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The commonly used aluminum–copper alloys in industry are mainly rolled plates and extruded or drawn bars. The aluminum–copper alloys' anisotropy generated in the manufacturing process is unfavorable for subsequent applications. Its underlying mechanism shall be interpreted from a microscopic perspective. This paper conducted the loading simulation on Al–4%Cu alloy crystals at the microscopic scale with molecular dynamics technology. Uniaxial tension and compression loading were carried out along three orientations: X-< 1 ¯ 12 >, Y-< 1 1 ¯ 1 >, and Z-<110>. It analyzes the micro-mechanisms that affect the performance changes of aluminum–copper alloys through the combination of stress–strain curves and different organizational analysis approaches. As shown by the results, the elastic modulus and yield strength are the highest under tension along the < 1 1 ¯ 1 > direction. Such is the case for the reasons below: The close-packed plane of atoms ensures large atomic binding forces. In addition, the Stair-rod dislocation forms a Lomer–Cottrell dislocation lock, which has a strengthening effect on the material. The elastic modulus and yield strength are the smallest under tension along the <110> direction, and the periodic arrangement of HCP atom stacking faults serves as the main deformation mechanism. This is because the atomic arrangement on the <110> plane is relatively loose, which tends to cause atomic misalignment. When compressed in different directions, the plastic deformation mechanism is mainly dominated by dislocations and stacking faults. When compressed along the <110> direction, it has a relatively high dislocation density and the maximum yield strength. That should be attributed to the facts below. As the atomic arrangement of the <110> plane itself was not dense originally, compression loading would cause an increasingly tighter arrangement. In such a case, the stress could only be released through dislocations. This research aims to provide a reference for optimizing the processing technology and preparation methods of aluminum–copper alloy materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Abnormal lipid metabolism poses a risk for prediabetes. However, research on lipid parameters used to predict the risk of prediabetes is scarce, and the significance of traditional and untraditional lipid parameters remains unexplored in prediabetes. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the association between 12 lipid parameters and prediabetes and their diagnostic value. Methods: This cross-sectional study included data from 100,309 Chinese adults with normal baseline blood glucose levels. New onset of prediabetes was the outcome of concern. Untraditional lipid parameters were derived from traditional lipid parameters. Multivariate logistic regression and smooth curve fitting were used to examine the nonlinear relationship between lipid parameters and prediabetes. A two-piecewise linear regression model was used to identify the critical points of lipid parameters influencing the risk of prediabetes. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve estimated the predictive value of the lipid parameters. Results: A total of 12,352 participants (12.31%) were newly diagnosed with prediabetes. Following adjustments for confounding covariables, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were negatively correlated with prediabetes risk. Conversely, total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), lipoprotein combine index (LCI), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), non-HDL-C, atherogenic coefficient, Castelli's index-I, remnant cholesterol (RC), and RC/HDL-C ratio displayed positive correlations. In younger adults, females, individuals with a family history of diabetes, and non-obese individuals, LCI, TG, and AIP exhibited higher predictive values for the onset of prediabetes compared to other lipid profiles. Conclusion: Nonlinear associations were observed between untraditional lipid parameters and the risk of prediabetes. The predictive value of untraditional lipid parameters for prediabetes surpassed that of traditional lipid parameters, with LCI emerging as the most effective predictor for prediabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Overutilization and misuse of antibiotics in recent decades markedly intensified the rapid proliferation and diffusion of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) within the environment, thereby elevating ARGs to the status of a global public health crisis. Recognizing that soil acts as a critical reservoir for ARGs, environmental researchers have made great progress in exploring the sources, distribution, and spread of ARGs in soil. However, the microscopic state and micro-interfacial behavior of ARGs in soil remains inadequately understood. In this study, we reviewed the micro-interfacial behaviors of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in soil and porous media, predominantly including migration-deposition, adsorption, and biofilm formation. Meanwhile, adsorption, proliferation, and degradation were identified as the primary micro-interfacial behaviors of ARGs in the soil, with component of soil serving as significant determinant. Our work contributes to the further comprehension of the microstates and processes of ARB and ARGs in the soil environments and offers a theoretical foundation for managing and mitigating the risks associated with ARG contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of two-phase powder feeding spacing on the thermal cycling and CMAS corrosion resistance of the thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Porous thermal barrier coatings with varying microstructures were prepared using the embedded micro agglomerated particle (EMAP) coating preparation method, which is based on conventional yttrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings. The method involved changing the powder feeding spacing. TBCs' failure mode and microstructure are investigated under complex service conditions. The corrosion resistance, thermal cycling life, hardness, and elastic modulus of TBCs are investigated by thermal cycling-CMAS experiments and isothermal corrosion tests. The EMAP coating has a good service life in the thermal cycling-CMAS tests, with a lower hardness, lower elasticit modulus and larger surface roughness than conventional coatings. This research aims to provide a strategy to optimize structure for TBCs with excellent comprehensive performance. • Improved APS technology is used to deposit TBCs with varying microstructures at different distances. • The article focuses on internal stress and damage modes of molten CMAS in EMAP coatings with varying pore characteristics. • The relationship between the porosity of thermal barrier coatings and their hardness has been verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure affects the service life and performance in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). A series of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings with embedded micro-agglomerated particles (EMAP) are prepared using plasma co-spraying technology. The thermal conductivity and thermal cycling behavior between EMAP coatings with various transfer speeds and traditional YSZ coating are explored. Experimental and finite element simulations are conducted to explore the effect of pore structure characteristics on the thermomechanical properties of coatings. Results show that the thermal conductivity of EMAP coatings is lower than that of traditional YSZ coating, with EMAP coating deposited at 200 mm/s transfer speed having the lowest thermal conductivity. The thermal cycling life of EMAP coatings at transfer speeds of 600 mm/s and 800 mm/s is improved by 20.00 % and 58.33 % compared to traditional YSZ coating. This paper suggests the mechanism of excellent thermal insulation and service life of porous coatings. • A tailored-composite structure for optimizing the pore distribution of TBCs has been developed. • The large pores area accounting for 94.62 % greatly improves the thermal insulation performance of TBCs. • The large pore area accounting for 46.25 % increased the thermal cycling life of 58.33 % of TBCs. • Failure mechanism and thermal conductivity of TBCs are systematically studies by experiment and FE method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For industrial flotation foam image processing, accurate bubble size measurement and feature extraction are very important to optimize the flotation process and to improve the recovery of mineral resources. This paper presents an improved algorithm to investigate mineral flotation foam image segmentation for mineral processing. Several libraries implemented for the Python programming language are used for image enhancement and compensation, quantitative analysis of factors influencing the image segmentation accuracy, and suggestions for improvement of the flotation foam image processing. The bubble characteristics-size and morphology-and the influence of the flotation conditions on the flotation foam image are analyzed. A Python implementation of the Retinex image compensation method-region-adaptive and multiscale-is proposed to address known issues of uneven illumination and shadows affecting flotation foam images, thereby improving brightness uniformity. Finally, an improved version of the watershed segmentation algorithm included in the Python Open Source Computer Vision library is used for segmentation analysis. The accuracy of the flotation foam image segmentation is 3.3% higher than for the standard watershed algorithm and the segmentation time is 9.9% shorter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grinding is an important link in the process of mineral processing. It plays a vital role in mineral processing by optimizing the grinding process, improving the quality of grinding products and ensuring the follow-up operation indicators. In this paper, the Python language, intelligent theoretical control technology and mineral processing were combined to solve the problem of ore feeding control in mineral processing. Using error factor analysis, an extended control algorithm was designed. The NumPy library and data collected from the Yuan YangMou concentrator in China were used to quantitatively analyze the factors affecting the error of electronic belt scales. This paper introduces the use of Kalman filtering for electronic belt scale weight data to reduce the effect of noise and hence reduce errors. The factors affecting the process of mill feeding are also analyzed. The core ideas and methods of fuzzy control theory are summarized, and a Python-based fuzzy controller suitable for the mill feeding process that improves the overall robustness and accuracy of feeding system is implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting reliable feature interaction plays a critical role in the visual tracking community, especially in recent dominated Siamese-based tracking paradigm. In general, there are two primary approaches for fusing representations from template and search area in the Siamese setting, i.e. , cross-correlation and transformer modeling. The former provides a straightforward interaction solution, which may have limitations in handling complex scenarios, such as appearance variations and occlusion. While the latter offers an effective interaction mechanism, albeit with higher computation complexity and model cost. In contrast to traditional Siamese-based trackers which rely on two mentioned feature cross-correlation operators, this paper proposes a novel Correlation-Refine network to address the issue of lacking semantic information caused by local linear matching in correlation, from both spatial and channel perspectives. Correlation-Refine network (named CR) is solely built on top of fully convolutional layers, without employing intricate transformer mechanisms or complex methods to fuse features from multiple scales. Moreover, we present a concise yet effective convolutional tracking framework based on the correlation-refine network. CR network can increase the discriminative ability of semantic information in a coarse-to-fine manner: it gradually learns the semantic features of the target to be tracked and suppresses interference from similar objects by stacking multiple CR layers. Extensive experiments and comparisons with recent competitive trackers in challenging large-scale benchmarks demonstrate that, our tracker outperforms all previous convolutional trackers and has competitive results with transformer-based method. The code will be made available. • We put forward Correlation-Refine network to address the issue of lacking semantic information. • We construct an efficient tracking framework, gradually eliminating similarity interference from semantic level. • Our tracker outperforms all previous convolutional trackers on four authoritative benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an indium oxide–zinc oxide (In2O3–ZnO) nanocomposite is successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal process. The samples are characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier–transform infrared spectroscopy, and so on. The photocatalytic test results show that the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange efficiency of 15% In2O3–ZnO nanocomposite can be more than 96.62% after 120 min, which is much higher than that of In2O3 and ZnO particles. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the reduction in electrons (e−) and holes (h+) recombination in the photocatalytic process; it allows the rapid separation of photo-generated charge carriers, thus enhancing their photocatalytic activity. Finally, a possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photochemical internalization is an efficient strategy relying on photodynamic reactions to promote siRNA endosomal escape for the success of RNA‐interference gene regulation, which makes gene‐photodynamic combined therapy highly synergistic and efficient. However, it is still desired to explore capable carriers to improve the delivery efficiency of the immiscible siRNA and organic photosensitizers simultaneously. Herein, we employ a micellar nanostructure (PSNA) self‐assembled from polymer‐DNA molecular chimeras to fulfill this task. PSNA can plentifully load photosensitizers in its hydrophobic core simply by the nanoprecipitation method. Moreover, it can organize siRNA self‐assembly by the densely packed DNA shell, which leads to a higher loading capacity than the typical electrostatic condensation method. The experimental results prove that this PSNA carrier can greatly facilitate siRNA escape from the endosome/lysosome and enhance transfection. Accordingly, the PSNA‐administrated therapy exhibits a significantly improved anti‐tumor efficacy owing to the highly efficient co‐delivery capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photochemical internalization is an efficient strategy relying on photodynamic reactions to promote siRNA endosomal escape for the success of RNA‐interference gene regulation, which makes gene‐photodynamic combined therapy highly synergistic and efficient. However, it is still desired to explore capable carriers to improve the delivery efficiency of the immiscible siRNA and organic photosensitizers simultaneously. Herein, we employ a micellar nanostructure (PSNA) self‐assembled from polymer‐DNA molecular chimeras to fulfill this task. PSNA can plentifully load photosensitizers in its hydrophobic core simply by the nanoprecipitation method. Moreover, it can organize siRNA self‐assembly by the densely packed DNA shell, which leads to a higher loading capacity than the typical electrostatic condensation method. The experimental results prove that this PSNA carrier can greatly facilitate siRNA escape from the endosome/lysosome and enhance transfection. Accordingly, the PSNA‐administrated therapy exhibits a significantly improved anti‐tumor efficacy owing to the highly efficient co‐delivery capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO2 powder was firstly synthesized and carbon fiber was secondly prepared via the carbonization of polyaniline fiber, and TiO2/carbon fiber composites were lastly synthesized via a simple method at room temperature. The prepared samples are evidently investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectrum, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. Using the monochromatic light of ultraviolet, the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/CF composites was accurately evaluated with respect to the degradation of an aqueous dye (methylene blue) solution. The relationship between the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye and its ratio, contact time, and the amount of catalyst was studied. The kinetics and mechanisms of degradation were discussed. The results show that TiO2/CF composites have good photocatalytic activity and stability. The TiO2/CF2/1 composite was used in effective photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue, the weight ratio of TiO2 to carbon fiber was 2:1, and the degradation rate was obtaining up to 97.7% of degradation during 120 min of reaction. The photocatalytic stability of TiO2/CF composites was dependent on the stability of their structure. After 5 repeated uses, the composite TiO2/CF2/1 still exhibited rather high activity toward the degradation of methylene blue, where the decolorization efficiency of methylene blue achieved 92% and the loss of activity was negligible. Based on radical trapping experiments, the mechanism of TiO2/CF composites on photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue is proposed, which could explain the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the composites better. Superoxide radicals, photogenerated holes, and photogenerated electrons were the main active substances for methylene blue degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doping rare-earth elements has been regarded as one of the potential ways to enhance the comprehensive performance of thermal barrier coatings. In the study, the microstructure, thermophysical and mechanical properties, and wetting behavior of Yb 2 O 3 -Y 2 O 3 co-stabilized ZrO 2 (YbYSZ) were evaluated in detail as compared with Y 2 O 3 stabilized ZrO 2 (YSZ) counterpart. During high-temperature exposure and CMAS attack at 1300 °C × 32 h, the samples did not undergo phase transformation, while samples underwent phase transformation under CMAS corrosion. In the cross-section of CMAS penetration, YbYSZ penetration depth decreases by more than 20 % compared to YSZ, and the maximum degradation depth of YSZ and YbYSZ is 27.37 μm and 11.28 μm. Additionally, the thermal conductivity of YbYSZ is lower than that of YSZ. During high-temperature exposure, the hardness and elastic modulus of YSZ show a more significant upward trend than that of YbYSZ. During CMAS corrosion, the hardness and elastic modulus offer a downward trend, with YbYSZ value higher than that of YSZ. The samples were held at 1300 °C × 180 s, the contact angle difference between YSZ (59.2°) and YbYSZ (99.9°) is the largest. The YbYSZ coating exhibits better performance on resistibility to CMAS corrosion and high-temperature exposure. • YSZ and YbYSZ coatings prepared by APS under high-temperature exposure and CMAS corrosion were investigated. • In microstructure, YbYSZ exhibits better anti-sintering and CMAS corrosion resistance. • The thermal conductivity of YbYSZ is lower than that of YSZ. • The hardness and elastic modulus of YSZ are higher under high-temperature exposure, while YbYSZ is higher under CMAS corrosion. • The contact angle of YbYSZ increases by 68.75 % compared to YSZ at 1300 °C × 180 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, different CdSexS1–x quantum dots (QDs) with stearic acid as ligands are synthesized, and then the outer ZnS shell is coated with oleylamine (OLA) as ligands using a single molecular source method. The surface ligand exchange of CdSe0.6S0.4 and CdSe0.6S0.4/ZnS QDs is conducted with ammonium zinc chloride ((NH4)2ZnCl4) inorganic ligands. The QDs layers are deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate using a spin coating method before and after ligand exchanges. The morphology, crystal form, and group of QDs are examined using a high‐resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Under the condition of simulated sunlight irradiation, the photoelectrochemical properties are tested with an electrochemical workstation. The results show that the distance between QDs decreases after ligand exchange. The photocurrent density of CdSe0.6S0.4/ZnS QDs films after ligand exchange reaches 7.23 mA cm−2, which is 11 times that of the photocurrent density before ligand exchange. The reason may be that ZnCl42− has strong ligand electron donor capacity, which increases the probability of nonradiative transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The misfolding of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides from the natural unfolded state to β-sheet structure is a critical step, leading to abnormal fibrillation and formation of endogenous Aβ plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies have reported inhibition of Aβ fibrillation or disassembly of exogenous Aβ fibrils in vitro. However, soluble Aβ oligomers have been reported with increased cytotoxicity; this might partly explain why current clinical trials targeting disassembly of Aβ fibrils by anti-Aβ antibodies have failed so far. Here we show that Au23(CR)14 (a new Au nanocluster modified by Cys-Arg (CR) dipeptide) is able to completely dissolve exogenous mature Aβ fibrils into monomers and restore the natural unfolded state of Aβ peptides from misfolded β-sheets. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of Aβ40 fibrils when dissolved by Au23(CR)14 is fully abolished. More importantly, Au23(CR)14 is able to completely dissolve endogenous Aβ plaques in brain slices from transgenic AD model mice. In addition, Au23(CR)14 has good biocompatibility and infiltration ability across the blood–brain barrier. Taken together, this work presents a promising therapeutics candidate for AD treatment, and manifests the potential of nanotechnological approaches in the development of nanomedicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acoustic emission sensors were tailored by using Piezoelectric Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) ceramic as sensing element and different materials as backing layers. The influences of backing layers on electroacoustic properties of the sensors were investigated based on the pencil lead break test and simulated noise experiments. The results show that compared with PZT ceramic, the resonant frequency of the acoustic emission sensors decreases due to damping effects from backing layer and the metal shell. The backing layer of air has the largest acoustic reflection coefficient, and epoxy resin/tungsten powder has the largest acoustic attenuation performance, which is benefit to improve the bandwidth of the acoustic emission sensor. The acoustic emission sensors made of different backing layers own good reception ability to acoustic emission signals, and the characteristic parameters analysis results prove their good identifying ability to effective acoustic emission signals and noise signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new hybrid frog leaping algorithm based on interlayer communication mechanism is proposed to overcome the shortcomings of slow convergence speed, low accuracy and prematurity of the hybrid frog leaping algorithm. The inter layer communication mechanism is added on the basis of the original hybrid frog leaping algorithm, the new algorithm enables the individual in the group to learn longitudinally, enhances the information sharing among the individuals and enhances the global search ability. The spin operation to the process of the worst frog update ensures the diversity of the algorithm in the later period, and reduces the probability of falling into local optimum. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm achieves better results than the hybrid frog-hop algorithm on six test functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A multi-label mixed waste image dataset is constructed. • A DSYOLO-Trash model of real-time waste detection is proposed. • An intelligent solid waste detection and sorting system is designed. • The proposed model effectively detected the solid waste with 98.5 % mAP. In a global context, the production of urban solid waste significantly varies with changes in living standards. This trend exhibits diversity across different countries and regions, reflecting shifts in lifestyles as well as varying needs and challenges in waste management strategies. However, current standards of waste recycling are too complex for the general public to follow. In this study, we propose a model called DSYOLO-Trash to identify solid waste by integrating the dual attention mechanisms convolutional block attention module (CBAM) and Contextual Transformer Networks(CotNet), which significantly enhance its ability to mine channel-related and spatial attention features while optimizing the learning process. We apply the deep simple online and realtime tracking (DeepSORT) object tracking algorithm to solid waste detection for the first time in the literature to enable the real-time identification and tracking of waste. We also develop a multi-label dataset of mixed solid waste, called MMTrash, to realistically simulate actual scenarios of waste classification. Our proposed DSYOLO-Trash delivered superior performance to classical detection algorithms on both the MMTrash and the TrashNet datasets. Our system combines the improved you only look once(YOLO) algorithm with DeepSORT technology by using industrial cameras and PLC-controlled robotic arms to intelligently sort waste. The work here constitutes an important contribution to intelligent waste management and the sustainable development of cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) is a familiar complication following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The present study evaluated the predictive value of the De Ritis ratio for CA-AKI and its association with long-term clinical outcomes in patients undergoing emergency PCI. Overall, 546 patients were included in this study. The De Ritis ratio was calculated by aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase activity. The De Ritis ratios in the CA-AKI patients were significantly higher than the non-CA-AKI patients [3.74 (2.32, 4.90) vs 1.61 (1.02, 2.53); P < .001]. The De Ritis ratio was an independent risk factor for CA-AKI [odds ratio, 2.243; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.823–2.759; P < .001]. The area under the ROC curve was .813 (95% CI, .763–.862; P < .001), and the sensitivity and specificity were 67.0% and 82.4%, respectively, when the optimum cut-off value was 2.97. Furthermore, patients in the high De Ritis ratio group (≥1.76) had a significantly greater incidence of primary endpoints [26.7% (73/273) vs 13.2% (36/273); P < .001], and the high De Ritis ratio was an independent predictor for primary endpoints (hazard ratio, 1.888, 95% CI, 1.235–2.887; P = .003). In conclusion, the De Ritis Ratio is associated with CA-AKI prediction and long-term clinical outcomes in patients undergoing emergency PCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kind of fine scale 2-2-2 PZT/epoxy piezoelectric composites consisting of PZT phase of uniform and Gaussian distribution were designed and prepared by cutting and filling method. The effects of thickness parameter on piezoelectric, dielectric and electromechanical coupling properties of the piezoelectric materials were investigated. The results show that piezoelectric composites exhibit large piezoelectric voltage constant and thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient. The relative permittivity, piezoelectric strain constant and planner electromechanical coupling coefficient increase with increasing the thickness of supporting base, and the piezoelectric voltage constant and thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient show the opposite variation. The Gaussian PZT/epoxy composite has larger piezoelectric voltage constant and thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient than the uniform PZT/epoxy composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We introduce a prototype-guided instance matching framework to boost the performance of multiple pedestrian tracking task. • We design a self-adaptive update mechanism to dynamically update the instance-wise feature representation for each tracking target. • We verify the effectiveness of our PIM, and experimental results demonstrate the significant improvement on three public datasets. Multiple pedestrian tracking is a critical yet challenging to understand human behavior. Although existing tracking methods have achieved great advances through adopting the tracking-by-detection paradigm, they give insufficient consideration on how to improve the instance matching capability in the cluttered and crowded environment. Motivated by our observations on tracking persons that the similarity of the same target is larger than that of other persons along sequence frames, in this work, we propose a novel Prototype-guided Instance Matching (PIM) method to boost the performance of multiple pedestrian tracking task. The whole PIM framework mainly consists of a detector net, an appearance embedding module, and a self-adaptive prototype dictionary. Given the current frame as the input sample, we first adopt a classic detector to select a set of positive candidates, and their corresponding multi-scale convolutional features are then fed into the appearance embedding module for obtaining the robust instance-wise feature representation. We perform the prototype-guided instance matching optimization between the learned instance-wise feature embeddings and the prototype dictionary, where its aim is to enlarge the separability of different instances and make the distance between the same instances more compact. Here object detection and appearance embedding are jointly optimized in an end-to-end fashion. Furthermore, we maintain a self-adaptive prototype dictionary to store instance-wise prototypes, which can be adaptively updated to adapt the appearance variations of all tracked targets over time. The instance matching and prototype dictionary update are modeled into an interactive optimization process so that they can be gradually improved for each other. Comprehensive evaluations on three benchmark datasets (i.e., MOT16, MOT17, and MOT20) demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed PIM when compared with the state-of-the-art methods for the multiple pedestrian tracking task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An energy-efficient multi-objective integrated process planning and scheduling problem for the remanufacturing system with parallel disassembly, flexible job-shop-type reprocessing, and parallel reassembly shops is first proposed. • A mixed-integer programming model is established to characterize the proposed problem. • An improved spider monkey optimization algorithm with different local neighborhood searching strategies and dynamic inertia weight method is developed to solve to the proposed problem. • Experiments and a real-world case study are designed and performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. This study considers an energy-efficient multi-objective integrated process planning and scheduling (IPPS) problem for the remanufacturing system (RMS) integrating parallel disassembly, flexible job-shop-type reprocessing, and parallel reassembly shops with the goal of realizing the minimization of both energy cost and completion time. The multi-objective mixed-integer programming model is first constructed with consideration of operation, sequence, and process flexibilities in the RMS for identifying this scheduling issue mathematically. An improved spider monkey optimization algorithm (ISMO) with a global criterion multi-objective method is developed to address the proposed problem. By embedding dynamic adaptive inertia weight and various local neighborhood searching strategies in ISMO, its global and local search capabilities are improved significantly. A set of simulation experiments are systematically designed and conducted for evaluating ISMO's performance. Finally, a case study from the real-world remanufacturing scenario is adopted to assess ISMO's ability to handle the realistic remanufacturing IPPS problem. Simulation results demonstrate ISMO's superiority compared to other baseline algorithms when tackling the energy-aware IPPS problem regarding solution accuracy, computing speed, solution stability, and convergence behavior. Meanwhile, the case study results validate ISMO's supremacy in solving the real-world remanufacturing IPPS problem with relatively lower energy usage and time cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe cardiovascular disease characterised by pulmonary vascular remodelling. The pivotal role of cellular senescence in vascular remodelling has been acknowledged. Transglutaminase type 2 (TG2), a calcium-dependent enzyme, is intricately linked to both cellular senescence and PH. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the involvement of TG2 in PH remain unclear. In this study, we explored the expression of TG2 and the cellular senescence marker p16INK4a in the pulmonary vasculature of mice with PH induced by hypoxia combined with SU5416. Our findings revealed upregulation of both TG2 and p16INK4a expression in the pulmonary vasculature of PH mice. Additionally, a notable increase in TG2 expression was observed in senescent pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC). To delve deeper, we employed proteomic sequencing to reveal seven genes associated with cellular senescence, with a subsequent focus on MAPK14. Our investigation revealed that TG2 regulates senescence in PASMC by modulating the phosphorylation levels of MAPK14. Additionally, in the context of hypoxia combined with SU5416, our observations revealed a noteworthy reduction in both pulmonary vascular remodelling and senescent manifestations in smooth muscle-specific TG2 knockout mice compared with their wild-type counterparts. In summary, our findings indicate that TG2 deficiency lowers the senescence levels of PASMC by inhibiting the activity of MAPK14. This inhibition of senescence in the pulmonary vasculature of PH mice helps to decelerate the progression of pulmonary vascular remodelling and consequently hinders the onset and development of PH. • TG2 is closely associated with the senescence of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and pulmonary hypertension. • TG2 affects the senescence of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells by regulating MAPK14 phosphorylation. • TG2 is involved in pulmonary vascular remodelling induced by hypoxia combined with SU5416 in PH mice. • TG2 deficiency can slow senescence in the pulmonary vessels of PH mice induced by hypoxia combined with SU5416. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-material additive manufacturing of polymers has experienced a remarkable increase in interest over the last 20 years. This technology can rapidly design and directly fabricate three-dimensional (3D) parts with multiple materials without complicating manufacturing processes. This research aims to obtain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the current state of research and reveal challenges and opportunities for future research in the area. To achieve the goal, this study conducts a scientometric analysis and a systematic review of the global research published from 2000 to 2021 on multi-material additive manufacturing of polymers. In the scientometric analysis, a total of 2512 journal papers from the Scopus database were analyzed by evaluating the number of publications, literature coupling, keyword co-occurrence, authorship, and countries/regions activities. By doing so, the main research frame, articles, and topics of this research field were quantitatively determined. Subsequently, an in-depth systematic review is proposed to provide insight into recent advances in multi-material additive manufacturing of polymers in the aspect of technologies and applications, respectively. From the scientometric analysis, a heavy bias was found towards studying materials in this field but also a lack of focus on developing technologies. The future trend is proposed by the systematic review and is discussed in the directions of interfacial bonding strength, printing efficiency, and microscale/nanoscale multi-material 3D printing. This study contributes by providing knowledge for practitioners and researchers to understand the state of the art of multi-material additive manufacturing of polymers and expose its research needs, which can serve both academia and industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Revealing the disaggregating mechanism of amyloids fibrils under nanomaterials action is a key issue for their successful future use in therapy of neurodegenerative and overall amyloid-related diseases. Herein a gold nanocluster stabilized by Arg-Cys dipeptide (Au(RC)NCs) was synthesized to investigate its disaggregation activity toward Aβ fibrils by using Thioflavin-T (ThT) fluorescence assay and atomic force microscopy. It was demonstrated that Au(RC)NCs is very effective in disaggregating preformed Aβ fibrils, and characterized by the ultra-low apparent completely disaggregation concentration at the dose of 10 μg·mL−1. A possible disaggregation mechanism based on Au(RC)NCs triggering the disassembly of Aβ fibrils into a dynamic equilibrium was proposed. The introduction of Au(RC)NCs with appropriate dose (5 μg·mL−1) can trigger the disassemble process of mature Aβ fibrils into a critical state, at this very moment, if there is no more nano-disassembler, destruction of old Aβ fibrils and formation of new Aβ fibrils are thus in permanent dynamic equilibrium; in contrast, if there is more nano-disassembler (>10 μg·mL−1), the dynamic equilibrium prefer to shift to the direction of Aβ further disassembly. Moreover, Au(RC)NCs with dosage over 10 μg·mL−1 exhibited superb protection effect against Aβ-induced cytotoxicity in cell experiments. This study not only proposed a possible disassembly mechanism of amyloids fibrils under nanomaterials action, but also provide Au(RC)NCs as a promising high-effective nano-disassembler to disassemble unwanted amyloid aggregates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Object tracking has made significant progress in recent years. However, the state-of-the-art trackers are becoming increasingly heavy and expensive, making their deployment challenging in resource-constrained applications. In this study, we introduce MobileTrack, a visual object tracker that strikes a perfect balance between tracking accuracy and inference speed. Utilizing a novel coordinated perception-aware fusion module and a lightweight prediction head, our proposed methodology outperforms most Siamese trackers on various academic benchmarks in terms of both accuracy and efficiency. When deployed on resource-constrained embedded devices such as NVIDIA Jetson TX2, MobileTrack ensures real-time performance at a speed exceeding 33FPS, while LightTrack only operates at 18FPS. Therefore, MobileTrack holds significant potential to unlock a wide range of practical applications across various industries. MobileTrack is released at here. • Fusion module enhances perception coordination with position information. • Simple yet effective strategy achieves outstanding tracking performance. • Algorithm demonstrates real-time capability on edge platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degradation of atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) due to calcium-magnesium-alumina-silicate (CMAS) corrosion is considered as a critical issue. In present work, mitigation of CMAS infiltration of APS TBCs has been achieved by tailoring pore characteristics based on a novel APS structure regulation method, and its thermal conductivity, thermal shock lifetime and infiltration behavior were evaluated. The results revealed that the laminar pore distributed TBC formed by horizontally aligned porous embedded particle clusters (PEPC) showed longest thermal shock lifetime and lowest thermal conductivity. Characterization of CMAS corrosion suggested that whilst all the TBCs samples with different pore structures suffered corrosion by CMAS melt, the severity fluctuated greatly. Compared with randomly distributed PEPC areas, these horizontally aligned PEPC areas have a noticeable potential for restricting CMAS infiltration. This unique structure consumes a large amount of CMAS melt and creates anti-CMAS filling pores, thus improving the overall CMAS infiltration resistance of the coating. The alternating dense layers outside the porous layers also provide a layer-by-layer barrier to CMAS infiltration. This study emphasizes that the modulation of the pore structure of APS TBCs is a promising strategy to mitigate CMAS infiltration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface properties of heat-treated HIP Ti-6Al-4 V alloy has direct effects on mechanical properties and wear performance of its products. In view of difficulties of improving surface properties, a process of heating assisted ultrasonic surface strengthening (HUSS) is introduced to improve surface properties of this material. The principle of this process combines the characteristics of ultrasonic rolling and the thermoplastic properties of the material. Meanwhile, the changes of microstructure and mechanical properties of the material are revealed based on this process and indicating the potential relationships between the two. The actual manufacturing results fully demonstrate that the newly proposed HUSS process is feasible. Then the detailed reasons are given to explain the deformation principle and microstructure characteristics, analyze the trend of mechanical properties. Finally, surface properties of the material treated by HUSS are tested by the different counter wear material during the friction and wear experiments, and the sample treated by HUSS at 150 °C shows the better friction and wear performance because of the good surface properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trial production of 0.25 mm‐thick thin‐gauge high‐grade nonoriented silicon steel with a Si content of 3.5% by the secondary cold rolling process is studied. The recrystallization microstructure and magnetic properties are systematically studied by the microstructure, texture evolution, and the effect of two‐stage cold rolling reduction ratios (37.5–70.5%) during the whole process. The results show that the magnetic induction intensity B5000 first increases and then decreases; the iron loss first decreases and then increases at the frequencies of 50 and 400 Hz with the reduction of the cold rolling reduction rate in the second stage. The cubic and Goss texture of the finished annealed sheet has the highest strength when the reduction ratio of the second stage cold rolling is 58.3%. The highest magnetic induction intensity, B5000 = 1.671 T. Lowest iron loss, P1.0/50 = 0.83 W kg−1, P1.5/50 = 1.98 W kg−1, and P1.0/400 = 11.94 W kg−1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of masonry infill walls on the progressive collapse performance of reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures was investigated in this paper, using a nonlinear dynamic analysis approach. Based on ANSYS/LS-DYNA finite element software, two finite element models of RC frame structures with and without masonry infilled walls were established. Then, the collapse modes of the two RC frame structure models were analyzed for different scaled distance blast loads, different locations of column damage, and different span numbers. The results show that with the increase of explosive amount, the collapse degree of the structure is more serious in the same time. Under the condition of destroying the outermost central column, the degree of progressive collapse of the RC frame model with infilled walls in the same time is lower than that of the RC frame model without infilled walls. The RC frame model with infilled walls is more resistant to collapse when the outermost side columns are damaged. With the increase of span number, the structure is more likely to be damaged and collapsed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles are distributed uniformly in the vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays (VACNTs) with millimeter thickness by an effective supercritical carbon dioxide-assisted method. The as-prepared VACNT/NiO hybrid structures are used as electrodes without binders and conducting additives for supercapacitor applications. Due to the synergetic effects of NiO and VACNTs with nanoporous structures and parallel 1D conductive paths for electrons, the supercapacitors exhibit a high capacitance of 1088.44 F g−1. Furthermore, an asymmetric supercapacitor is assembled using the as-synthesized VACNTs/NiO hybrids as the positive electrode and the VACNTs as the negative electrode. Remarkably, the energy density of the asymmetric supercapacitor is as high as 90.9 Wh kg−1 at 3.2 kW kg−1 and the maximum power density reaches 25.6 kW kg−1 at 24.9 Wh kg−1, which are superior to those of the NiO or VACNTs-based asymmetric supercapacitors. More importantly, the asymmetric supercapacitors exhibit capacitance retention of 87.1% after 2000 cycles at 5 A g−1. The work provides a novel approach in decorating highly dense and long VACNTs with active materials, which are promising electrodes for supercapacitors with ultrahigh power density and energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some wastewaters contain high concentrations of ammonia coexisting with large amounts of salt, which might negatively affect the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process. In this study, the performance of the anammox process under different saline conditions was investigated using an upflow anaerobic sludge bed‐anammox system. After long‐term operating for 275 days, the results indicated that the nitrogen removal efficiency remained high under the 0–40 g NaCl/L, and low salinity (15 g NaCl/L) substantially promoted specific anammox activity. Affected by the saline environment, the appearance, color, and shape of sludge notably changed, and the amount of extracellular polymeric substances gradually increased with increasing salinity, which might be one of the reasons for the strong salt tolerance of the system. Chloroflexi and Planctomycetes were the dominant strains under long‐term salinity, and Brocadiaceae_g_ unclassified exhibited halophilic characteristics. The redundancy analysis results showed that the concentration of influent NH4+‐N and salinity were the main environmental factors affecting the microbial community of the system. Practitioner Points: Provides data to support the maximum value for salinity wastewater treatment with anammox processes' tolerance of 40 g NaCl/L.EPS changes may be responsible for the response to salinity challenges and provide direction for high salinity wastewater treatment.Brocadiaceae_g_ unclassified exhibited a halophilic quality. And it can be focused on to improve treatment efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure evolution of the γ′ precipitates in GH4720Li superalloy during the heat treatment processes of water quenching and subsequent aging at temperatures of 760 °C, 800 °C, and 850 °C was investigated with particular emphasis on the variation in the morphology, size, and size distribution of the precipitates and related mechanisms. Influence of aging temperature and time on the nucleation, growth, and coarsening behavior of the bimodal dispersion of secondary and tertiary γ′ precipitates were discussed. Results showed that only spherical-shaped secondary γ′ precipitates with sizes ranging from 10 to 50 nm formed during the cooling process of quenching. During aging, the nucleation of tertiary γ′ precipitate, growth of both secondary and tertiary γ′ precipitates follow the typical solid-diffusion-assisted precipitation mechanism, while the abnormal coarsening of the secondary precipitates occurs through coalescing adjacent particles. Aging temperature has a less effect on the precipitation of the tertiary γ′ precipitate but substantially influences the coarsening of the secondary γ′ precipitates. At higher aging temperatures such as 850 °C, the abnormal coarsening of the secondary γ′ precipitates, which always takes place at 760 °C and 800 °C, are significantly suppressed. The aging time mainly influences the growth rate of the secondary γ′ but shows little effect on the evolution of the tertiary γ′ phase. Precipitates strengthen the alloy through strong coupling interaction mechanism. An optimal aging strategy heating at 850 °C for 8 h is proposed for the GH4720Li superalloy, yielding the best uniform dispersion of the precipitates, maximum hardness of the sample, and being considered time and energy-saving. [Display omitted] • The bio-model of microstructure evolution of the γ′ precipitates in GH4720Li superalloy during the heat treatment processes was investigated. • The nucleation, growth, and coarsening behavior of the bimodal dispersion of secondary and tertiary γ′ precipitates were discussed. • Aging temperature has a lesser effect on the precipitation of the tertiary γ′ precipitate but substantially influences the coarsening of the secondary γ′ precipitates. • The aging time mainly influences the growth rate of the secondary γ′ but shows little effect on the evolution of the tertiary γ′ phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) was used to fabricate 4.5 mol% Y 2 O 3 stabilized ZrO 2 (YSZ) and 4.0 mol% Yb 2 O 3 and 0.5 mol% Y 2 O 3 co-stabilized ZrO 2 (YbYSZ) series coatings with different spraying parameters. This study presents the effects of particle size of feed powder and substrate temperature on the microstructure and performance of thermal barrier coatings. Single-pass and multi-pass experiments were conducted to explore the relationship between the splat and the coatings. The experimental results indicate that adjusting particle size of feed powders and deposition temperature can alter the splat behaviour and microstructure, improve anti-corrosion and anti-sintering abilities, and enhance the hardness and elastic modulus. Changes in parameters can cause changes in the microstructure of as-sprayed coatings. Lower substrate temperatures can lead to vertical cracks, finer powders can introduce more microdefects, and conventional sized powders can form larger pores. A coating deposited using a conventional feed powder at a substrate temperature of 800 °C shows excellent sintering resistance. A coating deposited using a fine feed powder on 800 °C substrate exhibits the best calcium‑magnesium-alumina-silicate (CMAS) corrosion resistance. • Substrate temperature influences flattening behaviour of YSZ splats. • Splat diameter affects its morphology. • Top coat (TC) was deposited by regulating substrate temperature and feed powder. • TC deposited with higher substrate and fine feed powder enhances anti-CMAS corrosion. • TC deposited with higher substrate and conventional feed powder improves anti-sintering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultralow concentration of nucleic acids in complex biological samples requires fluorescence probes with high specificity and sensitivity. Herein, a new kind of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) is developed by using fluorescent π‐conjugated polymers (FCPs) as a light‐harvesting antenna to enhance the signal transduction of nucleic acid detection. Specifically, amphiphilic DNA‐grafted FCPs are synthesized and self‐assemble into FCP‐SNA structures. Tuning the hydrophobicity of the graft copolymer can adjust the size and light‐harvesting capability of the FCP‐SNAs. We observe that more efficient signal amplification occurs in larger FCP‐SNAs, as more chromophores are involved, and the energy transfer can go beyond the Förster radius. Accordingly, the optimized FCP‐SNA shows an antenna effect of up to 37‐fold signal amplification and the limit of detection down to 1.7 pM in microRNA detection. Consequently, the FCP‐SNA is applied to amplified in situ nucleic acid detecting and imaging at the single‐cell level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultralow concentration of nucleic acids in complex biological samples requires fluorescence probes with high specificity and sensitivity. Herein, a new kind of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) is developed by using fluorescent π‐conjugated polymers (FCPs) as a light‐harvesting antenna to enhance the signal transduction of nucleic acid detection. Specifically, amphiphilic DNA‐grafted FCPs are synthesized and self‐assemble into FCP‐SNA structures. Tuning the hydrophobicity of the graft copolymer can adjust the size and light‐harvesting capability of the FCP‐SNAs. We observe that more efficient signal amplification occurs in larger FCP‐SNAs, as more chromophores are involved, and the energy transfer can go beyond the Förster radius. Accordingly, the optimized FCP‐SNA shows an antenna effect of up to 37‐fold signal amplification and the limit of detection down to 1.7 pM in microRNA detection. Consequently, the FCP‐SNA is applied to amplified in situ nucleic acid detecting and imaging at the single‐cell level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five types of ceramic pellets with different doping contents of Yb 2 O 3 -Y 2 O 3 co-stabilized ZrO 2 (YbYSZ) (x mol.% Yb 2 O 3 - (4.5-x) mol.% Y 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 ; X = 0 (YSZ), 1, 2, 3, 4) were designed to investigate corrosion behavior under CMAS attack. The results show that the corrosion resistance of YbYSZ increased with increasing Yb 2 O 3 content, which was attributed to the excellent phase stability and lower diffusion of Yb3+. More degradation with microstructural destruction was observed in the YSZ pellets, and less degradation was observed in YbYSZ with 4 mol.% Yb 2 O 3 (YbYSZ-4). Further, YbYSZ-4 performs a larger contact angle than others, promoting CMAS resistance. • Five types of ceramic pellets with different doping contents of Yb 2 O 3 are designed to study the CMAS corrosion behavior. • As the increase of Yb 2 O 3 content, the resistance of YbYSZ ceramic pellets to CMAS corrosion increases. • YbYSZ with 4.0 mol.% Yb 2 O 3 powder has the lowest diffusion rate in a CMAS pool at 1300 ℃ × 2 h. • The smaller surface energy of YbYSZ can result in poor wetting performance of YbYSZ with 4.0 mol. % Yb 2 O 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Highly hydrophilic 2D MOF composite materials (Zr-Fc MOF@Au@GC) were successfully synthesized. • The 2-D morphology of Zr-Fc MOF@Au@GC was fully utilized, which significantly improved the enrichment efficiency. • The prepared material showed excellent sensitivity, selectivity, and binding capacity towards glycopeptides. • Zr-Fc MOF@Au@GC exhibited unprecedented enrichment performance in mode glycoproteins and human serum. Protein glycosylation research is currently focused on the development of various functionalized materials that can effectively enrich the levels of glycopeptides in samples. However, most of these materials possess limited glycopeptide-specific recognition sites because of large steric hindrance, unsuitable mass transfer kinetics, and relatively low surface areas. Herein, a highly hydrophilic two-dimensional (2-D) metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheet modified with glutathione (GSH) and l -cysteine (l -Cys) (denoted as Zr-Fc MOF@Au@GC) has been synthesized for efficient glycopeptide enrichment. Using this composite material, 39 and 44 glycopeptides from horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and human serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) digests were detected, respectively, which represents a higher efficiency for glycopeptide enrichment from model glycoprotein digests than has been previously reported. The material Zr-Fc MOF@Au@GC exhibited ultra-high sensitivity (0.1 fmol/µL), excellent selectivity (weight ratio of HRP tryptic digest to bovine serum albumin (BSA) tryptic digest = 1:2000), good binding capacity (200 mg/g), satisfactory reusability, and long-term storage capacity. In addition, 655 glycopeptides corresponding to 366 glycoproteins were identified from human serum samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest number of glycoproteins detected in human serum samples to date. These results indicated that Zr-Fc MOF@Au@GC has the potential to be used for the enrichment of glycopeptides in biological samples and the analysis of protein glycosylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the influence of the natural aging (NA) on the subsequent artificial aging (AA) process in Al–Mg–Si aluminum alloys with alloying content ∼1 wt% was studied. Methods including various aging, hardness testing, transmission electron microscope (TEM), atom probe tomography (APT) etc, were employed. The results show that the NA before AA affects the AA precipitation process adversely under lower AA temperatures, e.g. 150 °C, by suppressing the peak aging hardness, while such effect can be modulated to be positive by increasing AA temperature to over 175 °C. Under higher AA temperatures, transformation of clusters into main strengthening precipitates, β″ phase for example, is promoted. The nucleation probability of these phases is enhanced, through lowering the nucleation energy barrier. As a result, the NA clusters facilitate nucleation and growth of the main precipitates during AA. The overall results proved that the NA effect on the subsequent AA process in the Al–Mg–Si aluminum alloys with alloying content about 1% can be modulated by tuning the AA temperature. Image 1 • High temperature aging over 175 °C can change the negative natural aging effect to be positive in 6063 alloys. • Clusters formed during NA facilitate nucleation and growth of the main precipitates during AA at high temperature. • High temperature enhances the nucleation probability through lowering the nucleation energy barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel hierarchical 2D/2D CdS/g-C 3 N 4 hybridarchitecture was synthesized via a hydrothermal method and then characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDS, UV–vis DRS, PL, BET, and EIS. The results showed the combination of CdS and g-C 3 N 4 changed the growth orientation of dendritic CdS nanocrystallines and promoted the high degree of exfoliation of g-C 3 N 4 , which provided the close nanosheet/nanosheet 2D/2D contact interface and large specific surface area, resulting in the effective separation of the photo-generated carrier pairs. The photocatalytic activity of CdS/g-C 3 N 4 was 6.93 and 3.64 times higher than that of the pure g-C 3 N 4 and CdS samples, respectively, in the degradation of RhB under visible light irradiation. The CdS/g-C 3 N 4 showed no obvious loss of the photocatalytic activity and little change of structure after three repeated runs, which is vital in the application of photocatalyst. This could be contributed to the reinforced hierarchical 3D architecture constructed through the dendritic CdS nanosheet penetrating into g-C 3 N 4 interlayers. The possible mechanism for formation and photocatatlytic activity of the CdS/g-C 3 N 4 architecture was proposed. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Mixed-solvent precipitation: substrates were immersed in the good solvent of nanoparticles, then poor solvent were continuously dropped into the mixed-solution, after a few minutes, the Self-Assembled Monolayers (Nano-SAMs) were formed on the substrates via nanoparticles precipitation. Highlights • Nanoparticles rapidly form high-coverage and densely-packed Nano-SAMs via this mixed-solvent precipitation method. • Suitable for multiple nanoparticles, regardless of the size and modification of nanoparticle. • Suitable for multiple ultra-flat substrates, regardless of the surface modification and type of substrate. Abstract Nanoparticle self-assembled monolayers (Nano-SAMs) have drawn great attention for their unique applications in many fields such as plasma, surface-enhanced optics, sensors and catalysts. However, how to fabricate high-coverage and densely-packed Nano-SAMs in a limited time is still a challenge, especially for the ultra-thin Nano-SAMs (<10 nm). In this paper, high-coverage and densely-packed ultrathin Nano-SAMs were fabricated by using ultra-small nanoparticles (e.g. nanoclusters and quantum dots) to deposit onto substrates in organic/water mixture via the continuous dropping of organic solvent. Compared with the conventional methods such as the electrophoresis deposition and the soaking method, nanoparticles could formed higher coverage and more densely-packed Nano-SAMs with few defects through a shorter period of time by using this mixed-solvent precipitation method. This mixed-solvent precipitation presents a facile approach to design and construct high-coverage densely-packed Nano-SAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hierarchical assembly, Fe doping and Ag loading are used to design ZnO catalyst. • Novel Platycladus orientalis –shaped Ag/Fe-doped ZnO heterostructure is synthesized. • Photocatalytic mechanism promoted synergetically by Fe doping and Ag loading is proposed. • Ag/Fe-doped ZnO exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity and cyclic stability. [Display omitted] The Ag/Fe-doped ZnO composites were designed by controllable intergration of the three strategies of hierarchical assembly, Fe doping, and Ag loading. The 3D Fe-doped ZnO hierarchical nanoflowers were firstly constructed with Platycladus orientalis –shaped petals via a hydrothermal method, and then Ag nanoparticles were anchored on the surface of Fe-doped ZnO nanoflowers through impregnation/reduction of silver nitrate solution. The samples were characterized by using XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, XPS, Raman spectra, BET, UV–vis DRS, PL, EIS, Mott-Schottky plots, and photocurrent response. The results showed that Fe doping increased BET surface area and oxygen vacancies of ZnO, Ag loading produced the LSP absorption at ~530 nm, Fe doping and Ag loading together extended the visible light absorption and facilitated the separation of photogenerated carriers, which favors photocatalytic activity of ZnO. The maximum degradation efficiency of 92.3% for MO was achieved after visible light irradiation for 80 min when the feed atom ratio of Fe to Zn was 1.2% and Ag loading was 4 wt% of Fe-doped ZnO. Four cycle tests had little effect on the morphology and structure of Ag/Fe-doped ZnO, suggesting good cycling stability. The photocatalytic mechanism was elucidated based on the scavenger experiments and energy bands alignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]