, which have the capability to model the batch and indeterminate processing of resources in cooperative systems. Their modeling capability is equivalent to that of inhibition Petri nets (IPNs) but the former maintains simpler net structures. This paper presents a systematic LPN synthesis approach for cooperative systems. First, a normal/logic transition with its connected places is treated as a basic design module. Then, we synthesize the basic design modules firstly to construct LPN models by connecting with shared resource places. Finally, some control strategies are designed to guarantee the resulting LPNs with desirable properties such as boundedness, liveness, and reversibility. An example for constructing an E-commerce system is proposed to illustrate the proposed approach. The paper is of significance in the sense that it provides industrial engineers and academic researchers a methodology of applying LPNs to modeling and analysis of cooperative systems.

Copyright of Food Research & Development is the property of Food Research & Development Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Experimental Technology & Management is the property of Experimental Technology & Management Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the recent years, natural fibres have gained greater attention to replace synthetic fibres in producing environmentally friendly green products. These are currently considered as one of the most promising areas of scientific and technological development due to strong global demand for creating a resource circulating society. Rice is one of the largest crops in the world. Sri Lanka being an agricultural country holds twentieth position in the worldwide rice production with 2.4 and 3.9 million metric tons in the years 2017 and 2018 respectively. However, a large amount of rice straw is generated per annum as a by-product of rice production in the country. Even though rice straw is utilized in various ways, there is a possibility for a value addition by extracting its constituents such as cellulose fibres from this underutilized waste material. In this work, cellulose fibres were extracted from locally available rice straw varieties via a series of chemical treatments. Technically modified variety BG352 and traditional variety Murunkan were used for this purpose. The material obtained after chemical treatment was carefully characterized and its chemical composition was determined. Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses showed the progressive and complete removal of non-cellulosic constituents from the rice straw. Morphological investigation was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermal stability of the fibres was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed around 26 and 33 percent cellulose fibres were extracted from rice straw varieties BG352 and Murunkan respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to determine the optimal physico-chemical conditions and factors for the long-term perspective of zirconia-based restorations. Information was searched in English without time limits in the PubMed electronic database, a Google search and literature lists of relevant studies and reviews. Full-text articles from 2003 to 2018 were selected, in which studies of frameworks made of zirconium dioxide, a protocol for changing firing temperatures, and a description of the structure are described. Totally 79 articles were identified. After the selection of articles on the inclusion criteria and removal of duplicate articles, the total number was 5. The review of the literature included studies of 3 types of zirconium: "3Y-TZP", "ATZ", 12Ce-TZP". In a number of studies, the authors studied experimentally the influence of the oral environment on the long-term functioning of zirconium, and a number of authors conducted a study on the effect of heating and cooling gradients, as well as mechanical processing of zirconium frameworks. This literature review has shown the optimal physicochemical conditions and factors for the long-term prospects for restorations with a zirconia-based framework, starting from its composition, technical and laboratory stages, and pumping over the oral cavity factors. The combination of these factors can reduce the effect of the transition of zirconium dioxide from the tetragonal to the monoclinic phase, as well as reduce the stress outcomes resulting from the processing of zirconia frameworks and their facing layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a preliminary screening study, our laboratory isolated from the biofloc in aquaculture waters a strain of Bacillus thuringiensis, which produced highly efficient bio-flocculants. In the present study, we extracted the crude flocculants from this strain and analyzed their properties. Distribution analysis indicated that the flocculants were mainly distributed in the supernatant of the fermentation liquid. The flocculants were extracted using an ethanol extraction method, and the chemical compositions and morphology of the crude flocculants were analyzed using the Molish reaction, Fehling reaction, ninhydrin reaction, biuret reaction, phenol-sulfuric acid assay, Coomassie brilliant blue staining, ultraviolet scanning, infrared scanning and scanning electron microscopy. The carbohydrate composition of the polysaccharides in the flocculants was analyzed with thin layer chromatography. The results indicated that flocculants were solid substances with an ivory white color and their texture was loose and soft. Visualization under scanning electron microscopy revealed that their ultra-morphology consisted of small, long and fiber-like shapes. Chemical and physical analyses indicated that polysaccharides accounted for 34.5% of the components in the crude flocculants. The monosaccharides present in crude flocculants included mainly glucose, galactose and mannitose.

Copyright of Cotton Textile Technology is the property of Cotton Textile Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To investigate the effect of ultra-fine pulverization technology on properties of tomato peel residues, a series of analytical techniques including laser particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential and antioxidant activity assay have been applied to comparative analysis of particle size distribution, specific surface area, microstructure, absorption intensity ratio of chemical functional groups, stability and solubility of dispersion solution, in vitro antioxidative activity and other biological activities of the powder samples prepared from tomato peel residues subjected to ultra-fine pulverization. The results showed that the structure and cell wall of the ultra-fine powder (300 mesh powder) prepared from tomato peel residues revealed more serious damage when compared with the coarse powder (80 mesh powder), the smaller diameter of the 300 mesh powder was reduced by 10 times, but the specific surface area of the 300 mesh powder was increased by four times when compared with the 80 mesh powder; meanwhile, the relative content of each functional group with high absorption intensity was higher than that in 80 mesh powder prepared from tomato peel residues; in addition, the dispersion stability of 300 mesh powder from tomato peel residues was better than that of 80 mesh powder in aqueous solution. Moreover, in vitro antioxidant activity of ultra-fine power was significantly higher than that of the coarse power. This study may help for tomato in deep processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) onboard the Yutu-2 rover from China’s Chang’E-4 (CE-4) mission is used to probe the subsurface structure and the near-surface stratigraphic structure of the lunar regolith on the farside of the Moon. Structural analysis of regolith could provide abundant information on the formation and evolution of the Moon, in which the rock location and property analysis are the key procedures during the interpretation of LPR data. The subsurface velocity of electromagnetic waves is a vital parameter for stratigraphic division, rock location estimates, and calculating the rock properties in the interpretation of LPR data. In this paper, we propose a procedure that combines the regolith rock extraction technique based on local correlation between the two sets of LPR high-frequency channel data and the common offset semblance analysis to determine the velocity from LPR diffraction hyperbola. We consider the heterogeneity of the regolith and derive the relative permittivity distribution based on the rock extraction and semblance analysis. The numerical simulation results show that the procedure is able to obtain the high-precision position and properties of the rock. Furthermore, we apply this procedure to CE-4 LPR data and obtain preferable estimations of the rock locations and the properties of the lunar subsurface regolith.

As one of the most useful phenomena for separating sea clutter and marine targets, micro-Doppler (m-D) describes the refined motion characteristics of a marine target and helps to improve the abilities of radar detection and recognition. In this study, based on maritime radar, the signal model of a target with micromotion in sea clutter is described. Initially, the definitions of micromotion and m-D are briefly reviewed with a description of their details, and a classification of rigid marine targets that exhibit micromotion is introduced. Then, according to the duration of the observation time, we establish two types of signal models, i.e., in one range unit and across range unit. According to the type of motion, we establish separate signal models for non-uniform translational motion and rotational motion. Finally, the properties of micromotion are analyzed using real radar data, and the effectiveness of the established models is verified.

In case of high-resolution, low grazing angle, high sea state, and horizontal transmitting, horizontal receiving polarization, the radar returns are strengthened, resulting in sea spikes. The sea spikes have the characteristics of high amplitudes, nonstationary, and non-Gaussian, which have a strong impact on the radar detection of weak marine moving targets. This study proposes a method for sea clutter suppression. Firstly, based on the sea spikes identification and selection method, the amplitude, temporal correlation, Doppler spectrum, and fractional power spectrum properties of sea spikes are analyzed. Secondly, the data to be detected are chosen by selecting the background clutter with minimum mean power, which can also eliminate the sea spikes. Correspondingly, sea clutter is suppressed with improved Signal-to-Clutter Ratio (SCR). Finally, the results of experiment with real radar data verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Abstract: When studying the self‐healing properties of construction materials, a plethora of destructive and nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques can be used. In this review, the applicability of different nondestructive test methods is discussed in detail. The methods can be categorized whether they are used to study the encapsulation and/or protection mechanism of the healing agent, the sequestered healing agent itself, the distribution of healing agents, the trigger mechanism for healing, the healing efficiency, or healing performance. Based on this categorization, nondestructive techniques found in literature are discussed. In this way, a robust understanding of the different techniques can be used for future research on self‐healing construction materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Black widow spider (L. tredecimguttatus) has toxic components not only in the venomous glands, but also in other parts of the body and its eggs. It is biologically important to investigate the molecular basis of the egg toxicity. RESULTS: In the present work, an aqueous extract was prepared from the eggs of the spider and characterized using multiple physiological and biochemical strategies. Gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry demonstrated that the eggs are rich in high-molecular-mass proteins and the peptides below 5 kDa. The lyophilized extract of the eggs had a protein content of 34.22% and was shown to have a strong toxicity towards mammals and insects. When applied at a concentration of 0.25 mg/mL, the extract could completely block the neuromuscular transmission in mouse isolated phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparations within 12.0 ± 1.5 min. Using whole-cell patch-clamp technique, the egg extract was demonstrated to be able to inhibit the voltage-activated Na+, K+and Ca2+ currents in rat DRG neurons. In addition, the extract displayed activities of multiple hydrolases. Finally, the molecular basis of the egg toxicity was discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The eggs of black widow spiders are rich in proteinous compounds particularly the high-molecular-mass proteins with different types of biological activity The neurotoxic and other active compounds in the eggs are believed to play important roles in the eggs' toxic actions.

Waste utilization has gained more and more interest. In this study, crumb rubber and diatomite were used to modify asphalt binder and the short-term aging effects on the properties of modified asphalts were evaluated. Three kinds of modified asphalt were prepared; they are diatomite modified asphalt (DA), crumb rubber modified asphalt (RA), and diatomite and crumb rubber compound modified asphalt (DRA). Thin film oven test (TFOT) was used to simulate short-term aging in the laboratory. Penetration, softening points, ductility, viscosity, elastic recovery, low temperature creep, and rutting susceptibility were tested and analyzed before and after TFOT. The results indicated that the softening point, viscosity, elastic recovery, creep stiffness, and G*/sind of DA, RA, and DRA are all linearly increased with increasing age, while the penetration and ductility are linearly decreased with increasing age. High temperature properties of asphalt are obviously improved by the addition of crumb rubber. Low temperature properties of asphalt are affected more seriously by the addition of diatomite. DRA could combine the advantages of diatomite and crumb rubber and achieve better performance in short-term aging resistance than DA and RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current studies on the evidential reasoning (ER) rule, a performance evaluation model that utilizes the ER rule to combine evidence constituted by a single observation indicator (Single indicator-based ER rule, SER) has been developed with excellent scalability. However, the belief distribution (BD) of SER-based evaluation model is composed of a set of single grades that describe the system performance and the corresponding belief degrees. This makes some common uncertain judgments with local ignorance unable to be considered in the inference process, resulting in a decrease in the accuracy and validity of the evaluation results. In this paper, a new SER-based performance evaluation model with extended BD is proposed. Firstly, on the basis of the existing BD in SER, some new elements capable of describing local ignorance are introduced. Secondly, by calculating and optimizing the relevant parameters, the new evaluation model is formed. Thirdly, according to the Stone–Weierstrass theorem and information entropy theory, the approximation ability and uncertainty of the evaluation model are discussed respectively. Finally, a practical example is given to illustrate the potential applications of the proposed model in engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]