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Quantum state tomography (QST) of electron-nuclear spins of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond commonly requires a sequence of population flipping operations and frequent calibration of basis states by fluorescence photon-counting. Here, we realize an effective and robust quantum state tomography of electron-nuclear spins based on time-resolved fluorescence, which can enhance the signal-to-noise ratio between different basis states up to 29.6% compared to the photon-counting method. Meanwhile, our method can directly obtain the population of four basis states with only one measurement, which significantly improves the efficiency of tomography. Furthermore, the photon count rate fluctuation of time-resolved fluorescence can be reduced to the standard quantum limit by normalization operation, indicating that the time-resolved method is calibration-free. This method could be easily applied to multi-nuclear spins of NV center in diamond and extended to other solid-state spin systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of hydrogels in most applications is hampered by their high free water content, which limits their mechanical performance and environmental resilience. Herein, this issue is simultaneously addressed by modulating the state of water and the intermolecular interactions in polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels. Specifically, PAM hydrogels are toughened by sugaring‐out using a monosaccharide (glucose, G). Glucose is found to facilitate PAM hydrogen bonding and interchain interactions. Meanwhile, the high hygroscopicity of glucose converts some of the free water to bound state, endowing the hydrogels with remarkable resilience to extreme environmental conditions. The PAM‐G hydrogels are demonstrated as multimodal sensors for soft robotics. Moreover, PAM‐G alcogels produced by solvent exchanging with ethanol are shown as effective opto‐mechanical sensors. Notably, all these properties are obtained by the inclusion of glucose, a green additive showing no negative health and environmental effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic conductors (ICs) find widespread applications across different fields, such as smart electronic, ionotronic, sensor, biomedical, and energy harvesting/storage devices, and largely determine the function and performance of these devices. In the pursuit of developing ICs required for better performing and sustainable devices, cellulose appears as an attractive and promising building block due to its high abundance, renewability, striking mechanical strength, and other functional features. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary regarding ICs fabricated from cellulose and cellulose-derived materials in terms of fundamental structural features of cellulose, the materials design and fabrication techniques for engineering, main properties and characterization, and diverse applications. Next, the potential of cellulose-based ICs to relieve the increasing concern about electronic waste within the frame of circularity and environmental sustainability and the future directions to be explored for advancing this field are discussed. Overall, we hope this review can provide a comprehensive summary and unique perspectives on the design and application of advanced cellulose-based ICs and thereby encourage the utilization of cellulosic materials toward sustainable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic conductive gels are widely sought after for applications that require reliable ionic conduction and mechanical performance under extreme conditions, which remains a grand challenge. To address this limitation, water‐induced hydration interactions are deliberately controlled within the ionic liquid (IL)‐based conductive gels (ionogels) to achieve all‐round performance. Specifically, the competitive interactions between IL, water and cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) are balanced to preserve the nanoscale morphology of CNF while avoiding its dissolution. As a result, both mechanical performance and ionic conductivity of the resultant ionogel are synergistically enhanced. For instance, an ultra stretchable ionogel (up to 10250 ± 412% stretchability) with both high toughness (21.8 ± 0.9 MJ m−3) and ionic conductivity (0.70 ± 0.06 S m−1) is achieved. Furthermore, multimodal sensing functions (strain, compression, temperature, and humidity) are realized by assembling the ionogel as a skin‐like membrane. Due to the low volatility of IL and its strong interaction with water, the ionogel maintains an excellent performance at either ultra‐low temperature (−45 °C), high temperature (75 °C) or low humidity environment (RH < 15%), demonstrating superb anti‐freezing and anti‐drying performance. Overall, a simple yet versatile strategy is introduced that leads to environmentally resilient ionogels to meet the requirements of next‐generation electroactive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly dispersed CuO/SiO2 catalysts were successfully synthesized by a green process of ball milling (BM) under solvent-free and room temperature conditions. The structural evolution of CuO/SiO2 catalysts prepared by BM was elucidated by TG-DSC, XRD, FT-IR, and XPS characterizations. We found that the copper acetate precursor was dispersed over the layer of copper phyllosilicate which was formed by reacting between the copper acetate precursor and the silica support during the BM process. The copper phyllosilicate layer over the support might play an important role in the stabilization of the CuO cluster (<2 nm) during thermal pretreatment. The 15% CuO/SiO2 catalyst exhibited the best catalytic activity for the catalytic combustion of ethyl acetate as it owned a highest active surface area of CuO among the CuO/SiO2 catalysts with different copper loadings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel two-stage nanoparticle (NP) disperser system was proposed. • The dispersed NP could approach close to the primary diameter in this way. • The aerosols obtained through this method distributed approximately log-normally. • The larger nozzle enlarged the Mach disc and the high shear-stress areas. • The combined effect of NP inertia and fluid shear enhanced the deagglomeration. The size and the agglomeration state of nanoparticles (NPs) play a very important role in nanoparticle applications due to the effect of the dispersion level of NPs on their toxicity, pharmaceutical activity, and catalytic activity. In this study, a novel two-stage nanoparticle disperser system was proposed. We focused on the effects of the aspect ratio (L / D , length (L) and diameter (D)) of the round jet (a straight pipe) on the nanoparticle size distribution (PSD) and we attempted to explain how the jet wakes induced the NP deagglomeration based on the numerical results. The median diameters, mode diameters, and geometric mean diameters (GMD) of the PSDs that were obtained using the second-stage were significantly smaller than those achieved using the first-stage disperser alone. Overall, the GMD, mode diameters, and median diameters could all reach sub-70 nm, which was approaching close to the NP primary diameter (30–40 nm). The particle sizes decreased with the increasing dimensionless nozzle diameter (D * = D / D p × 10−3, D p represents the particle diameter). The increase in L/D for a constant D hardly affected the PSDs but led them to be closer to a standard lognormal distribution. Regarding the NP traveling path and its considerable inertia as it penetrated the Mach disc, these particular field distributions of the jet-wake might explain why the suspended sub-micro NP agglomerates could be highly deagglomerated. Namely, the nano NP agglomerates would suffer the severe shear stress around the Mach disc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, ionic conducting hydrogel attracts tremendous attention as an alternative to the conventional rigid metallic conductors in fabricating flexible devices, owing to their intrinsic characteristics. However, simultaneous realization of high stiffness, toughness, ionic conductivity, and freezing tolerance through a simple approach is still a challenge. Here, a novel highly stretchable (up to 660%), strong (up to 2.1 MPa), tough (5.25 MJ m−3), and transparent (up to 90%) ionic conductive (3.2 S m−1) organohydrogel is facilely fabricated, through sol–gel transition of polyvinyl alcohol and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) in dimethyl sulfoxide‐water solvent system. The ionic conductive organohydrogel presents superior freezing tolerance, remaining flexible and conductive (1.1 S m−1) even at −70 °C, as compared to the other reported anti‐freezing ionic conductive (organo)hydrogel. Notably, this material design demonstrates synergistic effect of CNFs in boosting both mechanical properties and ionic conductivity, tackling a long‐standing dilemma among strength, toughness, and ionic conductivity for the ionic conducting hydrogel. In addition, the organohydrogel displays high sensitivity toward both tensile and compressive deformation and based on which multi‐functional sensors are assembled to detect human body movement with high sensitivity, stability, and durability. This novel organohydrogel is envisioned to function as a versatile platform for multi‐functional sensors in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] While cellulose-based stretchable hydrogels have been extensively explored in recent years, all-cellulose hydrogels continue to face the limitation of low stretchability (less than 250 %). Herein, for the first time, we fabricate an all-cellulose hydrogel with ultrahigh stretchability that can exceed 40000 % strain. By ring opening reaction on cellulose anhydroglucose unit rings, secondary hydroxyls are converted to primary hydroxyls, enabling enhanced chain flexibility, and facilitating the formation of abundant hydrogen bonds. As a result, the obtained hydrogel displays remarkable characteristics, including record-high stretchability (44200 %), rapid self-healing property (within seconds), and the unique ability to form cellulose fiber. With simple drawing, a smooth and flexible cellulose fiber can be obtained, demonstrating good processability and a high tensile strength of 226 MPa. Furthermore, the all-cellulose hydrogel can function as a human motion sensor and electrocardiogram electrode for monitoring physiological signals. This simple yet highly effective method will not only propel the advancement of ultrastretchable all-cellulose hydrogels but also create new possibilities for wearable device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shield driven method is now a preferred choice when urban subway tunnels are constructed. In high density cities, a suitable cross-section for tunnel structures is rather important. In this study, a full-scale ring test is conducted in order to determine the mechanical behavior of Quasi-rectangular segmental tunnel linings, firstly designed and employed in Metro Line 3 in Ningbo, China. The design of experimental specimens and loading processes are introduced. Main results of tests are explored, including the failure state and measurement items, convergence deformation, strain of rebars, bending angle of joints and bolts’ strain .The ultimate bearing capacity of the structure is also reached during the test. According to the experimental results, two analysis methods are utilized to evaluate the mechanical behavior of the structure under design condition. The bearing mechanism and weakness of the lining are revealed as well. Safety factor of elastic stage and ultimate stage are also defined to evaluate safety reservation of the structure under unexpected circumstance. The test will lay the foundation for further verification and optimization of Quasi-rectangular segmental tunnel linings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The predominant adhesives currently utilized in the wood sector are sourced from petroleum. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that fossil resources possess a limited supply, and their extraction procedures can lead to adverse effects on the ecosystem. Renewable biomass resources have important application prospects in wood adhesives. This paper reviews the recent research progress on utilizing biomass to replace or modify conventional petroleum-based adhesives, focusing on the application of tannin, lignin, protein, starch, and cellulose in urea–formaldehyde (UF), melamine, phenol–formaldehyde (PF), epoxy (EP), and polyurethane (PU) resin adhesives. The symbiosis of renewable biomass with conventional petroleum-based adhesives portends substantial advancements for the wood adhesive industry. This review evaluates the substitution capacity and modification effect of biomass, discusses its application prospects in the wood-based panel industry, and predicts the future direction of biomass in wood adhesives, providing new inspirations for the development of novel green adhesives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational detection of syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is crucial to prevention, control, and treatment of disease. Herein, a dual-wavelength ratiometric electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor based on resonance energy transfer (RET) between g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets and Ru–SiO 2 @folic acid (FA) nanomaterials was designed to realize ultrasensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus (RdRp gene). Firstly, the unique g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets displayed very intense and stable ECL at 460 nm, then the triple helix DNA was stably and vertically bound to g-C 3 N 4 on electrode by high binding affinity between ssDNA and g-C 3 N 4. Meanwhile, trace amounts of target genes were converted to a large number of output by three-dimensional (3D) DNA walker multiple amplification, and the output bridged a multifunctional probe Ru–SiO 2 @FA to electrode. Ru–SiO 2 @FA not only showed high ECL at 620 nm, but also effectively quenched g-C 3 N 4 ECL. As a result, ECL decreased at 460 nm and increased at 620 nm, which was used to design a rational ECL biosensor for detection of SARS gene. The results show that the biosensor has excellent detection sensitivity for RdRp gene with a dynamic detection range of 1 fM to 10 nM and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.18 fM. The dual-wavelength ratio ECL biosensor has inestimable value and application prospects in the fields of biosensing and clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerogels with both high elastic strain and fast shape recovery after compression have broad application potentials as thermal regulation, absorbents, and electrical devices. However, creating such aerogels from cellulosic materials requires complicated preparation processes. Herein, a simple strategy for scalable production of hemp microfibers using a top‐down method is reported, which can further be assembled into aerogels with interconnected porous structures via ice‐templating technique. With density as low as 2.1 mg cm−3, these aerogels demonstrate isotropic superelasticity, as exhibited by their fast shape restoration from over 80% compressive strain. Due to the high porosity (99.87%) and structural tortuosity, these aerogels show a low thermal conductivity of 0.0215 ± 0.0002 W m−1 K−1, suggesting their potential in thermal insulation application. Certain hydrophobic modification using silane derivative further endows these aerogels with reduced water affinity. Overall, the proposed strategy to prepare bio‐based microfibers using scalable technology, as well as the assembled aerogels, provides new insights into the design and fabrication of multifunctional bio‐based aerogels for value‐added applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freeze–thaw damage of rocks causes many engineering problems in cold regions. During the cyclic freeze–thaw process, the frost-heaving pressure, which is produced by 9% volumetric expansion of pore water, will drive the expansion and growth of microscopic pores. However, the change law of microscopic pore structure and how it affects the macroscopic properties of rocks under freeze–thaw are still not clear. In this study, the microscopic pore structure of five sandstones after different freeze–thaw cycles were continuously measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). It shows that the microscopic pore structure of these sandstones has obvious fractal characteristics under freeze–thaw conditions. The fractal dimension has a gradual reduction with increasing freeze–thaw cycles. It illustrates that the distribution of the pore size is more and more uniform and that the complexity of the pore structure decreases. In addition, a bimodal exponential model can be well used to characterize the size distribution of nano- and micropores for these sandstones. The characteristic radii of nano- and micropores calculated by the bimodal exponential model have an obvious increasing trend with increasing freeze–thaw cycles. In addition, although the pore radii in these sandstones increase due to the freeze–thaw action, the volumetric fractions of nanopores and micropores are not changed remarkably. By using the least squares regression method, the porosity, P-wave velocity, and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) are highly correlated with the fractal dimensions and characteristic pore radii. The P-wave velocity and UCS decrease with the increase of characteristic pore radius or reduction of fractal dimension. This study has filled the gap between microscopic pore structure change and deterioration of macroscopic physicomechanical properties under freeze–thaw, and it also provides a better understanding of the macro–micro frost damage mechanism for rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) are of particular concern due to their ubiquitous occurrence and propensity to interact and concentrate various waterborne contaminants from aqueous surroundings. Studies on the interaction and joint toxicity of MPs on engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are exhaustive, but limited research on the effect of MPs on the properties of ENPs in multi-solute systems. Here, the effect of MPs on adsorption ability of ENPs to antibiotics was investigated for the first time. The results demonstrated that MPs enhanced the adsorption affinity of ENPs to antibiotics and MPs before and after aging showed different effects on ENPs. Aged polyamide prevented aggregation of ZnONPs by introducing negative charges, whereas virgin polyamide affected ZnONPs with the help of electrostatic attraction. FT-IR and XPS analyses were used to probe the physicochemical interactions between ENPs and MPs. The results showed no chemical interaction and electrostatic interaction was the dominant force between them. Furthermore, the adsorption rate of antibiotics positively correlated with pH and humic acid but exhibited a negative correlation with ionic strength. Our study highlights that ENPs are highly capable of accumulating and transporting antibiotics in the presence of MPs, which could result in a widespread distribution of antibiotics and an expansion of their environmental risks and toxic effects on biota. It also improves our understanding of the mutual interaction of various co-existing contaminants in aqueous environments. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pore structure and unfrozen water film have a significant influence on the frost heave of saturated porous media. The freezing process and frost heaving characteristics of saturated sandstones have been studied in this research by theoretical and experimental approaches. A developed micromechanical model has been proposed, considering the distribution function of pore size, the effect of unfrozen water film, and the interfacial free energy. The distribution of pore size in sandstone can well satisfy a dual-pore structure model, including the thin pores and coarse pores. Besides, four typical thickness functions are used to investigate the influence of the thickness of unfrozen water film on the disjoining pressure and frost heaving strains. The exponential equation suggested by Fagerlund (1973) may be better to quantify the thickness of this film by comparing with the experimental results. In addition, the frost heaving strains are also very close to the experimental values if ignoring the unfrozen water film. This calculation results may give the reasons why a satisfactory results can also be obtained with the absence of the unfrozen water film in the previous models. This study provides a better understanding of the frost heaving mechanism of saturated porous materials. • A developed micromechanical model has been proposed for the freezing rock. • A dual-pore structure function is presented to describe the pore size distribution. • The exponential equation suggested by Fagerlund (1973) is proved to be better to quantify the thickness of the unfrozen water film. • The frost heaving characteristics of sandstone is derived by theoretical and experimental study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In video streaming, bandwidth constraints significantly affect client-side video quality. Addressing this, deep neural networks offer a promising avenue for implementing video super-resolution (VSR) at the user end, leveraging advancements in modern hardware, including mobile devices. The principal challenge in VSR is the computational intensity involved in processing temporal/spatial video data. Conventional methods, uniformly processing entire scenes, often result in inefficient resource allocation. This is evident in the over-processing of simpler regions and insufficient attention to complex regions, leading to edge artifacts in merged regions. Our innovative approach employs semantic segmentation and spatial frequency-based categorization to divide each video frame into regions of varying complexity: simple, medium, and complex. These are then processed through an efficient incremental model, optimizing computational resources. A key innovation is the sparse temporal/spatial feature transformation layer, which mitigates edge artifacts and ensures seamless integration of regional features, enhancing the naturalness of the super-resolution outcome. Experimental results demonstrate that our method significantly boosts VSR efficiency while maintaining effectiveness. This marks a notable advancement in streaming video technology, optimizing video quality with reduced computational demands. This approach, featuring semantic segmentation, spatial frequency analysis, and an incremental network structure, represents a substantial improvement over traditional VSR methodologies, addressing the core challenges of efficiency and quality in high-resolution video streaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst the burgeoning interest in multifunctional superhydrophobic wood-based composites (SWBCs) for their varied applications and the need for improved environmental resilience, recent efforts focus on enhancing their utility by integrating features such as mechanical and chemical stability, self-healing capabilities, flame resistance, and antimicrobial properties. Research indicates that various external conditions can influence the wettability and additional characteristics of SWBCs. This comprehensive review outlines three critical factors affecting SWBCs' performance: synthesis methods, wood taxonomy, and chemical agents. It further provides a detailed overview of SWBCs' specific attributes, including essential qualities for diverse applications and the limitations posed by different contexts. Additionally, it elaborates on performance evaluation techniques, offering a foundational framework for SWBCs' practical application. This work aims to serve as an important resource for future research and development in SWBC engineering. [Display omitted] • Preparation mechanism of superhydrophobic wood-based composites. • Factors affecting superhydrophobic wood-based composites. • Methods for evaluating superhydrophobic wood-based composites properties. • Challenges and directions for future development to achieve industrialization are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nacre‐inspired materials with combined high strength and toughness have been widely developed and utilized for various engineering applications. However, existing preparation techniques suffer from intricate processes, high energy‐consumption, and lack of scalability, all of which collectively impede the efficient production of three‐dimensional materials. Here, a viable strategy is reported for the efficient and scalable production of bulk nacre‐mimetic materials, drawing inspiration from the intricate structures found in both nacre and wood. The prepared millimeter‐thick wooden artificial nacres (WANs) exhibit the presence of multi‐hierarchical lamellar structures, organic bridges, and micro‐asperities. Those features lead to the WANs exhibiting impressive mechanical performances, presenting excellent bending strength (≈93.31 MPa), toughness (≈7.40 MPa m1/2), tensile strength (≈122.59 MPa), and work of fracture (≈4.61 MJ m−3). In addition, owing to the low density (≈1.59 g cm−3), the WANs show much higher specific mechanical properties compared to nacre and related artificial nacre materials. Considering both its production process and exceptional properties, this material holds great promise for practical applications within the realm of engineering and structural fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although freeze–thaw damage to rocks has been extensively studied in recent decades, the quantitative correlation between the microscopic pores and macroscopic physico-mechanical properties of rocks under freeze–thaw action has not yet been determined. In this study, the pore structure variation in three sandstones during the freeze–thaw process was continuously measured by the mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) test. The pore size distribution can be characterized by a multimodal exponential function. With increasing freeze–thaw cycles, the characteristic pore radii of the nanopores (d ≤ 5 × 10−5 mm), micropores (5 × 10−5 mm ≤ d ≤ 0.1 mm), and macropores (0.1 mm ≤ d ≤ 1 mm) increase. However, the volumetric fractions of nanopores and micropores decrease continuously during freeze–thaw cycles because a considerable number of nanopores and micropores develop into macropores. The fractal dimension of the pore structure gradually decreases as the number of freeze–thaw cycles increases. This implies that the pore size distribution gradually tends to be more homogeneous and that the complexity of the pore structure decreases. Finally, the relationship between microscopic pore structure parameters and macroscopic properties (porosity, P-wave velocity, and uniaxial compressive strength) was established. Through the analysis of microscopic structure evolution and loss of macroscopic properties, it can be concluded that the growth of macropores may play a dominant role in freeze–thaw damage and strength loss. This study can provide a better understanding of the macro-microscopic freeze–thaw damage mechanism of sandstones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with traditional circular shield tunnels and rectangular shield tunnels, quasi-rectangular shield tunnels have advantages in space efficiency, bearing capacity and applicability in urban areas. This new type of cross-section was first utilized in Ningbo Metro Line 3 in China, a full-scale ring test of corresponding lining structure was conducted to investigate the bearing mechanism of the structure preliminarily. In order to investigate the influence of segmental reinforcement, longitudinal joint position and shear bearing capacity of a T block on the mechanical behavior of a structure, two more full-scale ring tests are conducted. The failure process, structural convergence deformation, joint deformation and bolt strain of the lining structure are obtained. The bearing mechanism and robustness of the structure under unexpected circumstances are analyzed as well. The experimental results show that: (1) Optimization of segmental reinforcement and bolt position has little effect on the mechanical performance at elastic stage. (2) With the same joint configuration, an increase in the segmental reinforcement has a minor effect on the performance of the longitudinal joint. The robustness of the structure is not improved significantly either. (3) When the shear bearing capacity of the T block is guaranteed, the optimization of longitudinal joint bolt position can improve the mechanical performance of the structure significantly. When the overall rigidity of the structure is raised, the ultimate bearing capacity increases by 30% and the failure mode is ductile. As a conclusion, in order to increase the robustness and overall safety of a quasi-rectangular segmental tunnel lining, shear bearing capacity of T blocks should be strengthened to ensure that the segment would reach its bending moment bearing capacity first. The bolt hole of the positive moment joint should be moved inward while that of the negative moment joint should be moved outward as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Persulfate usually needs to be activated for efficient WAS treatment. • Fermentation/digestion is improved as persulfate boosts bioprocesses and community. • Persulfate promotes sludge dewatering by decomposing EPS. • The oxides generated by persulfate help to control the environmental risk of WAS. • The knowledge gaps and prospects based on persulfate are identified and discussed. Persulfate is considered as a promising oxidant, thus the improvement of waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment with persulfate was widely regarded as a promising technology and had been intensively investigated in recent years. However, doubts and debates about its technical and economic viability in full-scale scenarios have been raised. Interestingly, so far, no efforts have been made on either systematic summarization or critical thinking of the application of persulfate to improve WAS treatment. Therefore, it is time to assess whether and how to utilize persulfate in future WAS treatment. The present paper provided an extensive review of the mechanisms, potentials and application of persulfate in WAS treatment. The current understanding of the activation modes and mechanisms of persulfate in sludge treatment were described. Besides, the performance, mechanism and disadvantages of persulfate-based pretreatment in fermentation, digestion and dewatering process were discussed, and the role of persulfate on the removal and control of the toxicity in sludge was paid special attention. The results showed that the oxidant and interaction with microorganisms of persulfate played an important role in improving sludge treatment. Knowledge gaps and current limitations of the persulfate-based applications were identified, and perspectives on the development of persulfate-based applications were discussed. Persulfate-based technology has a great potential in improving WAS treatment, but the practical application of this technology still needs further development and larger scale demonstration. Overall, this review provided a comprehensive current understanding, future directions, and insights into issues related to the application of persulfate to improve WAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial reefs (ARs) have been advocated for and implemented as management tools for recreational fisheries, species conservation, and habitat replacement; however, the research that includes attracting marine species of floating ARs remains in its early stages. Here, two types of floating ARs were designed to evaluate the attractive effects using the occurrence rate and attracting index for six commercially important species (Lateolabrax maculatus, Liza haematocheila, Sebastes schlegelii, Acanthopagrus schlegelii, Litopenaeus vannamei, and Amphioctopus fangsiao) in the Bohai Bay of China; their combined ARs were meanwhile compared with two variants of artificial seagrass beds (SA and SB) and the traditional double-frame artificial reef (TD). All of the designed ARs were effective in attracting experimental species. The ARs with higher shelter areas (SB and TD) showed a better attracting effect. The efficiency of the ARs in attracting different species depended on their life histories. The bottom-mounted ARs were more efficient in attracting demersal species, while the floating ARs attracted epipelagic fish. In addition, the combined reefs had a better attractive effect than single ARs did. Overall, floating ARs and their combined ARs show the potential to deploy especially for attracting epipelagic fishes, although further study is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A novel laccase biosensor based on SiO2-PA nanocomposites was developed. [•] The SiO2-PA provided a microenvironment with biocompatibility for enzyme. [•] The biosensor exhibited an excellent electrochemical behavior to DA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The pore structure of sandstone under freeze-thaw was investigated by MIP test and quantified by a tri-modal exponential function. • The evolution of the characteristic pore radii corresponding to nanopores, micropores and macropores and their volumetric fractions under freeze-thaw were obtained. • The relationship between the change of fractal dimension and strength loss under freeze-thaw was built. • Growth of macropores was found to be responsible for the freeze-thaw damage of sandstones. • The microscopic and macroscopic freeze-thaw damage mechanism of the sandstones were comprehensively revealed. Although the strength loss of natural stone materials was widely investigated in the previous decades, the change law of pore structure characteristic and their correction with the strength loss under freeze-thaw was not completely understood. In this study, the pore structure change of red sandstone under freeze-thaw was continuously monitored by MIP (mercury intrusion porosimetry). The pore size distribution was characterized by a developed tri-modal exponential function. The characteristic pore radii in this function corresponding to nanopores (d < 0.05 μm), micropores (0.05 μm < d < 100 μm) and macropores (100 μm < d < 1000 μm) increased with increasing freeze-thaw cycles. However, the volumetric fractions of nanopores and micropores reduced, because some of them had developed into macropores under freeze-thaw. Fractal dimension was a good indicator to characterize the complex of pore structure, which had an obvious reduction trend against the freeze-thaw number. It illustrated that the distribution of pore size turned to be uniform, and the complexity of the pore structure decreased after repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Triaxial compression strengths of sandstones after different freeze-thaw cycles were measured. The UCS and TCS decreased due to the growth of macropores, but the confined pressure had an inhibitory effect on the freeze-thaw damage. In addition, the cohesion of sandstones decreased while the internal friction angle increased with increasing the freeze-thaw number. At last, the relationship between the mechanical strength loss and fractal dimension change was built. By analysis of the microscopic pore structure evolution and macroscopic strength loss, it can be concluded that the growth of macropores may play a dominant role in the freeze-thaw damage and strength loss. This study provides a better understanding of the macro-micro freeze-thaw damage mechanism of stone materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CircRNAs participates in the development and occurrence of multiple tumor types. However, the specific effects and underlying mechanisms of circRNA in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) progression and recurrence remain poorly understood. CircRNA sequencing was performed to screen circRNAs related to ICC recurrence after surgery using 53 ICC frozen tumor specimens. We found that compared with patients who experienced postsurgical recurrence, circFOXP1 had high expression in tumor tissues from patients with no postoperative recurrence. Functional experiments revealed that circFOXP1 inhibited ICC progression in vitro and in vivo. We then found that circFOXP1 inhibited ICC progression via encoding a novel protein, circFOXP1-231aa. Mechanistically, circFOXP1-231aa directly interacted with OTUD4, which regulates NCOA4 protein stability via deubiquitination modification, and thereby enhances ferroptosis of ICC cells. Examination of clinical ICC samples found positive correlations between circFOXP1 expression levels and levels of OTUD4 and NCOA4. These three factors are predictors of prognosis in patients with ICC. Collectively, we identified circFOXP1 encoded circFOXP1-231aa, which interacted with OTUD4 to suppress ubiquitination of NCOA4 and, thereby, promoted ferroptosis and inhibited ICC recurrence. • CircFOXP1 is up-regulated in ICC patients without postoperative recurrence and predicts good prognosis. • CircFOXP1 inhibits ICC progression through encoding circFOXP1-231aa. • CircFOXP1-231aa binds with OTUD4, to enhance ICC cell ferroptosis and inhibits ICC progression. • OTUD4 promotes ICC cell ferroptosis through inhibition of NCOA4 ubiquitination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose-based humidity sensors have attracted great research interest due to their hydrophilicity, biodegradability, and low cost. However, they still suffer from relatively low humidity sensitivity. Due to the presence of negatively charged carboxylate groups, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibril (CNF) exhibits enhanced hydrophilicity and ion conductivity, which is considered a promising candidate for humidity sensing. In this work, we developed a facile strategy to improve the humidity sensitivity of CNF films by regulating their surface charge density. With the increase in surface charge density, both water uptake and charge carrier densities of the CNF films can be improved, enabling a humidity sensitivity of up to 44.5 % (%RH)−1, higher than that of most polymer-based humidity sensors reported in the literature. Meanwhile, the sensor also showed good linearity (R2 = 0.998) over the 15–75 % RH at 1 kHz. With these features, the CNF film was further demonstrated for applications in noncontact sensing, such as human respiration, moisture on fingertips, and water leakage, indicating the great potential of CNF film in humidity monitoring. A simple strategy for enhancing the humidity sensing performance of TEMPO-oxidized CNF film is proposed through the surface charge density modulation. The high surface charge density (1.45 mmol g−1) of CNF endows the sensor with increased water uptake and charge carrier densities, thus leading to improved humidity sensing performance. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) isolation based on a catalyst-free maleic anhydride esterification has proven to be effective, however, the effects of pulp hornification on CNF isolation by this strategy have yet to be explored, which could present significant impacts for CNF isolation. Herein, dried northern bleached softwood Kraft pulp (D-NBSK) and never-dried northern bleached softwood Kraft pulp (ND-NBSK) were selected as the substrates. After esterification with maleic anhydride (MA), the esterified ND-NBSK pulp (E-ND) shows a significantly smaller size and more fragmented structure than the esterified D-NBSK pulp (E-D). Meanwhile, higher degree of esterification can be realized for the never dried pulp as compared to the dried pulp, which is corroborated by the significantly stronger characteristic peaks of C O (1720 cm−1) and -COO− (1575 cm−1) from the FTIR spectra and the higher surface charge content (0.86 ± 0.04 mmol/g vs. 0.55 ± 0.05 mmol/g). A comparison of the characteristics of the resulting CNF similarly demonstrated the negative impact of hornification. Overall, this work indicates that hornification tends to reduce the accessibility of chemical reagents to the pulp, leading to insufficient deconstruction. Such negative impact of hornification should be considered when performing nanocellulose isolation, especially when using pulp as feedstock. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The elastoplastic behavior during freezing was studied based on M−C yield criterion. • The plastic bulk strain has an influence on the frost heaving pressure. • The residual plastic strain induced by repeated freeze-thaw cycles was derived. • The freeze-thaw strains of porous materials can be well predicted by this model. Freeze-thaw damage of the brittle construction materials has shortened the service life and made threat to the safety of the building structure. The frost heaving pressure induced by water freezing is more than several hundreds of megapascals from the previous poroelastic theory, which has already exceeded the yield strength of the brittle porous materials. Therefore, a novel elastoplastic model has been proposed based on the Mohr-Coulomb (M−C) yield criterion in order to quantify the frost deformation of the saturated brittle porous materials during repeated freeze–thaw cycles. Then, the experimental frost deformation of two widely used building materials, sandstone and cement pastes, are used to validate this model. The results show that the calculated frost strain has a good agreement with the experimental values during the freeze–thaw process. Moreover, the freeze–thaw deformation can be divided into four typical deformation stages, including thermal contraction stage, frost expansion stage, thawing contraction stage and thermal expansion stage. By introducing a plastic parameter η , the residual plastic strains of this sandstone and cement pastes caused by freeze–thaw action can be well estimated by the present model. This residual plastic strain increases gradually with increasing freeze–thaw cycles, but the growth rate has a decreasing trend due to the production of new empty voids. Finally, the influence of the frost heaving pressure and freeze–thaw hysteresis effect on the freezing process is comprehensively discussed using the present elastoplastic model. This research can provide a better understanding of the freezing process and the frost deformation behavior of the brittle porous materials in the elastoplastic regime under freeze–thaw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The DFT method was applied to optimize the preparation of DMIPs. • The properly DMIPs for the selective adsorption of geosmin were obtained. • The distribution ratios and imprinting factors of DMIPs were analyzed. Dummy molecularly imprinted polymers (DMIPs) were prepared by combining the molecular imprinting technique with computer simulation for the selective adsorption of geosmin (GSM). The most stable geometric configuration and single-point energy calculations of the molecules were determined by the density functional theory (DFT) method at the M06–2X/6–31 + G (d, p) and the M06–2X/def2-TZVP level, respectively. Meanwhile, the binding energy at different monomer ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4) between dummy template with monomer was calculated. According to the theoretical studies, DMIPs materials were synthesized using methacrylic acid (MAA) as the functional monomer, forming a stable molecular/monomer complex in a 1:3 ratio. The DMIPs were characterized using infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The theoretical adsorption capacity (Q max) of the obtained DMIPs was 1.23 mg g −1, it was approximately twice that of non-imprinted polymers (NIPs). Additionally, the results of the kinetic experiments showed that the DMIPs achieved adsorption equilibrium within 90 min. The combination of computational simulation and experimental approach can shorten the preparation cycle of DMIPs and improve their performance, enabling its efficient application in the analysis of actual samples. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A three-dimensional electrode system was constructed. • FMBC acts as a third electrode in the electrochemical system. • Three-dimensional system promotes organic matter leaching and methane production. Electrochemical pretreatment (EPT) of sewage sludge demonstrates an aggressive effect on extracellular polymeric substance destruction and sludge solubilization. While the low efficiency of methane production does not match the initial dissolution of the sludge after EPT. Here we proposed a novel method, using Fe-Mn-modified biochar (FMBC) strengthening electrochemical pretreatment, aiming at improving the methanogenic efficiency. The strengthening mechanism of FMBC was studied according to the physicochemical parameters of sludge at different concentrations and the change of microbial community. Experimentally, with the addition of 2 g/L FMBC, the methane production increased by 7.96% and 10.06% compared with electrochemical pretreatment alone and the control group. The sludge organic matter solubilization varied from 344.6 mg/L in E0 to 383.4 mg/L in E2 after pretreatment. Simultaneously, analysis of microbial communities showed that the addition of 2 g/L FMBC obviously increased the relative abundance of Methanofastidiosum and Methanosaeta from 5.5% and 20.9% in CK to 16% and 28.7% in E2, respectively. The addition of FMBC also intensified the acetoclastic methanogenesis and methylotrophic methanogenesis. This study provides new ideas for the enhancement of electrochemical pretreatment of sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Polyamide mitigated the inhibitory effect of ofloxacin on anaerobic digestion. • The presence of polyamides facilitated the degradation of ofloxacin. • Coexistence of polyamide favored the enrichment of hydrolytic acidifying bacteria. • Both glycolysis and amino acid metabolism were inhibited under ofloxacin stress. Microplastics and antibiotics are emerging pollutants that inevitably enter the sludge anaerobic digestion system. Current studies mainly focused on the individual effects of microplastics or antibiotics on methane generation. However, there may also be complex reactions between them and their combine effects on anaerobic digestion remain unclear. This study revealed the combined influencing mechanism of polyamide and ofloxacin through batch and semi-continuous tests. Brief exposure to ofloxacin was detrimental to methane production. The coexistence of polyamide enabled partial adsorption of ofloxacin, which effectively mitigates the inhibitory effect of ofloxacin at low concentrations. Polyamide also facilitated the colonization of hydrolytic bacteria and acidogens, such as Hydrogenispora , and promoted the conversion of organic matter to acetate. However, polyamide could not effectively alleviate the inhibitory effect of excess ofloxacin on anaerobic digestion. Ofloxacin at high concentrations stimulated the release of humic acid, reduced methane production by more than 80%, and changed the predominant methanogenesis pathway from acetoclastic methanogenesis to hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Acidogenesis and methanogenesis pathways were restructured to further explore the effect of ofloxacin on the metabolic potentials of microorganisms. Metagenomic analysis revealed that most of functional genes associated with glycolysis, amino acid metabolism and methanogenesis were down regulated under long-term stress of high concentration of ofloxacin. This study elucidated the microbial process of organic matter conversion inhibition by ofloxacin, shed light on the combined effects of polyamide and ofloxacin on anaerobic digestion and provided new insights for assessing the impact of multiple pollutants on the safe disposal of sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) are substrates available for biofilms colonization in natural water environments. The biofilms formation may enhance the ability of MPs to adsorb harmful contaminants. Herein, we investigated the biofilms formation of three different MPs (PVC, PA and HDPE) in simulated natural environment, and observed the chemical structure, charge property, hydrophobicity and other properties of MPs affect microbial biomass and community composition. More importantly, potential pathogens were found in all three MPs biofilms. Furthermore, the adsorption capacities of original MPs and biological aging MPs for norfloxacin (NOR) was compared. HDPE has the largest adsorption capacity for NOR, while PA has the smallest adsorption capacity for NOR. It was concluded that the formation of biofilms enhanced the adsorption of NOR by 50.60 %, 24.17 % and 46.02 % for PVC, PA and HDPE, respectively. In addition, hydrogen-bond interaction, electrostatic interaction and hydrophobic interaction were found to dominate the adsorption of NOR by MPs. Our study contributed to improve the understanding of the interactions between aging MPs and contaminants in the natural water environments, and provided essential information for ecological risk assessment of MPs. [Display omitted] • Biological senescence of different MPs under same culture conditions was compared. • The community characteristics of MPs biofilms were studied. • The attachment of biofilms increased the adsorption capacity of MPs to NOR. • Different MPs adsorption mechanisms were explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Facile, scalable production of hyperbranched wood fiber using mild disc milling. • Air dried foam assembled from hyperbranched wood fiber with no binder use. • Sub-fibrous structures of wood fiber improved foam's mechanical properties. • Natural, high melting point wax allowed enhanced water/moisture repellency. • Woody foam demonstrated better thermal insulation than commercial glass fiber mat. Demand for sustainable building thermal regulation is driving the development of low carbon-intensive, renewable, and safe-to-use materials to substitute the dominant synthetic polymers and inorganic mats. This study proposes a novel mild mechanical pretreatment strategy to fabricate high-performance, self-strengthening thermal insulation board in a low cost and scalable approach from chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP), a type of high-yield wood pulp. CTMP fibers, after subject to a short period of disc milling, were found to gain abundant sub-fibrous structures at multiple scales. After foaming and air-drying, such micro-fibrillated fibers (MF-CTMP) formed robust, binder-free foam under capillary force with remarkedly stronger physical entanglement between fibers compared to that of pristine CTMP, achieving 3.7 folds Young's modulus, 2.9 folds ultimate stress, and 1.9 folds toughness with respect to the latter. Palm wax coating further provided a sustainable hydrophobic protection for the foam (contact angle of ∼ 110°). The high porosity and structural tortuosity endowed the hydrophobic MF-CTMP foam with excellent thermal insulation property (thermal conductivity of 33.1 ± 2.3 mW/(m∙K)), demonstrating significantly better performance than a commercial glass fiber thermal insulator. Compared to other lignocellulosic boards prepared using freeze-drying or supercritical drying operations, the hydrophobic MF-CTMP foam represents a novel low cost, binder-free, and scalable technology for commercial sustainable thermal insulation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of phase change materials (PCM)-containing composite represents a promising passive thermal control strategy to provide indoor thermal comfort without using powered equipment. Yet, the trade-off between high thermal storage density and good thermal stability is the major obstacle that restricts the thermal regulation performance of the current PCM-containing products. This study proposed a facile approach to prepare PCM/cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) ink for 3D printed composite monolith, with very high PCM loading, good thermal stability, and robust mechanical properties. By incorporating a small amount of CNF gel as the stabilizer and viscosity modifier, the CNF-microencapsulated paraffin (model PCM) obtained essential printability to construct tailorable structure using Direct Ink Writing technology. After ice templating and freeze drying, the microencapsulated PCM particles were in-situ embedded in a CNF-assembled scaffold, forming a PCM/CNF composite. The lightweight nature of such scaffold (35.0 mg/cm3 for pure CNF matrix) endowed the composite monolith with high PCM loading (up to 82% with respect to the composite) and high thermal storage capacity (up to 153 J/g). Due to the 3D-interlinked CNF matrix and the coated CNF on PCM particles, the composite monolith not only exhibited high Young's modulus of up to 1.14 MPa but also showed exceptional thermal stability with negligible variation in microscopic morphology and thermal storage capacity, after high temperature conditioning at 80 °C for 30 h. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel hypoxanthine biosensor fabricated by immobilizing the xanthine oxidase (XOD) onto the phosphonic acid-functionalized silica (SiO2-P) film on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was designed and constructed in this work. A biomimetic platform was designed with the phosphonic acid-functionalized silica nanoparticles (SiO2-P NPs) synthesized by the method of reverse microemulsion and electrostatic binding. In such a platform, XOD was selected as model protein to fabricate hypoxanthine biosensor based on SiO2-P NPs. The nanocomposite was characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Based on the advantageous functions of SiO2-P NPs, the entrapped XOD could preserve its bioactivity and exhibited an excellent electrochemical behavior with a formal potential of −0.37V in phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH=7). Response studies to hypoxanthine were carried out using current–time response curve. The biosensor exhibited a wide linear response ranging from 1.00×10−6 to 2.61×10−4 M. The detection limit of 2.33×10−7 M at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 was lower than that most reported previously. In addition, the electrode modified with XOD/(SiO2-P NPs) film also had a strong anti-interference ability in the presence of uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA). The assay results of hypoxanthine in fish samples were in a good agreement with the reference values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The presence of 15% lignin promoted the SCFAs production to 1.7 times from WAS, and the proportion of acetic increased by 61.8%. • Lignin was beneficial to the solubilization process, which may be related to its hydrophobic properties. • Lignin enhanced the SCFAs production bio-processes and inhibited the SCFAs consumption bio-processes. • The abundance of microorganisms related to acid production in fermenter with lignin increased. Lignin, a biological resource with great potential, can be as high as ∼16% of the total organics in the waste activated sludge (WAS). This work therefore aims to fill the knowledge gap about the effect of lignin on short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production from anaerobic fermentation of sludge. Experimental results showed that lignin promoted rather than inhibited SCFAs production. Specifically, the presence of 15% lignin promoted the SCFAs production from 129.1 ± 6.5 to 223.14 ± 7.8 mg COD/g VSS compared with the control, and the proportion of acetic increased by 61.8%, while that of propionic decreased by 44.9%. Mechanism exploration revealed that lignin improved the solubilization of biodegradable substrates due to its hydrophobic characteristics. In addition, lignin enhanced the acidogenesis process, possibly by perfecting the electron transfer chain in the fermentation system, and the quinone structure in lignin may compete electrons with methanogens to inhibit the consumption of SCFAs. Microbiological analysis showed that the abundance of microorganisms related to acidogenesi, especially the acetogenesis, including Proteiniclasticum sp., Acetoanaerobium sp., in the fermenter with lignin increased, which caused the community to shift towards specialized and diverse SCFAs production. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A deformable bubble spiraling near a vertical mesh are experimentally studied. • Stronger blockage-effect and spiraling path help to avoid bubble-mesh collisions. • Mesh-effect causes the transition in dominant frequency of shape-oscillation. • The energy loss due to mesh interference is significantly smaller. Because wire-meshes have a great potential application for designing high-efficient heat and mass transfer systems, a deformable bubble of Re ~ 800 rising in still tap-water near a vertical mesh of different porosity is studied using a high-speed shadowgraphy apparatus including two mutually perpendicular projections. We focus on the effect of the boundary conditions with three types of meshes (Mesh-L, Mesh-M, and Mesh-S) and initial wall distance s* on the dynamic behavior of the bubbles rising by the presence of the meshes. The dynamic parameters, shape oscillation, and energy components are discussed, compared to the cases of the free-rising bubbles and that near impermeable walls. Results show that the near-mesh bubble always travels within a three-dimensional spiral trajectory at different initial wall distances, similar to the corresponding free-spiraling bubble. The mesh-bubble collisions only happen on the Mesh-L and Mesh-M, at the smallest initial distance s* = 0.11, due to their lower pressure drop before and after the mesh as a liquid through it and causing the stronger added mass effect on the bubbles. Compared to the no-slip wall, the mesh, as a slippery boundary condition of non-zero wall-normal velocity, has insignificant interference on the bubble wake, suppressing the symmetric vortex shedding and then the transition of the bubble path from spiraling into zigzagging. The interference of the mesh can lead to the transition and obvious fluctuation in the characteristic frequencies of the lateral migration, velocity, and symmetric shape-oscillation. In terms of energy, the horizontal momentum components of a near-mesh rising bubble are transferred to each other to maintain the spiral motion. The absence of bubble-mesh collisions may explain why just the energy dissipation E D generated by Mesh-S changes slightly and maintains at a lower level at s* < 9.05, while E D caused by other walls or meshes cannot achieve this low level until s* > 4.58. It is expected that our findings will be helpful to predict or modify the near-mesh gas void-fraction distribution and to improve mass, heat transfer in related engineered systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]