Search

AbstractFor rock structures exposed in the natural condition, water-induced weakening (including water softening and chemical weathering) is thought to be the main reason for its’ stiffness and strength degradation, thus it is of great significance to study the mechanical properties of rocks under the influence of water. In this study, a hexagonal close-packed particle assembly (2D) composed of bonded circular particles with same diameter is considered to approximate a typical soft rock, where the composite contact model for rock materials considering the water-induced wakening is adopted to define the microscopic mechanical reactions between particles. Based on homogenisation theory and lattice model, the stress-strain relationship and strength criteria for rock considering water-induced weakening, as well as the quantitative correlation between macroscopic elastic and strength parameters with microscopic parameters are obtained. The effects of water softening and chemical weathering respectively characterised by saturation and mass loss ratio on macroscopic mechanical behaviours of rock are analysed in detail. The long-term ageing effects of water-induced weakening are also analysed. All results are in good agreement with the laboratory test results, verifying the applicability of the theoretical solution for analysing the effect of water-induced weakening on mechanical behaviours of rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structured sand presents significant interparticle bonding and anisotropy, resulting in significant differences in the physical and mechanical properties from the pure sand. This study proposes a new surrogate model based on the concept of multi‐fidelity residual neural network (MR‐NN) as an alternative to DEM simulation for predicting the mechanical behaviours of structured sand with different initial anisotropy and saving largely computational costs. The model is initially trained using low‐fidelity (LF) data to focus on capturing the main underpinning correlations between macroscopic mechanical parameters with inter‐particle properties and anisotropic state variables (i.e., microscopic fabric and tilting angle of sand), where the LF data are generated from previously proposed anisotropic macro‐micro quantitative correlation. Subsequent training on sparser high‐fidelity (HF) data is used to calibrate and refine the model with HF data generated from DEM simulations for anisotropic structured sand. Feedforward neural network (FNN) is adopted as the baseline algorithm for training models. The macroscopic anisotropic parameters of structured sand predicted by the surrogate model are compared with DEM simulations to examine its feasibility and generalization ability. Furthermore, the robustness of the surrogate model is examined by discussing the effect of LF data on the performance of MR‐NN. The superiority of the MR‐NN is further verified by comparing the performance of the trained MR‐NN with the one‐shot trained FNN based on the same HF data. All results demonstrate that the proposed surrogate model can provide a fast and accurate simulation of the anisotropic parameters of structured sand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the microstructural mechanics approach, the macroscopic anisotropic failure criteria expressed in closed form by the microscopic parameters are derived for regularly arranged elliptical particle assemblies. The close-packed, elliptical particle assembly is equivalent to a lattice model that is described by a lattice beam system, and the Mohr–Coulomb-like shear failure criterion is applied to describe the beam breakages. Through mechanical analysis of the instability state of the unit cell of the lattice beam system, macroscopic anisotropic strength criteria and the corresponding strength parameters, which are expressed by microscopic parameters and the tilting angle, are proposed. The macroscopic failure characteristics and strength parameters are qualitatively consistent with the results of the discrete element method (DEM), and the influences of the microscopic parameters and tilting angle on the macroscopic strength parameters are investigated in detail according to the proposed theoretical results. The applicability of the theoretical results to randomly distributed particles is explored by DEM simulation of irregularly arranged particles, and the deviation are also systematically discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni-based catalysts supported on ordered mesoporous Al 2 O 3 with 2-D hexagonal and 3-D cubic pore structures are synthesized via evaporation-induced self-assembly for catalyzing dry CH 4 reforming to produce syngas. The Ni–Al 2 O 3 catalysts with 3-D pore structure exhibit higher activity in terms of CH 4 and CO 2 conversions than those with 2-D pore symmetry, due to the better mass transfer of the 3-D interconnected pore structure for the accessibility of Ni0 active sites. And a higher Ni content slightly promotes catalytic activity, owing to more exposed active sites. However, a higher Ni content causes more severe carbon deposition during long-term reaction. During the long-term stability tests, the catalysts with 2.5 wt% Ni maintain the highest stability regardless of the pore structure, and the catalyst with 3-D pore structure is more advantageous to both activity and stability. Meanwhile, the catalyst with 2.5 wt% Ni and 3-D pore structure shows the lowest carbon deposition. • Mesoporous Ni–Al 2 O 3 catalysts with different pore structure are synthesized for DMR. • Effect of pore structure on catalyst performance is investigated for the first time. • Ni–Al 2 O 3 catalyst with 3-D cubic mesopores shows higher activity and stability. • Ni–Al 2 O 3 catalyst with lower Ni content has stronger carbon deposition resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SAM and SH3 domain-containing 1 (SASH1), a member of the SLy protein family, is a tumor suppressor gene that has been studied for its association with various cancers. SASH1 is highly expressed in the mammalian central nervous system, particularly in glial cells, and is expressed in the central nervous system during zebrafish embryo development. However, SASH1's role in brain development has rarely been investigated. In this study, Morpholino oligonucleotides (MO) were used to down-regulate sash1a expression in zebrafish to observe morphological changes in the brain. Three transgenic zebrafish lines, Tg(gfap:eGFP), Tg(hb9:eGFP), and Tg(coro1a:eGFP) were selected to observe changes in glial cells, neurons, and immune cells after sash1a knockdown. Our results showed that the number of microglia residing in the developmental brain was reduced, whereas the axonal growth of caudal primary motor neurons was unaffected by sash1a downregulation. And more significantly, the gfap + glia presented abnormal arrangements and disordered orientations in sash1a morphants. The similar phenotype was verified in the mutation induced by the injection of cas9 mRNA and sash1a sgRNA. We further performed behavioral experiments in zebrafish larvae that had been injected with s ash1a MO at one-cell stage, and found them exhibiting abnormal behavior trajectories. Moreover, injecting the human SASH1 mRNA rescued these phenomena in sash1a MO zebrafish. In summary, our study revealed that the downregulation of SASH1 leads to malformations in the embryonic brain and disorganization of glial cell marshalling, suggesting that SASH1 plays an important role in the migration of glial cells during embryonic brain development. [Display omitted] • Deletion of sash1 influenced glial migration and orientation during zebrafish brain development. • Deletion of sash1 impaired swimming behavior of zebrafish. • Human SASH1 mRNA rescued the disorder arrangement of glial cells in sash1a depleted zebrafish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate four-hour-ahead PV power prediction is crucial to the utilization of PV power. Conventional methods focus on using historical data directly. This paper addresses this issue from a new perspective of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) optimization. This paper refers to the predicted PV power given by NWP minus the actual PV power as PV NWP error, analyzes the temporal statistical characteristics of PV NWP error time series through the Ljung-Box test and autocorrelation function, reveals the significant temporal autocorrelation in PV NWP error and verifies the statistical predictability of PV NWP error for the first time. Meanwhile, this paper introduces transfer entropy to verify that introducing multiple meteorological variables including temperature, solar irradiation, clear-sky solar irradiation, cloud thickness, etc. can help predict future PV NWP error better for the first time. Based on the fusion of multiple meteorological variables and artificial neural networks, this paper proposes multiple meteorological variables-aided PV NWP error correction to realize more accurate four-hour-ahead PV power prediction for the first time. Kernel density estimation is used to obtain the probabilistic forecast results. Through experiments in three-year actual data of Brussels, the superiorities of the proposed method and the significant improvement over conventional methods are verified. In comparison to the original NWP method, the proposed approach demonstrates significant improvements in accuracy. Specifically, it achieves a reduction in mean absolute error ranging from 25.04% to 48.12% for 1–4 step predictions, 14.80% to 21.27% for 5–8 step predictions, 6.40% to 11.10% for 9–12 step predictions, and 2.18% to 4.45% for 13–16 step predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has been recognized as an effective therapeutic option for locally advanced gastric cancer as it is expected to reduce tumor size, increase the resection rate, and improve overall survival. However, for patients who are not responsive to NAC, the best operation timing may be missed together with suffering from side effects. Therefore, it is paramount to differentiate potential respondents from non-respondents. Histopathological images contain rich and complex data that can be exploited to study cancers. We assessed the ability of a novel deep learning (DL)-based biomarker to predict pathological responses from images of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained tissue. Methods: In this multicentre observational study, H&E-stained biopsy sections of patients with gastric cancer were collected from four hospitals. All patients underwent NAC followed by gastrectomy. The Becker tumor regression grading (TRG) system was used to evaluate the pathologic chemotherapy response. Based on H&E-stained slides of biopsies, DL methods (Inception-V3, Xception, EfficientNet-B5, and ensemble CRSNet models) were employed to predict the pathological response by scoring the tumor tissue to obtain a histopathological biomarker, the chemotherapy response score (CRS). The predictive performance of the CRSNet was evaluated. Results: 69,564 patches from 230 whole-slide images of 213 patients with gastric cancer were obtained in this study. Based on the F1 score and area under the curve (AUC), an optimal model was finally chosen, named the CRSNet model. Using the ensemble CRSNet model, the response score derived from H&E staining images reached an AUC of 0.936 in the internal test cohort and 0.923 in the external validation cohort for predicting pathological response. The CRS of major responders was significantly higher than that of minor responders in both internal and external test cohorts (both p < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study, the proposed DL-based biomarker (CRSNet model) derived from histopathological images of the biopsy showed potential as a clinical aid for predicting the response to NAC in patients with locally advanced GC. Therefore, the CRSNet model provides a novel tool for the individualized management of locally advanced gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-cost and high-performance electrocatalysts are crucial for water-splitting reactions. Some non-precious metal electrocatalysts are proved to be good replacements for noble metal due to the unique electronic structure features and excellent performance. In this work, binary Ni-Co-based layered double hydroxide nanoneedle arrays electrocatalysts are synthesized on Ni foam (NF) via a hydrothermal process. The microstructure and the catalytic performance of the catalyst changes significantly by regulating the molar ratio of Ni/Co. The theoretical analysis confirmed that the as-prepared NiCo-LDH nanoneedle arrays reveal a potential behavior in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at a lower overpotential of 305 mV at 10.0 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 110.38 mV dec−1. The double-layer capacitance (Cdl) is 776 mF cm−2, which indicates that there are many active sites that are exposed on the surface for the electrocatalytic reaction. The results provide an obvious reference value to other types of LDH catalysts for the development of water electrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copepoda is a large and diverse group of crustaceans, which is widely distributed worldwide. It encompasses roughly 9 orders, whose phylogeny remains unresolved. We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Sinergasilus major (Markevich, 1940) and used it to explore the phylogeny and mitogenomic evolution of Copepoda. The mitogenome of S. major (14,588 bp) encodes the standard 37 genes as well as a putative control region, and molecular features are highly conserved compared to other Copepoda mitogenomes. Comparative analyses indicated that the nad2 gene has relatively high nucleotide diversity and evolutionary rate, as well as the largest amount of phylogenetic information. These results indicate that nad2 may be a better marker to investigate phylogenetic relationships among closely related species in Copepoda than the commonly used cox1 gene. The sister-group relationship of Siphonostomatoida and Cyclopoida was recovered with strong support in our study. The only topological ambiguity was found within Cyclopoida, which might be caused by the rapid evolution and sparse taxon sampling of this lineage. More taxa and genes should be used to reconstruct the Copepoda phylogeny in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As optoelectronic products continue to advance rapidly, the need for effective heat dissipation has become increasingly crucial due to the emphasis on miniaturization and high integration. The vapor chamber is widely used for cooling electronic systems as a passive liquid–gas two-phase high-efficiency heat exchange device. In this paper, we designed and manufactured a new kind of vapor chamber using cotton yarn as the wick material, combined with a fractal pattern layout of leaf veins. A comprehensive investigation was conducted to analyze the performance of the vapor chamber under natural convection circumstances. SEM showed that many tiny pores and capillaries were formed between the cotton yarn fibers, which are very suitable as the wick material of the vapor chamber. Additionally, experimental findings demonstrated the favorable flow and heat transfer characteristics of the cotton yarn wick within the vapor chamber, which makes the vapor chamber have significant heat dissipation capability, compared to the other two vapor chambers; this vapor chamber has a thermal resistance of only 0.43 °C/W at a thermal load of 8.7 W. In addition, the vapor chamber showed good antigravity capability, and its performance did not show significant changes between horizontal and vertical positions; the maximum difference in thermal resistance at four tilt angles is only 0.06 °C/W. This paper also studied the influence of vacuum degree and filling amount on the performance of the vapor chamber. These findings indicate that the proposed vapor chamber provides a promising thermal management solution for some mobile electronic devices and provides a new idea for selecting wick materials for vapor chambers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A capacitive voltage transformer (CVT) is one of the electrical quantities measurement devices, and the state of its internal insulation is the key factor for ensuring the accuracy of its measurement of electrical energy. In view of the fact that the traditional real-time evaluation method of a CVT internal insulation anomaly mainly relies on empirical rules and prior knowledge and lacks the ability to independently mine effective features, an online evaluation method of a CVT internal insulation anomaly based on self-supervised learning is proposed. Firstly, an autoencoder is constructed to extract the residual sequence of the CVT secondary voltage and eliminate the influence of primary voltage fluctuation and power system voltage regulation. Without any prior knowledge, the complex dependence of the residual sequences in time and feature dimensions is learned by using a parallel graph attention layer (GATv2). Finally, a joint optimization based on the prediction and reconstruction model is introduced to obtain the abnormal inference score at each timestamp and realize the evaluation of the CVT internal insulation status. Experimental analysis shows that this method can effectively eliminate the influence of primary voltage fluctuation and power system voltage regulation on the online evaluation of the CVT internal insulation status and independently excavate the abnormal characteristics of the CVT secondary voltage to realize real-time monitoring and early warning of the CVT internal insulation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of miniaturized, highly integrated, and multifunctional electronic devices, the heat flow per unit area has increased dramatically, making heat dissipation a bottleneck in the development of the electronics industry. The purpose of this study is to develop a new inorganic thermal conductive adhesive to overcome the contradiction between the thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of organic thermal conductive adhesives. In this study, an inorganic matrix material, sodium silicate, was used, and diamond powder was modified to become a thermal conductive filler. The influence of the content of diamond powder on the thermal conductive adhesive properties was studied through systematic characterization and testing. In the experiment, diamond powder modified by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane coupling agent was selected as the thermal conductive filler and filled into a sodium silicate matrix with a mass fraction of 34% to prepare a series of inorganic thermal conductive adhesives. The thermal conductivity of the diamond powder and its content on the thermal conductivity of the adhesive were studied by testing the thermal conductivity and taking SEM photos. In addition, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and EDS testing were used to analyze the composition of the modified diamond powder surface. Through the study of diamond content, it was found that as the diamond content gradually increases, the adhesive performance of the thermal conductive adhesive first increases and then decreases. The best adhesive performance was achieved when the diamond mass fraction was 60%, with a tensile shear strength of 1.83 MPa. As the diamond content increased, the thermal conductivity of the thermal conductive adhesive first increased and then decreased. The best thermal conductivity was achieved when the diamond mass fraction was 50%, with a thermal conductivity coefficient of 10.32 W/(m·K). The best adhesive performance and thermal conductivity were achieved when the diamond mass fraction was between 50% and 60%. The inorganic thermal conductive adhesive system based on sodium silicate and diamond proposed in this study has outstanding comprehensive performance and is a promising new thermal conductive material that can replace organic thermal conductive adhesives. The results of this study provide new ideas and methods for the development of inorganic thermal conductive adhesives and are expected to promote the application and development of inorganic thermal conductive materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadband near‐infrared (NIR) phosphors have recently received considerable attention in spectroscopy technology fields, but designing inexpensive, emission peaks centered above 800 nm, and multimodal broadband NIR luminescence material still remains a great challenge. Here, by selecting stannate compound Mg2SnO4 (MSO) as the host, a kind of broadband NIR phosphor MSO:Cr3+ with multimode luminescence properties is reported. The designed material exhibits an emission peaking at 800 nm and a full‐width at half maximum of 180 nm (≈2730 cm−1). The site occupation of Cr3+ in MSO is unraveled by density functional theory calculation. The constructed NIR light‐emitting device based on MSO:Cr3+ displays a high NIR output power of 187.19 mW@100 mA and remarkable photoelectric efficiency of 13.67%, and its multifunctional applications in information encryption, non‐destructive detection, and so on are also demonstrated. Additionally, through defect site reconstruction, MSO:Cr3+ presents superior broadband NIR persistent luminescence (PersL) properties with PersL duration time longer than 50 h. This work provides a feasible strategy to develop intelligent optical material integrated with multimodal luminescence through low‐cost stannate compounds as the host toward versatile applications such as non‐destructive detection and bioimaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) was a unique molecular subtype of gastric cancer (GC). However, the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic role of EBV infection remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features of EBVaGC and its role on prognosis. Methods: EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) in situ hybridization method was used to evaluate the EBV status in GC. The serum tumor markers AFP, CEA, CA19-9 and CA125 of patients were detected before treatment. HER2 expression and microsatellite instability (MSI) status was evaluated according to established criteria. The relationship between EBV infection and clinicopathological factors as well as its role on prognosis were investigated. Results: 420 patients were enrolled in the study and of 53 patients (12.62%) were identified as EBVaGC. EBVaGC was more common in males (p = 0.001) and related to early T stage (p = 0.045), early TNM stage (p = 0.001) and lower level of serum CEA (p = 0.039). No association could be found between EBV infection and HER2 expression, MSI status and other factors (p all > 0.05). Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that both the overall survival and disease-free survival of EBVaGC patients were similar to that of EBV-negative GC (EBVnGC) patients (p = 0.309 and p = 0.264, respectively). Conclusion: EBVaGC was more common in males and in patients with the early T stage and TNM stage as well as patients with lower serum CEA level. Difference in overall survival and disease-free survival between EBVaGC and EBVnGC patients cannot be detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a microstructural mechanics approach, the close-packed elliptical particle assembly is first represented by a lattice model that is described by a beam system, and the Mohr–Coulomb (MC) shear failure criterion is used to describe the contact (beam) breakage. Through structural mechanics analysis of the unit cell, macroscopic strength criteria and associated parameters at two anisotropic principal directions are expressed in closed form with respect to the particle shape and microscopic strength parameters while considering the successive breakage of contacts. The macroscopic failure characteristics of elliptical particle assemblies are described by the MC failure criterion, and the macro–micro relations of strength parameters can be directly determined by the proposed expressions. The proposed analytical expressions are confirmed to be accurate due to the good consistency between theoretical and discrete element method (DEM) results based on the regular arrangement. The introduction of the fabric anisotropy parameter extends the applicability of the theoretical results to irregular arrangement cases, and the deviation with more realistic particle assemblies is investigated. The proposed expressions of the macroscopic strength parameters can help us better understand the influence of inherent anisotropy and microscopic properties and provide an alternative approach to determine the microscopic parameters in DEM simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen evolution reaction is a key process in hydrogen production from water splitting. The development of non-noble metal electrode materials with high efficiency and low cost has become the key factor for large-scale hydrogen production. Binary NiCo-layered double hydroxide (LDH) has been used as a non-noble metal electrocatalyst for OER, but its overpotential is still large. The microstructure of the catalyst is tuned by doping Mo ions into the NiCo-LDH/NF nanowires to form ternary NiCoMo-LDH/NF nanosheet catalysts for the purpose of enhancing the active sites and reducing the initial overpotential. Only 1.5 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), ≈270 mV overpotential) is required to achieve a catalytic current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 81.46 mV dec−1 in 1 M KOH solution, which manifests the best performance of NiCo-based catalysts reported up to now. Electrochemical analysis and micro-morphology show that the high catalytic activity of NiCoMo-LDH/NF is attributable to the change of the microstructure. The interconnected nanosheet arrays have the obvious advantages of electrolyte diffusion and ion migration. Thus, the active sites of catalysts are significantly increased, which facilitates the adsorption and desorption of intermediates. We conclude that NiCoMo-LDH/NF is a promising electrode material for its low cost and excellent electrocatalytic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Because of special technical challenges, laparoendoscopic single‐site surgery (LESS) has been introduced into surgical practice, with surgeons required to have adequate training. The COVID‐19 pandemic has significantly affected every aspect of healthcare systems, including LESS training, which must be modified to minimize the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods: A 3‐session training programme was designed in 2020 during the epidemic, which was modified in 2019 before the pandemic. Session 1 was an online study on LESS knowledge. Session 2 involved the trainees' self‐directed simulator‐training. Task performance was evaluated using the fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) scoring. Session 3 was practical training, including trainers' live surgical video demonstrations and trainees' surgical video feedback after training. Video feedback performance was evaluated using the modified global rating scale (GRS). Furthermore, trainees completed a general self‐efficacy (GSE) instrument. Forty‐two gynaecology trainees were allocated into two groups: novices (n = 32) and experts (n = 10). Results: Compared with pre‐training, FLS scores improved in peg transfer (P < 0.001 and P = 0.01) and pattern cutting (P = 0.02 and P < 0.001) for novices and experts, respectively. Participants (81% versus 67%) provided first and second video feedback, respectively. Compared to the first feedback, the GRS scores of both groups improved significantly in the second feedback. All trainees showed an increase in GSE after training (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The modified LESS training programme is a practical and effective option that allows trainees to continue training during the epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Factor analysis is used for health index computation. • A loss function based on multiple penalization mechanism is proposed. • An adjustable range asymmetric loss function is proposed. • Dynamic adjustment of loss function weights is used in the training process. • The proposed method demonstrates the best performance in comparative experiments. Gas turbines play a crucial role in absorbing the volatility of new energy sources such as wind and photovoltaic. Continuous degradation trend prediction for gas turbines is vital for rationalizing maintenance schedules and improving power system stability. Current prediction techniques do not consider the practicality of the prediction results. To address this issue, a prediction framework based on factor analysis and Multiple Penalty Mechanisms (MPM) loss function is proposed. Firstly, factor analysis is used to assess the health index of gas turbines. Secondly, an innovative loss function that incorporates penalties for prediction errors, lag prediction, and fluctuation prediction is proposed to improve forecast usability. A range-adjustable and asymmetric Hyperbolic Cosine with Exponential (CoshE) function is first proposed to address the prediction lag problem. Finally, Long Short Term Memory network is chosen as the predictive model, and dynamic weights are used to optimize the loss function. Experiments on the combustion chamber degradation dataset and C-MAPSS dataset show that the framework proposed performs optimally than the conventional loss functions and the CoshE function is more efficient in the MPM framework. Meanwhile, MPM significantly improves gate recurrent unit and convolutional neural network performance. The method proposed is noteworthy for its superiority and applicability. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a cryogenic liquid medium, shock waves will be formed by the expansion of compressed gas that has been vaporized due to the injection of a large amount of energy. This may severely threaten the reliability of high- T c superconducting (HTS) apparatus. Several studies have documented the destructive forces of evaporating nitrogen produced by arc energy. However, the properties of and propagation mechanisms relating to pressure waves in liquid nitrogen have yet to be understood. The aim of this study was to clarify the evolution of pressure waves within an enclosed pipeline and reveal the effects of several factors such as the pipe size and the injected energy on the shock-wave impact using explosion dynamics simulations. The results provide evidence for the strengthening of shock waves due to multiple reflection and superposition. In addition, analysis of the pressure impulse and effective strain reveals that, in the case of moderate injected energy, the overall shape of the inside wall of the pipe will remain unchanged except at the points closest to the explosion center; in contrast, the ends of the pipeline may suffer from more severe deformation. Finally, the calculations suggest that the shock-wave impact increases almost linearly with the injected energy, and in logarithmic coordinates, the pressure is inversely proportional to the explosion distance. These findings provide a better understanding of the characteristics and propagation patterns of shock waves in liquid nitrogen, and they lay a foundation for evaluating the safety of HTS cables and energy pipelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous SiO 2 mesoscale tubes (SiO 2 -pMT) impregnated with carbon in the pores within their tube walls were successfully prepared for the first time by making use of the Fe3+ assisted anchoring of dopamine (DA) on the surface of SiO 2 as carbon source, and thereby endowed with highly enhanced anode performances for Li-ion batteries. Typically, a reversible specific capacity of 512.8 mAh g−1 was achieved after 500 cycles at 1 A g−1 when the SiO 2 -pMT impregnated with carbon by Fe3+ assistance was used as anode material, which is about 10 times that of SiO 2 -pMT with no carbon impregnation and 25% higher than that of the SiO 2 -pMT with carbon impregnated at double the concentration of dopamine but in the absence of Fe3+ cations. It has been found that the carbon impregnation of the SiO 2 -pMT may be achieved more easily and homogeneously with the assistance of Fe3+ cations and, as a result, 3-dimensional porous carbon-networks with higher connectivity can be built up, which greatly facilitate the transport of electrons to more potential reaction sites where Li-ions are available and provide fast channel for Li-ions diffusion, leading to enhanced electrochemical kinetics, as unveiled by the differential capacity curves and electrochemical impedance spectra acquired at different intervals during the initial cycle. Furthermore, as shown by XPS data, such benefitial assistance of Fe3+ cations is believed to arise from their coupling effects between the phenolic hydroxyl groups of dopamine molecules and the surface of SiO 2 through the chemical bondings of C-O-Fe and Fe-O-Si. Fe3+-assisted carbon impregnation of porous SiO 2 mesoscale tubes (SiO 2 -pMT) with dopamine as carbon source (via path 1) leading to remarkable enhancement in carbon content, structural homogeneity, and anode performance in Li-ion battery in contrast to that achieved with no Fe3+-assistance (via path 2). [Display omitted] • Fe3+ was firstly introduced into dopamine for the fabrication of SiO 2 -pMT@iC. • The carbon impregnation was achieved more homogeneously with the assistance of Fe3+. • The coupling effect of Fe3+ exists through the chemical bonds of C-O-Fe and Fe-O-Si. • High connected porous carbon network enable SiO 2 -pMT@iC with enhanced performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate photovoltaic (PV) power forecast is crucial for carbon neutrality. Current researches on PV power forecast mainly focus on using temporal information from single PV station, and the spatial information in multiple PV power stations are often neglected. To address this problem, this paper introduces Moran index to verify the spatial autocorrelation of PV power for the first time, uses Granger causality test and transfer entropy to reveal the spatial information gain in PV power forecast for the first time, and proposes a novel spatial–temporal probabilistic PV forecast method using deep Graph Gated Recurrent Unit (GraphGRU) network-based spatial–temporal multi-task learning and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE). Deep GraphGRU combines the advantages of Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) in spatial feature extraction and the advantages of Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) network in temporal feature extraction, and thus has strong ability to extract spatial–temporal information in historical data of multiple different PV power stations. Through GraphGRU, temporal dependency information extracted from historical data of multiple PV stations can promote each other to improve the forecast accuracy of each PV stations. KDE is used for estimating the joint probabilistic density function and giving the spatial–temporal probabilistic confidence interval of PV power. Experiments were performed in the five-year actual PV power data from 11 provinces of Belgium and the three-year solar irradiation data from 12 places in China to verify the superiorities of the proposed method. Comparison with conventional spatial–temporal and temporal forecast methods show that the proposed GraphGRU-based spatial–temporal forecast method can extract the spatial–temporal information from multiple PV power stations well and significantly outperform conventional temporal forecast methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developed a universal gas turbine circumferential temperature distribution model for combustion system fault detection. • Revealed the influence modes of interference factors and faults on EGT distribution. • Proposed a combustion system fault detection method based on EGT dispersion. • Validated the effectiveness of the revealed rules and proposed method with actual operational data. The gas turbine combustion system operates under harsh conditions, and any faults such as nozzle clogging, cracks, etc. can endanger the downstream components and cause catastrophic accidents. Thus, monitoring the combustion system status and detecting its performance degradation timely are crucial for gas turbine safety. The current predominant method for monitoring involves analyzing exhaust gas temperature (EGT) dispersion, utilizing thermocouples placed at the turbine outlet to indirectly assess combustion system performance. However, the EGT is affected not only by faults but also by various non-fault disturbances, such as operational conditions, atmospheric variations, compressor performance degradation, and uneven hot gas mixing and rotating. To improve the sensitivity of fault detection, it is necessary to investigate how various factors affect the EGT dispersion and differentiate between EGT changes due to interference and those due to combustion system faults. However, using actual operational data from gas turbines to analyze and reveal these impact mechanisms is challenging. Therefore, this paper develops a gas turbine model for combustion system fault detection that accurately reflects the uneven circumferential distribution of EGT. The model incorporates a multi-combustor burner, a multi-channel turbine, and a module for simulating the mixing and rotating of the hot gas. Using this model, simulations are conducted to study the effects of non-fault interference factors, such as variations in ambient temperature, fuel flow changes, and compressor performance degradation, on EGT distribution. Additionally, simulations are conducted to analyze the effects of faults, including combustor cracks, uneven fuel distribution, and the coupling of interferences with faults, on EGT distribution. By comparing the normal and abnormal modes, the study reveals the different EGT responses due to non-fault interferences and combustion system faults. Based on these findings, a fault detection method for coupled conditions is proposed. The research results provide a basis for the fault detection of combustion system, enabling practitioners to reduce interference in fault detection and to increase the detection sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commonly used trial-and-error approach on selecting appropriate inter-particle parameters in DEM simulations incurs criticism such as user dependence and high computational cost. This study proposes a new framework based on a multi-fidelity residual neural network (MR-NN) as an alternative for calibrating inter-particle parameters in rock-like bonded granular materials. The model is first trained using low-fidelity data (LF) to focus on capturing the main underpinning correlations between macroscopic elastic and strength parameters with inter-particle parameters of contact models, where the LF data is generated from micro-macro quantitative relations. Subsequent training on sparser high-fidelity (HF) data is then used to calibrate and refine the model, in which the HF data is generated from DEM simulations for rock. Feedforward neural network (FNN) is considered as the baseline algorithm for training models. The trained MR-NN with the same LF data is finally used to predict the inter-particle parameters of calcarenite and granite in DEM simulations to examine its feasibility and generalization ability. Furthermore, the robustness of the framework is verified by discussing the effect of LF data on the performance of MR-NN. All results demonstrate that the proposed method can provide a fast and accurate determination of inter-particle parameters for DEM simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high contents of Ni, Co, and Mn in the retired cathode of ternary lithium-ion battery (rCTLIB) make it a promising raw precursor for preparing value-added reactive materials. However, most strategies for valorizing the rCTLIB highly depend on chemical leaching of Ni, Co, and Mn through complex procedures that involve the use of harsh liquids. Valorizing the rCTLIB through simple physical pathways is highly promising. Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is an innovative technology for producing energy from fossil fuels while inherently separating the resulting CO 2 into a nearly pure stream for subsequent permanent storage or utilization. In this study, high-performance oxygen carrier (OC) materials for the CLC of syngas have been successfully synthesized using a facile and scalable method that physically pelletizes the rCTLIB with Al 2 O 3 binder. Performance tests show that the H 2 and CO conversions in CLC of syngas exceed 90% for all prepared OCs. This performance is comparable to that of popularly employed OCs based on supported oxides. Moreover, the obtained OCs physically prepared from the rCTLIB demonstrate high stability with respect to reactivity and oxygen transport capacity, indicating a high potential for valorizing the rCTLIB into high-performance materials for applications involving CO 2 capture. [Display omitted] • A new strategy towards the valorization of retired cathode has been established. • High-performance oxygen carrier is synthesized non-chemically from retired cathode. • The oxygen carrier has been used for the chemical looping combustion of syngas. • Introducing Al 2 O 3 binder and pre-cycling Li improves the cyclic stability. • The optimized oxygen carrier exhibits syngas conversion over 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CAE is used for HI computation and degradation pattern recognition. • A multi-angle similarity calculation method based on mechanism and data is proposed. • DTW with sequence length correction is used for engine similarity measurement. • Akaike Information Criterion is used for adaptive of the GPR training process. • The proposed method demonstrates the best performance in comparative experiments. Similarity-based aeroengine Remaining Useful Life (RUL) prediction methods have long been limited by similarity evaluation rules. Therefore, this article proposes an advanced multi-angle engine similarity evaluation criterion based on the similarity of degradation mechanisms and process data. Firstly, a convolutional autoencoder is used to calculate the Health Index (HI) of the engines. Then, the encoder part is used to ensure that the similarity calculation is performed under the same fault pattern. Dynamic time warping based on sequence length correction is used to compute the global similarity between different HIs, which overcomes the limitations of different length. Finally, Gaussian process regression is used to predict the remaining useful life, and the Akaike information criterion is used to select the similarity threshold of the training data adaptively. This method ensures that the prediction model fully learns the fault evolution mechanism and degradation data characteristics, greatly improving the RUL prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is typically asymptomatic but a devastating cardiovascular disorder, with overall mortality exceeding 80 % once it ruptures. Some patients with AAA may also have comorbid metabolic syndrome (MS), suggesting a potential common underlying pathogenesis. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been reported as a key factor contributing to the deterioration of both AAA and MS. However, the intricate interplay between metabolism and mitochondrial function, both contributing to the development of AAA, has not been thoroughly explored. In this study, we identified candidate genes related to mitochondrial function in AAA and MS. Subsequently, we developed a nomoscore model comprising hub genes (PINK1 , ACSL1 , CYP27A1 , and SLC25A11), identified through the application of two machine learning algorithms, to predict AAA. We observed a marked disparity in immune infiltration profiles between high- and low-nomoscore groups. Furthermore, we confirmed a significant upregulation of the expression of the four hub genes in AAA tissues. Among these, ACSL1 showed relatively higher expression in LPS-treated RAW264.7 cell lines, while CYP27A1 exhibited a notable decrease. Moreover, SLC25A11 displayed a significant upregulation in AngII-treated VSMCs. Conversely, the expression level of PINK1 declined in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cell lines but significantly increased in AngII-treated VSMCs. In vivo experiments revealed that the activation of PINK1 -mediated mitophagy inhibited the development of AAA in mice. In this current study, we have innovatively identified four mitochondrial function-related genes through integrated bioinformatic analysis. This discovery sheds light on the regulatory mechanisms and unveils promising therapeutic targets for the comorbidity of AAA and MS. [Display omitted] • Approximately 45–47 % of AAA patients also have MS, suggesting a common pathogenesis • Activation of PINK1-mediated mitophagy attenuates the formation of AAA • Nomoscore derived from mito-FRGs can predict AAA with concomitant MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinel configuration is a kind of broadly considered host candidate when designing persistent luminescence (PersL) materials due to the easy generation of vacancies and anti‐site defects. Here, a new strategy of defect enrichment for the activation of PersL is proposed, and in contrast to the spinel configuration, it is demonstrated that the crystal structure of near inverse spinel ensures more numerous defects to activate the near‐infrared (NIR) PersL of Fe3+. Fe3+‐doped MgGa2O4 displays the PersL band in the range of 600 to 900 nm and possesses a super‐long PersL duration time >15 h. The optical analysis and the calculation of density functional theory unravel that the near inverse spinel structure can lower the carrier transfer barriers to accelerate the formation of carrier trap states within the bandgap. Therefore, more numerous defects in this structure may participate in the trapping and de‐trapping process by comparison with the normal spinel configuration. These findings are expected to accelerate the development of new PersL materials through Fe3+ doping toward versatile biological applications in NIR window. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 90% of sulfur in syngas was removed by alkali during the SCWG of sewage sludge. • Alkali decreased the concentration of gaseous sulfur in syngas to around 330 ppm. • Alkali additives promoted the cyclization and oxidation reaction of sulfur. • The effect of alkali additives on sulfur compounds in liquid was relatively weak. Amount of H 2 S and SO 2 were generated during the SCWG of sewage sludge. It is essential to reduce the sulfur concentration in syngas for depth utilization of syngas from SCWG of sewage sludge. The syngas desulfurization ability of five additives (KOH, K 2 CO 3 , NaOH, Na 2 CO 3 , AC) were tested and the result indicated that K 2 CO 3 had the best syngas desulfurization effect while KOH could significantly promote the yield of syngas at 450 °C and 4% loading. Increasing KOH and K 2 CO 3 loading to 12% could reduce around 90% of sulfur in syngas comparing to no additives. The XPS analysis results indicated that alkali additives promoted the cyclization and oxidation of unstable sulfur compounds in raw sludge, which can convert it into stable sulfur compounds such as thiophene, sulfone and sulfate. The sulfur in liquid was mainly in the forms of sulfate, and the effect of alkali and AC additive on sulfur in liquid was relatively weak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurons are post‐mitotic cells, with microtubules playing crucial roles in axonal transport and growth. Kinesin family member 2c (KIF2C), a member of the Kinesin‐13 family, possesses the ability to depolymerize microtubules and is involved in remodelling the microtubule lattice. Myocyte enhancer factor 2c (MEF2C) was initially identified as a regulator of muscle differentiation but has recently been associated with neurological abnormalities such as severe cognitive impairment, stereotyping, epilepsy and brain malformations when mutated or deleted. However, further investigation is required to determine which target genes MEF2C acts upon to influence neuronal function as a transcription regulator. Our data demonstrate that knockdown of both Mef2c and Kif2c significantly impacts spinal motor neuron development and behaviour in zebrafish. Luciferase reporter assays and chromosome immunoprecipitation assays, along with down/upregulated expression analysis, revealed that MFE2C functions as a novel transcription regulator for the Kif2c gene. Additionally, the knockdown of either Mef2c or Kif2c expression in E18 cortical neurons substantially reduces the number of primary neurites and axonal branches during neuronal development in vitro without affecting neurite length. Finally, depletion of Kif2c eliminated the effects of overexpression of Mef2c on the neurite branching. Based on these findings, we provided novel evidence demonstrating that MEF2C regulates the transcription of the Kif2c gene thereby influencing the axonal branching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Oxygen carrier (OC) promotes the contact between fuel and oxygen in rotary kiln. • OC has capacity for K adsorption during solid waste incineration. • OC enhances hazardous heavy metals retention in the fuel bottom ash. • The leaching toxicity of heavy metals from OCs fully respects Chinese standard limits. Rotary kiln (RK) incineration technology gains prominence in waste management, aiming to reduce pollution, recover energy, and minimize waste. Oxygen-carrier (OC)-aided incineration of waste in the RK demonstrates notable benefits by enhancing oxygen distribution uniformity and facilitating fuel conversion. However, the effects of OC on ash-related alkali and heavy metals during waste incineration in the RK remain unknown. In this study, manganese ore and ilmenite as OCs are introduced into RK during waste combustion, focusing on their effects on the bottom ashes and the behavior of alkali and heavy metals. Results show that manganese ore exhibits a decreasing reactivity due to oxygen depletion during the conversion from Mn 2 O 3 to Mn 3 O 4 , while ilmenite maintains good reactivity due to sustained enrichment of Fe 2 O 3 on the particles even after multiple cycles in RK. The porous structure on the surface of OCs particles verifies the cyclic reaction involving oxidation by air and reduction by fuel as OCs move between the active and passive layers of the bed. The porous OCs particles offer abundant adsorption sites for K from the gaseous phase, with surface-deposited K migrating into the particles and enhancing the OCs' capacity for K adsorption. Adding OCs promotes the formation of stable, less volatile compounds of heavy metals (As, Cr, Pb, and Zn) and enhances their retention in bottom ash while ensuring the leaching toxicity remains below Chinese national standard limits. This study enhances the understanding of OCs in incineration, guiding vital references for waste management practices and environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals' attention and sentiment are the keys to adopting electric vehicles (EVs). Traditional questionnaires and interviews cannot fully and accurately reflect the attention and sentiments. Social media interactions can provide a new data-driven perspective to explore the sentiment toward EVs. This study uses data from public posts on Weibo to investigate intersectionality in EV - sentiment and attention as per user, gender and region. On a 1,149,243-text corpus extracted from the Weibo posts, a computational social science methodology was employed with a mixed-method of deep learning and topic modeling through Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithm. Results showed that attention toward EVs mainly comes from official users rather than individual users (IUs), and IUs' attention is closely linked with EV policy change. Additionally, the attention level and growth rate toward EVs vary across regions and men pay more attention to EVs. There exist significant differences in both positive and negative sentiment driving factors across genders. This study facilitates to EVs' policy-making and strategy in China and other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen/tetrafluoromethane (N 2 /CF 4) has emerged as an effective refrigerant mixture, which plays a significant role in various high- T c superconducting (HTS) power devices and energy systems. Several studies have documented the superior performance of such zeotropic binary mixtures in heat transfer and energy conservation compared to pure liquids. However, boiling heat transfer characteristics of liquid mixtures on the molecular scale are not fully understood, especially the mechanisms associated with the role of the additive in regulating thermal properties. Here, we performed the molecular dynamics simulations for the pure N 2 and the mixtures containing 20 and 40 mol% of CF 4 to probe into the boiling heat transfer process on an ideal copper substrate. Analyses suggest that the boiling process of the N 2 /CF 4 mixture shares similar features with the pure N 2 , but the binary refrigerant manifests advantages at higher substrate temperatures. Specifically, the additive CF 4 delays the onset of film boiling, and the operational temperature range could be enlarged by almost 40% compared to pure N 2 in terms of the 40 mol% mixture. Moreover, the mixture with CF 4 additive maintains a small interfacial resistance even if the substrate temperature exceeds the critical value of film boiling for pure N 2 , highlighting the potential to use such mixtures for devices that may suffer from high heat flux levels. Finally, analyses regarding the mixture composition and the solid-liquid interactions confirm the essential role of the additive CF 4 in mitigating the mismatch of the vibrational density of states at a high substrate temperature, which may reveal the mechanisms concerning the CF 4 improving the heat transfer performance of the original N 2. These findings provide a better understanding of the advantage of N 2 /CF 4 at high substrate temperatures, and they lay a foundation for designing the cooling systems of HTS apparatuses. • The boiling heat transfer of N 2 /CF 4 liquid mixture was investigated via molecular dynamics simulations. • The CF 4 delays the onset of film boiling and enlarges the operational temperature range. • The mixtures containing CF 4 maintain efficient heat transfer at high substrate temperatures. • The additive CF 4 mitigates the VDOS mismatch, playing a vital role in promoting heat transfer performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Effect of CA on the working performance of Portland cement-sulfoaluminate cement-based grouting materials ware studied. • Mechanisms of in-situ polymerization modification of CA on the properties of grouting materials were analyzed. • The damage constitutive equation of grouting materias under the CA was established. To enchance the toughness of ordinary Portland cement-sulfoaluminate cement-based grouting material and minimize the secondary damage of road structure caused by stone body destruction under vehicle load. In this paper, the development laws of setting time, fluidity, and mechanical strength of grouting material, and the characteristics of stone damage under the action of calcium acrylate are systematically analyzed. The mechanism by which in-situ polymerization of improves the toughness improvement of ordinary Portland cement-sulfoaluminate cement-based grouting material is then revealed. In-situ polymerization of calcium acrylate delays the setting time, and an appropriate calcium acrylate content improves the flowability. The addition of calcium acrylate largely enhances the mechanical strength of the stone body, improving the 1-day compressive strength and flexural strength by 279.18% and 301.64%, respectively. Calcium acrylate also increases the flexural compression ratio of the stone body. The highest flexural compression ratio at 28d is 0.5592. The microscopic analysis reveals that calcium acrylate promotes hydration, and forms stable calcium polyacrylate in the stone body, which connects the hydration products into a more densely cement-calcium polyacrylate composite structure. Consequently, the toughness of the stone body improves. By analyzing the stress–strain curve, the stone body still exhibits a capacity to resist damage after the peak stress under the action of calcium acrylate. Finally, a damage constitutive equation of the stone body with different damage factors is established, which has excellent agreement with the test curve and can predict the mechanical properties of cement-based grouting material modified by in-situ polymerization of calcium acrylate. The findings provide a theoretical framework for designing the strength of grouting materials and evaluating road stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnesium-lithium (Mg-Li) alloy, highly valued for its low density and high strength, has been hampered by its susceptibility to corrosion caused by the presence of active Mg and Li elements. In order to enhance the corrosion inhibition performance of Mg-Li alloy, a double-layer coating is fabricated on its surface in this report. Initially, a sealing aluminum layer is deposited onto the alloy using the magnetron sputtering (MS) technique. Subsequently, an alkyl-ketone dimer (AKD) layer is coated onto aluminum by spray method, resulting in a facile formation of superhydrophobic surface (SHS) at room temperature. In-depth characterization of the microstructure, chemical composition, topology and wettability is conducted using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact angle measurement. The resulting aluminum/AKD composite coating exhibits superhydrophobic properties, displaying a static contact angle of 156.3° and a rolling angle of approximately 1°. The low frequency impedance (|Z| 0.01 Hz) of the aluminum /AKD coating is ca. 7.85 × 103 Ω cm2, which is around 100 times of magnitude larger than that of bare Mg-Li alloy. Additionally, immersion of the SHS in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution for 72 h reveals no visible corrosion pitting, confirming the enhanced corrosion resistance of this superhydrophobic coating. [Display omitted] • A sealing layer of aluminum is coated on Mg-Li alloy by magnetron sputtering. • Superhydrophobic alkyl-ketone dimer is prepared on Mg-Li by spraying method. • Superhydrophobic coating inhibits atmospheric corrosion for Mg-Li alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robotic brace based on 3-R P R parallel mechanism has been proposed to assist trunk moving and train the trunk core muscle groups in our early work. The mechanical performance of the robotic brace affects the wearer's activities and comfort in clinical application, which is determined by the structural parameters of the parallel mechanism. We tried to seek the optimal structural parameters using an improved genetic algorithm, where the workspace and singularity are regarded as optimization objectives. Two prototypes with generic and optimal structural parameters were built to analyze performance improvement. Force control experiments were conducted under three postures including left lateral bending, natural, and right lateral bending. The results show that the prototype with optimal structural parameters has lower energy consumption, closer magnitude of the driving current, and a lower driving current for each linear actuator. Furthermore, an improved robotic brace was designed based on the optimal structural parameters and the feasibility was validated through the wearing experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to compare the chemical and antioxidant differences between the extractable and non‐extractable polyphenols (EPP and NEPP) in commercial teas with different fermentation degrees. The results showed that both content and antioxidant activity of NEPP were lower than EPP regardless of fermentation degrees of teas. One white tea, Baekho Silver Needle (BSN), had the highest NEPP content (58.38 ± 0.73 mg GAE/g DW) by alkaline hydrolysis, as well as the antioxidant activities among different teas studied. Meanwhile, alkaline hydrolysis also was the most effective method in extracting the NEPP from these teas, followed by acid and enzymatic hydrolysis. Combined principle component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis demonstrated that gallic acid (GA), epigallocatechin (EGC), and gallocatechin (GC) were three major components in the NEEP studied, with the highest content 13.89 ± 0.87 mg/g DW in BSN, 16.14 ± 1.24 mg/g DW in Dianhong (DH), and 7.26 ± 0.55 mg/g DW in Biluochun (BLC), respectively. GA also was found to be the main contributor to antioxidant activity of NEPP. In addition, NEPP with different fermentation degrees showed discriminations in total polyphenols content, phytochemical profiles, and antioxidant activities but were disorder with the fermentation degrees of these teas. These results provided more information for NEPP in teas with different fermentation degrees including the phytochemical profiles and optimal extraction method. Practical applications: NEPP have long been underestimated or neglected because this part of polyphenolic fraction cannot be extracted from the residues by aqueous or organic solvents. This study systematically investigated phytochemical profiles and antioxidant activity of EPP and NEPP in commercial teas with different fermentation degrees. Comparing the release efficacy of tea NEPP by different extraction methods indicated that tea residues were still a considerable source for NEPP. Profiles of polyphenols in teas with different fermentation degrees can be better uncovered according to this study to improve the health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research work focused on the effect of the heterogeneous distribution of elements on the ash melting behavior of Zhundong coal at the sub-particle scale by using a high temperature stage microscope (HTSM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). Experimental results showed that both molten and unmolten areas existed in the residual ash sample after combustion below 1200°C. Below this temperature, the partial ash melting behavior was significantly found during the ash melting process. Comparing the element composition of local molten and unmolten areas, Na, Si and Mg played predominant roles in the partial melting behavior. The enrichment of Na and Si promoted the formation of low temperature eutectic mixture and further molten areas, while the unmolten areas were rich in Mg. Combined with the micro-Raman analysis, minerals like spinel and forsterite that containing Mg were the main refractory components in the unmolten areas. Thermodynamic calculation results from FactSage software showed that the mass fraction of the liquid phase started to form rapidly at about 1100°C in molten areas mainly with the fast melting of olivine and nepheline. However, the unmolten areas started to melt swiftly at about 1200°C mainly with the fast melting of merwinite. Spinel was the main refractory component in both molten and unmolten areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assistive torque control is important for people who cannot fully accomplish sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit (STS) transitions. In this paper, we proposed a three-level control strategy for a bionic knee exoskeleton based on real-time STS transition recognition. Motion features were obtained from one potentiometer and two inertial measurement units integrated in the exoskeleton. A multi-class support vector classifier was utilized to infer the subject's real-time motion intent. Twelve able-bodied subjects were recruited in experiments. Mean accuracy across subjects was 97.63% ± 0.01%. Once STS transition was detected, the proposed control system could add assistive torque in time to assist the subject to accomplish the transition. • We proposed a three-level control strategy for a bionic knee exoskeleton based on real-time STS transition recognition. • A multi-class support vector classifier was utilized to infer the subject's real-time motion intent. • Mean accuracy across subjects was 97.63% ± 0.01%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of a low voltage distribution network using a typical tertiary-structure solid state transformer (SST) for the integration of distributed generations (DGs) and a conventional low voltage distribution network integrated with DGs were established to study the transient voltage stability issue, using the power system simulation software PSCAD. Effects on the transient voltage stability of the load bus and DC bus in the SST system are analyzed when grid-side cable line faults (such as short circuit and line disconnection) occur or the total output of DGs drops greatly. The results show that, comparing with the conventional system, the SST has apparent advantages on enhancing the transient voltage stability of load bus while facing different disturbances, even though SST has to regulate the voltage passively. Short circuit faults at different location of the grid-side line have different effects on the transient voltage stability, while the effect of disconnection fault is not related to fault location. Moreover, the DC bus voltage is easy to keep climbing continually when short circuit fault of the line occurs that is close to the SST input stage or disconnection fault occurs at any location of the line. If a battery energy storage station is installed, the transient voltage stability of DC bus and load bus will be improved effectively because of the regulation function of battery storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The range of motion (ROM) measurement is an important issue in a robot-assisted ankle–foot rehabilitation. This study presents a therapist-joined method to improve the ROM measurement accuracy of a robotic ankle–foot rehabilitation system by combining therapist-joined zero-torque control and proxy-based sliding mode control. The zero-torque control is applied when measuring the subject’s range of motion to obtain its extreme joint angle and largest resistance torque. Moreover, a controller switch is applied to ensure that the extreme joint angle is appropriate. Comparative studies between the ROM measurement using a protractor and the proposed method are then performed, comparing the ankle resistance torque variations during stretching under different ROM-measuring results. Ten able-bodied subjects are recruited for this experiment. The results show that the proposed method is feasible in improving the measured ROM accuracy. In addition, a more accurate ROM leads to a larger improvement of the ankle stiffness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The shock compression response of N 2 /CF 4 liquid mixture was investigated via ab initio molecular dynamics. • The response pressure rises with the increase of CF 4 content. • The polymerization and fragmentation effects are the most significant features of shock compression. • The homolysis of CF 4 plays a vital role in promoting pressure-induced free-radical reactions. In a liquid medium, shock waves may cause a drastic compression response, accompanied by complex physical and chemical processes. Several studies have documented the phase transitions and the reactions occurring during the compaction. However, the response of liquid mixtures to shock compression is not fully understood, especially on the molecular scale. Here, we performed the ab initio molecular dynamics to study the compression response of the nitrogen / tetrafluoromethane (N 2 /CF 4) liquid mixture, which is considered as a promising cryogenic coolant for high- T c superconducting apparatus. If suffering from a 10-km/s shock wave, the response pressure can reach dozens of gigapascals, and the value is likely to rise with increasing the content of CF 4 (59.4, 67.7 and 75.4 GPa for 0, 20 and 40 mol% of CF 4 respectively). Besides the sharply increased pressure, the intense breakage or formation of chemical bonds detected during the compression is another essential response. Moreover, the analysis concerning the evolution of chemical species reveals that the polymerization and fragmentation effects are the most significant features of shock compression, where the homolysis of CF 4 plays a vital role in promoting free-radical reactions. These findings may provide detailed insights into the molecular behavior and the pressure-induced reactions during the compression in the N 2 /CF 4 liquid mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to optimize trienzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) conditions for total polyphenols (TP) from Ulmus pumila barks (UPB). Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize EAE conditions including pH, temperature, and time. The extraction efficiency of three extraction procedures on the TP yield, antioxidant activities and chemical composition of UPB extracts was also compared and characterized. Our results showed that the maximum extraction yield of TP was 16.04 ± 0.38 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight (GAE/g DW) under the optimum EAE conditions (pH = 4.63, 52.6 °C and 62 min). Meanwhile, the EAE gave a higher extraction yield of TP and then a greater in vitro antioxidant capacity compared with those obtained from both ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and conventional heat extraction (CHE). In addition, seven polyphenolic compounds were validated by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis in the extracts at the optimized conditions. The results of this study further confirmed that EAE could be explored as a state-of-the-art environmentally friendly technology for recovering optimum amounts of antioxidant polyphenols from plant sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robotic platform-based ankle–foot rehabilitation systems have been proved effective in treating joint spasticity and/or contracture of stroke survivors. However, simple force or velocity limiters are not adequate, since they cannot explicitly guarantee slow and overdamped motions without overshoot. In this paper, we propose a proxy-based sliding mode control (PSMC)-based approach, to avoid unsafe behaviors of a robotic ankle–foot rehabilitation system. The proposed method has three advantages: (1) without deteriorating tracking performance during normal operation, it guarantees overdamped, slow, and safe recoveries after abnormal events; (2) it provides a simple and accurate way to confine the output torque exerted on the subject’s ankle; (3) though effective, the control law avoids the necessity to identify the specific system model or build state observer, which is usually difficult for human–robot interaction system. A 71-year-old stroke patient and 10 able-bodied subjects were recruited for the experiments. Preliminary studies comparing PSMC and PID are performed on trajectory tracking, controlled torque output, slow and safe response under disturbance. Additionally, by fulfilling the rehabilitation method and obtaining biomechanical indicators, the proposed controller is proved to be feasible for the system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ankle joint with spasticity and/or contracture can severely disable the mobility and the independence of stroke survivors. In this paper, we developed a proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) integrated robotic ankle–foot system for post stroke rehabilitation. The system consists of a robotic platform and a control system with graphic user interface. We employ five normal subjects to test the reliability and feasibility of the proposed system. To validate the effectiveness of the PNF integrated robotic system, we recruit five stroke patients and carry out a six-week PNF treatment. Treatment outcome was evaluated quantitatively in passive and active joint properties. The passive hysteresis loop shows that the maximum dorsiflexion angle increases from 32.9 ° ± 1.5 ° to 42.0 ° ± 3.2 ° ( p = 0.014 ) while the resistance torque decreases from 45.6 Nm±5.8 N m to 29.8 N m±4.4 N m ( p = 0.019 ). The active joint properties are improved significantly with the training score increasing from 5.7 ± 0.9 to 8.1 ± 0.6 , and getting close to that of normal subjects ( 9.5 ± 0.3 ). In addition, muscle strength has a rising trend as time goes on. The results demonstrate that the proposed PNF integrated robotic ankle–foot rehabilitation system is effective in improving ankle spasticity and/or contracture and is a promising solution in clinical rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) nanocrystals with advantages of high quantum yield, narrow emission peaks, and tunable fluorescence are considered as the next generation of light‐emitting sources. However, fluorescence degradation due to the poor stability of perovskite nanocrystals in moisture, high temperature, and illumination remains one of the greatest challenges in their further development. In this work, a fully dense coating strategy is proposed to improve the overall stability of perovskite nanocrystals, especially under high‐density laser irradiation. A mesoporous silica SiO2 layer is introduced to construct a stable coating for isolating the perovskite from external environment. To eliminate the pores of the CsPbX3@SiO2, an inorganic glass is also employed via solution‐combustion technique to generate a fully compact encapsulation for further stability promotion. The as‐prepared nanocrystal‐in‐glass composite exhibits efficient and stable fluorescence performance in luminous efficiency, chromaticity, and long‐term reliability in the conditions of thermal shock, humidity, and blue laser irradiation. With the integration of red/green/blue emitting nanocrystals, the color gamut of the white laser lighting source covers 134% of the National Television Standards Committee standard, providing exciting opportunity for high performance laser‐driven white light generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical looping reforming of CH 4 (CH 4 -CLR) is an advanced technology for syngas generation, and ilmenite ore has been considered a promising oxygen carrier material due to its extremely low cost. However, the weak reactivity of ilmenite ore over CH 4 prevents its practical application in CH 4 -CLR. This study has established a facile strategy to enhance the reactivity of CH 4 toward ilmenite ore by simply introducing the same but reduced ilmenite ore as the catalyst for a pre-activation of CH 4 , so as to accelerate the reaction between the CH 4 and ilmenite. Results show that the addition of reduced ilmenite ore as catalyst significantly accelerates the reaction between CH 4 and ilmenite ore, which successfully reduces the induction period from 150 min to almost 0 min. A higher catalyst to oxygen carrier ratio, higher temperature and deeper reduction stage of the catalyst are all beneficial in accelerating the reaction between CH 4 and ilmenite ore. [Display omitted] • A significantly accelerated syngas production for chemical looping CH 4 reforming. • Ilmenite ore functions as both oxygen carrier and catalyst. • The catalyst of reduced ilmenite shortens the induction period from 150 min to 0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A self-oxygenation strategy for alleviation of tumor hypoxia. • Development of PdPt-derived nanohybrids as rational NIR-II photoabsorber. • A promoted tumor starvation and SDT efficacy upon continuous O 2 supply. • Combinatorial therapy together with the initiated ICD for an almost complete tumor eradication. Tumor starvation by depleting intratumoral glucose has been validated as a promising therapeutic strategy to combat cancer. However, inadequate oxygenation in hypoxic tumorous tissue significantly compromises the treatment efficacy. Herein, PdPt bimetallic nanocatalyst conjugated with glucose oxidase (GOx) and sonosensitizer IR780 is developed for photothermal-augmented tumor starvation and sonodynamic therapy (SDT) in near-infrared (NIR)-II biowindow, assisted by an oxygen self-supply strategy. As a catalase-mimicking nanozyme, PdPt@GOx/IR780 (PGI) can facilitate the alleviation of tumor hypoxia through catalyzing H 2 O 2 decomposition into O 2. Furthermore, GOx-mediated intratumoral glucose consumption may block the essential energy and nutrient supply to achieve tumor starvation. The resultant H 2 O 2 production enables a continuous supply of local O 2 , which subsequently aggravates glucose depletion. Meanwhile, the hypoxia alleviation also promotes the production of 1O 2 for a more efficacious SDT with the aid of sonosensitizer IR780. In another aspect, hyperthermia generation by PGI under NIR-II laser irradiation leads to the thermal ablation of tumor cells, which effectively incorporates with tumor starvation and SDT for a complete tumor eradication. More importantly, the combination therapy can trigger strong immunogenic cell death (ICD), which favors the overcoming of immune suppression and the enhancement of antitumor immunity. The admirable tumor suppression effect by PGI is demonstrated on tumor-bearing mice with minimal adverse effect. Taken together, this paradigm provides a useful strategy for PdPt functionalization in the pursuit of effective tumor therapy with high clinical relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Bi 2 Se 3 /Bi 2 O 3 heterostructure is constructed by a simple hydrothermal reaction and oxidizing process. • The topological insulated feature of Bi 2 Se 3 provides substantial electron transport pathways. • Electrons/ions transportation kinetics are accelerated due to the island-like heterostructure. • Structural degeneration of Bi 2 Se 3 is inhibited. • A capacity of 310 mAh/g is reserved after 100 cycles at 0.1 A/g. The Bi 2 Se 3 / Bi 2 O 3 heterostructure was constructed and explored its sodium storage capability. The results showed that the island-like heterostructure architecture is more conducive for Na ion storage, which accelerates electrons/ions transportation and brings better electrochemical performance than their building blocks. [Display omitted] Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have been a promising potential alternative for sustainable electrochemical energy-storage devices. Bismuth-based materials can reserve substantial Na ions through alloying reaction and conversion reaction, leading to superior theoretical capacity. However, the alloying reaction is always accompanied by huge volume change during sodiation/desodiation processes. Herein, a flower-like Bi 2 Se 3 /Bi 2 O 3 heterostructure is designed to address the structural degeneration problem of Bi-based materials. Diverse Bi 2 Se 3 /Bi 2 O 3 heterostructures are produced via a facile hydrothermal reaction and subsequent annealing process, presenting apparently improved rate capability and cycling stability. Such excellent Na ion storage performance attributes to the charge redistribution around heterointerfaces caused by the unmatched band structure of two building blocks. The redistributed charges induce a dissimilar charged space nearby the phase boundaries, which not only enhance the structural integrity via coulombian force but also accelerate the diffusion of Na ions traversing heterointerfaces through electric field force. Meanwhile, the unique surface conducting states of Bi 2 Se 3 can facilitate charge transport effectively. The initial discharge capacity of electrode reached 571 mAh/g at the current density of 0.1 A/g and maintained 310 mAh/g after 100 cycles. This work may provide a new route to enhance the structural stability of the serious volume expansion electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fe 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 pellets have been used as both the oxygen carrier and the catalyst. • Chemical looping CH 4 reforming has coupled with dry CH 4 reforming. • The co-conversion of CH 4 and CO 2 to syngas has been achieved in a single reactor. • The new reaction system provides an opportunity for CO 2 utilization. Chemical looping reforming of CH 4 (CH 4 -CLR) is a safe and efficient CH 4 upgrading technology for syngas production. The Fe 2 O 3 -based oxygen carriers (OCs) possess a higher potential for CH 4 -CLR among so many transition metal oxides as high syngas selectivity can be obtained from partial CH 4 oxidation by OCs with the step-by-step reduction of Fe3+/Fe2+ to Fe0. However, the impurity CO 2 in CH 4 -source feed gas, when using Fe 2 O 3 -based OCs, often causes the inhibition of reaction between CH 4 and OCs resulting in no partial CH 4 oxidation to syngas. The present work has employed the Fe 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 pellets as OCs with introducing the fully reduced same pellets as a catalyst in a bubbling fluidized-bed reactor to eliminate the inhibition effect of CO 2 during CH 4 -CLR. It has been demonstrated that the Fe species with low valent, e. g., Fe0, in the catalyst can effectively catalyze the dry CH 4 reforming. Thus, the CO 2 has been consumed before contacting with Fe 2 O 3 -based OCs and the inhibition effect of CO 2 has been eliminated. Meanwhile, both CO 2 and CH 4 can be converted to syngas in the reducer leading to an opportunity for CO 2 utilization. With the help of the catalyst of reduced OCs, not only the CO 2 in the feed gas but also that formed from full CH 4 oxidation by Fe 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 at the early CH 4 reforming stage is converted into syngas of CO and H 2. Semi-continuous cyclic CH 4 -CLR test has demonstrated the good stability of both Fe 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 OC and counterpart catalyst, which suggests the potential of such OC/catalyst pair in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]