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Experiments of co-gasification of spirit-based distillers' grains (SDG) and sewage sludge (SS) were carried out with red mud (RM) by using a self-designed fixed-bed gasifier. The effects of RM addition, gasification reaction temperature, SS and SDG blending ratio and other factors on the gasification reaction characteristics and synergism were investigated. The results are as follow: RM had catalytic effect on SS and SDG co-gasification, which can enhance the gasification reaction and H2 yield; increasing the temperature can enhance the gasification reaction and reduce the syngas H2/CO; with the increase of SDG, the H2 yield gradually grew; with the rise of SS, the gasification reaction gradually augmented. The catalytic mechanism was mainly due to the redox cycle of Fe2O3 in RM, which can promote the water transfer reaction. At the same time, the eutectic mixture of K, Na, Ca, Fe and other metal elements at high temperatures was the main reason for the synergistic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that local vibration stimulation therapy was effective in relieving fatigue, and the effects of different modes of vibration stimulation therapy were further investigated. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effects of different vibration stimulation modes on relieving acute exercise fatigue based on the multiphysiological indicators such as heart rate variability (HRV), skin conductance level (SCL), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) subjective scale. METHODS: Sixty participants selected from the dragon boat team of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were divided into acupoint stimulation group (20 participants), muscle stimulation group (20 participants), and control group (20 participants) by complete randomization. RESULTS: (1) RPE: both stimulation groups showed a significant increase compared to the control group. (2) Heart rate values: the difference between muscle stimulation group and control group was statistically significant; (3) SCL: the two stimulation groups had significantly higher and statistically significant differences in SCL (max) and SCL (mean) values compared to the control group; the muscle stimulation group had statistically significant differences in SCL (min) compared to the control group, and the acupoint stimulation group had statistically significant differences in SCL (v) compared to the control group; (4) HRV (hf): The difference between the acupoint stimulation group and the muscle stimulation group was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: (1) Both stimulation groups are part of vibration therapy, which can relieve sympathetic tension and regulate the vegetative nervous system's relaxation effect. (2) The meridian-vessel theory may be related to the acupoint stimulation group. The low-level visceral regulation centers in the spinal nerve segment region, where the acupoints are located, trigger changes in autonomic tone and enhance parasympathetic nerve activity to relieve acute motor fatigue. (3) The muscle stimulation group may be due to the 30-Hz vibration frequency's ability to raise muscle epidermal temperature, which increases blood flow and reflexively inhibits sympathetic excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corrosion behavior of 316 stainless-steel with a tantalum (Ta-316) coating deposited using PVD technology was investigated in subcritical environments containing Cl− and Br− at 290 °C and 6 MPa. The corrosion rate of Ta-316 continuously decreased with increasing exposure time, demonstrating its high corrosion resistance. A thin film, mainly composed of Ta 2 O 5 , formed on the surface of the tantalum coating, preventing the diffusion of substrate elements. The corrosion process and mechanism of Ta-316 were also examined. • Corrosion of alloys by Cl- and Br- under subcritical conditions was studied. • The tantalum coating effectively inhibits substrate corrosion. • Outer layers is mainly composed of Ta 2 O 5 , while transition layer is composed of Ni-Fe oxides. • The uniform corrosion induced by Br- trended to be more severe than that induced by Cl- in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) have large potential to realize quantum-optics-like experiments with single flying electrons employing their spin or charge degree of freedom. For such quantum applications, highly efficient trapping of the electron in a specific moving quantum dot (QD) of a SAW train plays a key role. Probabilistic transport over multiple moving minima would cause uncertainty in synchronization that is detrimental for coherence of entangled flying electrons and in-flight quantum operations. It is thus of central importance to identify the device parameters enabling electron transport within a single SAW minimum. A detailed experimental investigation of this aspect is so far missing. Here, we fill this gap by demonstrating time-of-flight measurements for a single electron that is transported via a SAW train between distant stationary QDs. Our measurements reveal the in-flight distribution of the electron within the moving acousto-electric quantum dots of the SAW train. Increasing the acousto-electric amplitude, we observe the threshold necessary to confine the flying electron at a specific, deliberately chosen SAW minimum. Investigating the effect of a barrier along the transport channel, we also benchmark the robustness of SAW-driven electron transport against stationary potential variations. Our results pave the way for highly controlled transport of electron qubits in a SAW-driven platform for quantum experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most important core process in the dyeing and finishing workshop of knitting companies, the dyeing process has the characteristics of multi-variety, small-batch, parallel machine processing of multiple types, and high cost in equipment cleaning, which render the dyeing scheduling problem a bottleneck in the production management of a dyeing and finishing workshop. In this paper, the dyeing process scheduling problem in dyeing and finishing workshops is described and abstracted, and an optimized mathematical model of dyeing scheduling is constructed with the goal of minimizing the delay cost and switching cost. Constraints such as multiple types of equipment, equipment capacity, weights of orders and equipment cleaning time are considered. For the sub-problem of equipment scheduling in the dyeing scheduling problem, a heuristic rule that considers equipment utilization and order delay is proposed. For the sub-problem of order sorting of the equipment in the dyeing scheduling problem, a hybrid genetic algorithm with a variable neighbourhood search strategy has been designed to optimize sorting. The algorithm proposed in this paper has been demonstrated via case simulation to be effective in solving the scheduling problem in dyeing and finishing workshops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on a direct comparison of dose delivery efficiency between two proton FLASH delivery modes: passive scattering and pencil beam scanning (PBS). Monte-Carlo simulation of the beamline was performed using the Geant4 package. Two proton energies (63 and 230 MeV) were selected, targeting for shallow and deep-seated tumors, respectively. Two irradiation field sizes were selected: 13 × 13 mm2 and 50 × 50 mm2. For each delivery mode, two cases were investigated: shoot-through and Bragg peak, yielding a total of 4 delivery scenarios. For the passive scattering mode, the impact on dose rate by multiple components along the beamline were investigated, including ridge-filter, scatterer, range shifter and collimator. A quantitative comparison among four scenarios was made in terms of field size, dose, dose rate and treatment plan quality (dose volume histogram). For the 230 MeV case, the dose rate (for 1 nA current) is 0.05 Gy s−1 (passive with Bragg peak, field size: 50 × 50 mm2) and 2.6 Gy s−1 (PBS with shoot-through). Dose rate comparison is made between passive scattering and PBS as the delivery changes from spot-layer to shoot-through. In conclusion, the study successfully established a benchmark reference for dose rate performance for different scenarios, taking into account components along the beamline, field size and beam current. The results allow us to predict and compare the required beam current to yield a dose rate sufficiently high, above the threshold of the FLASH effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defect pattern recognition (DPR) of wafer maps is critical for determining the root cause of production defects, which can provide insights for the yield improvement in wafer foundries. During wafer fabrication, several types of defects can be coupled together in a piece of wafer, it is called mixed-type defects DPR. To detect mixed-type defects is much more complicated because the combination of defects may vary a lot, from the type of defects, position, angle, number of defects, etc. Deep learning methods have been a good choice for complex pattern recognition problems. In this article, we propose a deformable convolutional network (DC-Net) for mixed-type DPR (MDPR) in which several types of defects are coupled together in a piece of wafer. A deformable convolutional unit is designed to selectively sample from mixed defects, then extract high-quality features from wafer maps. A multi-label output layer is improved with a one-hot encoding mechanism, which decomposes extract mixed features into each basic single defect. The experiment results indicate that the proposed DC-Net model outperforms conventional models and other deep learning models. Further results of the interpretable analysis reveal that the proposed DC-Net can accurately pinpoint the defects areas of wafer maps with noise points, which is beneficial for mixed-type DPR problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most important core process in the dyeing and finishing workshop of knitting companies, the dyeing process has the characteristics of multi-variety, small-batch, parallel machine processing of multiple types, and high cost in equipment cleaning, which render the dyeing scheduling problem a bottleneck in the production management of a dyeing and finishing workshop. In this paper, the dyeing process scheduling problem in dyeing and finishing workshops is described and abstracted, and an optimized mathematical model of dyeing scheduling is constructed with the goal of minimizing the delay cost and switching cost. Constraints such as multiple types of equipment, equipment capacity, weights of orders and equipment cleaning time are considered. For the sub-problem of equipment scheduling in the dyeing scheduling problem, a heuristic rule that considers equipment utilization and order delay is proposed. For the sub-problem of order sorting of the equipment in the dyeing scheduling problem, a hybrid genetic algorithm with a variable neighbourhood search strategy has been designed to optimize sorting. The algorithm proposed in this paper has been demonstrated via case simulation to be effective in solving the scheduling problem in dyeing and finishing workshops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of the defective patterns of the wafer maps can provide insights for the quality control in the semiconductor wafer fabrication systems (SWFSs). In real SWFSs, the collected wafer maps are usually imbalanced from the defective types, which will result in misidentification. In this paper, a novel deep learning model called adaptive balancing generative adversarial network (AdaBalGAN) is proposed for the defective pattern recognition (DPR) of wafer maps with imbalanced data. In addition, a categorical generative adversarial network is improved to generate simulated wafer maps in high fidelity and classify the patterns with high accuracy for all defective categories. Taking consideration of the various learning abilities of the DPR model for different patterns into account, an adaptive generative controller is designed to balance the number of samples of each defective type according to the classification accuracy. The experiment results indicated that the proposed AdaBalGAN model outperforms conventional models with higher accuracy and stability for the DPR of wafer maps. Further results of comparative experiments revealed that the proposed adaptive generative mechanism can enhance and balance the recognition accuracy for all categories in the DPR of wafer maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The direct arylation of aromatic and aliphatic ketones was carried out via palladium‐catalyzed inert C−H bond functionalization with 2‐amino‐N‐isopropyl‐acetamide as a new catalytic transient directing group. The reaction showed excellent functional group compatibility and site selectivity. We demonstrated that α‐amino amide forming N,N‐bidentate coordination with Pd catalyst is more favorable for the β‐arylation of ketones than α‐amino acid forming N,O‐bidentate coordination with Pd catalyst under relatively mild conditions. This elegant approach provides straightforward access to important structural motifs in organic and medicinal chemistry and is demonstrated here in the efficient synthesis of phenanthridinone alkaloids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • O 2 and CO 2 were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. • The mineralization rate of o-DCB was evaluated with Raman peak height of CO 2. • O 2 demand and consumption were described during the reaction process. • The kinetic analysis was performed on the oxidation process of o-DCB. Abstract A fused quartz tube reactor (FQTR) and Raman spectroscopy were employed to investigate the decomposition of H 2 O 2 and o-dichlorobenzene (o-DCB) in hot compressed water (HCW). The results showed that o-DCB can be effectively degraded in HCW, and exhibited applicability as a powerful tool to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze O 2 and CO 2 using Raman spectroscopy combined with an FQTR. The decomposition rate of H 2 O 2 reached 95.4% at 8 min, and it completely decomposed after 23 min at 400 °C in the closed heating system. When the oxygen stoichiometric ratio (OSR) increased from 50% to 200% after 90 min at 400 °C, the degradation rate of o-DCB significantly increased from 67.5% to 100%. The conversion data for the kinetic analysis of o-DCB indicated that the reaction followed pseudo first-order kinetics and exhibited reaction rate constants of k 0.5 = 0.00782 s−1, k 1.0 = 0.01412 s−1, k 1.5 = 0.02675 s−1, and k 2.0 = 0.03509 s−1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A magnetic core–shell Pr 6 O 11 /SiO 2 @Fe 3 O 4 catalyst using chemical precipitation was prepared. Its structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum. The catalytic activity was evaluated by the catalytic ozonation of acetochlor. The results showed that the catalyst could effectively improve the acetochlor removal and mineralization. The total organic carbon removal reached 37.3% with the catalyst at 120 min, whereas the removal was 14.1% with ozonation alone. The catalyst was proved to be stable and recyclable by determining the concentration of the leaching praseodymium ions and the catalyst’s activity after repeated use. The effect of the radical scavengers indicated that the catalytic ozonation process followed an OH reaction mechanism. In addition, we employed Chlorella and zebrafish as model organisms to investigate the aquatic toxicity of the treated solution and the dissolved praseodymium ions. We found that the aquatic toxicity of the reaction solution decreased with an increase in the degradation time, and no obvious toxicity was found for the dissolved praseodymium ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate prediction of cycle time (CT) plays an important role in the promises of a good delivery-time for semiconductor manufacturers. However, the CTs of wafer lots are difficult to forecast since they are influent by a lot factors (e.g., workload for every machine). The identification of key factors (called CT-related) can not only improve the prediction performance but also facilitate the control of CT, which is of particular significance. This paper focuses on gathering subtle variables into the candidate variables set along with the further analysis which is required in the correlation analysis between various candidate factors and CTs of wafer lots. The candidates set is first constructed to collect all factors that may affect wafer lots’ CT. Then, a regression-based model is proposed to select CT-related variables, which consists of three parts: 1) discretization; 2) adaptive logistic regression-based correlation analysis; and 3) CT-related factor selection. Subsequently, a parallel computation model is implemented to forecast the CTs of wafer lots. In the numerical experiments, 108 CT-related factors stood out from 774 candidates and replaced six global factors (used as reference) to predict CTs of wafer lots. The results indicated that the proposed approach had higher accuracy than linear regression and back propagation network in CT forecasting in large scale data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This work developed a new method for measuring the volume expansion of a CO 2 + n -dodecane mixture, using a fused silica capillary cell (FSCC), combined with a heating-cooling stage and a confocal Raman spectrometer. The cell was constructed on the micron scale to reduce the temperature gradient and reagent consumption. The results confirmed the feasibility of this method that using Raman spectra to verify phase equilibrium, a digital camera to record images of the CO 2 + n -dodecane mixture and a micrometer to measure the volume, a section of water (water seal) between n -dodecane and gas phase to prevent n -dodecane from evaporating. It was shown that the volume expansion factor of the mixture increased with pressure going from 1.0 to 10.0 MPa, but decreased as the temperature was raised from 30 to 80 °C. In addition, a positive quadratic relationship ( R 2 > 0.99) was obtained between Raman peak intensity ratio and volume expansion factor, such that more volume expansion factors could be obtained according to the equations with measured Raman peak intensity ratio data. This experiment widens the ranges of temperature and pressure in the measurements of the volume expansion, and provides more volume expansion data for CO 2 -enhanced oil recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel bifunctional l -prolinamide derivatives was synthesised, of which ( S )- N -(( S )-2-oxo-1-phenyl-2-(tritylamino)ethyl)pyrrolidine-2-carboxamide 6 was found to be the most effective catalyst in terms of both the yield and stereoselectivity for the nitro-Michael reaction of aldehydes to nitroalkenes. Under these optimized reaction conditions, 17 corresponding novel nitro-Michael addition adducts had high yields (up to 94%) and showed excellent diastereoselectivity (up to 99:1 dr ) and enantioselectivity (up to 98 ee ) under mild reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic oxidation with nano magnetic catalysts has the advantages of easy recovery, good stability and high activity. In this study, three nano magnetic lanthanide catalysts with a core–shell structure of Ce/SiO 2 @Fe 3 O 4 , La/SiO 2 @Fe 3 O 4 and Pr/SiO 2 @Fe 3 O 4 were prepared and characterized by Brunauer–Emmet–Teller, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectrum and vibrating sample magnetometer analysis. All catalysts have Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles as cores, SiO 2 as the mid-layer, and CeO 2 , La 2 O 3, or Pr 6 O 11 as the outer layer, and have a good magnetic property. The catalyst activities followed the descending order of Pr/SiO 2 @Fe 3 O 4 > La/SiO 2 @Fe 3 O 4 > Ce/SiO 2 @Fe 3 O 4 upon the degradation of diethyl phthalate (DEP), and the catalytic ozonation process followed an OH reaction mechanism. The removal rate of DEP was small effected because of the presence of Cl − , and addition of sodium carbonate had no obviously influence. The initial mineralization rate had a positive relation with the hydroxyl groups and pH value at the zero charge point (pH pzc ) of the catalysts, but had no significant relation with the surface area of the catalysts. The catalysts were relatively effective and stable after 3 repeated uses, and the leaching out concentrations of Ce, La and Pr were 1.33 mg/L, 0.138 mg/L and 0.115 mg/L after a 90 min reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate cycle time (CT) prediction of the wafer fabrication remains a tough task, as the system level of work in process (WIP) is fluctuant. Aiming to construct one unified CT forecasting model under dynamic WIP levels, this paper proposes a transfer learning method for finetuning the predicted neural network hierarchically. First, a two-dimensional (2D) convolutional neural network was constructed to predict the CT under a primary WIP level with the input of spatial-temporal characteristics by reorganizing the input parameters. Then, to predict the CT under another WIP level, a hierarchical optimization transfer learning strategy was designed to finetune the prediction model so as to improve the accuracy of the CT forecasting. The experimental results demonstrated that the hierarchically transfer learning approach outperforms the compared methods in the CT forecasting with the fluctuation of WIP levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasting the specific power consumption is crucial for cleaner production and energy saving in yarn manufacturing. A power consumption forecast can provide indicators for process parameter optimization to improve energy efficiency. In industrial scenarios, the current methods always fail to accurately forecast the abnormal values that are crucial for the prevention of unnecessary energy consumption, since the imbalanced data (the normal and abnormal power consumption sample sizes are different) misleads prediction models. Aiming to tackle the problem of imbalanced data, the root cause of abnormal power consumption is analysed to obtain the potential influencing factors of reactive power consumption in the rotor spinning process. To rebalance the prediction model, an adaptive squeeze and excitation convolutional neural network (adaptive SE-CNN) is proposed with a dual-input network architecture to discriminatively address the factors that affect the reactive power consumption (RPC) and active power consumption (APC). Then, a unilateral squeeze and excitation block is designed to automatically learn the discriminative features. It squeezes the feature information into a channel descriptor and reweights the channel feature responses with an adaptive RPC-sensitive learning rate during the training process. The experimental results based on real-world data show that the proposed approach achieves the highest prediction accuracy of 92.6252%, which indicates that 1,0331.74 k W ⋅ h of electrical energy can be saved for a rotor spinning machine over one month in the investigated workshop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degradation of phenol by sodium persulfate (SPS) in hot compressed water (HCW) was investigated in a lab-built fused quartz tube reactor (FQTR) coupled with Raman spectroscopy system. The species of S 2 O 8 2−, SO 4 2−, HSO 4 −, SO 3 2− and HSO 3 − in the reaction system were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. The hydrothermal stability of phenol and SPS at different temperature and the degradation of phenol by SPS were also studied. The results indicated that phenol was not stable in aqueous solution above 200 °C, and that only SO 4 2− was generated in the hydrolysis of SPS at temperatures below 50 °C, and SO 4 2− and HSO 4 − were generated at higher temperatures. The maximum conversion rate (90.93%) and mineralization efficiency (38.88%) of phenol by SPS was obtained at reaction temperature of 300 °C with 180 min reaction time. During the degradation of phenol by SPS, HSO 4 − was the main product and S∗ (not detected by Raman spectroscopy) exhibits a positive correlation with temperature. In addition, a degradation pathway of phenol by SPS was proposed. The degradation data for the kinetic analysis indicated that the reaction followed pseudo first-order kinetics, and the reaction rate constants (k s) were given as k 50 °C = 0.0083 min−1, k 100 °C = 0.0197 min−1, k 200 °C = 0.0498 min−1, k 300 °C = 0.0619 min−1 and k 400 °C = 0.0505 min−1 at 30 min reaction. Moreover, the activation energy (12.580 kJ mol−1), the enthalpy change (9.064 kJ mol−1) and the entropy change (−222.104 J mol−1) of the reaction were also calculated. • A lab-built fused quartz tube reactor coupled with Raman spectroscopy system was developed. • Degradation of phenol by sodium persulfate in hot compressed water was investigated. • Hydrothermal stability and products distribution of phenol and SPS were discussed. • The fate of S during the degradation process was qualitative and quantitative analyzed by Raman. • A degradation pathway of phenol by SPS was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An enzymatic method which combines d-aminoacylase catalyzed nitroaldol reaction and lipase PS-IM catalyzed acyl resolution reaction was constructed to obtain optically pure β-nitroalcohols in organic media under mild conditions. A series of β-nitroalcohols were synthesized and then resolved, with excellent ee values (＞95%) and yields mostly, giving enantiomerically pure acetate and alcohol of the opposite configuration simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An enzymatic method which combines d-aminoacylase catalyzed nitroaldol reaction and lipase PS-IM catalyzed acyl resolution reaction was constructed to obtain optically pure β-nitroalcohols in organic media under mild conditions. A series of β-nitroalcohols were synthesized and then resolved, with excellent ee values (>95%) and yields mostly, giving enantiomerically pure acetate and alcohol of the opposite configuration simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance prediction plays a key role in product quality control and quality optimization. However, due to the error transmission in the refrigeration compressor assembly process and the imbalance of data collected during the refrigeration compressor assembly process, existing performance prediction methods cannot accurately extract key features of the assembly process resulting in low prediction accuracy. In this paper, a knowledge graph neural network (AKGNN) model with predictive value calibration is proposed for refrigeration compressor performance prediction in two stages. First, a sequence graph attention feature extraction module is designed to extract key features of the assembly process data to cope with the assembly error propagation. Second, to deal with the imbalanced distribution of compressor data, a predictive value calibration (PC) module is designed to calibrate the output of the first stage. Experimental results demonstrate the proposed method outperformed all compared cutting-edge methods in four evaluated indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, nPd/Fes were dispersed on peanut shells‐derived alkali‐modified biochar (BCalk) to obtain BCalk‐nPd/Fe composite for overcoming the instability, agglomeration, and oxidation of nPd/Fes. Results demonstrated that the dispersion stability and thermal stability of nPd/Fes were improved and the surface passivation layer was thinned by nanoparticles loading onto the alkalized biochar. Characterization analyses revealed of the improved 2,4‐D dichlorination by BCalk‐nPd/Fe. After biochar alkalization, more Si‐O‐Si sites on BCalk responsible for supporting nZVI particles were formed and coupled with nZVI to generate Si‐O‐Fe. Hence, nPd/Fes were immobilized on BCalk, while the increased oxygen‐containing surface functional groups promoted electron transport between nPd/Fes and 2,4‐D. Therefore, the BCalk‐nPd/Fe exhibited higher dechlorination efficiency toward 2,4‐D than that of nPd/Fe and BCraw‐nPd/Fe. About 99.25% and 89.11% of the 2,4‐D removal and dechlorination, respectively, were achieved after 150 min. Kinetic studies revealed that the removal of 2,4‐D using nPd/Fe, BCraw‐nPd/Fe, and BCalk‐nPd/Fe fitted well in the Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic model, and the order of rate constants was as follows: BCalk‐nPd/Fe > BCraw‐nPd/Fe > nPd/Fe. This study suggested that the prepared composites promoted detoxification and harmlessness of 2,4‐D contaminated wastewater and exhibited promising prospect in the efficient treatment of wastewater containing chlorinated organics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at investigating the fault diagnosis of the selective catalyst reduction (SCR) outlet temperature sensors and fault-tolerant control methods of the SCR system, and three typical faults of downstream temperature sensors were modeled and analyzed to present influences of different faults on the SCR system performances (such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission and conversion efficiency, NH3 slip, urea dosage and ammonia coverage estimation). A temperature model was established to estimate the SCR outlet temperature, and diagnostics were developed based on the differences between model estimates and sensor measurements. Once a downstream temperature sensor fault was detected, the fault-tolerant control will be enabled, and the output of the sensor may be substituted with the estimates of the model. Thus, SCR performances shall be maintained within the acceptable ranges. Moreover, a 0-D SCR model was also established to validate the capability of diagnostics and fault-tolerant control strategy over the European transient cycle (ETC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have documented a high incidence of toxicity in patients with ultra‐central non‐small cell lung cancer (UC‐NSCLC) treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). However, these studies mainly focused on early stage patients and included small sample populations. We reviewed the outcomes and toxicity of SBRT in patients with advanced stage UC‐NSCLC treated at our institution. Methods: Fifty‐one consecutive patients with advanced UC‐NSCLC treated with SBRT using a regular regimen of 35 Gy administered in five fractions between December 2014 and August 2017 were reviewed. UC was defined as tumors abutting or overlapping the trachea or the proximal bronchial tree. We included locally advanced patients who were unfit or unwilling to receive conventional chemoradiotherapy and patients with metastatic or postoperative recurrent disease. Clinical outcomes, dosimetric parameters, and SBRT toxicity were analyzed. Results: The median age was 63 years (range: 35–82), and the median tumor diameter was 6.8 cm (range: 2.1–12.4). The overall median follow‐up duration was 17 months (25.5 months for surviving patients). The median local control was 17 months for stage III patients and 11 months for stage IV or recurrent patients. Grade 3 or higher toxicity was observed in 9.8% of patients: G3 radiation pneumonitis (5.9%) and possible treatment‐related death (3.9%). Conclusion: SBRT with a moderate dose in 4–6 fractions is effective and tolerable for patients with advanced stage UC‐NSCLC. However, caution should be taken considering possible treatment‐related death. Further studies are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-organization of adiabatic shear bands (ASBs) in the steel with a different grain boundary character distribution (GBCD) was investigated using the radial collapse of thick-walled cylinders. GBCD of 1Cr18Ni9Ti austenitic stainless steel was optimized by thermo-mechanical treatment. The results showed that the proportion of special grain boundaries, especially the Σ3 grain boundaries, were increased from 27.8, 18.9 to 72.5, 55.8%, respectively. And the high-angle grain boundaries were replaced or interrupted by the low-angle grain boundaries and special grain boundary clusters. The results of optical microscopic examination showed that the shear bands mainly propagated along the clockwise direction, and the multiple shear bands influenced each other along with bifurcation and merging. Also, the number and spacing of the shear bands of the solution treatment specimen (ST specimen) and thermo-mechanical treatment specimen (TMT specimen) were the same, which meant that GBCD optimization had no obvious effect on the nucleation of shear bands. However, the lengths of ASBs in TMT specimen were much shorter than those of the ST specimen under the same deformation conditions. The slower propagation rate of ASBs in TMT specimen suggested that by introducing a large number of special grain boundaries, the GBCD optimization hindered the propagation of ASBs and improved the damage resistance under high-strain-rate loading. Also, voids were nucleated preferentially in the ASBs and coalesced along ASBs, and cracks formed finally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot compressed water (HCW), with its unique properties, is regarded as a promising solvent for industrial applications. A number of methods to measure the solubility of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in HCW have been reported. However, these methods were conducted in large-scale stainless-steel reactors, and few included an in situ study regarding the dissolution mechanism of HOCs in HCW during the solubility determination process. In this study, a fused silica capillary reactor in combination with Raman spectroscopy was applied to investigate phase changes, determine the solubility, and study the dissolution mechanism of 1,2-dichlorobenzene in HCW. The total dissolution process of 1,2-dichlorobenzene in HCW was observed under a microscope, and the images were recorded continuously using a digital camera. Raman spectroscopy was used to confirm the homogeneity of the 1,2-dichlorobenzene solution during dissolution. The solubility of 1,2-dichlorobenzene increased from 35.9 to 85.7 mg g−1 in water with increasing temperature from 256.7 to 294.1 °C. Furthermore, the dissolution mechanism of 1,2-dichlorobenzene in HCW is proposed based on the Raman spectra of 1,2-dichlorobenzene and water during the dissolution process in the fused silica capillary reactor. The breakage of the fully hydrogen-bonded (tetrahedral) configuration and the consequent change in the static dielectric constant of water are deemed to be compelling reasons for the high solubility of 1,2-dichlorobenzene in HCW. Our experimental method exhibits great potential for determining the solubility of HOCs in HCW and for investigating their dissolution behavior and dissolution mechanism at elevated pressure and temperature conditions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An ontology based package design system is proposed in fresh e-commerce logistics. • The system is defined in semantic ontologies to achieve package recommendation. • A real-life case from company JY shows the practicality of the proposed system. Package design for mass order is becoming one of the significant issues to influent package quality in fresh e-commerce logistics. However, the package schemes of fresh products remain challenging, due to various fresh products storage and delivery requirements, and complex environment temperature in a long express distance. This paper proposes a package design system in fresh e-commerce logistics to address these challenges. More specifically, the package scheme design is defined in semantic ontologies with three steps such as order identification, package scheme design based on identification and box type recommendation. The intelligent package system standardizes the information flow in fresh e-commerce logistics, as well as shortens the package information processing time. A real-life case study from company JY is conducted involving stages from customer information collection to order delivery. The case demonstrates the working mechanism and system implementation in terms of rationalized work activities and quantitative improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative disease in joints among elderly patients. Senescence is deeply involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Metformin is widely used as the first-line drug for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and has great potential for the treatment of other aging-related disorders, including OA. However, the role of metformin in OA is not fully elucidated. Therefore, our aim here was to investigate the effects of metformin on human chondrocytes. Methods: After metformin treatment, expression level of microRNA-34a and SIRT1 in chondrocyte were detected with quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence staining. Then, microRNA-34a mimic and small interfering RNA (siRNA) against SIRT1 (siRNA-SIRT1) were transfected into chondrocyte. Senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining was performed to assess chondrocyte senescence. Chondrocyte viability was illustrated with MTT and colony formation assays. Western blot was conducted to detect the expression of P16, IL-6, matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), Collagen type II (COL2A1) and Aggrecan (ACAN). Results: We found that metformin treatment (1 mM) inhibited microRNA-34a while promoted SIRT1 expression in OA chondrocytes. Both miR-34a mimics and siRNA against SIRT1 inhibited SIRT1 expression in chondrocytes. SA-β-gal staining assay confirmed that metformin reduced SA-β-gal-positive rate of chondrocytes, while transfection with miR-34a mimics or siRNA-SIRT1 reversed it. MTT assay and colony formation assay showed that metformin accelerated chondrocyte proliferation, while miR-34a mimics or siRNA-SIRT1 weakened this effect. Furthermore, results from western blot demonstrated that metformin suppressed expression of senescence-associated protein P16, proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 and catabolic gene MMP-13 while elevated expression of anabolic proteins such as Collagen type II and Aggrecan, which could be attenuated by transfection with miR-34a mimics. Conclusion: Overall, our data suggest that metformin regulates chondrocyte senescence and proliferation through microRNA-34a/SIRT1 pathway, indicating it could be a novel strategy for OA treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Acute sports fatigue impairs athletes' performance and causes other health issues; therefore, an effective method of relieving acute sports fatigue is being researched. Objective: The present study was envisaged to evaluate the effect of electric auto-massage therapy and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitated (PNF) stretching method on the recovery of acute exercise fatigue using the heart rate variability-based multi-physiological index and RPE scale, and to explore the underlying principle and mechanism. METHOD: Sixty volunteers were divided into the stretching group, massage group and control group (20 subjects each) using the complete randomization method. The massage group chose the kneading, pressing, tapping and patting techniques using the intelligent massage chair to intervene on the volunteers, the stretching group chose the PNF stretching method to intervene on the volunteers, while the control group did not adopt any of these techniques. The Rating Of Perceived Exertion (RPE) score, heart rate (HR), grip strength, skin electrical activity, heart rate variability (HRV) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO 2) of the three groups were recorded before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the values of heart rate variability (HRV) in the three groups (P > 0.05), while after the intervention, there was a statistically significant difference between the values of heart rate variability – low frequency/high frequency (HRV (LF/HF)) and HRV (HF) in the three groups as: HRV (HF): η H 2 = 0.10; P = 0.022; HRV (LF/HF): η H 2 = 0.44; P = 0.001. The results indicated that the different intervention methods presented substantial effects on the values of HRV (HF) and HRV (LF/HF) in the volunteers. The HRV (HF) values of massage group, stretching group and control group were compared, and the difference between the massage group and control group was statistically significant (P = 0.019). Further, the HRV (HF) values of massage group rose more significantly than control group after the intervention, and the difference between HRV (HF) values of massage group and stretching group was not statistically significant. When comparing the HRV (LF/HF) values of massage group, stretching group and control group, the differences between the massage group and stretching group and control group were statistically significant (P = 0.001, P < 0.05), and it was observed that the HRV (LF/HF) values of massage group decreased more significantly than those of stretching group and control group after the intervention. The difference in HRV (LF) values between the three groups after the intervention was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: 1. It was observed that the electric automatic massage therapy played a vital role in the rapid relief of exercise fatigue by soothing and regulating the human phototropic system, reducing vagal tone, and accelerating the excretion of metabolites; while PNF stretching relieved the exercise fatigue by providing physical and verbal communication to transfer the perception of fatigue, and by promoting the excretion of metabolites through muscle isometric contraction. 2. The effect of electric auto-massage therapy was marginally stronger than the commonly used PNF stretching exercise method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solubility of 4-chlorotoluene in subcritical water was measured using an optically transparent fused silica capillary reactor (FSCR). The total dissolution temperature of 4-chlorotoluene in subcritical water was visually determined. The dissolution uniformity of 4-chlorotoluene in subcritical water was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. The solubility of 4-chlorotoluene linearly increased with increasing temperature in the range 262.3–293.8 °C. The dissolution mechanism of 4-chlorotoluene in subcritical water is proposed based on the Raman spectra of 4-chlorotoluene and water during the dissolution process in the FSCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CSWO of M−NA and nitrogen conversion by CuCo 2 O 4 catalyst was investigated. • Degradation pathways and nitrogen migration mechanism of M−NA were proposed. • Elevate temperature can promote NO 3 – to NO 2 –, resulting in NH 4 + with NO 2 – to form N 2. • CuCo 2 O 4 catalyzing the reaction of ·NO 2 with ·NH 4 , hastening N 2 generation. • CuCo 2 O 4 may induce a reaction between the nitro and amino groups on M−NA to form N 2. Catalytic subcritical water oxidation (CSWO) of M−nitroaniline (M−NA) was investigated in a fused quartz tube reactor (FQTR) to determine the effects of reaction parameters on M−NA mineralization rate, total nitrogen (TN) removal rate and nitrogen-containing products distribution. The results indicated that the TN removal rate was only 26.36 % at 200 °C, 200 % excess oxidant and 15 min residence time, while the TN removal rate reached 67.83 % at 360 °C in SWO of M−NA. Compared with SWO of M−NA, the mineralization rate and TN removal rate of CSWO of M−NA increased by about 10 % and 17.83 %, respectively. The main reason is mainly attributed to CuCo 2 O 4 catalyzing the preferential reaction of ·NO 2 with ·NH 4 , hastening N 2 generation. Alternatively, the CuCo 2 O 4 catalyst may induce a direct reaction between the nitro and amino groups on M−NA within the benzene ring to form N 2. Moreover, degradation pathways and nitrogen migration mechanism of M−NA under SWO/CSWO conditions were proposed. These crucial findings are expected to guide the development of environmentally sustainable catalytic technologies towards addressing significant water pollution challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SDGs are subjected to catalytic gasification to produce hydrogen-rich synthesis gas. • MWP improves gasification activity and hydrogen production. • RM improves the damage effect of MWP on the physical structure of SDGs. • MWP and RM catalysis have a synergistic effect on the catalytic gasification of SDGs. Steam gasification of spirit-based distillers' grains (SDGs) was performed in a fixed-bed reactor under different microwave pretreatment (MWP) approaches with or without addition of red mud (RM). The effects of MWP on the gasification rate, total gas yield, H 2 /CO, and gasification mechanism of action were investigated. The results showed that RM could enhance the effect of MWP. The gasification rate, total gas yield and H 2 /CO increased by 21.29%, 8.23% and 16.08%, respectively. In addition, RM and MWP had a synergistic effect on the catalytic gasification reaction. This was because MWP disrupted the complete ordered surface structure of the SDGs, allowing a large number of inherent alkali and alkaline earth metal ions to dissolve onto the surface and combine with the catalytically active material in RM to form a uniformly dispersed bimetallic catalyst. The catalytic mechanism consisted of an active-site catalytic mechanism and a bimetallic synergistic catalytic mechanism. Therefore, the combination of MWP and SDGs steam gasification is a promising, clean, efficient hydrogen-rich synthesis gas technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to research the seismic performance of RC frames filled with Y-steel brace, three one-bay two-story specimens of one half scale were tested under low cycle reversed loading. Failure mechanism, hysteretic behavior, ductility, rigidity degeneration and energy-dissipation of specimen were analyzed. Experimental studies and analysis show that the use of Y-steel brace for reinforcement of RC frame is rational and feasible, and most of the lateral load of structure resisted by Y-steel brace and the beam-column nodes of RC frames is rarely damaged. The joint of link and concrete beam is not damage and the panel joint details are reasonable. The failure of Y-steel brace causes the structure failure. Hysteretic curves of load-lateral drift ratio of specimen have a certain degree of pinching at initial loading stage and hysteretic curves of specimens become relative plump after link yields. The hysteretic curves of load-story lateral drift ratio of the second floor are plumper than the first floor and the lateral deformation of the second floor is larger than the first floor. The existence of the floor increases the stiffness of the frame beams, reducing the cracks of the beam. The constructional details of nodes has little effect on lateral stiffness and has great influence on the deformation capacity of structure. The stiffness degradation degree should be considered when retrofitting earthquake damaged RC frame structures. Design method of Y-steel brace is presented based on the test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermogravimetric kinetics and pyrolytic tri-state products analyses towards insights into understanding the pyrolysis mechanism of Spirulina platensis with calcium oxide were investigated using a thermogravimetric analyzer and a fixed bed reactor, respectively. The pyrolysis kinetics were studied by Friedman method and results indicated that the f (α)=(1- α)4 with A 0 = 1.99E+10s−1 and f (α) = − 1 / l n (1 − α) with A 0 = 8.33E+11s−1 were suitable for Spirulina platensis and Spirulina platensis + CaO (stage II) pyrolysis, respectively. According to pyrolysis behaviors and kinetics analyzed, the potential reaction behaviors of CaO during the pyrolysis of Spirulina platensis were explored. Spirulina platensis pyrolytic tri-state products analyzed indicated that, when CaO as additive, the gas yield markedly increased with more H 2 , CO content and less CO 2 content and the bio-oil yield significantly decreased. Moreover, the contents of aromatic compounds, aliphatic compounds, phenols and ketons obviously increased in bio-oil with the appreciably decreased in the contents of esters, N -containing compounds, O-containing compounds and acids. Based on the evolutionary mechanism of CaO and pyrolytic tri-state products, the pyrolysis mechanism of Spirulina platensis with calcium oxide was proposed. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Decomposition of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) in hot compressed water, with or without an oxidizer, was studied using an optically transparent anti-corrosive fused silica capillary reactor (FSCR), and Raman spectroscopy. The phase behavior of TCA in water during hydrolysis/oxidation was observed continuously under a microscope and recorded with a digital-camera/recording system, A new phase behavior of TCA was found in the presence of excess H2O2; TCA was first gasified during heating, followed by liquefaction under increasing internal pressure as a result of the formation of O2 from the decomposition of H2O2, and subsequently gasified again during further heating up to 400°C. The gaseous products of TCA oxidation in hot compressed water were monitored quantitatively and qualitatively using Raman spectroscopy. The effects of the operating parameters, namely the stoichiometric amount of oxidizer, temperature, and reaction time, were investigated. In our experiments, it was found that 100% CO2 yield was achieved with a 175% stoichiometric amount of H2O2 at 420°C after 360s. Temperature plays a key role in the decomposition of TCA and the formation of CO2 in the supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) process. Based on our results, a reaction mechanism for TCA decomposition in hot compressed water was proposed. The global reaction kinetics showed that the formation of CO2 in the SCWO of TCA was a first-order reaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A series of N-sulfonyl-3,7-dioxo-5β-cholan-24-amides, ursodeoxycholic acid derivatives, have been designed and synthesized in nine steps starting from ursodeoxycholic acid. The in vitro antitumor activity of the target compounds has been evaluated against HCT-116, MCF-7, K562, and SGC-7901 cell lines. The pharmacological results showed that most of the prepared compounds display excellent selective cytotoxicity toward HCT-116, MCF-7, and K562 cell lines. Particularly, compounds 10c, 10f and 10g show high inhibitory activity on these human cancer cell lines (IC50: 2.39–9.34μM). Conversely, all compounds are generally inactive against SGC-7901, with only 10b having IC50 below 50μM. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • The diffusion of H atom in the Fe 3 Ni structure was suppressed and didn't diffuse until the temperature increased up to 950 K. • The high diffusion energy barrier of H atom in the Fe 3 Ni structure is probably due to a denser packing compared to bcc Fe. • Doping Ni in alloys may be an effective approach to suppress the hydrogen diffusion. Hydrogen embrittlement has been a major obstacle for the application of hydrogen energy. To understand hydrogen embrittlement, it's important to study the hydrogen diffusion behavior in steel. In the present work, first-principles calculations were performed to investigate the hydrogen diffusion in Ni doped iron structures. The results showed that doping Ni in the iron structure can suppress the hydrogen diffusion. From the charge transfer analysis, the H atom acted as an electron acceptor in the Fe 3 Ni structure. The denser packed structure with stronger Fe-Ni bond compared to the Fe-Fe bond leads to an increased hydrogen diffusion energy barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raman spectroscopy is a nondestructive and in situ analytical technique that could provide information on the chemical structure and structural ordering of carbonaceous materials. Based on the E2g symmetric stretching vibration mode in the aromatic layers (G band, ~1,580 cm−1) and the defect structure in graphite (D band, ~1,350 cm−1), Raman spectroscopy has been used extensively to characterize the structural features of carbonaceous matters since 1970. Coal is a complex organic compound made up mainly by carbon showing characteristic Raman bands. This article reviews the application of Raman spectroscopy for coal structure characterization under room temperature, to determine its chemical structure, crystallite size, coal rank, and combustion reactivity. Future research for collecting Raman spectra during coal pyrolysis at high temperatures is also discussed. The combination of high‐temperature hot stage with Raman spectroscopy technology allows direct collection of Raman spectra at high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CO 2 absorption into biphasic solvent follows a two-stage interaction mechanism. • The two-stage interaction mechanism was verified by quantum calculation. • The first (second) stage was controlled by kinetics (thermodynamics). • Lean loading should be selected at first stage to achieve a low heat duty. The CO 2 capture capabilities of amine-based biphasic solvents have been extensively investigated. However, the mechanism of CO 2 absorption into the biphasic solvents has not been adequately examined, even if it is very important for the solvent screening, composition optimization, efficiency improvement and heat duty reduction. In this work, a two-stage interaction mechanism is proposed through CO 2 absorption performance, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, and quantum calculation. The experimental results and quantum calculation revealed that the shift of the absorption mechanism depended on the active amine group in the biphasic solvents. In the first stage, for a high concentration of the active amine group, a proton was transferred from zwitterion to tertiary amines with the primary amines as intermediates. The CO 2 absorption rate was controlled by reaction kinetics, which resulted in a high absorption rate and inconspicuous phase change. In the second stage, for a low concentration of the active amine group, the thermodynamics-controlled absorption rate decreased sharply (by 65.2% for 1,4-butanediamine/N,N-dimethylcyclohexylamine) because the proton transferred from zwitterion to tertiary amines directly. Kinetic analysis revealed that, with an increase in the temperature from 298 to 333 K, the reaction rate constants increased by 285–362% at the first stage. However, the equilibrium constants decreased by 17.7–21.3% at the second stage. Taking both the kinetics and energy penalty into account, the triethylenetetramine/N,N-dimethylcyclohexylamine solution with a lean loading of 0.4 mol mol−1 is promising to achieve the high absorption rate and low-energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ascertain the reaction variables on o -chloroaniline (o -ClA) mineralization, total nitrogen (TN) removal rate, and N-species distribution, o -ClA was subjected to catalytic supercritical water oxidation (CSCWO) in a fused quartz tube reactor (FQTR). The findings demonstrated that when the temperature, reaction time, and excess oxidant were 400 °C, 90 min, and 150%, respectively, the mineralization rate of o -ClA could reach more than 95%. Moreover, potential degradation pathways of o -ClA in supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) was proposed according to the GC-MS results. TN removal rate is significantly impacted by Ru/rGO, despite the fact that its catalytic effect on the mineralization of o -ClA was not particularly noteworthy. Compared with no catalyst, the TN removal rate of o -ClA obviously increased from 44.1% to 90.3% at 400 °C, 10 wt% Ru loading, 90 min and 200% excess oxidant. In addition, N-species distribution in SCWO and CSCWO were also investigated. Results indicated that the Ru/rGO catalyst could accelerate the oxidation of ammonia-N and convert it to nitrate-N, promoting N 2 generation. Finally, the possible N transformation pathway in CSCWO of o -ClA was proposed. As a result, this work offers fundamental information about o -ClA catalytic oxidation removal in the SCWO process. [Display omitted] • CSCWO of o -ClA was investigated in a FQTR coupled with Raman spectroscopy system. • The potential degradation pathways of o -ClA in SCWO was proposed. • Ru/rGO has a significant effect on the removal rate of TN. • Ru/rGO accelerate the oxidation of ammonia-N to nitrate-N, promoting N 2 generation. • Possible nitrogen transformation pathway in CSCWO of o -ClA was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, realizing high-quality automatic welding through online monitoring is a research focus in engineering applications. In this paper, a CNN–LSTM algorithm is proposed, which combines the advantages of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and long short-term memory networks (LSTMs). The CNN–LSTM algorithm establishes a shallow CNN to extract the primary features of the molten pool image. Then the feature tensor extracted by the CNN is transformed into the feature matrix. Finally, the rows of the feature matrix are fed into the LSTM network for feature fusion. This process realizes the implicit mapping from molten pool images to welding defects. The test results on the self-made molten pool image dataset show that CNN contributes to the overall feasibility of the CNN–LSTM algorithm and LSTM network is the most superior in the feature hybrid stage. The algorithm converges at 300 epochs and the accuracy of defects detection in CO2 welding molten pool is 94%. The processing time of a single image is 0.067 ms, which fully meets the real-time monitoring requirement based on molten pool image. The experimental results on the MNIST and FashionMNIST datasets show that the algorithm is universal and can be used for similar image recognition and classification tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The adsorption of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-type ionic liquids (ITILs) coupled with different counteranions (Tf 2 N−, PF 6 −, BF 4 −, and Cl−) with variational cation alkyl chain lengths (n = 2, 4, 6, and 8) to montmorillonite was investigated to explore the structural effect of ITILs on their adsorption. A series of montmorillonite with different cation exchange capacities (CECs) and possessing a set of homoionic K- and Cs-exchanged interlayer cations were also examined to assess the influence of montmorillonite structure and characteristics. The adsorption of ITILs to Na-saturated montmorillonite (Na-MAz) was counteranion-independent but increased with the increase in the alkyl chain length of the imidazolium cation. X-ray diffraction results indicated that ITIL cations with different alkyl chains lay flat between the montmorillonite interlayers with different contact angles. The uptake of ITILs by Na-MAz increased with the increase in the solution pH and decrease in ionic strength. Na-MAz exhibited greater adsorption than K- and Cs-saturated MAz due to the larger hydrated radii of Na+ than those of K+ and Cs+. The uptake of ITILs to Na-MZj (CEC = 64 mmol/100 g) was almost half compared with that of Na-MAz (CEC = 117 mmol/100 g). Consequently, this work demonstrated that the ITIL adsorption to montmorillonite was dependent on the structures of both adsorbate and adsorbent. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • ITILs adsorption to Na-montmorillonite is counteranion-independent. • ITILs uptake is proportional to the C number of alkyl chain of imidazolium cation. • Na-montmorillonite shows higher ITILs adsorption than K- and Cs-montmorillonite. • Na-montmorillonite with higher CEC exhibits greater ITILs adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nanoplastics (NPs) have been identified as newly emerging particulate contaminants. In marine environments, the interaction between NPs and other engineered nanoparticles remains unknown. This study investigated the cotransport of NPs with fullerene (C 60) in seawater-saturated columns packed with natural sand as affected by the mass concentration ratio of NPs/C 60 and the hydrochemical characteristics. In seawater with 35 practical salinity units (PSU), NPs could remarkably enhance C 60 dispersion with a NPs/C 60 ratio of 1. NPs behaved as a vehicle to facilitate C 60 transport by decreasing colloidal ζ-potential and forming stable primary heteroaggregates. As the NPs/C 60 ratio decreased to 1/3, NPs mobility was progressively restrained because of the formation of large secondary aggregates. When the ratio continuously decreased to 1/10, the stability and transport of colloids were governed by C 60 rather than NPs. Under this condition, the transport trend of binary suspensions was similar to that of single C 60 suspension, which was characterized by a ripening phenomenon. Seawater salinity is another key factor affecting the stability and associated transport of NPs and C 60. In seawater with 3.5 PSU, NPs and C 60 (1:1) in binary suspension exhibited colloidal dispersion, which was driven by a high-energy barrier. Thus, the profiles of the cotransport and retention of NPs/C 60 resembled those of single NPs suspension. This work demonstrated that the cotransport of NPs/C 60 strongly depended on their mass concentration ratios and seawater salinity. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • NPs-C 60 interaction relies on their mass ratio and the seawater salinity. • NPs could remarkably enhance C 60 dispersion at the NPs/C 60 ratio of 1. • NPs behave as a vehicle to facilitate C 60 transport at the NPs/C 60 ratio of 1. • C 60 inhibits NPs transport at the NPs/C 60 ratio of 1/10. • NPs and C 60 could form heteroaggregates at 35 PSU seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-destructive testing of welds based on the radiographic image is crucial for improving the reliability of aerospace structural components. The deep learning method represented by the convolutional neural network (CNN) has received extensive attention in welding radiographic image recognition (WRIR) owing to its powerful feature adaptive extraction ability. However, CNN-based WRIR faces key challenges of small sample size and poor explainability. Inspired by the process of interpreting radiographic film by experts, expert knowledge-empowered CNN for WRIR is proposed. Two self-supervised learning (SSL) tasks for radiographic image deblurring and brightness adjustment are designed to model expert experience. The expert knowledge learned from the SSL process is used to guide the CNN to identify weld defects. The results show that the proposed method improves the inductive bias of the CNN model, owns a faster convergence speed and recognition accuracy under the condition of small sample size, and reaches 97.65% of the comprehensive evaluation index F1-score. Moreover, the expert knowledge learned from the SSL process and the decision-making basis of the CNN model are visualized from both global and local aspects, which improve the explainability of CNN-based WRIR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal treatment of renewable biomass and organic waste using supercritical water (SCW) is a sustainable, green, and efficient route for achieving energy recovery, chemicals production, and harmless treatment. The reactor is undoubtedly the central arena where various SCW reactions perform. This review is the first to focus on the special topic, i.e., SCW reactors for biomass conversion and waste treatment. All reported reactors have been classified into three groups to discuss their individual merits and demerits, with a particular focus on their advanced aspects, to minimize or overcome their inherent technical problems (corrosion, plugging, safety issues, poor accessibility, and high energy cost). The first group—metallic reactors—includes tank and tube reactors. These are the most commonly used reactors for diverse SCW processes, and can be operated in three modes: batch, semi-batch, and continuous. The second group includes visual reactors, which are the most attractive experimental devices for SCW processes because they enable visual observation and in situ optical detection. These include X-ray/neutron-radiography-based reactors, the diamond anvil cell, sapphire window reactor, fused silica/quartz capillary reactors, and analogous transparent reactors. The last group includes specially designed reactors for different SCW processes geared toward industrial applications, such as reactors for SCW-based hydrolysis, upgrading, gasification, and oxidation. This review provides comprehensive information for the non-expert reader to select a suitable experimental device for fundamental research and discusses diverse advanced concepts for the development of industrial reactors. [Display omitted] • Three categories and 26 subtypes of SCW reactors are comprehensively reviewed. • Metallic tank and tube reactors are universal, reliable, and inexpensive. • Visual reactors enable visual observation and in situ optical detection. • Specially designed reactors are focused on treating real waste and biomass. • Six advanced conceptual recommendations are provided for industrial reactor design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the rapid growth of global population and economic activity, sewage sludge management is a global conundrum. Conventional landfilling and land-farming of sewage sludge receives increasing critiques due to the negative impacts on environmental sustainability and economic viability. Recently, the thermochemical conversion processes have attracted more and more attentions in sewage sludge treatment, which aims to reduce the volume of sewage sludge and recover of value-added energy and materials. However, the thermochemical conversion involves multiple processes and usually requires a high temperature, which brings many challenges to the large-scale application. Therefore, comprehensive reviews of thermochemical conversion of sewage sludge towards enhanced value-added energy and materials recovery is conducted. Firstly, the composition of sewage sludge and its recovery potential are briefly introduced. Then, a unique analysis of thermochemical conversion of sewage sludge towards value-added energy and materials recovery is elucidated with a focus on the challenges. Ideally, approaches for further sewage sludge management should allow achieving both environmental and economic sustainability. In this instance, varied value-added energy (e.g., thermal energy, combustible gases, H 2 -rich gas, and bio-oils) and materials (e.g., biochar-based functional materials and ash to value-added materials) recovery from sewage sludge are analyzed. Meanwhile, the environmental assessment of thermochemical conversion technologies is evaluated. The further perspectives and recommendations are also outlined. These insights provide further perspectives and recommendations for enhanced sewage sludge management. [Display omitted] • Turning sewage sludge to energy and materials via thermochemical towards carbon neutrality. • Challenges in thermochemical conversion of sewage sludge are assessed. • Energy and materials recovery from sewage sludge via thermochemical conversion are elucidated. • Future perspectives and recommendations for enhanced sewage sludge management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]