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Constructing heterostructures is an efficient strategy to develop high‐performance and robust electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, an ion‐impregnation method and an environmentally friendly in situ carbonization strategy are successively employed to fabricate a novel Co3Mo/Mo2C heterostructure anchored on nitrogen‐doped carbon (Co3Mo/Mo2C@NC). Thanks to the formation of heterostructure, the obtained Co3Mo/Mo2C@NC exhibits an enhanced catalytic performance toward OER with a low overpotential (282 mV @ 10 mA cm−2, 322 mV @ 50 mA cm−2, and 355 mV @100 mA cm−2) and robust stability (100 mA cm−2 for 200 h) in alkaline media. Detailed experimental results combined with theoretical calculations reveal the formation of a Co3Mo/Mo2C heterojunction interface can decrease the energy barrier of the rate‐determining step for intermediates during the OER process, thereby inherently enhancing the OER performance. This work presents a rational synthetic route for designing high‐performance heterostructures for energy conversion technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For degree ± 1 harmonic maps from R 2 (or S 2 ) to S 2 , Bernand-Mantel et al. (Arch Ration Mech Anal 239(1):219–299, 2021) recently establish a uniformly quantitative stability estimate. Namely, for any map u : R 2 → S 2 with degree ± 1 , the discrepancy of its Dirichlet energy and 4 π can linearly control the H ˙ 1 -difference of u from the set of degree ± 1 harmonic maps. Whether a similar estimate holds for harmonic maps with a higher degree is unknown. In this paper, we prove that a similar quantitative stability result for a higher degree is true only in a local sense. Namely, given a harmonic map, a similar estimate holds if u is already sufficiently near to it (modulo Möbius transforms) and the bound in general depends on the given harmonic map. More importantly, we thoroughly investigate an example of the degree 2 case, which shows that it fails to have a uniformly quantitative estimate like the degree ± 1 case. This phenomenon shows the striking difference between degree ± 1 ones and higher degree ones. Finally, we also conjecture a new uniformly quantitative stability estimate based on our computation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vibration tests were carried out using a 162kW wheeled tractor to evaluate the Whole-body vibration while the tractor working in the field, driving on concrete road and in-parking state. The tractor ride comfort was analyzed using the joint weighted acceleration of seat surface vibration from 1 to 80 Hz as the evaluation indicator, according to ISO2631 standard suggestions. During field work, the combined acceleration of the driver's whole body vibration is 1.39, and the subjective feeling is extremely uncomfortable. Based on the multi-body dynamics analysis software, a tractor dynamics simulation model including the seat, cab mounts, chassis, tyre and road coupling system was established. By changing the model parameters, the influence of the tractor driver's whole body vibration under the condition of the artificial test track was further analyzed. The analysis shows that the factors that have a greater impact on the driver's whole body vibration when driving on the artificial runway are the vertical stiffness of the tyre, the vertical stiffness of the seat suspension, and the damping coefficient of the tyre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct a radial smooth positive ancient solution for energy critical semi-linear heat equation in R n , n ≥ 7 . It blows up at the origin with the profile of multiple Talenti bubbles in the backward time infinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor localization problems are difficult due to that the information, such as WLAN and GPS, cannot achieve enough precision for indoor issues. This paper presents a novel indoor localization algorithm, GeoLoc, with uncertainty eliminate based on fusion of acceleration, angular rate, and magnetic field sensor data. The algorithm can be deployed in edge devices to overcome the problems of insufficient computing resources and long delay caused by high complexity of location calculation. Firstly, the magnetic map is built and magnetic values are matched. Secondly, orientation updating and position selection are iteratively executed using the fusion data, which gradually reduce uncertainty of orientation. Then, we filter the trajectory from a path set. By gradually reducing uncertainty, GeoLoc can bring a high positioning precision and a smooth trajectory. In addition, this method has an advantage in that it does not rely on any infrastructure such as base stations and beacons. It solves the common problems regarding the non-uniqueness of the geomagnetic fingerprint and the deviation of the sensor measurement. The experimental results show that our algorithm achieves an accuracy of less than 2.5 m in indoor environment, and the positioning results are relatively stable. It meets the basic requirements of indoor location-based services (LBSs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe0-based nanomaterials are extensively applied in environmental remediation, but their passivated oxide shell restricts deep application. However, efforts aimed at revitalizing Fe-oxide shells have shown limited success. Here, we report a "faster win fast" approach by preferential carbon layer deposition in milliseconds to block Fe-oxide shell growth via carbon-assisted flash Joule heating (C-FJH) reaction. C-FJH induced ultra-high temperature and electric shock promoted reductive Fe formation and subsequently melted to a phase-fusional heterostructure (Fe0/FeCl 2). Therefore, theoretical calculation confirmed that electron delocalization effect of derived heterostructure promoted electron transfer. Synchronously, rapid self-heating/quenching rate (∼102 K/ms) realized a thin aromatic-carbon layer deposition to sustain both high stability and activity of reductive Fe. The channels of thin aromatic-carbon layer favored inward diffusion of pollutants, which facilitated the subsequent reduction. Accordingly, derived heterostructure and carbon layer jointly contributed to the boosted removal of multiple pollutants (including metal oxyanions, perfluorinated compounds, and disinfection by-products). [Display omitted] • Millisecond self-heating and cooling induced superior reductive Fe/carbon synthesis. • Both oxide-shell free and heterostructure resulted in superior removal efficiency. • Carbon deposition inhibited Fe oxide-shell growth and sustained Fe/carbon stability. • Electron delocalization of as-prepared heterostructure promoted electron transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The return of straw and manure to agricultural fields can impact soil organic carbon (SOC) and biological properties. However, there is a lack of research on how to use swine manure, maize straw, and various conditioners together affects soil bacterial and fungal populations. This study aimed to investigate six treatments, namely, only maize straw (S00), maize straw combined with swine manure (S0Z), maize straw combined with biochar and swine manure (SCZ), maize straw combined with boron slag and swine manure (SBZ), maize straw combined with biological agent and swine manure (SJZ), and maize straw combined with bio-organic fertilizer and swine manure (SFZ). The results showed that after the two-year return, all treatments increased the SOC content in 2023, which was 12.55–26.89% higher than S00. And the SCZ treatment significantly increased the soil organic carbon (SOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), easily oxidizable carbon (EOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content by 26.89%, 25.44%, 56.88%, 16.08%, and 43.54%, compared to S00. A redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the continuous application of manure, maize straw, and conditioners has a positive impact on the diversity and abundance of soil microbial communities, enhancing the accumulation of soil carbon. Furthermore, our research revealed that soil fungi exhibited higher sensitivity in soil carbon composition following the addition of manure, straw, and conditioners to agricultural fields than bacteria. In conclusion, the addition of different conditioners to the fields is beneficial to biodiversity conservation from the perspective of achieving soil carbon storage and soil protection. Our findings suggested that the combination of maize straw, biochar, and swine manure was been proven to be the most effective treatment for increasing labile organic carbon fractions and enhancing the microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the thermal aggregation behavior of metal atoms is important for the synthesis of supported metal clusters. Here, derived from a metal–organic framework encapsulating a trinuclear FeIII2FeII complex (denoted as Fe3) within the channels, a well‐defined nitrogen‐doped carbon layer is fabricated as an ideal support for stabilizing the generated iron nanoclusters. Atomic replacement of FeII by other metal(II) ions (e.g. ZnII/CoII) via synthesizing isostructural trinuclear‐complex precursors (Fe2Zn/Fe2Co), namely the "heteroatom modulator approach", is inhibiting the aggregation of Fe atoms toward nanoclusters with formation of a stable iron dimer in an optimal metal–nitrogen moiety, clearly identified by direct transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray absorption fine structure analysis. The supported iron dimer, serving as cooperative metal–metal site, acts as efficient oxygen evolution catalyst. Our findings offer an atomic insight to guide the future design of ultrasmall metal clusters bearing outstanding catalytic capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the thermal aggregation behavior of metal atoms is important for the synthesis of supported metal clusters. Here, derived from a metal–organic framework encapsulating a trinuclear FeIII2FeII complex (denoted as Fe3) within the channels, a well‐defined nitrogen‐doped carbon layer is fabricated as an ideal support for stabilizing the generated iron nanoclusters. Atomic replacement of FeII by other metal(II) ions (e.g. ZnII/CoII) via synthesizing isostructural trinuclear‐complex precursors (Fe2Zn/Fe2Co), namely the "heteroatom modulator approach", is inhibiting the aggregation of Fe atoms toward nanoclusters with formation of a stable iron dimer in an optimal metal–nitrogen moiety, clearly identified by direct transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray absorption fine structure analysis. The supported iron dimer, serving as cooperative metal–metal site, acts as efficient oxygen evolution catalyst. Our findings offer an atomic insight to guide the future design of ultrasmall metal clusters bearing outstanding catalytic capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering p–n heterojunctions among metal oxide semiconductors to provide a built‐in electric field is an efficient strategy to facilitate the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes and improve their photocatalytic activities. However, the inherent poor conductivity of p–n heterojunctions still limits the charge‐transfer step and thus hampers their practical application in photocatalysis. In this work, a nitrogen‐doped carbon‐coated NiO/TiO2 p–n (NCNT) heterojunction with hierarchical mesoporous sphere morphology was synthesized by in situ pyrolytic decomposition of nickel–titanium complexes. The NiO/TiO2 p–n heterojunction in NCNT was fully characterized by several techniques, supported by theoretical calculations and Mott–Schottky plots. On coating with a thin nitrogen‐doped carbon layer, the electron transfer of the obtained p–n heterojunction could be significantly enhanced. On account of the favorable structural features of the p–n heterojunction with nitrogen‐doped carbon coating and hierarchical mesoporous structure, NCNT exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity toward various reaction systems, including the hydrogen evolution reaction and the visible‐light‐induced hydroxylation of phenylboronic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multicomponent NiTiO3/A‐TiO2/R‐TiO2 photocatalysts coated with nitrogen‐doped carbon (N‐C/NiTiO3/A‐TiO2/R‐TiO2) for efficient H2 production were fabricated by directly pyrolyzing NH2‐MIL‐125(Ni/Ti) metal–organic framework microrods. Owing to the synergistic effect of the N‐doped carbon coating layer and multicomponent heterojunctions, the H2 production rate of N‐C/NiTiO3/A‐TiO2/R‐TiO2 was even higher than that of its Pt‐containing counterpart (Pt/NiTiO3/A‐TiO2/R‐TiO2). N‐C/NiTiO3/A‐TiO2 and N‐C/NiTiO3/R‐TiO2 as control photocatalysts were also prepared by simply adjusting the calcination temperature of NH2‐MIL‐125(Ni/Ti) in air atmosphere. The H2 production rate followed the order of N‐C/NiTiO3/A‐TiO2/R‐TiO2>N‐C/NiTiO3/A‐TiO2>N‐C/NiTiO3>R‐TiO2, which indicates that the multicomponent heterojunction plays a key role in photocatalytic H2 generation. The mechanism for the influence of the multicomponent heterojunction on photocatalytic activity was investigated in combination with molecular simulations, which showed that N‐C/NiTiO3/A‐TiO2/R‐TiO2 has a so‐called double type II heterojunction providing a perfect step‐by‐step migration pathway for effective separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. This work presents a simple and effective method for synthesizing efficient multicomponent photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of our work was to produce high quality diesel/biodiesel and to meet the biodegradability requirement by using renewable raw materials. The technological process using heterogeneous catalysts is more environmentally friendly than the conventional approach for the preparation of alkyl esters. The heterogeneous catalyst was prepared by co-precipitation and subsequent calcination and BET, XRD, FT-IR and SEM techniques were employed in order to describe the structural and morphological characteristics. The results indicated that the prepared catalysts possessed high activities and stabilities during the catalysis process. The performance of the obtained esters was evaluated by HFRR and cloud/pour point tests. Research suggested that these synthesized esters have an improved effect on the lubricating property and cold flow performance of diesel fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the problem of deforming a Riemannian metric to a conformal one with nonzero constant scalar curvature and nonzero constant boundary mean curvature on a compact manifold of dimension n ≥ 3. We prove the existence of such conformal metrics in the cases of n = 6 , 7 or the manifold is spin and some other remaining ones left by Escobar. Furthermore, in the positive Yamabe constant case, by normalizing the scalar curvature to be 1 , there exists a sequence of conformal metrics such that their constant boundary mean curvatures go to + ∞. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Metal-free photocatalytic aerobic hydroxylation of benzene to phenol is achieved by using the low-cost commercially available quinoline sulfate (QuH 2 SO 4) as the photocatalyst. The reaction conditions are optimized and a high phenol yield of 11.3% is obtained under the optimal reaction conditions. It is found that the [QuH]+ cation is the catalytic active species and its planar structure is crucial for its effect interaction with benzene. Moreover, the influence of the coupled anion on the photocatalytic activity of the [QuH]+ cation is investigated and discussed. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Metal-free photocatalytic aerobic hydroxylation of benzene to phenol is achieved. • The low-cost commercially available quinoline sulfate is the efficient photocatalyst. • The protonated quinoline cation [QuH]+ is considered to be the catalytic species. • The planar structure of the [QuH]+ is found to be critical for its activity. • The coupled anion noticeably affects the catalytic activity of the [QuH]+ cation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is desirable but challenging to design efficient micro‐/nanoreactors for chemical reactions. In this study, we have fabricated mesoporous double‐shelled hollow microreactors composed of N‐doped‐C‐coated ultrafine In2O3 nanoparticles [N‐C/In2O3 HD (hollow dodecahedron)] by the thermolysis of a dodecahedral In‐based framework in Ar atmosphere. The obtained N‐C/In2O3 HD exhibited excellent activity in the photocatalytic oxidative hydroxylation of a series of arylboronic acid substrates. This property can be attributed to its enhanced optical absorption and efficient separation of photo‐generated electron–hole pairs, imparted by the unique structure and uniformly coated N‐doped C layers. Furthermore, we found O2.− to be the critical active species in the process of photocatalytic oxidative hydroxylation of arylboronic acids, and the formation mechanism of this radical is also proposed. Theoretical calculations further confirmed that the N‐doped C layer serves as an electron acceptor and revealed the microscopic charge‐carrier migration path through the In2O3/N‐doped graphite interfaces. Thus, photo‐generated electrons from hybrid states of In2O3, composed of In 5s and 2p orbitals, are transferred into the hybrid states of N‐doped graphite, composed of C 2p and N 2p orbitals. The present study may be helpful for understanding and designing carbon‐based micro‐/nanoreactors for photocatalytic reactions, and may also be useful for investigating related micro‐/nanoreactors. Double‐shell microreactors: Mesoporous double‐shelled hollow dodecahedral microreactors composed of N‐doped‐C‐coated In2O3 ultrafine nanoparticles have been synthesized by using a benzimidazole‐decorated dodecahedral In‐based framework as a hard template (see graphic). The obtained sample exhibited excellent activity in the photocatalytic oxidative hydroxylation of a series of arylboronic acid substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P-Doped carbons, prepared by carbonizing phosphoric acid-treated cellulose, exhibit high catalytic activity in metal-free aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde (99.7% yield) in water under air. A high turnover frequency is obtained due to the doped P-species of C3PO, identified via experiments and DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider half-harmonic maps from R (or S) to S. We prove that all (finite energy) half-harmonic maps are non-degenerate. In other words, they are integrable critical points of the energy functional. A full description of the kernel of the linearized operator around each half-harmonic map is given. The second part of this paper devotes to studying the quantitative stability of half-harmonic maps. When its degree is ±1, we prove that the deviation of any map u : R → S from Möbius transformations can be controlled uniformly by ‖ u ‖ H ˙ 1 / 2 (R) 2 − | deg u |. This result resembles the quantitative rigidity estimate of degree ±1 harmonic maps R 2 → S 2 which was proved recently. Furthermore, we address the quantitative stability for half-harmonic maps with higher degree. We prove that if u is already near to a Blaschke product, then the deviation of u to Blaschke products can be controlled by ‖ u ‖ H ˙ 1 / 2 (R) 2 − | deg u |. Additionally, a striking example shows that such a quantitative estimate can not be true uniformly for all u of degree 2. One can prove that similar things happen for harmonic maps R 2 → S 2 (see our paper [17]). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A promising biochar-based catalyst was successfully developed from Jatropha curcas hull and de-oiled meal by incomplete carbonization and subsequent sulfonation. The catalysts were employed to produce functionalized blend components for low sulfur diesel. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, TG-DSC, BET, FT-IR and SEM. The characterization results revealed that the catalysts consisted of irregular, porous framework bearing abundant functional groups (–SO 3 H). The catalysts demonstrated high catalytic activity in transesterification, especially in esterification of free fatty acid (FFA). The superior catalytic activity was performed owing to high active sites density, large pores and loose irregular network of the catalysts, which facilitated mass transport of the reactant molecules and further enhanced the active sites accessibility. And the catalyst is fairly stable after five reaction recycles. The lubricating performance of the product was evaluated by high-frequency reciprocating test rig (HFRR). The findings indicated that methyl esters derived from Jatropha curcas oil were efficient enough to use as lubrication blend components and the average wear scar diameter (WSD) values of the sample fuel decreased progressively with the increasing of additive concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile, simple, and relatively environment-friendly hydrothermal approach was developed for one-step synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (GCNNs) using melamine and sodium citrate as the precursors. The prepared GCNNs emit strong fluorescence with a high quantum yield of 48.3%. The GCNNs were then characterized by various techniques including transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X–ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy. In addition, the fluorescence quenching behavior of the GCNNS by mercuric ions (Hg 2+ ) was exploited to fabricate a label-free fluorescence quenching sensor for sensitive and selective detection of Hg 2+ . The results showed that there existed a linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity and the concentration of Hg 2+ from 0.001 to 1.0 μM with a detection limit of 0.3 nM. Finally, the sensor was successfully used to detection of Hg 2+ in water and milk samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we prove that nonnegative polyharmonic functions on the upper half space satisfying a conformally invariant nonlinear boundary condition have to be the “ polynomials plus bubbles ” form. The nonlinear problem is motivated by the recent studies of boundary GJMS operators and the Q -curvature in conformal geometry. The result implies that in the conformal class of the unit Euclidean ball there exist metrics with a single singular boundary point which have flat Q -curvature and constant boundary Q -curvature. Moreover, all of such metrics are classified. This phenomenon differs from that of boundary singular metrics which have flat scalar curvature and constant mean curvature, where the singular set contains at least two points. A crucial ingredient of the proof is developing an approach to separate the higher order linear effect and the boundary nonlinear effect so that the kernels of the nonlinear problem are captured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term exposure to high levels of vibration and noise can have detrimental effects on the health of tractor drivers. This study aimed to evaluate the subjective comfort experienced by drivers operating large-horsepower tractors. A total of 10 tractors sourced from 5 different manufacturers were subjected to testing. The assessment encompassed three operational conditions, namely, idle, maximum torque, and rated power. Objective measurements, including A-weighted sound pressure level (A-SPL), loudness, sharpness, roughness, articulation index (AI), hand vibration, and seat vibration, were collected. Additionally, subjective comfort evaluations were carried out using a paired comparison test. To predict the subjective comfort of tractor drivers, a novel prediction model was developed by employing a simulated annealing (SA) algorithm to optimize a backpropagation neural network (BPNN). The model successfully achieved accurate predictions of subjective comfort, yielding a maximum prediction error of 4.4%. The study findings revealed that vibration had a more pronounced impact on driver comfort in environments with lower-amplitude noise, whereas high-decibel noise exerted a masking effect on vibration-induced discomfort. In conclusion, the SA-BPNN model, utilizing A-SPL, loudness, sharpness, roughness, AI, hand vibration, and seat vibration as objective parameters, effectively predicted the subjective comfort of tractor drivers. This discovery holds significant implications for tractor manufacturers, who can employ the model to optimize the design of tractor cabs and enhance driver comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looming water crisis and labor shortage demand the shift from conventional transplanted rice (CTR) to dry direct seeded rice (DDSR). Hybrid rice varieties possess the potential to grow under DDSR system and can perform well even at low sowing rate. Present study investigated the yield responses of three hybrid rice varieties to different sowing rates and explored the physiological basis for grain yield formation under DDSR system. An inbred rice variety was grown as control. Results showed that reducing sowing rates of hybrid rice varieties from 240 seeds m −2 to 60 seeds m −2 did not reduce grain yield, while that of inbred rice varieties declined with decreasing sowing rates. Decreased sowing rates of inbred rice varieties recorded insufficient tillers, and lower panicle number that decreased their yield. Contrarily, for hybrid rice varieties grain yield was maintained even at reduced sowing rate because of their enhanced tillering capacity, higher specific leaf weight (SLW), and increased spikelet number per panicle (SPP), which might have compensated the reduced sowing rate. Our results suggested that the sowing rate of hybrid rice varieties can be reduced to 60 seeds m −2 without compensating yield of DDSR. However, adversities of low sowing rate in DDSR like weeds and poor stand establishment should be overcome to achieve maximum crop yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classically, there are two major forms of cell death: necrosis, an unregulated digestion of cellular components; and apoptosis, a programmed mechanism that is promoted by caspases. However, another form of cell death has recently been identified that is inhibited by caspases, and yet occurs through a regulated mechanism, termed programmed necrosis or necroptosis. The biochemical basis of this program has begun to emerge, with the discovery of the receptor-interacting kinase RIP3 and its substrate, the pseudokinase mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), as core components. Furthermore, animal models have revealed significant functions for RIP3/MLKL-mediated necrotic cell death in immune responses against microbial infection and in the etiology of diseases involving tissue damage. This review discusses recent advances in our understanding of the mechanistic details and physiological functions of programmed necrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large eddy simulation(LES) is used to study flow over a sinusoidal bottom wall, with amplitude-wavelength ratio 2aλ = 0.1 and bulk velocity based Reynolds number Reb = 6760. Different from a conventional flat channel, flow over a wavy lower surface is affected by the bottom wall in terms of form drag, leading to the change of both mean and instantaneous fields. Wall bounded flow turns into a separation flow with the increasing of Reynolds number, changing the way in which momentum flux transports and mixes. Statistical properties, transient flow fields as well as surface drag are studied. Averaged fields and turbulent structures are different from those of a flat channel. Distribution and shape of streamwise vortex are closely related to the configuration of the lower surface. Comparison of averaged fields with 2aλ = 0.2 shows the dependence of flow characteristics on the wave steepness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show the existence of non-homothetic ancient flows by powers of curvature embedded in R 2 whose entropy is finite. We determine the Morse indices and kernels of the linearized operator of shrinkers to the flows, and construct ancient flows by using unstable eigenfunctions of the linearized operator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective was to synthesize a copolymer for delivery and protection of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly[5-methyl-5-(3, 4, 5-trimethoxybenzoyol)-1, 3-dioxan-2-one-co-lactide] [mPEG-b-P(TM-co-LA)] copolymer was synthesized and characterized. The use of gallate containing monomer resulted in a copolymer that could show enhanced drug loading, stability, and sustained release of EGCG from mPEG-b-P(TM-co-LA) micelles as determined using LC/MS. The combination of EGCG and cyclopamine (CyA) displayed remarkable effects on growth inhibition of Mia PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells and induction of apoptosis. Although the expression level of Gli-1 was markedly downregulated by cyclopamine treatment, treatment with EGCG significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of EGFR in Mia PaCa-2 cells. Gallate containing copolymer can be used for micellar delivery of EGCG and CyA and the combination of these drugs can target 2 signaling pathways, thereby providing an effective way to treat pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Programmed necrotic cell death induced by the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) family of cytokines is dependent on a kinase cascade consisting of receptor-interacting kinases RIP1 and RIP3. How these kinase activities cause cells to die by necrosis is not known. The mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein MLKL is a functional RIP3 substrate that binds to RIP3 through its kinase-like domain but lacks kinase activity of its own. RIP3 phosphorylates MLKL at the T357 and S358 sites. Reported here is the development of a monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes phosphorylated MLKL in cells dying of this pathway and in human liver biopsy samples from patients suffering from drug-induced liver injury. The phosphorylated MLKL forms an oligomer that binds to phosphatidylinositol lipids and cardiolipin. This property allows MLKL to move from the cytosol to the plasma and intracellular membranes, where it directly disrupts membrane integrity, resulting in necrotic death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we classify all nonnegative extremal functions to a sharp weighted Sobolev inequality on the upper half space, which involves a divergent operator with degeneracy on the boundary. As an application of the results, we derive a sharp Sobolev type inequality involving Baouendi-Grushin operator, and classify certain extremal functions for all τ > 0 and m ≠ 2 or n ≠ 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We perform first-principles density function theory calculations to study the correlation between codoping forms and compensation mechanism in N–F pairs at ZnWO4 (010) surface. Our study considers substitutional as well as adsorptive and interstitial codoping forms at ZnWO4 (010) surface, and the results show that all the NsFs, NsFad, NadFs, and NadFad codoping forms can passivate the partially occupied states formed in the corresponding monodoped systems to enhance the photoactivity of ZnWO4 (010) surface and decrease the transition energy of photoexcited electrons from the impurity levels to the conduction band minimum to low-energy area. There are four different compensation mechanisms in N–F pairs at ZnWO4 (010) surface, corresponding to the four codoping forms, and different compensation mechanisms in N–F pairs result in different effects on photoactivity of ZnWO4, such as the NadFad has little sense to photocatalytic process, due to the electrons only transferring between the Nad–Ob π * states. We expected that this knowledge could introduce some more general useful codoping concepts to the design of visible-light photocatalysts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: The receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase 3 (RIP3) is a key signaling molecule in the programmed necrosis (necroptosis) pathway. This pathway plays important roles in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions, including development, tissue damage response, and antiviral immunity. Here, we report the identification of a small molecule called (E)-N-(4-(N-(3-methoxypyrazin-2-yl)sulfamoyl)phenyl)-3-(5-nitrothiophene-2-yl)acrylamide—hereafter referred to as necrosulfonamide—that specifically blocks necrosis downstream of RIP3 activation. An affinity probe derived from necrosulfonamide and coimmunoprecipitation using anti-RIP3 antibodies both identified the mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) as the interacting target. MLKL was phosphorylated by RIP3 at the threonine 357 and serine 358 residues, and these phosphorylation events were critical for necrosis. Treating cells with necrosulfonamide or knocking down MLKL expression arrested necrosis at a specific step at which RIP3 formed discrete punctae in cells. These findings implicate MLKL as a key mediator of necrosis signaling downstream of the kinase RIP3. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A sulphated polysaccharide conjugate ACP I was purified from the viscera of abalone Haliotis discus hannai Ino, and its immunostimulatory and anti-tumour activities were studied in vivo. Effect of ACP I on immune function was investigated in normal and cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressive mice. The anti-tumour effect was investigated by growth inhibition of tumour. Dose-dependent increase in spleen and thymus relative weight, lymphocyte proliferation, phagocytosis of macrophage, natural killer cell activity and antibody production was observed in all the tested mice administered with 10, 20 and 40 mg kg-1 body weight of ACP I. Significant increase of the above function was observed especially in immunosuppressive mice at dose of 40 mg kg-1. A significant inhibition of tumour growth was observed in 10, 20 and 40 mg kg-1 ACP I groups, with inhibitory rates of 40.24, 41.91 and 46.43%, respectively. Results suggested that ACP I might have immunomodulating and anti-tumour potential deserving application in functional food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) are important cues that can signal the presence of food, predators, and environmental stress. Here we will review recent studies on the mechanisms of how the olfactory system detects these two molecules. In both vertebrates and invertebrates, the two molecules are detected by subsets of specialized olfactory neurons. In addition, the signal transduction cascades for sensing these two gases appear to be different from those for sensing typical odorants. CO2 and O2 signals can evoke stereotypical innate behaviors such as attraction and avoidance in many animal species. Future studies on the neural pathways underlying CO2 and O2 sensing may shed light on the circuit mechanisms of these behaviors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Marine sponges (Porifera) are the best source of marine bioactive metabolites for drug discovery and development, although the sustainable production of most sponge-derived metabolites remains a difficult task. In vitro cultivation of sponge cells in bioreactors has been proposed as a promising technology. However, no continuous cell line has as yet been developed. Archaeocytes are considered to be toti/multipotent stem cells in sponges and, when purified, may allow the development of continuous sponge cell lines. As a prerequisite, we have developed a novel four-step protocol for the purification of archaeocytes from a marine sponge, Hymeniacidon perleve: (1) differential centrifugation to separate large sponge cells including archaeocytes; (2) selective agglomeration in low-Ca2+/Mg2+ artificial seawater in which living archaeocytes form small loose aggregates with some pinacocytes and collencytes; (3) differential adherence to remove anchorage-dependent pinacocytes, collencytes and other mesohyl cells; (4) Ficoll-Vrografin density gradient centrifugation to purify archaeocytes. The final purity of archaeocytes is greater than 80%. The proliferation potential of the archaeocytes has been demonstrated by high levels of BrdU incorporation, PCNA expression and telomerase activity. In 4-day primary cultures, the purified archaeocytes show a 2.5-fold increase in total cell number. This study opens an important avenue towards developing sponge cell cultures for the commercial exploitation of sponge-derived drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the linearly constrained separable convex optimization problem whose objective function is separable with respect to m blocks of variables. A bunch of methods have been proposed and extensively studied in the past decade. Specifically, a modified strictly contractive Peaceman–Rachford splitting method (SC-PRCM) [S. H. Jiang and M. Li, A modified strictly contractive Peaceman–Rachford splitting method for multi-block separable convex programming, J. Ind. Manag. Optim.14(1) (2018) 397-412] has been well studied in the literature for the special case of m = 3. Based on the modified SC-PRCM, we present modified proximal symmetric ADMMs (MPSADMMs) to solve the multi-block problem. In MPSADMMs, all subproblems but the first one are attached with a simple proximal term, and the multipliers are updated twice. At the end of each iteration, the output is corrected via a simple correction step. Without stringent assumptions, we establish the global convergence result and the O(1/t) convergence rate in the ergodic sense for the new algorithms. Preliminary numerical results show that our proposed algorithms are effective for solving the linearly constrained quadratic programming and the robust principal component analysis problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• TiO 2 -based photocatalysts loaded with two interfacial co-catalysts are prepared. • Interface sequence of N-doped carbon layer and Au nanoparticles are engineered. • Direct Au/TiO 2 interface enhances the separation efficiency of electrons/holes. • N-Doped C layer on Au/TiO 2 interface achieves a synergistic effect in H 2 production. Multicomponent photocatalysts loaded with two interfacial co-catalysts may exhibit greater improvement in hydrogen evolution than those without any co-catalyst or with only one co-catalyst. Two major issues should be solved in developing such photocatalysts. One is how to obtain photocatalysts with two interfacial co-catalysts by a controllable approach. The other is what are key factors affecting photocatalytic activity. In this study, TiO 2 -based photocatalysts loaded with two interfacial co-catalysts, i.e., N-doped carbon layer coating on Au nanoparticle-embedded TiO 2 and Au nanoparticles attaching on N-doped carbon layer coated TiO 2 , were prepared by thermal degradation of a Ti-based metal-organic framework, where the composition and interface sequence of N-doped carbon layer and Au nanoparticles were carefully engineered. Experimental results conclude that the Au/TiO 2 interface, formed by a direct contact between Au and TiO 2 , is key factor to enhance the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons/holes, and coating N-doped carbon layer on this Au/TiO 2 interface achieves a synergistic effect in enhancing photocatalytic H 2 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CuO as a catalyst has shown promising application prospects in photocatalytic splitting of water into hydrogen (H2). However, the instability of CuO in amine aqueous solution limits the applications of CuO‐based photocatalysts in the photocatalytic H2 evolution. In this work, a novel dodecahedral nitrogen (N)‐doped carbon (C) coated CuO‐In2O3 p–n heterojunction (DNCPH) is designed and synthesized by directly pyrolyzing benzimidazole‐modified dodecahedral Cu/In‐based metal‐organic frameworks, showing long‐term stability in triethanolamine (TEOA) aqueous solution and excellent photocatalytic H2 production efficiency. The improved stability of DNCPH in TEOA solution is ascribed to the alleviation of electron deficiency in CuO by forming the p–n heterojunction and the protection with coated N‐doped C layer. Based on detailed theoretical calculations and experimental studies, it is found that the improved separation efficiency of photogenerated electron/hole pairs and the mediated adsorption behavior (|∆GH*|→0) by coupling N‐doped C layer with CuO‐In2O3 p–n heterojunction lead to the excellent photocatalytic H2 production efficiency of DNCPH. This work provides a feasible strategy for effectively applying CuO‐based photocatalysts in photocatalytic H2 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate on-road vehicle capacity degradation path prediction model is of great significance to guide vehicle maintenance and performance optimization and ensure safety performance. This paper proposes a novel hybrid model, which mainly focus on the characteristics of the data set and combines the random forest (RF), particle swarm optimization (PSO), variational mode decomposition (VMD), and convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM) algorithm to online forecast the capacity degradation path of electric vehicles (EVs) battery pack. First, battery capacity mean values during a week are regarded as the real capacity. Then, the PSO method is mainly used to obtain the parameters of the VMD offline and online to reduce the noise of the real capacity trajectory. In addition, the importance of the extracted battery pack features is evaluated through the RF method, and features with high importance are screened out. Finally, ConvLSTM is designed to extract the spatial relationship between feature sets to obtain better prediction performance. The charging data of 20 EVs are used to verify the performance of the proposed hybrid model. The experiment results show that the performance of proposed model outperforms other baseline models and can be used to accuracy predict the battery pack capacity degradation path. • Domain knowledge is incorporated to extract features from on road charging data. • Proposing a novel hybrid model for EVs battery capacity online prediction. • Providing a promising solution in other time series forecasting domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review, we survey the recent developments in the fabrication of metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived porous semiconductor photocatalysts toward four kinds of energy-/environment-related reactions.A comprehensive summary of highly efficient MOF-derived photocatalysts, particularly porous metal oxides and metal sulfides, and their heterostructures are provided.Enhanced photocatalytic performance achieved with MOF-derived porous heterostructures as the photocatalyst is discussed in detail. Porous structures offer highly accessible surfaces and rich pores, which facilitate the exposure of numerous active sites for photocatalytic reactions, leading to excellent performances. Recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been considered ideal precursors for well-designed semiconductors with porous structures and/or heterostructures, which have shown enhanced photocatalytic activities. In this review, we summarize the recent development of porous structures, such as metal oxides and metal sulfides, and their heterostructures, derived from MOF-based materials as catalysts for various light-driven energy-/environment-related reactions, including water splitting, CO2 reduction, organic redox reaction, and pollution degradation. A summary and outlook section is also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Optimal electrode configuration for industrial alkaline water electrolyzer. • Balance of Plant system design with full automatic running function. • Achieved 4.3kWh/m3H 2 @4000 A/m2 based on the optimized configuration. • Provided reference and guidance for electrode parameter selection and system design. • This study contributes to the deployment of more efficient industrial electrolyzer. The production of green hydrogen by water electrolysis is an effective way to realize the utilization of renewable energy and decarbonization, efficient water electrolysis equipment is of great significance to reduce energy consumption and accelerate the deployment of hydrogen production infrastructure. This paper reports the optimal electrode configuration adapted to actual industrial conditions. The aim of this paper is to study the electrode structure effect and system design of compactly-assembled industrial electrolyzer under the actual operating conditions, so as to find out more suitable electrolyzer configuration parameters. Firstly, the principle and structural parameter design of industrial electrolyzer are carried out, and compactly-assembled industrial alkaline water electrolyzer (22 cells) was manufactured. Secondly, a balance of plant (BOP) system was built and the fully automatic operation process was designed. Finally, a system-level alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) hydrogen production system (including compactly-assembled electrolyzer and BOP) was established. The effect of different expanded meshes and woven meshes on the energy consumption of AWE equipment was tested, and the system component cost was analyzed. Industrial system-level test results show that the electrode dominant parameters affecting AWE performance are different under varying current densities. From the perspective of industrial application, it is more suitable for the strand width and pore width of the woven mesh to be about 0.2 mm, it achieved 4.3kWh/m3H 2 @4000 A/m2 based on the optimized configuration parameters. This study is helpful to the selection of electrode parameters and optimal configuration for industrial AWE equipment, at the same time, it provides a reference for the design of electrolyzer, BOP and system control process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karst cave collapse usually occurs during the process of drilling and reservoir development. Karst cave collapse increases drilling risk and seriously affects oil production. In order to reveal the collapse mechanism of karst caves in fractured-vuggy reservoirs in Tahe oil field, rock mechanic experiments and numerical simulation studies were conducted. In rock mechanic experiments, three types of rock mechanics tests (uniaxial compression, triaxial compression, and Brazilian splitting) were carried out to obtain the basic rock mechanics parameters. In numerical simulation studies, the collapse conditions of a single karst cave and a cave system were studied. Numerical simulation results indicate that for a single karst cave, the size and geometrical features of karst caves are the main factors influencing collapse condition. For a cave system, a combination pattern and distance between caves are two main factors affecting collapse condition. In order to facilitate the application of these research results, the authors present formulas for calculating the critical conditions of karst cave collapse by means of multivariate linear regression method. The calculation formulas and prediction chart were verified as consistent with actual field results. The research results in this paper have great theoretical and practical value for revealing the mechanism of karst cave collapse in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MW/UV/O 3 is a promising sterilization technology for reclaimed water. • Microwave power and influent turbidity are main influencing factors. • The raw water turbidity should be <8 NTU for the best sterilization efficiency. • The sterilization technology showed a moderate effect on degradation of organics. In recent years, a new water treatment technology based on microwave discharge electrodeless lamp (MDEL) has been developed. Hence, we designed an integrated system of microwave/electrodeless discharge ultraviolet/ozone (MW/UV/O 3) for sewage sterilization according to the theoretical study of MDEL. The experiment was designed to test the ability to sterilize Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis by using different process conditions, such as single O 3 , MW/UV and MW/UV/O 3 , aiming to find an optimal process route. The results showed that the bactericidal effect of MW was mainly thermal effect, the bactericidal effect of MW/UV was significantly affected by turbidity, while the bactericidal effect of MW/UV/O 3 was better than single O 3 and MW/UV. In the dynamic test, when the four electrodeless UV lamps were stable, the light intensity reached 3.6 mW/cm2; when the aeration rate was 50 L/min, the generated O 3 content was 0.30 mg/L. With a water flow of 800 L/h and hydraulic retention time of 1.5 min, a sewage sterilization rate of >99.99% was achieved by MW/UV/O 3 system, and other water quality indexes including chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) in effluents was also decreased to some extents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐atom catalysts have drawn great attention, especially in electrocatalysis. However, most of previous works focus on the enhanced catalytic properties via improving metal loading. Engineering morphologies of catalysts to facilitate mass transport through catalyst layers, thus increasing the utilization of each active site, is regarded as an appealing way for enhanced performance. Herein, we design an overhang‐eave structure decorated with isolated single‐atom iron sites via a silica‐mediated MOF‐templated approach for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysis. This catalyst demonstrates superior ORR performance in both alkaline and acidic electrolytes, comparable to the state‐of‐the‐art Pt/C catalyst and superior to most precious‐metal‐free catalysts reported to date. This activity originates from its edge‐rich structure, having more three‐phase boundaries with enhanced mass transport of reactants to accessible single‐atom iron sites (increasing the utilization of active sites), which verifies the practicability of such a synthetic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐atom catalysts have drawn great attention, especially in electrocatalysis. However, most of previous works focus on the enhanced catalytic properties via improving metal loading. Engineering morphologies of catalysts to facilitate mass transport through catalyst layers, thus increasing the utilization of each active site, is regarded as an appealing way for enhanced performance. Herein, we design an overhang‐eave structure decorated with isolated single‐atom iron sites via a silica‐mediated MOF‐templated approach for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysis. This catalyst demonstrates superior ORR performance in both alkaline and acidic electrolytes, comparable to the state‐of‐the‐art Pt/C catalyst and superior to most precious‐metal‐free catalysts reported to date. This activity originates from its edge‐rich structure, having more three‐phase boundaries with enhanced mass transport of reactants to accessible single‐atom iron sites (increasing the utilization of active sites), which verifies the practicability of such a synthetic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium carbide coatings deposited on steel AISI 52100 (the Russian counterpart is bearing steel ShKh15) by the method of thermo-reactive diffusion (TRD) in a sealed container at 900°C for 2 – 8 h are studied. The structure of the coatings is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffractometry. The microhardness is measured. Adhesion tests are performed by the Daimler-Benz Rockwell-C method. The adhesion strength of the coating with parameters HF1 – HF2 matching the VDI 3198 Standard is shown to be satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass‐derived pyrogenic carbon is attractive for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs); however, its amorphous structure limits its activation efficiency. Graphene with highly conjugated π structure possesses superior electron transport ability and thus high usefulness. However, bygone strategies are scarcely effective for reforming pyrogenic carbon to graphene. Herein, for the first time, a state‐of‐the‐art flash Joule heating (FJH) technique is showcased for reforming pyrogenic carbon to 2–5‐layer graphene. FJH current‐induced ultrahigh temperature and stress field realize instantaneous (≈10 s) regeneration of pyrogenic carbon via synchronization actions of carbonization, graphitization, and exfoliation. Meanwhile, volatilization of doped N atoms accelerates graphitization but has less of an effect on graphene configuration. Accordingly, tuned oxygen groups at the graphene edge boost peroxydisulfate (PDS) adsorption for finer initiating activation. Subsequently, 2D graphene with excellent electron utilization rate strengthens hydroxyl radical and direct electron transfer pathways in activating PDS for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation. Impressively, the SMX degradation efficiency by fabricated graphene raises ≈8.9‐fold as compared with pristine pyrogenic carbon. Additionally, fabricated graphene is more efficient in PDS activation than commercial metal catalysts. Undoubtedly, this study realizes effective transformation of pyrogenic carbon to graphene for highly efficient metal‐free carbocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Many virtual try-on systems involve transferring and fitting garments to bodies of various shapes and postures, with grade preservation. To achieve this goal, garments must be treated as elastic models and their deformation is controlled by the laws of dynamics. Moreover, a collision-free state must be maintained during the simulation, as well as in the final draping state. We present a complete pipeline that concentrates on solving two problems: (1) deforming the target body towards the reference body, and (2) simulating the garment with robust handling of not only impending but also pre-existing collisions. Our solution to the first problem is a skeleton-driven framework, which consists of a collection of techniques, including skeleton embedding, skeleton posture alignment and skeleton-driven mesh deformation. For skeleton posture alignment, we decouple the orientation of each joint into two components: swing and twist, and align them separately. Treating garment models as rigid, the deformed target 'fits' into the garments with as few penetrations as possible. When solving the second problem, the body/garment penetrations are untangled along with cloth simulation, so that a collision-free state can be achieved. After that, the deformed target body restores its original shape gradually, while the garments are physically simulated to maintain a collision-free state, until a final draping state is reached on the fully restored target body. Examples show that the proposed framework is effective for garment transfer and fitness evaluation, and can be potentially used in applications like online shopping or customization. Highlights • It is the first work that guarantees grade preservation garment transfer. • A skeleton-driven approach has been proposed for body deformation, so that garment simulation can be properly initialized on the deformed target body. This approach has an extra benefit of supporting character animation. • The pipeline takes advantage of state-of-the-art collision response techniques so that it handles large posture variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a series of micro–nano reactors assembled by N doped carbon coated TiO2 heterojunction nanosheets with different thickness, named TiO2/N–C hollow framework (HF), TiO2/N–C hollow hexahedron assembled by nanosheets (HHS), and TiO2/N–C hollow hexahedron assembled by ultrathin nanosheets (HHUS), have been prepared by adjusting the alcoholysis rate of NH2-MIL-125 and then pyrolysis. Experimental and theoretical studies revealed that with the decrease of the thickness of the heterojunction nanosheet subunit, more low-coordination Ti atoms would be exposed as effective sites for photocatalytic H2 evolution, and the interaction between the carbon layer and TiO2 would also be enhanced, which provided a smooth migration path for the effective separation of photogenerated carriers. Thus, TiO2/N–C HHUS with the thinnest nanosheet subunit exhibited the best photoelectric performance and the highest photocatalytic hydrogen production activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four different functional alkylimidazolium (1-hydroxyethyl-3-methylimidazolium, 1-carboxyethyl-3-methylimidazolium, 1-cyanopropyl-3-methylimidazolium and 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium) dibutyl phosphate ionic liquids were synthesized and used as lubricants for steel/Al alloy. The influence of functional groups on physicochemical properties and tribological properties was investigated and compared with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dibutyl phosphate. As expected, viscosities increase when the functional groups are tethered to imidazolium cations. The tribological properties of the functional ionic liquids with three polar functional groups in cations are improved, especially the anti-wear performance and load-carrying capacity. On the contrary, the ionic liquid with benzyl group in cation shows worse tribological performance. It is considered that the functional groups in the imidazolium cations tune the adsorption of ionic liquids onto the alloy surface, which finally affect the tribological performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]