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Carbon fiber epoxy resin (CFRP), as space satellite antenna materials with great application prospects to transmit and receive signals. It is necessary to ensure its normal operation through surface thermal control, which can be achieved by covering with a flexible film. Polyimide (PI) films modified by ceramics particle have been widely studied in the field of flexible devices. However, there is no research on multifunctional PI films with thermal control and wave transmission multifunctional performance. In this study, ZrO 2 modified flexible PI films (PI/ZrO 2 films) which can be covered on the surface of satellite antenna was prepared, and its solar absorption and wave transmission properties were studied. Prepared films exhibited excellent heat resistance and mechanical properties, and the addition of ZrO 2 increased their thermal stability. The solar absorption of films with 50% ZrO 2 is the lowest for 0.30, and the highest reflectance can reach to 88.4%. In addition, the maximum dielectric constant of the films was less than 2.5, and the dielectric loss was less than 0.03, showing an excellent wave transmission performance. The films can be covered on the satellite antenna, and also can be used for other space environment or wave transmission requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Combined stresses during manufacturing process could affect the structure and physicochemical properties of AH adjuvant. • Accidental −20 °C freezing led to the adjuvant agglomeration and rapid sedimentation. • Autoclaving process would increase the particle size of AH adjuvant minimum unit structure. • High shear stress led to the average particle dimension of the bulk AH adjuvant decreased, along with decreasing protein adsorption strength. Vaccine manufacturing is one of the most challenging and complex processes in pharmaceutical industry, and the process control strategy is critical for the safety, effectiveness, and consistency of a vaccine. The efficacy of aluminum salt adjuvant on vaccines strongly depends on its physicochemical properties, such as size, structure, surface charge, etc. However, stresses during the vaccine manufacturing may affect the stability of adjuvant. In this study, the impacts of cold/thermal stress, autoclaving, pumping, mixing, and filling shear stress on the physicochemical properties of aluminum hydroxide (AH) adjuvant were evaluated as part of the manufacturing process development. The results showed that the autoclaving process would slightly influence the structure and properties of the investigated AH adjuvant, but thermal incubation at 2–8 °C, 25 °C and 40 °C for 4 weeks did not. However, -20 °C freezing AH adjuvant led to the adjuvant agglomeration and rapid sedimentation. For the high shear stress study with mixing at 500 rpm in a 1-L mixing bag and pumping at 220 rpm for up to 24 h, the average particle dimension of the bulk AH adjuvant decreased, along with decreasing protein adsorption ratio. The studies indicate that various stresses during manufacturing process could affect the structure and physicochemical properties of AH adjuvant, which calls for more attention on the control of adjuvant process parameters during manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on wet chemical precipitation and spray drying technology, a Y–Zr-doped W powder was prepared as a precursor material for the preparation of Y–Zr-modified WC-8Co cemented carbides. The Y–Zr-modified WC-8Co hard alloy prepared by low pressure sintering method was used to study the change in the interface structure between the second phase and the substrate. The result showed that in the Y–Zr-doped W powder, the second phase was Y 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 particles. The Y 2 O 3 particles had a coherent interface with the W matrix, which was the reason for the formation of intragranular nano second phases in the modified hard alloys. The interface between ZrO 2 and W particles exhibited a semi coherent relationship, which was consistent with the interface structure of WC crystals and the second phase at grain boundaries. Some free second phase particles Y 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 in the doped powder formed a staggered interface structure in the modified alloy, generating Y–Zr–O solid solutions dispersed in the bonding phase. The performance of Y–Zr-modified WC-8Co hard alloy were superior to pure WC-8Co alloy prepared by the same process. The stable and compatible interface structure between WC grains and the second phase was an effective means to improve the performance of modified WC-8Co cemented carbide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a clean energy source, hydrogen has attracted high interest in developing efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts due to its sustainable and renewable characteristics. In this work, we have systematically investigated the HER activity of the g-CN two-dimensional materials. The catalytic activity in HER is enhanced by doping non-metallic atoms (C, N, B, Si) and transition metal atoms (Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) in the vacancies of g-CN. Based on the first principle calculation, we screened 40 structures and found that the Δ G H * of Sc@C 3 –CN, V@C 3 –CN, Mn@C 3 –CN, Sc@N 3 –CN, and Ti@Si 3 –CN was close to zero. Among them, Ti@Si 3 –CN has the lowest Gibbs free energy change (−0.01 eV) and has excellent HER performance. In addition, we explored HER activity's origin by using machine learning (ML) algorithms. The results show that the atomic relative distance in the TM@X 3 -CN structure significantly affects the catalytic activity. [Display omitted] • Sc@C 3 –CN, V@C 3 –CN, Mn@C 3 –CN, Sc@N 3 –CN, and Ti@Si 3 –CN show good HER performance. • The introduction of NM and TM atoms facilitates effective electron transfer. • Machine learning explores the potential factors influencing catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we formalize memory- and tracking-based methods to perform the LiDAR-based Video Object Segmentation (VOS) task, which segments points of the specific 3D target (given in the first frame) in a LiDAR sequence. LiDAR-based VOS can directly provide target-aware geometric information for practical application scenarios like behavior analysis and anticipating danger. We first construct a LiDAR-based VOS dataset named KITTI-VOS based on SemanticKITTI, which acts as a testbed and facilitates comprehensive evaluations of algorithm performance. Next, we provide two types of baselines, i.e., memory-based and tracking-based baselines, to explore this task. Specifically, the first memory-based pipeline is built on a space–time memory network equipped with the non-local spatiotemporal attention-based memory bank. We further design a more potent variant to introduce the locality into the spatiotemporal attention module by local self-attention and cross-attention modules. For the second tracking-based baseline, we modify two representative 3D object tracking methods to adapt to LiDAR-based VOS tasks. Finally, we propose a refine module that takes mask priors and generates object-aware kernels, which could boost all the baselines' performance. We evaluate the proposed methods on the dataset and demonstrate their effectiveness. • LiDAR-based VOS task, which segments specific 3D targets in LiDAR sequences. • KITTI-VOS dataset constructed from SemanticKITTI. • Memory- and tracking-based baselines for a comprehensive study. • Effective refine module to boost these baselines' performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With structural analysis and probability matrix, this paper studies the subtree number index (number of non-labeled subtrees) of random hexagonal and phenylene chains, and presents exact recursive formulas for the expected values of subtree number index of the random hexagonal and phenylene chains in terms of probability matrices, as applications, we obtain the subtree number of hexagonal linear chain, hexagonal helicence chain, phenylene linear chain and phenylene helicence chain. Moreover, the proposed matrix method also builds a bridge to explore the deep correlation between structural-based and distance-based topological indices, and provides important theoretical support for prediction new properties of chemical compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dielectric materials utilized in high-performance barium titanate-based base-metal electrode multilayer ceramic capacitors (BME MLCCs) must satisfy stringent criteria such as high dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, high insulation resistivity, and reliability. In this investigation, the effects of raw materials, BaTiO 3 (BT), and Ba 0.95 Ca 0.05 TiO 3 (BCT) on densification, microstructure, and dielectric behavior were explored by introducing acceptor and rare earth elements. The findings revealed that BCT could attain densification at a lower sintering temperature of 1275 °C than BT. Moreover, BCT samples displayed relatively smaller grain sizes, resulting in a greater number of grain boundaries, which in turn increased the insulation resistivity. BCT had a lower oxygen vacancy concentration, thus resulting in lower leakage currents at high temperatures than BT. Substituting BCT for BT resulted in higher activation energies for conductivity in the core, shell, and grain boundary. This investigation demonstrates that BCT can enhance the dielectric properties, insulation resistance, and reliability of the BME MLCCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the ReaxFF molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to investigate the dynamic evolution of reactants and intermediates in the oxidation reaction of methanol, the oxidation reaction path was determined, and the effects of O 2 /methanol ratio and H 2 O/CO 2 impurity on the oxidation were explored. The results indicate the consumption rate of methanol is significantly higher than that of O 2 , and the preferred product of the reaction are H 2 O, H 2 , CO and CO 2. With the increase of reaction temperature, the consumption rate of reactants increases, which promotes the formation of intermediate products in advance, resulting in the increase of products. The amount of final products of H 2 O, H 2 , CO and CO 2 at 3000 K under fuel rich condition is 1.59, 4.07, 4.36 and 3.20 times that at 2400 K, respectively. The presence of H 2 O/CO 2 impurities promote the initial dissociation of methanol, and inhibits the consumption of O 2 and the generation of H 2 O. The presence of CO 2 impurities can promote the generation of CO. The activation energy is lowest in the CO 2 impurity environment. This study provides a microscopic insight into the oxidation mechanism of methanol in various environment. • Dynamic evolution of reactants and intermediates in methanol oxidation was observed. • Oxidation reaction path of methanol was determined. • Effects of O 2 /methanol ratio and H 2 O/CO 2 impurity on oxidation reaction were clarified. • Reaction kinetics and atomic scale mechanism of oxidation were explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although considerable research works have witnessed the important modulations of oxygen vacancies on the optical, electrical, and magnetic properties of SnO 2 nanostructures, it is not easy to control oxygen vacancy defects in such systems.The difficulty stems from that oxygen vacancy is a kind of atomic defect, and its distribution is sensitive to process conditions and external factors, which makes direct characterization and purposeful control difficult. The purpose of this work on Ce-doped SnO 2 nanocrystals is to investigate the tolerance of the host lattice to Ce ions, the population and evolution of Ce3+/Ce4+ ions, and the possibility to adjust oxygen vacancies by Ce3+ ions, and then focus on the influence of oxygen vacancy defects on the band gap and luminescence performance. As Ce doping concentration increases from 0 to 12 at.%, the doped system changes from Ce3+ dominated at low doping amount (≤3 at.%) to Ce3+/Ce4+ coexistence at medium doping concentration (3 at.% ∼ 9 at.%), to occurrence of CeO 2 impurity phase at over doping (∼12 at.%). The optimum doping occurs at 6 at.%, which corresponds to the saturated critical point of Ce3+ content and the maximum oxygen vacancy concentration. Importantly, the oxygen vacancies in the current Ce-doped SnO 2 nanocrystals is directly regulated by the Ce3+ ion concentration on the Sn sites, which plays an important role in the band gap tuning and visible light emission. With Ce concentration increasing from 0 to 12 at.%, the band gap monotonicity decreases from 3.36 eV to 3.12 eV, while the intensity of the oxygen vacancy luminescence band first increases and then decreases, with the turning point at 6 at.%. Both band gap narrowing effect and enhanced emission indicate that Ce-doped SnO 2 should be a promising method to design and manufacture visible light responsive SnO 2 based optoelectronic materials by manipulating oxygen vacancy defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly designed Al x Cr 95-x (α-Al 2 O 3) 5 (x = 60, 70, and 80 at.%) composite target was proposed for depositing a corundum-structured Al-rich α-(Al, Cr) 2 O 3 film at low temperatures. The elemental composition, phase structure, and mechanical properties of the films deposited by sputtering Al x Cr 95-x (α-Al 2 O 3) 5 composite targets with different Cr contents, Al 75 Cr 25 targets, and pure Al targets at low deposition temperatures were examined using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), grazing incident X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nanoindentation tests. The results showed that the film deposited at 550 °C by sputtering an Al 70 Cr 25 (α-Al 2 O 3) 5 target consisted of a single Al-rich α-(Al 0.74 Cr 0.26) 2 O 3 phase with a high nanohardness of 30.2 GPa, a high H/E ratio of 0.12, and a high elastic recovery value of 0.61. Increasing the Al content by sputtering an Al 80 Cr 15 (α-Al 2 O 3) 5 target led to the formation of mixed phases, including κ, amorphous, and Al-rich α-(Al, Cr) 2 O 3 phases, in the film. When decreasing the Al content by sputtering an Al 60 Cr 35 (α-Al 2 O 3) 5 target (i.e., x = 60), the phase composition of the film was Cr-rich α-(Al, Cr) 2 O 3 and Al-rich α-(Al, Cr) 2 O 3. The coincorporation of 25 at.% Cr and 5 at.% α-Al 2 O 3 powder in the Al 70 Cr 25 (α-Al 2 O 3) 5 target not only facilitated the formation of the α-(Al, Cr) 2 O 3 phase but also increased the Al content when the substrate temperature was greater than 550 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using artificial lightning of standardized Waveform A, this study explored the lightning strike protection (LSP) effect of zirconium carbide (ZrC) and copper (Cu) modified short-carbon-fiber-reinforced boron phenolic resin composites under a current peak of 200 kA. Based on the results of visual observation, micro-morphologies characterization, three-dimensional shapes and X-ray detection, we observed a remarkable LSP effect in this composite, which can be attributed to the high bending strength of the laminated structure, and the well thermal resistance of ZrC. Meanwhile, the addition of Cu powders with concentrations of 10% was demonstrated to enable efficiently withstand the lightning strike and prevent crack propagation since the electrically conductive path. Our findings proposed a promising LSP skin material for the aircraft, which will maintain structural stability under the impact of a lightning strike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, orange-red Sm3+ doped La 3 Ga 5 SiO 14 phosphors were successfully formed through high temperature solid state method at 1350 °C. The phase purity, size distribution, vibrations, absorption and series of luminescence characteristics were studied, respectively. The X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinements results show the single phase and crystal lattice information. The results of scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectroscopy demonstrate the basic particle shape and verify the constituent elements for the prepared samples. The infrared spectra clarify the phonon vibration properties of the La 3 Ga 5 SiO 14 :Sm3+ phosphors. The UV–visible absorption spectra indicate that the absorption properties and the corresponding band gaps. The luminescence results show that the La 3 Ga 5 SiO 14 :Sm3+ phosphors emit intense orange-red emission peaking at 600 nm as excited at 401 nm. The optimum doping concentration of Sm3+ ion is x = 0.05 and the mechanism of concentration quenching is from dipole-quadrupole interaction. In addition, the prepared phosphors have good thermostability, and its thermal activation energy is 0.2161 ev. Finally, red and white light emitting diodes were successfully manufactured with 395 nm chip. All experimental results show that the La 3 Ga 5 SiO 14 :Sm3+ phosphors have good application prospect in light emitting diodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms underlying late-onset preeclampsia (LOPE) remain unknown. Metabolic disturbances have been implicated as a primary factor in LOPE development. Lipids have been shown to have great clinical value in recent years. This study aimed to use lipidomics to provide evidence for the etiology and potential therapeutic approaches for LOPE. Twenty patients with LOPE and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Placental lipidomic data were acquired using liquid chromatographymass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the data were analyzed by weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and statistical methods. Of 1508 identified lipids, 226 were differentially expressed between the LOPE and control groups. In the LOPE group, the abundance of most unsaturated triglycerides (TG) increased, whereas that of other lipids, including phosphatidylcholine (PC), sphingomyelin, and phosphatidylserine (PS) increased. The WGCNA implied that the correlation network module of lipids was highly related to clinical traits. Pathway analysis revealed that these dysregulated lipids are closely related to glycerophospholipid metabolism. Lipidomics may help identify the pathogenesis underlying placental dysfunction in LOPE patients and provide potential therapeutic targets in the future. • A lipidomic analysis of LOPE placenta was conducted in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). • Weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify significant clinical modules. • The abundances of most unsaturated triglyceride (TG) were significantly increased in LOPE. • We discuss the metabolic dysregulation of late-onset preeclampsia (LOPE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The specific surface area (SSA) and pore structure are two critical factors that determine the energy storage performance of carbon-based supercapacitors. However, for biobased carbon electrodes, it is difficult to simultaneously control the pore structures and achieve high SSA. Herein, highly porous carbons (HPCs) with ultrahigh SSA and controllable pore structures are produced through hydrogel-controlled carbonization and activation process for glucose. Polyacrylamide (PAM) is used as the pore-forming agent, and pore structures can be regulated by controlling the content of PAM. The highest SSA of the HPCs reaches 3381 m2 g−1 with a 60% PAM content. Compared with the sample without PAM, the specific capacitance of HPCs-60 shows a 63% increase, reaching 441 F g−1 at a current density of 0.25 A g−1. Moreover, a KOH/PVA symmetric supercapacitor assembled from HPCs-60 not only exhibits an excellent energy density (10.9 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 125 W kg−1) but also has high cycling stability (∼10% loss over 20,000 cycles) and good flexibility. The as-prepared supercapacitors can provide stable power supplies for multiple electronic devices, indicating that the HPCs have enormous potential for use in high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices. Highly porous carbons with ultrahigh specific surface areas and controllable pore structures were obtained by hydrogel-controlled carbonization and activation of glucose. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose a novel generalized-activated weighting operator for bias alleviation in deep reinforcement learning. • We show theoretically and experimentally that generalized-activated weighting operator helps alleviate both underestimation bias and overestimation bias. • We find that simple activation functions are enough for amazing performance without any tricks and special design for activation function. It is vital to accurately estimate the value function in Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) such that the agent could execute proper actions instead of suboptimal ones. However, existing actor-critic methods suffer more or less from underestimation bias or overestimation bias, which negatively affect their performance. In this paper, we reveal a simple but effective principle: proper value correction benefits bias alleviation , where we propose the generalized-activated weighting operator that uses any non-decreasing function, namely activation function, as weights for better value estimation. Particularly, we integrate the generalized-activated weighting operator into value estimation and introduce a novel algorithm, Generalized-activated Deep Double Deterministic Policy Gradients (GD3). We theoretically show that GD3 is capable of alleviating the potential estimation bias. We interestingly find that simple activation functions lead to satisfying performance with no additional tricks, and could contribute to faster convergence. Experimental results on numerous challenging continuous control tasks show that GD3 with task-specific activation outperforms the common baseline methods. We also uncover a fact that fine-tuning the polynomial activation function achieves superior results on most of the tasks. Codes will be available upon publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the homotopy renormalization method (HTR) is compared with the homotopy analysis method (HAM), an analytical approximation technique for highly nonlinear problems. Four problems in fluid mechanics, including the Blasius viscous flow, magnetohydrodynamic flow, free-convective boundary-layer flow, and Von Kármán swirling viscous flow, are used for detailed comparison. It is found that the HAM approximations are much more accurate than the HTR approximations at the same order. Furthermore, higher-order approximations with smaller errors can be obtained relatively simply by the HAM, while the HTR struggles in such scenarios. All of these confirm the superiority of the HAM for highly nonlinear problems in fluid mechanics. • The homotopy renormalization method (HTR) is compared with the homotopy analysis method (HAM). • The HAM is more convenient and accurate than the HTR to obtain analytic solution. • Four problems in fluid mechanics are used to illustrate the superiority of the HAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three mean-line methods for the design of turbo-coolers are evaluated. • A coupling model is established to predict the performance and volume size. • Matching characteristics of three coaxial-impellers was quantitatively described. • SS-CR, PR and VC approach gives 84.0%, 83% and 80.9% efficiency respectively. • The system volume is the lowest at the aspect ratio of 1.5 of the heat exchanger. High-speed turbo-cooler of coaxial expander-compressor is a promising solution for reverse Brayton cycle refrigeration systems to improve compactness, power recovery and efficiency. The performance curves of coaxial impellers are crucial for their matching characteristics as well as the system efficiency under off-design conditions. In this paper, three mean-line methods for the design of high-speed turbo-coolers are evaluated by comparing the matching characteristics of three coaxial-impellers, including the specific speed and characteristic ratio (SS-CR) approach, the power ratio (PR) approach and velocity coefficient (VC) approach. A coupling model is established to predict the off-design performance of turbo-cooler and the system size. The results show that the rotating speed and mass flow rate by all three methods lie within 2% of each other. At the design point, SS-CR approach gives 84.0% expander efficiency compared to 83.0% by PR approach and 80.9% by VC approach, but the PR approach has better performance at speeds below 35 krpm. The system volume is the lowest at the aspect ratio of 1.5 of the heat exchanger designed with all the three methods. However, SS-CR gives 6.0% advantage in system volume 5.6% over VC approach and 3.7% over PR approach. When the cooling capacity is controlled at 2000 W, SS-CR approach gives 79.3% expander efficiency compared to 78.9% by PR approach and 76.4% by VC approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We performed a GWAS of brain tau load as measured by AV1451-PET. • Novel association with higher tau was identified for rs56298435 within ZBTB20. • Rs150532 in the protein phosphorylation regulatory gene EYA4 also affects tau load. • Tau pathology mediated the effects of novel loci on clinical progression. • EYA4 or VNN2 expression was highly correlated with the tau-related gene MAPT. The related genetic variants of tau deposition, a seminal pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, remain poorly understood. We sought to perform a genome-wide association study of brain tau load as measured by AV1451 positron emission tomography (PET). Among 543 non-demented European individuals, novel associations with higher tau were identified for rs56298435 (p = 8.35 × 10−10, β=0.31) within ZBTB20, and for rs150532 (p = 1.90 × 10−8, β=0.26) in the protein phosphorylation regulatory gene EYA4. The APOE association additionally reached genome-wide significant when APOE ε4 was not adjusted. Minor allele carriers of rs56298435 or rs150532 showed higher levels of tau PET load. As expected, phosphorylated-tau analyses in both plasma and cerebrospinal fluid also revealed the same direction of effect. Functionally, the effects of novel loci on cognitive decline could be mediated by tau pathology. In addition, we observed that the expression of VNN2 as regulated by rs150532, together with EYA4, displayed significant correlations with the tau-related gene MAPT in numerous brain regions. Our novel finding lends additional credence to heritable underpinnings of tau deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-stage instance segmentation approaches have been attracting increasing attention in research communities because of faster speed, more straightforward design, and competitive accuracy than two-stage methods. However, the currently available methods only generate pixel-level classification, which ignores the information of shapes and object boundaries and thus results in wild and fuzzy mask predictions and inaccurate localization. To address these issues, we propose BCondInst, an effective boundary-preserving conditional convolution network aiming at adopting object boundary information to improve the accuracy of mask localization. Specifically, BCondInst replaces the original mask branch with a boundary-mask branch containing two sub-networks designed to jointly learn object boundaries and masks. Different from the existing segmentation approaches, in which the parameters of filters in the boundary head remain unchanged for all instances, the filters in the mask's head and boundary's head in BCondInst are created according to specific instances. Furthermore, we design a post-processing mechanism that adopts the predicted boundaries to further improve the quality of predicted masks in the testing phase. Consequently, masks predicted by BCondInst generally preserve more details and more accurate boundaries. Extensive experimental results on Microsoft COCO 2017 benchmark indicate that the performance of the proposed BCondInst exceeds the current popular one-stage instance segmentation approaches by a large margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vancomycin (Van) remains one of the first-line drugs for the treatment of wound infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, the unsatisfactory bioavailability of vancomycin alone has greatly limited its potential health benefits. Here a responsive chitosan-based hydrogel was developed as the delivery system which not only would reduce this side effect but also increase efficacy of vancomycin. The hydrogel was prepared by grafting chitosan and cinnamaldehyde-based thioacetal (CTA) together with ginipin (G) as the crosslinker. Upon exposure to reactive oxygen species which were enriched in the bacterial wound, the hydrogel can locally degrade and sustainably release the loaded vancomycin near the lesion to compete with the troubling MRSA. Compared with vancomycin alone, the chitosan-based hydrogel loaded with vancomycin demonstrated accelerated acute wound healing. This achievement reveals that this multi-functional hydrogel may be a promising drug-delivery device for improving the efficacy of local antibiotic therapy. • Chitosan derivative was successfully synthesized. • The designed hydrogel has excellent swelling property, blood clotting activity and biocompatibility. • The designed hydrogel efficiently and continuously released drug. • The designed hydrogel had great treatment for wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the earliest noticeable manifestation and diagnosis in patients diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) epididymitis/epididymo-orchitis incidentally and to analyze their responses to surgical and medical treatment.Methods: Patients who underwent surgery for the preliminary impression of chronic epididymitis/epididymo-orchitis or epididymal/testicular tumor from 2000 to 2019 were included in the study. The clinical presentations, laboratory data, radiological examinations, and operative findings were analyzed retrospectively. The outcomes were assessed by the responses to anti-TB chemotherapy and post treatment radiographic evaluations.Results: All of our 25 patients with a mean age of 60.6 years were diagnosed incidentally with TB epididymitis (48.0%) and TB epididymo-orchitis (52.0%) according to the histopathological findings from their surgeries. The presence of a palpable scrotal mass (76.0%), was the major presentation. Nineteen (76.0%) patients had undergone complete chemotherapy after the surgery and 15 (78.9%) patients showed complete recovery. Four (21.1%) patients had unfavorable outcomes, 3 had TB autonephrectomies and 1 required re-surgery years after complete chemotherapy. Of the 3 (12.0%) patients who did not receive chemotherapy after their surgeries, 1 had a TB relapse in the spine and lung and 1 developed bladder cancer years later.Conclusion: Tuberculosis epididymitis/epididymo-orchitis is difficult to diagnose. However, some clinical clues can assist including aged patients, extragenital TB histories, poor responses to antibiotic treatment and scrotal skin lesion. Complete anti-TB chemotherapy is mandatory even after the total removal of TB lesion. Supplemental surgical interventions can be considered when the symptoms are not relieved after chemotherapy. Lifespan follow-up is recommended due to high relapse rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Somatic Sertoli cells constitute the microenvironment and produce essential substances, to support male germ cell development and maturation in testis. We previously found that ascorbic acid treatment of porcine immature Sertoli cells enhances its proliferation and secretion of reproductive hormones and metabolites, and reprograms the global transcriptome. Proteomics is a powerful tool to systematically profile the underlying protein changes. Here, by employing the TMT-based quantitative proteomics method, we identified 96 and 64 significantly up- and down-regulated proteins in porcine immature Sertoli cells treated by ascorbic acid, respectively. Gene enrichment (GO and KEGG) and protein-protein interaction analyses revealed important molecular pathways (dioxygenase activity, sterol biosynthetic process, PI3K-Akt, negative regulation of peptide hormone secretion, extracellular matrix etc.). Further validation of three proteins, HMGCS1 (cholesterol synthesis), P4HA1 (glycolysis) and KDM5A (demethylation of histone 3 at lysine 4), confirmed their significant differential abundance, respectively. Taken together, our findings show that ascorbic acid can alter multiple important protein molecules and related signaling pathways, which could explain partially phenotypic changes (proliferation, apoptosis, nucleic acid methylation, lactate and reproductive hormone secretion) of porcine immature Sertoli cells as induced by ascorbic acid. • Ascorbic acid could induce 96 and 64 significantly up- and down-regulated proteins in porcine immature Sertoli cells. • Enrichment found important signaling pathways, such as extracellular matrix component, steroid biosynthesis and PI3K-Akt. • HMGCS1, P4HA1 and KDM5A involved in important signaling pathways were validated using immunofluorescence and western blots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive multiscale analysis was conducted to explore the effects of different ratios of these materials on its properties. The results show that KC played a crucial role in controlling solution viscosity and gel and sol temperatures. The dissolution time at high water temperatures primarily decreased with an increase in SA content. Higher KC and CS content increased tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (ε), while also exhibiting better thermal stability. Water vapor transmission (WVT) and permeability (PV) initially decreased, then increased with the increase of SA and CS contents. Finally, an SA:KC:CS ratio of 1:3:2 showed optimal comprehensive properties, with a dissolution time of about 60.0 ± 3.8 s, TS of 23.80 ± 0.29 MPa, ε of 18.61 ± 0.34 %, WVT of 21.74 ± 0.62 g/m2·24h, and PV of 5.39 ± 0.17 meq/kg. Meanwhile, the SA:KC:CS edible food packaging only introduced minimal effects on food after dissolution, and the total bacterial count met regulatory standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High-precision energies for species were calculated at the CCSD(T)/CBS level. • Rate constants were calculated for eight CO 2 -related reactions over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. • Calculations are reliable by comparing them with the experimental and theoretical reports. CO 2 -related reactions and their species play an important role in atmospheric and radiolysis chemistry. However, there remains a lack of temperature and pressure dependent reaction rates for many chemical reactions that are necessary for constructing relevant reaction mechanisms. 8 important atmospheric and radiolysis chemical reactions are investigated theoretically at the rev-DSD/j3z, CCSD/ACCD and CCSD(T)/CBS levels. The temperature, pressure-dependent rate constants are obtained by the RRKM/ME method, which show a reasonable agreement with the reported values. Based on our results, the mechanisms of correlation reaction of CO 2 reaction network are refined and provide guidance for studying the directed conversion of CO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a new electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor was constructed with highly efficient polymerized carbon dots (PCDs) as ECL emitter and the improved localized catalytic hairpin assembly (L-CHA) as signal amplifier for ultrasensitive detection of microRNA-222 (miRNA-222). Impressively, compared to the traditional carbon dots with inefficient blue region ECL emission, PCDs with N, O co-dope and large conjugated π-system showed high electrical conductivity, narrow band gap and strong radiative transition, which could exhibit high ECL efficiency to improve the sensitivity of detection and long wavelength ECL emission to achieve deep tissue penetration for reducing biological damage. Furthermore, the trace target miRNA-222 could be efficiently converted into large amounts of output DNA labelled with the quencher dopamine (S-DA) through the L-CHA reaction to significantly enhance the target amplification efficiency for further improving the sensitivity of detection. Thus, the ECL biosensor could achieve the ultrasensitive detection of miRNA-222 from 100 aM to 100 pM with the detection limit of 76 aM. Therefore, this work proposed a novel CDs with high ECL efficiency and long wavelength ECL emission, which not only was used to build an ultrasensitive biosensor for biomolecules detection in clinical diagnosis, but also served as a potential emitter for ECL bioimaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive multiscale analysis was conducted to explore the effects of different ratios of these materials on its properties. The results show that KC played a crucial role in controlling solution viscosity and gel and sol temperatures. The dissolution time at high water temperatures primarily decreased with an increase in SA content. Higher KC and CS content increased tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (ε), while also exhibiting better thermal stability. Water vapor transmission (WVT) and permeability (PV) initially decreased, then increased with the increase of SA and CS contents. Finally, an SA:KC:CS ratio of 1:3:2 showed optimal comprehensive properties, with a dissolution time of about 60.0 ± 3.8 s, TS of 23.80 ± 0.29 MPa, ε of 18.61 ± 0.34 %, WVT of 21.74 ± 0.62 g/m2·24h, and PV of 5.39 ± 0.17 meq/kg. Meanwhile, the SA:KC:CS edible food packaging only introduced minimal effects on food after dissolution, and the total bacterial count met regulatory standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isopropanol possessed enormous significance across various application fields from industry to healthcare. Detecting isopropanol was essential in leak detection and diagnosis of disease because it can assist diagnose of lung cancer and guarantee safety in industrial environment via discerning potential leaks. In this research, a simple hydrothermal method and subsequent sacrificial template strategy were used to fabricate in-situ growth SnO 2 nanotube arrays (SnO 2 NTs). Next, SnO 2 NTs was decorated with boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) in order to enhance the gas-sensing performances of the SnO 2 NTs. The BN/12-SnO 2 NTs exhibited the highest response (s = R a /R g) of up to 7.9 for 100ppm IPA, which was 2.7 times that of the 12-SnO 2 NTs. The response and recovery times of the SnO 2 NTs-based sensor were around 10 s and 8 s, respectively. The optimal working temperature of BN-SnO 2 NTs was 260 ℃, which was significantly lower than that of the pure SnO 2 NTs sensor (320 ℃). The improved sensing performances were largely attributed to the sensitization effects of BNQDs and the one-dimensional hollow structure of SnO 2 NTs, which brought about the generation of more oxygen-active species on the surface of BN-SnO 2 NTs and a significant decrease in the activation energy of the redox reaction. [Display omitted] • A simple sol-gel, hydrothermal, and sacrificial template strategy were used to fabricate in-situ growth SnO 2 nanotube arrays (SnO 2 NTs) with three different length-to-diameter ratios. Next, SnO 2 NTs sensitized with BNQDs was synthesized in situ. • The optimum operating temperature of the SnO 2 NTs sensor sensitized with BNQDs was reduced from 320 ℃ to 260 ℃ compared with the pristine SnO 2 NTs. And the gas-sensitive response to isopropanol for BN/12-SnO 2 NTs was 2.7 times that of the pristine 12-SnO 2 NTs. • The SnO 2 NTs sensitized by BNQDs exhibited fast response and recovery times, low detection limit, excellent selectivity, and good stability to isopropanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental scale and sampling precision are the main factors limiting the accuracy of migration and transformation assessments of complex petroleum-based contaminants in groundwater. In this study, a mesoscale indoor aquifer device with high environmental fidelity and monitoring accuracy was constructed, in which dissolved toluene and trichloroethylene were used as typical contaminants in a 1.5-year contaminant migration experiment. The process was divided into five stages, namely, pristine, injection, accumulation, decrease, and recovery, and characteristics such as differences in contaminant migration, the responsiveness of environmental factors, and changes in microbial communities were investigated. The results demonstrated that the mutual dissolution properties of the contaminants increased the spread of the plume and confirmed that toluene possessed greater mobility and natural attenuation than trichloroethylene. Attenuation of the contaminant plume proceeded through aerobic degradation, nitrate reduction, and sulfate reduction phases, accompanied by negative feedback from characteristic ion concentrations, dissolved oxygen content, the oxidation-reduction potential and microbial community structure of the groundwater. This research evaluated the migration and transformation characteristics of typical petroleum-based pollutants, revealed the response mechanism of the ecosystem to pollutant, provided a theoretical basis for predicting pollutant migration and formulating control strategies. [Display omitted] • Toluene and trichloroethylene properties lead to distinct fates in groundwater. • Pristine groundwater ecosystem exhibits high resistance to organic contamination. • The natural decay rate of toluene is 3.32-4.17 times that of trichloroethylene. • Physicochemical indicators are sensitive and responsive to contaminants. • The microbe-mediated transformation of contaminants is regulated by substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Enhanced CuHCF performance due to MWCNTs, improving charge transfer. • Ion selectivity sequence determined: K + > Ca2+ > Na+ > Mg2+. • Voltage control modulates CuHCF@CNT ion selectivity factor. This study utilizes a simple co-precipitation method to synthesize copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (denoted as CuHCF@CNTs) serving as superior electrode materials for the electrochemical deionization (ECDI) application, a versatile method for brackish water deionization, water softening, and heavy metal removal. The enhanced performance of CuHCF, one of the Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) with typical Faradaic cation-capturing capability, is attributed to the increased charge transfer and a large surface area provided by multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for the promoting the utilization of CuHCF units within the composites. The ion selectivity of electrode materials is investigated using both batch and microfluidic reactors, revealing a selectivity sequence of K + > Ca2+ > Na+ > Mg2+. Additionally, this study introduces a novel approach for controlling the ion selectivity of CuHCF@CNT from the operating voltage. By varying the cell voltage, the selectivity factor, β K/Mg , can be increased from 1.7 at 1.2 V to 4.5 at 0.6 V. Our research offers a new perspective on the ion-capturing selectivity of ECDI systems using Faradaic materials in deionization and ion-concentrating applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GO/Co@CNN membrane with an appropriate interlayer spacing and loading yield can effectively separate methyl blue (MB) and activate potassium peroxomonosulfonate (PMS) to oxidize methyl blue by an advanced oxidation process (AOP). [Display omitted] • GO membranes intercalated with Co@CNN were developed. • The interlayer spacing of the GO/Co@CNN membranes can be tuned by loading yield. • The membranes can efficiently remove MB from water and renewed by AOP. Membrane separation technology has been widely used in wastewater recycling. Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have been widely developed, but membrane fouling is still a serious challenge. Here, GO-based membranes intercalated with Co-anchored graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet (Co@CNN) were prepared by a vacuum-filtrated assembly strategy. The resulting GO/Co@CNN membrane with an appropriate interlayer d -spacing (0.81 nm) and loading yield (0.30 ± 0.03 mg/cm2) can effectively separate methyl blue (MB) with a flux of 66.9 ± 2.7 L m-2h−1 under 1 bar, although the membrane has been fouled due to the adsorption of MB on the sample. Co@CNN can activate potassium peroxymonosulfat (PMS) to generate multiple active free radicals for the oxidation of MB via an advanced oxidation process (AOP). Therefore, the fouled membrane renews and can be employed to deal with wastewater repeatedly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, one water soluble polysaccharide (IOP1–1) with a weight average molecular weight of 6886 Da was obtained from the black crystal region of Inonotus obliquus by hot water extraction, DEAE-52 cellulose extraction and Sephadex-100 column chromatography purification. Structural analysis indicated that IOP1–1 was a glucan with a main chain composed of α-Glc p -(1 → 4)-α-Glc p -(1 → 4)-β-Glc p -(1 → 4)-β-Glc p- (1 → 4)-α-Glc p- (1 → 6)-β-Glc p- (1 → 4)-α-Glc p- (1 → 3)-β-Glc p- (1→. The CCK-8 assay results showed that IOP1–1 inhibited AsPC-1 and SW1990 pancreatic cancer cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that IOP1–1 induced cell cycle arrest in AsPC-1 and SW1990 cells. Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining analysis showed that IOP1–1 could induce apoptosis in AsPC-1 and SW1990 cells. Furthermore, western blot analysis confirmed that IOP1–1 could induce apoptosis in AsPC-1 and SW1990 pancreatic cancer cells through three pathways: the mitochondrial pathway, the death receptor pathway, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. According to these research data, IOP1–1 may be utilized as an adjuvant treatment to anticancer medications, opening up new application prospects and opportunities. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-solvent-induced phase separation is a significantly important method for the fabrication of polymer membranes for water treatment. However, the rather short time of phase separation causes serious trouble for engineering repeatable and controllable surfaces, which affects the separation performances of the membranes. Here, vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS) with a broad time window for membrane formation was employed for the fabrication of polyvinylidene difluoride- graft -poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PVDF- g -PNIPAM) membranes. Efforts were made to study the effects of exposure time of a liquid film to water vapor (t e), relative humidity of water vapor (RH), dissolution temperature of the polymer (T d), and other parameters on the microstructures of the obtained membranes. It can be found that membranes tend to evolve from dense/smooth to porous/rough with t e , RH , and T d , which is associated with the development of the crystallinity and the β -crystal of PVDF. Furthermore, the pure water flux of membranes with spherical-like surfaces increases significantly, despite hydrophobicity surfaces, highlighting the efficiency of the pore structure. The rough membranes were further decorated with hydrophilic β -FeOOH nanorods, which endowed the surfaces with underwater superoleophobicity, exhibiting anti-oil fouling and efficient separation for oil-in-water emulsion. Overall, the present work suggests that the VIPS process can be readily employed to construct PVDF membranes with controllable surface microstructures, which provides an excellent platform for further modification. [Display omitted] • Microstructures of membranes can be controlled effectively by VIPS. • Membranes tend to evolve from dense/smooth to porous/rough with t e , RH , and T d. • Rough membrane is used to construct underwater superoleophobic surface by loading β -FeOOH) nanorods. • The composite membranes are featured with both high flux and anti-oil fouling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ultra-dry C/W foam reduced reservoir permeability and decreased its heterogeneity. • The ability of residual foam to plug cores was stable. • Parallel-core experiment and COMSOL simulation verified good plugging of the foam. For oil recovery in low-permeability oil fields, ultra-dry CO 2 foam flooding possesses the dual advantages of pure CO 2 flooding and surfactant flooding, and is also effective for CO 2 storage. Herein, ultra-dry CO 2 -in-water (C/W) foam with 10 v/v% water content was used for core plugging and to decrease the heterogeneity of oil reservoirs. The resistance coefficient (R f) and residual resistance coefficient (R ff) characterizing the foam-plugged cores were measured at different foam existence times (different times after forming the foam) and for cores with different permeabilities. As the foam existence time increased, the non-uniformity of the foam intensified, resulting in a decrease in its ability to plug cores. Specifically, the resistance coefficient (R f) decreased from 12.179 to 6.802, while the residual resistance coefficient (R ff) decreased from 7.149 to 3.809. With a decrease in the core permeability, R f decreased from 26.525 to 10.398, R ff decreased from 17.313 to 4.230, and the ability of the foam to plug cores decreased, indicating that the ultra-dry C/W foam could effectively plug the high-permeability layer and decreasing the reservoir heterogeneity. Based on the distribution of foam and pore size, three plugging mechanisms were proposed: single-bubble bridge, multi-bubble accumulation and foam compression, deformation and rupture. Additionally, a scale factor I (I = R ff / R f) was introduced to evaluate the stability of the residual foam in the plugged core. After different existence times, the value of I for the foam injected into the core was stable at 0.55–0.6, indicating good stability of the foam. Finally, oil recovery in parallel cores was evaluated and two-phase flow was simulated based on the phase-field method, which further proved that the ultra-dry C/W foam can effectively decrease the reservoir heterogeneity and enhance oil recovery in the low-permeability zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To uncover the microscopic reaction mechanisms of dimethyl ether (DME) pyrolysis and oxidation, reactive molecular dynamics simulations were employed to investigate the reaction processes under various O 2 /DME ratios and impurity environments at 2200 K–3200 K. The results show that DME pyrolysis begins with a decomposition reaction of CH 3 OCH 3 → CH 3 O + CH 3 , ultimately leading to the formation of CO, H 2 and PAHs. The reaction pathways of DME oxidation contain light gas conversion and combustion. In fuel rich conditions, the oxidation produces mainly H 2 and CO, while in fuel lean conditions, the oxidation products tend to be H 2 O and CO 2. The carbon components of DME are completely converted into CO 2 and CO regardless of O 2 content. In the presence of impurities H 2 O or CO 2 , the oxidation reaction pathway is altered, causing consumption and transformation of these impurities into active radicals such as OH, further promoting the progress of the reaction. The top three light gases produced are hydrogen, methanol and methane, and increasing H 2 production in the DME oxidation process can be achieved through both oxygen subtraction and water addition. The rate of formaldehyde generation during pyrolysis is higher than that during oxidation. However, a higher oxygen content leads to increased formaldehyde production. • Reaction pathways of DME pyrolysis and oxidation were determined. • Dynamic evolution of reactants and products in DME pyrolysis and oxidation was observed. • Effects of O 2 /fuel ratio and H 2 O/CO 2 impurity on DME oxidation were clarified. • Light gas conversion during DME pyrolysis and oxidation was explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression ranks as the fourth most prevalent global disease, with suicide incidents occurring at a younger age. Sulpiride (SUL), an atypical antidepressant drug acting as a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist and possessing anti-inflammatory properties, exhibits limited ability to penetrate the blood brain barrier (BBB). This weak penetration hampers its inhibitory effect on prolactin release in the pituitary gland, consequently leading to hyperprolactinemia. In order to enhance the central nervous system efficacy of sulpiride and reduce serum prolactin levels, we covalently linked sulpiride to VPALR derived from the nuclear DNA repair protein ku70. In vivo study on depressive mice using intraperitoneal injection of VPALR-SUL demonstrated a significant increase in struggle time and total distance compared to those treated with only sulpiride while also reducing serum prolactin concentration. The pharmacokinetic study results showed that VPALR-SUL prolonged half-life and increased bioavailability. In conclusion, VPALR-SUL exhibited potential for enhancing sulpiride transport across the BBB, augmenting its antidepressant effects, and reducing serum prolactin levels. This study laid a foundation for improving sulpiride delivery and developing novel antidepressants. [Display omitted] • Conjugation of sulpiride with a cell-penetrating peptide VPALR for antidepressant. • VPALR-SUL augmented the antidepressant efficacy and diminished serum prolactin levels. • VPALR-SUL exhibited potential for enhancing sulpiride transport across the blood-brain barrier. • VPALR-SUL increased struggle time and total distance compared to those treated with sulpiride. • This study laid a foundation for developing novel antidepressants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Enhanced nonlinear optical properties were observed in Mo 4/3 B 2 T 2 /TiO 2 vdW heterostructure. • The enhancement is due to the carrier migration in the heterostructure. • Stable conventional soliton and harmonic solitons output are experimentally demonstrated by using Mo 4/3 B 2 T 2 /TiO 2 heterostructure SA. Van der Waals heterostructure have garnered significant interest in ultrafast laser generation because of their attractive saturable absorption properties, holding promise for application in optics, medicine, and optoelectronics. In this study, the saturable absorption properties of TiO 2 , Mo 4/3 B 2 T 2 , and Mo 4/3 B 2 T 2 /TiO 2 vdW heterostructure SAs are investigated. The integration of the SAs into the cavity reveals the observation of fundamentally conventional solitons. The output characteristics of conventional solitons based on three SAs are recorded. These results suggest that the saturable absorption of Mo 4/3 B 2 T 2 /TiO 2 vdW heterostructure is enhanced obviously compared with that of Mo 4/3 B 2 T 2 and TiO 2. Furthermore, 2nd-, 4th-, and 5th-order harmonic solitons are achieved, corresponding to the repetition rate of 20.36 MHz, 42.71 MHz, and 53.39 MHz, respectively. We established a model in order to understand the saturable absorption properties of the Mo 4/3 B 2 T 2 /TiO 2 , which suggests the enhancements of the saturable absorption are attributed to the carrier migration between Mo 4/3 B 2 T 2 and TiO 2. Our results indicate that Mo 4/3 B 2 T 2 /TiO 2 vdW heterostructure can be used as an excellent nonlinear optical material, which can be used as an SA in ultrafast pulse generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-stage chance-constrained program (CCP) is studied for a refinery optimization problem. In stage-I, the refinery decision-makers determine the type and quantity of crude oil procurement under operational uncertainties to maximize the expected profit under all possibilities. In stage-II, process unit flowrates are adjusted based on the realized uncertainties and available crude oil, while introducing probabilistic constraints to manage the off-spec risk. To solve such a two-stage optimization problem, we propose a novel approach using Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to characterize uncertainties, and piecewise linear decision rule for stage-II operations. Comparing to the conventional scenario-based mixed-integer linear program (MILP), our new approach offers three advantages. First, it leverages a well-developed global optimization scheme for joint CCP to avoid scenario generation and potential bias. Second, the data-driven GMM enables CCP to handle uncertainties with general distributions. Third, the stage-II variables are parameterized via Gaussian component induced piecewise linear decision rule to strike an excellent trade-off between optimality and computational time. A simplified refinery plant, consisting of distillation, cracker, reformer, isomerization, and desulfurization units, is used as a test bed to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed optimization method in solution time, probabilistic feasibility, and optimality over the large-scale scenario-based MILP. • The refinery optimization is formulated as a two-stage chance-constrained program. • The parameter uncertainties are modeled by the Gaussian mixture model. • A piecewise linear decision rule is applied for stage-II operations. • An efficient global optimization algorithm is developed and tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A chiral MOP [Cu 12 (L V) 12 (H 2 O) 12 ] as a novel stationary phase for GC separations. • The MOP coated column exhibited good resolution ability towards various enantiomers. • Multiple types of mixtures including n-alkanes, alkylbenzenes, n-alcohols, and isomers were well separated on the MOP coated column. Metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs), as a novel class of porous materials, exhibit distinctive application potential in molecular recognition, separation, catalysis, luminescent materials, drug delivery, and biomedicine owing to their tunable geometric shape and size, well-defined cavities, and discrete characteristics. In this study, we report that a chiral MOP [Cu 12 (L V) 12 (H 2 O) 12 ] (V = L-valine) coated capillary column was used for gas chromatographic separations. The MOP coated capillary column offered the efficient separation of n-alkanes, alkylbenzenes, n-alcohols, multiple types of isomers, and enantiomers with high selectivity. Various enantiomers including esters, halogenated hydrocarbons, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, and amino acid derivatives were well resolved on this chiral column, especially for some amino acid derivatives (e.g., Rs = 5.24 for tyrosine derivative). Compared with the commercial β- DEX 120 column for separation of the tested racemates, the chiral resolution performance of the MOP coated column can be complementary to that of β -DEX 120 column. Using 1,2-dichloropropane and o, m, p -dichlorobenzene as analytes, the MOP coated column exhibited good stability and reproducibility for gas chromatographic separations. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the retention time and peak area for repeated separation of 1, 2-dichloropropane and o, m, p -dichlorobenzene were less than 1.15 and 0.79 %, respectively. The results show that the chiral MOP holds great potential as a novel type of CSP for application in gas chromatography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rehydration is a primary adaptation strategy for alleviating the detrimental effects of drought on crop growth. However, the effects of rehydration on microbial communities in various compartments under drought conditions remain poorly understood. Herein, we explored the response patterns of bacterial and fungal community composition, diversity, ecological network, and assembly process in the bulk soil and rhizosphere of broomcorn millet farmland at 5, 10, 20, and 30 days after rehydration during drought conditions. Compared to drought, rehydration significantly decreased the organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), available potassium (AK), available phosphorus (AP), nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 --N), and ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 +-N) contents in rhizosphere, but had no obvious influences on the OM and TN contents in bulk soil on the four sampling days. In the rhizosphere of broomcorn millet field, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were enriched in drought condition, but Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were enriched in rehydration regime. Compared to drought, the relative abundances of Eurotiomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Mortierellomycetes, and Leotiomycetes were enhanced, but Sordariomycetes was reduced on the 5th and 10th days after rehydration. Rehydration increased the bacterial and fungal observed ASVs and Shannon index in the rhizosphere to varying degrees, but had little effect on the bulk soil. Null-model analysis indicated that rehydration deceased the stochastic process of fungal communities in the bulk soil, whereas had no influence on deterministic process of bacterial community in the bulk soil and rhizosphere. More importantly, rhizosphere properties had a greater impact on the bacterial and fungal community composition, diversity, and assembly process than bulk soil. Network analysis revealed that rehydration improved the interconnected taxa in the rhizosphere bacterial network, but reduced microbial interactions in the rhizosphere fungal network compared to drought. This work provides a theoretical foundation for elucidating the role of rehydration regime in governing the ecological services of microbiome of broomcorn millet farmland under drought conditions. • Rehydration had a greater effect on the microbial composition and structure of rhizosphere than bulk soil. • Rehydration increased the taxa interconnectivity of the rhizosphere bacterial network. • Rehydration decreased the dispersal limitation in the stochastic process of fungal communities in bulk soil. • Rhizosphere properties affected the microbial community composition, diversity, and assembly process more than bulk soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk high-temperature superconductors are widely used in various superconducting devices for their high critical current density and the ability to trap large magnetic field. In some applications, bulk superconductors can be arranged in an array structure to increase the magnetic field strength. However, rectangular bulk superconductors can be arranged more compactly than commonly used cylindrical bulk superconductors. The unique shape of rectangular bulk superconductors results in different distributions of electromagnetic fields, temperature, and stress under a pulsed-field magnetization (PFM) than for cylindrical bulk superconductors. In bulk superconductors, growth sector boundaries and growth sector regions have different critical current density, resulting in an uneven critical current density. Therefore, in this study, the electromagnetic and mechanical behavior of non-uniform rectangular bulk superconductors during the PFM process is investigated. The corresponding distribution and variation in the magnetic field, current, temperature, and stress in the bulk are calculated and analyzed. The influence of rectangle aspect ratio on the electromagnetic and mechanical behavior is discussed. The calculation results show that the magnetic flux jumps occur accompanied by sudden changes in the temperature and pressure. The effect of the aspect ratio of rectangular bulk superconductors on their electromagnetic and mechanical properties is analyzed. The influence of preexisting cracks in a non-uniform rectangular bulk superconductor on the simulation results is discussed. The numerical results indicate that the presence of an edge crack exacerbates the magnetic flux jump as well as the jumps in the temperature and stress. However, a central crack has a relatively small effect on the stability of a bulk superconductor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water quality assessment is a crucial step in water resource management and pollution prevention, and is essential for achieving sustainable development. Current methods for evaluating water quality often fall short of meeting the needs of water resource management due to the lacks of accuracy and applicability. In this paper, an enhanced water quality evaluation system was established by Principal Component Analysis / Factor Analysis (PCA/FA), Analytic Hierarchy Process / Entropy Weight Method / Game Theory (AHP/EWM/GT) and Variable Fuzzy Set Theory (VFST). The accuracy of this method was verified by evaluating the water quality of a landfill in a karst area and comparing with the conventional evaluation models. The results indicated that the highest influence on groundwater quality in the study area came from human factor, dissolved solid factor, biological factor, and nutritional factor. The quality of surface water and groundwater in the study area was primarily Grade Ⅱ, accounting for 62.5% and 75%, respectively. The predominant groundwater type was HCO 3 -Ca·Mg, which was strongly affected by karstification. The NH 3 -N and TP in the surface water had the highest variability, and the variation coefficients of K+, Na+, Ca2+, Cl−, NH 3 -N, NO 3 −, TDS, and TH in the groundwater were greater than 1. The surface water quality gradually improved between 2018 and 2019. Overall, the groundwater quality in the southern and central regions was inferior to that in the northern and surrounding areas. There could be a hydraulic link between the surface water and landfill in the research location, while karstification and leachate primarily impacted the groundwater. The water quality evaluation method established in this study can make a significant contribution to water resource management, which has important practical significance for environmental protection and indirect social value to the public. [Display omitted] • PCA/FA is used to reduce the dimension and determine the evaluation index. • The comprehensive weight is obtained by GT coupling AHP and EWM. • An improved VFST water quality evaluation model is established and verified. • The hydrochemical features and water-quality temporospatial variation are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Consortial biofouling control of QSI-modified SWRO membrane is firstly reported. • The regulation of QSIs on seawater microbial community assemblages was evaluated. • MA suppressed the propagation of Proteobacteria strains on membrane surface. • MA decreased the abundance of genes coding QS and EPS biosynthesis. • Anti-QS mechanism of MA_m might be the binding of MA with to periplasmic receptor. Membrane biofouling is a challenge to be solved for the stable operation of the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membrane. This study explored the regulation mechanism of quorum sensing (QS) inhibition on microbial community composition and population-level behaviors in seawater desalination membrane biofouling. A novel antibiofouling SWRO membrane (MA_m) by incorporating one of quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs), methyl anthranilate (MA) was prepared. It exhibited enhanced anti-biofouling performance than the exogenous addition of QSIs, showing long-term stability and alleviating 22 % decrease in membrane flux compared with the virgin membrane. The results observed that dominant bacteria Epsilon- and Gamma-proteobacteria (Shewanella, Olleya, Colwellia, and Arcobacter), which are significantly related to (P ≤ 0.01) the metabolic products (i.e., polysaccharides, proteins and eDNA), are reduced by over 80 % on the MA_m membrane. Additionally, the introduction of MA has a more significant impact on the QS signal-sensing pathway through binding to the active site of the transmembrane sensor receptor. It effectively reduces the abundance of genes encoding QS and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) (exopolysaccharides (i.e., galE and nagB) and amino acids (i.e., ilvE, metH, phhA , and serB)) by up to 50 % and 30 %, respectively, resulting in a reduction of EPS by more than 50 %, thereby limiting the biofilm formation on the QSI-modified membrane. This study provides novel insights into the potential of QSIs to control consortial biofilm formation in practical SWRO applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• NPs entered the intracellular region and caused plasmolysis and cytoplasm outflow. • NPs stimulated the initial cell attachment and aggravated NF membrane biofouling. • Low NPs exposure promoted cell secretion, quorum sensing and homologous recombination. • High NPs condition induced cell lysis, metabolic inactivation and genomic DNA damage. The release of nanoplastics (NPs) into the environment is growing due to the extensive use of plastic products. Numerous studies have confirmed the negative effects of NPs on microorganisms, which poses uncertainties concerning their impact on nanofiltration (NF) membrane biofouling. This study investigated the initial cell adhesion process, NF membrane biofouling kinetic processes and bacterial responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) exposed to varied NPs concentrations (0–50 mg·L−1). Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that low concentration of NPs (0.1 mg·L−1) promoted bacterial quorum sensing, energy metabolism, exopolysaccharide biosynthesis and bacterial secretion systems. Correspondingly, the polysaccharide content increased remarkably to 2.77 times the unexposed control, which served as a protective barrier for bacteria to avoid the impact of NPs-induced stress. Suppressed homologous recombination, microbial metabolic potentials and flagellar assembly were detected in bacteria exposed to a high concentration (50 mg·L−1) of NPs, mainly due to the triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, genomic DNA damage, and decreased energy production. Overall, enhanced formation of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and aggravated membrane flux decline were observed when NPs interacted with the membrane surface by cell secretions (low NPs levels) or cell lysis (high NPs levels). These findings shed light on understanding the microbial metabolism mechanism and membrane biofouling propensity with NPs stress at both the molecular and gene levels. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy use between urban and rural areas is very important in the context of the global energy transition and climate change. However, it is difficult to measure the differences and inequalities in energy consumption due to data limitations. In this paper, a dataset distinguishing urban-rural energy consumption has been generated. We construct an energy inequality index (EI) to assess the difference in per capita energy consumption (PEC) between urban and rural areas. We find that the EI has decreased significantly from 10.42 in 2000 to 1.43 in 2020. Western China has a higher EI than the developed coastal areas. We further define 7 urban-rural types and find that the urban center has the highest PEC, while the rural cluster has the lowest. Cluster analysis shows that prefectures have different equalization trends, namely volatile decline, rapid decline, increase before decline, incremental decline. The urban-rural structure plays an important role in the different trends, and 4 modes of urban-rural energy consumption are summarized, namely urban-centered, urban-suburban double-centered, multi-centered and rural-biased. These results are valuable for understanding the energy consumption between urban and rural China. • A dataset distinguishing urban-rural per capita energy consumption (PEC) has been generated. • China's urban-rural energy inequality has decreased from 10.42 in 2000 to 1.43 in 2020. • Western China are facing a more urban-rural energy inequality than the developed coastal areas. • Among the 7 defined types, urban center ranked highest PEC, while rural cluster ranked lowest. • 4 modes of urban-rural energy consumption are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A high-precision and high-efficiency intelligent inspection system for aspheric lenses was developed. • An image acquisition and preprocessing system was designed based on four-step phase-shifted grating optical imaging and Fourier low-pass filtering. • An intelligent identification and localization algorithm for multi-scale defects in aspherical lenses was designed based on regression loss and lightweight feature selection network. • The detection system achieves a global accuracy of 96.3 %, an accuracy of 63.8 % for tiny defects detection, as well as a single-image detection time of 24.9 ms, which is a significant improvement in terms of accuracy and efficiency compared with existing methods. Existing methods struggle to fulfill the demand for fast and precise detection of multi-scale faults in aspheric lenses. A high accuracy and efficiency intelligent detection system for aspheric lenses is developed, which utilizes four-step phase-shifted grating optical imaging and Fourier low-pass filtering as image acquisition and preprocessing systems. Accurate and efficient defect feature extraction methods are designed based on regression loss and lightweight feature selection networks, and the model's ability to learn multi-scale defect information is improved. Finally, experimental tests were conducted based on the self-constructed multi-scale defect datasets of aspheric lenses. The results show that the detection system achieves a global accuracy of 96.3 %, an accuracy of 63.8 % for tiny defects detection, as well as a single-image detection time of 24.9 ms, which is a significant improvement in terms of accuracy and efficiency compared with existing methods. Therefore, the intelligent detection system can be widely applied to defect detection in aspheric lenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum network coding can effectively alleviate bottlenecks in quantum networks thus improving the transmission efficiency and the throughput of the quantum network. Although various quantum network coding protocols have been constructed, most of them focus mainly on addressing the communication congestion issue of simultaneously transmitting single-qubit states via the bottleneck channel in quantum networks. In this paper, a protocol for the quantum two-pair unicast transmission of multi-particle states using quantum time-bin multiplexing is proposed. Parallel entanglement is established in a heralded way between two-dimensional quantum memories (QMs) of intermediate nodes by transmitting a high-dimensional encoded single photon via the bottleneck channel. Then the quantum unicast transmission of multi-particle states can be achieved by using quantum teleportation and the resultant entangled pairs. Additionally, a security enhanced protocol is presented when dishonest intermediate nodes or outside eavesdroppers are taken into account. No alternative measurements are needed to check security. This makes the present protocol cost-effective and efficient. Compared with existing methods, no pre-shared entangled states are required. This provides a new perspective for the development of quantum networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Two generations of sphalerite were identified in the Ashele Cu-Zn ores. • The ore-fluid evolution at Ashele is recorded by sphalerite geochemistry. • Sulfur isotopes show a magma and TSR-derived sulfur source. • Sulfide geochemistry has the potential to guide mineral exploration. The Ashele Cu-Zn deposit is one of the largest and most typical VMS-type Cu-Zn deposits in the Chinese Altai Mountains, Central Asian Orogenic Belt. The ore-forming processes of the Ashele deposit remains elusive, with particular uncertainties surrounding the physicochemical conditions underpinning their formation. In this study, major and trace element concentrations of the two types of sphalerite and sulfide sulfur isotopic compositions have been analyzed to constrain the mineralization conditions and ore genesis. Two stages of sphalerite have been identified, i.e., euhedral sphalerite of the early Cu mineralization stage (Sp1) and anhedral sphalerite of the late Zn mineralization stage (Sp2). Results show that Sp1 has relatively higher contents of In, Cu, Sn, and Hg, but lower levels of Cd, Ga, Ge, As, and Ag compared to that of Sp2. Utilizing the sphalerite GGIMFis geothermometer, mineralization temperatures for Sp1 and Sp2 were estimated at 225-296°C (average 258°C) and 166-264°C (average 210°C), respectively. Additionally, the Ashele sphalerite geochemistry suggests a relatively high sulfur fugacity during ore formation (l g f S 2 = −8.99 to −6.55 for Sp1 and −13.58 to −6.83 for Sp2). The findings suggest an evolutionary trend of ore-forming fluids, characterized by a decrease in both temperature and sulfur fugacity from the early Cu mineralization stage to the later Zn mineralization stage. In situ δ34S values of sulfides (sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite) range from 0.84 ‰ to 6.07 ‰, indicating a sulfur origin from the thermochemical reduction of seawater sulfate and leaching of the underlying volcanic rocks, with a minor contribution from direct gas release from shallow magma chambers. Overall, this work unravels the physicochemical transformation between the two identified mineralization stages, thereby enhancing the understanding of the ore-forming process of the Ashele deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is a key cause of liver fibrosis. However, the mechanisms leading to the activation of HSCs are not fully understood. In the pathological process, acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is widely involved in the development of inflammatory diseases, suggesting that ASIC1a may play an important role in liver fibrosis. We found that in an acidic environment, ASIC1a leads to HSC-T6 cell activation. Meanwhile, exosomes produced by activated HSC-T6 cells (HSC-EXOs) can be reabsorbed by quiescent HSC-T6 cells to promote their activation. Exosomes mainly carry miRNAs involved in intercellular information exchange. We performed exosome miRNA whole transcriptome sequencing. The results indicated that the acidic environment could alter the miRNA expression profile in the exosomes of HSC-T6 cells. Further studies revealed that ASIC1a promotes the activation of HSCs by regulating miR-301a-3p targeting B-cell translocation gene 1 (BTG1). In conclusion, our study found that ASIC1a may affect HSC activation through the exosomal miR-301a-3p/BTG1 axis, and inhibiting ASIC1a may be a promising treatment strategy for liver fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]