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The scale effect is an inevitable engineering challenge in dam construction, and the scale test is an effective means to characterize the dam material properties. In this article, the scale effect of the large coarse-grained soil is investigated based on physical and numerical tests. Firstly, the indoor and field compression test apparatuses are optimized to rectify the effect of barrel sidewall friction on the compressibility modulus during the tests. Then, the sample preparation standard for different scaled samples is determined by large-scale relative density tests in the field. Finally, based on indoor and field large-scale compression tests, the variation of the scale effect is investigated, and the particle crushing characteristics of the continuously graded aggregate sample are analyzed. The crushing characteristics of the continuously graded aggregate sample differ from those of the single-particle and the single size-group aggregate sample (a small range of particle sizes). Compression tests of the single-particle, single size-group aggregate, and continuously graded aggregate sample are characterized by overall splitting, overall splitting and local crushing, and local or angular crushing, respectively. The coordination number is the main reason for the difference in crushing characteristics of different test samples. The relationship between different particle sizes and strengths of continuously graded aggregate sample is investigated. The results of the study can provide a reference for recognizing the scale effect of large coarse-grained soils and evaluating compaction quality in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphitic carbon nanocages (CNCs) have garnered attention as viable candidates for potassium storage, primarily due to their notable crystallinity, large surface area, and rich porosity. Yet, the development of a rapid, scalable, and economically feasible synthesis approach for CNCs persists as a formidable challenge. This study presents a rapid (millisecond‐scale) and scalable (gram‐scale) method for fabricating mesoporous CNCs characterized by high purity and orderly graphitic structures, utilizing the flash Joule heating technique. Employed for potassium storage, the CNC electrode developed herein exhibits exceptional performance metrics, including initial capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability, surpassing numerous carbonaceous materials previously documented. Impressively, it delivers a high initial capacity of 312.3 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, maintains 175.1 mAh g−1 at a high rate of 2.0 A g−1, and retains 219.6 mAh g−1 over 1000 cycles at 1.0 A g−1. Molecular dynamics simulations and in situ characterizations are employed to elucidate this robust behavior. This work underscores the significant advantages of the flash Joule heating technique in synthesizing carbonaceous materials for potassium storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facilitating the transition and new application of fossil energy sources are crucial to attaining carbon neutrality. Conversion of coals into graphitic carbons represents an effective route to achieve their high‐value utilization, while this process always involves corrosive/toxic chemical reagents and time‐intensive heating treatment. Here, this work reports a green, rapid, and efficient flash Joule heating (FJH) technique to produce high‐quality carbons from diverse coals within 1 s. The surface groups, defects, and graphitization degree of the resultant carbon materials are controlled during the instantaneous thermal shock process, and the relationships between the coal structures and the product properties are established. The results suggest that the anthracite with high coalification degree tends to form highly graphitic carbons at a peak temperature of ≈3300 K, presenting higher rate capability (79.1% capacity retention at 30 A g–1) and low relaxation time constant (τ0 = 0.27 s) toward capacitive energy storage. Besides, the flash carbon materials derived from lignite and bituminous coal with low coal rank show better capacitive performance with capacity above 80 F g–1 at 1 A g–1. This study evidences that the FJH technology holds great potential to steer coals into valuable carbon materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the selection of highly active catalysts is fundamental to curtail overpotentials and to enhance the typically sluggish kinetics characteristic of the reaction. Cobalt selenide (Co 3 Se 4), with its optimally configured electronic structure of cobalt ions, is consistently hailed as a prospective electrocatalyst for the OER, making it highly efficient in facilitating the reaction. Despite the persistent challenges of the exposure of catalytic active sites and the limited electronic conductivity, our study unveils a breakthrough solution. We introduce a highly efficient Fe-doped Co 3 Se 4 electrocatalyst for the OER, addressing these long-standing issues, and it has desirable compositional flexibility, formed Co 3-x Fe x Se 4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 3) selenides, by introducing Fe doping, the electronic structure of Co 3 Se 4 is effectively regulated, resulting in a remarkable reduction in the overpotential of the OER under alkaline conditions. Simultaneously, the introduction of Fe induces the formation of highly active Co–O sites, ultimately establishing a highly active and stable catalytic surface for oxygen evolution. Consequently, this leads to a significant improvement in the activity of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The synthesized Co 2.5 Fe 0.5 Se 4 catalyst exhibits lower overpotential (η 10 = 220 mV) and Tafel slope (41.2 mV dec−1), which is superior to the general commercial RuO 2 benchmark. In addition, Co 2.5 Fe 0.5 Se 4 also exhibits exceptional structural integrity and sustained operational longevity, with a durability of up to 280 h at 100 mA cm geo −2. Impressively, the Pt/C∥Co 2.5 Fe 0.5 Se 4 water electrolysis cell only requires a battery voltage of 1.67 V to provide a current density of 100 mA cm geo −2 and has excellent long-term stability. • The introduction of Fe can promote the formation of highly active Co–O sites. • The synthesized Co 2.5 Fe 0.5 Se 4 catalyst exhibits lower overpotential. • Co 2.5 Fe 0.5 Se 4 also has high stability and long-term durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North‐South Gravity Lineament (NSGL), characterized by an abrupt variation in both the Bouguer gravity anomaly and topography, acts as a significant geological boundary in eastern China. The formation of such a lateral feature is believed to be associated with lithospheric thinning. The Songliao Basin (SLB) is considered to mark the centre of the lithospheric thinning in Northeast China, whereas its thinning mechanism remains unclear. Here we perform integrated geophysical‐petrological modelling of the crust and upper mantle structure along a passive‐source seismic profile crossing the NSGL, to understand the thinning mechanism beneath the SLB based on the constructed lithospheric extension and delamination models. Our delamination model identifies the compositional variation across the NSGL and the S‐wave velocity signature dominated by high velocity beneath the SLB, which are compatible with previous geochemical and geophysical results. The multidisciplinary analyses suggest that the lithospheric delamination is a plausible mechanism to account for the thinning to the east of the NSGL. The resulting model also shows that the NSGL is a lithospheric‐scale geophysical and geochemical boundary separating two distinct structural domains. In combination with previous evidence, structural discrepancies across the NSGL can be attributed to the lithospheric delamination driven by the subduction of the Palaeo‐Pacific plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuronal ferroptosis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of cognitive deficits. The present study explored whether artemisinin protected type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice from cognitive impairments by attenuating neuronal ferroptosis in the hippocampal CA1 region. Methods: STZ-induced T2DM mice were treated with artemisinin (40 mg/kg, i.p.), or cotreated with artemisinin and Nrf2 inhibitor MEL385 or ferroptosis inducer erastin for 4 weeks. Cognitive performance was determined by the Morris water maze and Y maze tests. Hippocampal ROS, MDA, GSH, and Fe2+ contents were detected by assay kits. Nrf2, p-Nrf2, HO-1, and GPX4 proteins in hippocampal CA1 were assessed by Western blotting. Hippocampal neuron injury and mitochondrial morphology were observed using H&E staining and a transmission electron microscope, respectively. Results: Artemisinin reversed diabetic cognitive impairments, decreased the concentrations of ROS, MDA and Fe2+, and increased the levels of p-Nr2, HO-1, GPX4 and GSH. Moreover, artemisinin alleviated neuronal loss and ferroptosis in the hippocampal CA1 region. However, these neuroprotective effects of artemisinin were abolished by Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 and ferroptosis inducer erastin. Conclusion: Artemisinin effectively ameliorates neuropathological changes and learning and memory decline in T2DM mice; the underlying mechanism involves the activation of Nrf2 to inhibit neuronal ferroptosis in the hippocampus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stable crystalline phase of ethane at atmospheric pressure can only exist at extremely low temperatures, but the pressure-induced phase transition of ethane at these low temperatures has received little attention from researchers. Based on the calculations of Raman vibrational modes and 2D fingerprints of P21/n-C2H6 under different pressures, we found that ethane at 0 K exhibits an isostructural phase transition under 3 GPa. The extremely low temperature (0 K) suppresses the appearance of room temperature crystalline plastic phase A but promotes the higher-pressure phase B at the lower pressure point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molten‐salt synthesis and electrochemical capacitive behaviors of porous carbon are reported using anthracite as the precursor. Upon synthesis, the binary KCl/K2CO3 molten salt not only exfoliates bulky anthracite to carbon nanosheets but also creates rich micro‐ and mesopores in the structure. The resulting porous carbon shows a large surface area of 1399.7 m2 g−1 and a total pore volume of 1.50 cm3 g−1. In 6.0 mol L−1 KOH aqueous electrolyte, it delivers a high specific capacitance of 245.6 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1. Flexible micro‐supercapacitors with this porous carbon are assembled following an interdigitated design. The micro‐supercapacitor affords an area capacitance of 18.0 mF cm−2 and an energy density of 1.58 µWh cm−2 at a power density of 20 µW cm−2, and sustains 89.6% of the capacitance after 2000 cycles. Furthermore, the strain sensor fabricated by replacing the current‐collecting fluid at both ends of the electrode provides consistent and stable signal output, regardless of the degree of bending and the number of cycles. This study demonstrates the great potential of anthracite‐based porous carbon in flexible energy and electronic microdevices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disease that often co‐occurs with psychological morbidities such as anxiety and depression, and psychosocial issues also lead psoriasis patients to avoid other people. However, the precise mechanism underlying the comorbidity of psoriasis and anxiety is unknown. Also, whether the social avoidance phenomenon seen in human patients also exists in psoriasis‐like animal models remains unknown. In the present study, anxiety‐like behaviours and social avoidance‐like behaviours were observed in an imiquimod‐induced psoriasis‐like C57‐BL6 mouse model along with typical psoriasis‐like dermatitis and itch‐like behaviours. The 11.7T resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging showed differences in brain regions between the model and control group, and voxel‐based morphometry showed that the grey matter volume changed in the basal forebrain region, anterior commissure intrabulbar and striatum in the psoriasis‐like mice. Seed‐based resting state functional connectivity analysis revealed connectivity changes in the amygdala, periaqueductal gray, raphe nuclei and lateral septum. We conclude that the imiquimod‐induced psoriasis‐like C57‐BL6 mouse model is well suited for mechanistic studies and for performing preclinical therapeutic trials for treating anxiety and pathological social avoidance in psoriasis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron phthalocyanine (FePc) with unique FeN4 site has attracted increasing interests as a promising non‐precious catalyst. However, the plane symmetric structure endows FePc with undesired catalytic performance toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, we report a novel one‐dimensional heterostructured ORR catalyst by coupling FePc at polyoxometalate‐encapsulated carbon nanotubes (FePc‐{PW12}@NTs) using host‐guest chemistry. The encapsulation of polyoxometalates can induce a local tensile strain of single‐walled NTs to strengthen the interactions with FePc. Both the strain and curvature effects of {PW12}@NT scaffold tune the geometric structure and electronic localization of FeN4 centers to enhance the ORR catalytic performance. As expected, such a heterostructured FePc‐{PW12}@NT electrocatalyst exhibits prominent durability, methanol tolerance, and ORR activity with a high half‐wave potential of 0.90 V and a low Tafel slope of 30.9 mV dec−1 in alkaline medium. Besides, the assembled zinc‐air battery demonstrates an ultrahigh power density of 280 mW cm−2, excellent charge/discharge ability and long‐term stability over 500 h, outperforming that of the commercial Pt/C+IrO2 cathode. This study offers a new strategy to design novel heterostructured catalysts and opens a new avenue to regulate the electrocatalytic performance of phthalocyanine molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron phthalocyanine (FePc) with unique FeN4 site has attracted increasing interests as a promising non‐precious catalyst. However, the plane symmetric structure endows FePc with undesired catalytic performance toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, we report a novel one‐dimensional heterostructured ORR catalyst by coupling FePc at polyoxometalate‐encapsulated carbon nanotubes (FePc‐{PW12}@NTs) using host‐guest chemistry. The encapsulation of polyoxometalates can induce a local tensile strain of single‐walled NTs to strengthen the interactions with FePc. Both the strain and curvature effects of {PW12}@NT scaffold tune the geometric structure and electronic localization of FeN4 centers to enhance the ORR catalytic performance. As expected, such a heterostructured FePc‐{PW12}@NT electrocatalyst exhibits prominent durability, methanol tolerance, and ORR activity with a high half‐wave potential of 0.90 V and a low Tafel slope of 30.9 mV dec−1 in alkaline medium. Besides, the assembled zinc‐air battery demonstrates an ultrahigh power density of 280 mW cm−2, excellent charge/discharge ability and long‐term stability over 500 h, outperforming that of the commercial Pt/C+IrO2 cathode. This study offers a new strategy to design novel heterostructured catalysts and opens a new avenue to regulate the electrocatalytic performance of phthalocyanine molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we reported an electrostatic self-assembly method for the fabrication of silver nanoplate films as sensitive plasmonic substrates. In this method, silver nanoplate solutions with adjustable sizes and different concentrations were prepared by a seed-mediated growth approach, and then, the deposited substrates were modified with amino groups using a surface modification strategy. Then, a series of silver nanoplate films for surface plasmon sensing were uniformly prepared by Coulomb attraction between the modified substrates and the silver nanoplates. The research results show that this method can effectively promote the formation of nanoplate monolayer films that uniformly adhere to glass substrates at macro- and microscales, and these films show good refractive index sensing characteristics with a maximum refractive index sensitivity of 357.6 nm/RIU. The experimental results also show that the silver nanoplate films reported in this paper can be used as the key material for refractive index sensing for the detection and analysis of environmental substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dendrimer amphiphilic polymer (A-D-HPAM) was synthesized by aqueous solution polymerization of acrylic acid (AA), acrylamide (AM), 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid (AMPS), hydrophobic monomer of cetyl dimethyl allyl ammonium chloride (DMCAAC-16), and skeleton monomer of GA1.0, using ammonium persulfate and sodium bisulfite as initiators. The chemical structure of A-D-HPAM was, respectively, analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The tackifying property, the resistance of shear, temperature and salt, the interfacial tension, and the oil displacement performance of A-D-HPAM were determined. Compared with solutions of HPAM (hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) and HPAM-SDBS (sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate), A-D-PAM exhibits the optimal properties, especially achieving the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) of 15.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Misfire fault is a common engine failure which is caused by incomplete combustion in the engine cylinders. Conventionally, the misfire fault is diagnosed manually by mechanics, but the diagnosis process is time-consuming. Therefore, this study aims to explore the feasibility of using Subtractive Clustering based Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (SC-ANFIS) algorithm to assist in diagnosing misfire faults. The Subtractive Clustering (SC) approach initializes the parameters of Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), whereas Back Propagation (BP) and Least Square Estimation (LSE) approaches are implemented to optimize the ANFIS parameters. The proposed algorithm will pre-diagnose the cause of misfire faults based on the engine exhaust gas. In this work, exhaust gases for different causes of misfire faults are collected from Volkswagen 1.8TSI 4-cylinder petrol engine. These collected data are used to train the proposed algorithm. The performances of the proposed algorithm are compared to two commonly used algorithms, namely Fuzzy C-Mean Clustering based ANFIS (FCM-ANFIS) and BP algorithms. The simulation results show the proposed algorithm has improved 2.4% to 5.5% averagely in terms of accuracy, efficiency and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A viable strategy for enhancing photovoltaic performance is to comprehend the underlying quantum physical regime of charge transfer in a double quantum dots (DQD) photocell. This work explored the photovoltaic performance dependent spatially correlated fluctuation in a DQD photocell. The effects of spatially correlated fluctuation on charge transfer and output photovoltaic efficiency were explored in a proposed DQD photocell model. The results revealed that the charge transport process and the time to peak photovoltaic efficiency were both significantly delayed by the spatially correlated fluctuation, while the anti-spatially correlated fluctuation reduced the output peak photovoltaic efficiency. Further results revealed that the delayed response could be suppressed by gap difference and tunneling coefficient within two dots. Subsequent investigation demonstrated that the delayed response was caused by the spatial correlation fluctuation slowing the generative process of noise-induced coherence, which had previously been proven to improve the quantum photovoltaic performance in quantum photocells. And the reduced photovoltaic properties were verified by the damaged noise-induced coherence owing to the anti-spatial correlation fluctuation and a hotter thermal ambient environment. The discovery of delayed response generated by the spatially correlated fluctuations will deepen the understanding of quantum features of electron transfer, as well as promises to take our understanding even further concerning quantum techniques for high efficiency DQD solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The filling characteristic of rockfill is a non-ignorable engineering problem for high dams, and a reasonable control of compaction quality is the key to promoting the development of high dams. In this article, numerical and field tests were implemented to study the main problems affecting the compaction characteristics of large-size coarse-grained soil, namely determinations of the reasonable H0/dmax (the ratio of the compaction layer thickness to the maximum particle size) and the main influencing factors of minimum porosity. The macroscopic manifestations of the compaction characteristics were analyzed from the perspectives of energy, force chain, and particle breakage. The interaction between particles was explained by the 'filling effect' of fine particles, the 'wedging effect', and the 'wall effect' of coarse particles. It was found that the minimum porosity was not an inherent characteristic of rockfill, since the porosity and the corresponding degree of breakage were influenced by the compaction conditions. The value of H0/dmax meeting engineering practice was proposed, which can create favorable compaction conditions for obtaining the minimum porosity. Meantime, some suggestions were provided for obtaining the minimum porosity of large-size coarse-grained soil. The research results have an application reference value for the filling design and evaluation of high dams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the petrogenesis of alkaline syenites is important for constraining the mechanisms of rare earth element (REE) and rare-metal mineralization. Here we report a detailed petrological and geochemical study of early Permian syenitic rocks from the southwestern Tarim large igneous province (TLIP) in the Wajilitag area (China). We use these data to investigate the complex magmatic processes responsible for the enrichment of incompatible elements (e.g. REEs and rare metals) in these rocks. The Wajilitag syenitic rocks comprise early hornblende syenite (281 Ma) and later nepheline syenite (278 Ma), both of which are spatially and temporally associated with mafic intrusions (i.e. gabbro and diabase). These syenitic rocks show continuous variations in major elements with the mafic rocks. They also have similar Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositions with the nearby mafic rocks, denoting that the Wajilitag syenitic rocks should be derived from the melts represented by these mafic rocks. However, these syenitic rocks, particularly the nepheline syenites, are typically characterized by extreme enrichment of incompatible elements, which is hard to be accounted by simple fractional crystallization of mafic magmas. Some clinopyroxene phenocrysts in the Wajilitag nepheline syenites show oscillatory zoning with strikingly increasing and then gradually decreasing MgO contents, which recorded replenishment of mafic magma at the interval. Low-MgO clinopyroxene mantles and/or rims have much higher incompatible element contents (e.g. Nb, Ce, and Zr) and ratios (e.g. Ce/Y) than their cores, which could reflect melt injection controlled by reactive porous flow in a mush reservoir of a crustal magma chamber. Such processes may also cause the high Ce and/or Nb contents of the mantles and/or rims of zoned titanite and apatite phenocrysts. The injection of reactive porous flow melts is the key process that produces the extreme enrichment of incompatible elements in the alkaline syenites from the western TLIP, as well as other plume-related alkaline syenites that host world-class REE and rare-metal deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a master modulator of autophagy and lysosomal biogenesis. Dephosphorylation of TFEB at Ser142 and Ser138 determines its nuclear localization and transcriptional activity. The link between TFEB-associated genes and colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and prognosis remains unclear; thus, we performed data-independent acquisition (DIA)-based quantitative proteomics to systematically identify the targets of TFEB. Using stringent statistical criteria, 60 proteins associated with vesicular endocytic trafficking were identified as TFEB targets. Moreover, a prognosis-linked TFEB-related gene signature was developed, showing that patients with higher risk scores had higher epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) scores with worse prognosis. Additionally, a nomogram was constructed by combining clinicopathological parameters and the gene signature to enhance the quantification capacity in risk assessment for individual patients. This research facilitates further mechanistic studies of TFEB, and the TFEB gene signature-based model may provide important information for assisting clinicians to predict CRC patient prognosis. Dephosphorylation of transcription factor EB (TFEB) at Ser142 and Ser138 determines its nuclear localization and transcriptional activity. The link between TFEB-associated genes and colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and prognosis remains unclear. To systematically identify the targets of TFEB, we performed data-independent acquisition (DIA)-based quantitative proteomics to compare global protein changes in wild-type (WT) DLD1 cells and TFEBWT- or TFEBS142A/S138A (activated status)-expressing DLD1 cells. A total of 6048 proteins were identified and quantified in three independent experiments. The differentially expressed proteins in TFEBS142A/S138A versus TFEBWT and TFEBWT versus control groups were compared, and 60 proteins were identified as products of TFEB transcriptional regulation. These proteins were significantly associated with vesicular endocytic trafficking, the HIF-1 signaling pathway, and metabolic processes. Furthermore, we generated a TFEB-associated gene signature using a univariate and LASSO Cox regression model to screen robust prognostic markers. An eight-gene signature (PLSCR3, SERPINA1, ATP6V1C2, TIMP1, SORT1, MAP2, KDM4B, and DDAH2) was identified. According to the signature, patients were assigned to high-risk and low-risk groups. Higher risk scores meant worse overall survival and higher epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) scores. Additionally, as per the clinicopathological parameters and gene signature, a nomogram was constructed that was utilized to enhance the quantification capacity in risk assessment for individual patients. This research shows that TFEB directly mediates network effects in CRC, and the identified TFEB gene signature-based model may provide important information for the clinical judgment of prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ascorbic acid (AsA) is a crucial antioxidant in vegetables. Celery (Apium graveolens L.) is a vegetable of Apiaceae and is rich in AsA. Till now, the effects of different storage conditions on celery morphological characteristics, anatomical features, and antioxidant accumulation are unclear. Here, the celery cvs. 'Sijixiaoxiangqin' and 'Liuhehuangxinqin' were selected as experimental materials, and the two celery plants grown for 65 days were harvested from soils and stored in light at room temperature (25 °C), darkness at low temperature (4 °C), and darkness at room temperature (25 °C) for 0, 6, 24, 30, 48, and 54 h, respectively. The results showed that celery in darkness had better water retention capacity than celery in light. Morphological changes in celery mesophyll, leaf veins, and petioles were the least in darkness at low temperature (4 °C). The weight loss rate and wilting degree in darkness at low temperature (4 °C) were the lowest, and the AsA content remained at a high level. The expression patterns of GDP-d-mannose pyrophosphorylase (AgGMP) and l-galactose dehydrogenase (AgGalDH) were similar to the change of AsA content. The results indicated that low temperature and dark was the optimized storage condition for 'Sijixiaoxiangqin' and 'Liuhehuangxinqin' celery. AgGMP and AgGalDH genes may play an important role in the accumulation of AsA in celery. This paper will provide potential references for prolonging the shelf life of celery and other horticultural crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer gel electrolytes have been actively employed in exploiting solid-state supercapacitors. However, the access to tiny pores of electrode materials is hindered by the sticky nature and sluggish ion transport of polymers. Consequently, supercapacitors usually present much lower capacitance in gel electrolytes than in liquid electrolytes. Here, we develop a molten-salt-directed mesopore engineering to design carbon nanotubes that are highly accessible to gel electrolytes. The rich mesopores, 12–15 nm in diameter and cross-linked, drastically facilitate the infilling of gel electrolytes into carbon nanotubes, leading to robust capacitive performance. Such mesoporous carbon nanotubes exhibit a high capacitance of 195.2 F g−1 in polyvinyl alcohol electrolyte and an ion diffusion coefficient of 2.8 × 10−7 cm2 s−1, close to that in liquid electrolyte. Additionally, solid-state supercapacitors based on mesoporous carbon nanotubes exhibit a short relaxation time of 39 ms and a capacity retention of 93% over 10000 cycles, thus demonstrating their great potential in practical applications. [Display omitted] • An efficient mesopore engineering strategy is developed in molten-salt medium. • Three synthetic routes have been designed to create different porous structure. • The mesoporous carbon nanotubes greatly promote the infilling of gel electrolyte. • The mesoporous carbon nanotubes exhibit a high capacitance in gel electrolyte. • The assembled solid-state supercapacitor shows a short relaxation time of 39 ms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a new method to model changes in monetary policy of the Bank of England (BoE) as well as the impact of these changes on UK economy. This is important as central bankers have widened the range of instruments in their monetary policy toolbox. Specifically, we estimate a proxy for the monetary policy stance and then analyse a time-varying parameter vector autoregressive with stochastic volatility model to explain the BoE's trade-offs when making policy decisions and as well as to demonstrate dynamic impacts of monetary policy on inflation and economic growth. The empirical results show that our estimated monetary policy proxy is better at capturing the BoE's policy when the interest rate lower bound becomes binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The filling characteristics of rockfill is an engineering problem that cannot be ignored in high dams. Reasonably controlling and optimizing the gradation is critical for improving the compaction quality. The relationship between gradation distribution law and compaction characteristics is investigated using numerical and field experiments, and a method for dam construction gradation design optimization is given. The results show that the Weibull model exhibited better applicability for continuous coarse-grained soil gradation. The extreme porosity of rockfill has a scaling effect, which can be basically eliminated when the maximum particle size reaches 400 mm. The prediction results based on the neural network show that the Weibull model gradation parameters strongly correlate with the porosity. The “occupancy effect”, or “filling effect”, of fine particles, and the “wedge effect”, or “wall effect”, of coarse particles, can explain the relationship between the Weibull model gradation parameters and porosity. The gradation parameters have a corresponding relationship with the classical non-uniformity coefficient Cu and curvature coefficient Cc indexes. Cu and Cc indicators can be used to judge the quality of the gradation at first and then optimize it by using the experimental results of the Weibull model parameters. The research results have application reference value for the filling design and compaction quality evaluation of large-scale coarse-grained soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel silicone flame retardant PMDA was synthesized and blended with a commercial thiol–ene (TE) to obtain a flame-retardant TE (FRTE) composite. The cone calorimeter measurement showed the incorporation of PMDA improved the flame retardancy of the TE composite at concentrations of 5 wt%. The thermal stability and degradation mechanism of FRTE in nitrogen was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. The degradation behaviour of TE containing a PMDA flame retardant was found to be changed. The kinetics of thermal degradation was evaluated by Kissinger method and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method. The results showed that the activation energies of the FRTE degradation were higher than those of neat TE. However, the degradation mechanism of the TE matrix was not changed by the incorporation of flame-retardant PMDA. In this study, the flame-retardant mechanism of PMDA flame-retardant TE polymer was explained by using two kinetic analysis methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable lithium batteries have been intensively explored due to their potential to deliver a high energy and stable cycling performance. Yet considerable achievements have been reported on battery performance in lab‐based research, a broad gap from fundamental research to their industrial application needs to be filled. The significant advances in the field of carbon nanotubes over the past decades make it a promising candidate to bridge such a gap. Nevertheless, a systematic and profound understanding of its roles in Li batteries is lacking. In this review, we discuss the critical role of carbon nanotube in developing several lithium techniques such as Li‐ion, Li‐sulfur, and Li‐air cells. The focus is laid on the elevation of device capacity, energy, and cyclic life to meet the practical demand. We hope this paper, together with other recently‐proposed guiding principles, will pave the way for the massive application of carbon nanotube‐based lithium batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease. Although great progress has been made in its diagnosis and treatment in recent years, its mortality rate is still very significant. The pathophysiology and pathogenesis of PAH are complex and involve endothelial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, smooth muscle cell proliferation, pulmonary arteriole occlusion, antiapoptosis and pulmonary vascular remodeling. These factors will accelerate the progression of the disease, leading to poor prognosis. Therefore, accurate etiological diagnosis, treatment and prognosis judgment are particularly important. Here, we systematically review the pathophysiology, diagnosis, genetics, prognosis and treatment of PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new damage phenomenon of the Zipingpu concrete-faced rock-fill dam (CFRD) in the 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake has introduced new topics to the study of seismic failure mechanisms and numerical simulation methods of high CFRDs. With respect to the large-scale contact separation between the face slabs and the cushion layer after the earthquake, the conventional method of directly assigning constant values ​​to the normal stiffness of the interface element can only qualitatively reflect the separated or closed state of the interface. In this article, a parabolic model for the normal stiffness of the interface is proposed, and an iterative algorithm for its optimal value is established based on the contact states. Combined with a generalised plasticity constitutive model, the 3 D finite element (FE) coupling analysis of the Zipingpu Dam is performed. The results show good agreements between the numerical calculations and field measurement conclusions. In addition, the opening and closing processes of the interface during the earthquake reproduce the dynamic face-slabs separation situation. It is indicated that the proposed constitutive model and the iterative algorithm can basically realise the quantitative estimation for the range and depth of the separation, providing a reliable method for the seismic analysis of high CFRDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically study the electromagnetic forces (optical gradient force, optical torque and vacuum friction) acting on a spherical anisotropic nanoparticle, which can be characterized by multilayer hyperbolic metamaterials (mHMMs). We find three important results about these forces: (i) Firstly, we theoretically demonstrate that the optical gradient force produced on a mHMMs nanoparticle can be flexibly tuned, from pushing the particle to pulling it, just via changing incident angle of illuminating plane light wave. (ii) Secondly, we find the optical torque acting on the mHMMs nanoparticle (its filling factor is around 0.3) can be tuned between positive and negative via changing the incident angle of circularly polarized plane light. Therefore, the rotating mHMMs nanoparticle with designed filling factor can be accelerated or decelerated by the optical torque. (iii) Finally, due to the large fluctuations of dipole polarizability of mHMMs nanoparticle with appropriate filling factor, we propose a new method to obtain the large enhancement of vacuum friction torque by designing the filling factor of the rotating mHMMs nanoparticle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shoot branching substantially impacts vegetative and reproductive growth as well as wood characteristics in perennial woody species by shaping the shoot system architecture. Although plant hormones have been shown to play a fundamental role in shoot branching in annual species, their corresponding actions in perennial woody plants are largely unknown, in part due to the lack of branching mutants. Here, we demonstrated the role of plant hormones in bud dormancy transition toward activation and outgrowth in woody plants by comparing the physiological and molecular changes in the apical shoot stems of 'Yangkou' 020 fir and 'Dugan' fir, two Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) clones with normal and completely abolished branching phenotypes, respectively. Our studies showed that the defect in bud outgrowth was the cause of failed shoot branching in 'Dugan' fir whereas apically derived signals acted as triggers of this ectopic bud activity. Further studies indicated that auxin played a key role in inhibiting bud outgrowth in 'Dugan' fir. During bud dormancy release, the differential auxin resistant 1/Like AUX1 (AUX1/LAX) and PIN-formed (PIN) activity resulted in an ectopic auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) accumulation in the apical shoot stem of 'Dugan' fir, which could inhibit the cell cycle in the axillary meristem by decreasing cytokinin (CK) biosynthesis but increasing abscisic acid (ABA) production and response through the signaling pathway. In contrast, during bud activation and outgrowth, the striking increase in auxin biosynthesis and PIN activity in the shoot tip of 'Dugan' fir may trigger the correlative inhibition of axillary buds by modulating the polar auxin transport stream (PATS) and connective auxin transport (CAT) in shoots, and by influencing the biosynthesis of secondary messengers, including CK, gibberellin (GA) and ABA, thereby inducing the paradormancy of axillary buds in 'Dugan' fir by apical dominance under favorable conditions. The findings of this study provide important insights into the roles of plant hormones in bud outgrowth control in perennial woody plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular networking strategy-based prioritization of the isolation of the rarely studied soft coral Sinularia tumulosa yielded 14 sesquiterpenes. These isolated constituents consisted of nine different types of carbon frameworks, namely asteriscane, humulane, capillosane, seco-asteriscane, guaiane, dumortane, cadinane, farnesane, and benzofarnesane. Among them, situmulosaols A–C (1 , 3 and 4) were previously undescribed ones, whose structures with absolute configurations were established by the combination of extensive spectral data analyses, quantum mechanical-nuclear magnetic resonance and time-dependent density functional theory electronic circular dichroism calculations, the Snatzke's method, and the modified Mosher's method. Notably, situmulosaol C (4) was the second member of capillosane-type sesquiterpenes. The plausible biogenetic relationships of these skeletally different sesquiterpenes were proposed. All sesquiterpenoids were evaluated for their antibacterial, cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects. The bioassay results showed compound 14 exhibited significant antibacterial activities against a variety of fish and human pathogenic bacteria with MIC 90 values ranging from 3.6 to 33.8 μg/mL. Moreover, moderate cytotoxic effects against HEL cells for components 13 and 14 and moderate inhibitory effect on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells for substance 13 were also observed. [Display omitted] • 14 sesquiterpenes were isolated from Sinularia tumulosa applying molecular networking. • These isolates possessed nine different carbon frameworks. • Situmulosaol C (4) was the second member of capillosane-type sesquiterpenes. • Absolute configurations were assigned by QM-NMR, TDDFT ECD, ICD, and Mosher's method. • Compound 14 showed significant antibacterial and moderate cytotoxic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Polyoxometalate cluster chains are encapsulated in single-walled carbon nanotubes. • The hybrid shows high rate capability with 73 % capacity retention at 1000 mV s−1. • The Grotthuss proton-conduction mechanism is unveiled with the E a value of 0.11 eV. • Proton transports along the continuous hydrogen-bond network inside nanotubes. Redox-active materials with excellent rate capability and cycling performance are in highly demand for electrochemical energy storage and conversion applications. Here, we unveil the confined proton-conduction behavior of one-dimensional polyoxometalate chains inside single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The polyoxometalate molecules including phosphomolybdic acid {HPMo} and phosphotungstic acid {HPW} are encapsulated within SWNTs via host–guest recognition, driven by the electron transfer from nanotubes to polyoxometalates. Impressively, the redox hybrids of polyoxometalate@SWNTs deliver abnormal rate performance in acidic solution with capacity retentions over 73 % at high sweep rate of 1000 mV s−1, relative to the capacity at 10 mV s−1. This value is comparable to that of the pure SWNTs, typically known as double-layer capacitive materials. Electrochemical analyses reveal the Grotthuss proton-conduction mechanism of {HPMo} in SWNTs with a low activation energy of 0.11 eV. Therefore, the {HPMo}@SWNT hybrid demonstrates quasi diffusion-free characteristic with dominant capacitive contribution over 60 % at different sweep rates. Molecular dynamic simulations and density functional theory calculations evidence the strong burst-like transport of protons in the {HPMo}@SWNT hybrid. This process is dynamically favored in the continuous and long-range hydrogen-bond network along polyoxometalate chains with bound/free water molecules inside SWNTs. The superiority of nanoconfined Grotthuss mechanism may engender an exciting avenue for developing high-performance energy storage materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liriodendron chinense (Lchi) is a tree species within the Magnoliaceae family and is considered a basal angiosperm. The too low or high temperature or soil drought will restrict its growth as the adverse environmental conditions, thus improving L. chinense abiotic tolerance was the key issues to study. WRKYs are a major family of plant transcription factors known to often be involved in biotic and abiotic stress responses. So far, it is still largely unknown if and how the LchiWRKY gene family is tied to regulating L. chinense stress responses. Therefore, studying the involvement of the WRKY gene family in abiotic stress regulation in L. chinense could be very informative in showing how this tree deals with such stressful conditions. Results: In this research, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the Liriodendron chinense (Lchi) WRKY gene family, studying their classification relationships, gene structure, chromosomal locations, gene duplication, cis-element, and response to abiotic stress. The 44 members of the LchiWRKY gene family contain a significant amount of sequence diversity, with their lengths ranging from 525 bp to 40,981 bp. Using classification analysis, we divided the 44 LchiWRKY genes into three phylogenetic groups (I, II, II), with group II then being further divided into five subgroups (IIa, IIb, IIc, IId, IIe). Comparative phylogenetic analysis including the WRKY families from 17 plant species suggested that LchiWRKYs are closely related to the Magnolia Cinnamomum kanehirae WRKY family, and has fewer family members than higher plants. We found the LchiWRKYs to be evenly distributed across 15 chromosomes, with their duplication events suggesting that tandem duplication may have played a major role in LchiWRKY gene expansion model. A Ka/Ks analysis indicated that they mainly underwent purifying selection and distributed in the group IId. Motif analysis showed that LchiWRKYs contained 20 motifs, and different phylogenetic groups contained conserved motif. Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that LchiWRKYs were mainly enriched in two categories, i.e., biological process and molecular function. Two group IIc members (LchiWRKY10 and LchiWRKY37) contain unique WRKY element sequence variants (WRKYGKK and WRKYGKS). Gene structure analysis showed that most LchiWRKYs possess 3 exons and two different types of introns: the R- and V-type which are both contained within the WRKY domain (WD). Additional promoter cis-element analysis indicated that 12 cis-elements that play different functions in environmental adaptability occur across all LchiWRKY groups. Heat, cold, and drought stress mainly induced the expression of group II and I LchiWRKYs, some of which had undergone gene duplication during evolution, and more than half of which had three exons. LchiWRKY33 mainly responded to cold stress and LchiWRKY25 mainly responded to heat stress, and LchiWRKY18 mainly responded to drought stress, which was almost 4-fold highly expressed, while 5 LchiWRKYs (LchiWRKY5, LchiWRKY23, LchiWRKY14, LchiWRKY27, and LchiWRKY36) responded equally three stresses with more than 6-fold expression. Subcellular localization analysis showed that all LchiWRKYs were localized in the nucleus, and subcellular localization experiments of LchiWRKY18 and 36 also showed that these two transcription factors were expressed in the nucleus. Conclusions: This study shows that in Liriodendron chinense, several WRKY genes like LchiWRKY33, LchiWRKY25, and LchiWRKY18, respond to cold or heat or drought stress, suggesting that they may indeed play a role in regulating the tree's response to such conditions. This information will prove a pivotal role in directing further studies on the function of the LchiWRKY gene family in abiotic stress response and provides a theoretical basis for popularizing afforestation in different regions of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective·To summarize the general characteristics, management principles and prognosis of benign and aggressive bone tumors (BABT) involving the acetabulum. Methods·A total of 88 cases of primary acetabular lesions were collected, including 41 cases of BABTs. The demographic data of the patients, the surgical procedures and the prognosis of the patients were analyzed. Results·The median follow-up time of the 41 cases of BABTs was 42.6 months. Lesion curettage with bone grafting was performed in 30 cases, followed by curettage with cement reconstruction (n=2), enbloc resection with endoprosthesis reconstruction (n=8), and hemi-pelvic amputation (n=1). Postoperative pathology confirmed a benign tumor in 23 cases, 8 of which were accompanied by bone cortical damage (34.8%), and only 2 patients had local recurrence. Postoperative pathology demonstrated an aggressive histology in 18 cases, 14 cases of which were accompanied by bone cortical damage (77.8%), and a total of 5 cases had local recurrence. Of the 7 giant cell tumors of bone, one recurred (14.3%), in comparison to 3 local recurrence (75.0%) of the 4 cases of atypical cartilage hyperplasia. Conclusion·Benign acetabular tumors without cortical bone damage have a low recurrence rate following lesion curettage. Aggressive tumors and/or tumors with cortical bone damage have a higher recurrence rate following simple curettage, and the surgical margin needs to be strictly determined prior to surgery. Specifically, lesion curettage with bone cement or enbloc resection with endoprosthesis reconstruction could be an appropriate option for giant cell tumor of bone, while enbloc resection with endoprosthesis reconstruction should be always recommended for atypical cartilage tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable-coefficient equations can be used to describe certain phenomena when the inhomogeneous media and nonuniform boundaries are taken into consideration. It is meaningful to solve the exact solution of variable-coefficient equations. In this paper, a (2+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient Boussinesq equation is investigated. The integrability is firstly examined by the Painlevé analysis method. Secondly, the Bäcklund transformations, one- and two-soliton solutions of the (2+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient Boussinesq equation are studied by virtue of the Hirota bilinear method. Propagation characteristics and interaction behaviors of the solitons are discussed: (i) soliton shapes and interaction behaviors are affected by the variable coefficients, and (ii) the two-soliton interaction is elastic, and the shape and velocity does not change after the collision, and only the shift changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible batteries, which maintain their functions potently under various mechanical deformations, attract increasing interest due to potential applications in emerging portable and wearable electronics. Significant efforts have been devoted to material synthesis and structural designs to realize the mechanical flexibility of various batteries. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have a unique one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure and are convenient to further assemble into diverse macroscopic structures, such as 1D fibers, 2D films and 3D sponges/aerogels. Due to their outstanding mechanical and electrical properties, CNTs and CNT-based hybrid materials are superior building blocks for different components in flexible batteries. This review summarizes recent progress on the application of CNTs in developing flexible batteries, from closed-system to open-system batteries, with a focus on different structural designs of CNT-based material systems and their roles in various batteries. We also provide perspectives on the challenges and future research directions for realizing practical applications of CNT-based flexible batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the core issues affecting the safety of high concrete faced rock‐fill dams (CFRDs) is the extrusion damage of the concrete face slabs. In this paper, the causes of the face‐slab extrusion damage under long‐term operational conditions are studied. It is found that not only the creep behavior of the dam materials but also the circulating water load in the reservoir is responsible for the uneven deformation of the dam that induces the extrusion damage of the face slabs. The possibility of the potential extrusion damage of the face slab of the Dashixia dam, which is now under construction in Xinjiang, China, is further predicted by means of a three‐dimensional finite element analysis (FEA). In the FEA, a unified generalized plasticity model that can reflect the volumetric contraction property during the unloading phase of coarse‐grained materials is adopted to overcome the shortcomings of previous studies where the effects of the circulating water load are neglected because of model limitations. Then, combined with an incremental creep model, the long‐term operational characteristics of the Dashixia dam are predicted and thoroughly discussed. Moreover, a submodel of the face slab is developed and introduced in the analysis to simulate the compressive stress along the thickness of the face slab. According to the results, it can be concluded that extrusion damage of the face slab of the Dashixia dam may occur under the current design conditions, and it is recommended to take some engineering measures to strengthen the slab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) and dendrite growth hinder the development of rechargeable lithium‐metal batteries (LMBs) at low temperature (≤−20 °C). In this work, regulating the concentration of Li salt increases the proportion of anions in Li+ solvation structure, thereby forming a denser SEI on Li anode. The optimized solvation structure exhibits fast charge transfer kinetics and high‐voltage (dis)charge performance. As a result, Li||Cu cells with modified electrolyte work over 400 h and maintaining an average coulombic efficiency of 98.05%, the Li||LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cells (N/P = 3) are capable of one hundred stable cycles with a capacity retention of 93.7% even at −40 °C. These findings confirm the effect of ion‐pairing and anion‐derived SEI on the long‐term cycling of LMBs, contributing a promising solution to the development of low‐temperature LMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influences of pressure on structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of α-RDX under pressure from 0 to 40 GPa have been investigated by performing first-principles calculations. The obtained structural parameters based on the GGA-PBE+G calculations are consistent with previous experimental values. The results of B/G, C12-C44 and Poisson's ratio show that α-RDX has changed to ductility under pressure between 0 and 5 GPa. The obvious rotation of NO2 group in the equatorial position appears, especially in the range of pressure from 10 to 15 GPa, which influences the elastic and mechanical properties of α-RDX. Moreover, we find that the electrons of α-RDX become more active under higher pressure by comparing the curves of DOS under different pressure. Furthermore, the anisotropy of optical properties under different pressures has been shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bimetallic PdxFey alloy nanoparticles/carbon nanofiber (CNF) composites with different Pd/Fe mole ratios were successfully prepared by one-pot electrospinning of Pd and Fe precursors in polyacrylonitrile followed by pyrolysis. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were applied to characterize the structure of the PdxFey/CNF nanocomposite catalyst, revealing good dispersion as well as modification of the electronic properties of Pd. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry showed significantly high ethanol electrooxidation activity and stability in an alkaline environment for the PdxFey/CNF nanocomposites, compared to that of the commercial Pd/C and Pd/CNF catalysts, respectively. Thus, the prepared PdxFey/CNF catalyst can be considered as a promising anode catalyst for alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detailed illustrations of the structures, elastic properties, and Raman and IR vibration modes for [Na(H2O)(N5)]·2H2O (a) and [Mg(H2O)6(N5)2]·4H2O (b) have been presented in this investigation by using the first-principles method based on the density functional theory. Our results indicate that the active centers of both two types of the energetic metal pentazolate hydrates appear on the cyclo-N5. The bonding character of N atoms in the cyclo-N5 is shown to be covalent, and the cyclo-N5 ring can be considered as an anion. Based on the analysis of elastic properties, we conclude that complex a is easier to deform than b, and both complexes are mechanically stable. From the calculated Raman and IR vibration modes, the vibration in the region of 960–1206 cm−1 (for a) and 985–1208 cm−1 (for b) is determined by basically mixing the cyclo-N5 stretching and deformation modes. The vibrational modes of a and b in their highest frequency zones are both related to the stretching of the O–H bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a robust gain-scheduling controller design based on the parameter-space approach. The gain-scheduling control is of interest for systems with varying dynamics at different operating conditions. Requirements of robustness of stability and performance are also necessary if the system is subject to other parametric or model uncertainties. The parameter space approach is capable of projecting these requirements to the space of design parameters and facilitate the design of robust gain-scheduling control. This method is applied to automated vehicle lateral control to ensure its tracking accuracy and stability subject to uncertainties in vehicle load, speed and tire saturation. The proportional feedback gain and look-ahead distance are scheduled with respect to speed while sustaining robust stability, mixed sensitivity bound constraint and satisfaction of performance indices. Realistic hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation with a validated vehicle model and road tests are conducted to demonstrate the robust performance of the designed gain-scheduling control in the presence of model uncertainty and disturbances. Another general robust gain-scheduling approach, the linear-matrix-inequality- (LMI-) design is also conducted for benchmarking purposes and the comparisons are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) and Twin Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (TD3) are two classical deterministic policy gradient algorithms. It is worth noting that the policies of both DDPG and TD3 are completely dependent on the gradient of critics. This will cause the policy to be unstable and easy to converge to the local optimum in the learning process. Although the idea of maximum entropy learning can provide more effective exploration, it can only be applied to the algorithm using stochastic policy, not to DDPG and TD3. In this paper, we propose a deterministic policy optimization method combining gradient-free policy parameters information (GFPPI). Specifically, we obtain a new set of policies by injecting Gaussian noise into the policy parameters, and then weight these policy parameters based on critics to obtain GFPPI. Finally, GFPPI is used as the regularization term of the policy optimization function to guide the policy update. GFPPI can mitigate premature policy convergence and facilitate exploration with optimistic principles. We provide the theoretical guarantee for monotonic improvement of expected cumulative return using augmented loss function with GFPPI, experimentally analyze the role of GFPPI in policy optimization and combine it with deterministic policy gradient information for policy optimization. The experiments on OpenAI gym demonstrate that GFPPI can improve sample efficiency and enable the algorithm to get higher performance. • We present the computational details of GFPPI and analyze two operators. • We theoretical guarantee the effective of GFPPI. • We propose GFPPI-TD3 and it mitigates the policy update instability. • Our GFPPI-TD3 outperforms the SOTA algorithms on six Mujoco environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Glial cell‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) maintains gut homeostasis. Dopamine promotes GDNF release in astrocytes. We investigated the regulation by dopamine of colonic GDNF secretion. Experimental Approach: D1 receptor knockout (D1R−/−) mice, adeno‐associated viral 9‐short hairpin RNA carrying D2 receptor (AAV9‐shD2R)‐treated mice, 6‐hydroxydopamine treated (6‐OHDA) rats and primary enteric glial cells (EGCs) culture were used. Incubation fluid from colonic submucosal plexus and longitudinal muscle myenteric plexus were collected for GDNF and ACh measurements. Key Results: D2 receptor‐immunoreactivity (IR), but not D1 receptor‐IR, was observed on EGCs. Both D1 receptor‐IR and D2 receptor‐IR were co‐localized on cholinergic neurons. Low concentrations of dopamine induced colonic GDNF secretion in a concentration‐dependent manner, which was mimicked by the D1 receptor agonist SKF38393, inhibited by TTX and atropine and eliminated in D1R−/− mice. SKF38393‐induced colonic ACh release was absent in D1R−/− mice. High concentrations of dopamine suppressed colonic GDNF secretion, which was mimicked by the D2 receptor agonist quinpirole, and absent in AAV‐shD2R‐treated mice. Quinpirole decreased GDNF secretion by reducing intracellular Ca2+ levels in primary cultured EGCs. Carbachol (ACh analogue) promoted the release of GDNF. Quinpirole inhibited colonic ACh release, which was eliminated in the AAV9‐shD2R‐treated mice. 6‐OHDA treated rats with low ACh and high dopamine content showed decreased GDNF content and increased mucosal permeability in the colon. Conclusion and Implications: Low concentrations of dopamine promote colonic GDNF secretion via D1 receptors on cholinergic neurons, whereas high concentrations of dopamine inhibit GDNF secretion via D2 receptors on EGCs and/or cholinergic neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural, elastic and electronic properties of Nb-Cr-Si based alloys have been investigated by employing first-principles calculations from CASTEP program based on density functional theory (DFT). The calculated lattice parameters of Nb-Cr-Si based alloys are in good agreement with the experimental values. The elastic constants of NbCrSi are calculated. The bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of NbCrSi are obtained, which show that NbCrSi lies on the borderline of ductile to brittle transitions. Furthermore, all Nb-Cr-Si based alloys considered in this work are conductive phases. •All the crystal structures except NbCrSi and Nb 2 Cr 4 Si 5 are built by using the virtual crystal approximation. • The results of Poisson's ratio ν and G/B imply that NbCrSi locates in the borderline of ductile to brittle transitions. • All Nb-Cr-Si based alloys considered in this work are conductive phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the only clear medical treatment for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). However, approximately 40% of patients are not sensitive to UDCA. In recent years, obeticholic acid (OCA) combined with UDCA has been used in the PBC patients who were not sensitive to UDCA, or as monotherapy for PBC adult patients who are intolerant to UDCA. To develop and validate a specific, sensitive and reliable tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination of obeticholic acid (OCA) in rat plasma. Plasma samples were treated with liquid–liquid extraction. Diazepam was selected as the internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was achieved by an Acquity BEH C18 column (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and ultrapure water (containing 0.1% formic acid). The analyte was detected in positive ion mode by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) methods were used to detect specific precursor and product ions. The target ion pair of OCA was 419.38 → 401.22, and the IS was 285.05 → 193.02. The linear range of OCA in rat plasma was 0.05–50 μg/mL (R2 = 0.992); the recovery rate was 91.34%–97.37%. This assay showed good intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy. No significant matrix effects in this study. A specific, sensitive and reliable quantitative analysis method was established to detect OCA after oral/intravenous administration in rat plasma via UPLC-MS/MS. It was appropriate for preclinical pharmacokinetic studies of OCA. • A reliable UPLC-MS/MS method was established and validated for the determination of OCA in rat plasma • It was suitable for preclinical pharmacokinetic studies of OCA • The treatment effect and safety of patients might be improved by monitoring the plasma concentration of OCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equilibrium joining probabilities for a single primary user (PU) and secondary users (SUs) in the case of no queue length information, and the equilibrium Nash balance thresholds for PU and SUs to join the system in the cases of partial queue length information and full queue length information observed by PU and SUs are investigated in a cognitive radio system. PU stochastically sends PU requests and each SU is assumed to only carry one SU request. Whenever a PU (or an SU) request is completed, a reward is issued to the PU (or the SU). However, a holding cost is charged also for each SU and PU during their average sojourn time in the system respectively. Both of PU requests and SU requests are selfish in this research and their objectives are to maximize their own benefit. Our major conclusion includes a threshold probability value for PU (or SU) to join the system identified for the case of no queue length information, a Nash balance PU (SU) threshold value is determined for the case of partial queue length information; and the multi-dimensional Nash balance threshold is established for the case of full queue length information. These Nash balance threshold integer values depend on not only the Nash Balance PU-threshold value but also the specific number of SU requests in the system at that arriving time. In addition, we discuss the sensibility of input parameters to the obtained equilibrium joining probabilities and Nash balance thresholds. We mathematically verify that SUs’ equilibrium joining probability does not necessarily increase with the transmission rate of PU in no queue length information case and observe numerically that the Nash balance thresholds adopted by an arriving SU are fickle with the change of PU's transmission rate in both of partial and full queue length information cases. Our results and observations provide a guideline and important managerial insights in making decisions with strategic users in the design of CRNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract SnO 2 plays an indispensable role in forming Pd4+ in Pd-SnO 2 system at high temperatures, and Pd4+ initiates CO chemisorption on SnO 2 and leads to exceptional CO sensing of Pd-SnO 2 nanoceramics at room temperature. Highlights • Excellent room-temperature CO sensing capabilities were observed in Pd-SnO 2 system. • Room-temperature CO sensing occurred via CO chemisorption on SnO 2. • Pd4+ induced CO chemisorption on SnO 2 at room temperature. • SnO 2 played a vital role in forming Pd4+ in Pd-SnO 2 system at high temperatures. Abstract Extraordinary room-temperature CO sensing capabilities have been surprisingly discovered for Pd-SnO 2 composite nanoceramics, yet the mechanism behind them is still largely unknown. In this work, some interesting insights into the room-temperature CO sensing behaviors of Pd-SnO 2 system have been revealed through a comparative study among samples of different Pd contents and different heat-treatment temperatures. Pressed compacts of Pd-SnO 2 nano-mixtures with 0.125–10 wt% Pd have been prepared and heat-treated in air over a wide temperature range of 600–1200 °C. While most samples show no responses to CO at room temperature, those of relatively low Pd content (≤ 2 wt%) and heat-treated at unusually high temperatures (e.g. ≥ 1000 °C for samples of 2 wt% Pd) exhibit extraordinary room-temperature CO sensing capabilities, such as a response of 5, a response time of 30 s and a recovery time of 40 s for 0.005% CO – 20% O 2 – N 2. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicate that Pd2+ is present in all heat-treated samples, but Pd4+ can only be detected in those samples with extraordinary room-temperature CO sensing capabilities. Further experiments suggest that SnO 2 plays an indispensable role in forming Pd4+ in Pd-SnO 2 system at unusually high temperatures, and Pd4+ leads to extraordinary room-temperature CO sensing process via CO chemisorption on SnO 2. These results clearly show a magic effect of charge states of catalysts on the performance of room-temperature metal oxide gas sensors and highlight the importance of creating novel chemical states of catalysts under some unusual conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • SCIT was applied in patients with major depression. • Patients with SCIT showed a greater improvement on social cognition. • Patients with SCIT showed a greater reduction of severity of depressive symptoms. Abstract The present work investigated the efficacy of social cognition and interaction training (SCIT) for patients with major depression. Thirty first-episode patients with major depression who received the SCIT plus the treatment-as-usual (i.e., SCIT + TAU group) were compared with twenty-nine patients who only received treatment-as-usual (i.e., TAU group). Patients received SCIT showed a significantly greater improvement on emotion perception, theory of mind, and attributional styles from baseline to follow-up assessments, with a significant reduction of severity of depressive symptoms, compared to those in TAU group. The preliminary findings indicate that SCIT is a feasible and promising method to improve social cognition for patients with major depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Two kinds of Pt SnO 2 composite nanoceramics have been prepared using SnO 2 nanoparticles and SnO 2 agglomerate powder separately. One is of a relatively uniform and porous microstructure with a specific surface area of 8.1 m2/g, and the other is of a rather non-uniform microstructure with large SnO 2 agglomerates and crack-like pores and a specific surface area of 6.4 m2/g. While the samples of uniform microstructure typically show a sensitivity of 150 to 1% H 2 – 20% O 2 – N 2 in air of 50% relative humidity (RH) at room temperature, those of non-uniform microstructure surprisingly show much higher sensitivities of 850 and 450 in air of 50% and 70% RH, respectively, to the same concentration of hydrogen. The influence of humidity on the samples has been further studied and a much higher humidity tolerance has been revealed for those samples of non-uniform microstructure. All these results demonstrate a clear and unexpected advantage of a non-uniform microstructure over a uniform one in humidity tolerance for room-temperature hydrogen-sensitive Pt SnO 2 composite nanoceramics. Highlights • High-performance hydrogen sensors were prepared using SnO 2 agglomerate powder. • A room-temperature sensitivity of 850 to 1% H 2 for 50% relative humidity was found. • A high humidity tolerance was obtained for a rather non-uniform microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new class of potential suitable for modeling the adsorption of water on different metal sites is described. The new potentials are simple in form and convenient for use in computer simulations. In their real space form they comprise three parts: A pairwise sum of spatially anisotropic 12-6 potentials, a pairwise sum of isotropic short range potentials, and an image potential. Two modifications of the potential are developed. In the first, the anisotropic potential acts only on the oxygen atom and not on the protons. In the second, the potential acts on all the atoms of the water molecule. In practical calculations it is convenient to transform the potential to a reciprocal space form in the manner described by Steele [Surf. Sci. 36, 317 (1973)]. Adsorption of water at top, bridge, and hollow sites on (100), (110), and (111) surfaces of Pt, Ni, Cu, and Al were studied using two fitting parameters and the results compared with previous theoretical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have carried out sensitivity analysis studies to identify the most important potential parameters of the SPC and the TIP3P flexible water models in determining three distribution functions of liquid water—the site–site radial distribution functions, the distribution function of the interaction energy of a water molecule with its surrounding [Pu(ub)], and the distribution function of the local electric field at the oxygen of a water molecule projected along the permanent dipole moment vector of the water molecule [Pe(E·μ0)]. The site–site radial distribution functions of each water model are most sensitive to the equilibrium O–H bond length (rOH) and the Lennard-Jones radius (σ) of the model. In addition to these two parameters, the cut-off radius (Rcut) in the reaction field geometry and the atomic partial charges are also important in affecting Pu(ub) of each model, especially the wings of the distribution. The oxygen charge affects the low energy wing of Pu(ub) more than the high energy wing, whereas the hydrogen charge mainly affects the high energy wing and has little effect on the low energy wing of the distribution. As for Pe(E·μ0), which provides an indirect check of the validity of the effective charge approximation in accounting for molecular polarizability, the leading factors are rOH, σ, and Rcut. These parameters affect the distribution wings of Pe(E·μ0) the most. The key advantage of the sensitivity analysis technique is that it provides a systematic and economical means for studying the role of each parameter of a water model in affecting the properties of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]