Search

The Kuroshio Extension (KE) System exhibits highly energetic mesoscale phenomena, but the impact of mesoscale eddies on marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycling is not well understood. This study utilizes remote sensing and Argo floats to investigate how eddies modify surface and subsurface chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations. On average, cyclones (anticyclones) induce positive (negative) surface Chl-a anomalies, particularly in winter. This occurs because cyclones (anticyclones) lift (deepen) isopycnals and nitrate into (out of) the euphotic zone, stimulating (depressing) the growth of phytoplankton. Consequently, cyclones (anticyclones) result in greater (smaller) subsurface Chl-a maximum (SCM), depth-integrated Chl-a, and depth-integrated nitrate. The positive (negative) surface Chl-a anomalies induced by cyclones (anticyclones) are mainly located near (north of) the main axis of the KE. The second and third mode represent monopole Chl-a patterns within eddy centers corresponding to either positive or negative anomalies, depending on the sign of the principal component. Chl-a concentrations in cyclones (anticyclones) above the SCM layer are higher (lower) than the edge values, while those below are lower (higher), regardless of winter variations. The vertical distributions and displacements of Chl-a and SCM depth are associated with eddy pumping. In terms of frequency, negative (positive) Chl-a anomalies account for approximately 26% (18%) of the total cyclones (anticyclones) across all four seasons. The opposite phase suggests that nutrient supply resulting from stratification differences under convective mixing may contribute to negative (positive) Chl-a anomalies in cyclone (anticyclone) cores. Additionally, the opposite phase can also be attributed to eddy stirring, trapping high and low Chl-a, and/or eddy Ekman pumping. Based on OFES outputs, the seasonal variation of nitrate from winter to summer primarily depends on the effect of vertical mixing, indicating that convective mixing processes contribute to an increase (decrease) in nutrients during winter (summer) over the KE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on solving a distributed convex aggregative optimization problem in a network, where each agent has its own cost function which depends not only on its own decision variables but also on the aggregated function of all agents' decision variables. The decision variable is constrained within a feasible set. In order to minimize the sum of the cost functions when each agent only knows its local cost function, we propose a distributed Frank–Wolfe algorithm based on gradient tracking for the aggregative optimization problem where each node maintains two estimates, namely an estimate of the sum of agents' decision variable and an estimate of the gradient of global function. The algorithm is projection‐free, but only involves solving a linear optimization to get a search direction at each step. We show the convergence of the proposed algorithm for convex and smooth objective functions over a time‐varying network. Finally, we demonstrate the convergence and computational efficiency of the proposed algorithm via numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though amino acid derivatives are always used as the building blocks to construct gels in supramolecular chemistry, there is still no report about N-alpha-Fmoc-L-valine (Fmoc-V) hydrogel induced by metal ions. Herein, a novel green Fmoc-V hydrogel with stimuli responsiveness was reported. A total of eight metal ions are applied to fabricate gels, but only Zn2+ and Cu2+ can induce Fmoc-V hydrogel formation. The formation of Fmoc-V hydrogel is verified by rheometer detection. FT-IR, UV–vis, and SAXS detections are used to study the formation mechanism of Fmoc-V hydrogel, implying hydrogen bond, metal–ligand, and π-π stacking interactions are the driving forces to gel formation. Moreover, this novel green hydrogel with high electrical conductivity performs multiple stimulus responsiveness to temperature, metal ion, and acid, illustrating its great potential applications in various areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research has been conducted on the development of high-rate and cyclic stability anodes for lithium batteries (LIBs) due to their high energy density. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) with layered structure has garnered significant interest due to its exceptional theoretic Li+ storage behavior as anodes (670 mA h g−1). However, achieving a high rate and long cyclic life of anode materials remains a challenge. Herein, we designed and synthesized a free-standing carbon nanotubes-graphene (CGF) foam, then presented a facile strategy to fabricate the MoS2-coated CGF self-assembly anodes with different MoS2 distributions. Such binder-free electrode possesses the advantages of both MoS2 and graphene-based materials. Through rational regulation of the ratio of MoS2, the MoS2-coated CGF with uniformly distributed MoS2 exhibits a nano pinecone-squama-like structure that can accommodate the large volume change during the cycle process, thereby significantly enhancing the cycling stability (417 mA h g−1 after 1000 cycles), ideal rate performance, and high pseudocapacitive behavior (with a 76.6% contribution at 1 mV s−1). Such a neat nano-pinecone structure can effectively coordinate MoS2 and carbon framework, providing valuable insights for the construction of advanced anode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guar gum (GG) fracturing fluid is frequently used in the field of enhanced oil recovery. GG fracturing fluids must have increased the temperature resistance and salt tolerance due to the complexity of drilled formations. In this study, the cationic guar gum (GG-GTA) samples for fracturing fluids were successfully synthesized, which can even resist 120 °C. It can be directly prepared by formation water, even sea water. Besides hydrogen bonds and covalent bonds, the additional cationic groups can strengthen the network even more in the GG-GTA fracturing fluids, which is why the GG-GTA fracturing fluids had stronger rheological properties than the GG fracturing fluids. The GG-GTA fracturing fluids performed well in terms of temperature resistance, salt tolerance, pressure resistance, and proppant carrying capacity. In addition, the GG-GTA gel-breaking caused little damage to core permeability because it exhibited low viscosity, interfacial tension, and surface tension. These results provide a solid foundation for the application of GG-GTA fracturing fluids in oilfield production. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new flexible contact structure using the principle of air pressure amplification is proposed to enable better access to information for the blind. First, the structure and working principle of piezoelectric flexible Braille contacts were designed and analyzed, and the theoretical model of air pressure amplification and theoretical expressions were established. Then the gas–solid coupling simulation analysis was carried out using COMSOL Multiphysics software to derive the influencing factors of the system flexible contact amplification and the degree of influence of different gases on the contact output displacement, and the structure of flexible Braille contacts was tested experimentally. The experimental results show that when the diameter of the air cavity is 24 mm, the height of the cavity is 6 mm, the thickness of the flexible film is 0.1 mm, the contact height is 2 mm, the input voltage is 135 V, the resonance frequency reaches 196.5 Hz, the maximum output displacement of the piezoelectric flexible Braille contact is 0.286 mm, and the point display effect of the Braille contact is more significant, which verifies the feasibility of the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a less invasive treatment than surgery for severe aortic stenosis. However, its use is restricted by the fact that many patients eventually require permanent pacemaker implantation (PPMI). This meta‐analysis was performed to identify predictors of post‐TAVR PPMI. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched. Relevant studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in the pooling analysis after quality assessment. Results: After pooling 67 studies on post‐TAVR PPMI risk in 97,294 patients, balloon‐expandable valve use was negatively correlated with PPMI risk compared with self‐expandable valve (SEV) use (odds ratio [OR]: 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.37–0.53). Meta‐regression analysis revealed that history of coronary artery bypass grafting and higher Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) risk score increased the risk of PPMI with SEV utilization. Patients with pre‐existing cardiac conduction abnormalities in 28 pooled studies also had a higher risk of PPMI (OR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.90–2.86). Right bundle branch block (OR: 5.2, 95% CI: 4.37–6.18) and first‐degree atrioventricular block (OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.38–2.79) also increased PPMI risk. Although the trans‐femoral approach was positively correlated with PPMI risk, the trans‐apical pathway showed no statistical difference to the trans‐femoral pathway. The approach did not increase PPMI risk in patients with STS scores >8. Patient‐prosthesis mismatch did not influence post‐TAVR PPMI risk (OR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.67–1.16). We also analyzed implantation depth and found no difference between patients with PPMI after TAVR and those without. Conclusions: SEV selection, pre‐existing cardiac conduction abnormality, and trans‐femoral pathway selection are positively correlated with PPMI after TAVR. Pre‐existing left bundle branch block, patient‐prosthesis mismatch, and implantation depth did not affect the risk of PPMI after TAVR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigate a class of stochastic aggregative games, where each player has an expectation-valued objective function depending on its local strategy and the aggregate of all players' strategies. We propose a distributed algorithm with operator extrapolation to search for the Nash equilibrium, in which each player maintains an estimate of this aggregate by exchanging this information with its neighbors over a time-varying network, and updates its equilibrium estimate through the mirror descent method. Specially, we embed an operator extrapolation utilizing two step historical gradient samples at the search direction so as to accelerate the convergence. Under the generalized strongly monotone assumption characterized by the Bregman's distance on the pseudo-gradient mapping, we prove that the proposed algorithm can achieve the optimal convergence rate O (1 / k) in terms of the expected Bregman distance to the Nash equilibrium. Finally, the algorithm performance is demonstrated via numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of reservoir conditions puts forward higher requirements for drilling fluid performance. The existing water-based drilling fluids (WBFDs) are difficult to meet the requirements at high temperature reservoirs. Oil-based drilling fluids (OBDFs) are suitable for deep and ultra-deep wells because of its good temperature resistant. In this paper, the plastic viscosity (PV), apparent viscosity (AV), yield point (YP), dynamic shear ratio, filtration loss (FL) and other properties are measured to investigate the type and concentration of bentonite, emulsifier, filtration reducer, wetting agent, and barite in the OBDF. The final formula of the OBDF is: No. 5 white oil + 4% sodium dodecyl-benzenesulfonate (SDBS) + 5% bentonite + 4% 180°C oxidized asphalt powder + 10% Tween-80 + 1.5% BaSO4. The PV, AV, and YP of No. 5 white OBDF increase by 22.4%, 17.0%, and 12.8% respectively, also the demulsification voltage can keep above 2000 V after aging at 220°C for 24 h. Compared with the drilling fluid used in Shanxi Oilfield, the properties of the No. 5 white OBDF have greatly improved the properties. The No. 5 white OBDF preparation provides new ideas for the development of OBDFs with good temperature resistant and environmental feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to prepare materials with controllable properties, changeable microstructure, and high viscoelasticity solution with low polymer and surfactant concentration, a composite is constituted by adding surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) to hydrophobically associated water‐soluble polymer (abbreviated as PAAC) solution. The viscoelasticity, aggregate microstructure, and interaction mechanism of the composite are investigated by rheometery, Cryo‐transmission electron microscopy (Cryo‐TEM), and fluorescence spectrum. The results show that when the mass ratio of polymer to surfactant is 15:1, the viscosity of the composite reaches the maximum. The viscosity of the composite system increases hundredfold. The viscosity plateau under dynamic shear is generated. The composite has the properties of high viscoelasticity, strong shear thinning behavior, and good salt tolerance, and temperature resistance. The maximum viscosity of the composite is shown at the salinity of 20000 mg L−1. In addition, there is no phase separation in the composite with the increase of polymer and surfactant concentration, which indicates the good stability of the system. It is proposed a method to obtain a high viscoelasticity solution by adding surfactants without wormlike micelles to a hydrophobically associated water‐soluble polymer solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to insufficient muscle strength, a novel rehabilitation mechanism of the shoulder joint exoskeleton is proposed and analyzed based on gear and rack transmission, which solves the problem that stroke patients need repetitive exercise rehabilitation training. First, the range of motion angle of the shoulder joint is determined, and the mechanical structure of shoulder joint rehabilitation is designed. The arc rack is engaged with the output shaft gear of the reducer, and the servo motor is utilized as the driving force to realize the internal/external rotation movement of the shoulder joint. The motor connects the horizontal connecting rod and the rotating rod through the cross roller bearing to realize the abduction/adduction and flexion/extension movement of the shoulder joint. Second, the kinematics and dynamics of the shoulder joint exoskeleton are analyzed, investigated, and verified for the rehabilitation mechanism. The simulation analysis of the mechanism is completed in the virtual prototype. The changes in the joint angle and end trajectory and joint moment with time and angular velocity under the given working conditions are obtained, which directly reflect the movement of each joint of the rehabilitation mechanism. Finally, aiming at the nonlinear disturbance in the trajectory tracking control of the rehabilitation mechanism of the shoulder joint exoskeleton, the trajectory tracking approach of the mechanism is achieved aided with the closed-loop PD iterative learning control method. The results demonstrate that the actual trajectories are in good agreement with the desired trajectories, which can achieve effective tracking and improve the control quality of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The definition of uniformly nonsquareness in Banach spaces is extended to F -normed spaces. Most of the results from this paper concern (uniformly) nonsquareness in the sense of James or in the sense of Schäffer in Orlicz spaces equipped with the Mazur-Orlicz F -norm. It is well known that uniform nonsquareness in the sense of Schäffer and in the sense of James are equivalent in Banach spaces. In this paper, we found that uniform nonsquareness in the sense of James and in the sense of Schäffer are not equivalent for F -normed spaces. Criteria for Orlicz spaces equipped with the Mazur-Orlicz F -norm to be nonsquare and uniformly nonsquare in the sense of James or in the sense of Schäffer are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper ocean responses to the passage of sequential tropical cyclones over the northwestern South China Sea (SCS) in 2011 were investigated using satellite remote sensing data, Argo reanalysis data, and an array of mooring data. We found that the sea surface low temperature region lasted for more than 38 days and two phytoplankton blooms occurred after the passage of sequential tropical cyclones. The upper ocean cooling reached 2–5°C with a right-side bias was observed along the typhoon track to about 200 km. The maintenance of low temperature region and the two phytoplankton blooms were mainly driven by upwelling and near-inertial turbulence mixing induced by the sequential tropical cyclones. The first phytoplankton bloom appeared on the 7th day after the passage of the three tropical cyclones, and the chlorophyll a (chl a) concentration increased by 226%, which may be mainly driven by typhoons induced upwelling. The second phytoplankton bloom occurred on the 30th day, the chl-a concentration increased by 290%. Further analysis suggested that only the typhoons with similar characteristics as Nesat and Nalgae can induce strong near-inertial oscillation (NIO). Strong turbulent mixing associated with the near-inertial baroclinic shear instability lasted for 26 days. The measured mean eddy diffusivity in the upper ocean was above 10−4 m2/s after typhoon Nesat. Enhancement of the turbulent mixing in the upper ocean helped to transport nutrient-rich cold waters from the deep layer to the euphotic layer, and is a major mechanism for the long-term maintenance of low temperature region as well as the second phytoplankton bloom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) causes substantial public health and social problems worldwide. Poly-drug use is common in people with OUD and increases morbidity and mortality. Investigation of the patterns and characteristics of poly-drug use of prescription medicine among opioid users is needed to develop appropriate prevention and intervention strategies. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of poly-drug use of prescription medicine among people with OUD in China using meta-analysis. Methods: We searched relevant epidemiological studies published before February 2017 in English and Chinese databases. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality scale. The pooled prevalences of prescription medicine use among people with OUD were estimated. Results: We included 80 eligible studies in the meta-analysis. The main prescription medicines were benzodiazepines (BZDs) and prescription opioid analgesics. The pooled prevalence of unclassified BZDs and prescription opioids was 40.6% and 23.2%, respectively. Diazepam was the most frequently co-used BZD (32.6%), followed by triazolam (32.1%), and estazolam (9.2%). Tramadol was the most commonly used prescription opioid (27.3%), followed by methadone (16.8%), buprenorphine (12.6%), pethidine (8.9%), morphine (6.5%), dihydroetorphine (3.9%), and codeine-containing cough syrup (3.7%). BZDs were mainly used for self-medication (56.1%), whereas prescription opioids were primarily coused for nonmedical purposes (69.4%). Conclusions: The results demonstrate that prescription medicine use is widespread among opioid users in China. There needs to be more consideration of poly-drug use, and early interventions and management strategies are needed to prevent poly-drug use among opioid users in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent diagnosis of faults in an aero-hydraulic pipeline is important for condition monitoring of its systems. However, there are no more qualitative formulas or feature indicators to describe the faults of aero-hydraulic pipelines because of the complexity and diversity of aero-hydraulic pipeline systems, which leads to a very complex pipeline fault mechanism. In addition, although it is well known that the expression of interpretable and representable pipeline intelligent diagnosis models with pipeline fault characteristics are buried in high background noise and strong noise disturbance conditions in practical industrial scenarios, this has yet to be discussed. Inspired by the demand, this paper proposes a novel diagnosis strategy: the 1D-convolutional space-time fusion strategy for aero-engine hydraulic pipelines. Firstly, by optimizing the convolutional neural network and using it to design a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1DCNN) with a wide input scale to expand the input field of perception, thereby obtaining more comprehensive spatial information of the pipeline data, which can effectively extract richer short sequence features. Secondly, a network of bidirectional gated recurrent Unit (Bi-GRU) is proposed, which integrates a short sequence of high-dimensional features for temporal information fusion, resulting in a certain degree of avoiding memory loss and gradient dispersion caused by the too-large step size. It is demonstrated that, for the noise signal and variable pressure signal, the fault identification accuracy approximated 95.9%, proving the proposed strategy's robustness. By comparing with the other five methods, the proposed strategy has the ability to identify 10 different fault states in the aero-hydraulic pipeline with higher accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the integration of vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films in a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror device, where the actuation is mainly due to the solid-solid phase transition of VO2. The fabrication process described in this paper provides the details that will enable the integration of VO2 thin films at any step during the fabrication of rather complex MEMS devices. The present VO2-based MEMS mirror device is operated electro-thermally through integrated resistive heaters, and its behavior is characterized across the phase transition of VO2, which occurs at a temperature of ~68 °C and spans about 10 °C. The maximum vertical displacement of the mirror platform is 75 \mu \mathrm m and it occurs for an input voltage of 1.1 V. This translates to an average power consumption of 6.5 mW per mirror actuator and a total power consumption of 26.1 mW for the entire device. The studies included in this paper are key for future device improvements and further development of MEMS mirror actuation technology, which could include the use of the hysteresis of VO2 for programming tilting angles in MEMS mirrors. [2016-0016] [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) has been deemed a sustainable technology in simultaneous wastewater resource recovery and reclaimed water production. Membrane fouling is one of the most challenging issues in AnMBRs remaining to be addressed. Rather than emphasizing operational design and performance, a summarization of the existing understandings of temporal-based fouling mechanism in AnMBRs is proposed to render guidance in principle. The fouling development can be chronologically divided into three main stages: pore narrowing, pore-clogging, and gel/cake layer formation. Medium-sized soluble microbial products (SMP), soluble extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and/or small-sized colloids dominate the pore narrowing stage through strong surface interaction of the inner pore walls. Macro-molecular SMP, cell debris, and colloidal EPS mainly lead to complete pore-clogging by membrane-foulant hydrophobic interaction in terms of sieving effect on the membrane and intermediate pore-clogging by intermolecular adhesion forces and hydrodynamic bridging on the first single foulant layer. The gel layer forming stage is mainly attributed to sticky proteins and polysaccharides in EPS, macro-molecular SMP, metal ions, and microbial colloids through the foulant-foulant interaction. Moreover, the cake layer formation stage is mainly ascribed to flocs and solids deposition, microbial biomass, humic substances, inorganic precipitation, and intracellular polymeric foulants through strong solid-liquid adsorptive interaction and/or solid precipitation. Specifically, the electrostatic, hydrophobic, spatial, complexing, adsorptive, and compressive interactions between the membrane and/or foulants are qualitatively discussed in detail for different fouling stages. Finally, the chronological transformation process of the fouling layer and the role of biofouling in the late stage of fouling development in AnMBRs is analyzed. [Display omitted] • The temporal-based fouling development in AnMBRs is elaborated on in detail. • Current research and explanation on fouling development are categorized. • Microfluidic observation can be applied to clarify fouling inside membrane pores. • Interaction forces between foulants and membranes are temporally discussed. • Roles of soluble/colloidal/particulate organic/inorganic/biological foulants discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To efficiently process complex visual scenes, the visual system often summarizes statistical information across individual items and represents them as an ensemble. However, due to the lack of techniques to disentangle the representation of the ensemble from that of the individual items constituting the ensemble, whether there exists a specialized neural mechanism for ensemble processing and how ensemble perception is computed in the brain remain unknown. To address these issues, we used a frequency-tagging EEG approach to track brain responses to periodically updated ensemble sizes. Neural responses tracking the ensemble size were detected in parieto-occipital electrodes, revealing a global and specialized neural mechanism of ensemble size perception. We then used the temporal response function to isolate neural responses to the individual sizes and their interactions. Notably, while the individual sizes and their local and global interactions were encoded in the EEG signals, only the global interaction contributed directly to the ensemble size perception. Finally, distributed attention to the global stimulus pattern enhanced the neural signature of the ensemble size, mainly by modulating the neural representation of the global interaction between all individual sizes. These findings advocate a specialized, global neural mechanism of ensemble size perception and suggest that global interaction between individual items contributes to ensemble perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cuiient training of architectural talents, there are a series of problems, such as separation of teaching, scientific research and production, rigid teaching mode and lack of practice and innovative ability, which make it hard to achieve the goal of training die idealized innovative talents. In order to solve these problems and the confusion of architecture in the cultivation of innovative talents, a production-teaching-research integrated iterative platform was built at die levels of teacher and student In die platform, the 32 modules involving teaching, researching and producing can be linked according to the logical relationship and teaching needs, thus helping the development of teaching by scientific research and production achievements. The teaching system under this kind of mutual assistance has positive significance to the training of innovative talents in architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upper-ocean physical and biochemical responses to sequential tropical cyclones (TCs) Kyarr and Maha in the Arabian Sea (AS) were investigated using data from satellites and Bio-Argo floats. Corresponding to slow and strong sequential TCs, two cooling processes and two short chlorophyll a (chl-a) blooms occurred on the sea surface, separated by 6–7 days, and three cold eddies appeared near the TC paths, with sea surface temperatures dropping more than 6 °C. Phytoplankton blooms occurred near cold eddies e1, e2, and e3, with chl-a concentrations reaching 12.76, 23.09, and 16.51 mg/m3, respectively. The depth-integrated chl-a analysis confirmed that the first chl-a enhancement was related to the redistribution of chl-a associated with TC-induced Ekman pumping and vertical mixing at the base of the mixed layer post-TC Kyarr. The subsequent, more pronounced chl-a bloom occurred due to the net growth of phytoplankton, as nutrient-rich cold waters were brought into the euphotic layer through Ekman pumping, entrainment, and eddy pumping post-TC Maha. Upwelling (vertical mixing) was the dominant process allowing the resupply of nutrients near (on the right side of) the TC path. The results derived from a biogeochemistry model indicated that the chl-a evolution was consistent with the observations recorded on Bio-Argo floats. This study suggests that in sequential TC-induced phytoplankton blooms, the redistribution of chl-a is a major mechanism for the first bloom, when high chl-a concentrations occur in the subsurface layer, whereas the second bloom is fueled by nutrients supplied from the deep layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The thermal-thickening polymer is synthesis by "graft onto" method. • The thickening properties can be designed on demand. • The mechanism of thickening properties is illustrated. The "graft onto" method is used to obtain the "stimuli-responsive water-soluble polymer" with low concentration, where 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride and n-hydroxysulfosuccinimide sodium salt as catalyst and sodium polyacrylate as backbone chain. The molecular structure of the polymer is characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR). The influence of temperature on polymer rheological properties and aggregation is studied by rheometer and fluorescence probe respectively. The results show that when the polymer concentration is higher than 1500 mg/L, the thickening properties can be controlled by diacetoneacrylamide, thermal-responsive monomer, NaCl and polymer concentration, where the apparent viscosity max / viscosity min (η max /η min) changes from 18.3 to 39.4, from 2.6 to 45.5, from 9.3 to 36, from 7.8 to 36.9 respectively and the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) changes from 60 °C to 40 °C. The reason for the polymer with controllable thickening properties is that the thermal-responsive monomers change from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity, thus forming aggregations. At this time, the polymer chains form network structures. Because of controllable thickening properties at low concentration, it has potential application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diameter-dependent luminescence properties for individual ZnO wires were systematically investigated by means of a spatially resolved spectroscopic technique. The two-dimensional photoluminescence (PL) mapping image was presented to show the integrated optical emission properties at each position of the wire. A blue shift of the UV emission peak was directly observed as the diameter gradually decreased from 400 to 100 nm. The two-dimensional PL intensity map of the ultraviolet emitted energy at 3.26 eV for the ZnO wire was shown along the length and width of the wire. The observed results indicate that the PL integrated intensity distribution is not uniform along the wire. The mechanisms of the blue shift and the intensity distributions for the PL spectrum along the wire are proposed based on PL mapping, the Burstein–Moss effect and semiconductor theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a DFT-based Wulff construction of the equilibrium shape of RuO2 particles in an oxygen environment. The obtained intricate variations in the crystal habit with the oxygen chemical potential allow for a detailed discussion of the dependence on the oxidising pretreatment used in recent powder catalyst studies. The analysis specifically indicates an incomplete particle shape equilibration in previously used low-temperature calcination. Equilibrated particles could be active CO oxidation catalysts with long-term stability in oxidising feed and then represent an interesting alternative to the previously suggested core-shell concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the predictive ability of a multi-parametric MRI-based radiomics signature (RS) for the preoperative evaluation of Ki-67 proliferation status in sinonasal malignancies. Methods: A total of 128 patients with sinonasal malignancies that underwent multi-parametric MRIs at two medical centres were retrospectively analysed. Data from one medical centre (n = 77) were used to develop the predictive models and data from the other medical centre (n = 51) constitute the test dataset. Clinical data and conventional MRI findings were reviewed to identify significant predictors. Radiomics features were determined using maximum relevance minimum redundancy and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithms. Subsequently, RSs were established using a logistic regression (LR) algorithm. The predictive performance of RSs was assessed using calibration, decision curve analysis (DCA), accuracy, and AUC. Results: No independent predictors of high Ki-67 proliferation were observed based on clinical data and conventional MRI findings. RS-T1, RS-T2, and RS-T1c (contrast enhancement T1WI) were established based on a single-parametric MRI. RS-Combined (combining T1WI, FS-T2WI, and T1c features) was developed based on multi-parametric MRI and achieved an AUC and accuracy of 0.852 (0.733–0.971) and 86.3%, respectively, on the test dataset. The calibration curve and DCA demonstrated an improved fitness and benefits in clinical practice. Conclusions: A multi-parametric MRI-based RS may be used as a non-invasive, dependable, and accurate tool for preoperative evaluation of the Ki-67 proliferation status to overcome the sampling bias in sinonasal malignancies. Key Points: • Multi-parametric MRI-based radiomics signatures (RSs) are used to preoperatively evaluate the proliferation status of Ki-67 in sinonasal malignancies. • Radiomics features are determined using maximum relevance minimum redundancy (mRMR) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithms. • RSs are established using a logistic regression (LR) algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The direct doping of small Pd cluster on IRMOF-1 and its influence on H2 adsorption were investigated using periodic density functional methods. Our calculations indicate that the Pd cluster prefers to be deposited on the linker. The doped Pd cluster can not only play the important role for dissociating H2 molecules, but also enhance the H interaction with IRMOF-1 by altering its electronic structures. As a result, hydrogen spillover in IRMOF-1 by directly doping Pd catalysts is thermodynamically feasible and the odd numbered H bottlenecks on undoped IRMOF-1 are eliminated. In addition, we discuss a working mechanism for releasing H2 from the chemisorbed states. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

BIO-Argo float (chlorophyll a (Chl-a), temperature, and salinity profiles) and remote sensing data (Chl-a, photosynthetic available radiation (PAR), and wind) located south of the Kuroshio current near Shikoku from September 2018 to May 2019 were used to study phytoplankton bloom and their mechanisms of development in open oceans. Results show that higher (lower) Chl-a concentrations are correlated with a deeper (shallower) mixed layer (RPearson = 0.77, Rcrit = 0.12 (alpha = 0.05, n = 263)) compared to the average of Chl-a and mixed layer depth (0.13 mg/m3 and 105 m). The average net accumulation rates (r) of phytoplankton were close to 0.08 d−1. An increasing r corresponds to a gradually increasing surface Chl-a (S (Chl-a): 0–20 m average Chl-a) and integrated Chl-a inventory (I (Chl-a): integrated Chl-a from surface to euphotic depth). These phenomena indicate that the mechanism of winter-spring phytoplankton blooms is consistent with the dilution-recoupling hypotheses (DRH). During the bloom formation, winter deep mixing and eddy-wind Ekman pumping are enhanced by a strong winter monsoon. The enhancement may disturb predator–prey interactions and dilute zooplankton in deep mixed layers. Moreover, winter deep mixing and eddy-wind Ekman pumping can cause the nutrients to be transported into the euphotic layer, which can promote the growth of phytoplankton and increase grazing. During the bloom extinction, the stratification strengthens and the intensity of light increases; this increases grazing and nutrient consumption, and decreases the phytoplankton bloom significantly (S (Chl-a) and I (Chl-a) increase by 0.3 mg/m3 and 27 mg/m2, respectively). The output from a biogeochemistry model shows that nutrients are consistent with the temporal distribution of S (Chl-a) and I (Chl-a). Our results suggest that physical processes (deep winter mixing and eddy-wind Ekman pumping) under the DHR framework are critical factors for winter-spring blooms in open oceans with an anticyclone eddy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scale formation of oil and gas production is a serious problem as major causes of formation damage affecting recovery efficiency. Investigation the permeability reduction caused by scale formation of sandstone cores by mixing formation water and injection water with different ratio under various temperatures and differential pressure is conducted in this study. X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique is used to investigate to judge the types of inorganic scale by analyzing its crystalline composition. Scale prediction and beaker test results show that the inorganic scale produced by poor compatibility of formation water and injection water in XX oilfield is calcium carbonate. With the increase in the ratio of injection water to formation water, the scale of calcium carbonate scale first increases and then decreases. The scale of calcium carbonate is gradually increasing with the decrease of pressure and increase of temperature. The dynamic scale location monitoring method is proposed to predict the degree of oilfield blockage based on the pressure difference between multi-pressure measuring points of the core. Dynamic scale location monitor tests show that inorganic scale blockage occurs in the position range of 0–1/10 around injection well in the early stage of water flooding, and further increase of injection rate will result in migration leading the blockage occurs in the position range of 1/10–6/10 near the injection wells. The prediction results are consistent with the actual blockage in the oilfield, proving that this method guides significance of predicting blockage in water flooding. This method can be used in both onshore and offshore oilfields using water flooding as a secondary oil recovery. • The main reasons for blockage in water flooding oilfields and the order of influence degree is obtained. • The scale type, mass, and blockage location can be predicted accurately by using dynamic scale location monitor method. • The mechanism of blockage during water flooding is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient charge separation is crucial for solar energy conversion in semiconductor-based systems. Creating p-n junction is an effective strategy to enhance charge separation because the built-in electric field could inhibit charge recombination. However, in many situations, the high reaction barrier will limit the surface reaction rate, resulting in poor carrier utilization of the p-n junction. Here, with carefully designed cocatalyst loading, we successfully overcome the limitation and obtain the full effectiveness of the p-n junction. When used for photocatalytic water splitting, the well-designed catalyst exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity, with a hydrogen evolution rate as high as 13.2 mmol h−1 g−1, which is 18 times higher than that of the pristine p-n junction. Further investigation reveals that the enhancement should be attributed to the synergistic effect between cocatalyst and p-n junction, with the cocatalyst improves reaction rate on the surface and the p-n junction accelerates charge separation in the bulk simultaneously. This work provides an effective strategy to modify the surface properties of p-n junction through cocatalysts-loading for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. [Display omitted] • Cocatalyst is effective to improve the sluggish surface reaction of p-n junction. • TiO 2 /NiO–Pt showed high stability and excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of 13.2 mmol g−1 h−1. • Efficient charge separation and carrier utilization can be realized in the system of cocatalyst loaded p-n junction. • Cocatalyst and p-n junction contribute a synergistic effect towards photocatalytic water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient charge separation is crucial for solar energy conversion in semiconductor-based systems. Creating p-n junction is an effective strategy to enhance charge separation because the built-in electric field could inhibit charge recombination. However, in many situations, the high reaction barrier will limit the surface reaction rate, resulting in poor carrier utilization of the p-n junction. Here, with carefully designed cocatalyst loading, we successfully overcome the limitation and obtain the full effectiveness of the p-n junction. When used for photocatalytic water splitting, the well-designed catalyst exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity, with a hydrogen evolution rate as high as 13.2 mmol h−1 g−1, which is 18 times higher than that of the pristine p-n junction. Further investigation reveals that the enhancement should be attributed to the synergistic effect between cocatalyst and p-n junction, with the cocatalyst improves reaction rate on the surface and the p-n junction accelerates charge separation in the bulk simultaneously. This work provides an effective strategy to modify the surface properties of p-n junction through cocatalysts-loading for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. [Display omitted] • Cocatalyst is effective to improve the sluggish surface reaction of p-n junction. • TiO 2 /NiO–Pt showed high stability and excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of 13.2 mmol g−1 h−1. • Efficient charge separation and carrier utilization can be realized in the system of cocatalyst loaded p-n junction. • Cocatalyst and p-n junction contribute a synergistic effect towards photocatalytic water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the effects of twice daily short‐message‐based re‐education (SMRE) before taking medicine for Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) eradication. Materials and Methods: Treatment‐naive patients with H pylori infection were prescribed 14‐day quadruple regimen consisting of lansoprazole 30 mg, colloidal bismuth pectin 200 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg, and clarithromycin 500 mg twice daily. Patients were randomly allocated to SMRE group or control group. Patients in control group received oral and written instructions at outpatient clinic. In contrast, patients in the SMRE group received extra short messages including dosage and time of administration twice daily. Successful H pylori eradication was assessed using the 13C‐urea breath test 6 weeks after treatment. The compliance, adverse events, and patient satisfaction were also analyzed. Results: A total of 310 patients were enrolled in the intention‐to‐treat (ITT) and 283 in the per‐protocol (PP) analysis. For young patients, the eradication rates were significantly higher in SMRE group than those in control group in PP analysis (88.6% vs 71.2%, P = 0.036), while for patients of all age groups, the eradication rate improvements were not statistically significant. The eradication rates in SMRE group and control group were 74.2% and 67.7% (P = 0.211) in ITT analysis and 82.1% and 73.4% (P = 0.078) in PP analysis, respectively. The compliance in SMRE group was significantly better than that in control group (84.8% vs 72.8%, P = 0.011). Conclusions: Twice daily SMRE could improve the eradication rate in young population, as well as the compliance with treatment during H pylori eradication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study used a batch experiment and a long-term experiment to investigate the effects of FeCl 3 and FeCl 2 on the high-solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) of sludge for improving the methane productions. The results of batch experiment with an organic loading rate of 6.93 gVS/L suggested that the cumulative methane productions were enhanced by 28.9% and 6.4% with 200 mg/L FeCl 3 and 250 mg/L FeCl 2 in HSAD system, respectively. The higher methane productions were also obtained by 200 mg/L FeCl 3 and 250 mg/L FeCl 2 in the long-term experiment for 114d. An excessive FeCl 3 could inhibit the HSAD process, which would be gradually recovered by the ammonia and the microbes acclimated to this environment. The organics degradation results indicated that the addition of 200 mg/L FeCl 3 or 250 mg/L FeCl 2 could show a positive effect on the substrate environment of a stable total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) concentration and pH, and promote the protease and dehydrogenase activities in HSAD system. In addition, the SRT played a significant role in the HSAD process by balancing hydrolysis-acidification and methanogenesis. An appropriate dosage of FeCl 3 and FeCl 2 improved the methane productions, and blocked the accumulation of TVFA caused by shortening SRT. Highlights • We comparatively studied the effects of FeCl 3 and FeCl 2 in sludge HSAD system. • The best concentrations of FeCl 3 and FeCl 2 were 200 mg/L and 250 mg/L. • FeCl 3 and FeCl 2 created positive environment and promoted enzymatic activities. • Excessive FeCl 3 exhibited a more serious inhibition effect than excessive FeCl 2. • SRT played a significant role in sludge HSAD system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between the radiomics-based intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) and the recurrence risk in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after liver transplantation (LT), and to assess its incremental to the Milan, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Metro-Ticket 2.0, and Hangzhou criteria. Methods: A multicenter cohort of 196 HCC patients were investigated. The endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS) after LT. A CT-based radiomics signature (RS) was constructed and assessed in the whole cohort and in the subgroups stratified by the Milan, UCSF, Metro-Ticket 2.0, and Hangzhou criteria. The R-Milan, R-UCSF, R-Metro-Ticket 2.0, and R-Hangzhou nomograms which combined RS and the four existing risk criteria were developed respectively. The incremental value of RS to the four existing risk criteria in RFS prediction was evaluated. Results: RS was significantly associated with RFS in the training and test cohorts as well as in the subgroups stratified by the existing risk criteria. The four combined nomograms showed better predictive capability than the existing risk criteria did with higher C-indices (R-Milan [training/test] vs. Milan, 0.745/0.765 vs. 0.677; R-USCF vs. USCF, 0.748/0.767 vs. 0.675; R-Metro-Ticket 2.0 vs. Metro-Ticket 2.0, 0.756/0.783 vs. 0.670; R-Hangzhou vs. Hangzhou, 0.751/0.760 vs. 0.691) and higher clinical net benefit. Conclusions: The radiomics-based ITH can predict outcomes and provide incremental value to the existing risk criteria in HCC patients after LT. Incorporating radiomics-based ITH in HCC risk criteria may facilitate candidate selection, surveillance, and adjuvant trial design. Key Points: • Milan, USCF, Metro-Ticket 2.0, and Hangzhou criteria may be insufficient for outcome prediction in HCC after LT. • Radiomics allows for the characterization of tumor heterogeneity. • Radiomics adds incremental value to the existing criteria in outcome prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistical encoding compresses redundant information from multiple items into a single summary metric (e.g., mean). Such statistical representation has been suggested to be automatic, but at which stage it is extracted is unknown. Here, we examined the involvement of the subcortex in the processing of summary statistics. We presented an array of circles dichoptically or monocularly while matching the number of perceived circles after binocular fusion. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that interocularly suppressed, invisible circles were automatically involved in the summary statistical representation, but only when they were presented to the same eye as the visible circles. This same-eye effect was further observed for consciously processed circles in Experiment 3, in which the estimated mean size of the circles was biased toward the information transmitted by monocular channels. Together, we provide converging evidence that the processing of summary statistics, an assumed high-level cognitive process, is mediated by subcortical structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Total ankle replacement (TAR) or ankle arthrodesis (AA) is the main surgical treatment for end-stage ankle osteoarthritis. However, the therapeutic effect of the two surgical procedures at different follow-up times remains controversial. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare the short-term, medium-term, and long-term safety and efficiency of the two modern surgical treatments. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library databases, Web of Science, and Scopus. The main results were the patient's reported outcome measure (PROM) score, satisfaction, complications, reoperation, and surgery success rate. Different follow-up times and implant designs were used to evaluate the source of heterogeneity. We used a fixed effects model for meta-analysis and I2 statistic for evaluating heterogeneity. Results: Thirty-seven comparative studies were included. In the short term, TAR significantly improved clinical scores (AOFAS score: WMD = 7.07, 95% Cl: 0.41–13.74, I2 = 0.0%; SF-36 PCS score: WMD = 2.40, 95% Cl: 2.22–2.58, I2 = 0.0%; SF-36 MCS score: WMD = 0.40, 95% Cl: 0.22–0.57, I2 = 0.0%; VAS for pain: WMD = − 0.50, 95% Cl: − 0.56–0.44, I2 = 44.3%) and had the lower incidence of revision (RR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.23–0.81, I2 = 0.0%) and complications (RR = 0.67, 95% Cl: 0.50–0.90, I2 = 0.0%). In the medium term, there were still higher improvements in both the clinical scores (SF-36 PCS score: WMD = 1.57, 95% Cl: 1.36–1.78, I2 = 20.9%; SF-36 MCS score: WMD = 0.81, 95% Cl: 0.63–0.99, I2 = 48.8%) and the patient satisfaction (RR = 1.24, 95% Cl: 1.08–1.41, I2 = 12.1%) in the TAR group, but its total complications rate (RR = 1.84, 95% Cl: 1.26–2.68, I2 = 14.9%) and revision rate (RR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.17–2.14, I2 = 84.6%) were significantly higher than that of the AA group. In the long term, there was no significant difference in clinical score and satisfaction, and a higher incidence of revision (RR = 2.32, 95% Cl: 1.70–3.16, I2 = 0.0%) and complications (RR = 3.18, 95% Cl: 1.69–5.99, I2 = 0.0%) was observed in TAR than in AA. The result of the third-generation design subgroup was consistent with that of the above pooled results. Conclusion: TAR had advantages over AA in the short term due to better performance in terms of PROMs, complications, and reoperation rates, but its complications become a disadvantage in the medium term. In the long term, AA seems to be favored because of lower complications and revision rates, although there is no difference in clinical scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of glucose on nitrogen removal and microbial communities in the anammox-denitrification systems was investigated. The optimal nitrogen removal could be achieved when the influent glucose concentration was 56.4 mg L −1 . The influent nitrite to ammonium ratio of 0.95–1.40 would not obviously affect the nitrogen removal due to the coexistence of anammox, denitrification and partial denitrification. The anammox activity was deteriorated with increasing glucose concentration. When the influent glucose concentration was increased to 374.9 mg L −1 , the average ammonium removal efficiency decreased from 97% to around 10% and anammox activity was seriously inhibited. The anammox activity quickly recovered with decreasing influent glucose and increasing influent nitrite. High-throughput sequencing analysis suggested that the predominant genus changed from Candidatus Kuenenia to Diaphorobacter with the addition of glucose and then changed to Hydrogenophaga with the decrease of glucose. It indicated that organics concentration had an effect on the microbial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitational search algorithm (GSA) is widely accepted as one of the effective optimization algorithms providing promising results. However, it suffers with local optima and premature convergence. To deal with those problems, chaotic gravitational constants for the gravitational search algorithm (CGSA) are proposed to enhance the efficiency of exploration via embedding chaotic maps, but the enhancement of exploration throughout iterations could somehow degrade the exploitation ability of GSA. Accordingly, this paper introduces a location update strategy inspired by the hunting mechanism of grey wolf optimizer (GWO) for improving the exploitation process of CGSA. In addition, a negative entropy function is designed to effectively control the implementation of the proposed strategy. In order to show the superior performance of the grey wolf chaotic gravitational search algorithm (GWCGSA), we carry out a comparative study of 30 benchmark functions (CEC 2014) with multiple GSAs and state-of-the-art algorithms. The experimental results show that the proposed strategy achieves better performance in most functions (greater than 20/30). Also, the experiments on seven engineering optimization problems indicate that the practicality of the proposed algorithm can be ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study is to design and apply surface-functionalized Fe 3 O 4 particles to reduce the viscosity of heavy oil from Shengli Oilfield and to study the mechanism of viscosity reduction. Fe 3 O 4 particles were synthesized by the co-precipitation method and modified with 3-propyl trimethoxysilane (KH570), oleic acid (OA), and triethoxyvinylsilane (A151) to obtain Fe 3 O 4 –KH570, Fe 3 O 4 -OA, and Fe 3 O 4 -A151, respectively. The particles were characterized through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The contact angle and dispersion stability in kerosene were evaluated. The average net degree of viscosity reduction (% DVR) of Fe 3 O 4 –KH570, Fe 3 O 4 -OA, and Fe 3 O 4 -A151 on Chenping heavy oil at 50 °C is 27.91%, 51.27%, and 29.44%, respectively. The surface functionalization of asphaltene aggregates, the improvement of lipophilicity, and dispersion stability after destruction are the main reasons for the decrease of heavy oil viscosity. Particle size and the ability to adsorb asphaltenes have no direct relationship with DVR. It was also confirmed that the modified Fe 3 O 4 particles can effectively recycle from the oil under a magnetic field. This work developed a kind of recyclable Fe 3 O 4 particles for heavy oil viscosity reduction, which was beneficial to lower the cost in heavy oil recovery. [Display omitted] • Surface lipophilic modification to improve the self-aggregation of nanoparticles. • The types of organic-modified molecules affect the viscosity reduction performance. • Synthesized a new type of recyclable Fe 3 O 4 particles viscosity reducer successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A 2D TiO 2 nanosheet with high surface area was prepared for elucidating the mechanism. • TiO 2 with oxygen vacancies produce ethane in photocatalytic methanol reforming. • Oxygen-vacancy-based C–C coupling mechanism of C 2 H 6 via CH 3 OH reforming has been revealed. • The presence of adjacent oxygen vacancies is favorable for C–C coupling on TiO 2. Photocatalytic methanol reforming represents a promising solution to energy and environmental challenges, yet the CO 2 by-product poses significant environmental concerns. Recent advancements enhance the economic and environmental sustainability of this process by yielding valuable by-products like ethylene and ethylene–glycol. However, synthesizing ethane (C 2 H 6), a crucial material, remains unattainable through this reaction, with an unclear mechanism. Herein, we synthesized oxygen-deficient two-dimensional TiO 2 nanosheets to achieve ethane production via methanol reforming. Through theoretical calculations and in situ characterization, we unveil a novel carbon–carbon (C–C) coupling mechanism driving ethane production. It is discovered that methanol preferentially adsorbs on the oxygen vacancies of the defective TiO 2 surface, forming methoxy radicals (*CH 3 O), facilitating C–C coupling for ethane formation. Furthermore, prolonged hydrogenation creates additional oxygen vacancies, leading to more adjacent oxygen vacancies. This results in more neighboring *CH 3 O, facilitating C–C coupling and elevating C 2 H 6 production. Our study clarifies ethane production feasibility in photocatalytic methanol reforming, providing valuable references for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlocking the potential of materials for photocatalytic overall water splitting, based on quantum confinement effect. Through the example of In 2 S 3 with a size-dependent strategy, achieving OWS reaction for H 2 and H 2 O 2. [Display omitted] • The OER reaction of In 2 S 3 was investigated by DFT. • The size-dependent strategy unlocks the In 2 S 3 ability of photocatalytic overall water splitting to produce H 2 and H 2 O 2. • With the decreasing sizes of ISQDs-x, the activities of photocatalytic overall water splitting increased gradually. • ISQDs-2.25 exhibited impressive overall water splitting activity with the H 2 and H 2 O 2 generation rate. • The effects of thermodynamics and kinetics on OWS in photocatalytic reactions is revealed. Photocatalytic overall water splitting (OWS) for H 2 and H 2 O 2 production without sacrificial agents is an appealing strategy to realize solar energy conversion. In order to realize photocatalytic OWS, it is necessary for materials to simultaneously satisfy thermodynamic and kinetic requirements, limiting the available selection scope of materials. Therefore, unlocking the potential of these materials that partially fulfill the requirements for photocatalytic overall water splitting would significantly expand the range of material choices. Here, taking In 2 S 3 as an example, we successfully unlocked the OWS potential through a size-dependent strategy, which is based on quantum confinement effect. By adjusting its size to 2.25 nm, it can exhibit impressive photocatalytic OWS activity with the H 2 and H 2 O 2 generation rate of ∼42.17 μmol∙g−1∙h−1 and ∼38.65 μmol∙g−1∙h−1, respectively. This work provides a simple strategy to expand the range of materials selection for H 2 and H 2 O 2 production from photocatalytic OWS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the features, treatment, and outcomes of primary urothelial carcinoma of the prostate (PUCP) in a multicenter study. The clinical and imaging features, pathological findings, treatment, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with PUCP from January 2011 to April 2022 at three institutions were collected and analyzed. The Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used to assess survival rates of the overall group and survival differences between groups according to TNM stage. The study cohort comprised 18 patients with PUCP of mean age 72.4±7.8 years. Dysuria and urinary frequency were the most common symptoms (77.8 %). Sixteen (88.9 %) patients had normal serum total PSA concentrations. Most patients showed abnormalities on urinalysis. MRI was the most accurate diagnostic imaging method (88.9 %). As to immunohistochemistry findings, GATA-3 (81.8 %) and P63 (84.6 %) were positive in most examined patients; however, no lesions were positive for PSA. Three (17.6 %) patients with T1N0M0 and T2N0M0 tumors underwent radical cystectomy. Eleven (64.7 %) patients which almost all had T4 tumors received systematic therapy, most of them receiving chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin, and radiotherapy. The median overall survival was 42 months, and the median progression-free survival 25 months, the latter being significantly longer in patients with T1–2 than in those with T3–4 disease (p=0.035). PUCP, a rare but highly aggressive type of prostate cancer, should be considered in men with abnormalities on MRI and normal serum PSA concentrations. Positive GATA-3, P63, and negative PSA are typical immunohistochemistry features. Radical cystectomy and systematic therapies can be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromium (Cr(VI)) is highly toxic and carcinogenic. Cr(VI) water pollution has become more and more serious. This article reports on a study in which lotus seed pods (LSP), an agricultural waste product, was used to efficiently remove Cr(VI) from an aqueous solution, and the carbonization product of LSP after the removal of Cr(VI) (CPLSP) can be regarded as a resource containing Cr. Cr(VI) removed by LSP fits a pseudo‐second‐order model. pH levels greatly influence the amount of Cr removed. The maximum removal of Cr(VI) by LSP in aqueous solution was 153.85 mg/g. The possible removal mechanism is absorption, redox, and reabsorption based upon SEM/EDS, FT‐IR, and XPS spectra results. The Cr content of CPLSP was 42.95% by ammonium persulfate oxidation titrimetric method. These results suggest that LSP can be an excellent, low cost, biomaterial for removing and enriching Cr(VI) from an aqueous solution. Practitioner points: Lotus seed pods are an efficient adsorbent for Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions.The Cr removal by lotus seed pods occurs via absorption, redox, and reabsorption.Cr can be captured after the pods are carbonized.Lotus seed pods can be applied to the removal and enrichment of Cr(VI) from waste water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two up-flow blanket filter (UBF) reactors were employed to treat synthetic wastewater with different substrate concentrations and nitrogen load rates (NLR) for 178 days. During days 0–60, higher influent NLR of R 2 (0.21–0.58 kg·m 3 ·d) slowed down the formation of anammox sludge compared with the lower NLR of R 1 (0.18–0.31 kg·m 3 ·d). Difference in sludge color and nitrogen conversion rate indicated greater anammox activity of R 2 than R 1 . During days 61–178, R 1 and R 2 achieved the maximum nitrogen removal rates (NRR) of 1.213 and 1.684 kg/(m 3 ·d) under the NLRs of 1.924 and 2.502 kg/(m 3 ·d), respectively. Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing showed that R 2 (43.5%) had a higher proportion of anammox bacteria than R 1 (37.8%) and less species. These results showed that after going through a higher NLR acclimation process during start-up period, stronger resistant capability against high impact nitrogen load and greater anammox activity were obtained by R 2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Amphiphilic terpolymer was synthesized via the homogeneous polymerization. • Emulsifying and solution properties were studied at different conditions. • Molecular interaction was analyzed with the molecular dynamics simulation. • The important factors dominating the emulsifying stability were investigated. Heavy crude oil is one of the most precious and complex molecular mixtures available, with considerable economic relevance. Nevertheless, its high viscosity and complicated chemical compositions pose an exceptional challenge for viscosity reduction with a compound emulsification system in heavy oil exploitation. Here, two types of polymers were synthesized and compounded with surfactant SDS to reduce the heavy crude oil viscosity. Their emulsifying properties in demineralized water and mineralized water were measured to evaluate their differences from macroscopic views. Furthermore, the corresponding emulsion system (involving resins, asphaltenes, surfactants, polymers, etc.) was also simulated and computed using molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the relationships of various compositions on emulsifying properties at the molecular scale. The results showed that the surfactant-polymer composite system formed by the amphiphilic polymer had an obvious advantage in emulsifying stability with the water segregation rate of 60.6% after 48 h in the simulated salinity and the viscosity reduction rate reached more than 92.1% after optimization. Besides, the electrostatic interaction is the major part of the potential energy in emulsion systems at a ratio of 87.8%. The divalent cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) resulted in the shrinkage or collapse of molecular conformation of the water-soluble polymer by 19%. The variation of interaction energy in salt solutions for different emulsifying systems caused a series of experimental and simulated distinctions, such as solution viscosity, interface behaviors, the number of hydrogen bonds, and the spatial distribution function, which ultimately determined the emulsifying properties of heavy crude oil. Notably, this work offers insight into the interactions and influences of complex mixtures in oil–water systems. It also facilitates to design and apply the innovative functional chemical additives in heavy crude oil extraction and transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ensure the emulsification function of chemical flooding and simultaneously relieve the difficulty in demulsification of produced fluid in heavy oilfield, a pH-responsive surfactant HB-HA− (4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (HB) and n-hexylamine (HA)) was constructed based on dynamic imine bond. The molecular structure and its pH-responsive property was characterized by 1H NMR. Then, an emulsifier system CTAB/HB-HA− for heavy oil was fabricated by mixing hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) with the constructed HB-HA− as the molar ratio of 1:1. The emulsification and pH-responsive property of the emulsifier were evaluated by macroscopic and microscopic appearance of heavy oil emulsion prepared under different pH, the surface tension (SFT) and interfacial tension (IFT) were determined to explore the pH response mechanism. The results showed that the emulsifier had strong emulsification and IFT reduction ability under pH = 12, and the emulsion can be stable for more than 48 h. As pH decreased to 5, the emulsion demulsified within 30 min. This emulsifier guaranteed good emulsification during recovery process and rapid demulsification property after the treatment process of produced liquid in the petroleum industry. • A pH-responsive emulsifier for heavy oil recovery based on imine bond is proposed. • The mechanism relies on the pH-regulated imine bond and electrostatic force. • The emulsifier contributes to the oil recovery and easy treatment for produced fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nano-channel extrusion of enzyme-loaded amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles. • Composites particles showed high enzyme stability as well as biocompatibility. • The nano-sized enzyme-loaded particles can be used as intracellular enzyme probes. Inorganic-enzyme composites have been widely used for applications in catalysis and analytical science. Amorphous calcium phosphate, as a biocompatible material, can form open hydrated structure to encapsulate and protect enzymes. So far, there have been few progress on size-adjustable amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles since the diameter controllability is limited by its natural aggregation characteristics. By co-precipitation and nano-channel extrusion, we developed enzyme-loaded amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles with adjustable diameters. These enzyme-loaded particles showed high thermal and chemical stability as well as biocompatibility. The nano-sized enzyme-loaded particles can further expand their application fields and be used as intracellular enzyme probes. Delivering glucose oxidase enzyme by amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles enables fluorescent monitoring of glucose levels in living cells, which can be used to study the metabolism rates of cancer cells and normal cells. The nano-channel extrusion method can also be used as a template to encapsulate different kinds of enzymes to expand catalysis and biosensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low elastic polymer microsphere (L-EPM) had been a promising conformance control agent with the wide application of polymer microspheres. The filtration loss characteristics, core damage and selective conformance control performance of L-EPM conformance control system were studied. The results showed that L-EPM system had less damage to the matrix core and the influence of filtration loss on conformance control treatment could be neglected in indoor experiments. When the high permeability layer was fixed, the larger the permeability ratio, the better the profile improve ability. For the cores with same permeability, water plugging rate of L-EPM system was much higher than that of oil plugging rate. For heterogeneous reservoirs with interlayer channeling, the plugging position of L-EPM determined the conformance control performance and the following oil recovery. L-EPM with good deformation and shear resistance had good adaptability to the conformance control treatment in heterogeneous reservoirs with interlayer channeling. Conformance control mechanism of L-EPM in double parallel sand pack model. Image 1 • One kind of low elastic polymer microsphere (L-EPM) was prepared. • The filtration loss behavior and formation damage of L-EPM system were evaluated. • The conformance control mechanism of the L-EPM system was studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]