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Recently, full Poincaré beams (FPBs) with spatially variant polarization states spanning the entire surface of the Poincaré sphere have attracted considerable interests. Expanding the FPBs into an array way has the promising applications from multiparticle manipulation to optical communication. However, how to efficiently generate a high‐purity FPB array with intracavity method remains elusive. Here, a metasurface‐integrated degenerate cavity laser is proposed for efficient generation of 10 × 10 FPB array, where a pair of metasurfaces are adopted to independently modulate the circular polarization state while compensating the mode discrepancies within the cavity. Such a design strategy enables a self‐reproducing intracavity optical field, concurrently ensuring the stabilization of intracavity oscillation. It is numerically demonstrated that the purity of orbital angular momentum (OAM) in the first‐order FPB array can approach to 92.89%, with a root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) of polarization ellipse parameters below 8.17%. This work provides a compact and efficient design platform for the generation of a variety of vector beam arrays and may find promising applications in free space communication and multiple particle manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical metasurface is a 2D array of subwavelength meta‐atoms that arbitrarily manipulates amplitude, polarization, and wavefront of incident light, offering great advantages in miniaturization and integration. However, the presuppositions hidden in conventional unit‐cell‐based design approach, including discrete phase sampling, local periodicity approximation, and normal response, imply that the responses and interactions of meta‐atoms are almost impossible to be accurately modeled, thus impeding the effective design of high‐efficiency ultrahigh numerical aperture (NA) metalens. Here, based on vector diffraction theory and plane wave expansion method, theoretical limitation of metalens efficiency is comprehensively investigated. It is identified that for high‐NA metalens, theoretical focusing efficiency is limited by diffraction capability of vector field, while evanescent wave attenuation dominates theoretical efficiency decline for ultrahigh‐NA metalens. It is also shown that the efficiency of conventional metalens has a huge gap from theoretical limitation, owing to imperfect diffractive focusing and impedance mismatch reflections. To fill such efficiency gap, the high‐efficiency high‐NA freeform metalens based on topology optimization is further demonstrated. Particularly, topology geometric constraints are utilized to reduce minimum feature size while keeping high efficiency. The results could shed new light on the understanding and design of ultrahigh‐NA metalens and find promising applications in optical imaging, microscopy, and lithography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of temperature on the quality attributes, particularly lipid oxidation and phospholipid molecular species, of Tai Lake whitebait during hot-air drying. Fresh samples of Tai Lake whitebait were subjected to heat treatment and were dried at temperatures of 40, 50, 60, and 70 °C for 12 h. The results indicated significant and continuous increases in peroxide values (POV), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and saturated fatty acids (SFA) contents during hot-air drying, but reductions in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). During the hot-air drying process, the mass fraction of triacylglycerol (TAG) and phospholipid (PoL) decreased, while the fractions of diacylglycerol (DAG), monoacylglycerol (MAG) and free fatty acid (FFA) increased. Furthermore, the drying treatment led to a more pronounced reduction in Phosphocholine (PC) content compared to phoethanolamine (PE). A total of 17 phosphatidylcholines (PC), 18 phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), 7 phosphatidylinositol (PI), and 9 phosphatidylserine (PS) molecular species were identified. By comprehensively considering the drying time and quality attributes, 50 °C was selected the ideal temperature for drying. The findings of the investigation revealed that thermal drying significantly influenced the quality attributes and lipid oxidation of Tai Lake whitebait. The insights gained from this study are valuable for improving the drying process for Tai Lake whitebait and enhancing its overall quality. • Lipid oxidation of whitebait were significantly affected by hot-air-drying. • Lipid composition of the Tai Lake whitebait were analyzed comprehensively. • Phospholipid classes in lipid of Tai Lake whitebait was identified. • 50 °C was determined to be the ideal drying temperature for Tai Lake whitebait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Acerola cherry is a famous functional fruit containing plentiful antioxidants and other nutrients. However, studies on the variations among nutrients during the ripening process of acerola fruit are scare. RESULTS: Comparative metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses were performed and identified 31 331 unigenes and 1896 annotated metabolite features in acerola cherry fruit. K Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis showed that several antioxidant and nutrient‐related metabolic pathways, such as the flavonoids, vitamins, carotenoids, amino acids, and fatty acids metabolic pathways, were significantly changed during the ripening process. The metabolites related to the vitamin, carotenoid, and fatty acid metabolic pathways were downregulated during the ripening process. Several flavonoid biosynthesis‐related genes (including dihydroflavonol 4‐reductase, chalcone synthase, flavanone 3‐hydroxylase, and anthocyanidin synthase), were significantly upregulated, suggesting their essential functions in the accumulation of flavonoids in mature fruit. CONCLUSION: Most of the vitamin and carotenoid metabolism‐related metabolites significantly accumulated in immature fruit, suggesting that immature acerola fruit is a good material for the extraction of vitamins and carotenoids. For macronutrients, most of the amino acids accumulated in mature fruit and most of the fatty acids greatly accumulated in immature fruit. Our data revealed the differential accumulation of antioxidants and nutrients during the ripening process of acerola cherry fruit. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The influence of epicatechin (EC) on the physicochemical properties and digestibility changes of porcine myofibrillar protein (MP) under oxidative stress during refrigerated storage was investigated. RESULTS: The incubation of MP suspensions (20 mg mL−1 in piperazine‐N,N′‐bis(2‐ethanesulfonic acid) buffer, with 0.6 mol L−1 sodium chloride, pH 6.25) at 4 °C for 24 h under an iron‐catalyzed hydroxyl radical generating system (Fenton reaction) promoted the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and protein carbonyls, which was attenuated by EC (5, 50, and 100 μmol g−1 protein). Reduced protein sulfhydryl content, tryptophan fluorescence, protein solubility, as well as increased surface hydrophobicity were found by the co‐incubation of EC. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy revealed increased protein aggregation and fragments in oxidized MP, which were further enhanced by the addition of EC. However, the protein digestibility of MP was not affected. CONCLUSION: EC was demonstrated to be effective in alleviating lipid oxidation and protein carbonylation in MP under oxidative stress. Additionally, the physicochemical and digestibility changes accompanying the incorporation of EC was complicated due to the possible phenol–protein interactions. An in‐depth understanding of protein physicochemical and digestibility changes will be helpful in the application of polyphenolic compounds as antioxidants in low‐temperature‐processed muscle foods. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effect of three TiO 2 incorporation methods on photocatalytic (PC) efficiency of ECC is studied. • Effect of three TiO 2 incorporation methods on mechanical properties of ECC is studied. • Porous microstructure promotes the PC efficiency by increasing the exposure surface of ECC. • Alkaline environment of ECC consumes nitrate acid and promotes PC reactions. Titanium dioxide (TiO 2) nanoparticles have been incorporated in concrete to impart photocatalytic (PC) properties, such as the self-cleaning and air purification functionalities, which are dependent on PC reactions near the exterior surfaces of the concrete exposed to light. This study experimentally investigates the effect of three TiO 2 incorporation methods and surface patterns on the air-purifying functionality and mechanical properties of PC Engineered Cementitious Composites (PC-ECC). The air-purifying functionality was evaluated by measuring the nitrogen oxides (NO x) concentration change with the presence of PC-ECC plate specimens exposed to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation; uniaxial tensile and four-point bending tests were conducted to evaluate the tensile and flexural properties of the PC-ECC plates; scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the surface morphology of the plates; energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to map the element distribution on the surface. Test results indicate that the amount of TiO 2 nanoparticles is reduced by 90% when TiO 2 is incorporated through a thin layer on the exterior surface of the ECC plate, while PC functionality and mechanical properties are retained. Incorporating TiO 2 through polyurethane coating reduces the NO x abatement efficiency by 70–80%, compared with directly mixing the TiO 2 nanoparticles in ECC. The reduced PC efficiency is attributed to the dense microstructure and low alkali content of the coating. This study advances the fundamental knowledge for designing functionally graded PC concrete with optimized PC efficiency and mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • 5% TiO 2 in ECC saturates air-purification ability while preserving tensile properties. • The optimized TiO 2 -doped ECC sustains a tensile strain capacity of 4.0%. • Alterations in tensile properties of ECC by TiO 2 are understood by micromechanics. • Both site effect and dilution effect are operative in ECC when TiO 2 is added. Abstract Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) provides a unique platform to develop high-performance and multifunctional construction materials with strain-hardening properties and exceptional crack control capability. ECC incorporating titanium dioxide (TiO 2) nanoparticles has intrinsically embodied photocatalytic properties, such as air-purifying functionality. However, there remains a lack of fundamental knowledge on how the presence of TiO 2 nanoparticles affects fiber/matrix interface and macro tensile properties of ECC. There is a need to establish a holistic understanding of the role of TiO 2 nanoparticles in ECC at multiple scales. To this end, this study experimentally investigates the effect of TiO 2 content (up to 15% of binder) on the fiber/matrix interface and on the tensile properties of ECC. A micromechanical model is used to link the multiscale material properties and interpret the test data of the TiO 2 -doped ECC. Results show that changes in the macroscopic tensile properties as a result of TiO 2 addition can be traced back to the matrix and fiber/matrix interface properties. The research findings provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of tensile property modifications by TiO 2 nanoparticles, as well as establishing a reference for the design of photocatalytic ECC for balanced functional and mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the intuition that synchronization of different nodes in coupled oscillator networks results from information exchange between them, it has recently been shown that remote nodes could be partially synchronous even when they are separated by intermediately unsynchronized nodes. Here based on electro-optic system, we report on a more stronger form of such synchronization pattern that is termed as secure remote synchronization, in which two remotely separated nodes could have identically synchronized dynamical behaviors while the rest of the network are both statistically and information-theoretically incoherent relative to the two synchronized nodes. The generalized form of mirror symmetry in the network structure is identified to be a key mechanism allowing for secure remote synchronization. Moreover, this synchronization mode is robust against a wild range of system parameters and noise perturbing the intermediary dynamics. The lack of information about the synchronized dynamics in the rest of the network suggests that our results could potentially lead to network-based solutions for secure key distribution and secure communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B High-Efficiency Freeform Metalenses b In article number 2200265, Di Sang and colleagues revealed the efficiency gap between conventional metalens and vectorial diffraction model, as well as the underlying physical mechanism of efficiency loss in high-NA metalens. Toward High-Efficiency Ultrahigh Numerical Aperture Freeform Metalens: From Vector Diffraction Theory to Topology Optimization (Laser Photonics Rev. 16(10)/2022) High-efficiency ultrahigh-NA freeform metalens with efficiency approaching to the theoretical limit is designed by adjoint-based topology optimization with geometric constraint control method, offering promising applications in photonics and metaoptics. [Extracted from the article]

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully used for the separation of abietane-type diterpenoids from the medicinal plantC. kaichianum, which were not separated in our previous study using preparative HPLC. The HSCCC separation employed the lower phases ofn-hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (HEMW) 4:5:4:5 and HEMW 4:5:5:4 as the mobile phase for stepwise elution while the upper phase of HEMW 4:5:4:5 was used as the stationary phase. HSCCC separation yielded 90.5 mg of compound1(kaichianone A), 137.7 mg of compound2(kaichianone B), 125.0 mg of compound3(teuvincenone E), and 227.6 mg of compound4(taxusabietane A) with purities of 95.3%, 97.2%, 97.8%, and 98.6%, respectively, as determined by HPLC. Compounds1–2are two new abietane-type diterpenoids while Compounds3–4are known abietane-type diterpenoids, analyzed by ESIMS and NMR data. The results demonstrated that HSCCC can be an excellent alternative for other separation methods. The two new compounds showed significant cytotoxicity against ileocecal carcinoma HCT-8 and breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells. High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully used for the separation of abietane-type diterpenoids from the medicinal plantC. kaichianum, which were not separated in our previous study using preparative HPLC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• UV-B irradiation reduced oxidative stress and CI of cold-stored tomato fruit. • UV-B irradiation induced gene expression and activation of SOD and CAT. • SIUVR8 silence counteracted UV-B-induced gene expression of SOD and CAT. • UV-B induced cold tolerance by activating SOD and CAT dependently on SIUVR8. The impact of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) treatment on oxidative stress, cold damage, and antioxidant enzymes and the role of the UV-B photoreceptor SlUVR8 in tomatoes during cold storage were investigated. Mature-green tomato fruit were irradiated with 1, 10, or 100 μmol m−2 s-1 UV-B for 1, 3, or 6 h respectively before cold-storage. The chilling injury index (CI), H 2 O 2 , O 2 −, ion leakage, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in tomatoes stored at 2 ℃ increased during storage, while irradiation with 10 μmol m−2 s-1 UV-B for 3 h before storage significantly reduced H 2 O 2 and O 2 −, membrane damage and chilling injury. Expression of CuZuSOD , FeSOD and CAT1 and the activities of their encoded enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were markedly raised in UV-B-pre-irradiated tomatoes and correlated significantly with the reductions in H 2 O 2 , O 2 −, ion leakage, MDA, and CI, which suggested that UV-B pre-irradiation might exert its effects by activating the antioxidant enzymes. Silencing SlUVR8 dramatically counteracted the UV-B-mediated effects on enzyme expression while the contents of H 2 O 2 , O 2 −, ion leakage, MDA, together with the CI in SlUVR8 -silenced tomatoes were significantly higher. The data showed that silencing of SlUVR8 not only suppressed UV-B-activated SOD and CAT expression, but also prevented UV-B-alleviated oxidative stress and chilling injury. The findings indicated that SlUVR8 was required for UV-B-induced cold tolerance in tomato fruit and demonstrated that UV-B irradiation before cold storage activated SOD and CAT in an SlUVR8-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A lipid and protein co-oxidation model containing fish oil and WPI was established. • Resveratrol significantly suppressed lipid oxidation and protein carbonylation. • Formation of MDA-bound proteins in WPI was restrained by resveratrol. • Decrease in protein digestibility under oxidation was mitigated by resveratrol. • Phenol-protein interactions also contribute to physicochemical changes in WPI. In this study, the impact of resveratrol (RES) on co-oxidation of lipid and protein in a fish oil-fortified whey protein isolate (WPI) emulsion was investigated. Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing 1% fish oil, 6 mg/mL of WPI and RES (0.08 ~ 2 mM) were oxidatively stressed using a Fenton system at 25 °C for 24 h. The incorporation of RES significantly suppressed lipid oxidation (TBARS) and protein carbonylation. Oxidation-induced decrease on protein sulfhydryl content and surface hydrophobicity were partially attenuated by RES, but protein tryptophan fluorescence was further decreased with the increased concentration of RES. Visualization of protein patterns and MDA-bound protein suggested that RES is capable of inhibiting protein modification induced by secondary products of lipid oxidation. Significant decrease in protein digestibility under oxidizing condition was also mitigated by RES. Our study contributes to the exploration of complicated interactions between oxidized lipids and proteins when phenolic compounds are present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An investigation of the flavonoids in Daphniphyllum angustifolium Hutch . resulted in the identification of a new biflavonoid, 5,7,4′-trihydroxyflavan (2α→O→7, 4α→8) kaempferol (1), together with five known flavonoids. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Impacts of relative humidity (RH) on tensile properties of ECC is elucidated. • Its mechanism is revealed by the response of matrix and fiber/matrix interface to RH. • It advances the standardization of ECC preparation of property characterization. In recent years, broad interests in ductile Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) have been accompanied by increasing amount of laboratory investigations of this material. Both wet and air curing have been applied in the preparation of specimens. However, the effect of curing condition on mechanical properties of ECC has yet to be elucidated. This research attempts to fill this knowledge gap. Specifically, experiments were conducted to investigate property changes at different length scales under three curing relative humidity (RH) levels. Macroscopic properties including composite first crack strength, ultimate tensile strength and strain capacity, and crack pattern of ECC reinforced with PVA fibers were recorded. As well, matrix fracture toughness and fiber/matrix interface properties were measured. Correlation of macro-properties and micromechanical parameters was interpreted using a previously developed micromechanical model. The changes of tensile properties and crack pattern were found traceable to RH effects on the matrix and fiber/matrix interface properties. The findings of this study reveal the underlying mechanisms of property differences in specimens cured under different RH. The knowledge gained provides a better understanding of the effects of curing conditions on ECC specimens used in property characterization, and is particularly relevant to maintaining consistency in standardized testing of ECC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China experienced an overwhelming COVID-19 pandemic from middle December 2022 to middle January 2023 after lifting the zero-COVID-19 policy on December 7, 2022. However, the infection rate was less studied. We aimed to investigate the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in children shortly after discontinuation of the zero-COVID-19 policy. Methods: From February 20 to April 10, 2023, we included 393 children aged 8 months to less than 3 years who did not receive COVID-19 vaccination and 114 children aged 3 to 6 years who received inactivated COVID-19 vaccines based on the convenience sampling in this cross-sectional study. IgG and IgM antibodies against nucleocapsid (N) and subunit 1 of spike (S1) of SARS-CoV-2 (anti-N/S1) were measured with commercial kits (Shenzhen YHLO Biotech, China). Results: Of the 393 unvaccinated children (1.5 ± 0.6 years; 52.2% boys), 369 (93.9%) were anti-N/S1 IgG positive. Of the 114 vaccinated children (5.3 ± 0.9 years; 48.2% boys), 112 (98.2%) were anti-N/S1 IgG positive. None of the unvaccinated or vaccinated children was anti-N/S1 IgM positive. The median IgG antibody titers in vaccinated children (344.91 AU/mL) were significantly higher than that in unvaccinated children (42.80 AU/mL) (P < 0.0001). The positive rates and titers of anti-N/S1 IgG had no significant difference between boys and girls respectively. Conclusion: Vast majority of children were infected with SARS-CoV-2 shortly after ending zero-COVID-19 policy in China. Whether these unvaccinated infected children should receive COVID-19 vaccine merits further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical encryption is an increasingly significant technique in the realm of information security. In the recent decade, there has been considerable interest in using planar optics elements for information encryption. However, information leakage possibly occurs due to limited encrytion channels available for single‐layer devices. To circumvent this problem, a novel encryption method is put forward using secret sharing cascaded liquid crystal (LC) elements with spatial dislocation, which can produce near‐field patterns and far‐field holographic images under different illumination conditions. Specifically, Malus's Law and its inherent one‐to‐four mapping of rotational degeneracy, along with the Pancharatnam‐Berry (PB) phase introduced by LC molecules, to achieve multi‐channel encryption are utilized. Therefore, each cascaded LC unit can manipulate the amplitude and phase imparted to output light independently, thus only by obtaining both LC devices can decryption be realized. To further enhance the encryption security, the author purposely divide each LC device into multiple regions and find that the encrypted patterns can only be recovered when the two LC elements align precisely with a specific dislocation. These experimental measurements agree well with the design, thus demonstrating the strong encryption capability and broad application prospects of the design approach in the field of optical encryption with high cost‐effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dihydrochalcones (DHCs) constitute a specific class of flavonoids widely known for their various health-related advantages. Melatonin (MLT) has received attention worldwide as a master regulator in plants, but its roles in DHC accumulation remain unclear. Herein, the elicitation impacts of MLT on DHC biosynthesis were examined in Lithocarpus litseifolius, a valuable medicinal plant famous for its sweet flavor and anti-diabetes effect. Compared to the control, the foliar application of MLT significantly increased total flavonoid and DHC (phlorizin, trilobatin, and phloretin) levels in L. litseifolius leaves, especially when 100 μM MLT was utilized for 14 days. Moreover, antioxidant enzyme activities were boosted after MLT treatments, resulting in a decrease in the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species. Remarkably, MLT triggered the biosynthesis of numerous phytohormones linked to secondary metabolism (salicylic acid, methyl jasmonic acid (MeJA), and ethylene), while reducing free JA contents in L. litseifolius. Additionally, the flavonoid biosynthetic enzyme activities were enhanced by the MLT in leaves. Multiple differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in RNA-seq might play a crucial role in MLT-elicited pathways, particularly those associated with the antioxidant system (SOD, CAT, and POD), transcription factor regulation (MYBs and bHLHs), and DHC metabolism (4CL, C4H, UGT71K1, and UGT88A1). As a result, MLT enhanced DHC accumulation in L. litseifolius leaves, primarily by modulating the antioxidant activity and co-regulating the physiological, hormonal, and transcriptional pathways of DHC metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polarization is the nature of optics. Exploiting metasurface's polarizations can enhance the multiplexing capacity but face a limited number of channels. For example, a single‐layer metasurface can offer three independent channels with six degrees of freedom (DoFs) including the amplitude and phase of Ex, Exy(yx), and Ey of the Jones matrix. In this work, it is theoretically demonstrated that the degrees of freedom of dual‐layer metasurfaces can reach eight, overcoming the polarization multiplexing constraints of single‐layer metasurfaces and that the cross‐talk can be largely reduced as compared with single‐layer metasurfaces when the channel number is larger than three. Numerical calculations manifest a decrease of 100%, 63%, and 50% for the cross‐talk of channels 4, 5, and 6, respectively. As a proof‐of‐concept demonstration of high‐capacity polarization multiplexing, an arbitrary‐polarization‐controlled 5‐channel dual‐layer metasurface exhibiting five nanoprintings and five holographic images with reduced cross‐talk under different incident and output polarizations is successfully designed. Thus, the research highlighting the high‐multiplexing‐capacity of dual‐layer metasurfaces can significantly advance multifunctional optical devices with high efficiency, simple integration, and ease of manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Basalt fiber-ECC with unique strain-hardening and multiple-cracking behavior has been developed. • BF-ECC demonstrates an average crack width below 10 μm and crack spacing less than 3 mm. • The tight and saturated cracks are attributed to the bridging behavior of basalt fiber in matrix. Fiber plays a key role in the mechanical properties of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC), a new generation of fiber-reinforced concrete with excellent ductility and exceptional crack control capability. However, ECC loses its high ductility when exposed to fire, as the synthetic fibers typically used in ECC melt resulting in a loss of crack-bridging ability in elevated temperatures. In this study, the feasibility of using basalt fiber, an inorganic fiber with high-temperature resistance, to develop ECC is investigated experimentally. The results show that basalt fiber reinforced ECC (BF-ECC) exhibits a very unique strain-hardening and multiple-cracking behavior when compared with typical ECCs. The tensile stress–strain curve of BF-ECC is relatively smooth, with average crack width below 10 μm and crack spacing less than 3 mm. The unique features of BF-ECC are interpreted based on the bridging behavior of basalt fibers. This work paves the way for further developing ECC with high-temperature resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SHCCs are developed using basalt fiber and calcium aluminate cement. • Tensile stress–strain relationship of SHCC at high temperature is studied. • Compressive stress–strain relationship of SHCC at high temperatures is studied. • Strain-rate effect and specific energy absorption of BF-SHCC are studied. • DIF and strain rate of BF-SHCC at elevated temperatures are calculated. In this study, a basalt fiber strain-hardening cementitious composite (BF-SHCC) with good high-temperature mechanical performance was developed, and its static and dynamic compressive properties at elevated temperatures were investigated. The BF-SHCC lost its strain-hardening behavior at 200 °C. At a constant strain rate, the dynamic compressive strength and specific energy absorption of the BF-SHCC showed an increasing trend over the temperature ranges of 20–200 and 400–600 °C. The tensile and compressive properties of the BF-SHCC depended on its microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the tensile behaviors and self-healing of engineered cementitious composite (ECC) under sulfate wet–dry cycles to reflect the durability. Four pretensile strain levels of 0%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% were designed. The uniaxial tensile test, three-point bending test, and single-crack tensile test were performed, along with the microscopic characterizations of scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicated that the sulfate wet–dry cycle exposure had a positive effect on the tensile strength and initial cracking strength of the uncracked ECC, while that was negative on the tensile strain capacity. The insufficient margin of the σoc/σcr and Jb′/Jtip indices explained the lower tensile strain. The tensile strength and initial cracking strength of the cracked ECC with 1% pretensile strain surpassed those of the uncracked ECC after undergoing 80 sulfate wet–dry cycles (80 C), while that did not hold for the other cracked ECCs. All the cracked ECCs showed a similar tensile strain after undergoing 80 C. The crack with a width of less than 100 μm achieved complete self-healing. The self-healing products of ECC under sulfate wet–dry cycle exposure may comprise of calcium (alumino) silicate hydrate [C-(A)-S-H] gel, calcite, ettringite, and gypsum. The current findings could offer reference points for applying ECC use in coastal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Through metabolites analysis, 1896 annotated metabolites were obtained. • Differences among compounds were found between mature and immature fruits. • The correlations were found between the antioxidant activities and VC content. Acerola cherry (Malpighia emarginata D.C.) is a tropical fruit of great economic and nutritional value due to its high content of vitamin C. However, there is little information available about which ripening stage of Acerola cherry can provide the best nutrients. In the current study, the chemical variation at two developmental stages (immature and mature) were investigated by metabolic profiling, and the biological properties of Acerola cherry and its antioxidant assays at four developmental stages were measured, respectively. Through comprehensive metabolites analysis via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry system (UPLC-QTOF), 1896 annotated metabolite features were obtained, and 133 metabolites were finally identified according to the MS/MS fragments compared with these standards in in-house database. Statistically differences in the levels of amino acids, flavonoids, lipids, terpenoids and ascorbic acids were found between mature and immature fruits. Interestingly, most of differential accumulated amino acids, flavonoids, lipids, and terpenoids predominantly accumulated in the mature fruits and ascorbic acid predominantly accumulated in the immature fruits. On the other hand, their antioxidant activities were compared. The alcoholic extract of immature acerola fruit possessed better scavenging ability of DPPH and ABTS than the mature one. The well correlations were found between the antioxidant potential with its content of ascorbic acid (r = 0.9803 and 0.9897, respectively). In conclusion, Acerola cherry showed very different metabolite profile and antioxidant activities during the fruit ripening development. The maturity of Acerola cherry has to be considered when it is being used for health food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• TiO 2 in ECC is effective in NO x abatement. • Increasing fly ash content is found to enhance the NO x abatement rate and efficiency. • The improvement in NO x abatement rate and efficiency is related to microstructure modification. • A first-order reaction model can effectively capture the NO x abatement through PC reactions. Titanium dioxide (TiO 2) nanoparticles have been incorporated in cementitious composites to achieve photocatalytic (PC) functions such as self-cleaning and air purifying functions. This study experimentally investigates the effect of TiO 2 nanoparticles and fly ash on the nitrogen oxides (NO x) abatement rate and efficiency of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) that has retained strain-hardening properties and tensile ductility. Emphasis is placed on understanding the fundamental mechanisms through research on the microstructures and chemical environment of the composite material. A first-order chemical reaction model is applied to analyze the PC reaction rate and residual NO x concentration. Test results indicate that the PC reaction rate and efficiency increase with the TiO 2 content from 0 to 5%, and the fly ash to cement ratio from 0 to 2.2. Using the low-calcium fly ash further increases the PC reaction rate and efficiency. The microstructure change originated from different fly ash contents and types are closely related to PC efficiency changes. This study advances the fundamental knowledge for engineering the cementitious composites to achieve the optimal PC functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past few years, metasurface polarization optics has experienced remarkable advances, resulting in revolutionary applications in imaging, sensing, computing, etc. The realization of complex optical operations requires the consideration of both the individual meta‐atoms as well as their intricate couplings. However, conventional design methods face challenges as design degrees of freedom and functionality complexity. Additionally, previous studies are restricted to the local design of single meta‐atoms based on explicit mapping relationships while ignoring interactions, resulting in an inability to meet the on‐demand requirements of complex light‐field operations. Here, a global design strategy based on field‐driven polygon evolution to achieve the inverse design of large‐scale coupled meta‐atoms is proposed. Through two global simulations, it can effectively reshape any given target optical field into an optimal structural distribution of devices without knowing mapping relationship. Near‐perfect spin‐decoupled beam‐splitting and high‐performance focusing, as well as the generation of arbitrary vector optical fields on the Poincaré sphere with a maximal diffraction efficiency closely approaching 100%, are experimentally demonstrated. This strategy opens up a new avenue for a rapid inverse design of large‐scale, high‐performance multifunctional meta‐devices, which can hold significant implications for both classical and quantum information processing domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distinct from conventional optical lenses suffering from the diffraction limit, the superoscillatory lens offers an alternative approach to realize far‐field sub‐diffraction focusing and find significant applications in both microscopy and telescopy. During the past few years, planar micro/nanostructures are unitized to precisely manipulate the optical fields through a standard lens to realize a superoscillatory field along the radial direction of the pupil. Here, an angular superoscillatory metalens (ASOM) is demonstrated by combining the superoscillatory phase and angular metalens phase in a single metasurface. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first work that focuses on the angular superoscillatory phenomenon. As a proof‐of‐concept application demo, this study shows the ASOM can map the received orbital angular modes (OAMs) into focusing patterns at the focal plane with different azimuth angles. Therefore, the OAM spectrum incorporating multiple modes can be determined with a single‐shot measurement according to the precalibrated mapping relationship. This study shows that the OAM resolution is scaled up about 3.2 times compared with a normal angular metalens, thanks to the shrinkage of the focal patterns. This approach may push the development of integrated and high‐dimensional optical and quantum systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light beam carrying spin angular momentum (SAM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM) have attracted great interest due to their great potential for high‐capacity optical communication, optical tweezers, and quantum information. However, the current detection methods suffer from the lack of robustness to misalignments in the optical system, which limits the detection accuracy and the application for off‐axis vortex array detection. Here, a high‐efficiency, broadband, and single‐layer metasurface design is proposed for alignment‐free angular momentum detection via spin‐independent astigmatic transformation (SIAT). The SAM and OAM states can be recognized from the diffraction direction and patterns, respectively. Proof‐of‐concept demonstrations are experimentally carried out on different incident beams including circular‐polarization, linear‐polarization, and vector vortex beams, as well as vortex beam arrays, showing a high diffraction efficiency of ≈81% at 1064 nm while operating within the broadband region of 900–1300 nm. The alignment‐free merit for the incident position, incident angle, and detector distance grants the device great potential for integrated quantum systems and multiparticle micromanipulation with optical tweezers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vector optical field (VOF) manipulation greatly extended the boundaries of traditional scalar optics over the past decades. Meanwhile, the newly emerging techniques enabled by structural functional optical materials have driven the research domain into the subwavelength regime, where abundant new physical phenomena and technologies have been discovered and exploited for practical applications. In this Tutorial, we outline the basic principles, methodologies, and applications of VOF via structural functional materials. Among various technical routes, we focus on the metasurface-based approaches, which show obvious advantages regarding the design flexibility, the compactness of systems, and the overall performances. Both forward and inverse design methods based on the rigorous solution of Maxwell's equations are presented, which provide a valuable basis for future researchers. Finally, we discuss the generalized optical laws and conventions based on VOF manipulation. The applications in optical imaging, communications, precision measurement, laser fabrication, etc. are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of the low integration of the current power information system security assessment method with classified protection 2.0, strong subjectivity, and the vague quantification of objective indexes, this article proposes to establish a safety index system suitable for the electric power information system with the existing safety inspection standards for power systems on the basis of the classified protection 2.0 evaluation system. Additionally, it quantifies each index through a quantitative method combining subjective and objective methods and uses the analytic hierarchy process entropy method to obtain the combined weight of the evaluation index system. Finally, this paper summarizes the expert scores and the graded protection evaluation reports of the six systems into the original data for comprehensive weight calculation and analyzes the rationality of the weight change. The comparison and analysis of the closeness of the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) and the evaluation score of the equal guarantee have confirmed the scientificity and rationality of the evaluation model. It provides a reasonable logical idea for the implementation of the classified protection 2.0 system in the power information system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new abietane diterpenoid has been isolated from Clerodendrum kaichianum Hsu and characterised as 11-methoxyl-12,14-dihydroxy-13-(2-hydroxypropyl)-3,5,8,11,13-abietapentaen-7-one. Its structure was established by spectroscopic analysis, including 2D NMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the global goal of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality", new power system is facing a new energy development trend of increasing the capacity of new energy and reducing the capacity and quantity of coal power. Furthermore, new power systems are also moving towards new models such as the Energy Internet and energy storage diversification. This paper combines the needs of new power systems' "source-load interaction" and a differentiated analysis of the specific carbon emission characteristics of each subject of the Energy Internet "source-network-load-storage". This paper analyzes the energy efficiency coefficient and carbon emission factors of each link of "source-grid-load-storage". Therefore, the paper proposes a carbon control model for the Energy Internet. This paper focuses on the characteristics of coal power with the largest carbon reduction. Therefore, this article constructs a multi-dimensional low-carbonization evaluation index system for coal-fired power plants. In addition, this article designs a fusion weight calculation method for subjective and objective indicators based on CRITIC-G1. Additionally, this paper uses the ideal solution–gray relational method to evaluate the specified samples. Finally, this article verifies the effectiveness and feasibility of the implementation of the low-carbonization evaluation index system for coal-fired power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monolithic integrated mode converters with high integration are essential to photonic integrated circuits (PICs), and they are widely used in next-generation optical communications and complex quantum systems. It is expected that PICs will become more miniaturized, multifunctional, and intelligent with the development of micro/nano-technology. The increase in design space makes it difficult to realize high-performance device design based on traditional parameter sweeping or heuristic design, especially in the optimal design of reconfigurable PIC devices. Combining the mode coupling theory and adjoint calculation method, we proposed a design method for a switchable mode converter. The device could realize the transmission of TE0 mode and the conversion from TE0 to TE1 mode with a footprint of 0.9 × 7.5 μm2 based on the phase change materials (PCMs). We also found that the mode purity could reach 78.2% in both states at the working wavelength of 1.55 μm. The designed method will provide a new impetus for programmable photonic integrated devices and find broad application prospects in communication, optical neural networks, and sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low symmetric two dimensional (2D) semiconductors are of great significance for their potential applications in polarization‐sensitive photodetection and quantum information devices. However, their real applications are limited by their photo‐detecting wavelength ranges, which are restricted by their fundamental optical bandgaps. Recently, intercalation has been demonstrated to be a powerful strategy to modulate the optical bandgaps of 2D semiconductors. Here, the authors report the self‐driven oxygen (O2) intercalation induced bandgap reduction from 1.75 to 1.19 eV in gallium telluride (GaTe) in air. This bandgap shrinkage provides the long‐wavelength detection threshold above ≈1100 nm for O2 intercalated GaTe (referred to as GaTeO2), well beyond the cut‐off wavelength at ≈708 nm for pristine GaTe. The GaTeO2 photodetectors have a high photoresponsivity, and highly anisotropic photodetection behavior to even sub‐waveband radiation. The dichroic ratio (Imax/Imin) of photocurrent is about 1.39 and 2.9 for 600 nm and 1100 nm, respectively. This findings demonstrates a broadband photodetector utilizing GaTe after breaking through its bandgap limitation by self‐driven O2 intercalation in air and further reveal its photoconductivity anisotropic nature. This provides design strategies of 2D materials‐based high‐performance broadband photodetectors for the exploration of polarized state information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Angular Superoscillatory Metalens Empowers Single-Shot Measurement of OAM Modes with Finer Intervals" introduces the concept of an angular super-oscillatory metalens (ASOM) that combines superoscillatory phenomena with an angular metalens. This ASOM allows for sub-diffractive focusing of vortex beams along the angular direction, enabling the determination of large-capacity orbital angular modes with a single snapshot measurement. Compared to traditional angular metalenses, the ASOM improves the sorting resolution by more than three times, which has potential applications in high-dimensional optical and quantum systems. The article provides further details on this topic. [Extracted from the article]

Using Martian resource to construct a site on Mars is a superior choice to instead of transporting all the construction materials from Earth to the Mas with incredibly high cost. This study proposes a developed Martian concrete composed of sulfur and magnetite, heated by microwave to meet the energy-poor environment on Mars. A lattice Boltzmann model is developed to determine the optimal microwave power and heating time for Martian concrete casting. The compressive strength and microstructure of Martian concrete casted by microwave are measured by test. Finally, a 3D printed device is conceived to prepare Martian concrete and the four-layered specimen is casted to simulate the 3D print process. The results indicate that the compressive strength of Martian concrete casted by microwave can reach 1.78 kgf/mm2 (17.44 MPa) on earth, which is corresponding to 4.62 kgf/mm2 on Mars. Since the heating rate of magnetite under microwave is very high, if possible, the low microwave power and long heating time should be chosen to reduce the temperature gradient in matrix and reduce the possibility of sulfur matrix boiling. In addition, the strength of four-layered (simulated 3D printed) Martian concrete can reach 1.21 kgf/mm2 (11.86 MPa) on earth, which is corresponding to 3.15 kgf/mm2 on Mars. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current development of high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCC) mainly relies on intensive experiments. The main purpose of this study is to develop a machine learning method for effective and efficient discovery and development of HPFRCC. Specifically, this research develops machine learning models to predict the mechanical properties of HPFRCC through innovative incorporation of micromechanics, aiming to increase the prediction accuracy and generalization performance by enriching and improving the datasets through data cleaning, principal component analysis (PCA), and K-fold cross-validation. This study considers a total of 14 different mix design variables and predicts the ductility of HPFRCC for the first time, in addition to the compressive and tensile strengths. Different types of machine learning methods are investigated and compared, including artificial neural network (ANN), support vector regression (SVR), classification and regression tree (CART), and extreme gradient boosting tree (XGBoost). The results show that the developed machine learning models can reasonably predict the concerned mechanical properties and can be applied to perform parametric studies for the effects of different mix design variables on the mechanical properties. This study is expected to greatly promote efficient discovery and development of HPFRCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High refractive index polyimides with as high as more than 1.8 of RI value were developed. • Solubility was greatly improved realizing the use of easy processing method. • PI showed high-low-high cycles of RI in film state under redox condition. Soluble high refractive index polyimides have extensive applications in optical devices due to their ease of processing and versatility. In this work, selenide-containing polyimides were designed and synthesized via amine-dianhydride polycondensation. Two selenide containing diamines, e.g. bis(3-trifluoromethyl-4-aminophenyl)selenide (BTFAPS) and bis(4-aminophenyl)selenide (BAPS) were reacted with 4,4′-(Hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) for the preparation of selenide containing polyimides. Comparison with its oxygen and sulfur counterparts, the selenide-containing PIs have better solubility, higher refractive index, and can bring redox responsiveness. This is due to the trifluoromethyl base, which possesses a large free volume, and the selenium element, which has a higher molar refraction and redox activities than even sulfur. Various techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and wide angle X-ray diffraction were used for characterizing the polymers structure. Differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the properties of the polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a kind of artificial surface composed of subwavelength meta‐atoms, metasurface has shown great potential in full vectorial electromagnetic manipulation. Here, a dual‐functional metasurface that is capable of generating 97% linear dichroism and 87% circular dichroism in the infrared region is proposed. The two functionalities can be achieved simultaneously under incident light of vertical azimuthal angles. Subsequent simulations demonstrate that the giant dichroism is induced by symmetry breaking of the structure under oblique incidence. Compared with single‐functional metasurfaces, this device exhibits better performance and more functionalities without the sacrifice of compactness. It is believed that this dual‐functional metasurface with simple geometry can find many potential applications in various fields, ranging from analytical chemistry and imaging to sensing and spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elicitation represents one of the most efficient techniques for improving metabolite biosynthesis and biomass accumulation in plant cell cultures. Melatonin (MLT) has been extensively studied for its multiregulatory functions, but its elicitation roles in medicinal plants remain largely unknown. Herein, we investigated the effects of MLT on triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis and root growth in hairy root cultures of Psammosilene tunicoides , an endangered Chinese medicinal plant famous for its pain-relieving capabilities. Exogenous MLT significantly boosted saponin accumulation, promoted primary root thickness and elongation, and increased biomass production compared with the control in P. tunicoides hairy roots, particularly when 10 mg L− 1 MLT was applied for two days. Furthermore, the reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), and Ca2+ contents, as well as antioxidant enzyme activities, were initially triggered after MLT treatments. Additionally, MLT raised the diverse phytohormone profiles that were related to plant secondary metabolism (salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, abscisic acid) and growth (indoleacetic acid (IAA) conjugates, cytokinins, and strigolactone) but decreased free IAA levels in hairy roots. Analysis of comparative transcriptome data revealed that multiple differentially expressed genes (DEGs) might be the key regulators in MLT-elicited networks, especially genes that were associated with signal transduction (POD , NR, and CDPK), transcription factor regulation (WRKYs , NACs, and AR2/ERFs), terpenoid metabolism (HMGS , DXS , GPPS, and SE) and root growth (COBL7 and Egase). These findings demonstrated that MLT elicitors could simultaneously improve saponin biosynthesis and primary root growth in P. tunicoides hairy roots, mainly by enhancing the ROS-mediated signaling cascade and coregulating the associated phytohormonal and transcriptional pathways. • Melatonin enhanced saponin synthesis/ primary root growth in P. tunicoides hairy root. • Second messengers and antioxidant enzymatic activities were triggered by melatonin. • Melatonin altered the phynotype-related hormone profiles, including reduced IAA level. • RNA-seq revealed the transcriptional chains in melatonin-elicited processes. • Melatonin up-expressed DEGs in saponin synthesis (DXS , SE) / root growth (COBL , Egase). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cements have lower carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions during production compared with conventional ordinary Portland cement (OPC). However, the high cost of production is a significant limitation of the application of CSA cements. This paper aims to improve the use efficiency of CSA clinker by adding OPC and anhydrite. The low-carbon OPC-CSA clinker-anhydrite system is expected to contain less CSA clinker while showing excellent performance. A design methodology was developed to optimize the component of the OPC-CSA clinker-anhydrite blended system. The hydration mechanism of the ternary system was investigated using isothermal conduction calorimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and thermodynamic modelling was used to predict the amount of hydration products. The results showed that ettringite is the main hydration products of the OPC-CSA clinker-anhydrite system, and the addition of OPC provides portlandite for the formation of ettringite. The ternary system is characterized by rapid development of strength and low CO 2 emissions. The compressive strength at 4 h and the CO 2 emissions are about 10 MPa and 500 kg/t, respectively. In addition, the ternary system, composed of 27.9 wt% CSA clinker, 32.5 wt% anhydrite, and 39.6 wt% OPC has the highest compressive strength at 28 d and the lowest CO 2 intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auxin is involved in different aspects of plant growth and development by regulating the expression of auxin-responsive family genes. As one of the three major auxin-responsive families, GH3 (Gretchen Hagen3) genes participate in auxin homeostasis by catalyzing auxin conjugation and bounding free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) to amino acids. However, how GH3 genes function in responses to abiotic stresses and various hormones in maize is largely unknown. Here, the latest updated maize ( Zea mays L.) reference genome sequence was used to characterize and analyze the ZmGH3 family genes from maize. The results showed that 13 ZmGH3 genes were mapped on five maize chromosomes (total 10 chromosomes). Highly diversified gene structures and tissue-specific expression patterns suggested the possibility of function diversification for these genes in response to environmental stresses and hormone stimuli. The expression patterns of ZmGH3 genes are responsive to several abiotic stresses (salt, drought and cadmium) and major stress-related hormones (abscisic acid, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid). Various environmental factors suppress auxin free IAA contents in maize roots suggesting that these abiotic stresses and hormones might alter GH3-mediated auxin levels. The responsiveness of ZmGH3 genes to a wide range of abiotic stresses and stress-related hormones suggested that ZmGH3s are involved in maize tolerance to environmental stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Broadband Photodetectors b In article number 2103429, Xiangang Luo and co-workers report a broadband photodetector utilizing GaTe after breaking through its bandgap limitation by self-driven O SB 2 sb intercalation in air and further reveal its anisotropic nature of both intrinsic and extrinsic photoconductivity. This provides design strategies of 2D materials-based high performance broadband photodetectors for the exploration of the polarized state information. Breaking the Cut-Off Wavelength Limit of GaTe through Self-Driven Oxygen Intercalation in Air (Adv. Sci. 9/2022). [Extracted from the article]

Alternative low-carbon cements could contribute significantly to CO 2 reduction in the cement industry. However, the existing methods require the input of the actual production data, and thus cannot be used to calculate CO 2 emissions of alternative low-carbon cements that are not yet produced in cement plants. This study aims to develop a model to analyze the theoretical CO 2 emissions of alternative low-carbon cements. The novelty of this model is that it can be used to calculate the fuel consumed in the production of new low-carbon cements based on the theory of heat balance, and then predict their CO 2 emissions. The model is used to calculate CO 2 emissions of several low-carbon binders and ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The results show that the direct CO 2 emissions of OPC clinker calculated by this model approach the value derived from the cement plants and the Cement Sustainability and Initiative (CSI). Calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) clinker has the direct CO 2 emissions of 0.540 kg/kg, 34% lower than OPC clinker, while its cost of raw materials is over four times that of OPC clinker. High-belite calcium sulfoaluminate (HB-CSA) clinker, with the direct CO 2 emissions comparable to CSA clinker, lowers its cost of raw materials by half as it requires less expensive bauxite. Moreover, CO 2 emissions from HB-CSA cement production can be further reduced by the use of high volume of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The knowledge gained provides a valuable reference for the design of new low-carbon binders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovations in the cement industry strive towards achieving an eco-friendly alternative to traditional cement. A low-carbon cement, calcium sulfoaluminate-activated supersulfated cement (CSA-SSC), has been recently developed. This cement consists of 80% granulated blastfurnace slag (GBFS), 15% anhydrite, and 5% high-belite calcium sulfoaluminate cement (HB-CSA) clinker. The hydration mechanism of CSA-SSC was experimentally investigated using isothermal calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy, and was numerically studied using thermodynamic modeling. CSA-SSC shows a moderate compressive strength at the early stage, which is mainly attributed to the rapid formation of ettringite from the hydration of C 4 A 3 S ¯ with CaSO 4 in HB-CSA clinker. Meanwhile, the hydration of f-CaO in HB-CSA clinker supplies an alkaline environment for the dissolution of GBFS and the formation of more ettringite. In the late stage, apart from ettringite, the hydration of GBFS forms C–S–H, leading to the continuous increase in late strength. A statistical analysis reveals that the high volume of GBFS in CSA-SSC results in a very low direct CO 2 emission, which is only 8.7% of that of Portland cement. [Display omitted] • CSA-SSC is comprised of 80% GBFS, 15% anhydrite and 5% HB-CSA clinker. • The carbon dioxide emission of CSA-SSC is 72.0 kg/t, 8.7% of that of PC. • CSA-SSC shows relatively higher compressive strength than PC and other types of SSCs. • The hydration of CSA-SSC produces ettringite from beginning and C–S–H at later stage. • CSA-SSC has a high ratio of compressive strength to amount of non-evaporable water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydration of calcium sulfoaluminate $$ ( {\text{C}}_{4} {\text{A}}_{3} \overline{\text{S}} ) $$ in the presence of heavy metal is essential not only for applying the cement in solidification/stabilization (s/s) process, but also for preparing modern green cements from wastes containing heavy metals. In this study, the influence of gypsum, types, and concentrations of heavy metal nitrates (Pb(NO), Cr(NO)·9HO, Cu(NO)·3HO, Zn(NO)·6HO) on the hydration of $$ {\text{C}}_{4} {\text{A}}_{3} \overline{\text{S}} $$ during the first 24 h were investigated by isothermal conduction calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The addition of 20 % of gypsum to $$ {\text{C}}_{4} {\text{A}}_{3} \overline{\text{S}} $$ leads to a rapid formation of ettringite against monosulfate and acceleration of hydration. The effects of heavy metals on the hydration of $$ {\text{C}}_{4} {\text{A}}_{3} \overline{\text{S}} $$ depend on the types of heavy metals and the addition of gypsum. Without any gypsum addition, heavy metal nitrates such as Cr, Cu, and Zn promote the hydration of $$ {\text{C}}_{4} {\text{A}}_{3} \overline{\text{S}} $$ , whereas Pb presents a strong retardation effect at the early age of $$ {\text{C}}_{4} {\text{A}}_{3} \overline{\text{S}} $$ hydration. When 20 % of gypsum is added to $$ {\text{C}}_{4} {\text{A}}_{3} \overline{\text{S}} $$ , heavy metals tend to accelerate the hydration of the blended pastes except Zn. However, heavy metal containing phases were not detected in this work, which needs to be supplemented by further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PCE-type GA was synthesized by grafting acylamino groups and hydroxyl groups. • PCE-type GA led to shorter grinding duration with homogenized particle morphology. • Cement ground by PCE-type GA showed higher fluidity and mechanical strength. Modified polycarboxylate-type (PCE-type) grinding aid (GA) by grafting acylamino group and hydroxyl group into the backbone of PCE polymer was synthesized, and its possibility to be adopted as cement GA was estimated in this research. The grindability of PCE-type GA was measured in terms of grinding duration as well as particle size distribution, and the grindability of PCE-type GA was systematically compared with that of triethanolamine (TEA) and ordinary PCE-type superplasticizer. The cement hydration kinetics, the microstructure, and the physical–mechanical properties of ground cement samples in the function of PCE-based GA were analyzed. The results indicated that PCE-type GA was more effective in cement grinding process than TEA as well as PCE-type superplasticizer, exhibiting shortened grinding duration, optimized particle size distribution, and homogenized particle morphology. And cement ground by PCE-type GA was characterized with lower water demand, higher fluidity property, and increased mechanical strength, ascribed to the dispersion capability of PCE polymer as well as the unified cement particle size distribution. The application of PCE-type GA could slightly prolong the induction period of the ground cement, but gently enhance the hydration degree. Lower porosity and denser microstructure with higher density of cement hydration products uniformly distributing in the hardened matrix could be achieved with PCE-type GA adopted in the ground cement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We have discussed numerically the characterization of time delay (TD) signature in a chaotic vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) subject to optical feedback, where the results for polarization-preserved optical feedback (PPOF) and polarization-rotated optical feedback (PROF) are presented comparatively. It is found that, when the feedback strength is moderate, TD signature can be retrieved successfully by analyzing the total intensity, intensities of x-linearly polarized (x-LP) mode, and y-LP mode in a VCSEL with PPOF; while for PROF case, the intensity amplitude peaks in autocorrelation function (ACF)/delayed mutual information (DMI) of the two orthogonal LP modes are located at multiple values of TD. Furthermore, the influence of the feedback strength and time delay has been investigated. The results show that, a further increase of the feedback strength (roughly>40ns−1) leads to the successful identification of the TD signature in the two LP mode intensities of VCSELs with PROF. It is also observed that the estimation of TD depends significantly on the value of the spin–flip relaxation rate (γ s ). For low relaxation rates the TD signature could be much easier to be revealed by the two LP modes than that for large values of relaxation rate in VCSELs with PROF. Finally the influence of injection current and the device linear anisotropies is investigated, and the results of TD estimation are confirmed by calculating permutation entropy (PE). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two new abietane diterpenoids (1,2), along with five known diterpenoids (3–7), were first isolated and purified from the stems of Clerodendrum bracteatum. The structures of the new compounds were established by extensive analysis of mass spectrometric and 1-D, 2-D NMR spectroscopic data. Their antioxidant activities were determined on DPPH radical scavenging and ABTS. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of the compounds were evaluated against the HL-60 and A549 cell lines by the MTT method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is an important economic crop and there is obvious heterosis in cotton, fertility has played an important role in this heterosis. However, the genes that exhibit critical roles in anther development and fertility are not well understood. Here, we report an acyl-CoA N-acyltransferase (EC2.3; GhACNAT) that plays a key role in anther development and fertility. Suppression of GhACNAT by virus-induced gene silencing in transgenic cotton (G. hirsutum L. cv. C312) resulted in indehiscent anthers that were full of pollen, diminished filaments and stamens, and plant sterility. We found GhACNAT was involved in lipid metabolism and jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis. The genes differentially expressed in GhACNAT-silenced plants and C312 were mainly involved in catalytic activity and transcription regulator activity in lipid metabolism. In GhACNAT-silenced plants, the expression levels of genes involved in lipid metabolism and jasmonic acid biosynthesis were significantly changed, the amount of JA in leaves and reproductive organs was significantly decreased compared with the amounts in C312. Treatments with exogenous methyl jasmonate rescued anther dehiscence and pollen release in GhACNAT-silenced plants and caused self-fertility. The GhACNAT gene may play an important role in controlling cotton fertility by regulating the pathways of lipid synthesis and JA biogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]