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Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is an important thermoplastic polymer and a versatile lithographic resist. However, the low heat resistance and low dry-etch resistance seriously restricts the application of PMMA in high-end devices and advanced nanolithography. Herein, methyl methacrylate (MMA) was copolymerized with two comonomers 1-adamantyl methacrylate (AdMA) and 1-acryloyloxy-3-hydroxyadamantane (HAdMA), and a series of copolymers P(AdMA-co-MMA) and P(HAdMA-co-MMA) with different contents of HAdMA were prepared. The UV–Vis, ellipsometer, DSC, TG, and TG–MS techniques were employed to investigate the effects of adamantyl and hydroxyadamantyl substituents on the optical and thermal properties of PMMA. The introduced hydroxyadamantyl not only significantly enhanced the refractive index, but also maintained the high transparency and low dispersion of PMMA. The glass transition temperature and thermal stability of PMMA were also greatly improved by the hydroxyadamantyl. The initial decomposition temperature of PMMA increased from 160 to about 260 ℃ after introducing 5% HAdMA. HAdMA was more effective than AdMA in improving the optical and thermal properties of PMMA. The novel P(HAdMA-co-MMA) copolymer has overcome the shortcomings of traditional PMMA and is anticipated to significantly broaden its range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban agglomerations are emerging as new regional units for national participation in global competition and the international division of labor. However, they face increasingly severe resource and eco-environment pressures during urbanization. The coordination of the relationship between urbanization and the eco-environment has attracted global attention. In this study, we used Coupling Coordination Degree and Vector Autoregression models to examine the dynamic evolution, coupling relationships, coordinated development patterns, and interaction mechanisms between urbanization and the eco-environment. The results indicate that: (1) The level of urbanization in the Chengdu-Chongqing Urban agglomeration was relatively low, and the region showed a good eco-environment background. However, rapid urbanization is gradually straining the carrying capacity of the eco-environment. (2) A close and stable coupling relationship exists between urbanization and the eco-environment, which has reached an advanced coupling stage. The status of coordinated development among cities differs considerably, and multiple stable forms may exist simultaneously. (3) Urbanization has a substantial impact on environmental changes, whereas the restrictive effect of the eco-environment on urbanization development is not particularly notable. (4) Various interactive relationships exist between the urbanization and eco-environment subsystems, including positive promotion and negative constraint effects. The positive promotion effect mainly manifests between the economic, social, and ecological response subsystems, while the negative constraint effect is most evident in the mutual coercion and inhibition between the regional urbanization, economic urbanization, ecological status, and ecological pressure subsystems. These findings have important policy implications for decision makers exploring the path of coordinated and sustainable development in urbanization and the eco-environment in Urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of urbanization and the protection of the ecological environment are important aspects of sustainable development in urban agglomerations; thus, their coordination and synergy are crucial. Scholars in both China and other countries have conducted extensive research on the relationship between urbanization and the ecological environment from the perspective of coordinated development. However, there is a lack of research on the synergistic effects of urbanization and the ecological environment. Taking the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration as an example, this study uses the Haken model to analyze the synergistic evolution mechanism, development patterns, and future trends of urbanization and the ecological environment. This study draws the following conclusions: (1) while a synergistic development mechanism has been established between urbanization and the ecological environment, the current system is still in a stage of low-level synergy, and the control system's parameter for the direction and path of evolution is urbanization. (2) From 2001 to 2020, the level of synergistic development between urbanization and the ecological environment was relatively low, mainly moving from low-level synergy to medium–low-level synergy to medium-level synergy. (3) There is a significant spatial disparity in the levels of synergistic development, for which the leading region centers on Chengdu and Chongqing in the northwest and southeast, respectively, and the lagging region comprises the eastern part of the urban agglomeration, mainly represented by Dazhou, Kaizhou, and Yunyang. (4) The future trend of synergistic development between urbanization and the ecological environment in the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration is promising but requires increased infrastructure construction in mountainous urban areas, enhanced cooperation and circulation in transportation, logistics, information and other aspects, and balanced improvements in the level of synergistic development between urbanization and the ecological environment. The study of the synergistic development effect of urbanization and the ecological environment in urban agglomerations is of great significance for reducing the negative impact of urbanization on the ecological environment, increasing the positive interaction between the two, and promoting sustainable development in urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To elucidate the effect of water film on the behavior of single-crystal cubic silicon carbide (SiC) under nano-indentation, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed in this work. Results showed that a pop-in event occurs during nano-indentation, which is jointly controlled by the atomic amorphization and dislocation nucleation. Compared to substrate without any water film, the depth of the incipient pop-in event of the substrate decreases with the thickness of water film, where the larger the water film thickness, the lower the depth. Therefore, it is concluded that the plasticity of the material is improved with the addition of water film. Besides, the number and length of dislocations of the substrate increase with the water film, and the migration of perfect dislocations in the [110] crystal direction of packed {111} plane also become homogenized. As the water film thickness increases, dislocation activities become more prevalent; however, the recovery of deformed crystal structure gets restrained. Owing to the increase of hydrostatic stress, the sub-surface damage of the substrate is exacerbated with the water film. In addition, the surface bulge of the substrate ascends with the water film. Finally, it is observed that the inhomogeneity of the surface bulge distribution is boosted with increasing water film thickness, while the adhesion of amorphous atoms to the diamond indenter is weakened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium alloy is an indispensable material in many industrial fields owing to its excellent strength, corrosion resistance, and heat resistance. Cutting is an important process in the manufacturing of titanium alloy; thus, it is necessary to monitor titanium alloy cutting, especially the monitoring of cutting tools. Since traditional monitoring is realized through operators, it is affected by the operator's technology and cannot keep up with the modern-day precision manufacturing of titanium alloy. With recent technological developments, more and more attention is being paid to online monitoring, particularly by utilizing the field of machine learning to predict tool life. Accordingly, this paper first describes the challenges encountered in titanium alloy cutting. Then, it introduces the characteristics of several machine learning models and their application in monitoring titanium alloy cutting, along with a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of such algorithms. Finally, an outlook on the future prospects of machine-learning-enabled monitoring of titanium alloy cutting is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two new amino acid imidazole ionic liquids IL‐3 and IL‐4 were synthesized for the first time, and their separation performance as the stationary phase for capillary gas chromatography (GC) was tested. The statically coated IL‐3 and IL‐4 capillary columns exhibited moderate to high polarity, and achieved the column efficiency of 2242 plates/m and 2487 plates/m respectively determined by n‐octanol at 120 °C. Importantly, the IL‐3 and IL‐4 columns exhibited excellent separation capability for analytes with varying polarity, including n‐alkanes, arenes, esters, alcohols, bromoalkanes, halogenobenzenes, and halogenated anilines. In addition, the IL‐3 and IL‐4 columns presented high selectivity and separation capability for positional, structural and cis‐/trans‐isomers. In particular, they showed high separation performance of the chloroaniline, bromaniline, iodoaniline and xylidine isomers as an important environmental pollutant. The IL‐3 and IL‐4 columns displayed advantageous resolving capability over the commercial HP‐35 column for aromatic amine isomers, and the separation performance of IL‐4 with long carbon chain was better than that of IL‐3. Moreover, it was applied to determine isomer impurities in real samples, and showing huge potential in GC applications. This work demonstrates the potential of the amino acid imidazole ionic liquids as a new type of stationary phase in GC separations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of a void will affect the mechanics of the polishing behavior. Therefore, this paper investigated the mechanism of ultraprecision three-body polishing of a single-crystal cubic (3C) silicon carbide workpiece with voids using molecular dynamics simulation. The effects of void size, void shape, void arrangement, and the number of voids on the workpiece during polishing were studied. The results showed that structural transformation is the principal mode of chip formation at the nanoscale. The polishing force and normal stress are reduced when polishing the workpiece with voids, thereby weakening the strength and the ability to resist deformation of the material. In addition, the surface/subsurface damage of the workpiece with voids is exacerbated. The plastic deformation of the workpiece with voids is strengthened due to the high dislocation density, and the atomic removal is improved. This article provides significant guidance for a more thorough understanding of three-body polishing brittle material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the rapid progress of urbanization in China, the percentage of residential energy consumption out of total energy consumption has increased. This paper uses statistical data from 30 Chinese provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) from 2000 to 2020 to analyze the impact of urbanization on residential energy consumption and construct an econometric model to test the mechanism. The empirical tests show that the consumption of direct energy (energy that exists in nature in its original form and has not been transformed) is positively U-shaped about the urbanization rate. Furthermore, the impact of economic development on direct and indirect energy consumption is significantly positive. In contrast, the effects of population agglomeration on immediate energy consumption are adverse, and the indirect energy consumption is positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of increasing accuracy requirements and difficult machining characteristics of silicon carbide materials, this paper proposes new machining method with ultra-high precision. Based on improvement of ultra-precision machining quality by textured surface, specific nano texture was machined on silicon carbide surface. Effects of different texture parameters on polishing force, polishing temperature, potential energy, dislocation, stress and friction coefficient were analyzed. Two typical textures (grooves and pits) with different sizes were compared. Simulation results show that surface morphology, polishing force and friction coefficient are improved with the increase in groove depth and pit depth. The smaller the groove spacing, the better the polishing quality and polishing behavior. In addition, groove texture can effectively inhibit the growth of dislocations and defect atoms during polishing. Compared with non-textured surface, textured silicon carbide surface can improve polishing conditions. It is found that groove texture has more beneficial effect on polishing quality than pit texture with the same size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a new synthetic methodology for preparing functionalized polysiloxanes is highly desirable due to their promising applications in sensors, electronics, and bioimaging. Herein, we present the thiol-epoxy click reaction as an efficient approach for synthesizing novel functionalized polysiloxanes from epoxy-containing polysiloxanes and various thiol compounds. The resultant polysiloxanes exhibit remarkable nonconventional fluorescence, enabling efficient and selective detection of Fe3+ ions, with low limit of detections as low as 0.33 μM through fluorescence quenching. Notably, the quenched fluorescence can be restored by the addition of L -cysteine, facilitating the consecutive detection of Fe3+ ions and L -cysteine. Moreover, the introduction of β-OH groups into the polysiloxanes imparts intriguing amphiphilicity and further phase transfer ability, capable of effectively transferring the hydro-soluble organic dyes from the aqueous phase to chloroform. This simple strategy paves the way for developing more multifunctional polysiloxanes or other organosilicon materials. [Display omitted] • Thiol-epoxy click reaction for the synthesis of functionalized polysiloxanes. • Polysiloxanes with dual-functionality, i.e., nonconventional fluorescence and amphiphilicity. • Efficient fluorescent probes for consecutive detection of Fe3+ ions and L -cysteine. • Transfer of hydro-soluble organic dyes from the aqueous phase to chloroform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation of polybromo-(hetero)arenes was investigated systematically. The results show that cheap and readily available in situ Pd(OAc)2 / rac -BINAP catalyst can catalyze the butoxycarbonylation of various polybromo(hetero)arenes efficiently, and gave (hetero)arenepolycarboxylates with moderate to high yield (59–94%). Using this method, two new compounds, 4,4′-bis(butoxycarbonyl)-1,1′-bi-2-naphthol and dibutyl [2,2′-bipyrimidine]-5,5′-dicarboxylate, are reported for the first time. In addition, the gram-scale preparation of carboxylate and carboxylic acids was successful performed by butoxycarbonylation followed by hydrolysis. This shows the wide scope of substrates and practical applications of the Pd(OAc)2 / rac -BINAP catalytic system. Moreover, these carboxylic acids and carboxylates can be used as ligands or structural units to construct MOFs, metal complexes, and COFs etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of excess air coefficient, ignition timing, and injection timing were investigated to examine the combustion and emission performance of a hydrogen engine operating at low speed with low loads. Comprehensive experimental research was then undertaken to evaluate the engine performance across a wide range of loads and various combinations of factors. The experimental results show a substantial improvement in brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and a noteworthy reduction in NO X emissions with an increased excess air coefficient. Although the impact of injection timing on BTE is negligible, an appropriate injection timing delay effectively reduces NO X emissions. A lean mixture and a suitable ignition timing delay exhibit high thermal efficiency at a lower engine speed and simultaneously suppress knock. The BTE reaches 33.46% at a mean effective pressure of 10.0 bar. Improving the turbocharging capability under low-speed and high-load conditions is essential for enhancing the performance of hydrogen engines. • EOI has little impact on BTE but is effective in reducing NO X emissions at low load. • Larger excess air ratio can increase BTE and reduce NO X emissions greatly. • Increasing excess air ratio can suppress knock and improve BTE at high load. • Outward-opening injectors are used to decrease hydrogen injection pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Iridium‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral halogenated ketones was successfully developed to prepare various chiral halohydrins with high reactivities and excellent enantioselectivities under basic reaction condition (up to >99% conversion, 99% yield, >99% ee). Moreover, gram‐scale experiment was performed well in the presence of just 0.005 mol% (S/C=20 000) Ir/f‐amphox catalyst with 99% yield and >99% ee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was applied to construct the conventional surface, micro textured surface and water lubricated textured surface of cubic silicon carbide (3 C-SiC) workpiece, which were then subjected to grinding by diamond abrasive particles. The results indicated that the textured surface can significantly improve the surface quality and reduce the grinding force, stress, grinding temperature and subsurface structure damage. Moreover, water lubricated textured surface can further reduce grinding temperature and subsurface damage depth, but it increases grinding force and stress. Finally, the increase in grinding depth increases the removal rate of silicon carbide, but the stress, grinding force, grinding temperature, potential energy and subsurface structure damage increase accordingly. The water lubricated textured surface has innovative significance in processing 3 C-SiC. [Display omitted] • MD simulation was applied to construct the conventional surface, micro textured surface and water lubricated textured surface of SiC workpiece. • The textured surface can significantly improve the surface quality and subsurface structure damage. • Water lubricated textured surface can further reduce grinding temperature and subsurface damage depth. • The increase in grinding depth increases the removal rate of silicon carbide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a widely used optical polymer due to its excellent transparency and durability. However, the sole methyl group shows pure PMMA low refractive index and low UV absorbility, and poor thermal stability. In this work, two comonomers phenyl methacrylate (PhMA) and adamantyl methacrylate (AdMA) were used for copolymerization with methyl methacrylate (MMA), and three copolymers P(AdMA-co-MMA), P(PhMA-co-MMA) and P(AdMA-co-PhMA-co-MMA) were prepared. They were characterised by FTIR, 1H NMR, UV-Vis, ellipsometer, DSC, TG, and TG-MS, and the effects of phenyl and adamantyl substituents on the optical and thermal properties of PMMA were studied. It was found that phenyl played an important role in increasing the absorption and refraction of PMMA in the deep UV region (190–260 nm), while the glass transition temperature and thermal stability of PMMA were more affected by adamantyl than by phenyl. Introduction of phenyl and adamantyl substituents provided a method to tune the optical and thermal properties of PMMA as photoresist or antireflective coating for deep UV lithography. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Solid carbon/Mn ore were firstly proposed to remove nutrients and sulfonamides. • High-rate reduction of nutrients (66.7–90%) and sulfonamides (20–50%) were achieved. • Mn(II) accumulation proved Mn cycling was involved in decontamination process. • Mn ore changed microbial community with the Sporomusaceae as dominants. • Mn(II) might induce the propagation of ARGs with tnpA-04 and tnpA-05 up-regulated. The solid carbon source (poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hyroxyvalerate, PHBV) and manganese oxide mineral (Mn ore) were proposed firstly as co-substrates for eliminating nutrients and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in this study. Results showed that high-rate nitrate and phosphate removal could be achieved in PHBV/Mn ore systems with the average efficiencies of 90% and 66.7%, respectively, although the addition of SMX decreased denitrification performance by 4.5–10.5%. SMX was removed mainly via biodegradation of enriched denitrifying microbes, with the average removal efficiency of 20–50% in PHBV/Mn ore systems, which was higher than that in PHBV systems. The existence of Mn ore markedly shaped the microbial community structure, leading to the dominant bacteria transforming from Microscillaceae to Sporomusaceae. The genera of Geobacto r, Desulfovibrio and Anaerovorax were found to maintain the stability of microbial system as keystone species. Surprisingly, large amount of Mn(II) was accumulated, which not only verify the involvement of Mn cycling in decontamination process, but also might explain the propagation of ARGs (tnpA-04 and tnpA-05) in host microorganisms. Therefore, the optimized mixture proportion of PHBV and Mn ore should be further estimated avoiding Mn (II) accumulation in the effluent. On the whole, these results might shed light on new insight for advanced treatment of nutrients and emerging pollutants in biofilm reactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel composite of hydroxyapatite tailored hierarchical porous biochar (HA-HPB) was synthesized and used for the adsorptive immobilization of Cd(II) and Pb(II) in water and soil. The hierarchical porous biochar (HPB) was prepared from rice husk through a molten-salt-assisted pyrolysis approach; then, a series of HA-HPB (with 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 g of HPB) was prepared with co-precipitation procedure. All HA-HPBs, particularly HA-3HPB, revealed significantly higher removal efficiency of Cd(II) and Pb(II) (≥99.5%) in water than pristine biochar (5.79 – 24.12%). The immobilization efficiency of HA-3HPB for Cd(II) and Pb(II) was slightly inhibited by the ionic strength and co-existing cations. The Langmuir adsorption capacities of Cd(II) and Pb(II) were 88.1 and 110.2 mg/g, respectively. Ion exchange, complexation, cation-π interaction, and precipitation were the key mechanisms involved in the immobilization of Cd(II) and Pb(II) using HA-3HPB. The HA-3HPB reduced the availability of soil Cd (63.5 – 87.8%) and Pb (64.6 – 92.9%) compared to the unamended soil, and thus reduced their content in the Chinese cabbage shoots by 69.3 –95.4% for Cd and 66.5 –97.2% for Pb. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of HA-HPB for remediation of Cd(II) and Pb(II) contaminated water and soil and mitigating the potential risks. [Display omitted] • Hydroxyapatite tailored hierarchical porous biochar composite (HA-HPB) was prepared. • HA-HPB exhibited higher removal efficiency for Cd and Pb in water than raw biochar. • HA-HPBs reduced the bioavailability of Cd up to 88% and Pb up to 93%. • Metals removed via ion exchange, complexation, cation-π interaction, precipitation. • HA-HPB is an applicable candidate for remediation of metal contaminated water/soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric catalysis is the preferred method for the synthesis of pure chiral molecules in the fine chemical industry. Cellulose has long been sought as a support in enantioselective catalysis. Dialdehyde cellulose (DAC) is produced by the selective oxidation of cellulose and is used to bind 5,5′-diamino Binap by forming a Schiff base. Here, we report the synthesis of modified cellulose-supported Rh as a novel biomass-supported catalyst and the characterization of its morphology, composition, and thermal stability. DAC-BINAP-Rh was a very effective catalyst in the asymmetric hydrogenation of enamides and could be easily recycled. This work provides a novel supported catalyst that broadens the applications of cellulose in asymmetric catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics simulation is used to simulate the polishing process of silicon in this paper. Several models such as single abrasive and multi-abrasive are established for simulation analysis. The results show that the greater the height difference between the double abrasives, the greater the polishing force in the machining process, resulting in higher surface bulge and deeper underground damage after polishing. When polishing with a single abrasive, the polishing depth plays a dominant role in the changes in polishing force, temperature and coordination number. When multiple abrasives are arranged at a certain angle, the force effect and damage distribution are more complex because of the coupling effect of abrasives. Due to the effect of multiple abrasives, the heat between abrasives cannot be dissipated in time. As a result, the temperature of multiple abrasives polishing at a certain angle is higher than that of the other two cases (single abrasive and double abrasives). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Impacts of Mn(II) and biochar (ABC) on compost humification and stability were studied. • Mn(II) and ABC addition promotes decomposition of organics and humus formation. • Mn(II) and ABC altered microbial community and accelerated compost maturation. • ABC addition accelerated the transformation of Mn(II) to reduced Mn. This study aimed to understand the effects of using apple branch biochar (ABC) and manganese (Mn(II)) to enhance the humification process when sawdust and hog manure are being composted aerobically. Four treatments of sawdust and hog manure were established, namely, CK (no additives), ABC (5 % ABC), Mn (0.5 % MnSO 4), and ABC-Mn (5 % ABC + 0.5 % MnSO 4). The results from the 42-day composting showed that ABC-Mn treatment was the most effective. It increased the total organic matter reduction by 19.24 %, decreased CH 4 emissions, produced a high level of humic acid (HA) (60.45 g/kg), and significantly elevated the degree of polymerization (HD) to 3.15 (P < 0.05) upon the end of the composting process. In addition, the presence of ABC abiotically reduced Mn(II) salt stress and promoted compost maturation. Spectroscopic examination revealed that ABC-Mn treatment facilitated the breakdown of polysaccharides and the production of stable, aromatized humus-like materials throughout the composting process. The addition of Mn(II) and ABC also changed the microbial community composition of the compost substrate, stimulated the activities of laccase and dehydrogenase, and raised the relative abundances of Ascomycetes , Firmicutes , Proteus , Actinomycetes , and Basidiomycetes. ABC addition accelerated the transformation of Mn(II) to reducible Mn(II) and Mn(IV), potentially enhancing the abiotic degradation of organic matter and the formation of humus-like substances through redox reactions. In conclusion, this study highlighted the biotic and abiotic effects of adding ABC and Mn(II) to accelerate humification during the co-composting of hog manure and sawdust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of tridentate ferrocene aminophosphoxazoline ligands like APX is synthesized and successfully applied to the asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have successfully developed a series of novel and modular ferrorence-based amino-phosphine-alcohol (f-Amphol) ligands, and applied them to iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of various simple ketones to afford the corresponding chiral alcohols with excellent enantioselectivities and conversions (98-99.9 % ee, >99 % conversion, turnover number up to 200 000). Control experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations have shown that the hydroxyl group of our f-Amphol ligands played a key role in this asymmetric hydrogenation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pyrite-based autotrophic denitrification usually focused on the anaerobic/anoxic environment with high sulfate production and low denitrification efficiency. In this study, the oxygen limitation was broken and high-rate mixotrophic denitrification was realized via introducing poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV) and controlling the pyrite grain sizes compared with PHBV-heterotrophic and pyrite-autotrophic denitrification under natural aerobic conditions. Results showed that the optimal pyrite grain size was 30 meshes (0.45–0.55 mm) with the highest denitrification rate of 0.65 mg NO 3 −−N/(L•h) and sulfate production of <5 mg/L in pyrite-PHBV system. Its removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus was 96% and 25%, respectively. According to functional genes and Raman analysis, the low SO 4 2− production were attributed to the S reduction and polysulfide formation in the mixotrophic systems, which also enhanced denitrification efficiency by improving bioavailability and multi-stage utilization of sulfur matrix (i.e., S2−, poly-S and SO 4 2−) in these mixotrophic systems. Thiobacillus and Acidovorax have been enriched on the pyrite and PHBV surface, respectively, which highlighted that the autotrophic-heterotrophic synergy was achieved via different functional microbes domesticated by substrates. The differential analysis among functional genes suggested that PHBV surface promoted the NO 2 − reduction and S oxidation, and pyrite surface enhanced the N 2 O reduction and S reduction. A closer connection between C degradation and N cycle indicated their copiotrophic nutritional patterns based on the network analysis. The key taxa co-occurrence revealed rare species involved in Fe cycle metabolism were the hidden drivers in the mixotrophic denitrification process. These findings provide an in-depth understanding on the multiple interactions among N, S, and Fe cycling, and improve the practical application of pyrite-PHBV mixotrophic systems. [Display omitted] • Pyrite/PHBV system achieved high-rate denitrification under aerobic condition. • Low SO 4 2− production were attributed to S reduction and polysulfide formation. • Thiobacillus and Acidovorax enriched in pyrite and PHBV surface, respectively. • PHBV promoted the NO 2 − reduction and pyrite enhanced the N 2 O reduction. • Fe-related bacteria were hidden drivers in the pyrite/PHBV mixotrophic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acknowledgement is now correctly shown below: B Acknowledgements: b The authors would like to appreciate the Natural Science Foundation of China (52105178, 12162008), Natural Science Foundation of Hunan (2022JJ40056), and Guizhou University cultivation project (Guida cultivation [2020] No. 10). Two funding funds have been repeated (Guizhou University cultivation project (Guida cultivation [2020] No. 10), and Guizhou University cultivation project (Guida cultivation [2020] No. 10)). [Extracted from the article]

Amino hybrid biopolymer-decorated magnetic biochar composites (MTBC-2 N and MTBC-4 N) derived from green tea waste were synthesized and employed to recover phosphorus (P) from aqueous solution and swine wastewater, respectively. The amino hybrid biopolymer decoration decreased the surface area of the biochar composites but increased the nitrogen content of the MTBC-2 N and MTBC-4 N samples. The MTBC-2 N and MTBC-4 N remarkably promoted the dephosphorization of P-polluted waters than the raw biochar without amino hybrid biopolymer decoration. The kinetic adsorption of P onto MTBC-2 N and MTBC-4 N was simulated using the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and reached equilibrium within 4 h. The P adsorption isotherm was best fitted by the Langmuir model with the maximum adsorption capacities of 53.56 and 62.06 mg P/g for MTBC-2 N and MTBC-4 N, respectively. The tested MTBC-2 N and MTBC-4 N were regenerated and exhibited acceptable reusability. In addition, the adsorption of P onto MTBC-2 N and MTBC-4 N was regulated by electrostatic attraction and surface complexation processes. More than 88.2% and 96.5% of P were recovered by MTBC-2 N and MTBC-4 N from swine wastewater, respectively. Moreover, the pot experiment showed that the P-loaded biochar composites could potentially be used as alternative P fertilizers. [Display omitted] • Novel amino-hybrid biopolymer decorated magnetic-biochar composite was synthesized. • Amino-hybrid biopolymer decoration promoted the dephosphorization ability of biochar. • 88.2% and 96.5% of P was recovered by MTBC-2 N and MTBC-4 N from swine wastewater. • P loaded biochar composites had the potential to be used as alternate P fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensive accumulation of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in agricultural soils has resulted in severe environmental pollution that endangers ecosystem and human health. Biochar is an eco-friendly material that can help in accelerating organic pollutant degradation; nevertheless, its roles in enhancing DEHP removal in rhizosphere remain unclear. This work investigated the impacts of biochar dosage (0%–2.0%) on DEHP degradation performance in tomato rhizosphere by comprehensively exploring the change in DEHP metabolites, bacterial communities and DEHP-degrading genes. Our results showed a significant increase of rhizosphere pH, organic matter and humus by biochar amendment, which achieved a satisfactorily higher DEHP removal efficiency, maximally 77.53% in treatments with 1.0% of biochar. Biochar addition also remarkably changed rhizosphere bacterial communities by enriching some potential DEHP degraders of Nocardioides , Sphingomonas , Bradyrhizobium and Rhodanobacter. The abundance of genes encoding key enzymes (hydrolase, esterase and cytochrome P450) and DEHP-degrading genes (pht3 , pht4 , pht5 , benC-xylZ and benD-xylL) were increased after biochar amendment, leading to the change in DEHP degradation metabolism, primarily from benzoic acid pathway to protocatechuic acid pathway. Our findings evidenced that biochar amendment could accelerate DEHP degradation by altering rhizosphere soil physicochemical variables, bacterial community composition and metabolic genes, providing clues for the mechanisms of biochar-assisted DEHP degradation in organic contaminated farmland soils. [Display omitted] • The accelerated DEHP degradation in the tomato rhizosphere amended with biochar can be explained by the higher pH and humus levels. • Biochar amendment changed DEHP degradation pathways from benzoic acid to protocatechuic acid. • More genes encoding DEHP-degrading enzymes in biochar treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel tactic for the regioselective O-alkylation of 2-pyridones has been realized through palladium catalysis in moderate to high yields. The coordination effect between palladium and nitrogen on the pyridine ring plays a versatile role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Broadband Village" (B&V) initiative is a substantial investment in internet construction in rural areas in six western provinces implemented by the Chinese government since 2014. This study evaluates the effect this policy has had. Panel data of 1,049 counties in China from 2015 to 2019 are used for the regression discontinuity design (RD) to estimate the impact of B&V on the improvement of the income level of rural residents. The results show that, compared to the counties without the B&V policy, the income of rural residents in counties with B&V has increased by 1.468–1.518 times, which is nearly 1.3 times the sample mean of survey data, indicating that the income level of rural residents has been improved significantly by B&V. However, the quantile regression results show that the higher the income level of rural residents, the smaller the effect of this policy. From the dynamic effect of years, the influence curve of B&V on rural residents' income is an inverted U-shaped, first increasing and then decreasing, and the impact of this policy on the income level of highly-educated farmers is greater. Finally, three different methods are used to verify the robustness of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, a persistent organic contaminant, is widely distributed in the environment and poses substantial threats to human health; however, there have been few investigations regarding the risks and remediation of DEHP in coastal saline soils. In this work, we studied the influences of straw carbonization returning on sea rice yield and DEHP degradation. Straw carbonization returning significantly increased soil nutrients and reduced salt stress to improve sea rice yield. DEHP degradation efficiency was enhanced to a maximum of 78.27% in straw carbonized return with 60% sea rice, mainly attributed to the high pH value, high soil organic matter and enriched potential DEHP degraders of Nocardioides , Mycobacterium and Bradyrhizobium. Some key genes related to metabolism (esterase and cytochrome P450) and DEHP-degradation (pht4 , pht5 , pcaG , dmpB , catA and fadA) were elevated and explained the accelerated DEHP degradation, shifting from the benzoic acid pathway to the protocatechuate pathway in straw carbonization returning. The results obtained in this study provide a deep and comprehensive understanding of sea rice yield improvement and DEHP degradation mechanisms in coastal paddy soil by a straw carbonization returning strategy. [Display omitted] • Straw carbonization returning improved DEHP degradation and sea rice yield. • More microbes were related to DEHP degradation after straw carbonization returning. • DEHP degradation-related enzymes and genes increased after straw carbonization returning. • DEHP degradation changed from benzoic acid to protocatechuic acid pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Our study objective was to explore whether abnormalities in the subtypes of T cells and B cells were present in peripheral blood of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy controls (HCs). Method: Demographic and clinical variables and blood were collected. OA severity was measured using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaire. Flow cytometry was used to establish the frequencies of lineage subsets. Monoclonal antibodies against 21 surface markers were used to distinguish and evaluate T cells' and B cells' subpopulation. The proportion of each subset was compared and correlations between age, immune cells, and clinical data were analyzed. Results: A total of 30 OA patients (male/female = 9/21) and 45 HCs (male/female = 14/31) were included. Median WOMAC pain was 3.0 (2.0). There was no difference in the proportion of T cells, CD8+ T cells, and B cells (p > 0.05). The proportion of CD4+ T cells was higher in OA groups, together with an increased CD4 to CD8 ratio (p = 0.016). CD8+CD45RA+ T cells were reduced after adjustment for age, while CD8+CD45RA− T cells were elevated in OA (p < 0.05). CD4+CD45RA−CCR7+ T cells and CD4+CD45RA−CCR7− T cells were increased (p < 0.004). The proportion of T helper (Th) 17 and T follicular helper (Tfh) 2 cells was higher, but cytotoxic T (Tc) 17 cells were fewer in OA (p < 0.05). CD3−CD19+IgD−IgM−CD27+CD38+ B cells were decreased in OA (p ≤ 0.001). The WOMAC pain score correlated with CD3+CD4+CXCR5−PD-1+ T cells positively (B = 0.404, p = 0.027). CD3−CD19+CD27−IgD+ cells correlated negatively with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (B = −0.550, p = 0.005). Conclusions: The T cell and B cell profiles were proved to have alteration suggesting that acquired immune system may play a substantial role in the pathogenesis of OA. Key Points • The T cell and B cell profiles were proved to have alteration suggesting that acquired immune system may play a substantial role in the pathogenesis of OA. • The WOMAC pain score correlated with CD3+CD4+CXCR5−PD-1+ T cells and T helper 17 cells positively. • Memory T cells were increased in OA patients, suggesting they could play an important role in OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The N pr -CNs is synthesized by pre-pelletizing and subsequent pyrolysis process. • The N pr -CNs have dominate pyrrolic N-doping, unique structure and electronic state. • It can inhibit the shuttle effect and improve redox kinetics by synergistic effect. • The Li-S cell with N pr -CNs/PP deliver high discharge capacity of 932 mAh g−1 at 1C. The practical applications of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are rather limited by the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and sluggish redox reaction kinetics. Here, a kind of pyrrolic-N-rich carbon nanosheets (N pr -CNs) are prepared by introducing melamine cyanurate (MCA) into the carbonization process of polyacrylonitrile (PAN). As a mediator in Li-S batteries, hierarchical pores, dominant pyrrolic-N-doping, disorder/defective structures and unique electronic states endow N pr -CNs with synergistic adsorption-catalysis function for S species. Specifically, they can effectively inhibit LiPSs shuttle, catalyze the conversion of both liquid-phase LiPSs and solid-phase Li 2 S, reduce the charge transfer resistance and enhance Li-ions migration rate. Hence, it can make the Li-S batteries deliver excellent rate performance and cycling stability. The battery can reach ultrahigh discharge capacity of 932.0 mAh g−1 at the beginning under current density of 1C and even liberate a capacity as high as 1109.4 mAh g−1 at 0.2C with high sulfur loading of 3.8 mg cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar-assisted vermicomposting can significantly accelerate soil DEHP degradation, but little information is known about the underlying mechanisms as different microspheres exist in soil ecosystem. In this study, we identified the active DEHP degraders in biochar-assisted vermicomposting by DNA stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) and surprisingly found their different compositions in pedosphere, charosphere and intestinal sphere. Thirteen bacterial lineages (Laceyella , Microvirga , Sphingomonas , Ensifer , Skermanella , Lysobacter , Archangium , Intrasporangiaceae , Pseudarthrobacter , Blastococcus , Streptomyces , Nocardioides and Gemmatimonadetes) were responsible for in situ DEHP degradation in pedosphere, whereas their abundance significantly changed in biochar or earthworm treatments. Instead, some other active DEHP degraders were identified in charosphere (Serratia marcescens and Micromonospora) and intestinal sphere (Clostridiaceae , Oceanobacillus , Acidobacteria , Serratia marcescens and Acinetobacter) with high abundance. In biochar-assisted vermicomposting, the majority of active DEHP degraders were found in charosphere, followed by intestinal sphere and pedosphere. Our findings for the first time unraveled the spatial distribution of active DEHP degraders in different microspheres in soil matrices, explained by DEHP dynamic adsorption on biochar and desorption in earthworm gut. Our work highlighted that charosphere and intestinal sphere exhibited more contribution to the accelerated DEHP biodegradation than pedosphere, providing novel insight into the mechanisms of biochar and earthworm in improving contaminant degradation. [Display omitted] • Different active DEHP degraders in charosphere, intestinal sphere and pedosphere. • Degraders in charosphere and intestinal sphere contributed to accelerated DEHP degradation. • New mechanisms of DEHP degradation in biochar-assisted vermicomposting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• FGRA is performed to reveal the individual contribution of the design variables in laminated cooling configuration. • Film hole size is the primary factor on temperature distribution, but insensitive to flow resistance. • The redesigned film holes can obtain high cooling performances at low friction loss. Laminated cooling is a compound system consisting of different cooling units that can provide effective protection to the hot components in next generation gas turbines. In the present work, using validated numerical simulations, the influential levels of geometrical parameters in laminated cooling configuration (film hole diameter, pin-fin diameter, impingement hole diameter and film hole inclined angle) on multi-objective functions (overall cooling effectiveness, friction loss and temperature uniformity) are calculated and ranked by fuzzy grey relational analysis (FGRA). The FGRA results indicate that the film hole diameter is the primary influence factor on the overall cooling effectiveness and temperature uniformity, but insensitive to the friction loss. Based on this finding, two novel laminated cooling configurations with revised film-hole shapes, i.e., fan-shaped film holes and discrete rectangular film slots, are proposed to meet the multi-objective requirement. Through calculations, it is proved that the overall cooling effectiveness of the discrete film slots with a width of 0.5 mm can be increased by approximately 20%, whereas the additional friction loss is negligible (the increase of flow resistance coefficient is only 0.06 at mass flow ratio equals to 1.19%). Meanwhile, the acceptable temperature uniformity along with high overall cooling effectiveness, low friction loss can be obtained with the design of the fan-shaped film holes. The present work provides a novel analytical method for the multi-influence-factor problem and multi-objective design of complex laminated cooling system in gas turbine application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the learning effect of introducing eye-tracking games in college game design courses and tests the impact of innovative introduction of cutting-edge interactive content on students' learning in higher education in the field of digital media. The results show that a stronger perceived interactivity is linked to stronger user perceived control and more positive flow experience. Furthermore, due to the higher perceived interactivity brought by eye-tracking games than traditional games, the improvement of flow experience after teaching also brings obvious improvement of students' learning interest and continuous learning intention. It is worth noting that this effect seems to have a more robust gain effect in the group of sophomores, while the effect shows a transient characteristic in the group of juniors. The difference may be related to students' learning ability. At the same time, three main factors for the positive influence of eye-tracking games on teaching were extracted, including 'Technology Sensitive', 'Operational' and 'adventures by Difference'. Three main factors for the negative effects were also found, including 'Unattractive Game Types', 'Self-caused Resistance' and 'Game Maturity Deficiency'. The results of the study explored how to amplify the help of eye-tracking games in the teaching process and reduce the possible drawbacks from the extracted multiple constructs. Therefore, as an innovative teaching case with strong interaction, the adoption of eye-tracking game learning is indeed helpful to the course of digital media major. • Students' Perceived Interactivity of game design class cases can influence Flow through a partially mediated effect. • Learning to make interactive game cases enables sophomores to learn better in all psychological dimensions. • For junior students, learning to make interactive game cases has significantly improve their Learning Interest. • The main positive and negative reasons for students' perception of interactive cases were explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We developed a copolymeric bioadhesive system with the potential to be used as a tissue adhesive based on biopolymer dextran. Copolymeric hydrogels comprising a urethane dextran (Dex-U) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were prepared and crosslinked under the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. In this study, the photopolymerization process was monitored by real time infrared spectroscopy (RTIR). The adhesion strength was evaluated by lap-shear-test. The surface tension, viscosity of the solutions and the cytotoxicity assays were investigated. Compared to Dex-U system, the addition of HEMA remarkably improved the properties of Dex-H system especially the adhesion strength and the nontoxicity. And materials variation could be tailored to match the need of tissues. The copolymeric tissue adhesives demonstrated promising adhesion strength and nontoxicity. The maximum adhesion strength reached to 4.33±0.47Mpa which was 86 times higher than that of Tisseel. The obtained products have the potential to serve as tissue adhesive in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The products are obtained in very high yields and with high (alkyl) or excellent (aryl and hetaryl substituted derivatives) enantiomeric excesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]