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An extensive study on the green auroral emission characterization is presented based on a single dielectric barrier discharge geometry argon plasma jet driven by a kHz sine voltage. The plasma was generated by using 99.999% pure argon and the observed 557.7 nm green line resulted from the excited O(1S) state. An optical emission spectroscopy method using line ratios of argon was used to obtain the electron density and electron temperature under different conditions in the downstream region. The characteristics of discharge and green emission with variations in interelectrode distance, applied voltage (power) and flow rate are discussed. The spatially diffuse distribution of O(1S), owing to its long lifetime, is shown by the short exposure imaging. Two discharge regimes are presented, accompanied by two distinct branches of the green emission intensity, with a clear conclusion that the 557.7 nm emission is favored in the low electron temperature environment. In this work, the intense and diffuse green plume only forms when the downstream electron density is approximately lower than 1 × 1014 cm−3 and the electron temperature is lower than 1.1 eV. By charging the two electrodes in two opposite ways, it is shown that the green emission from oxygen is favored in the case where the electric field and the electron drift are not continuous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wogonin is a natural flavone compound from the plant Scutellaria baicalensis, which has a variety of pharmacological activities such as anti-cancer, anti-virus, anti-inflammatory, and immune regulation. However, the potential mechanism of wogonin remains unknown. This study was to confirm the molecular mechanism of wogonin for acute monocytic leukemia treatment, known as AML-M5. The potential action targets between wogonin and acute monocytic leukemia were predicted from databases. The compound-target-pathway network and protein-protein interaction network (PPI) were constructed. The enrichment analysis of related targets and molecular docking were performed. The network pharmacological results of wogonin for AML-M5 treatment were verified using the THP-1 cell line. 71 target genes of wogonin associated with AML-M5 were found. The key genes TP53, SRC, AKT1, RELA, HSP90AA1, JUN, PIK3R1, and CCND1 were preliminarily found to be the potential central targets of wogonin for AML-M5 treatment. The PPI network analysis, GO analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated that the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was the significant pathway in the wogonin for AML-M5 treatment. The antiproliferative effects of wogonin on THP-1 cells of AML-M5 presented a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner, inducing apoptosis, blocking the cell cycle at the G2/M phase, decreasing the expressions of CCND1, CDK2, and CyclinA2 mRNA, as well as AKT and p-AKT proteins. The mechanisms of wogonin on AML-M5 treatment may be associated with inhibiting cell proliferation and regulating the cell cycle via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the reliability of inversion results has always been a prominent issue in the field of geophysics. In recent years, data-driven inversion methods leveraging deep neural networks (DNNs) have gained prominence for their ability to address non-uniqueness issues and reduce computational costs compared to traditional physically model-driven methods. In this study, we propose a GMNet machine learning method, i.e., a CNN-based inversion method for gravity and magnetic field data. This method relies more on data-driven training, and in the prediction phase after the model is trained, it does not heavily depend on a priori assumptions, unlike traditional methods. By forward modeling gravity and magnetic fields, we obtain a substantial dataset to train the CNN model, enabling the direct mapping from field data to subsurface property distribution. Applying this method to synthetic data and one-field data yields promising inversion results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C48H68Cl4N8O8Ni4, tetragonal, I41/a (no. 88), a = 16.9137(5) Å, c = 19.5028(13) Å, V = 5579.2(5) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0391, wRref(F2) = 0.1221, T = 293 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonium and polyamines are essential nitrogen metabolites in all living organisms. Crosstalk between ammonium and polyamines through their metabolic pathways has been demonstrated in plants and animals, while no research has been directed to explore this relationship in algae or to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Previous research demonstrated that high concentrations of ammonium and putrescine were among the active substances in bacteria-derived algicide targeting dinoflagellates, suggesting that the biochemical inter-connection and/or interaction of these nitrogen compounds play an essential role in controlling these ecologically important algal species. In this research, putrescine, ammonium, or a combination of putrescine and ammonium was added to cultures of three dinoflagellate species to explore their effects. The results demonstrated the dose-dependent and species-specific synergistic effects of putrescine and ammonium on these species. To further explore the molecular mechanisms behind the synergistic effects, transcriptome analysis was conducted on dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum treated with putrescine or ammonium vs. a combination of putrescine and ammonium. The results suggested that the synergistic effects of putrescine and ammonium disrupted polyamine homeostasis and reduced ammonium tolerance, which may have contributed to the cell death of K. veneficum. There was also transcriptomic evidence of damage to chloroplasts and impaired photosynthesis of K. veneficum. This research illustrates the molecular mechanisms underlying the synergistic effects of the major nitrogen metabolites, ammonium and putrescine, in dinoflagellates and provides direction for future studies on polyamine biology in algal species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetraphenyldithiodiphosphonate is synthesized by polymerization precipitation. The P = S bond of the material has strong polarity, which is conducive to improving the electron mobility of the complex and inhibiting the accumulation between molecules. The synthesized tetraphenyldithiodiphosphonate is characterized by FT-IR, SEM, XPS and XRD. In addition, the pseudo-second-order kinetic model is used to simulate the experimental data well, and the adsorption process conforms to the Langmuir isotherm model. Thermodynamic studies of adsorption have shown that the adsorption process is essentially a spontaneous endothermic process. At room temperature, tetraphenyldithiodiphosphonate demonstrates a maximum adsorption capacity for uranium(VI) reaching 398.8 mg g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: HNF1B syndrome is caused by defects in the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1B (HNF1B) gene, which leads to maturity‐onset diabetes of the young type 5 and congenital organ malformations. This study aimed to identify a gene defect in a patient presenting with diabetes and severe diarrhea, while also analyzing the prevalence of hypomagnesemia and its correlation with the HNF1B genotype. Materials and Methods: Whole exome sequencing was used to identify responsible point mutations and small indels in the proband and their family members. Multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification was carried out to identify HNF1B deletions. Furthermore, an analysis of published data on 539 cumulative HNF1B cases, from 29 literature sources, was carried out to determine the correlation between the HNF1B genotype and the phenotype of serum magnesium status. Results: Using multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification, we identified a de novo heterozygous HNF1B deletion in the patient, who showed dorsal pancreas agenesis and multiple kidney cysts, as detected by magnetic resonance imaging. Magnesium supplementation effectively alleviated the symptoms of diarrhea. Hypomagnesemia was highly prevalent in 192 out of 354 (54.2%) patients with HNF1B syndrome. Compared with patients with intragenic mutations, those with HNF1B deletions were more likely to suffer from hypomagnesemia, with an odds ratio of 3.1 (95% confidence interval 1.8–5.4). Conclusions: Hypomagnesemia is highly prevalent in individuals with HNF1B syndrome, and those with HNF1B deletion are more susceptible to developing hypomagnesemia compared with those with intragenic mutations. The genotype–phenotype associations in HNF1B syndrome have significant implications for endocrinologists in terms of genotype detection, treatment decisions and prognosis assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) are crucial to the reliability and durability of SiCf/SiC composite components seeking applications in hot sections of next‐generation advanced aero‐engines. The cracks initiated and developed in EBCs owing to various reasons during service greatly undermine their lifespans. To address this problem, in this work, silicon carbide (SiC) in the forms of particles and whiskers with various amounts have been introduced to ytterbium disilicate (Yb2Si2O7), the mainstream EBC topcoat materials, so as to gain some self‐healing potential. The results reveal that, the SiC inclusions in Yb2Si2O7 in the presence of ytterbium monosilicate (Yb2SiO5) can trigger the following reactions. Specifically, SiC self‐healing agents are oxidized to form viscous SiO2, which actively reacts with Yb2SiO5 upon encountering it, forming Yb2Si2O7. This has brought twofold beneficial effects including ① silicon supplementation of disilicate topcoat, whose silicon element tends to be "dragged out" by water vapor, leading to the deterioration of thermal mismatch; as well as ② crack self‐healing resulting from the volume expansion induced by the above reactions. Then the two aspects of self‐healing agents, namely the "promptness" and "sustainability," have been discussed in detail. The former is unveiled to be more pertinent to the repairing of large cracks, whilst the latter is more relevant to the self‐healing of tiny cracks at initiation or early stage of propagation. The current work sheds some lights on the design and development of more durable and robust EBCs with self‐healing capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C18H15N7O4Zn, triclinic, P 1 ‾ (no. 2), a = 9.1100(8) Å, b = 10.6451(7) Å, c = 12.0479(8) Å, α = 95.238(5)∘, β = 112.154(7)∘, γ = 112.971(7)∘, V = 956.56(13) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0264, wRref(F2) = 0.0731, T = 298 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, amino modified mesoporous silica (HMS-TEEPA-TEA) was used for the first time to remove uranium (VI) from aqueous solution. The synthesized HMS-TEEPA-TEA was characterized by SEM, EDS, FTIR, BET and XPS techniques. The present work attempted to optimize and compare the adsorption process parameters like pH, adsorbate concentration, and adsorbent dose using Box-Behnken designs of response surface methodology. The adsorption amount and removal rate reached 337.26 mg/g and 99.57%, respectively. Model P> F < 0.0001 in this experiment (generally P > F < 0.05 is considered significant), indicating that the model is extremely significant and can be considered as highly referable for its predicted response values. The fit of the data to the Langmuir isotherm and the proposed secondary kinetics indicates that the adsorption process is monolayer and chemical in nature. The effect of copper on HMS-TEEPA-TEA adsorption is more complex than other background ions. The removal of uranium (VI) by HMS-TEEPA-TEA remained above 80% for four consecutive experiments with repeated adsorbent use. The results indicate that HMS-TEEPA-TEA is an effective adsorbent for the removal of uranium (VI) from aqueous solutions with the advantages of low cost, high availability and easy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of incidental pulmonary embolism (IPE) has greatly increased, but its clinical characteristics and outcomes are still controversial. This study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes between cancer patients with IPE and patients with symptomatic pulmonary embolism (SPE). Patients/Methods: Clinical data of 180 consecutive patients with cancer complicated with pulmonary embolism admitted to Beijing Cancer Hospital from July 2011 to December 2019 were retrospectively collected and analysed. General characteristics, diagnosis time of pulmonary embolism (PE), location of PE, concurrent deep venous thrombosis, anticoagulant treatment, impact of PE on anti-tumor treatment, recurrent venous thromboembolism, rate of bleeding after anticoagulation therapy, survival and risk factors of IPE were compared with SPE. Results: Of 180 patients, 88 (49%) had IPEs and 92 (51%) had SPEs. Patients with IPE and SPE did not differ in age, sex, tumor type, or tumor stage. Median diagnosis times of IPE and SPE after cancer were 108 (45, 432) days and 90 (7, 383) days, respectively. Compared to SPE, IPE tended to be central (44% versus 26%; P < 0.001), isolated (31.8% versus 0.0%; P < 0.001), and unilateral (67.1% versus 12.8%; P < 0.00). The rate of bleeding after anticoagulation therapy did not differ between IPE and SPE. Patients with IPE had a better prognosis than patients with SPE in terms of 30-, and 90-day mortality, as well as overall survival after diagnosis of PE (median: 314.5 vs. 192.0 days, log-rank P = 0.004) and cancer (median: 630.0 vs. 450.5 days, log-rank P = 0.018). SPE (compared to IPE) was an independent risk factor for poor survival after diagnosis of PE in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.564, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.008–2.425, p = 0.046). Conclusions: IPE accounts for nearly one half of PE cases among Chinese cancer patients. With active anticoagulation treatment, IPE is expected to achieve better survival rates than SPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the sensory receptor cells in vertebrate inner ear and lateral lines, hair cells are characterized by the hair bundle that consists of one tubulin‐based kinocilium and dozens of actin‐based stereocilia on the apical surface of each hair cell. Hair cell development is tightly regulated, and deficits in this process usually lead to hearing loss and/or balance dysfunctions. RNA‐binding motif protein 24 (RBM24) is an RNA‐binding protein that is specifically expressed in the hair cells in the inner ear. Previously, we showed that RBM24 affects hair cell development in zebrafish by regulating messenger RNA (mRNA) stability. In the present work, we further investigate the role of RBM24 in hearing and balance using conditional knockout mice. Our results show that Rbm24 knockout results in severe hearing and balance deficits. Hair cell development is significantly affected in Rbm24 knockout cochlea, as the hair bundles are poorly developed and eventually degenerated. Hair bundle disorganization is also observed in Rbm24 knockout vestibular hair cells, although to a lesser extent. Consistently, significant hair cell loss is observed in the cochlea but not vestibule. RNAseq analysis identified several genes whose mRNA stability or pre‐mRNA alternative splicing is affected by Rbm24 knockout. Among them are Cdh23, Pcdh15, and Myo7a, which have been shown to play important roles in stereocilia development as well as mechano‐electrical transduction. Taken together, our present work suggests that RBM24 is required for mouse hair cell development through regulating pre‐mRNA alternative splicing as well as mRNA stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Probiotics play an important role in the host and have attracted widespread attention as an alternative to antibiotics. Arbor Acres broilers were used in the present experiment and fed different doses of compound probiotics at 1, 5, and 10 g kg−1. The effects of compound probiotics on broiler growth performance and cecal transcriptome and metabolome were investigated. RESULTS: We discovered 425 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; upregulated: 256; downregulated: 169) in the cecal transcriptome study. These DEGs were assigned to fat metabolic pathways, such as the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway, according to KEGG analysis. Probiotics downregulated LPL and upregulated PPARα expression in the cecum. In metabolome analysis of the cecum of cecum, we screened 86 differential metabolites and performed KEGG enrichment analysis of these metabolites. The KEGG analysis showed that these differentially expressed metabolites were annotated to nucleotide metabolism‐related pathways, such as purine metabolism. In the cecum, probiotics upregulated the content of guanine, AMP, 3′‐AMP, adenylosuccinate, deoxyguanosine, and ADP‐ribose, whereas they downregulated the content of 5‐hydroxyisourate. Comprehensive transcriptome and metabolome analysis revealed that glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways were jointly enriched in cecum of broilers fed a probiotic‐containing diet. CONCLUSION: This study provides valuable information for studying the regulation and gene metabolism network of probiotics on cecal metabolism in broilers. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase change materials with appropriate transition temperatures can help to regulate body temperature to a suitable range. In this work, a form-stable phase change hydrogel (PCH) was prepared as a heat-protective clothing lining material. In detail, binary eutectic hydrated salts (BEHSs, CaCl2·6H2O–MgCl2·6H2O), which were used as the phase change materials, were encapsulated into a polyacrylamide (PAAm) 3D crosslinked network by one-step radical polymerization. FT-IR, XRD, and SEM were used to characterize the microstructure of the PCH and the results show that the crystals of hydrated salts were distributed in the PAAm network uniformly. Thus, the hydrogel network prevents the leakage of salt solutions and maintains a stable shape. Phase change energy storage and thermal properties of the PCH were characterized by DSC and the results show that this PCH has a high phase transition enthalpy (140 J g−1) and a suitable phase transition temperature (25 °C). Try-on tests show that the surface temperature of the PCH can remain below 25 °C for nearly 4 hours on a hot day, effectively reducing the damage caused by high temperatures to the human body. This study describes a simple method for making a form-stable PCH, as well as an alternative to microencapsulation or traditional melt impregnation for making composite phase change energy storage materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degradation of SiCxOy phase is a crucial step during the conversion of polyaluminocarbosilane-derived amorphous Si-Al-C-O fiber into highly crystalline SiC fiber. In this work, the high-temperature degradation process of SiCxOy phase of Si-Al-C-O fiber was directly investigated by TG-MS analysis. Two distinct degradation behaviors were observed in the open and closed systems, and three oxygen-containing gaseous products, namely, CO, SiO and monoatomic O, were detected during the degradation process. Oxygen was found to act as a necessary initiator and accelerant of the degradation reaction of SiCxOy phase. A possible mechanism was proposed for the degradation reaction of SiCxOy phase based on the TG-MS results. Si-Al-C-O fiber was heat-treated under CO-filled Ar atmosphere in open and closed systems. Different effects of CO on the degradation reaction of SiCxOy phase in the two systems were observed and reasonably explained by the mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protection effects of an environmental barrier coating (EBC) consisting of silicon bond coat and mixed ytterbium monosilicate and ytterbium disilicate composite topcoat are directly evaluated by measuring the strength retention rate of SiCf/SiC composites completely wrapped up by the previous EBCs after soaking in a mixed oxygen and water vapor environment at 1300°C for up to 200 h. The results show that the mixed topcoat exhibits not only extremely excellent phase stability but also fantastic protection effects toward composites. After 200 h of corrosion, the fully protected composites are unveiled to present not only dramatically reduced weight gain ratios, less than.6%, compared to ∼10% for those unprotected ones, but also extremely higher strength retention rates, more than 90%, compared to only 10%–15% for those unprotected ones. Further, the fully protected composites show a quasi‐ductile load versus displacement curve, suggesting the retention of the oxidation‐prone pyrolytic carbon interphase of current composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient electromagnetic method (TEM), as one of the essential time-domain electromagnetic prospecting approaches, has the advantage of expedition, efficiency and convenience. In this paper, we study the transient electromagnetic inversion problem of different geological anomalies. First, Maxwell's differential equations are discretized by the staggered finite-difference (FD) method; then we propose to solve the TEM inversion problem by minimizing the Wasserstein metric, which is related to the optimal transport (OT). Experimental tests based on the layered model and a 3D model are performed to demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogenic microorganisms are one of the main environmental factors causing biological diseases, and their rapid spread and variety may lead to the outbreak of animal infectious diseases or plant diseases. However, the air environment is complex, the pathogen fungal infectious disease outbreak early concentration is low and the shape and size is small. There is a lack of rapid, accurate, portable and low-cost early detection methods for pathogenic fungi. Here, we construct a multispectral diffraction microfluidic sensing system for pathogenic fungi. Firstly, a microfluidic chip with the function of targeted purification of pathogenic fungi was designed, and the diffraction fingerprint of purified pathogenic fungi was collected on the chip. By analyzing the light diffraction spectrum, the morphological and absorption characteristics of different fungi at different wavelengths were obtained, and different kinds of pathogenic microorganisms in complex environment were identified. Then, seven weighting schemes were compared to select the characteristic wavelength that best reflects spore differences. Dispersion intensity compared of fingerprint (DICF) and Relative superimposed light intensity (RSLI) were defined as training indexes. To obtain higher recognition accuracy, two parameters of cluster centroid distance and dispersion are defined as evaluation indexes. Finally, 5 kinds of pathogenic fungi and particles with similar characteristics were selected for experimental verification, and the identification accuracy was 98.7%. We can foresee potential applications for this approach in disease control and environmental monitoring of airborne pathogens. • Pathogenic fungi in complex environment are low in concentration, which is difficult to capture and distinguish. • The microfluidic chip is designed to integrate separation, enrichment, detection and verification on chip. • The multi-spectral diffraction sensing system enables rapid and accurate identification of pathogenic bacteria. • It has a broad prospect in restraining the recessive spread of pathogenic microorganisms and environmental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic data inversion for acoustic impedance (AI) has received increasing attention over the past few decades for its key role in estimating reservoir properties. The calculation of the AI from band-limited post-stack data is a type of nonlinear inverse problem. When the wavelet is unknown, it will be a blind inverse problem. We propose an efficient algorithm for multichannel AI blind inversion from post-stack seismic data. To eliminate the discontinuity in the inversion with the existing single-trace processing strategy, we construct a multichannel blind inversion framework which can obtain the AI model and the wavelet simultaneously. For the AI inversion, Tikhonov and total variation (TV) regularization methods are mostly used. However, traditional Tikhonov regularization assumes smooth variation in the AI model, whereas TV regularization creates a staircase effect where AI changes gradually. A new kind of weighted isotropic total variation (WITV) regularization scheme is proposed to preserve the texture of the data and suppress the noise when solving the ill-posed AI and nonstationary wavelet blind inversion within an acceptable time and memory consumption. We develop an optimization method which helps efficiently refine the inverse procedure based on the alternating-direction method of multipliers (ADMM) iterative scheme. Experimental tests show that the new iterative algorithm efficiently converges to a solution of the nonlinear minimization problem. We illustrate the performance and optimality of our inversion algorithm with simulated and field data, which indicates that our algorithm performs well in both the AI inversion and the wavelet inversion, offering an efficient method for processing large-scale nonstationary multichannel data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implicit staggered-grid finite-difference (SGFD) methods are widely used for the first-order acoustic wave-equation modeling. The identical implicit SGFD operator is commonly used for all of the first-order spatial derivatives in the first-order acoustic wave-equation. In this paper, we propose a hybrid explicit implicit SGFD (HEI-SGFD) scheme which could simultaneously preserve the wave-equation simulation accuracy and increase the wave-equation simulation speed. We use a second-order explicit SGFD operator for half of the first-order spatial derivatives in the first-order acoustic wave-equation. At the same time, we use the implicit SGFD operator with added points in the diagonal direction for the other first-order spatial derivatives in the first-order acoustic wave-equation. The proposed HEI-SGFD scheme nearly doubles the wave-equation simulation speed compared to the implicit SGFD schemes. In essence, the proposed HEI-SGFD scheme is equivalent to the second-order FD scheme with ordinary grid format. We then determine the HEI-SGFD coefficients in the time–space domain by minimizing the phase velocity error using the least-squares method. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by dispersion analysis and numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress granules (SGs) are formed when untranslated messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs) accumulate in cells under stress, and are thought to minimize stress-induced damage and promote cell survival. RBM24 (RNA-binding motif protein 24) is an RNA-binding protein that plays pivotal roles in regulating the stability or translation initiation of target mRNAs as well as alternative splicing of target pre-mRNAs. Its important physiological functions are highlighted by the fact that Rbm24 knockout mice or zebrafish suffer from dysfunction of heart, eye, and inner ear. Here we show that RBM24 is recruited into SGs under various stress conditions, suggesting that it might protect its target RNAs in cells under stress. However, SG formation is unaffected when Rbm24 expression is down-regulated. Nevertheless, RBM24 overexpression in cultured cells is sufficient to induce SG formation, suggesting that RBM24 might play an important role in SG formation. In conclusion, our present work reveals that RBM24 is a SG component, which implies that RBM24 could protect its target mRNAs in stressed cells. • RBM24 is recruited into SGs under various stress conditions. • SG formation is unaffected when Rbm24 expression is down-regulated. • RBM24 overexpression is sufficient to induce SG formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study explores how paternalistic leadership (PL) influences Chinese expatriates' work engagement in a cross-cultural context, and examines how expatriates' cross-cultural adaptability sets a boundary condition for this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from two-wave surveys of 82 supervisors and 318 Chinese expatriate teachers from 57 Confucius Institutes in 18 countries. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings: Benevolent and moral leadership as job resources are negatively related to work–family conflict (WFC), whereas the job demand of authoritarian leadership positively relates to WFC. Further, WFC mediates the effect of PL styles on Chinese expatriates' work engagement. Cross-cultural adaptability moderates the negative relationship between WFC and work engagement, and the indirect effect of PL styles on work engagement through WFC. Practical implications: Organizations should consider WFC an important intervening mechanism linking PL and Chinese expatriates' work engagement. Cross-cultural organizations can mitigate the negative impact of WFC on work engagement by enhancing expatriates' cross-cultural adaptability. Originality/value: This study is the first to examine the PL–work engagement relationship via a work–family interface, which contributes to integrating leadership and work–family outcomes. It enriches research on the JD-R model by showing that job resources and job demands affect employee outcomes through the mediation of stressors. Furthermore, this study identifies a new personal resource by examining cross-cultural adaptability's moderating role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, PyC coating with different thickness was prepared on SiC fibers via chemical vapor deposition method. Uncoated and PyC coated SiC fibers were heat treated in Ar atmosphere under different annealing condition. The effects of PyC coating on the mechanical properties of SiC fibers at room temperature were investigated. The morphology, composition, structure and mechanical properties of SiC fibers after high temperature treatment were also studied. The results showed that PyC coating could reduce the dispersion of tensile strength for SiC fibers. Weibull modulus increased from 4.19 (SiC fiber) to 5.59 (PyC700 fiber), while the tensile strength decreased a little with the increment of PyC coating thickness. Furthermore, PyC coating could remarkably retard Si sublimation from SiC fiber at high temperature. Uncoated SiC fiber was converted to porous pure-carbon fiber after being annealed at 2000 °C for 5 h, while PyC700 fiber still showed relative dense SiC core after the same treatment. To a certain extent, the inhibition ability was improved with increment of PyC coating thickness. In addition, PyC coated SiC fibers could maintain more tensile strength after being annealed at 1800 °C for 1 h. The tensile strength retention of uncoated SiC fiber was 27.3%, while that of PyC700 fiber could reach up to 43.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a copper–brass hetero-laminate with dual-heterostructured interfaces was fabricated by diffusion welding in combination with cold deformation and annealing. These dual-heterostructured interfaces possess the characteristics of both gradient interface and sharp interface. The evolutions of geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) and local strains near these dual-heterostructured interfaces were investigated by in-situ and quasi in-situ tests. By employing a constitutive model, the evolutions of GND density and the HDI synergistic strengthening mechanism were systematically explored. The results demonstrated that the distribution of GNDs and local strains near the coarse/fine-grained interface exhibited a gradient feature, without any obvious concentrations of GNDs and strains, which can be attributed to the transition effect of the gradient interface. Furthermore, the density of sample-scale GNDs accumulated near the coarse/fine-grained interface was found to be at least one order of magnitude lower than that of grain-scale GNDs accumulated near grain boundaries. Both the constitutive model and experimental results confirmed that grain-scale GNDs serve as the primary origins of significant HDI stress, rather than the sample-scale GNDs. • GND density and local strains distribute in gradient manner near the coarse/fine-grained interface. • Numerous grain-scale GNDs accumulate around GBs to accommodate the strain gradient between adjacent grains. • A small number of sample-scale GNDs accumulate around the coarse/fine-grained interface. • HDI strengthening originates largely from the accumulation of grain-scale GNDs, rather than the sample-scale GNDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates zero-determinant (ZD) strategies for iterated multi-player multi-action games with multiple memories. First, using the semi-tensor product (STP) of matrices, an equivalent algebraic model for the iterated game is proposed. Based on the algebraic expression, ZD strategies are derived for repeated finite games with multiple memories, allowing players to unilaterally apply a linear relationship among their augmented expected payoffs regardless of their opponents' strategies. Furthermore, ZD strategies for repeated symmetric and skew-symmetric games are considered, based on which the coupling correlations among players' payoffs, as well as the structure of the payoff vectors, are clarified. It is found that in repeated symmetric games, any player can get the same augmented expected payoff by employing a ZD strategy. In repeated skew-symmetric games, it is possible for all participants to achieve a zero-sum outcome. To execute the aforementioned ZD strategies, some identical elements are required in each augmented payoff vector for symmetric games, whereas the payoff vector for skew-symmetric games must contain zero elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The WNZ re-precipitates η′ and η particles and forms the PFZ in the vicinity of grain boundaries. • Intergranular microcracks initiate from the WNZ due to the local strain incompatibility. • Low-cycle fatigue failure occurs at the WNZ instead of the LHZ. High-temperature ratcheting fatigue behavior of a friction stir welding (FSW) Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy was investigated. The substructured grains in the weld nugget zone (WNZ) undergo continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) during ratcheting fatigue. The WNZ re-precipitates intragranular η′ and η particles and forms the precipitate free zone (PFZ) in the vicinity of the grain boundaries. At high mean stress or stress amplitude, ratcheting failure with obvious necking takes place due to large ratcheting strain. At low stress levels, intergranular fatigue microcracks initiate from grain boundaries of the WNZ due to the local strain incompatibility between the PFZ and grain interiors. The fatigue microcracks coalesce along grain boundaries and propagate via typical striation formation mechanisms. Low-cycle fatigue failure occurs at the WNZ instead of the low hardness zone (LHZ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of the nuclear industry, the amount of uranium containing wastewater discharged from the production process is increasing, which poses a great threat to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is an urgent task to find safe, environmentally friendly and efficient water treatment agents. Based on its unique molecular structure, chitosan can chemically react with anion system to adsorb pollutants, which has attracted the attention of scholars in the field of water treatment. However, the poor mechanical and adsorption properties of chitosan and the difficulty of recovery limit its development. To overcome the above shortcomings, chitosan is usually modified. In this paper, several modification methods of chitosan, including blending, crosslinking, grafting, ion imprinting and magnetization modification, are systematically described, and the advantages and disadvantages of different modification methods are analyzed. The application of modified chitosan adsorbent in uranium(VI) containing wastewater treatment is also introduced. Finally, the development trend of chitosan adsorbent in wastewater treatment is prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a new material containing chitosan(CS)-hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HP) composite was synthesized with polyphosphoric acid as the cross-linking agent for the effective removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution. The prepared material was characterized by FTIR, EDS, SEM, BET and XPS. According to batch experiments, its adsorption equilibrium (Qe = 398.8 mg g−1) was reached within 50 min at pH 6.0. The adsorption process could be well fitted to the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model. The thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption was an exothermic and spontaneous process. Furthermore, the CS-HP has superior absorption reusability. This study proved that CS-HP could be considered as the highly efficient and sustainable material for removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bi-layer environmental barrier coating (EBC) consisting of silicon(Si) bond coat/mixed ytterbium disilicate (Yb 2 Si 2 O 7) and ytterbium monosilicate (Yb 2 SiO 5) topcoats has been successfully prepared to completely wrap up the SiC f /SiC composites and the protective effects of such EBC have been evaluated by soaking them in a mixed 50% O 2 and 50% H 2 O corrosive gases at 1300 °C for various times. In topcoats, Yb 2 Si 2 O 7 is the major phase, providing good thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) matching with composite substrate and thus excellent thermal shock resistance, whereas Yb 2 SiO 5 is the dispersing minor phase, providing improved water vapor corrosion resistance. The completely wrapping up of SiC f /SiC composites by above EBC system is employed to avoid direct exposure to the corrosive conditions, making it possible to evaluate the genuine protection effects of current EBCs. Under 1300 °C water vapor corrosion, the mass change, the phase composition and the evolution of microstructure are investigated, which suggest that the bi-layer EBC has excellent performance on protecting SiC f /SiC composites from water vapor corrosion at 1300 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor fracture toughness of La2Zr2O7 severely limits its application as a high temperature thermal barrier coating topcoat material. To toughen it, a ferroelastic second phase, NdAlO3, with a Curie temperature of 1367°C has been introduced to form x NdAlO3/(1‐x) La2Zr2O7 composite ceramics by a spark plasma sintering technique, where x = 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mol%. The fracture toughness of sintered composite ceramic compacts is measured at both room temperature and 1200°C, respectively, by a single‐edge‐notch beam test method. The results show that, at room temperature, the residual compressive stress in the La2Zr2O7 matrix plays an important role in the toughening of composite ceramics. By eliminating this factor, the remaining toughening effects agree with the measured fracture toughness at 1200°C, suggesting that the other toughening is probably ferroelastic domain switching toughening and that it is still valid at high temperature. Furthermore, the toughening effect arising from ferroelastic domain switching is governed by the overall domain switching zone, which is determined by both individual domain switching zone width and the "concentration" of ferroelastic phases. A relatively high coercive stress of NdAlO3 and relatively low residual tensile stress in NdAlO3 second phases contribute to negligible influence of residual tensile stress on domain switching zone width, leading to the continuous increase of fracture toughness of composite ceramics with more NdAlO3 added at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C23H14Cl4N6O4, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 9.044(2) Å, b = 11.340(2) Å, c = 11.812(3) Å, α = 95.470(17)°, β = 105.46(2)°, γ = 90.084(18)°, V = 1161.8(5) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0914, wRref(F2) = 0.2547, T = 296 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phosphinimide materials described in this paper were synthesized by polymerization precipitation. The properties of complexes coordinated with metal ions can be used as adsorbents for the adsorption of radioactive elements by using ligands such as imide and phosphorus groups. Then, the synthetic phosphinimide was characterized in detail by FT-IR, SEM, EDS and XPS, and its morphology and structural changes were studied. In addition, the effects of the material on the removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solutions at different pH, sorbent doses, contact times, initial concentrations, and temperatures were studied. The experimental data shows that the adsorption process can fit the pseudo-second-order kinetic model well, which is in line with the Langmuir isotherm model. The thermodynamic study of adsorption shows that the adsorption process is a spontaneous endothermic process. In addition, at a temperature of 303.15 K and pH = 6, the maximum adsorption of uranium(VI) by phosphinimide in 25 min can reach 234.6 mg g−1, and a removal rate of 97.75%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bis(diphenyl phosphate) imine(Htpop) was synthesized as an adsorbent for the effective removal of U(VI) from aqueous solutions using triphenyl phosphate(TPP) as the starting material. Htpop possesses notable polarity, characterized by the presence of -P O(phosphoryl) and -N-H(imino) functional groups, along with other bulky substituents. It has the capability to form chelates with metal ions, thus enabling the removal of radionuclide U(VI) from aqueous solution. The overall adsorption experiment shows that both phosphoryl and imino groups interact with uranyl ions, and the removal rate reaches 99.53 % at pH 6.0. The adsorption process conforms to the Pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infertility rates for both females and males have increased continuously in recent years. Currently, effective treatments for male infertility with defined mechanisms or targets are still lacking. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest class of drug targets, but their functions and the implications for the therapeutic development for male infertility largely remain elusive. Nevertheless, recent studies have shown that several members of the GPCR superfamily play crucial roles in the maintenance of ion-water homeostasis of the epididymis, development of the efferent ductules, formation of the blood-epididymal barrier and maturation of sperm. Knowledge of the functions, genetic variations and working mechanisms of such GPCRs, along with the drugs and ligands relevant to their specific functions, provide future directions and a great arsenal for new developments in the treatment of male infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-polyethyleneimine) microspheres with the solid structure were synthesized by precipitation polymerization method for the separation of highly toxic uranium(VI). The structure and morphology of the prepared microspheres were analyzed via FTIR, SEM–EDS, TEM and BET. The optimal adsorption conditions were also investigated, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 274.2 mg g−1. The experimental results showed that the adsorption kinetics conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetics and was in good agreement with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Removal of uranium(VI) ions was achieved by the complexation between the amino groups on the adsorbent and uranyl ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The second-order derivative information plays an important role for large-scale full waveform inversion problems. However, exploiting this information requires massive computations and memory requirements. In this study, we develop two inexact Newton methods based on the Lanczos tridiagonalization process to consider the second-order derivative information. Several techniques are developed to improve the computational performance for our proposed methods. We present an effective stopping condition and implement a nonmonotone line search method. A method based on the adjoint-state method is used to efficiently compute Hessian-vector products. In addition, a diagonal preconditioner using the pseudo-Hessian matrix is employed to accelerate solving the Newton equation. Furthermore, we combine these two inexact Newton methods to improve the computational efficiency and the resolution. 2D and 3D experiments are given to demonstrate the convergence and effectiveness of our proposed methods. Numerical results indicate that, compared with the inversion methods based on the first-order derivative, both methods have good computational efficiency. Meanwhile, the method based on MINRES solver performs better than the method with Lanczos_CG due to its ability of utilizing the negative eigenvalue information when solving strongly nonlinear and ill-posed problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a joint-inversion problem using different types of geophysical data: gravity and magnetism. We first formulate two kinds of inverse problems in the famework of the first kind Fredholm integral equations, and then build up a sparse inversion model combining the two inverse problems as well as the cross-gradient term. The cyclic gradient method for quadratic function minimization is extended for solving the corresponding optimization problem. We update the stepsizes in a cyclic way, by combining the approximated Cauchy steps and the fixed steplengths. Theoretical analysis shows that the algorithm converges R-linearly. Experimental tests show that the proposed joint inversion sparse model as well as the proposed cyclic gradient method improve the numerical performances effectively, compared to the state of the art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical and thermophysical properties of Xenotime-type REPO4 (RE = Lu, Yb, Er, Y and Sc) have been theoretically and experimentally investigated for a potential environmental barrier coating (EBC) topcoat application. The results show that the current studied REPO4 exhibits a quasi-ductile property, suggesting a potential long life expectancy of its made coatings. Further, from the study of underlying parameters governing thermophysical properties of a ceramic, low thermal expansion coefficients (TECs) and low thermal conductivities cannot be achieved simultaneously, due to mutual exclusive nature of above two parameters. REPO4 has been unveiled to have rather small TECs, attributing partly to its weak lattice anharmonicity, and is thus well-matched with silicon carbide based ceramic matrix composites. Last, the current investigated REPO4 exhibits very good high-temperature water vapor corrosion resistance, excellent calcium-magnesium aluminosilicates (CMAS) resistance as well as excellent chemical compatibility with silicon bond coats at elevated temperatures. Therefore, the Xenotime-type rare earth phosphates are a promising EBC topcoat material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finite‐difference modeling with a cross‐rhombus stencil with high‐order accuracy in both spatial and temporal derivatives is a potential method for efficient seismic simulation. The finite‐difference coefficients determined by Taylor‐series expansion usually preserve the dispersion property in a limited wavenumber range and fixed angles of propagation. To construct the dispersion‐relationship‐preserving scheme for satisfying high‐wavenumber components and multiple angles, we expand the dispersion relation of the cross‐rhombus stencil to an over‐determined system and apply a regularization method to obtain the stable least‐squares solution of the finite‐difference coefficients. The new dispersion‐relationship‐preserving based scheme not only satisfies several designated wavenumbers but also has high‐order accuracy in temporal discretization. The numerical analysis demonstrates that the new scheme possesses a better dispersion characteristic and more relaxed stability conditions compared with the Taylor‐series expansion based methods. Seismic wave simulations for the homogeneous model and the Sigsbee model demonstrate that the new scheme yields small dispersion error and improves the accuracy of the forward modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The susceptibility of newly expressed proteins to digestion by gastrointestinal proteases (e.g., pepsin) has long been regarded as one of the important endpoints in the weight-of-evidence (WOE) approach to assess the allergenic risk of genetically modified (GM) crops. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has suggested that current digestion study protocols used for this assessment should be modified to more accurately reflect the diverse physiological conditions encountered in human populations and that the post-digestion analysis should include analytical methods to detect small peptide digestion products.The susceptibility of two allergens (beta-lactoglobin (β-Lg) and alpha-lactalbumin (α-La)) and two non-allergens (hemoglobin (Hb) and phosphofructokinase (PFK)) to proteolytic degradation was investigated under two pepsin digestion conditions (optimal pepsin digestion condition: pH 1.2, 10 U pepsin/μg test protein; sub-optimal pepsin digestion condition: pH 5.0, 1 U pepsin/10 mg test protein), followed by 34.5 U trypsin/mg test protein and 0.4 U chymotrypsin/mg test protein digestion in the absence or presence of bile salts. All samples were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in conjunction with Coomassie Blue staining and, in parallel, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) detection. The results provide following insights: 1) LC-MS methodology does provide the detection of small peptides; 2) Peptides are detected in both allergens and non-allergens from all digestion conditions; 3) No clear differences among the peptides detected from allergen and non-allergens; 4) The differences observed in SDS-PAGE between the optimal and sub-optimal pepsin digestion conditions are expected and align with kinetics and properties of the specific enzymes; 5) The new methodology with new digestion conditions and LC-MS detection does not provide any differentiating information for prediction whether a protein is an allergen. The classic pepsin resistance assay remains the most useful assessment of the potential exposure of an intact newly expressed protein as part of product safety assessment within a WOE approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study proposes a moderated mediation model that examines the roles that openness to change and psychological capital (PsyCap) may play in the relationship between climate for innovation and employee creativity. Design/methodology/approach: Path modeling analysis with software Mplus 7 is conducted to test our moderated mediation model. Findings: The results show that climate for innovation promotes openness to change, which in turn encourages employee creativity, and PsyCap moderates not only the relationship between climate for innovation and openness to change but also the indirect effect of climate for innovation on employee creativity through openness to change. Research limitations/implications: Although we attempt to avoid common method bias by collecting data in two waves, the six-month time interval separating the two waves of data collection may not be long enough to detect the causal relationship between climate for innovation and employee creativity. In addition, this study is conducted in companies located in China, which may raise the question of generalizability to other cultures. Originality/value: The main contribution is building a moderated mediation model to uncover the potential mediating mechanism and boundary conditions associated with the influence of climate for innovation on employee creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the experimental units are heterogeneous, blocking the units into groups is a crucial way. In this paper we consider the selection of optimal three-level blocked regular designs. A blocked aliased component-number pattern (B-ACNP) is introduced and a blocked general minimum lower order confounding (B1-GMC) criterion for selecting three-level blocked designs is proposed. Some relations of this criterion with other existing criteria are given. Some results of constructing three-level B1-GMC designs are obtained. For comparison, all the B1-GMC, B-GMC and four MA-type 3 n − m : 3 p designs with 27, 81 and 243 runs, n = 4 , 5 , ... , 10 and p = 1, 2, 3 are tabulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating subsurface attenuation distribution is essential to compensate the amplitude and phase distortions in seismic imaging and characterize attenuative reservoirs. Full-waveform inversion (FWI) methods represent promising techniques to invert for both velocity and attenuation models with arbitrary spatial distributions. However, simultaneously determining velocity and attenuation properties introduces the problem of interparameter trade-off in viscoelastic FWI. Ignoring attenuation effects can result in inaccurate velocity estimations. Velocity errors may produce significant parameter crosstalk artefacts in the inverted attenuation models. An appropriate misfit function measuring specific seismic attribute is essential to capture the influence of attenuation on the seismic data and thus is expected to reduce the influences of velocity errors for attenuation estimation. In this study, we evaluate the performances of different misfit functions for attenuation estimation in viscoelastic FWI accompanied with a two-stage sequential inversion strategy. Synthetic examples with different acquisition surveys are given to show that in the presence of strong velocity errors, the amplitude-based misfit functions, including envelope-difference, root-mean-square amplitude-ratio and spectral amplitude-ratio, can invert for the attenuation models more reliably, compared to the waveform-difference and instantaneous phase misfit functions. With the two-stage inversion approach, more reliable velocity and attenuation models can be obtained using viscoelastic FWI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inverse microtomography problem is under consideration in a class of functions with bounded VH variation. An algorithm for solving this problem is proposed based on Tikhonov's regularization with a special regularizer. The algorithm ensures piecewise uniform convergence of approximate solutions to exact solution of the inverse problem. In addition, the question of a-posteriori error estimate of approximate solutions obtained is considered. A new numerical algorithm for finding this estimate is proposed. Numerical experiments on solving a model inverse problem on the class of functions with bounded VH variation are presented along with the results of a-posteriori error estimate for approximate solutions obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of a wide range of shot peening (SP) coverage on hydrogen diffusion and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) of a steel consisting of ferrite and pearlite was investigated. Conventional SP (CSP) reduces diffusivity and HE because of increase of dislocation trapping sites. Although severe SP (SSP), which uses higher coverages than CSP, increases the area of ferrite grain boundaries as a result of grain refinement, it cannot suppress further the diffusion and HE, as it cannot induce a further evident increase in strong hydrogen trapping sites such as dislocations. However, when coverage is increased to so high that causes the breaking and refinement of pearlite phase, diffusion and HE is suppressed further, because the dispersed distribution of ultrafine pearlite particles within ferrite matrix provides more strong interface trapping sites. SP-induced change of trapping sites plays a more critical role in HE and diffusion, in comparison with induced residual compressive stresses. Image 1 • A very wide shot peening coverage range was considered for a ferrite-pearlite steel. • SP-induced increase of trapping sites plays a more critical role in HE and diffusion. • Conventional shot peening suppresses HE because of increase of dislocation traps. • Severe shot peening cannot suppress HE further if it cannot increase strong H traps. • Using a very high coverage to produce more interface traps can suppress HE further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly crosslinked organic–inorganic hybrid polymer poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-melamine) microspheres (PZM) were synthesized by a simple method. The microspheres was characterized by FTIR, SEM and EDX. It was applied to eliminate thorium(IV) from aqueous solution under various conditions, i.e., pH, initial concentration, dosage and contact time. The experimental data were well-imitated via the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and its adsorption processes comply with the Langmuir isotherm model. Adsorption thermodynamic studies demonstrated that the adsorption process, in essence, was spontaneous and endothermic. Furthermore, the maximum experimental adsorption capacity was 98.6 mg g−1 for initial thorium(IV) concentration 50 mg L−1. When pH = 0.0, the thorium(IV) removal efficiency reached at 76.9%, which indicates that the adsorbent can also was used in a peracid environment. Adsorption behavior of thorium(IV) onto the microspheres were weakly affected via temperature, implying that adsorption would be done at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During tensile deformation, nanostructured (NS) metals often fail soon after yielding by forming a localized shear band. Here we report the observation of high density of shear bands that are homogeneously dispersed in the NS layer of a gradient Ni sample. These shear bands were nucleated at early elastic/plastic strain stage, reached number saturation at ∼3% strain, and remained arrested by the central coarse-grained (CG) matrix during the entire plastic deformation, resulting in a uniform tensile plasticity comparable to that of CG matrix. The formation of dispersed shear bands was promoted by the elastic/plastic interaction between NS surface layer and CG matrix, and affected by the surface roughness and the hardness variation in the NS surface layer. The width of shear bands remained constant, but the intensity of strain accumulation increased almost linearly with applied tensile strain, suggesting a stable shear banding process. Microstructure examination revealed that the strain in shear bands was accommodated by mechanically driven grain boundary migration and grain coarsening. These results clarify the fundamental questions: why/how does the NS layer supported by CG matrix achieve large uniform elongation? Moreover, the findings demonstrate the possibility of activating dispersed stable shear bands by synthesizing gradient architecture for optimized mechanical performances, i.e., a new strategy for evading the strength-ductility tradeoff in NS metals. Image 1 • Questions 'why/how does the NS layer supported by CG matrix achieve large uniform elongation?' are clarified. • Dense shear bands are homogeneously dispersed in the NS layer of gradient Ni. • Shear bands evolved stably during deformation, resulting in large uniform elongation. • Elastic/plastic interaction between NS and CG layers promoted the nucleation of shear bands. • Strain in shear bands is accommodated by mechanically driven grain coarsening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid–liquid-phase equilibrium is an important part of chemical thermodynamics, and its basic theoretical research plays a vital role in the advancement of the chemical industry. Solid–liquid equilibria for binary mixtures of 3-nitrotoluene and 4-nitrotoluene were measured using differential scanning calorimetry under atmospheric pressure (101.3 kPa). The results showed that the phase diagram of the 3-nitrotoluene + 4-nitrotoluene binary system presented a eutectic behavior, and the eutectic point was x1 = 0.6487, TE = 272.15 K. Furthermore, the experimental results were correlated with Wilson and nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL) activity coefficient models well. The relative standard deviations were 0.496 and 0.236, respectively, and the absolute mean deviations were 0.005 and 0.001, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether) crosslinked microspheres with active amino groups on the surface were prepared by one-step precipitation polymerization method. The as-prepared material were characterized by means of FTIR, XPS, XRD, EDS and SEM. The effects of pH, time of contact, dosage, initial concentration and temperature on the adsorption of uranium(VI) by the crosslinked microspheres were studied, and the adsorption mechanism was elucidated. Under the optimized adsorption conditions, the adsorption removal efficiency reached 97.03%. The experimental results fit the Langmuir isotherm model and adsorption processes comply with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Thermodynamic data revealed that the adsorption behavior of uranium(VI) on the microspheres was spontaneous and exothermic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the long-term oxidation resistance of SiC f /SiC composites manufactured by a single PIP technique and a hybrid CVI-PIP technique at 1200 °C in a static air has been systematically studied. It has been found that after oxidation at 1200 °C for 200 h, SiC f /SiC composites by the hybrid CVI-PIP technique can retain flexural strength as high as 76% and still exhibit a typical quasi-plastic fracture. In contrast, after oxidation for 100 h, SiC f /SiC composites produced by the single PIP technique can only keep 31.8% of their initial flexural strength and demonstrate a typical brittle fracture. An insertion of a dense and crystalline CVI derived SiC layer between fibers/interphase and PIP derived matrix makes the difference. To be specific, for those single PIP derived composites, i.e. without this CVI SiC layer, the fibers/interphase are totally exposed to oxidative environments due to the nature of PIP derived matrix that is porous and full of micro-cracks. Worse still, the oxidized products of PIP derived matrix, viscous and sticky SiO 2 , tends to tightly wrap up fibers, forming a strong fiber/matrix bond. On the contrary, for those hybrid CVI-PIP derived composites, the dense CVI SiC layer serves as an oxidation barrier, not only blocking the inward flowing of oxygen to invade interphase/fibers, but also precluding the viscous and sticky SiO 2 reach fiber surface. The superior properties of SiC f /SiC composites produced by hybrid CVI-PIP technique suggest it be a desirable manufacture technique for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]