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Inspired by the wide applications of spinel oxide and metal–organic framework-modified narrow band gap materials, we herein report ZnFe2O4/UiO-66-NH2 nanocomposites synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method in this study. Their structure, morphology and composition were characterized through XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM and XPS. UV–Vis DRS and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to explore the photochemical properties of ZnFe2O4/UiO-66-NH2. Among all composite materials with different ratios, ZnFe2O4/10%UiO-66-NH2 exhibited the best photocatalytic degradation efficiency in the presence of persulfate. The efficiency of degradation of the environmental contaminant antibiotic tetracycline was increased about 2 times. The improved photocatalytic activity of the composite material could be attributed to its wide light absorption range and the Z-type heterojunction scheme suppressed the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. A trapping experiment indicated that sulfate ions, hydroxyl radicals and holes were the main active species in the photocatalytic reaction system. When ZnFe2O4 reacted with persulfate, numerous Fe2+ were converted into Fe3+, and the cyclic reaction could activate persulfate to a greater extent. In addition, the material also showed high recycling performance. These results demonstrate ZnFe2O4/UiO-66-NH2 nanocomposites are expected to generate a promising photocatalyst for degradation of environmental antibiotics.

Objective To explore the risk factors for intrapartum fever and to develop a nomogram to predict the incidence of intrapartum fever. Methods The general demographic characteristics and perinatal factors of 696 parturients who underwent vaginal birth at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from May 2019 to April 2020 were retrospectively analysed. Data was collected from May 2019 to October 2019 on 487 pregnant women who formed a training cohort. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the independent risk factors associated with intrapartum fever during vaginal birth, and a nomogram was developed to predict the occurrence. To verify the nomogram, data was collected from January 2020 to April in 2020 from 209 pregnant women who formed a validation cohort. Results The incidence of intrapartum fever in the training cohort was found in 72 of the 487 parturients (14.8%), and the incidence of intrapartum fever in the validation cohort was 31 of the 209 parturients (14.8%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the following factors were significantly related to intrapartum fever: primiparas (odds ratio [OR] 2.43; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15–5.15), epidural labour analgesia (OR 2.89; 95% CI 1.23–6.82), premature rupture of membranes (OR 2.37; 95% CI 1.13–4.95), second stage of labour ≥ 120 min (OR 4.36; 95% CI 1.42–13.41), amniotic fluid pollution degree III (OR 10.39; 95% CI 3.30–32.73), and foetal weight ≥ 4000 g (OR 7.49; 95% CI 2.12–26.54). Based on clinical experience and previous studies, the duration of epidural labour analgesia also appeared to be a meaningful factor for intrapartum fever; therefore, these seven variables were used to develop a nomogram to predict intrapartum fever in parturients. The nomogram achieved a good area under the ROC curve of 0.86 and 0.81 in the training and in the validation cohorts, respectively. Additionally, the nomogram had a well-fitted calibration curve, which also showed excellent diagnostic performance. Conclusion We constructed a model to predict the occurrence of fever during childbirth and developed an accessible nomogram to help doctors assess the risk of fever during childbirth. Such assessment may be helpful in implementing reasonable treatment measures. Trial registration Clinical Trial Registration: (www.chictr.org.cnChiCTR2000035593)

In this work, a ternary complex (g-C3N4/ZIF-8/AgBr) was prepared by modifying the surface of the protonated graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with photosensitive AgBr and zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), and its physicochemical parameters, crystal morphology and electrochemical properties were characterized using a series of techniques. The modified g-C3N4 not only improves the ability to capture pollutants in water, but also efficiently catalyzes the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in water by rapidly producing superoxide radicals (·O2− ), cavitation (h+) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH) in visible light, with the removal efficiency reaching 80.4%. The activity of catalytic degradation of BPA from strong to weak is g-C3N4/ZIF-8/AgBr, g-C3N4/AgBr, g-C3N4/ZIF-8, AgBr, g-C3N4, ZIF-8. After four cycles of experiments, it was found that g-C3N4/ZIF-8/AgBr had still considerable degradation ability (70.2%) and stability.

The present work reports a systematic investigation on phase evolution, microstructure and microstructure–property relationship of two typical face-centered cubic (FCC) structured high-entropy alloys (HEAs), FeNiCoCr and FeNiCoCrMn, prepared via mechanical alloying (MA) followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Following 50 h of MA, the two HEAs consisted of a mixture of FCC and body-centered cubic phases. Following SPS, the bulk FeNiCoCr alloy showed a primary FCC phase with a small amount of Cr23C6 and Cr2O3 contaminants, while the bulk FeNiCoCrMn alloy was composed of a primary FCC phase with some (Cr,Mn)23C6 and MnCr2O4 contaminants. The average grain size of the primary FCC phase in the bulk FeNiCoCr alloy was ~ 416 nm, while that of the primary FCC phase in the bulk FeNiCoCrMn alloy was ~ 547 nm. The yield strength, compressive strength and strain-to-failure of the bulk FeNiCoCr alloy are 1525 MPa, 1987 MPa and 24.4%, respectively, whereas those of the bulk FeNiCoCrMn alloy are 1329 MPa, 1761 MPa and 21.9%, respectively. It suggests that the bulk FeNiCoCrMn exhibited lower strength and plasticity in comparison with the bulk FeNiCoCr alloy. Clearly, the smaller grain size of the primary FCC phase in the FeNiCoCr alloy is mainly responsible for the better mechanical performance.

Objective Propofol for procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) for colonoscopy can result in a high prevalence of severe respiratory depression. Studies have shown that intravenous (IV) infusion of lidocaine can reduce propofol requirements significantly and increase the ventilatory response to carbon dioxide in humans. We tested the hypothesis that IV lidocaine could improve propofol-induced respiratory depression in obese patients during colonoscopy. Methods Ninety obese patients scheduled for painless colonoscopy were randomized to receive lidocaine (1.5 mg/kg, then 2 mg/kg/h, IV) or the same volume of 0.9% saline. Intraoperative sedation was provided by propofol. The primary outcome was the number of oxygen-desaturation episodes. Secondary outcomes were: the number of apnea episodes; total propofol consumption; time to the first hypoxia episode; time to consciousness loss; intraoperative hemodynamic parameters; awakening time; adverse events; duration of post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) stay; satisfaction of endoscopists and patients. Results Demographic characteristics between the two groups were comparable. The number of oxygen-desaturation episodes in group L (1.49±1.12) decreased by 0.622 (P=0.018) compared with that in group N (2.11±1.32), and the number of apnea episodes in group L decreased by 0.533 (P 0.05 for all). Satisfaction scores for endoscopists and patients in group L were higher than that in group N (P Conclusion Intravenous infusion of lidocaine could significantly reduce the number of oxygen-desaturation and apnea episodes in obese patients during painless colonoscopy. This method is worthy of clinical promotion. Clinical trials registration ChiCTR2000028937.

Synchronized optical pulses are widely used. We report here characterization and measurement of synchronized femtosecond and picosecond pulses from a Ti:Sapphire laser (nominally 800 nm) and a Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm), respectively. Synchronization is achieved by utilizing soliton self-frequency shift in a photonic-crystal fiber that allows the 800 nm femtosecond oscillator to seed the third-harmonic generation (355 nm) of picosecond regenerative amplifier. The relative timing jitter between the amplified femtosecond and the third-harmonic generation of picosecond pulses is (710 ± 160) fs, which is only (1.17 ± 0.26)% of the picosecond pulse duration. This work paves way for applications in stimulated Raman scattering spectroscopy and amplification.

In this study, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) were utilized to investigate the microstructure and phases in an Fe25Ni25Co25Ti15Al10 high-entropy alloy (HEA) prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The bulk Fe25Ni25Co25Ti15Al10 HEA was characterized by a high tensile strength of 2.52 GPa and contained a minor bcc phase (∼17.7 vol%), together with a primary fcc phase (∼82.3 vol%) containing hierarchical nanoprecipitates. The bcc phase was a B2-type NiAl phase that contained substantial amounts of Co, Ti and Fe; it also exhibited Fe and Co rich nanoprecipitates with an average diameter of 1.11 ± 0.33 nm. The fcc phase consisted of a γ Fe-(Co,Ni)-based solid-solution matrix (A1), and coherent primary γ’ (Ni,Co)3-(Ti,Al)-based intermetallic precipitates (L12). A1 structured secondary γ* precipitates were found coherently embedded in the L12-γ′ precipitates. We propose that the formation of the secondary γ* precipitates was largely driven by the unique chemical composition of the γ’ precipitates which accommodate substantial amounts of Fe, Al and Ti, coupled with the nonequilibrium processing route used in our studies. Surprisingly, a novel type of Al–Ti–O oxide was identified via APT. A Ti(C,N) compound containing ∼9.19 at.% N and ∼12.27 at.% Ni was also detected by APT, rather than a simple TiC. Our analysis suggests that the Al–Ti–O oxide likely formed during MA, whereas the Ti(C,N) phase formed during sintering. In addition, a CALPHAD (Calculation of Phase Diagrams) approach was utilized to assist in understanding the underlying phase formation mechanisms. The notable high strength of 2.52 GPa in the Fe25Ni25Co25Ti15Al10 HEA support the hypothesis that phase formation mechanisms play an important role in the mechanical performance of HEAs fabricated by powder metallurgy.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) represent a class of metallic materials that provide new pathways to attain heretofore unachievable combinations of physical and mechanical properties. However, published studies are focused on either physical properties or mechanical properties, rather than combinations thereof. Here, a “heterogeneous microstructure” was designed, via in situ formation of nano-sized TiC particles, to achieve enhancements in both mechanical and soft magnetic properties in a FeNiCo-based HEA. When compared to the HEA matrix counterpart material, a dramatic enhancement in tensile yield strength, with a negligible loss in fracture strain was obtained in the heterostructured high-entropy composite (HS-HEC). In addition, its soft magnetic properties were also enhanced as evidenced by a remarkable improvement in coercivity. Our results confirm that the HS-HEC displays a heretofore unattainable combination of soft magnetic and mechanical performance when compared to those of previously studied HEAs. This exceptional combination of soft magnetic and mechanical properties was primarily attributed to the presence of a heterogeneous microstructure containing dispersed TiC particles. The results presented here validate the hypothesis that a heterogeneous microstructure provides a powerful strategy to tailor the soft magnetic and mechanical response of HEAs.

The influence of synthesis method on a Co-free equiatomic medium-entropy alloy (MEA), AlCrFeNi, has been systematically investigated in the present study. Three synthesis methods, melting and casting, spark plasma sintering (SPS) of the mechanically alloyed powders and direct SPS of the mixture of elemental powders, were respectively used to prepare bulk samples. All bulk samples primarily consisted of a disordered body-centered cubic (BCC, A2) phase and an ordered BCC (B2) phase, suggesting that synthesis method had a negligible influence on the phase compositions. However, the synthesis method showed a significant influence on the microstructure of the AlCrFeNi MEA, leading to altering the mechanical properties. A rare chrysanthemum-like eutectic microstructure was obtained in the as-cast sample, while a spinodal decomposed microstructure was observed in the SPS sintered samples. All bulk AlCrFeNi samples exhibited a relatively high yield strength (>1040 MPa) with a fairly high strain-to-failure (>28%). The CALPHAD (Calculation of Phase Diagrams) approach was used to explain the phase formation and stability in the bulk AlCrFeNi samples. In addition, the microstructural evolution and microstructure-property relationship were also investigated deeply.

Objective: To explore the risk factors of intrapartum fever and develop a nomogram to predict the incidence of intrapartum fever.Methods: The general demographic characteristics and perinatal factors of 696 parturient who underwent vaginal delivery in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from May 2019 to April 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. 487 patients collected from May 2019 to October 2019 were formed into a training cohort. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the independent risk factors associated with intrapartum fever during vaginal delivery, then a nomogram was developed to predict the occurrence. 209 cases collected from January 2020 to April 2020 were formed into a validation cohort to verify the nomogram.Results: Intrapartum fever was found in 72 of 487 parturient (14.78%) in the training cohort, and the incidence of intrapartum fever in the validation cohort was 14.83% (31/209). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that primiparas (Odds Ratio [OR]2.433; 95% confidence interval [CI]1.149-5.150), epidural labor analgesia (OR2.890; 95%CI 1.225-6.818), premature rupture of membranes (OR2.366; 95%CI 1.130-4.954), second stage of labor ≥120min (OR4.363; 95%CI 1.419-13.410), amniotic fluid pollution Ⅲ degree (OR10.391; 95%CI 3.299-32.729), fetal weight ≥4000g (OR7.492; 95%CI 2.115-26.542) were significantly related to intrapartum fever. According to clinical experience and previous studies, the duration of epidural labor analgesia also seemed to be a meaningful factor for intrapartum fever, so these 7 variables were incorporated to develop a nomogram, which achieved good area under ROC curve of 0.855 in the training cohort and 0.808 in the validation cohort, and it had a well-fitted calibration curve, which showed an excellent diagnostic performance.Conclusion: We constructed a model to predict the occurrence of fever during childbirth and developed an accessible nomogram. The nomogram can help doctors assess the risk of fever during childbirth, so as to lead to reasonable treatment measures.Clinical Trial Registration: (www.chictr.org.cn ChiCTR2000035593)

BACKGROUND Sore throat is a common complication after Laryngeal Mask Airway Supreme (SLMA) insertion. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine whether a new SLMA insertion technique (not removing the pilot tube blocker before insertion) lowers the incidence of sore throat in the postanaesthesia care unit (PACU). DESIGN A prospective, single-centre, parallel randomised controlled trial. SETTING Operating room and PACU at a hospital in China from June to September 2019. PATIENTS Four hundred and eight patients aged 18 to 65 years with American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status class I or II who were scheduled for elective surgery requiring anaesthesia and SLMA insertion. INTERVENTIONS Leaving the blocker at the end of the pilot tube in situ (this blocker keeps the valve open and the balloon remains partially inflated but will deflate with pressure) or removing the blocker and actively deflating the cuff before SLMA insertion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative sore throat in the PACU. The secondary outcomes included sore throat severity (Prince Henry Hospital Pain Score), first-attempt success rate, ease of insertion, time to successful SLMA insertion, oropharyngeal leak pressure, grade of view on fibreoptic bronchoscopy (indicating the accuracy of SLMA positioning) and adverse events. RESULTS The incidence of sore throat was 33/204 (16.2%) in the nonremoval group, and 65/204 (31.9%) in the removal group (P

Coarse-grained (CG) single-phase face-centered cubic (fcc) high-entropy alloys (HEAs) normally show insufficient room temperature strength. Here we design and implement a heterogeneous grain structure to strengthen a single-phase fcc Fe29Ni29Co28Cu7Ti7 HEA. Significantly, the heterostructured (HS) fcc HEA shows a dramatic enhancement (increasing from ∼350 to ∼614 MPa) in tensile yield strength as compared to its CG counterpart. As a result of its extraordinary work-hardening ability arising from the heterogeneous grain structure, the novel HS HEA exhibits a very high ultimate strength of ∼1308 MPa, and a good ductility of ∼23.1% which is almost identical to that of its CG counterpart.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), which leads to high mortality and morbidity, is a prominent public health problem worldwide with no effective treatment. Curcumin has been shown to be beneficial for neuroprotection in vivo and in vitro, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study determined whether the neuroprotective role of curcumin in mouse TBI is dependent on the NF-E2-related factor (Nrf2) pathway. The Feeney weight-drop contusion model was used to mimic TBI. Curcumin was administered intraperitoneally 15 min after TBI induction, and brains were collected at 24 h after TBI. The levels of Nrf2 and its downstream genes (Hmox-1, Nqo1, Gclm, and Gclc) were detected by Western blot and qRT-PCR at 24 h after TBI. In addition, edema, oxidative damage, cell apoptosis and inflammatory reactions were evaluated in wild type (WT) and Nrf2-knockout (Nrf2-KO) mice to explore the role of Nrf2 signaling after curcumin treatment. In wild type mice, curcumin treatment resulted in reduced ipsilateral cortex injury, neutrophil infiltration, and microglia activation, improving neuron survival against TBI-induced apoptosis and degeneration. These effects were accompanied by increased expression and nuclear translocation of Nrf2, and enhanced expression of antioxidant enzymes. However, Nrf2 deletion attenuated the neuroprotective effects of curcumin in Nrf2-KO mice after TBI. These findings demonstrated that curcumin effects on TBI are associated with the activation the Nrf2 pathway, providing novel insights into the neuroprotective role of Nrf2 and the potential therapeutic use of curcumin for TBI.

Tectonism caused strong deformation of the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation in the periphery of the Sichuan Basin, which affected the pore-fracture of the organic-rich shale and migration of shale gas. Samples of structurally deformed shale from the anticline and detachment structure and undeformed shale were collected in the Northeast Chongqing area, China. The investigations of shale structural deformation and its pore-fracture system were performed using optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), low-pressure gas adsorption (LP-GA), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The research shows that deformed samples with curved beddings and friction mirrors on the macro level, as well as the microscopically curved organic matter (OM) bands and OM folds, indicate the significant structural transformation and predominantly ductile deformation. The micro-fractures in deformed samples are more developed with different combinations in two geological structures, showing brittle deformation. Compared with undeformed samples, the number of OM pores in deformed samples is reduced significantly, while the interparticle (interP) pores, intraparticle (intraP) pores, and micro-channels are more developed. The connected pore size distribution (PSD) of all samples is mainly from 0.3 nm to 10 nm. The pore volume (PV) of micropore in the deformed samples is between 0.100–0.500 cm3/100 g, and the specific surface area (SSA) is in the range of 2.175–13.554 m2/g. Undeformed samples have a larger PV and SSA than the deformed samples. TOC and the structural deformation control the structure of connected pore, and their PV and SSA are positively correlated with TOC content. Fractal dimension reveals that the surface of connected and closed pore (pore size 3.81–95.34 nm) becomes more complex, and the distribution of small pore (pore size 1.25–3.81 nm) becomes more uniform under the structural deformation of the shale. As the degree of shale deformation increases, the mesopore and macropore volume of connected pores decrease significantly, while the strongly structural deformation of samples results in a substantial increase in micropore volume and SSA. Besides, the PV of both closed and connected pores tends to decrease and the average pore size increases linearly. Furthermore, the shale deformation result in a weakening of the methane adsorption capacity. Shale gas can migrate through the fracture network to the central zone of the detachment structure or the core of the anticline, which has a significant effect on shale gas enrichment and preservation.

We report a systematic study on the influence of Cr removal on the microstructure and mechanical behaviour of an ultra-fine grained (UFG) high-entropy alloy (HEA), Al0.8Ti0.2CoNiFeCr, fabricated vi...

In this work, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) was loaded onto Ti-modified BiOI (Ti–BiOI) by in-situ synthesis to prepare novel binary photocatalytic materials (Ti–BiOI/ZIF-8), its physical parameters, chemical parameters, crystal structure and electrochemical properties were characterized. A novel photocatalytic oxidation system (Ti–BiOI/ZIF-8/PMS/Vis) consisting of Ti–BiOI/ZIF-8 and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) could efficiently remove BPA under visible light. In the first 2 ​min of the photocatalytic reaction, Ti–BiOI/ZIF-8 and PMS were excited to generate a large number of active groups (•O2−, •OH, •SO4− and h+), more than 90% of BPA was removed, and the degradation rate of Ti–BiOI/ZIF-8/PMS/Vis was 3.5 times higher that of monomer BiOI, and the removal rate of total-organic-carbon reached about 60%. In addition, the effects of PMS dosage and catalyst dosage on the removal of BPA were also investigated. The stability and reusability of the Ti–BiOI/ZIF-8 were verified through four cycles of degradation of BPA.

The scattering behavior of light waves from a collection of semisoft boundary particles is discussed. It is shown that the structural characteristics of the medium, i.e., the location of the particles, the effective width of each particle, and the boundary property of each particle, may play an important role in the distribution of the far-zone scattered spectral density. This result may have potential applications in the manipulation of scattered fields and in the measurement of structural characteristics of particulate media.

In contrast with the conventional remelting recycling of aluminum and its alloy chips, the solid state recycling techniques, which can convert the chips directly into dense bulk materials, have attracted significant attention primarily because it possesses many advantages including lower energy consumption, lower metal loss as well as almost no emissions of harmful gases and solid wasters. In this keynote paper, with a view to the current researches of the solid state recycling techniques based on the severe plastic deformation (SPD) and powder metallurgy (P/M), the characteristics and applications of several typical methods, such as hot extrusion, equal channel angular pressing (ECAP), cyclic extrusion compression (CEC), friction stir extrusion (FSE), high pressure torsion (HPT), screw extrusion and spark plasma sintering (SPS), are introduced. A growing number of researches and literatures suggest that the mechanical properties of solid state recycled specimens are primarily dependent on the chip bonding quality and microstructure of the corresponding bulk materials. Then, the mechanism analysis of consolidation of chips is carried out, and three relevant theoretical modes, characterizing the bonding quality, are also mentioned. Moreover, the factors influencing the density and microstructure of chip-consolidated product are discussed comprehensively. Eventually, recommendations in the improvement of solid state recycling techniques and the future prospects are put forward.

The higher-order coherent effect of light waves on scattering from a collection of particles has been discussed within the accuracy of the first-order Born approximation. It is shown that the correlation of intensity fluctuation (CIF) of the scattered field is closely related to the characteristic of the collection of particles. An example of light waves on scattering from a collection of particles with Gaussian-centered distribution has been discussed, and the influence of the distribution characteristic on the normalized correlation coefficient of CIF of the scattered field has been studied. This result may provide a potential way to determine the distribution information of a collection of particles by measuring the intensity data of the scattered field.

The degree of paraxiality (DOP) of an electromagnetic multi-Gaussian Schell-model (EM-MGSM) beam was discussed, and the dependence of DOP on the characteristics of beam sources was investigated. It is shown that the parameters of beam sources, including the rms widths of the auto-correlation functions, the degree of polarization, and the boundary characteristics, play an important role in the DOP of the beam. To explain these phenomena, the far-zone divergence angle of the EM-MGSM beam was further discussed.

In this study, novel MnO2/UIO-66 composite material was constructed via oil bath heating. MnO2 was prepared from KMnO4 and UIO-66 was prepared from C8H6O4 and ZrCl4. The MnO2/UIO-66 activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with high efficiency for oxytetracycline (OTC) decomposition under UV-light which was much more effective than adding MnO2/UIO-66 without PMS. Characterization analysis was carried out by means of XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS, etc. The effects of reaction system and catalyst addition on the degradation of OTC were also studied. Degradation of OTC with MnO2, UIO-66 and MnO2/UIO-66 was inhibited in the H2O2 system and promoted in the PMS and H2O2/PMS system. The MnO2/UIO-66 also displayed prominent stability and recyclability. The effect of initial pH on OTC degradation was studied. The effects of inorganic anions such as CO32−, HCO3−, SO42−, Cl− and NO3− on the degradation of OTC was also being studied. This study showed that MnO2/UIO-66 composite had great potential in antibiotic-contaminated wastewater treatment. Most importantly, reliable free radical attack sites were proposed based on density functional theory (DFT) calculation.

In the present work, the combination of mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) has been utilized to improve the hardness and strength of the Fe-20Mn-11Al-1.8C-5Cr quinary alloy displaying good corrosion resistance. The mechanically alloyed powders consisted of a primary body-center cubic (BCC) phase and a small amount of face-center cubic (FCC) phase, however, the sintered alloy was composed of γ matrix, k-carbide ((Fe, Mn)3AlCx) and Cr7C3 carbide. In addition, nanoscale twins presented in some γ grains after SPS. Vickers hardness of the sintered Fe-20Mn-11Al-1.8C-5Cr quinary alloy with ultra-fine grains (UFGs) is 705 HV, which is markedly higher than that of the as-cast Fe-20Mn-11Al-1.8C-5Cr counterparts. The compressive yield strength of the sintered samples at room temperature (RT) and at 873 K are 2339 MPa and 980 MPa, respectively, which are both significantly higher than those of their as-cast counterparts, suggesting that the ultra-fine grained Fe-20Mn-11Al-1.8C-5Cr alloy can be potentially used in corrosion-wear conditions at elevated temperatures.

The influence of Ti addition on microstructure and mechanical behavior of a face-centered cubic (FCC) structured Fe30Ni30Co30Mn10 alloy, was investigated systematically. Fe30Ni30Co30Mn10 and Fe27Ni27Co26Mn10Ti10 alloys were successfully fabricated via mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) in the present work. During the MA process, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated that a single FCC structured solid-solution phase was formed in both of the two investigated alloys, suggesting an invisible influence of Ti addition on alloying behavior. Following SPS, the bulk Fe30Ni30Co30Mn10 alloy showed a single FCC phase with ultra-fine grains, whereas the Fe27Ni27Co26Mn10Ti10 alloy exhibited two FCC (FCC1 and FCC2) phases showing ultra-fine grains and nanosized grains. Adding Ti into the Fe30Ni30Co30Mn10 alloy, the Fe27Ni27Co26Mn10Ti10 alloy exhibited an enhanced ability of forming nanoscale twins. The yield strength, compressive strength, strain-to-failure and Vickers hardness of the bulk Fe30Ni30Co30Mn10 alloy are 1144±17 MPa, 1798±9 MPa, 33.8±0.5% and 339±18 Hv, respectively. With Ti addition, the Fe27Ni27Co26Mn10Ti10 alloy shows higher strength and Vickers hardness, but lower strain-to-failure, which is resulted from the enhanced solid-solution strengthening caused by the addition of Ti and the enhanced grain boundary strengthening due to the presence of a large quantity of nanoscale grains.

It is shown that when a polychromatic plane light wave is scattered from an anisotropic semisoft-boundary medium, the magnitude of the spectral shift and the direction at which the spectral switch occurs are, in general, dependent on the azimuth angle. We discussed the possibility for anisotropic semisoft-boundary medium to producing scattered field with rotational symmetric spectrum and presented the condition for the rotational symmetry of the far-zone scattered spectrum. This result was illustrated with numerical calculations.

The far-zone behavior of polychromatic light waves on scattering from an isotropic semi-soft-boundary medium with spectral dependence is considered, and both spectral shifts and spectral switches of the scattered field have been discussed. It is shown that the spectral behavior of the far-zone scattered field is influenced by the structural function width of the dielectric susceptibility of the scattering medium. In particular, the structural function width of the dielectric susceptibility of the scattering medium plays an important role in the direction at which the spectral switch occurs. These results may have potential applications in areas such as the inverse scattering problem.

Geological prediction models for gas content in marine–terrigenous shale under the effects of reservoir characteristics and in situ geological conditions, were established using methane isothermal adsorption, high temperature/pressure methane isothermal adsorption, total organic carbon, X-ray diffraction, mercury porosimetry, porosity in net confining stress, and field desorption methods. Results indicated that the adsorption capacity of marine–terrigenous shale has a linearly positive correlation with total organic carbon content and maturity. Clay and quartz minerals are the two main components of inorganic minerals in marine–terrigenous shale, with an average content of 54.3% and 36.9%, respectively. Adsorption capacity of marine–terrigenous shale is slightly positive correlated with clay content, while it exponentially decreases with increasing quartz content. The effects of in situ temperature and reservoir pressure on adsorption capacity in marine–terrigenous shale are also significant. The adsorption capacity of marine–terrigenous shale shows a clear decreasing trend as temperature increases, while it increases with increasing reservoir pressure. The porosity of marine–terrigenous shale is characterized by highly stress-sensitive, decreasing exponentially with increasing effective stress, which results in a more complex occurrence of free gas in deep shale reservoirs. In addition, gas saturation for the shale samples was calculated based on the results of field desorption, after which geological prediction models of total gas, adsorbed gas, and free gas were established while considering the coupled effects. Adsorbed gas, free gas, and total gas content all initially increase as burial depth increases, and then eventually decrease. Adsorbed gas content and free gas content have a positive correlation with total organic carbon content and porosity, indicating that the total gas content at different burial depths is mainly controlled by the total organic carbon content and porosity.

Nrf2 plays a pivotal role in antioxidant response and anti-inflammation after traumatic brain injury (TBI), and its deletion aggravates TBI-induced brain damage. Previous studies have demonstrated that Nrf2 is activated post TBI, but dynamic changes in expression and cell type-specific characteristics remain unclear. In this study, the Feeney weight-drop contusion model was conducted to mimic TBI, and the ipsilateral cerebral cortex was collected at 1, 3, 7 and 14 days post TBI (dpi). Nrf2 protein levels were observed by western blot. Cell type-specific localization of Nrf2 after TBI was detected at different time intervals by double immunofluorescence staining. NeuN, GFAP, IBA1 and NG2 were used as cell type-specific markers to neurons, astrocytes, microglia and NG2 glia, respectively. After TBI, Nrf2 protein levels peaked at 1 dpi. Robust transient Nrf2 accumulation was co-localized with neurons, which was predominant at 1 dpi. Continuous weak Nrf2 expression was detected in activated astrocytes, and the number of double positive cells peaked at 7 dpi. Inducible widespread immunostaining of Nrf2 was observed in the nucleus of the microglia, and the number of Nrf2+ microglia peaked at 7 dpi. In addition, we also explored colocalization of Nrf2 in NG2 glia, in which the percentage of Nrf2+ in NG2 glia reached a climax at 3 dpi. This study reveals that the accumulation of endogenous Nrf2 might mediate different pathophysical roles in neurons and glias after TBI, the cell-type specific and time-dependent expression provide insights to explain the roles of Nrf2 in different neural cells.

The possibility for different media to generate scattered field with identical spectral coherence is discussed. It is shown that two random media, with different characters of correlation function, may generate scattered field with identical spectral coherence property. An example of light waves on scattering from Gaussian-Schell model media is discussed, and a condition for identical spectral coherence of the far-zone scattered field is obtained.

Correlation between intensity fluctuations (CIF) in the three-dimensional scattered field has been deduced, only provided that the fluctuating electric field obeys Gaussian statistics. This discussion results in the introduction of a new definition of the degree of cross-polarization (DCP) which depends on two locations and can reduce to the classical degree of polarization as its two locations coinciding. The concept of DCP in the general three-dimensional scattered field is considered to be especially useful, for instance, in inverse problems of scattering.