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This study in 2022 investigated the spatial distribution and sources of heavy metals in soils from abandoned sulfuric acid production sites in Henan Province, China, while also assessing associated health risks. In this area the average concentrations of arsenic (As), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cobalt (Co), and thallium (TI) were found to be 218.52 mg·kg−1, 105.10 mg·kg−1, 1.90 mg·kg−1, 14.77 mg·kg−1, and 0.610 mg·kg−1, respectively. These results were analyzed using Correlation Analysis (CA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), as well as Kriging and Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) techniques in ArcGIS and Earth Volumetric Studio (EVS) software to identify the distribution and sources of heavy metal pollution. The results showed that the pollution of As, Pb, and Co was mainly attributed to the raw materials used in sulfuric acid production. Meanwhile, the pollution of Hg and Tl varied across different sulfuric acid production systems, possibly due to variations in raw materials. The combination of the potential ecological risk index (PERI) and the human health risk assessment concluded that arsenic and mercury are potentially risky, arsenic and cobalt are carcinogenic, and all heavy metal pollutions have non-carcinogenic risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the microstructure, and mechanical properties of cold-rolled low-density multi-principal-element Fe-30Mn-10Al-1.57C-2.3Cr-0.3Si-0.6Ti (wt.%) specimens were systematically investigated by annealing under different conditions. The microstructural evolution and strengthening mechanism were also examined. Results from x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analyses confirmed that carbides were composed of TiC and κ-carbides. As the annealing temperature increased, both the volume fraction of κ-carbides and yield strength (YS) of the alloys decreased. TEM images indicated a pile-up of dislocations around carbides and boundary of twins. The increase in annealing temperature to 450 °C led to best mechanical properties of specimens with σ0.2% = 1270.28 MPa, Rm = 1318.67 MPa, and ε = 19.47%. Moreover, YS decreased by 9.28% and TE increased by 192.78%. Notably, the density of the as-obtained alloy reached 6.58 g/cm3, a value 15.6% lower than that of conventional steel. In sum, these findings are promising for future applications of low-density alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface mechanical strengthening is an effective way to improve the fatigue performance, among which surface rolling has been vastly utilized for its significant enhancement in fatigue strength. However, traditional rolling process is only suitable for components with rotational symmetry, limiting its application. Herein, a newly developed technology named "spinning rolling (SR)" was developed to strengthen the surfaces of platy components. A common Al alloy, 7075, was selected for verifying the effect. It is found that compared with the most popular technology, shot peening (SP), SR can provide deeper and higher residual stress, lower surface roughness, and comparable hardening layer, and consequently, significantly higher fatigue lives. Accordingly, there is a transition in the fatigue crack source from point‐like to line‐like, confirming a strong crack propagation resistance along depth direction. This study indicates the advantages of the SR technology, providing a greater resistance against fatigue damage of platy components. Highlights: We developed a new surface strengthening technology—spinning rolling (SR), which has wider applicability and better fatigue life extension effect.The fatigue lives of 7075 aluminum alloy plates processed by SR are highly improved by even one order of magnitude at the same stress amplitude.There is a transition in the fatigue crack source from point‐like to line‐like, confirming a strong crack propagation resistance along depth direction due to SR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrode materials based on organometallic skeleton materials have attracted attention in energy storage applications, because of their high conductivity and stability. A series of nickel-based metal-organic framework derived nanostructures were designed by hydrothermal method combined with post annealing treatment in the temperature. The morphological and electrochemical performances of the synthesized nickel-based MOF derived nanostructures were investigated as a function of post annealing temperature. The successful formation and purity of the synthesized nickel-based MOF derived nanostructures under controlled post annealing process. The formation of different morphologies of nickel-based MOF derived nanostructures owing to the different post annealing temperatures. Nickel-based MOF derived nanostructures prepared at post annealing temperature of 300 °C exhibits improved specific capacitance value of 3921 F/g at current density of 2 A/g. All these results provide an effective way of synthesizing MOF based electrode materials with improved performance for energy storage applications, which are valuable for our energy demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the most sensitive physics experiments searching for rare events, like neutrinoless double beta ( 0 ν β β ) decay, coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering and dark matter interactions, rely on cryogenic macro-calorimeters operating at the mK-scale. Located underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), in central Italy, CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) is one of the leading experiments for the search of 0 ν β β decay, implementing the low-temperature calorimetric technology. We present a novel multi-device analysis to correlate environmental phenomena with the low-frequency noise of low-temperature calorimeters. Indeed, the correlation of marine and seismic data with data from a couple of CUORE detectors indicates that cryogenic detectors are sensitive not only to intense vibrations generated by earthquakes, but also to the much fainter vibrations induced by marine microseisms in the Mediterranean Sea due to the motion of sea waves. Proving that cryogenic macro-calorimeters are sensitive to such environmental sources of noise opens the possibility of studying their impact on the detectors physics-case sensitivity. Moreover, this study could pave the road for technology developments dedicated to the mitigation of the noise induced by marine microseisms, from which the entire community of cryogenic calorimeters can benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tibetan Plateau is well‐known for its expansive wetland environments. Hydric soils, a fundamental component of these environments, exhibit diverse hydraulic characteristics attributable to their varied botanical and mineralogical composition and their inherent porous structures. Nonetheless, research on the hydraulic properties of such soils in Tibet remains notably underrepresented relative to European and Canadian regions. Consequently, in this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of different unsaturated hydraulic schemes in equilibrium and examine the parameter uncertainty of 14 undisturbed samples collected from four soligenous wetlands. The findings suggest that both the van Genuchten and Kosugi functions, when integrated with the Peters‐Iden‐Durner (PDI) model, yield a nearly consistent fit to experimental observations and demonstrate strong identifiability of parameters. This indicates that the PDI model can accurately characterize hydraulic properties across the complete moisture range of hydric soils. Analysis of samples with a low clay content and no sphagnum suggests that the intertwined, twisted, and hollow residues of herbaceous vascular tissues do not create a distinct, independent macro‐pore system. Therefore, the unimodal scheme integrating the PDI model is adequate. However, for samples that exhibit nonmonotonicity of the first‐order derivative of the retention curve, such as uncompacted samples containing sphagnum or samples rich in clay, the integration of the PDI model into the bimodal scheme boosts accuracy while having almost negligible impact on identifiability. The varied observed hydraulic properties of only 14 samples underscore the necessity for extensive hydric‐soil sampling and hydraulic analysis across the expansive and varied wetland landscapes on the Tibetan Plateau. Plain Language Summary: The alpine wetlands of the Tibetan Plateau have given rise to a diverse array of wetland soils. Considering the plateau monsoon climate characteristics, this study focuses on soil water retention and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity across the complete soil moisture range. The results indicate that, regardless of the non‐hydraulic physical properties of these wetland soils, employing a hydraulic model that integrates capillary flow models with a simplified film flow model can significantly enhance the accuracy of the inverse modeling method in determining hydraulic properties. Given the diverse wetland environments and the vast expanse of the Tibetan Plateau, it is essential to conduct extensive field soil sampling and laboratory analysis to gain a comprehensive understanding of the soil hydraulic properties. Currently, the hydraulic parameters provided by this study may be reasonable choices for simulating land surface and hydrological processes related to the plateau wetland soils. Key Points: A pioneering analysis determines the hydraulic properties of hydric soils on the Tibetan PlateauDiverse hydraulic properties and their association with varied vegetation remnants and mineral compositions are revealedA basis is provided for selecting soil unsaturated hydraulic schemes for Tibetan wetlands and peatlands [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Subcostal hernias are categorized as L1 based on the European Hernia Society (EHS) classification and frequently involve M1, M2, and L2 sites. These are common after hepatopancreatic and biliary surgeries. The literature on subcostal hernias mostly comprises of retrospective reviews of small heterogenous cohorts, unsurprisingly leading to no consensus or guidelines. Given the limited literature and lack of consensus or guidelines for dealing with these hernias, we planned for a Delphi consensus to aid in decision making to repair subcostal hernias. Methods: We adopted a modified Delphi technique to establish consensus regarding the definition, characteristics, and surgical aspects of managing subcostal hernias (SCH). It was a four-phase Delphi study reflecting the widely accepted model, consisting of: Creating a query. Building an expert panel. Executing the Delphi rounds. Analysing, presenting, and reporting the Delphi results. More than 70% of agreement was defined as a consensus statement. Results: The 22 experts who agreed to participate in this Delphi process for Subcostal Hernias (SCH) comprised 7 UK surgeons, 6 mainland European surgeons, 4 Indians, 3 from the USA, and 2 from Southeast Asia. This Delphi study on subcostal hernias achieved consensus on the following areas-use of mesh in elective cases; the retromuscular position with strong discouragement for onlay mesh; use of macroporous medium-weight polypropylene mesh; use of the subcostal incision over midline incision if there is no previous midline incision; TAR over ACST; defect closure where MAS is used; transverse suturing over vertical suturing for closure of circular defects; and use of peritoneal flap when necessary. Conclusion: This Delphi consensus defines subcostal hernias and gives insight into the consensus for incision, dissection plane, mesh placement, mesh type, and mesh fixation for these hernias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study spin-transfer-torque-driven magnetization dynamics of a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction nanopillar. Through the combined investigations on spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance and microwave spectroscopy, it is found that the free layer (FL) and the weak pinned reference layer (RL) exhibit distinct dynamic behaviors. First, frequency vs field dispersion for the FL and RL shows an opposite trend as the field varies. Second, the FL can support a single spin-wave (SW) mode for both parallel and antiparallel configurations, while the RL exhibits spin-wave excitation only for the antiparallel state. Those two SW modes coexist at the antiparallel state, and their oscillation frequency exhibits a crossover phenomenon with increasing the external magnetic field, which could be helpful in the mutual synchronization of auto-oscillations for SW-based neuromorphic computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports a study on the modification of bulk and Young's moduli of MoC carbide by partially substituting Mo with selected metallic elements, which influence the strengths and contributions of covalent, ionic, and metallic bond components to the overall atomic bonding of the carbide and thus its mechanical properties. Electron work function (EWF) analysis demonstrates that this parameter plays a promising role as an indicator similar to an encoded parameter with material "genetic" information for guiding the substitute selection. The higher the carbide's EWF, the higher are its bulk and Young's moduli. A substitute having a higher EWF generally enhances the covalent bonding at the expense of ionic bonding. The covalent bond plays a primary role in determining the carbide's strength, while the ionic bonding also contributes to the strength to some degree. A substitute having a higher EWF enhances the metallic bonding, which improves the carbide's strength as well, although such a contribution is minor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystallization of amorphous solids impacts fields ranging from inorganic crystal growth to biophysics. Promoting or inhibiting nanoscale epitaxial crystallization and selecting its final products underpin applications in cryopreservation, semiconductor devices, oxide electronics, quantum electronics, structural and functional ceramics, and advanced glasses. As precursors for crystallization, amorphous solids are distinguished from liquids and gases by the comparatively long relaxation times for perturbations of the mechanical stress and for variations in composition or bonding. These factors allow experimentally controllable parameters to influence crystallization processes and to drive materials toward specific outcomes. For example, amorphous precursors can be employed to form crystalline phases, such as polymorphs of Al2O3, VO2, and other complex oxides, that are not readily accessible via crystallization from a liquid or through vapor-phase epitaxy. Crystallization of amorphous solids can further be guided to produce a desired polymorph, nanoscale shape, microstructure, or orientation of the resulting crystals. These effects enable advances in applications in electronics, magnetic devices, optics, and catalysis. Directions for the future development of the chemical physics of crystallization from amorphous solids can be drawn from the structurally complex and nonequilibrium atomic arrangements in liquids and the atomic-scale structure of liquid–solid interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of the economy, surface water pollution is still serious. Nitrite nitrogen can reflect the degree of surface water pollution. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy has the advantages of environmental friendliness, easy operation and real-time online in-situ detection, and has a good application prospect in the detection of nitrite nitrogen content in surface water. In this study, stacking learning and information entropy weighting are introduced on the basis of traditional extreme learning machine, and a stacked extreme learning machine model based on information entropy weight is proposed, aiming at the problem of nitrite nitrogen detection in surface water. In the experiment, 36 nitrite nitrogen aqueous solution samples were prepared, 25 samples were divided into training sets, and the remaining 11 were used as test sets for grouping experiments. In order to further verify the effectiveness of the model under different instrument conditions, the spectra of samples with different concentrations were collected the next day to form a second test set. The experimental results show that the stacked extreme learning machine model based on information entropy weight is superior to the traditional models in measuring accuracy, and can quickly and accurately detect nitrite nitrogen in surface water, providing an effective method for online detection of total organic carbon in surface water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates higher-order localized waves for coupled variable-coefficient fourth-order nonlinear Schrödinger equations, which are used to describe the simultaneous propagation of optical pulses in an inhomogeneous optical fiber. Based on the seed solutions and Lax pair, the Nth-order localized wave solutions are constructed. The interactions of rogue waves with dark–bright solitons are graphically analyzed via numerical simulation. The results are helpful for studying localized wave phenomena in nonlinear optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A process combining ceramic ultrafiltration, catalytic ozonation, and adsorption by activated carbon was applied and evaluated for the advanced treatment of domestic effluent from a biological aerated filter in a pilot scale. The main operating parameters such as operating pressure and ozone dose were optimized, and a stable operation was conducted for 30 days. The results showed that the chemical oxygen demand was decreased from 30 ± 10 mg L−1 to less than 15 mg L−1, ammonium nitrogen was reduced from 2.5 ± 0.5 mg L−1 to less than 1.0 mg L−1, chroma became colorless from the dilution times of 32, and suspended solids as well as Escherichia coli were completely removed from the initial concentration of 20 ± 5 mg L−1 and at least 2.4 × 106 MPN L−1, respectively. The removal of chemical oxygen demand and chroma was mainly attributed to the synergetic effect of the ultrafiltration and catalytic ozonation, the removal of suspended solids and Escherichia coli was associated with the ultrafiltration, and the removal of ammonium nitrogen mainly resulted from the activated carbon adsorption. The quality of the effluent would be close to the water quality standard III of surface water, and the electricity cost calculated in the optimal conditions was 0.79 kW h t−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical strength and wear resistance of chromium carbides are relatively low compared to other transition metal (TM) carbides, such as TiC or WC. However, carbides can be tailored by partially substituting their host metal elements with other TMs. In this computational study with first-principles calculations, we investigated the effects of TMs on the stability and properties of metastable CrC carbide having a face-centered cubic structure. It is demonstrated that most TMs in IV and V groups can improve the thermodynamic stability of CrC with negative formation energies, meaning that such TM-substituted CrC can be formed using equilibrium or near-equilibrium synthesis routes. Mechanisms for the improved stability and mechanical properties of CrC by TM substitution were investigated through analyzing corresponding changes in the density of states, charge density distribution, and Bader charge. It is shown that the improved stability and properties of TM-substituted CrC result from changes in the distributions of covalent, ionic, and metallic bonds. TM-substituted CrC carbides with different densities provide more alternatives or options for widened applications of the Cr carbide family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of poor cycle stability can be effectively solved by using metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as precursor to obtain oxides. In this work, a layered NiO@NiCo2O4 nanocomposite electrodes were designed from bimetallic (Ni/Co) based bimetallic metal–organic framework (Ni/Co-MOF) by simple hydrothermal method followed by subsequent controlled calcination under air atmosphere at various temperatures for the transition process. XRD and FE-SEM studies were substantiating the formation of MOF derived NiO@NiCo2O4 nanocomposite with layered structure. Interestingly, electrochemical studies shows that MOF derived NiO@NiCo2O4 nanocomposite achieved at the calcination temperature at 300 °C and 400 °C demonstrates high specific capacitance of 2461 F/g and 2180 F/g at the current density of 1 A/g, which keeps the precursor Ni/Co-MOF with high specific capacitance peculiarity of 2250 F/g at 2 A/g. In terms of cycle retention rate, the NiO@NiCo2O4 nanocomposite obtained at 400 °C still has a high retention rate of 78% under the current density of 15 A/g for 4500 cycles. It significantly improved the precursor Ni/Co-MOF low cycle retention rate of only 56% after 1000 cycles. The results show that the metal oxide nanocomposites calcined with MOFs as sacrificial template not only retain the high specific capacitance characteristics of MOFs, but also improve its low cycle stability, which has great potential in electrochemical supercapacitor electrode materials and provides a certain useful reference for the direction of global energy demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Despite the obvious methodological similarities between archaeology and geology, we argue here that the fundamental assumption in scientific provenance studies of inorganic artefacts provides an insufficient basis for the methodology. That assumption is that there is a geochemical link between the source of the raw material and the finished object. Although this is undoubtedly necessary, it is not sufficient. We argue that, particularly for highly processed materials such as metal, glass, or ceramics, an equally (if not more) important factor is the sequence of human activities which are applied to the raw material during processing to become an object. In fact, we suggest that the main requirement for successful provenance work is the existence of sustained and repeatable quality assurance processes during production, carried out within a defined resourcescape. Ironically, this makes provenance studies more relevant to archaeology than does the simple search for sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liquid–solid phase transition of triacylglycerols (TAGs), the main components of edible fats and oils is central to the production and sensory properties of many processed foods. While there has been extensive research on the nucleation and growth of fats, there remains a dearth of knowledge regarding the structural organization of TAGs in the liquid state. From a molecular perspective, TAGs consist of three alkyl chains esterified to a glycerol backbone. Several models based on experiment and simulation have helped to unveil TAG organization in the molten state. However, more evidence for their structural organization is necessary. Here, we provide simulation and experimental insights on the structural organization of molten tripalmitin using small-angle neutron and x-ray scattering, and wide-angle x-ray scattering. In agreement with recent work, we also propose a model in which TAGs associate as clusters via glycerol-glycerol interactions, with their alkyl chains extending outwards in a loose shell. Our model, however, highlights and demonstrates the dynamic nature of clusters, where TAGs can transfer from one cluster to another via diffusion. The average number of TAG molecules per cluster varies from 5 to 9 and decreases with increasing temperature, which results in a smaller average distance between clusters. Overall, this study strongly suggests that prior to the onset of nucleation, TAGs are associated as dynamic clusters formed via intermolecular interactions between neighboring glycerol cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium–titanium magnetite is a complex ore with iron, vanadium, titanium, and other valuable elements, and it is of great significance to recycle the valuable elements. HIsmelt smelting reduction of vanadium–titanium magnetite is a clean and effective ironmaking process. The effect of TiO2 content on the viscosity of CaO–SiO2–Al2O3–MgO–TiO2–FeO slag system is studied by rotating cylinder method. The composition and microstructure of crystalline phase are analyzed by XRD and SEM–EDS, and compared with the thermodynamic calculation results of FactSage8.1. The results show that the viscosity of molten slag decreased with the increase of TiO2 content, and TiO2 content has a great impact on the viscosity, when the TiO2 content in the slag is less than 20 pct and the temperature is less than 1395 °C. With the increase of TiO2 content, the diffraction peak of perovskite is enhanced, the gehlenite and akermanite are gradually reduced, the shape of perovskite changes from irregular polygon to needle dendrite, and the number also increases gradually. When the TiO2 content reaches 20 pct, the perovskite reaches saturation state. With the increase of TiO2 content, the main precipitates change from perovskite, gehlenite, and akermanite to perovskite, anorthite, and titania spinel. Titanium existed in the slag as perovskite first, and then as baikovite and titanium spinel. Therefore, for high-titanium slag, the TiO2 content has little effect on the fluidity of HIsmelt process slag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Open tension-free inguinal hernioplasty is one of the common surgical methods used today to treat inguinal hernias due to its simplicity and low recurrence rate. With the widespread use of tension-free inguinal hernia repair, the number of patients with mesh infections is gradually increasing. However, there is a lack of studies assessing the quality of life of patients after the removal of late-onset infected meshes in open inguinal hernias. The aim of this study was to analyse and assess the quality of life, pain severity and anxiety of patients after late-onset infection mesh removal following open inguinal hernioplasty. Methods: Data from 105 patients admitted to our hospital from January 2014 to January 2019 who developed delayed mesh infection after open tension-free inguinal hernia repair were retrospectively analysed. 507 patients without mesh infection after open inguinal hernioplasty were included as cross-sectional controls. The baseline data of the two groups were matched for propensity score matching (PSM) with a caliper value of 0.05 and a matching ratio of 1:1. Patients are followed up by telephone or outpatient consultations for 3 years to assess quality of life, pain and anxiety after removal of the infected mesh. Results: The 105 patients who developed late-onset mesh infection after inguinal hernia repair had a mean age of 64.07 ± 12.90 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 24.64 ± 2.67 (kg/m2). The mean follow-up time was 58 months and 10.5% (10/105) of the patients were lost to follow-up. At the 3-year follow-up there was one case of hernia recurrence and five cases of mesh reinfection. The patients' quality of life scores, pain scores and anxiety scores improved after surgery compared to the preoperative scores (all p < 0.01). Conclusion: Patients with late-onset mesh infection after inguinal hernioplasty showed an improvement in quality of life, pain and anxiety compared to preoperative after removal of the infected mesh. Mesh-plug have a higher risk of mesh infection due to their poor histocompatibility and tendency to crumple and shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perpendicular magnetization switching driven by spin–orbit torque (SOT) facilitates great potential applications in high-efficient memory and logic. However, SOT-based devices suffer from a relatively low SOT efficiency and ultrahigh current density in the conventional heavy metal/ferromagnet bilayer structure. Here, we report that the SOT behavior can be effectively tuned by inserting the ultrathin Nb superlattice into heavy metal Pt layer compared with Ir insertion or the PtNb alloying layer. A slight change of critical current density (Jc) can be found in the multilayers with Ir insertion. The Jc value for the Pt/Co/Ta multilayer with [Pt/Nb]7 insertion is decreased to 1.4 × 107 A/cm2, approximately 60% lower than that in pure Pt/Co/Ta multilayers. Furthermore, the SOT efficiency is significantly enhanced with increasing the period number due to the tunable spin Hall angle (θSH). Compared with pure Pt layer, the θSH value is increased 47% for the sample with [Pt/Nb]5, which is also significantly larger than that in the one with the PtNb alloying layer. Enhanced skew scattering induced by Nb superlattice plays the main role in these tunable SOT properties. Our findings provide a feasible scheme to engineer high-efficiency SOT-based logic-in-memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the generalized Darboux transformation, the underlying propagation mechanism of localized waves is systematically studied. More specifically, the variable-coefficient coupled nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation is used to accurately describe the dispersion compensation and lumped amplification properties in an inhomogeneous optical fiber. Based on the Lax pair and the seed solutions, the expressions of both the first- and second-order localized wave solutions are calculated. Then, by performing numerical simulations, the evolutionary plots of the interaction of rogue waves with bright-dark solitons and breathers are obtained, and their dynamical characteristics are further analyzed. From the acquired results, it is found that the values of β z and γ z have a direct influence on the propagation shape of the localized waves. Our work provides valuable insights into the dynamical characteristics of the localized waves that the variable-coefficient equations could describe to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature distribution characteristics are important for evaluating the combustion status, safety monitoring, and disaster diagnosis of combustible gases. Traditional colorimetric thermometry is difficult to measure the temperature of combustible gases for the lack of the grey-body in the burning processes. In the present study, a visible burning facility for combustible gases is designed, and the temperature characteristics are measured using an improved colorimetric pyrometer with auxiliary solid powders as a grey-body. In order to improve the temperature measurement accuracy of the system, the type, particle size, and concentration of the powders as well as the ignition delay time are studied. After many debugging experiments, it is found that the best measurement results are obtained for the 30/70 H2/air mixture with the tungsten powder with the mean particle size of 7.9 m, particle concentration of 21 g/m3, and ignition delay time of 80 ms. The results are corroborated with the previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19, mainly manifested as acute respiratory distress syndrome, has afflicted millions of people worldwide since 2019. Taste dysfunction is a common early-stage symptom of COVID-19 infection that burdens patients for weeks or even permanently in some cases. Owing to its subjectivity and complexity, the mechanism of taste disorder is poorly studied. Previous studies have reported that the COVID-19 entry receptors are highly expressed in taste buds, thereby intensifying the cytocidal effect. Taste receptor cells are vulnerable to inflammation, and the COVID-19–induced cytokine storm causes secondary damage to taste function. Interferon and various proinflammatory cytokines can trigger cell apoptosis and disrupt the renewal of taste bud stem cells. This immune response can be further enhanced by the accumulation of Angiotensin II (Ang II) caused by an unbalanced local renin-angiotensin system (RAS) system. In addition, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is neurotropic and can invade the brain through the olfactory bulb, affecting the nervous system. Other factors, such as host zinc deficiency, genetic susceptibility, sialic acid, and some neurotransmitters, also contribute to the pathogenesis process. Although several medical interventions have displayed effectiveness, only a few strategies exist for the treatment of postinfectious dysgeusia. Stem cell–based taste regeneration offers promise for long-term taste disorders. Clinical studies have demonstrated that stem cells can treat long COVID-19 through immune regulation. In dysgeusia, the differentiation of taste bud stem cells can be stimulated through exogenous epithelial-derived and neural-derived factors to regenerate taste buds. Tongue organoids are also emerging as functional taste buds, offering new insights into the study of taste regeneration. This review presents the current evidence of the pathogenesis of COVID-19–related dysgeusia, summarizes currently available treatments, and suggests future directions of taste regeneration therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BRCA) is a serious life-threatening cancer, especially triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Alcohol dehydrogenase-1B (ADH1B) has recently been revealed to be associated with poor prognosis of BRCA patients. This study identified the exact function of ADH1B on the progression of BRCA and TNBC. ADH1B effect on the prognosis of BRCA and TNBC patients was researched based on online databases and clinical samples. The function of ADH1B on the proliferation, invasion and migration, and growth of BRCA and TNBC cells was investigated by cell counting kit-8, Transwell, and in vivo assays. Western blot was utilized to determine the effect of ADH1B on the mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway activity. As a result, ADH1B was down-regulated in BRCA and TNBC patients and cells, predicting unfavorable prognosis (P<0.05). ADH1B overexpression suppressed the proliferation, invasion and migration, and inactivated the MAPK signalling pathway in BRCA and TNBC cells (P<0.01). ADH1B synergized with Selumetinib (inhibitor of the MAPK signalling pathway) to attenuate the proliferation, invasion and migration of BRCA and TNBC cells (P<0.001). Conversely, Vacquinol-1 (activator of the MAPK signalling pathway) abolished the suppression of ADH1B on the proliferation, invasion and migration of BRCA and TNBC cells (P<0.05). ADH1B suppressed in vivo growth of TNBC cells (P<0.001). Thus, ADH1B may inhibit the proliferation, invasion and migration of BRCA and TNBC cells by inactivating the MAPK signalling pathway. It may be a promising target for the clinical treatment of BRCA and TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbial community composition is crucial for metal extraction from solid waste by bioleaching. However, bioreactor output of bioleachant with a diverse microbial population is a great challenge due to the different growth conditions of each species. This study reports an immobilized bioreactor for the cultivation of mesophilic consortia. The optimal conditions for iron oxidation were pH 1.5, dilution of 0.382 h–1, the temperature of 30°C, and 12 g/L ferrous iron. The coexistence relationship of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans, and Acidiphilium spp. was relatively stable in a wider range of conditions. Further kinetics investigation showed that ferrous iron oxidation fitted well with the substrate free inhibition model of Michaelis−Menten equation below 12 g/L ferrous iron, indicating that the immobilized bioreactor culturing mesophilic consortia slowed down the inhibition process caused by the substrate and end-product. These key features would enable bioreactor design more efficient during industrial applications of biolea-ching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma electrolytic saturation has become an important method to fabricate the modified layer on steel surface, by which a high hardness and good properties on steel surface can be obtained in several minutes. Especially, plasma electrolytic carburizing (PEC) can combine surface hardening of steel and fast cooling in the same electrolyte without reheating. In the present investigation, PEC behaviors of 17-4PH martensitic precipitation stainless steel were systematically studied with different process parameters. The microstructure of the carburized layer was characterized by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffractometer and x-ray photoelectron spectrometer. The hardnesses of the carburized layers were tested by Vickers hardness tester and nano indenter. The mechanical properties of the carburized layer were evaluated based on load-displacement curves of nanoindentation tests. The results show that 17-4PH stainless steel can be rapid hardened by plasma electrolytic carburizing with the thickness of 20 μm in 15 min. Hardness of the stainless steel can be increased from 360 to 634 HV0.1. The reasons for the hardness and mechanical property improvement of 17-4PH stainless steel after plasma electrolytic carburizing were analyzed based on microstructural characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comprehensively consider the mechanical properties of miscellaneous fill, this study conducted triaxial experiments to investigate the strength characteristics of miscellaneous fill samples with different stone content, stone size, and dry density. The results reveal that, as the rock content increases, the cohesion gradually decreases and the friction angle gradually increases. As the rock size increases, the cohesion increases and the internal friction angle decreases. As the dry density of miscellaneous fill increases, the cohesion and internal friction angle gradually increase. Under a single factor, the cohesion and internal friction angle have a linear relationship with the rock content, fractal dimension of rock particles, and dry density of miscellaneous fill. Based on a single factor, a model for predicting the mechanical properties of miscellaneous fill under multiple factors is proposed, and it was confirmed that the proposed model has good accuracy. Thus, the strength parameters of miscellaneous fill under multiple factors were predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1(Ti1−xNix)0.9O3 (BCZT-xNi) (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.04) ceramics were prepared by the sol–gel method. The XRD results demonstrate that there is no secondary phase, revealing that Ni completely entered the unit cell to form a solid solution. The microstructures for Ni-doped BCZT ceramics show the average grain size decreases significantly with the increase of Ni content. When x = 0.01, the sample shows relatively high dielectric constant (εr ~ 4473) and good frequency stability, and low dielectric loss at 102 Hz (tan δ ~ 0.004). Influenced by doping Ni, the Curie temperature decreases and the diffusion phase transition increases. The hysteresis loop becomes slimmer and residual polarization is reduced. The sample of x = 0.02 shows an energy density of 0.18 J/cm3 and an energy efficiency of 70.12%. From the present work, cation replacement is an effective way to adjust its ferroelectric, dielectric, and energy storage properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of iron-based supercapacitors has been gaining more attention in the field of energy storage applications due to their non-toxicity, abundance and low cost. In this paper, single phase hematite nanoparticles were synthesized by high temperature thermal decomposition method and directly served as electrochemical supercapacitor electrode material. Structural study (XRD) revealed the single-phase hematite nanoparticles formation with trigonal alpha-Fe2O3 structure. Morphological study (SEM) confirms silkworm chrysalis shape like morphology by many interconnected nanoparticles of the average size of 30 nm. The electrochemical study indicates that the synthesized hematite electrode material can maintain good farad capacitance at 100 mV/s and it shows a specific capacitance of 149.3 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g with the maximum energy and power densities of 4.20 Wh/Kg and 224.90 W/Kg, respectively. Equivalent series resistance and charge transfer resistance of alpha-Fe2O3 electrode material are 1.079 Ω and 9.055 Ω, respectively. This is attributed to the alpha-Fe2O3 nanostructure, which can provide a large contact area between electrode and electrolyte for ionic reaction and transport. The material can still retain 43.8% of the initial specific capacitance after 5000 cycles. The investigation results show that the hematite nanoparticle-based electrode material holds great potential in electrochemical supercapacitors and provides a certain reference in the direction of global energy needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor invasion is likely driven by the product of intrinsic and extrinsic stresses, reduced intercellular adhesion, and reciprocal interactions between the cancer cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is a dynamic material system that is continuously evolving with the tumor microenvironment. Although it is widely reported that cancer cells degrade the ECM to create paths for migration using membrane-bound and soluble enzymes, other nonenzymatic mechanisms of invasion are less studied and not clearly understood. To explore tumor invasion that is independent of enzymatic degradation, we have created an open three-dimensional (3D) microchannel network using a novel bioconjugated liquid-like solid (LLS) medium to mimic both the tortuosity and the permeability of a loose capillary-like network. The LLS is made from an ensemble of soft granular microgels, which provides an accessible platform to investigate the 3D invasion of glioblastoma (GBM) tumor spheroids using in situ scanning confocal microscopy. The surface conjugation of the LLS microgels with type 1 collagen (COL1-LLS) enables cell adhesion and migration. In this model, invasive fronts of the GBM microtumor protruded into the proximal interstitial space and may have locally reorganized the surrounding COL1-LLS. Characterization of the invasive paths revealed a super-diffusive behavior of these fronts. Numerical simulations suggest that the interstitial space guided tumor invasion by restricting available paths, and this physical restriction is responsible for the super-diffusive behavior. This study also presents evidence that cancer cells utilize anchorage-dependent migration to explore their surroundings, and geometrical cues guide 3D tumor invasion along the accessible paths independent of proteolytic ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a real-time diagnostic based on the spectral-domain optical coherence technique has been developed to measure the hole depth during femtosecond laser drilling. This diagnostic borrows the idea of a fiber interferometer, and the hole is integrated as a part of the sample arm. By means of investigating the interference fringes detected by the line camera, the hole depth can be extracted. This diagnostic utilizes a broadband small-volume super-luminescent diode as the coherent light source, which has a central wavelength of 833 nm and a full width at half maximum of 24 nm. It has a temporal resolution of 50 µs and a maximal theoretic depth resolution of 12.8 µm. Three kinds of metal samples have been tested, confirming the ability of depth measurement. Copper has been proven to have the best-normalized reflectivity during drilling compared with aluminum alloy and stainless steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the image registration accuracy of heterogeneous remote sensing images with large radiation differences, an improved image registration algorithm for thermal infrared and panchromatic images is proposed. This method uses the phase consistency of intensity and direction to construct a geometric structure feature descriptor called the Histogram of Oriented Phase Congruency (HOPC) for image registration. It employs the Curvature Scale Space (CSS) corner detection to concentrate and extract feature points in contour areas, and defines a similarity metric (called HOPCn) based on the Euclidean distance between the descriptors for high-precision heterogeneous images registration. Five sets of panchromatic and thermal infrared images were selected for verification. The results show that the improved algorithm can match the homonymy points around the image contour, and the Correct Matching Rate (CMR) is improved by 2.7% and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is improved by 3.7% compared to the original algorithm. This proves that the proposed method has good robustness under conditions of large radiation differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very recently, half-hydrogenated germanene has been achieved in an experiment. In this paper, we investigate the effects of tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) molecular adsorption and strain on the electronic properties of half-hydrogenated germanene through first-principles. As an electron-acceptor molecule, TCNQ is exploited to non-covalently functionalize the half-hydrogenated germanene. However, this physical adsorption induces a ferromagnetic semiconductor–metal transition in half-hydrogenated germanene due to charge transfer from the substrate to the TCNQ molecule. More importantly, the superstructure of half-hydrogenated germanene/TCNQ is extremely sensitive to biaxial tensile strain. Under the biaxial tensile strain of 0.25%, the ferromagnetic semiconductor–metal transition induced by molecular adsorption can surprisingly be overturned. Meanwhile, a strong p-type doping is exhibited. Remarkably, it would return from a ferromagnetic semiconductor to a metal again when the biaxial tensile strain increases to 1.5%. Our analysis based on the structural and electronic properties of half-hydrogenated germanene/TCNQ indicates that such metal–semiconductor–metal transition in half-hydrogenated germanene/TCNQ under biaxial tensile strain may originate from the strong local deformation, resulting in the energy of the valence band maximum decreasing below or increasing above the Fermi level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal nitrogen halides (TMNHs) are environmentally friendly and widely studied van der Waals two-dimension (2D) materials. However, there are still few 2D TMNHs with magnetic properties that have been synthesized, which greatly limits the further applications of them in spintronics and valleytronics. Here, we substitute Hf atoms by magnetic elements V and Cr in β-type TMNHs Hf2N2Cl2, which evolved into ferromagnetic half-metals and ferrovalley semiconductors MHfN2Cl2 (M = V, Cr). Meanwhile, the valley splitting (VS) properties and magnetic properties can be effectively regulated by modulating the strong correlation effect of transition metals and applying biaxial strain. VS in VHfN2Cl2 increases linearly with the increasing strain and the U value; however, VS is robust to the strain and decreases linearly with the increasing U value in CrHfN2Cl2, and the maximum VS reaches to 175 and 62 meV for the two monolayers. CrHfN2Cl2 remains robustly ferromagnetic under different strain and U values, while there is magnetic phase transition in VHfN2Cl2 from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic, accompanied by a half-metal-to-semiconductor transition. The Curie temperatures of VHfN2Cl2 and CrHfN2Cl2 can be increased by a maximum of 2.5 and 2.36 times under modulation. This opens different ideas for the study of bimetallic TMNHs in spintronics and valleytronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the light intensity suitable for the growth of Ardisia gigantifolia Stapf, morphology, photosynthetic parameters, and indicators of oxidative stress were analyzed under different light intensities. Compared to highirradiance treatment, medium and low-irradiance treatments promoted plant growth and restricted transpiration. Compared to medium irradiance, plants under high and low irradiance exhibited significantly lower maximal photochemical efficiency, potential photochemical efficiency, and electron transport rate, but significantly higher malondialdehyde content. This indicated that both excessive light and severe shading inhibited photosynthetic activity and induced oxidative stress, which resulted in a significant decrease in net photosynthetic rate. A. gigantifolia can adapt to different light intensities, improving light harvesting and utilizing capacity under low irradiance by increasing Chl (a+b) content and reducing Chl a/b ratio, and adapting to high irradiance by enhancing heat dissipation and activity of peroxidase. A. gigantifolia showed the best performance in growth and photosynthesis under medium irradiance treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Host–guest hybrid (HGH) consisting of p-But-calix[8]arene and fullerene C70 were fabricated with a facial solution deposition method. The as-prepared HGH samples are well periodic arranged in a layer structure, in which the interactions between the guest C70 and host p-Butcalix[8]arene molecules are van der Waals forces. High pressure Raman and UV–Vis absorption spectra studies on the HGH were recorded. Our results show that an orientational related phase transition and a one-dimensional (1D) polymerization of C70 molecules occur at about 2 and 7 GPa at room temperature, respectively. The band gap of the HGH translated synchronously with the change of structure upon compress. We suggest that the molecular confinement in such layer structure of the HGH restricts the polymerization of C70 molecules within a layer, which tunes the phase transition process of C70. This supplies a possible way to design fullerene-based functional materials at suitable conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fatigue properties of materials are dispersive and vary with service loads. Few methods can be used to guide the selection of materials in anti-fatigue design. In this study, for the first time, a new dominance distribution method to select the materials with higher fatigue resistance is proposed by the quantification of the scatter of fatigue lives and strengths and the simulation of possible load histories; accordingly, two kinds of diagrams are developed to display the dominance distributions of longer fatigue lives for the materials bearing cyclic constant and variable amplitude loads. After the fatigue tests of two Al-Si casting alloys, the dominance distribution method was used for their comparisons. The results indicate that the dominance distributions can clearly display the longer fatigue lives of the materials under different possible loading distributions and different reliability design index, and the dominance distribution diagrams can facilitate engineers to quickly select the materials with higher fatigue resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a case of mutation of TNNT2 in a pediatric patient and count all current information on mutations in TNNT2 associated with LVNC. Learning points for clinicians A causal relationship between Troponin T2 (TNNT2) and cardiomyopathy has been demonstrated, but TNNT2 is relatively rare in left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC). [Extracted from the article]