Search

As the global environmental pollution problem has received more attention, low-carbon development has become mainstream, and replacing fossil-fuel energy with new energy has become a general trend. Green finance, an important measure for promoting low-carbon development, is critical to the development of the non-hydro renewable energy industry. Using China's provincial panel data from 2008 to 2021, we conducted an empirical analysis to explore the impact of green finance on the development of the non-hydro renewable energy industry. We found the following: (1) Nationally, green finance promoted the development of the non-hydro renewable energy industry. (2) The mechanism test results show that green finance promoted the development of the non-hydro renewable energy industry by improving the level of scientific and technological research as well as reducing the corporate financing cost. (3) Regionally, green finance could significantly promote the development of the non-hydro renewable energy industry in energy-rich regions, while the impact was not significant in energy-poor regions. (4) Green finance significantly promoted the development of the non-hydro renewable energy industry in the inland region, while the impact was not significant in the coastal region. (5) Green finance promoted the development of wind power generation more than it did photovoltaic generation. Based on the findings, the non-hydro renewable energy industry in various regions should be developed according to local conditions, giving full play to the promotional role of green finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), particularly when equipped with output windows – a standard practice in contemporary time series forecasting – have shown proficiency in handling short-term dependencies. Nonetheless, RNNs can encounter challenges in maintaining hidden states over extended forecasting periods, particularly in longer-term predictions where increased hidden state sizes and extended look-back windows can lead to gradient instability. In contrast, Transformer-based models, with their distinctive architecture designed to encode complex contextual relationships and enable computations to be done in parallel, are emerging as a popular alternative in this field. However, current research has mainly focused on modifying attention mechanisms, overlooking opportunities to improve the feedforward layer, which could lead to efficiency limitations. Moreover, prevailing methods often assume absolute independence between channels, disregarding distinct features among variables and failing to fully leverage channel-specific information. To address these gaps, we propose an efficient transformer design for multivariate time series prediction. Our approach integrates two key components: (i) a gated residual attention unit that enhances predictive accuracy and computational efficiency, and (ii) a channel embedding technique that differentiates between series and boosts performance. Theoretically, we prove that our model has recurrent dynamics introduced by the RNN layer. Through extensive experiments on real-world data, we demonstrate that our proposed method achieves competitive predictive accuracy compared to prior approaches while exhibiting accelerated processing relative to state-of-the-art transformers. Our code, data, and trained models are available at https://github.com/MythosAd/GRAformer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the class-agnostic counting problem, which aims to count objects regardless of their class, and relies only on a limited number of exemplar objects. Existing methods usually extract visual features from query and exemplar images, compute similarity between them using convolution operations, and finally use this information to estimate object counts. However, these approaches often overlook the scale information of the exemplar objects, leading to lower counting accuracy for objects with multi-scale characteristics. Additionally, convolution operations are local linear matching processes that may result in a loss of semantic information, which can limit the performance of the counting algorithm. To address these issues, we devise a new scale-aware transformer-based feature fusion module that integrates visual and scale information of exemplar objects and models similarity between samples and queries using cross-attention. Finally, we propose an object counting algorithm based on a feature extraction backbone, a feature fusion module and a density map regression head, called SATCount. Our experiments on the FSC-147 and the CARPK demonstrate that our model outperforms the state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2011, a new influenza virus, named Influenza D Virus (IDV), was isolated from pigs, and then cattle, presenting influenza-like symptoms. IDV is one of the causative agents of Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD), which causes high morbidity and mortality in feedlot cattle worldwide. To date, the molecular mechanisms of IDV pathogenicity are unknown. Recent IDV outbreaks in cattle, along with serological and genetic evidence of IDV infection in humans, have raised concerns regarding the zoonotic potential of this virus. Influenza virus polymerase is a determining factor of viral pathogenicity to mammals. Methods: Here we take a prospective approach to this question by creating a random mutation library about PB2 subunit of the IDV viral polymerase to test which amino acid point mutations will increase viral polymerase activity, leading to increased pathogenicity of the virus. Results: Our work shows some exact sites that could affect polymerase activities in influenza D viruses. For example, two single-site mutations, PB2-D533S and PB2-G603Y, can independently increase polymerase activity. The PB2-D533S mutation alone can increase the polymerase activity by 9.92 times, while the PB2-G603Y mutation increments the activity by 8.22 times. Conclusion: Taken together, our findings provide important insight into IDV replication fitness mediated by the PB2 protein, increasing our understanding of IDV replication and pathogenicity and facilitating future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cycle-consistent generative adversarial networks (CycleGAN) have shown their promising performance for speech enhancement (SE), while one intractable shortcoming of these CycleGAN-based SE systems is that the noise components propagate throughout the cycle and cannot be completely eliminated. Additionally, conventional CycleGAN-based SE systems only estimate the spectral magnitude, while the phase is unaltered. Motivated by the multi-stage learning concept, we propose a novel two-stage denoising system that combines a CycleGAN-based magnitude enhancing network and a subsequent complex spectral refining network in this paper. Specifically, in the first stage, a CycleGAN-based model is responsible for only estimating magnitude, which is subsequently coupled with the original noisy phase to obtain a coarsely enhanced complex spectrum. After that, the second stage is applied to further suppress the residual noise components and estimate the clean phase by a complex spectral mapping network, which is a pure complex-valued network composed of complex 2D convolution/deconvolution and complex temporal-frequency attention blocks. Experimental results on two public datasets demonstrate that the proposed approach consistently surpasses previous one-stage CycleGANs and other state-of-the-art SE systems in terms of various evaluation metrics, especially in background noise suppression. • We propose a two-stage speech enhancement approach composed of a CycleGAN-based network and a complex denoising network. • We decompose the original complex spectrum estimation into two sub-tasks, i.e., maginitude and phase. • The proposed two-stage system outperforms the one-stage CycleGAN-based and many state-of-the-art speech enhancement approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A sodium alginate hydrogel was successfully grown on the aerogel surface. • The designed solar steam device had the self-floating characteristic. • Bismuth molybdate was introduced into the floating layer to degrade dyes. It is a challenge to construct devices for producing clean and purified water. In this paper, devices assembled using an aerogel-hydrogel composite and a floating layer were used to produce clean water while purifying water sources. A low-surface-tension polymer and bismuth molybdate were loaded to the surface of a carrier through co-deposition. The contact angle of the constructed superhydrophobic fabric, canvas and felt was 162°, 159° and 160° respectively. Even under the external force of deformation, the beads still quickly left the surface, showing a low adhesion effect. The purification efficiency of the assembled self-floating solar steam generator was 99.82 % and 99.48 % for rhodamine B (Rh B) and methyl orange (MO) respectively, whose mechanical stability and salt suppression capacity were demonstrated through stress–strain curves and photothermal experiments with a high saline concentration (10 wt% NaCl). Through the introduction of bismuth molybdate in the floating layer, not only the roughness increased, but the properties of photodegradation performance were also achieved. Through an active substrate capture test and a band structure analysis, the h+ played a decisive role in the degradation process. The valence and conduction band position of the catalyst were 2.28 eV and −0.35 eV, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soliton, the eigen-solution of nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE), has been investigated in many branches of physics. The first prediction of a soliton in optical fiber could be dated back to 1973. Since then, numerous theoretical and experimental works on solitons have been carried out, including soliton communication and soliton generation in fiber lasers. However, due to the constraints of hardware and digital signal processing methods, research on solitons have been stalled for decades. Recently, the nonlinear Fourier transform (NFT) has attracted significant attention in the field of optical fiber communications and soliton-based signal processing, which provides a powerful mathematical framework for analyzing and understanding the behavior of solitons in optical fibers, enabling the development of novel signal processing techniques. The NFT technique has brought the soliton back to life. It has been widely recognized that in nonlinear frequency domain, the nonlinear crosstalk resulting from the Kerr effect is practically negligible, and fiber nonlinearity damage caused by the Kerr effect can be accounted for as a linear transform factor. Moreover, NFT has been demonstrated for the analysis of laser radiation, highlighting its potential in characterizing ultrafast pulses in the nonlinear frequency domain. In this submission, we review the advancements of NFT concerning both in soliton communication and characterization, focusing on practical implementation aspects. With many practical implementation aspects still being open, our mini review is aimed to assist researchers in evaluating the potential, identifying challenges, and envisioning future directions in NFT-based signal processing technologies. And wake up the sleeping beauty – the soliton! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant amounts of work have been conducted in the area of plasma flow control, while the receptivity of plasma actuation in high-speed boundary layers has not had much attention over the last two decades. In the present study, the receptivity of a Mach 4.5 flat-plate boundary layer to plasma heating actuation produced by pulsed-DC surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) has been studied by direct numerical simulation (DNS) and stability analysis. With the help of multimode decomposition technology, the amplitude of normal modes can be obtained. The results show that both fast and slow modes can be excited by plasma actuation, and the receptivity maximum is observed near the lower neutral branch. Because the pulsed-DC SDBD actuation is typical periodic pulse signals, when the total power remains constant, the Fourier components with multiples of actuation frequency have the same energy, regardless of the waveform, period, and width of the actuation signal. Such characteristics benefit the robustness of the pulsed-DC SDBD actuator. A theoretical prediction method by combining the receptivity model and linear parabolized stability equations is considered in the present study, and good agreement with the DNS results is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Integrate solid oxide fuel cell with supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle and CO 2 capture. • 60.96% of net electrical efficiency and 0.342 kg/kWh reducing CO 2 emission are achievable. • Develop detailed off-design models of components and system. • Investigate three key operating parameters' effects on system performance. • Propose system control strategy to investigate part-load system performance. Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO 2) Brayton cycle are both clean and efficient technologies for energy supply. The present study proposes an innovative SOFC-based system combined with sCO 2 Brayton cycle and CO 2 capture system. The bottoming sCO 2 cycle can improve efficiency of the integrated system by recovering waste heat from the combustion chamber while using oxy-fuel combustor to achieve low-energy CO 2 capture. And the quasi-steady model of the system is developed to evaluate the system design and off-design performances. The simulated results indicate that the net electrical efficiency and reducing CO 2 emission of the system are 60.96% and 0.342 kg/kWh, respectively. The system parametric analysis indicates that the reasonable recirculation ratio, fuel utilization and fuel flow rate are prerequisites for the safe and efficient operation of the integrated system. Based on the analysis, a system control strategy is proposed to satisfy the demand for wide-range load adjustment (30%-100%), while the efficiency of the integrated system is decreased from 60.96% to 50.33% during the load reduction process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To resist external pressure, stiffened spherical domes have been widely used in underwater vehicles. In traditional design of these thin-walled structures, uniform stiffeners are usually utilized and overly conservative safety factor method is employed to envelop the multi-source uncertainties mainly caused by manufacturing. In this study, a concept of non-uniformly stiffened spherical dome (NUSPD) is developed to improve the structural buckling capacity. Furthermore, an efficient reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) framework is established for NUSPD, which includes a deterministic optimization loop to fix the stiffener layout, and subsequently followed by a RBDO loop to determine the detailed stiffener dimensions and decrease the structural weight under geometric and material property uncertainties. Since the RBDO of stiffened spherical domes is very complex, an improved enhanced chaos control method together with surrogate model is proposed to improve the convergence rate. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed RBDO framework is demonstrated by the NUSPD example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The an unexpected antiferromagnetism is investigated by the exchange bias in the defect-induced ferromagnetic SiC. • A single domain model is used to investigate the exchange bias. • Thus, for the first time, this study shows that an antiferromagnetism can also be induced in SiC by defect. Abstract In this paper, the observation of exchange bias in defective ferromagnetic SiC is presented. Two typical features of exchange bias are clearly observed: the shift of magnetic hysteresis upon field cooling and the training effect. A core-shell morphology particle model is employed to quantitatively analyze the exchange bias field dependence on the cooling field. Based on the model, the calculated anisotropy constant is 2.5 × 105 erg/cm3. The training effect can be described by the Kolmogorov-Avrami model, which is used for the classical exchange bias system. The appearance of exchange bias is the signature of the existence of an interface between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic layers or cores/shells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in tea has attracted widespread attention. In this study, the strategy of four-way fluorescence data coupled with third-order calibration method based on four way parallel factor analysis (four-way PARAFAC) was used to determine phenanthrene, naphthalene and acenaphthene in tea. A new method, introducing an additional temperature mode into the three-way fluorescence data set, was proposed to acquire a four-way data array. The feasibility of the method was validated by experiments. The four-way PARAFAC could give satisfactory analytical results for the determination of three PAHs in tea. The average spiked recoveries were (100.9 ± 7.8)% for phenanthrene, (94.6 ± 8.6)% for naphthalene, (96.0 ± 9.8)% for acenaphthene. The root-mean-square error of prediction (RMSEP) values were 0.495 μg L−1 for phenanthrene, 0.841 μg L−1 for naphthalene, 0.577 μg L−1 for acenaphthene. The average relative predictive errors (ARPE) values for three PAHs were <2.35%. The limits of detection (LOD) of three PAHs were between 0.026 and 0.14 μg L−1. Generally, these results obtained by four-way PARAFAC were better than that of three-way PARAFAC. In addition, analytical figures of merit, such as Sensitivity, Selectivity and Analytical sensitivity, were calculated for three PAHs to evaluate the methods. The results demonstrated that the four-way PARAFAC was more suitable for the determination for three target analytes in this study. Highlights • Determination of three PAHs using EEM fluorescence spectroscopy combined with multiway calibration methods. • Introducing a temperature mode to construct the four-way fluorescence data array. • Green analytical chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) is a powerful tool to handle the influence of various uncertainties during optimization. However, unbearable computation cost is one of the largest barriers for its application, especially for the finite element method (FEM)-based RBDO. In this paper, an efficient and accurate RBDO framework is established based on isogeometric analysis (IGA) for complex engineering problems. Furthermore, an enhanced step length adjustment (ESLA) iterative algorithm and a second-order reliability method-based stepped-up sequential optimization and reliability assessment approach (SSORA-SORM) are proposed to boost the efficiency of RBDO. According to the situation of iteration process, the step length of search the most probable target point can be adaptively updated by the proposed criterion to improve the robustness in ESLA. In the proposed framework, the analytical first-order sensitivity is derived based on IGA in the optimization process to substitute the time-consuming finite difference method. The robustness, accuracy and efficiency of proposed methods are verified via several numerical benchmarks. Besides, three complex IGA-based examples demonstrate that the proposed method is able to save much computational cost without losing accuracy, which is inherently suitable for the RBDO of complex engineering problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the problem of estimating the parameters for fractional diffusion process from discrete observations when the Hurst parameter H is unknown. With combination of several methods, such as the Donsker type approximate formula of fractional Brownian motion, quadratic variation method, and the maximum likelihood approach, we give the parameter estimations of the Hurst index, diffusion coefficients, and volatility and then prove their strong consistency. Finally, an extension for generalized fractional diffusion process and further work are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PRDM14, a member of the PRDM family protein, plays an important role in the regulation of epigenetic reprogramming. Knockdown of Prdm14 in germ cells can lead to female and male subfertility, and the function of PRDM14 appears to be conserved across mammalian species. Thus, we analyzed the expression of Prdm14 in parthenogenetic embryos at all stages of preimplantation and then evaluated the effect of Prdm14 downregulation on porcine parthenogenetic embryonic development. We found that Prdm14 transcripts are highly expressed in the metaphase II (MII) oocyte, and their level gradually increased from the 2-cell to 8-cell stage and slightly declined at the blastocyst stage during the development of parthenogenetic porcine embryos. Prdm14 was knocked down in oocytes at the MII stage by the injection of siRNA to assess the role of this protein in epigenetic remodeling and embryo development. Prdm14 knockdown significantly decreased the cleavage and blastocyst rates without changing the total cell number of the blastocysts. In addition, the expression levels of the antiapoptotic gene BCL-2 and the pluripotency-related genes OCT4 and SOX2 were also significantly decreased. These results showed that PRDM14 could affect embryonic development through regulating the expression levels of the pluripotency and antiapoptotic genes during the development of parthenogenetically activated porcine embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement of γ-Re θt model for hypersonic transition prediction is conducted based on the compressible similarity solutions. The Wilcox’s correlation of vorticity Reynolds number and momentum thickness Reynolds number adopted in the original γ-Re θt model is not suitable for hypersonic boundary layer. The new correlation is obtained from similarity solutions of compressible boundary layer equations, which includes parameters such as Mach number and temperature of boundary edge and wall temperature. Then the new correlation as well as several modifications are applied to improve the γ-Re θt model for hypersonic transition prediction. Four test cases are selected to assess the performance of the improved γ-Re θt model, including a wide range flows from two-dimensional flat plate and double ramp to three-dimensional X-51A forebody and scramjet intake. The predicted pressure coefficient and Stanton number are consistent with the available experimental data, which validate the transition prediction capacity of the improved γ-Re θt model in different hypersonic conditions. For complex scramjet intake, the predicted results by the improved γ-Re θt model show a good agreement with experimental data, especially in the interior region, which demonstrates that the improved γ-Re θt model can be an effective tool for the design and optimization of hypersonic vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Elevation of TWIST1 in the later stages of S. aureus-induced osteomyelitis is associated with inflammatory microenvironments. • Depletion of TWIST1 impairs the bacterial phagocytosis/killing ability, accelerates apoptosis through mitochondrial dysfunction and exacerbates mitochondrial calcium overload in inflammatory microenvironments. • Inhibition of calcium overload significantly rescues macrophage apoptosis and enhances the antimicrobial ability in mice. Currently, there is no effective therapy for Staphylococcus aureus -induced osteomyelitis. It is widely recognized that the inflammatory microenvironment around abscess plays an essential role in protracting the course of S. aureus -induced osteomyelitis. In this study, we found TWIST1 was highly expressed in macrophages around abscesses but less related to local S. aureus in the later stages of Staphylococcus aureus -infected osteomyelitis. Mouse bone marrow macrophages show apoptosis and elevated TWIST1 expression when treated with the inflammatory medium. Knockdown of TWIST1 induced macrophage apoptosis, impaired the bacteria phagocytosis/killing abilities, and promoted cell apoptosis markers expression in inflammatory microenvironment stimulation. Furthermore, inflammatory microenvironments were responsible for inducing calcium overload in macrophage mitochondrial while calcium overload inhibition significantly rescued macrophage apoptosis, bacteria phagocytosis/killing abilities and improved the mice's antimicrobial ability. Our findings indicated that TWIST1 is a crucial molecule that protects macrophages from calcium overload induced by inflammatory microenvironments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we designed and developed a DOX nanodrug delivery system (PEG-GA@ZIF-8@DOX) using ZIF-8 as the carrier and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) as the targeting ligand. We confirmed that DOX was loaded and PEG-GA was successfully modified on the surface of the nanoparticles. The in vitro release profile of the system was investigated at pH 5.0 and 7.4. The cellular uptake, in vitro cytotoxicity, and lysosomal escape characteristics were examined using HepG2 cells. We established an H22 tumor-bearing mouse model and evaluated the in vivo antitumor activity. The results showed that the system had a uniform nanomorphology. The drug loading capacity was 11.22 ± 0.87%. In acidic conditions (pH 5.0), the final release rate of DOX was 57.73%, while at pH 7.4, it was 25.12%. GA-mediated targeting facilitated the uptake of DOX by the HepG2 cells. PEG-GA@ZIF-8@DOX could escape from the lysosomes and release the drug in the cytoplasm, thus exerting its antitumor effect. When the in vivo efficacy was analyzed, we found that the tumor inhibition rate of PEG-GA@ZIF-8@DOX was 67.64%; it also alleviated the loss of the body weight of the treated mice. This drug delivery system significantly enhanced the antitumor effect of doxorubicin in vitro and in vivo, while mitigating its toxic side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For non-probabilistic reliability-based design optimization (NRBDO), existing methods cannot satisfy both efficiency and robustness requirements, especially for complex engineering problems. In this study, an efficient adaptive-loop (EAL) method for NRBDO is proposed based on an improved single loop method and enhanced chaos control method, aiming to enhance the optimization efficiency without sacrifice of numerical stability. The constraint function is reconstructed to improve the efficiency of reliability analysis. Moreover, a criteria condition is defined to guarantee the rationality of rough optimum and eliminate redundant constraints. The proposed EAL method can adaptively switch to a proper method, thus both high efficiency and robustness can be guaranteed. Nonlinear numerical examples and complex engineering problems are utilized to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method by comparison with other existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether the performance of carbon fiber‐reinforced polymer (CFRP)‐strengthened concrete structure is affected by chloride penetration is the key to the application under chloride environments. In this paper, the effect of chloride penetration on tensile properties of CFRP sheet, bond behavior of CFRP‐concrete, and flexural performance of CFRP‐strengthened concrete beams were studied. Results show that chloride penetration has no effect on the elastic modulus of the CFRP sheet. The tensile strength and elongation of the CFRP sheet decrease with the exposure time increase, reducing by 10% and 12.7% after 240 days. The interface failure of CFRP‐concrete is likely to occur on the concrete surface. As the exposure time increases, the interface failure develops toward the epoxy resin layer; the sliding stiffness and end slip of the interface decrease. However, the ultimate bearing capacity of the interface first increases and then decreases. As the exposure time increase, the effective bonding length gradually increases, and the failure mode of CFRP‐strengthened beams changes from bending failure to shear failure. After 120 days, the ultimate bearing capacity of the beams is significantly reduced. From three parts of materials, interfaces, and components to provide an evaluation basis for the use, regular detection, and life prediction of CFRP‐strengthened reinforced concrete beams under chloride environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an efficient and robust algorithm of non-probabilistic reliability-based design optimization (NRBDO) is proposed based on convex model. In this double-nested optimization model, the inner loop concerns a Min–max problem for the evaluation of reliability index, where the target performance approach is applied to substitute the Min–max problem. To improve the convergence rate, an enhanced chaos control (ECC) method is developed on the basis of chaotic dynamics theory, which can check and re-update the control factor by the Wolfe–Powell criterion. To further enhance the optimization efficiency, a novel NRBDO algorithm is developed based on the proposed ECC, where HL–RF algorithm is applied at the initial stage of this algorithm, while ECC is used to improve the robustness once the oscillation or chaotic behavior is identified. Three mathematical examples, one numerical example and one complex engineering problem, i.e. axially compressed stiffened shells in launch vehicles, are utilized to demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the proposed method by comparison with other existing methods. Results indicate that the proposed method is particularly suitable for complicated engineering problems without prior knowledge of uncertainty distributions, which is expected to be utilized in the structural design of future launch vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While curbing the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), lockdown policies and "stay-at-home" restrictions caused massive supply chain disruptions worldwide. This led to breaks in spatial market integration, which could further lead to market inefficiency and resource misallocation. Taking daily price data from 2016 to 2021, this study investigates COVID-19's effect on the spatial market integration of fish in China using cointegration tests. We find a high degree of spatial market integration for fish in China before the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, our results show that COVID-19's effect on the spatial market integration of fish varies spatially in China. Specifically, COVID-19 reduces the degree of spatial market integration in most provinces, especially those with high infection rates. Meanwhile, the degree of spatial market integration in provinces with low infection rates remains high. Therefore, the government should be regionally specific when formulating market recovery policies. • First study on how a public health emergency affects spatial market integration of fish • COVID-19 reduces the degree of spatial market integration in most provinces, especially those with high infection rates. • The degree of spatial market integration in provinces with low infection rates remains high after the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal pollution in water seriously affects human health. The disadvantages of traditional metal ion detection methods involve long and cumbersome chemical pretreatment in the early stage, and large volume of samples. In this study, microalgae were used as the medium, and terahertz spectroscopy technology was employed to collect the changes of material components in it, so as to deduce the types and concentrations of heavy metal pollution in water. Through the partial least square(PLS), we establish the prediction model of heavy metal concentration, and the results show that the best detection time for Pb2+ is 6 h and Ni2+ is 18 h. The principal component analysis(PCA) shows that β-carotene is the most affected substance. Afterward we collect five real surface waters in East China and verify that the judgment accuracy of Pb2+ and Ni2+ are 100% and 93.2% respectively. The results indicate that the time is shorter than the traditional pretreatment time from more than 20–6 h, the sample volume is reduced from 50 mL to 10 mL, the detection accuracy is improved from 10 ng/mL to 1 ng/mL. In a word, we provide a new fast and real-time method for biological monitoring of heavy metal pollution in water. [Display omitted] • Detection of heavy metal pollution in water by terahertz spectroscopy combined with microalgae. • The accuracy of detecting the concentration of Pb2+ and Ni2+ is 0.1 ng/mL. • The prediction accuracy of Pb2+ is 100%, The prediction accuracy of Ni2+ is 93.2%. • The prediction time of Pb2+ is 6 h. • The consumed sample size is 10 mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the magnetic, transport, and structural properties of GaMnP with different Mn concentrations prepared by ion implantation and pulsed laser annealing. The Curie temperature increases with Mn concentration and the samples show in-plane magnetic anisotropy due to the in-plane compressive strain in the GaMnP layer. Anomalous Hall effect and negative magnetoresistance are observed, indicating the carrier mediated nature of the ferromagnetism in GaMnP. According to the micro-Raman spectroscopy data after pulsed laser annealing, the implanted layer has been fully recrystallized and the carrier concentration (hole) increases with Mn concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Contrast of color-changing metallic glasses reveals the glass properties beneath the surface. • Color contrast reflects inhomogeneous distribution of enthalpy, structure, and chemistry of metallic glass. • Color contrast provides a new way of surface defect inspection. Recently, color-changing glasses have been developed from a series of Ce-based metallic alloys. The functionality originates from fast and spontaneous surface oxidation. In most cases, single-color glasses have been obtained, but in a few cases, multicolor glasses that have spatially-dependent color contrast have been found. The natural color contrast mostly results from the interference effects on the oxide layer. The present work investigates factors that influence and control the variable oxidation rate observed at different locations on the surface, and what manufacturing steps and processing history lead to the rate variation. It is found that cooling rate, residual strain, and precipitation in melt-spun ribbons are the effects controlling the oxidation rate giving the enhanced color contrast. Therefore, the final surface color contrast reflects the non-uniform distribution of enthalpy (glassy state), microstructure, and chemistry of the metallic glass beneath the surface. The inspection of natural color contrast also represents technologically useful method for early surface flaw detection in color-changing metallic glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic anisotropy of epitaxial, high-index Fe( [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: According to the characteristics and the demand of the detection accuracy, an optical detection scheme for monitoring roller condition was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. By analyzing the principle and setting up the mathematical model, a real-time optical detection system is presented in this paper. Moreover error compensation methods of the optical detection part, installation and movement of the detection device, and eccentricity, roundness and rotary movement of the working roller have been adopted in order to ensure the detection process in atrocious condition and to examine roller's shape precisely in real-time. A series of experiments were performed to verify the validity and practical applicability of the detection system. It provides a new method for high speed, accurate and automatic real-time detection for roller condition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: By studying the output characteristics of random type optical fiber displacement sensor and semicircular type optical fiber displacement sensor, a sensor of new structure was designed. Using the ratio of the two output signals as the output of the whole system, the measurement range was enlarged, the linearity was improved, and the errors of reflective and absorbent changing in target surface are automatically compensated. Meantime, an optical fiber sensor model of correcting static error and linearizing the output curve based on BP artificial neural network was set up. The intrinsic errors such as fluctuations in the light, circuit excursion, the intensity losses in the fiber lines and the additional losses in the receiving fiber caused by bends were eliminated. By discussing in theory and experiment, the error of nonlinear is 2.9%, the measurement range reaches to 3.0mm and the relative accuracy is 2%. This kind of sensor offers such advantages as no electromagnetic interference, simple construction, high sensitivity, good accuracy and stability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper studies the switching supervisory control problem for a class of nonlinear systems with nonlinearly parameterized uncertainties. We first consider the systems that admit a family of estimators corresponding to the possible parameter values, and assume that each estimator can be robustly stabilized by a candidate control law. With appropriately chosen monitoring signals, it is shown that the scale-free hysteresis switching mechanism is capable of selecting the estimator which "best" emulates the plant, even if the decay rates of the estimation errors are non-exponential. Then, the proposed methodology is validated by means of a subclass of nonlinear uncertain systems in the strict-feedback form, for which novel constructive designs of the estimators and the corresponding control laws are proposed to solve the supervisory control problem. An extension to the case of parameter mismatch shows that practical convergence is guaranteed by means of the same supervisory control structure and a modified design of monitoring signals. A numerical simulation example is employed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Reaction of Ag2CO3 with four methyl-substituted derivatives of benzoic acid afforded silver benzoates; no additional anions are involved in these solids. One of the silver carboxylates was studied by X-ray diffraction: in the crystal, silver 3,5-dimethylbenzoate monohydrate consists of carboxylato-bridged discrete dinuclear molecules with a short Ag⋯Ag separation of 2.7719(5)Å and one weakly bonded hydrate water molecule per cation. The binary silver carboxylates were combined with either racemic or enantiopure trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane and resulted in four homochiral and four heterochiral crystalline solids. All eight structures feature cationic chain polymers, carboxylate anions and hydrate water. In three of the solids derived from the racemic ligand, the individual cationic chains are homochiral. In all structures, the primary coordination of the Ag(I) centers by nitrogen is essentially linear. Despite the chemical similarity in the anions, the backbone of the polymers proved to be conformationally soft with variable Ag–N–C–C torsion angles. In the resulting structures, the diamine ligand may bridge two cations in a wide distance range between ca. 3.0 and ca. 7.2Å. Both the chirality of the trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane ligand and the substitution pattern of the benzoate anion have strong impact on the nature of secondary interactions perpendicular to the polymer strands: either weak coordination by carboxylato or hydrate water oxygen atoms or argentophilic interactions are encountered. The Ag⋯Ag contacts increase the dimensionality of the solids from chain polymers to layer structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: CHK2 and p53 are frequently mutated in human cancers. CHK2 is known to phosphorylate and stabilize p53. CHK2 has also been implicated in DNA repair and apoptosis induction. However, whether p53 affects CHK2 activation and whether CHK2 activation modulates chemosensitivity are unclear. In this study, we found that in response to the DNA damage agent, irofulven, CHK2 activation, rather than its expression, is inversely correlated to p53 status. Irofulven inhibits DNA replication and induces chromosome aberrations (breaks and radials) and p53-dependent cell cycle arrest. Pretreatment of cells with the DNA polymerase inhibitor, aphidicolin, resulted in reduction of irofulven-induced CHK2 activation and foci formation, indicating that CHK2 activation by irofulven is replication-dependent. Furthermore, by using ovarian cancer cell lines expressing dominant-negative CHK2 and CHK2-knockout HCT116 cells, we found that CHK2 activation contributes to the control of S and G2/M cell cycle arrests, but not chemosensitivity to irofulven. Overall, this study demonstrates that in response to irofulven-induced DNA damage, the activation of CHK2 is dependent on DNA replication and related to p53 status. By controlling cell cycle arrest and DNA replication, p53 affects CHK2 activation. CHK2 activation contributes to cell cycle arrest, but not chemosensitivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper an electro-optic current transformer (CT) is designed which is used for measuring the super-high-voltage station''s line current. The measurement system utilizes a conventional CT as the sensing probe whose electronics is optically powered. The paper describes the principle of measurement system, including the system design, optically powered sensing probe, the data link measurement signal processing and results showing current measurement by means of CT. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this letter, the ordered FeS2 (pyrite) nanowire arrays were firstly fabricated by sulfurizing the Fe nanowires that were electrodeposited in the pores of anonic aluminum oxide (AAO). The results revealed that pyrite nanowires are well formed when sulfurized at 450°C for 8h. The FeS2 nanowire arrays are highly ordered and have high wire packing densities. The successfully fabricated pyrite semiconducting nanowire arrays should be of significant interest in practical applications as the semiconductor electrodes especially for photovoltaic solar cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on experimental results and theoretical analysis effects of the crystal structure on the optical and electrical properties of pyrite FeS2 films produced by thermally sulfurizing iron films at various temperatures have been systematically studied. The results indicate that the crystal structure and some related factors, such as the crystallization and the stoichiometry, remarkably influence the optical and electrical performances of the pyrite films. It is also shown that the preferred orientation of the crystal grain plays a major role in determining the crystal structure and the optical and electrical properties of the pyrite FeS2 films. Also we find that it is the crystal grains, rather than the particles that exercise a decisive influence on the electrical performance of pyrite films. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

People with mental illness are challenged by self-stigma, leading to a sense of behavioral futility and reduced goal seeking. Honest, Open, Proud (HOP) program is a peer service program that utilizes strategic disclosure to combat self-stigma. HOP was developed and predominantly examined in western culture, leaving unknown its effectiveness in East Asian countries. The current study reports adaptation and evaluation of HOP for Chinese people living with serious mental illness. Adaption underwent a community-based participatory research approach to assure cultural responsiveness. A pilot randomized controlled trial with 135 participants revealed that HOP diminished self-stigma in participants. Satisfaction and feasibility assessments indicated HOP was well received within the focal community. Results suggested HOP had benefits on disclosure self-efficacy and self-stigma for those participating in the program. Future research should further examine cultural mediators of peer support and disclosure on stigma and empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reportedly, the stress–hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) is closely associated with poor prognosis in patients with severe acute disease. However, the community‐dwelling may also be in a state of stress due to environmental exposure. Our study aimed to explore the association between SHR and all‐cause mortality in the community‐dwelling population. Methods: A total of 18 480 participants were included out of 82 091 from the NHANES 1999–2014 survey. The Kaplan–Meier survival analyses were used to assess the disparities in survival rates based on SHR, and the log‐rank test was employed to investigate the distinctions between groups. The multivariate Cox regression analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis were performed to assess the association of SHR with all‐cause mortality. A subgroup analysis was also conducted. Results: A total of 3188 deaths occurred during a median follow‐up period of 11.0 (7.7; 15.4) years. The highest risk for all‐cause mortality was observed when SHR≤ 0.843 or SHR ≥0.986 (log‐rank p <.001). After adjusting for the confounding factors, compared with subjects in the second SHR quartile (Q2), participants in the highest (Q4, adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28–1.73) and lowest quartiles (Q1, adjusted HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.16–1.60) have a higher probability of all‐cause death. The RCS observed a dose‐response U‐shaped association between SHR and all‐cause mortality. The U‐shaped association between SHR and all‐cause mortality was similar across subgroup analysis. Conclusions: The SHR was significantly associated with all‐cause mortality in the community‐dwelling population, and the relationship was U‐shaped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most reported wearable electronic devices lack self-healing chemistry and flexible function to maintain stable energy output while irreversible damages and complex deformations. In this work, we report a dual-dynamic network electrolyte synthesized by micellar elastomers introduced into strong hydrogel matrix. The gel electrolyte is fabricated by physically cross-linking the borax-polyvinyl alcohol (B-PVA) network as tough matrix and poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO)-poly (propylene oxide) (PPO)-poly (ethylene oxide) (Pluronic) to frame elastic network, followed by immersion in potassium chloride solution. Under the action of dynamic borate ester bond and multi-network hydrogen bond, the as-prepared electrolyte exhibits high stretchability (1535%) and good self-healing efficiency. Based on the electrolyte, we assemble the interfacial compatible micro-supercapacitor (MSC) by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) interdigital electrode printed on cellulosic paper by direct ink writing (DIW) technique. Thanks to the large specific area and compressive deformation resistance of cellulosic paper, the MSC with tightly interfacial contact achieves high volumetric capacitance of 801.9 mF cm−3 at the current density of 20 μA cm−2. In the absence of stimulation of the external environment, the self-healing MSC demonstrates an ideal capacity retention (90.43%) after five physical damaged/healing cycles. Our research provides a clean and effective strategy to construct wearable MSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that are related to a number of complicated biological processes, and numerous studies have demonstrated that miRNAs are closely associated with many human diseases. In this study, we present a matrix decomposition and similarity-constrained matrix factorization (MDSCMF) to predict potential miRNA–disease associations. First of all, we utilized a matrix decomposition (MD) algorithm to get rid of outliers from the miRNA–disease association matrix. Then, miRNA similarity was determined by utilizing similarity kernel fusion (SKF) to integrate miRNA function similarity and Gaussian interaction profile (GIP) kernel similarity, and disease similarity was determined by utilizing SKF to integrate disease semantic similarity and GIP kernel similarity. Furthermore, we added L2 regularization terms and similarity constraint terms to non-negative matrix factorization to form a similarity-constrained matrix factorization (SCMF) algorithm, which was applied to make prediction. MDSCMF achieved AUC values of 0.9488, 0.9540, and 0.8672 based on fivefold cross-validation (5-CV), global leave-one-out cross-validation (global LOOCV), and local leave-one-out cross-validation (local LOOCV), respectively. Case studies on three common human diseases were also implemented to demonstrate the prediction ability of MDSCMF. All experimental results confirmed that MDSCMF was effective in predicting underlying associations between miRNAs and diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of a mobile robot is important because it may tip over. This work proposes a hybrid spray-painting robot with high stiffness for touch-up painting in vehicle repair plant and investigates its stability. The distribution of the center of mass is studied based on the kinematics model, and the static stability of the mobile spray-painting robot is analyzed. A micro element method is proposed to accurately calculate the inertia force and the action point of each link in the robot. Zero-moment point (ZMP) is calculated, and the dynamic stability of the mobile robot is assessed using the ZMP criterion. The smallest reasonable width of AGV is obtained for the lightweight design of the robot. The static and dynamic stabilities of the mobile robot are compared with a traditional series mobile robot with the same workspace. Several case studies are conduct by ADAMS to verify the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The statistical model is commonly used in the reliability-based design optimization (RBDO). However, it is difficult to obtain sufficient data to construct a reasonable statistical model in the practical engineering. The biased statistical model seriously reduces the accuracy of uncertainty modeling and further affects the validity of the optimal result of RBDO. In this paper, the uncertainty of statistical model caused by the insufficient data is taken into consideration, which is quantified by the confidence of failure probability. Confidence-based design optimization (CBDO) is used to ensure the validity of the optimal result, and thus the double-loop RBDO is replaced by the time-consuming treble-loop CBDO. To reduce the heavy computational cost, a complete performance measure approach (PMA) with single-loop strategy is proposed in this paper and performance measure value is applied in the whole optimization process. The modified second-order reliability method (SORM) is employed to replace the time-consuming MCS and calculate the minimum performance target point (MPTP) of the reliability constraint function. Then, the reliability analysis is integrated into the confidence level evaluation process by single-loop strategy. Four examples are used to verify the performance of the proposed method in this paper. All results have demonstrated that the proposed method only needs much lower computational cost but its accuracy is similar to the previous CBDO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A type of ionogel electrolytes on the basis of a dual-dynamic network was prepared, composed of metal-ligand (Li+-PEO) coordination and hydrogen bonding, and a facile and versatile strategy for the construction of integrated all-in-one micro-supercapacitors was proposed to deliver promising electrochemical performance. • Self-stand ionogels are designed based on a dual-dynamic network. • The ionogels possess high self-healing efficiency with excellent stretchability. • The ionogels own high ionic conductivity and operating voltage window. • MSCs was prepared with ionogels acting as electrolyte and substrate simultaneously. • The capacitance retention rate of MSCs reaches 98% after 5th healing process. Self-healable and stretchable electrolytes are extremely desirable for next-generation flexible energy storage devices. Nevertheless, most of previously reported autonomous self-healing electrolytes possess only moderate mechanical strength and recoverability, as well as poor ionic conductivity and low operating voltage window. In this work, a type of ionogel electrolytes is reported on the basis of a dual-dynamic network composed of metal-ligand (Li+-PEO) coordination and hydrogen bonding. Impressively, the ionogel electrolytes exhibit high tensile fracture strength (0.96 MPa), stretchability (≈1847%) and electrochemical stability up to about −4 to 4 V. A novel all-in-one self-healable micro-supercapacitor prototype is proposed by adopting direct ink writing technique, whereas the electrode material is directly printed onto the ionogel film which acts as a flexible substrate and gel-electrolyte simultaneously. The maximum energy density of the all-in-one micro-supercapacitor reaches 81.88 μWh cm−2 at a power density of 0.75 mW cm−2. In the absence of external stimulus, the damaged micro-supercapacitor can achieve up to 98% self-healing efficiency after 2 min at room temperature. Our research provides new fundamental insights into the construction of stretchable and self-healable ionogels and offers guidelines for the design of integrated micro-supercapacitors to deliver better electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Only two native-defect-induced shallow energy levels are found in Ge-doped-6H-SiC. • Raman and RBS/c reveal high quality of Ge-doped 6H-SiC. • Ge is a substitutional impurity. • The Ge C bond is easy to break to generate carriers through the induced levels. We present a comprehensive investigation of mechanism of ohmic contact characteristic in Ge-doped 6H-SiC single crystals. Raman mapping and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry reveal high crystalline quality of Ge-doped 6H-SiC and the Ge as a substitutional impurity. Deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) spectrum was measured. Its Arrhenius fitting shows two shallow energy levels. They are below the conductive band bottom 0.298 eV and 0.323 eV respectively. The first-principles calculations indicate that the no new levels are in (Ge) Si configuration, but (Ge) C can induce deep levels in 6H-SiC. Thus, the shallow energy levels are caused by native defects which arise in a process of crystal growth. The two characteristics shallow energy levels, the small trap cross sections and positions near to conductive band bottom, can emit electron under effect of an applied field. In addition, the Ge Si bonds are relatively easily to break for generating electrons to jump into conductive band bottom though the shallow energy levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Single-crystalline β-Ga2O3 nanobelts were synthesized by a simple physical evaporation method in argon atmosphere with the starting materials of Ga. The β-Ga2O3 nanobelts have a width of 50–100nm and width-to-thickness ratios of 5–10, and length of up to a few millimeters, which may have potential applications in nanosize sensors or optoelectronic nanodevices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Melt treatment is well known to have an important influence on the properties of metallic glasses (MGs). However, for the MGs quenched from different melt temperatures with a quartz tube, the underlying physical origin responsible for the variation of properties remains poorly understood. In the present work, we systematically studied the influence of melt treatment on the thermal properties of a Zr50Cu36Al14 glass-forming alloy and unveiled the microscopic origins. Specifically, we quenched the melt at different temperatures ranging from 1.1 T l to 1.5 T l (T l is the liquidus temperature) to obtain melt-spun MG ribbons and investigated the variation of thermal properties of the MGs upon heating. We found that glass transition temperature, T g, increases by as much as 36 K, and the supercooled liquid region disappears in the curve of differential scanning calorimetry when the melt is quenched at a high temperature up to 1.5 T l. The careful chemical analyses indicate that the change in glass transition behavior originates from the incorporation of oxygen and silicon in the molten alloys. The incorporated oxygen and silicon can both enhance the interactions between atoms, which renders the cooperative rearrangements of atoms difficult, and thus enhances the kinetic stability of the MGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Betel palm is one of the most economically important crops in Southeast Asia. The occurrence and expansion of yellow leaf disease (YLD) have significantly impacted betel palm plantations. Our previous research demonstrated that areca palm velarivirus 1 (APV1) was associated with YLD and transmitted by Ferrisia virgata (striped mealybug), causing YLD in betel palms. This finding provides strong etiological evidence of the role played by APV1 in YLD. Controlling YLD is a pressing issue with significant challenges. One viable approach is to prevent the virus from spreading by disrupting the transmission vectors. Therefore, it is imperative to identify potential vectors of APV1. In this study, we detected APV1 in the stylet, foregut, midgut, and hindgut of Pseudococcus cryptus (cryptic mealybug) using immunocapture RT-PCR and in situ immunofluorescence localization. P. cryptus transmitted APV1 in a non-circulative, semi-persistent manner. The retention time of APV1 in P. cryptus was notably longer than that in F. virgata. Additionally, field investigations revealed that three other insects infesting betel palms also carried APV1. In summary, APV1 may also be transmitted by other mealybug species, and the lower specificity of transmission vectors makes it challenging to control the spread of this devastating disease. This work provides timely knowledge for the prevention and management of YLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influences of microdefects and dislocations on the lattice parameters of undoped semi-insulating GaAs single crystals were analyzed, and a novel nondestructive method for measuring stoichiometry in undoped semi-insulating GaAs was established in this letter. The comparison of this method with coulometric titration indicates that the method of nondestructive measurements is indeed convenient and reliable. © 1996 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Node-selection behaviour in subway stations directly impacts the utilisation and capacity of equipment and facilities. Although this topic has been extensively studied in various fields, existing studies are limited to environment characteristics while little research has been undertaken from the perspectives of pedestrian and interaction characteristics. In this study, pedestrian node-selection behaviour at automatic fare gates (AFGs) in subway stations was investigated and a multi-nomial logit model was developed that incorporates environment, pedestrian and interaction characteristics. For model estimation and validation, a detailed site survey was carried out to collect data on pedestrians' actual AFG selection at three Beijing subway stations. The prediction accuracy of the model reached 90·90%. Application of the model is demonstrated by detailed analyses of influence factors from four aspects along with the utilisation optimisation of AFGs in Beijing West subway station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tetratrichomonas gallinarum is parasitic protozoa with a wide host range. However, its lethal infection is rare reported. Case presentation: Here, we described the first lethal cases of T. gallinarum infection in black swans in China. Five black swans died within a week in succession without obvious symptoms except mild diarrhea. At necropsy, severe lesions were observed in caeca with thickened caecal walls and hemorrhages in the mucosa. A large number of moving trophozoites were found in the contents of the cecum by microscopic examination. The livers were enlarged with multiple bleeding spots on the surface. Histopathology of the livers showed mononuclear cell infiltration and moderate hyperplasia of fibrous tissue. The histopathology of the cecum showed that the villi of the cecum were edematous. Finally, the presence of T. gallinarum was determined by specific PCR andin-situ hybridization assay. Additionally, common pathogens that can cause similar symptoms were excluded. Conclusions: The death of the black swan was caused by T. gallinarum, suggesting that the parasite might be a new threat to the Cygnus birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the effect of magnetohydrodynamic actuation on wedge shock waves under hypersonic flow, experiments were conducted in a Mach 7 hypersonic shock tunnel. A schlieren method was used to visualize the shock waves and the flow, which showed that the shock waves raised and moved forward under 0.37 T. The experimental results were analyzed in detail by numerical simulation. A theoretical model was designed to investigate the effect of Joule heat and the Lorentz force. The load factor (K) was defined to show the dominant factor, and the results of the calculation showed that Joule heat was the dominant factor in this experiment. From further analysis, we conclude that increasing the magnetic field intensity, improving the gas conductivity, arranging the actuation near the wedge head, and increasing the width of the actuation region properly may be helpful in achieving a better control effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An augmented step size adjustment (ASSA) method is proposed to boost the iterative process of reliability analysis. • A fire-new strategy is established to identify the oscillation during iterative process and define the iterative step size. • The ASSA method is proven to achieve a well efficient and robust performance for RBDO problems. Heavy computational burden has been one of the largest barriers to the application of reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) in real-world structures. The key difficulty of RBDO lies in how to perform reliability analysis efficiently and robustly. In performance measure approach (PMA)-based RBDO, the reliability analysis process searches for the minimum performance target point (MPTP) with the target reliability index in standard normal space. Many methods have been proposed to improve the efficiency and robustness of the PMA. However, these methods may face the convergence problem for highly nonlinear constraint functions; or high computational cost for weakly nonlinear ones. More importantly, most existing methods are very sensitive to the selection of algorithm parameters. In this paper, an augmented step size adjustment (ASSA) method is proposed to boost the iterative process in terms of both efficiency and robustness. According to the relative positions of the direction vector and negative gradient direction and the angle between them at each iterative point, a fire-new strategy is established to identify the oscillation during the iterative process and define the iterative step size. Seven inverse reliability analysis problems and three RBDO benchmarks are used to validate the performance of the ASSA method. The results indicate that the ASSA method has wide applicability for nonlinear constraint functions and achieves efficient and robust performance. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the ASSA method can be regarded as a reliable and effective method for addressing PMA-based RBDO problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]