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This article proposes a new discrete-time predictive sliding mode control (DPSMC) for a parallel micropositioning piezostage to improve the motion accuracy in the presence of cross-coupling hysteresis nonlinearities and input constraints. Unlike the traditional linear discrete-time sliding mode control (DSMC), the proposed DPSMC is chattering free and has a faster convergence rate thanks to the design of a nonlinear discrete-time fast integral terminal sliding mode surface. Moreover, by combining with the receding horizon optimization, the sliding mode state is predicted to follow the expected trajectory of a predefined continuous sliding mode reaching law, which also allows the proposed controller to explicitly deal with constraints. The stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed under the model disturbances and constraints, and proves that the proposed DPSMC can offer a smaller quasi-sliding mode bandwidth than the traditional DSMC. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is validated by a series of numerical simulations and experiments. Results demonstrate the advantages of proposed DPSMC over the traditional DSMC method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The incorporation of SiF 6 2− anion-pillars enhances CO 2 adsorption. • CuSiF 6 -TPPY reduces the energy barrier for *CO-to-*CHO while inhibiting desorption of CO. • Layer-to-layer model for photoinduced charge transfer suppresses electron-hole recombination. • Remarkable CH 4 yield of 13.84 μmol g−1 h−1 with a high selectivity of 88.78 %. The highly selective photoreduction of CO 2 to CH 4 is hindered by the sluggish eight-electron transfer process and rapid recombination of charge carriers. Herein, an anion-pillared metal–organic framework photocatalyst, CuSiF 6 -TPPY, is judiciously constructed for the highly selective photoreduction of CO 2 to CH 4. The polar SiF 6 2− pillars significantly enhance the CO 2 adsorption capacity to 96.56 cm3 g−1. Furthermore, the incorporation of SiF 6 2− pillars separates the HOMO and LUMO energy levels in distinct MOF layers, leading to a lower energy barrier for *CHO generation and a higher energy barrier for CO desorption. As a result, CuSiF 6 -TPPY delivers a CH 4 generation rate of 13.84 μmol g−1 h−1 with a high selectivity of 88.78 %, 4-times higher than TPPY ligands. Moreover, in-situ IR spectra and computational simulations further confirm the photoreduction pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probabilistic site characterization is the cornerstone of data-centric geotechnics, which underpins the digitalization in geotechnical engineering. The essential aspect of probabilistic site characterization is to reasonably infer the probability density distributions of geotechnical parameters, based on field and laboratory data. In this paper, a clay property database, SZ-CLAY/11/5130, was established by collecting geotechnical investigation reports from 52 engineering projects in Shenzhen city. This SZ-CLAY/11/5130 database was first compared with the global clay database CLAY/10/7490 and the Shanghai clay database SH-CLAY/11/4051, in terms of their sample ranges, correlations, and scatter plots. Then, the multivariate probability distribution of eight clay parameters was established using the training records selected from SZ-CLAY/11/5130, to characterize the generic correlations between multiple clay parameters. Based on Bayesian theory, the posterior distributions of clay mechanical parameters from a construction site in Shenzhen city were updated using both the site-specific correlations and the generic correlations given by SZ-CLAY/11/5130. The constructed multivariate probability density distribution is necessary for this updating step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning causal structure in a complex system is crucial for causal inference and decision-making. Yet it remains a challenging problem due to the presence of unknown and varying feature spaces in most real-world scenes. Existing methods, including constraint-based and score-based methods, mainly rely on strict constraints, e.g., faithfulness, and cannot handle varying feature spaces. We propose a new gradient-based method ( C 2 S L I F S ) for learning causal structures from dynamic observational data with incremental instances and feature spaces. The C 2 S L I F S is designed as a nonlinear model with hidden variables, and utilizes the strategies of continuously optimizing reconstruction loss using dynamic weighting coefficients and equality constraints to update causal relationships, ensure acyclicity and avoid faithfulness constraints. We demonstrate the competitive performance of the proposed method through empirical evaluations against existing state-of-the-art methods. Besides that, two real-world case studies on two Bayesian network datasets (BNs), i.e., a protein signal network (Sachs) and a medical diagnostic alarm message network (Alarm), are conducted to elaborate on the effectiveness of C 2 S L I F S in real-world scenes. Code implementing the proposed algorithm is open-source and publicly available at https://github.com/youdianlong/C2SLIFS. • Initially study CSL from incremental instances and feature spaces instead of fixed ones. • Propose a nonlinear CSL model with hidden variables to improve performance and avoid faithfulness constraints. • Leverage gradient-based continuous optimization to adapt changes of feature spaces. • Relax the constraint bound using ζ instead of zero to enforce acyclicity in dynamic scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A medaka embryo development monitoring method using differential EIS is proposed. • The proposed method has merits of eliminating the effect of EDL. • The extracted electrical characteristics reflect physiological changes of embryo well. A medaka embryo development monitoring method using differential Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) is proposed. Impedance difference between measurement system with and without embryo is innovatively introduced to analyze embryo's development. Electrical characteristics of embryo are extracted from differential EIS. The proposed method has merits of eliminating the effect of electrical double layer (EDL) between electrodes and suspension. Besides relaxation frequency and its corresponding real/imaginary values of embryo, relaxation models and their fitting parameters are also extracted as properties of embryo in different developmental stages. In simulation, models of medaka embryo in 13 developmental stages from zygote stage to hatching stage are built, the extracted electrical characteristics reflect morphological and physiological changes of embryo well. In experiment, the proposed method is used to monitor medaka embryo's development from neurula stage to hatching stage. It also show that the electrical characteristics reflect physiological properties of embryo sensitively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parallel piezostages have been prevalently applied in the micro-/nano-positioning field, but, unluckily, suffer from the undesired effects, like creep, hysteresis, vibration, cross coupling, and input saturation. To eliminate these nonlinearities, a new discrete-time sliding mode predictive control (DSMPC) with decoupling and damping properties (DSMPC-DDP) is proposed for a parallel six-axis piezostage devoted to cell micromanipulation. Firstly, a state-space-based decoupler is applied to make the MIMO system decoupled into six SISO subsystems, and then a damping compensator via the notch filter principle is selected to suppress the high-frequency vibration dynamics of six subsystems. After that, a feedback DSMPC law is designed for each decoupled and damped subsystem. Unlike the traditional linear model predictive control (MPC), the feedback DSMPC is developed based on a nonlinear discrete-time terminal sliding mode prediction model, leading to stronger robustness and faster convergence speed. Through the utilization of the receding horizon optimization, the sliding mode states are optimized to explicitly deal with the input constraints. The stability of the closed-loop subsystems is analyzed based on the terminal constraint theory. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed controller is validated by a series of experimental tests. Results show that the proposed DSMPC-DDP scheme can achieve higher tracking accuracy and control bandwidth than the existing proportional–integral (PI) and MPC methods in the context of abovementioned nonlinearities. • A new DSMPC-DDP is proposed for a parallel six-axis piezostage. • Attenuating the creep, hysteresis, cross coupling, vibration, and input saturation simultaneously. • Providing rigorous stability analysis for the closed-loop control system. • Comprehensive comparative experiments are conducted for validating the superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofibers (NFs) have the advantages of tremendous flexibility, small size and a high surface-to-weight ratio and are widely used in sensors, drug carriers and filters. Patterned NFs have expanded their application fields in tissue engineering and electronics. Electrospinning (ES) is widely used to prepare nonwoven NFs by stretching polymer solution jets with electric forces. However, patterned NFs cannot be easily fabricated using ordinary ES methods: the process gradually deteriorates them as repulsion effects between the deposited NFs and the incoming ones increase while residual charges in the fibers accumulate. Repulsion effects are unavoidable because charges in the polymer solution jets are the fundamental forces that are meant to stretch the jets into NFs. TRIZ theory is an effective innovation method for resolving conflicts and eliminating contradictions. Based on the material–field model and the contradiction matrix of TRIZ theory, we propose a strategy to improve ES devices, neutralizing the charges retained in NFs by alternating the current power of the correct frequency, thus successfully fabricating patterned NFs with clear boundaries and good continuity. This study demonstrates a strategy for resolving conflicts in innovation processes based on TRIZ theory and fabricating patterned NFs for potential applications in flexible electronics and wearable sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parallel micropositioning piezostages are widely used in the micro-/nano-manipulation applications, but also subject to the nonlinear disturbances, like hysteresis, creep and cross-coupling effects. In this paper, a new fractional robust adaptive decoupled control (FRADC) is synthesized for a six-axis parallel micropositioning piezostage to improve the positioning accuracy. The proposed FRADC contains three intuitional terms: (1) a decoupling term that alleviates the coupled motions among different axes, making the controller implementation more convenient and efficient; (2) a feedforward compensation term based on a fractional normalized Bouc-Wen (FONBW) model, compensating for the rate-dependent hysteresis effect induced by the piezoelectric actuators; (3) a feedback model reference adaptive control (MRAC) term with fractional proportional-plus-integral-type updating rules that suppresses the creep effect, parameters uncertainty and external disturbances, further enhancing the robustness and positioning accuracy. The stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed in theory. The effectiveness of the proposed FRADC is experimentally validated by comparing with the standalone inverse-FONBW-based feedforward control, the standalone feedback fractional MRAC, and the traditional integer-order control methods. Results demonstrate that the proposed FRADC can guarantee higher positioning accuracy for the piezostage system in wider control bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is mainly about the designation of a new type of haptic device and an asymmetric teleoperation robot system. Aiming at the problems of tracking and transparency of an asymmetric teleoperation system, a robust control algorithm based on a state observer was proposed. The Haptic Device was designed and was chosen as the master-robot of the system. The Baxter dual-arm robot was chosen as the slave-robot of the system. The simulation experiment of robust control based on a state observer of the asymmetric teleoperation robot was carried out. The experiment results showed that the maximum values of displacement tracking errors in three directions x, y, and z are 0.02 m, 0.01 m, and 0.015 m, respectively. Compared with single- joint PID control, the performance of the new control algorithm is improved. The force feedback experiment on the real asymmetric teleoperation robot system was carried out. The results showed that the force feedback wave is consistent with the actual situation and showed that the robust control algorithm proposed is superior to PID. Therefore, the algorithm perfectly satisfied the system. The experiment parameters also demonstrate that the haptic device satisfies the design requirements of the asymmetric teleoperation robots system and the industry standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a process that eliminates infected, damaged, or possibly neoplastic cells to sustain homeostatic multicellular organisms. Although long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in various types of PCD and regulate tumor growth, invasion, and migration, the role of PCD-related lncRNAs in bladder cancer still lacks systematic exploration. In this research, we integrated multiple types of PCD as pan-PCD and identified eight pan-PCD-related lncRNAs (LINC00174, HCP5, HCG27, UCA1, SNHG15, GHRLOS, CYB561D2, and AGAP11). Then, we generated a pan-PCD-related lncRNA prognostic signature (PPlncPS) with excellent predictive power and reliability, which performed equally well in the E-MTAB-4321 cohort. In comparison with the low-PPlncPS score group, the high-PPlncPS score group had remarkably higher levels of angiogenesis, matrix, cancer-associated fibroblasts, myeloid cell traffic, and protumor cytokine signatures. In addition, the low-PPlncPS score group was positively correlated with relatively abundant immune cell infiltration, upregulated expression levels of immune checkpoints, and high tumor mutation burden (TMB). Immunogenomic profiles revealed that patients with both low PPlncPS scores and high TMB had the best prognosis and may benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors. Furthermore, for patients with high PPlncPS scores, docetaxel, staurosporine, and luminespib were screened as potential therapeutic candidates. In conclusion, we generated a pan-PCD-related lncRNA signature, providing precise and individualized prediction for clinical prognosis and some new insights into chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Classical swine fever and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome have seriously affected the development of the swine breeding industry in China. Vaccine immunization remains the main way to prevent these infections. The aim of this study was to establish an optimized protocol for vaccine immunization against classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Methods: Blood samples were collected from the anterior vena cava of pigs after immunization, and blood indices, secreted levels of specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies associated with humoral immunity, the proliferation capacity of T lymphocytes as a measure of cellular immunity, and secreted levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α were determined. Results: The results showed that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV infections induced strong and specific humoral and T-cellular immune responses, high levels of cytokine IFN-γ secretion and delayed secretion of cytokine TNF-α. Moreover, significantly higher lymphocyte percentages and red blood cell and leukocyte counts were found in the group simultaneously immunized against CSFV and PRRSV. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in hemoglobin values, neutrophil counts, and median cell percentages among the S + PRRS, PRRS-S, and S-PRRS groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV had the advantages of inducing a rapid, enhanced, and long-lasting immune response. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the establishment of a reasonable and optimized vaccine immunization protocol against CSFV and PRRSV in combination with a variety of other vaccine inoculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric micropositioning systems (PMSs) have been widely utilized in the high-precision manipulation applications, but are also subjected to undesired nonlinearities, like hysteresis, and parameter uncertainties. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a new robust sliding mode control scheme for a class of nonlinear PMSs with time-varying uncertainties. Different from the conventional sliding mode control (SMC), the proposed controller further combines the Fourier series-based function estimation technique, fuzzy logic system and adaptive learning algorithm to realize online estimation and compensation of system time-varying uncertainties without their boundary information. The adaptive laws of Fourier coefficients and fuzzy adjustable parameters are obtained via the Lyapunov stability theory. Compared with the existing SMC methods, the proposed control effectively eliminates the control chattering problem, and guarantees the convergence of the tracking error in finite time in the presence of time-varying uncertainties. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation results show that the proposed control strategy can meet the high-speed, high-precision robust tracking performance requirements of PMSs for micro/nano-manipulation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate a Nd : YLF-YVO4 intracavity Raman laser in the 1.5 μm eye-safe region. The fundamental wave at 1314 nm from the end-pumped Nd :YLF is down-converted to 1488 nm, utilizing the 890 cm−1 Raman shift of an YVO4 laser crystal. We use two etalons in the fundamental cavity and Stokes cavity, respectively, to suppress their spectral line width. Under a diode pump power of 43 W at 806 nm, we obtain an average Stokes output power of 3.75 W at an acousto-optic Q-switched pulse repetition frequency of 20 kHz, corresponding to an optical efficiency of 8.7%. With the etalons used, the spectral line width of the Stokes laser is narrowed from over 0.2 to 0.04 nm. The beam quality factor of the eye-safe Stokes output is measured to be 1.12 and 1.19 in the x and y directions, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new composite controller (feedforward + feedback) is proposed for the trajectory tracking control of a piezo-driven bridge displacement amplifier. A hysteresis model considering dynamic effects is established based on the modified Bouc–Wen (MBW) model, which can describe the asymmetry and frequency-dependence behaviors. The effectiveness of the modified model is verified by the experimental comparison. A feedforward controller is designed to compensate for hysteresis nonlinearity based on the inverse multiplicative structure of the modified model. A feedback controller with the Kalman observer is designed based on a modified model predictive control (MMPC). The proportional term and integral term of feedback error are introduced into the MPC control law to improve the response speed and reduce the steady-state error. The proposed MBW + MMPC is compared with MBW + proportional–integral–derivative (PID), and MBW + MPC. The experimental tracking results of continuously differentiable signals and non-differentiable signals verify MBW + MMPC feasibility and show that it can improve tracking performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Classical swine fever and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome have seriously affected the development of the swine breeding industry in China. Vaccine immunization remains the main way to prevent these infections. The aim of this study was to establish an optimized protocol for vaccine immunization against classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Methods: Blood samples were collected from the anterior vena cava of pigs after immunization, and blood indices, secreted levels of specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies associated with humoral immunity, the proliferation capacity of T lymphocytes as a measure of cellular immunity, and secreted levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α were determined. Results: The results showed that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV infections induced strong and specific humoral and T-cellular immune responses, high levels of cytokine IFN-γ secretion and delayed secretion of cytokine TNF-α. Moreover, significantly higher lymphocyte percentages and red blood cell and leukocyte counts were found in the group simultaneously immunized against CSFV and PRRSV. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in hemoglobin values, neutrophil counts, and median cell percentages among the S + PRRS, PRRS-S, and S-PRRS groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV had the advantages of inducing a rapid, enhanced, and long-lasting immune response. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the establishment of a reasonable and optimized vaccine immunization protocol against CSFV and PRRSV in combination with a variety of other vaccine inoculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Classical swine fever and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome have seriously affected the development of the swine breeding industry in China. Vaccine immunization remains the main way to prevent these infections. The aim of this study was to establish an optimized protocol for vaccine immunization against classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Methods: Blood samples were collected from the anterior vena cava of pigs after immunization, and blood indices, secreted levels of specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies associated with humoral immunity, the proliferation capacity of T lymphocytes as a measure of cellular immunity, and secreted levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α were determined. Results: The results showed that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV infections induced strong and specific humoral and T-cellular immune responses, high levels of cytokine IFN-γ secretion and delayed secretion of cytokine TNF-α. Moreover, significantly higher lymphocyte percentages and red blood cell and leukocyte counts were found in the group simultaneously immunized against CSFV and PRRSV. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in hemoglobin values, neutrophil counts, and median cell percentages among the S + PRRS, PRRS-S, and S-PRRS groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that simultaneous immunization against CSFV and PRRSV had the advantages of inducing a rapid, enhanced, and long-lasting immune response. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the establishment of a reasonable and optimized vaccine immunization protocol against CSFV and PRRSV in combination with a variety of other vaccine inoculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video dehazing is a critical research area in computer vision that aims to enhance the quality of hazy frames, which benefits many downstream tasks, e.g. semantic segmentation. Recent work devise CNN-based structure or attention mechanism to fuse temporal information, while some others utilize offset between frames to align frames explicitly. Another significant line of video dehazing research focuses on constructing paired datasets by synthesizing foggy effect on clear video or generating real haze effect on indoor scenes. Despite the significant contributions of these dehazing networks and datasets to the advancement of video dehazing, current methods still suffer from spatial–temporal inconsistency and poor generalization ability. We address the aforementioned issues by proposing a triplane smoothing module to explicitly benefit from spatial–temporal smooth prior of the input video and generate temporally coherent dehazing results. We further devise a query base decoder to extract haze-relevant information while also aggregate temporal clues implicitly. To increase the generalization ability of our dehazing model we utilize CLIP guidance with a rich and high-level understanding of hazy effect. We conduct extensive experiments to verify the effectiveness of our model to generate spatial–temporally consistent dehazing results and produce pleasing dehazing results of real-world data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Nitrogenous fertilizer has been recognized as a key factor regulating nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural soils. However, the effect of nitrogen (N) fertilization of preceding season on soil N2O emission in subsequent season remain poorly understood. Methods: Herein, a field-based study was done to examine the effect of prior N fertilization on N2O emissions under a rapeseed-rice rotation (RR) system in central China. Treatments were as follows: no N fertilizer was applied in both rapeseed and rice-growing seasons (N0-0), N fertilizer (150 kg N ha−1 y−1) was only applied during rapeseed-growing season (N150-0,), N fertilizer (150 kg N ha−1 y−1) was applied in both rapeseed and rice-growing seasons (N150-150), and N fertilizer (150 kg N ha−1 y−1) was only applied during rice-growing season (N0-150). Soil N2O fluxes and the key soil factors (soil available C and N and their ratios, soil temperature and moisture) that further drive N2O emissions were determined after N fertilization in preceding and subsequent seasons. Results: The application of N fertilizer during the rapeseed-growing season caused a significant increase in soil N2O emission from rice-growing season, but no such promotion effect was observed during rapeseed growing season due to N fertilization during prior rice season. Higher N2O emission from rapeseed-growing season, after N fertilization was attributed to high soil mineral nitrogen content (including NH4+-N and NO3−-N). N2O efflux was higher when dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to NO3− content ratio (DOC/NO3−) was < 0.5 but lower when DOC/NO3− ratio was > 0.5 for both N150-0 and N150-150 treatments. Pulse N2O emission during the rice-growing period was observed due to higher soil DOC content derived from soil organic matter decomposition. The positive correlation between soil N2O fluxes and DOC/NO3− ratio for both N150-150 and N0-150, also revealed that soil available carbon to nitrogen ratio could be a crucial factor regulating peaks of N2O during the rice season. Structural equation model (SEM) displayed the explanation of impact factors on N2O emission was 62% during the rapeseed-growing season, while that explanation was 45% during the rice-growing season. Conclusions: These results showed that not only labile C and N content, but also soil DOC/NO3−, influenced by prior N fertilization, play a key role in soil N2O emissions under the RR system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease associated with advanced joint dysfunction. Madhuca indica J. F. Gmel, from the family Sapotaceae, is an Indian medicinal plant reported to have an array of pharmacological properties. The aim of present investigation was to determine the anti-arthritic potential of an isolated phytoconstituent from methanolic leaf extract of Madhuca indica (MI-ALC) against FCA-induced experimental arthritis. Polyarthritis was induced in female rats (strain: Wistar) via an intradermal injection of FCA (0.1 mL) into the tail. Polyarthritis developed after 32 days of FCA administration. Then rats were treated orally with an isolated phytoconstituent from MI-ALC at doses of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg. Findings suggested that High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry spectral analyses of the phytoconstituent isolated from MI-ALC confirmed the structure as 3,5,7,3′,4′-Pentahydroxy flavone (i.e., QTN). Treatment with QTN (10 and 20 mg/kg) showed significant (p < 0.05) inhibition of increased joint diameter, paw volume, paw withdrawal threshold, and latency. The elevated synovial oxidative stress (Superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione, and malondialdehyde) and protein levels of Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and Interleukin (ILs) were markedly (p < 0.05) reduced by QTN. It also effectively (p < 0.05) ameliorated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), Nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells (NF-kβ) and its inhibitor-α (Ikβα), and ATP-activated P2 purinergic receptors (P2X7) protein expressions as determined by western blot analysis. In conclusion, QTN ameliorates FCA-induced hyperalgesia through modulation of elevated inflammatory release (NF-kβ, Ikβα, P2X7, and COX-2), oxido-nitrosative stress, and pro-inflammatory cytokines (ILs and TNF-α) in experimental rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel functional biochar (BC) was prepared from industrial waste red mud (RM) and low-cost walnut shell by one facile-step pyrolysis method to adsorb phosphorus (P) in wastewater. The preparation conditions for RM-BC were optimized using Response Surface Methodology. The adsorption characteristics of P were investigated in batch mode experiments, while a variety of techniques were used to characterize RM-BC composites. The impact of key minerals (hematite, quartz, and calcite) in RM on the P removal efficiency of the RM-BC composite was studied. The results showed that RM-BC composite produced at 320 °C for 58 min, with a 1:1 mass ratio of walnut shell and RM, had a maximum P sorption capacity of 15.48 mg g−1, which was more than double that of the raw BC. The removal of P from water was found to be facilitated significantly by hematite, which forms Fe–O–P bonds, undergoes surface precipitation, and exchanges ligands. This research provides evidence for the effectiveness of RM-BC in treating P in water, laying the foundation for future scaling-up trials. [Display omitted] • Preparation conditions for biochar composite from red mud and walnut shell were optimized. • Batch adsorption experiments were conducted on the adsorption characteristics of P. • The maximum P adsorption capacity of biochar composite reached 15.48 mg g−1. • Fe from hematite in red mud of the biochar composite play an important role in removing P. • Adsorption mechanism includes creation of Fe–O–P bonds, surface precipitation and ligand exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference 1 Liu Z, Shan B, Ni C. Optimized protocol for double vaccine immunization against classical swine fever and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. Ziyu Liu, Baiqiang Shan, Chao Ni and Shouhua Feng contributed equally to this work. [Extracted from the article]

Ziyu Liu, Baiqiang Shan, Chao Ni and Shouhua Feng contributed equally to this work. Reference 1 Liu Z, Shan B, Ni C. Optimized protocol for double vaccine immunization against classical swine fever and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. [Extracted from the article]

Photocatalytic degradation of antibiotic pollutants in water has been recognized as one of the promising sustainable energy routes. In this study, ZnAlS x -coupled CdS heterojunctions were fabricated hydrothermally at different weight ratios to degrade tetracycline under visible light illumination. The result of the photocatalytic experiments indicated that 30 wt% ZnAlS x @CdS system achieved the optical degradation activity with TC (20 mg/L) removal efficiency of 96.25% in 180 min, which is the reason that ZAS on the surface of CdS can effectively inhibit the recombination of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs to enhance the photocatalytic performance of TC. The result of the radical capturing experiments indicated the specific electron migration pathway and the synergistic between ZAS and CdS nano-catalysts, in which electrons and hydroxyl radicals decomposed tetracycline. Furthermore, the as-prepared materials achieved high stability and reusability. In this study, an effective strategy was presented to fabricate high active catalysts over antibiotic removal. [Display omitted] • Facile hydrothermal fabrication of double sulfide heterojunction. • Electronic structure manipulated by synergistic effect of double sulfide nanocomposites. • Best activity with 30 wt% ZnAlSx-coupled CdS towards tetracycline degradation with visible light irradiation. • Photocatalytic performance mainly attributed to photogenerated carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MgAl-LDH/(BiO) 2 CO 3 p-n heterojunction nanocomposite was prepared using a hydrothermal method. The as-prepared MgAl-LDH/(BiO) 2 CO 3 composites were characterized through XRD, SEM&EDX, TEM, FT-IR, XPS, as well as UV–vis DRS. The photodegradation activity of MgAl-LDH/(BiO) 2 CO 3 was examined through the degradation of tetracycline under visible light irradiation. The maximum degradation efficiency (97.2%) was achieved among the heterostructures when the percentage of MgAl-LDH was 15%. Moreover, the degradation efficiency of MgAl-LDH/(BiO) 2 CO 3 still reached 88% after five successive cycles. Furthermore, a photocatalytic mechanism involved was proposed by exploring its energy band structure. In this study, a novel method for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline was proposed. [Display omitted] • Synthesized a novel p–n junction photocatalyst MgAl-LDH/(BiO)2CO3. • The MgAl-LDH/(BiO) 2 CO 3 showed the higher degradation efficiency, reaching 97.2% in 105 min. • The catalyst has high catalytic stability, which still with 88% degradation efficiency after 5 cycles. • The study provides new insights into the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics under visible light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]