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This study investigates field-aligned currents (FACs) during strong magnetic storms in December 2023, analyzing variations in different local times and in the Northern (NH) and Southern Hemispheres (SH). Peak FAC densities were approximately 7.8 times higher than nominal values, with the most equatorward FACs reaching −52° magnetic latitude (MLat). In the summer hemisphere, the daytime FACs were stronger than the nighttime FACs, with the daytime westward Polar Electrojet (PEJ) surpassing nighttime levels. In the winter hemisphere, the nighttime FACs and westward PEJ were stronger than daytime. Generally, the FACs and westward PEJ were stronger in the SH than in the NH across most local time sectors, attributed to greater solar illumination. The NH pre-midnight currents were stronger than for the SH, indicating enhanced substorm currents during winter nights. The nighttime FACs occurred at lower MLat than daytime, with pre-noon FACs at a higher MLat than post-noon. The NH FACs were positioned more equatorward than their SH counterparts. In the NH, the mean FACs correlated most strongly with the merging electric field (Em) at pre-noon, post-noon, and post-midnight and with the SMU (SuperMAG Electrojet Upper Index) at pre-midnight. In the SH, the mean FACs correlated best with the SMU at pre-midnight/pre-noon, with the SML (SuperMAG Electrojet Lower Index) at post-midnight, and Em at post-noon. The mean MLat of the peak FACs show the strongest correlation with Em across most local times and hemispheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In recent years, with global warming and climate change, there have been many cases of successful hornet invasions in some areas. The successful invasion of hornets not only has an impact on local human security and economic activities, but also seriously threatens the bee ecosystem, which has attracted the attention of scientists. Therefore, taking some measures to suppress the foraging and expansion of hornets becomes an important subject. Compared with attractant trapping and poison baits, hornet-tracking technology, which tracks hornets to find their nests, is a more efficient and feasible method. This review paper discusses several common hornet-tracking methods, analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of different methods, and provides a theoretical basis for the development of hornet-tracking technology. Hornet is a general term for insects of the genus Vespa (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Hornets are predatory insects distributed worldwide. They often appear at apiaries in groups to prey on honey bees, and cause incalculable losses in the honey bee industry. In the face of hornet intrusion, tracking a homing hornet to find its nest is the most efficient way to discover and eliminate the hornets around an apiary. Here, five hornet-tracking methods (hornet tag tracking, triangulation, thermal imaging technology, harmonic radar, and radio telemetry) are reviewed. The advantages, disadvantages and feasibility of each method are discussed to improve the strategies for tracking hornets. Therefore, this review provides ideas for the development of hornet-tracking technology and for improving honey bee protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) observations, responses of ionospheric radial current (IRC) in F‐layer to sawtooth substorms in different magnetic local times are investigated. The zonal wind effect alone cannot entirely explain the variability of the substorm time disturbance IRC. When substorms commence amid stable southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), it induces an eastward (westward) equatorial electric field in the daytime (nighttime). This electric field induces an equatorward (poleward) Hall current at low latitudes, consequently generating an upward (downward) perturbation in IRC. Conversely, substorms with varying IMF Bz, where IMF is southward but with a reduced magnitude or turned north after the onset, induce a westward (eastward) equatorial electric field in the daytime (nighttime). This electric field induces a poleward (equatorward) Hall current at low latitudes, consequently generating a downward (upward) disturbed IRC. Notably, this effect is primarily attributed to the varying IMF Bz rather than solely to substorm onset. Plain Language Summary: Substorms represent intense and dynamic disturbances within the Earth's magnetosphere, characterized by sudden bursts in auroral activity. The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) stands out as an important factor in triggering substorms. Our work unveils for the first time that substorm accompanied by varying IMF Bz, where IMF is southward but with a reduced magnitude or turned north after the onset, and those during stable southward IMF periods, elicit diametrically contrasting effects on the ionospheric radial current (IRC) across all local time sectors. The IRC assumes a pivotal role in facilitating the energy exchange between the ionospheric E‐F layers, thereby exerting a profound influence on the ionospheric dynamics. Our work underscores a compelling correlation between the disturbed IRC and the penetration of the substorm electric field into the equatorial ionospheric E region under different IMF conditions. The study demonstrates the significant impact of different solar wind IMF conditions on the propagation of energy in Earth's space environment. Key Points: Initial observations of F‐layer radial current responses to substorms under different IMF conditionsSubstorm induces upward (downward) radial currents during the day (night) owing to Hall currents caused by disturbed electric fieldDaytime downward (nighttime upward) radial currents occur only in substorms with varying IMF Bz, due to overshielding electric field [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malnutrition significantly hampers wound healing processes. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) in diagnosing malnutrition and predicting wound healing in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). GLIM criteria were evaluated for sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), positive predictive value, negative predictive value and kappa (κ) against SGA as the reference. Modified Poisson regression model and the DeLong test investigated the association between malnutrition and non-healing ulcers over 6 months. This retrospective cohort study included 398 patients with DFU, with a mean age of 66·3 ± 11·9 years. According to SGA and GLIM criteria, malnutrition rates were 50·8 % and 42·7 %, respectively. GLIM criteria showed a SE of 67·3 % (95 % CI 60·4 %, 73·7 %) and SP of 82·7 % (95 % CI 76·6 %, 87·7 %) in identifying malnutrition, with a positive predictive value of 80·0 % and a negative predictive value of 71·1 % (κ = 0·50) compared with SGA. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that malnutrition, as assessed by SGA, was an independent risk factor for non-healing (relative risk (RR) 1·84, 95 % CI 1·45, 2·34), whereas GLIM criteria were associated with poorer ulcer healing in patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥ 60 ml/min/1·73m2 (RR: 1·46, 95 % CI 1·10, 1·94). SGA demonstrated a superior area under the receiver's operating characteristic curve for predicting non-healing compared with GLIM criteria (0·70 (0·65–0·75) v. 0·63 (0·58–0·65), P < 0·01). These findings suggest that both nutritional assessment tools effectively identify patients with DFU at increased risk, with SGA showing superior performance in predicting non-healing ulcers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital twin technology significantly enhances construction site management efficiency; however, dynamically reconstructing site activities presents a considerable challenge. This study introduces a methodology that leverages camera data for the 3D reconstruction of construction site activities. The methodology was initiated using 3D scanning to meticulously reconstruct the construction scene and dynamic elements, forming a model base. It further integrates deep learning algorithms to precisely identify static and dynamic elements in obstructed environments. An enhanced semi-global block-matching algorithm was then applied to derive depth information from the imagery, facilitating accurate element localization. Finally, a near-real-time projection method was introduced that utilizes the spatial relationships among elements to dynamically incorporate models into a 3D base, enabling a multi-perspective view of site activities. Validated by simulated construction site experiments, this methodology showcased an impressive reconstruction accuracy reaching up to 95%, this underscores its significant potential in enhancing the efficiency of creating a dynamic digital twin model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-pressure gas (HPG) blasting is safe and environmentally friendly, and has replaced traditional explosive blasting in some applications. The characteristics of HPG impact load and the propagation law of the stress wave in layered rock mass (LRM) under HPG blasting were investigated experimentally and numerically. Through experimental tests of hole wall pressure, a segmented exponential model of the hole wall pressure under the impact of HPG was developed; it accurately accounted for the time history characteristics of the hole wall load. Experimental tests of stress wave propagation were conducted; the soft rock–hard rock interface was found to have a significant effect on stress wave propagation in the LRM. Based on the experimental results, a specific strain model for 10 MPa HPG impact was fitted for a single-hole LRM. A polynomial exponential model and a specific strain model (20 MPa HPG impact) were found for the double-hole LRM. The stress wave attenuation laws for single-hole and double-hole LRM were characterised well. The propagation characteristics of stress waves in LRM under the impact of HPG were analysed and a numerical model of stress wave propagation was established. The numerical model adopted the Riedel–Hiermater–Thoma (RHT) material model for the test parameters. The proposed segmented exponential models of hole wall pressure were applied to the lower, middle and upper parts of the blasthole. With the feasibility of the numerical model analysed, the stress wave propagation characteristics were studied by numerical simulation of an underground pipe gallery. This study provides theoretical guidance and practical value for improving rock-breaking theory and optimising HPG blasting in LRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether exercise as a strategy for improving physical fitness at sea level also offers comparable benefits in the unique context of high altitudes (HA), considering the physiological challenges of hypoxic conditions. Overall, 121 lowlanders who had lived on the Tibetan Plateau for >2 years and were still living at HA during the measurements were randomly classified into four groups. Each individual of the low‐intensity (LI), moderate‐intensity (MI), and high‐intensity (HI) groups performed 20 sessions of aerobic exercise at HA (3680 m) over 4 weeks, while the control group (CG) did not undergo any intervention. Physiological responses before and after the intervention were observed. The LI and MI groups experienced significant improvement in cardiopulmonary fitness (0.27 and 0.35 L/min increases in peak oxygen uptake [V˙ $\dot{\mathrm{V}}$O2peak], both p < 0.05) after exercise intervention, while the hematocrit (HCT) remained unchanged (p > 0.05). However, HI exercise was less efficient for cardiopulmonary fitness of lowlanders (0.02 L/min decrease in V˙ $\dot{\mathrm{V}}$O2peak, p > 0.05), whereas both the HCT (1.74 %, p < 0.001) and glomerular filtration rate (18.41 mL/min, p < 0.001) increased with HI intervention. Therefore, LI and MI aerobic exercise, rather than HI, can help lowlanders in Tibet become more acclimated to the HA by increasing cardiopulmonary function and counteracting erythrocytosis. Highlights: Low‐ and moderate‐intensity exercise at HA can improve oxygen transport of lowlanders that may help them to become more acclimated to high altitude.High‐intensity exercise performed by lowlanders may result in erythrocytosis without improving oxygen transport.The relationship between physiological system changes induced by exercise performed at HA is modulated by exercise intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equatorial electrojet is a strong ionospheric current along the dip equator at 110 km. It usually flows eastward and peaks at noon. However, it sometimes reverses westward. Using 10 years of horizontal geomagnetic field observations from a ground station, this work investigated the counter electrojet (CEJ) in the afternoon at Indian longitudes during geomagnetically quiet time, which has a substantial occurrence rate of 46.7%. A total of 41.7% of the afternoon CEJ is related to the westward electric field during substorms. The intensity of the afternoon CEJ has significant seasonal dependences: peaks in June‐September and December‐February. A similar seasonal variation is established in the westward electric field, indicating its key roles. The occurrence rate reaches its peak solely in June‐September, which might also be attributed to the activity of substorms. Plain Language Summary: Ground‐ and space‐based observations show that the daytime equatorial electrojet forms a precise coincidence of the peak at the dip equator and usually peaks at the noon sector. This work found that the quiet‐time counter electrojet has a high occurrence rate, nearly half the time, in the afternoon over Indian longitudes. Knowledge of the associated drivers is still lacking. The study of its behaviors is key to understanding equatorial space weather. Key Points: The afternoon counter electrojet (CEJ) has a strong occurrence rate of 46.7% during quiet timeThe westward electric field during the substorm was responsible for 41.7% of the afternoon CEJBoth the occurrence rate and intensity of the CEJ peak in June‐September [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence has made significant breakthroughs in many fields, especially with the broad deployment of edge devices, which provides opportunities to develop and apply various intelligent models in edge networks. Edge device-server co-inference system has gradually become the mainstream of edge intelligent computing. However, the existing feature procession works in the edge inference framework neglect the focus on whether features are important, and the processed features are still redundant, affecting the inference efficiency. In this paper, we propose a novel attention-based variable-size feature compression module to enhance edge systems' inference efficiency by leveraging input data's varying importance levels. First, a multi-scale attention mechanism is introduced, which operates jointly in the channel spatial to effectively compute importance weights from the intermediate output features of the edge devices. These weights are then utilized to assign different transmission probabilities, filtering out irrelevant feature data and prioritizing task-relevant information. Second, the new loss algorithm and progressive model training strategy are designed to optimize the proposed module, enabling the model to adapt to the reduced feature data gradually and effectively. Finally, experimental results on CIFAR-10 and ImageNet datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed solution, showcasing a significant reduction in the data output volume of edge devices and minimizing communication overhead while ensuring minimal loss in model accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When an explosive column initiates, it will radiate P‐SV waves. The propagation of P‐SV waves, which carry the majority of the explosion energy, is extremely complex in jointed rock masses. Therefore, studying the propagation of blasting stress waves in jointed rock masses is of great significance for optimizing the parameters of the blastholes and improving the economy and safety of geotechnical engineering construction. In this study, an analytical model of the propagation of P‐SV waves radiated by explosive columns in jointed rock masses is derived. Using this analytical model, the maximum displacement distribution in jointed rock masses with the free surface is analyzed, and the results show: (1) when the stress waves propagate to the free surface, the reflected waves will be generated, which will produce the remarkable superposition effect with the direct waves, while the superposition effect will affect the maximum displacements at the measuring points significantly; (2) the amplitude of transmitted waves generated from the stress waves that propagate through the rock joints is smaller than that of direct waves, thus the maximum displacements at the measuring points are affected by the rock joints within a certain range; (3) the velocity of detonation (VOD) and the length of the explosive column can affect the superposition effect of stress waves, ultimately impacting the maximum displacement distribution in jointed rock masses. Therefore, optimizing the parameters of the blastholes reasonably to achieve the optimal superposition of stress waves is of great significance for improving the construction efficiency of geotechnical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quercetin (3,3 ′ ,4 ′ ,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) is a bioactive plant-derived flavonoid, abundant in fruits and vegetables, that can effectively inhibit the growth of many types of tumors without toxicity. Nevertheless, the effect of quercetin on melanoma immunology has yet to be determined. This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of the antitumor immunity action of quercetin in melanoma through both in vivo and in vitro methods. Our research revealed that quercetin has the ability to boost antitumor immunity by modulating the tumor immune microenvironment through increasing the percentages of M1 macrophages, CD8 + T lymphocytes, and CD4 + T lymphocytes and promoting the secretion of IL-2 and IFN- γ from CD8 + T cells, consequently suppressing the growth of melanoma. Furthermore, we revealed that quercetin can inhibit cell proliferation and migration of B16 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, down-regulating PDK1 can inhibit the mRNA and protein expression levels of CD47. In the rescue experiment, we overexpressed PDK1 and found that the protein and mRNA expression levels of CD47 increased correspondingly, while the addition of quercetin reversed this effect. Moreover, quercetin could stimulate the proliferation and enhance the function of CD8 + T cells. Therefore, our results identified a novel mechanism through which CD47 is regulated by quercetin to promote phagocytosis, and elucidated the regulation of quercetin on macrophages and CD8 + T cells in the tumor immune microenvironment. The use of quercetin as a therapeutic drug holds potential benefits for immunotherapy, enhancing the efficacy of existing treatments for melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 4 years of ionospheric radial current (IRC) from Swarm and ion velocity from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, our work investigates the response of IRC to the subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) during the quiet time for the first time. Both noontime (magnetic local time, MLT 11–14) inward and duskside (MLT 18–19) outward IRC get strengthened in amplitude. The noontime inward ΔIRC is attributed to the penetration westward electric field at low‐mid latitudes. It drives the poleward Hall currents and equatorward polarization electric field, which maps to the dip equator to form an inward ΔIRC at F layer. At dusk, the SAPS‐poleward electric field could directly penetrate to the low‐mid latitudes, mapping to the dip equator to drive the outward ΔIRC. The substorms‐associated westward electric field is also critical in modulation of ΔIRC, resulting in a larger inward (weaker outward) ΔIRC under high auroral electrojet (AE) index than that under low AE around noon (dusk). Plain Language Summary: Earth's ionosphere‐thermosphere (I‐T) system has a series of interesting phenomenon at different latitude bands, for instance, the ionospheric radial current (IRC) and subauroral polarization stream (SAPS). IRC is the radial current in the F‐region over the dip equator, and SAPS is the fast westward plasma flow at subauroral latitudes. So far, whether IRC is modulated by SAPS remains unclear. This is the first observation of the response of IRC at dip equator to SAPS at mid‐latitudes during quiet and substorm periods, which could help us further understand the I‐T coupled system in the geospace. Key Points: Noontime inward ionospheric radial current (IRC) are generated due to quiet time subauroral polarization streams (SAPS)Duskside outward IRC is developed due to quiet time SAPSSubstorm westward electric field facilitates (prevents) the formation of noon inward (dusk outward) IRC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Challenging Minisatellite Payload and the Republic of China Satellite‐1 observations, the response of ionospheric radial current (IRC) in the F region to the enhancement of merging electric field (Em) at different magnetic local times (MLT) is investigated. Possible physical mechanisms are discussed in terms of neutral wind, conductivity, and prompt penetration electric field (PPEF). The disturbance IRC (ΔIRC) increases in the upward (downward) direction in the daytime (nighttime) within 3 hr after Em enhancement. However, disturbance zonal winds increase westward (eastward) at 12–18 MLT (00–06 MLT). The reduced F region electron density may help weaken IRC at 06–12 MLT and 18–24 MLT. This work indicates that the daytime eastward (nighttime westward) PPEF drives equatorward (poleward) Hall current (JH) at low latitudes, resulting in both upward (downward) ΔIRC and eastward (westward) plasma drift at the F region magnetic equator. Plain Language Summary: The ionospheric radial current (IRC) flows vertically in the ionospheric F region near the magnetic equator, which plays an important role in the coupling process of E and F layers in the ionosphere. IRC is generally considered to be controlled by local neutral wind. The impact of solar wind electric field on IRC is still unknown. Previous studies have reported penetration of the high‐latitude electric field to the equatorial ionosphere. For the first time, we show that a sudden increase in the solar wind merging electric field leads to drastic changes in IRC in the F layer. The local time differences in the IRC changes could be explained by the penetration electric field effect rather than the neutral wind effect. Key Points: During Em enhancement, F layer radial current increases upward (downward), and plasma accelerates eastward (westward) at day (night)Local time differences in both radial current and plasma zonal drift are due to penetration electric field rather than F layer neutral windThe weakening of F layer radial current at 06–12 magnetic local times (MLT) and 18–24 MLT could be partly induced by the decrease in F layer electron density [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM), as a new type of non-traditional machining method, is widely used in the machining of insulating hard and brittle materials such as glass and ceramics. However, there are some problems such as difficulty in circulating electrolyte, resulting in poor quality machining of deep and small holes. In this paper, electrochemical discharge machining with ultrasonic vibration and tube electrode is used to improve the flow field in the machining gap and enhance the machining quality by using the injected electrolyte inside the tube electrode and ultrasonic vibration. First, the temperature distribution state of electrochemical discharge is simulated, and the influence of the coupling effect of the electrolyte injection and ultrasonic vibration on the machining gap is analyzed. And then, the influence weights of each factor were analyzed by orthogonal experiments and further analyzed to obtain the optimized combination of machining parameters, which reduced the entrance size of small holes by 19.3%, increased the machining depth by 18.5% and increased the depth-to-diameter ratio by 46.2% compared with the traditional ECDM. The effect of ultrasonic vibration was studied on the basis of the optimized machining parameters. The results show that the optimized effect of ultrasonic vibration with an amplitude of 7μm is most obvious under the conditions of low pressure and low injection rate. Finally, with the optimized machining parameters, a 5×5 array of small holes and three deep and small holes were machined, demonstrating that electrochemical discharge machining with ultrasonic vibrating tube electrode can be an efficient and high-quality method for machining small holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) which is the oxidant and combustion adjuvant of the solid propellants is critical for the fast ignition and high-speed liftoff of the rocket. We synthesize Co metal-decorated carbon nanotubes (Co/CNTs) as an advanced catalyst to promote the sufficient thermal decomposition of AP under reduced temperature. The results indicate that Co/CNTs effectively accelerate the decomposition of AP by reducing the thermal decomposition temperature from 430.0 to 309.9 ℃ and achieve a 3-times higher thermal releasing than that of the pure AP. The acid-etching comparison test reveals that decreasing the cobalt content in Co/CNTs does not affect the decomposition temperature of AP but suppress the decomposition heat releasing. It is proposed that the CNTs boost fast electron transfer during the AP decomposition and the cobalt works as an active additive to increase the heat releasing. This work provides an insight into the electron-transfer mechanism for the thermal decomposition of AP and a valuable guidance for developing advanced combustion catalysts used in the solid propellants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robots gradually have the ability to plan grasping actions in unknown scenes by learning the manipulation of typical scenes. The grasping pose estimation method, as a kind of end-to-end method, has rapidly developed in recent years because of its good generalization. In this paper, we present a grasping pose estimation method for robots based on convolutional neural networks. In this method, a convolutional neural network model was employed, which can output the grasping success rate, approach angle, and gripper opening width for the input voxel. The grasping dataset was produced, and the model was trained in the physical simulator. A position optimization of the robotic grasping was proposed according to the distribution of the object centroid to improve the grasping success rate. An experimental platform for robot grasping was established, and 11 common everyday objects were selected for the experiments. Grasping experiments involving the eleven objects individually, multiple objects, as well as a dark environment without illumination, were performed. The results show that the method has the adaptability to grasp different geometric objects, including irregular shapes, and it is not influenced by lighting conditions. The total grasping success rate was 88.2% for the individual objects and 81.1% for the cluttered scene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the mechanical response of long-span curved cable-stayed bridge caused by cable breaking, Xigu Chaijiaxia cable-stayed bridge in Cansu Province was taken as an engineering example, the finite element model was established by using the beam lattice method, and 15 typical cable breaking conditions were selected to analyze the changes of residual cable force, main beam deflection, main beam stress and tower top offset before and after cable breaking at different positions and different numbers. The results showed that single cable breaking would only produce local effects, the peak value of the change occurred near the broken cable anchorage zone and decreased to the surrounding. The combined fracture condition had a greater impact than the single cable fracture condition. Long cable fracture had the greatest impact, followed by medium cable and short cable. The impact of cable fracture in the middle span was greater than that in the side span. The influence of cable fracture on the broken span was greater than that of non broken span, and the influence on the broken cable surface was greater than that of non broken cable surface. The effect of cable breaking on the peak stress of the main beam and the stress distribution of the whole bridge was very small, but only on the main beam stress near the anchorage zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving satisfactory performance for a solid‐state Na‐metal battery (SSNMB) with an inorganic solid electrolyte (SE), especially under freezing temperatures, poses a challenge for stabilizing a Na‐metal anode. Herein, this challenge is addressed by utilizing a Natrium super ionic conductor (NASICON) NASICON‐type solid electrolyte, enabling the operation of a rechargeable SSNMB over a wide temperature range from −20 to 45 °C. The interfacial resistance at the Na metal/SE interface is only 0.4 Ω cm2 at 45 °C and remains below 110 Ω cm2 even at −20 °C. Remarkably, long‐term Na‐metal plating/stripping cycles lasting over 2000 h at −20 °C are achieved with minimal polarization voltages at 0.1 mA cm−2. Further analysis reveals the formation of a uniform Na3−xCaxPO4 interphase layer at the interface, which significantly contributes to the exceptional interfacial performance observed. By employing a Na3V1.5Al0.5(PO4)3 cathode, the full battery system demonstrates excellent adaptability to low temperatures, exhibiting a capacity of 80 mA h g−1 at −20 °C over 50 cycles and retaining a capacity of 108 mAh g−1 (88.5% of the capacity at 45 °C) at 0 °C over 275 cycles. This research significantly reduces the temperature threshold for SSNMB operation and paves the way toward solid‐state batteries suitable for all‐season applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a typical experiment is carried out based on a high-resolution air-sea coupled model, namely, the coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport (COAWST) model, on both heterogeneous many-core (SW) and homogenous multicore (Intel) supercomputing platforms. We construct a hindcast of Typhoon Lekima on both the SW and Intel platforms, compare the simulation results between these two platforms and compare the key elements of the atmospheric and ocean modules to reanalysis data. The comparative experiment in this typhoon case indicates that the domestic many-core computing platform and general cluster yield almost no differences in the simulated typhoon path and intensity, and the differences in surface pressure (PSFC) in the WRF model and sea surface temperature (SST) in the short-range forecast are very small, whereas a major difference can be identified at high latitudes after the first 10 days. Further heat budget analysis verifies that the differences in SST after 10 days are mainly caused by shortwave radiation variations, as influenced by subsequently generated typhoons in the system. These typhoons generated in the hindcast after the first 10 days attain obviously different trajectories between the two platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A broadband circularly polarized (CP) dipole antenna with a backed cavity is presented in this letter. The proposed antenna consists of a pair of rotational symmetric short‐circuited branches and a Γ‐shaped feed structure. Each branch is designed to be axe‐shaped so that the antenna can achieve a broad 3‐dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth. The coupled feeding method assures the antenna is wideband, and the shorting‐to‐the‐ground technique miniaturizes the lateral dimensions of the antenna. The profile of the proposed antenna is around 0.16λL (λL denotes the wavelength of the lower bound frequency). The introduction of a back cavity effectively enhances the boresight gain and improves the isolation level if the antenna is used to form an array. Finally, the design is prototyped, and the measurement results agree well with the simulation. The fractal voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR)<2 bandwidth and 3‐dB AR bandwidths are 61.15% (2.725–5.125 GHz) and 45.9% (3.15–5.03 GHz), respectively. The antenna's efficiency exceeds 91.5% over the target frequency band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective catalytic activity of hydrostannation of internal and terminal alkynes has been developed by using aluminum complexes. A novel aluminum complex L1AlMe2 was synthesized and characterized. N‐coordinated aluminum complex LAlH2 was chosen to be the most desirable catalyst. Under relatively mild and solvent‐free conditions, excellent yields, regio‐ and stereoselectivities have been achieved. Possible mechanistic pathways for the formation of major products by hydrostannation of alkynes with HSnBu3 were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, hybrid logic circuits based on magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) have been widely investigated to realize zero standby power. However, such hybrid CMOS/MTJ logic circuits suffer from a severe sensing reliability due to the limited tunnel magnetoresistance ratio (TMR ≤ 150%) of the MTJ and the large process variation in the deep sub-micrometer technology node. In this paper, a novel differential sensing amplifier (DSA) is proposed, in which two PMOS transistors are added to connect the discharging branches and evaluation branches. Owing to the positive feedback realized by these two added PMOS transistors, it can achieve a large sensing margin. By using an industrial CMOS 40 nm design kit and a physics-based MTJ compact model, hybrid CMOS/MTJ simulations have been performed to demonstrate its functionality and evaluate its performance. Simulation results show that it can achieve a smaller sensing error rate of 9% in comparison with the previously proposed DSAs with a TMR ratio of 100% and process variation of 10%, while maintaining almost the same sensing delay of 74.5 ps and sensing energy of 1.92 fJ/bit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hollow metal waveguides are attractive components for millimeter-wave circuits owing to low loss. To integrate with the front-end circuit, a transition from microstrip line to waveguide is required. In this article, a microstrip-to-waveguide transition is presented in the W-band by using an E-plane probe with a parasitic patch. The probe is embedded into the waveguide along the center of the broad wall to excite the TE10 mode. A backshort-circuited waveguide with a quarter wavelength is used to obtain sufficient energy coupling and achieve good impedance matching. The additional parasitic patch can introduce a new resonance at a low frequency to enhance the working bandwidth. Hence, the proposed transition achieves wide working bandwidth and low insertion loss. For verification, a back-to-back transition is constructed and measured. The measured results indicate that the proposed transition has a wide working bandwidth covering the entire W-band. The measured reflection coefficient is below −13 dB from 70 to 110 GHz and the average insert loss is 1.1 dB. Attributed to wide working bandwidth and simple structure, the proposed transition is attractive for W-band circuit systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The borehole pressure of the rock mass under blasting under consideration is essentially the pressure of the transmitted shock wave acting on the borehole wall. Its value directly affects the fragmentation degree and damage range of the rock mass around the borehole. The whole-process action mechanism of the shock wave in different media and interfaces for air-decoupled charge explosion was comprehensively analyzed, discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method was used to simulate and solve parameters of the multiple media flow field formed by the detonation products and air in the borehole. Two theoretical calculation models of the borehole pressure of air-decoupled charge with discontinuous interface conditions of the pressure and particle velocity were proposed and their algorithm flows were presented. Furthermore, the reliability and feasibility of the proposed models were verified by comparing with the numerical simulation results of the same example under five working conditions. It is suggested to use different theoretical models when using different decoupling coefficients. It is shown that there is an optimal value of the decoupling coefficient for air-decoupled charge, which makes the rock blasting obtain a high utilization rate of explosive energy and good blasting effect at the same time. This study can provide a theoretical basis for revealing the blasting rock-breaking mechanism and optimizing blasting designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–organic framework (MOF) materials have attracted much attention as catalysts because of their high surface area, controllable pore size and desirable chemical functionalities. Hence, the fields of energy storage, sensing, gas storage, adsorption and catalysis have found substantial applications of MOF composites. Only a few researchers have conducted limited studies on the application of MOFs in the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR). This review article aims to provide accurate information on the application of MOFs and their derivatives in the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3. The following areas have been briefly reviewed: (1) the morphology, structure, metal ions, ligands, and pore characteristics of MOFs affect their catalyst performance for the NH3-SCR, and these can be controlled by adjusting the pH, reaction time, reaction temperature, solvent and metal ion concentration. (2) MOF catalysts show notable SCR performance at low temperatures. The resistance to SO2 poisoning of bimetallic MOFs is higher than that of single-metal MOFs. The water resistance of MOFs for NH3-SCR performance can be improved by introducing the appropriate hydrophobic group and layer. (3) In order to overcome the limitations of MOF materials with low thermal stability, it is required to manufacture derivatives that maintain the structure and properties of MOFs. (4) There is an urgent need for research to reveal the difference in the interfacial chemistry process of SCR de-NOx over ordinary catalysts and MOF materials. We hope this review will help researchers understand more about the research progress of MOFs in the NH3-SCR process. (5) An in-depth study on the synthesis of MOF derivatives according to the confinement–pyrolysis–oxidation strategy should be conducted to synthesize MOF derivatives with high activity even at high GHSV and open the prospect of the industrial application of MOF materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform a theoretical exploration of quantum coherent control of enantio-selective state transfer (ESST) of chiral molecules with three rotational states connected by the a-type, b-type, and c-type components of the transition dipole moments. A pulse-area theorem based on a closed-loop three-level system is derived without applying the rotating-wave approximation and used to analytically design three linearly polarized microwave pulses with optimal amplitudes and phases. By utilizing two optimized microwaves to mix two excited rotational states into the maximal coherence, we find that the discrimination of enantiomers via ESST for chiral molecules can be achieved by controlling the delay time of the third optimized microwave pulse. We examine the robustness of such control schemes against the Rabi frequency and detuning errors and the environment effect through pure dephasing processes for practical applications. This work provides an alternative approach to analytically designing optimal control fields for quantum control of ESST by using complex pulse areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete repair and rehabilitation prolong the effective service lives of structures and are important topics in the building field worldwide. Epoxy latex-modified cementitious materials have shown promise for a number of applications in building and construction, but the mix design processes remain arbitrary because their pore structures are not well understood. Porosity and pore size distributions are pore structure parameters that have direct effects on the mechanical properties and durability of concrete. In this paper, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) was used to analyze the porosities and pore size distributions of epoxy latex-modified mortars. The effects of the polymer-to-cement ratio on the pore structures of epoxy latex-modified mortars were investigated. Mortars with polymer-to-cement ratios of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% were cured for 7, 28, 60, and 90 days in this study. Images of specimen microstructures were obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which showed that increases in the amount of epoxy latex added caused the proportion of micropores in the mortar to decrease, while the proportion of macropores and gel pores increased. The pore size distribution of epoxy latex-modified mortar was described with a composite logarithmic model. Relationships between the pore size distribution and the polymer-to-cement ratio and the curing age were obtained. The method described herein might be sufficiently accurate and convenient to evaluate or predict the pore size distribution of an epoxy latex-modified mortar, i.e., by determining the statistical distribution and analyzing the probability. The process for design of the polymer concrete mix ratio will be facilitated by methods that accurately describe the structure of the epoxy latex-modified mortar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metasedimentary rocks of the South Liaohe Group are widely distributed along the Jiao‐Liao‐Ji Belt (JLJB) in eastern Liaoning Province. It is important to understanding tectonic setting and evolution of the JLJB by determining its sediment sources and properties of the provenances, sedimentary facies, metamorphic ages, and facies. After the detailed field geological surveys and comprehensive laboratory observation, many high‐grade metapelitic rocks are identified in the South Liaohe Group. The main rock type is sillimanite‐garnet‐cordierite‐biotite plagiogneiss. The zircon U–Pb geochronology of three samples shows that these high‐grade meta‐pelitic rocks are mainly derived from the Liaoji Granites and the Archean basement. The protolith formation ages are between 2.00 and 1.93 Ga. Subsequently, these protolithes underwent high‐pressure metamorphism resulted from collisional orogeny, with peak metamorphism at ca. 1.88 Ga. Then, at 1.88–1.84 Ga, these rocks experienced the retrograde metamorphism and exhumed to the surface during crustal uplift. Geochemical data show that the protoliths are alumina‐rich claystones and graywackes with low maturity, implying near‐source sedimentation. The chemical index of alteration (CIA) values of these samples range from 60 to 80, indicating that the protoliths underwent moderate weathering. The sediment source was mainly felsic components of the upper crust, possibly with the addition of ancient sediments. Various tectonic environment discrimination diagrams combined with previous results on metamorphism and isotope chronology of these metasedimentary rocks in the JLJB indicate that the rocks in the study area originated from an active continental margin with an evolving island arc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor compatibility between an alkaline metal electrode and solid electrolyte at interfaces is the critical issue for solid-state metal batteries. We propose a grain boundary sealing (GBS) design of the Na3Zr2Si2PO12 (denoted as GBS-NZSP) solid electrolyte to enhance interfacial contact with Na metal and realize stable Na plating/stripping cycles at room temperature. (ZnO)2–(B2O3)3 (ZBO) is selected to promote densification sintering of NZSP and seal the grain boundary from electrons, thus suppressing Na metal dendrite growth and maintaining interfacial stability during charge/discharge cycles. The optimal GBS-NZSP reaches an impressive interfacial resistance of 23 Ω cm2, over 41 times lower than that of bare NZSP against Na metal at 25 °C. The corresponding symmetrical Na//Na cell preserves super cycling stability for 1400 h at 0.3 mA cm−2. The excellence is attributed to the positive effect of the GBS design on enhanced ionic conductivity and reduced electron transfer at the grain boundary, which leads to steady high-flux Na+-ion migration across the solid electrolyte without dendrite formation. Moreover, a 4 V full cell of Na3V1.5Cr0.5(PO4)3/GBS-NZSP/Na is assembled accordingly, exhibiting high-rate capability and delivering a capacity of 108 mA h g−1 for 560 cycles with over 80% retention at 10C rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] This study investigated the effects of β-conglycinin on porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) through nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) signaling pathways to provide basis for exploring molecular mechanism of β-conglycinin-induced intestinal mucosal injury in piglets. [Method] Porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) were induced by β-conglycinin in vitro. Treatments included control group TO (without treatment to porcine intestinal epithelial cells), experimental group T1 (5 mg/mL β-conglycinin), T2 (5 mg/mL β-conglycinin + 1 µmol/L NF-κB inhibitor PDTC), T3 (5 mg/mL β-conglycinin + 1 µmol/L iNOS inhibitor Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)), T4 (5 mg/mL β-conglycinin + 1 µmol/L JNK inhibitor SP600125) and T5 (5 mg/mL β-conglycinin+1 µmol/L p38 inhibitor SB202190). After 24 h, cell structure was observed, and cell activity, contents of NO, TNF-α, IL-10 and IFN-γ, and expression levels of NF-κB p65, iNOS, JNK and p38 related to cell injury were determined. [Result] After adding 5 mg/mL β-conglycinin into porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) for 24 h, the number of cells decreased, mitochondria changed, chromatin margined, and cell activity significantly decreased (P<0.05). Contents of NO, TNF-α and IFN-γ significantly increased (P<0.01), while content of IL-10 significantly decreased (P<0.01). The mRNA expression levels of NF-κB p65,iNOS, JNK and p38 significantly increased (P<0.01), and protein expression levels of NF-κB, iNOS, JNK and p38 significantly increased (P<0.01). After adding inhibitors, cell activity increased significantly (P<0.05), cell structure tended to be complete and regular, content of IL-10 increased significantly (P<0.01), and contents of NO, TNF-α and IFN-γ decreased significantly (P<0.01). NF-κB p65, iNOS, JNK and p38 mRNA and protein expression were inhibited. Among treatments, cell activity of T2 group was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of T3, T4 and T5 groups. HE staining and electron microscopy showed that number, morphology and integrity of cells in T2 group were closest to those in the control group. [Conclusion] β-coglycinin damages IPEC-J2 cells mainly through NF-κB/iNOS signal pathway and PDTC has the best inhibitory effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: In this paper, Mn–Co binary oxides prepared by an (NH4)2CO3‐assisted co‐precipitation method were used for the catalytic oxidation of NO at low temperatures. RESULTS: Experimental results showed that the Mn–Co binary catalysts prepared with manganese acetate and cobalt nitrate exhibited the highest oxidation activity, obtaining a NO conversion of 76% at 200 °C and 80% at 250 °C. The passivation effect of SO2 was found to be irreversible in the examination of the resistance to SO2 or/and H2O(g). Furthermore, characterization by X‐ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and in situ Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform spectroscopy (DRIFTs) revealed that the passivation effect was due to the bidentate and surface or bulk‐like sulfates generated on the surface of the catalyst. CONCLUSION: The analysis of intermediate species during the in situ DRIFTs characterization revealed that these sulfate species competed with nitrate/nitrite species for adsorption and affected the activity. Moreover, the poisoned catalysts could be regenerated to remove the majority of the bidentate and surface or bulk‐like sulfates from the surface and maintain the excellent NO catalytic oxidation activity. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the influences of the joint clearances, including the joint radial clearances nd the rack moving direction inclination to lateral direction of vehicle, on the steering errors of a rack and pinion steering mechanism, the joint radial clearances in the steering mechanisms were treated as joint clearance link or variable length link, and then the kinematic model of the spatial steering mechanisms with the joint clearances and the analytical relationship between the rotation angles of kingpin axis and steering wheel were deduced by using the screw theory. An optimization model for the steering mechanisms was established by aiming at minimizing steering errors and taking the maximum values of pressure angles and the minimum value of the maximum steering angle as the constrained conditions. The kinematic analysis of an example shows that the forward and the return steering processes f the steering mechanisms with joint clearances have different steering errors and the return steering errors are larger than that of the forward steering; the steering errors at the moment of revering operation increase sharply; the increase of the joint clearance or the inclination of the rack may increase the minimum steering radius of the vehicle. Steering accuracy of the steering mechanisms with joint clearances may be improved by the optimal design considering the joint clearances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-adiabatic behaviour induced by the chorus-electron interaction is an important contributor to the radiation belt dynamics, and largely relies on wave frequency distribution. During the geomagnetic storm on August 2, 2016, upper-band, lower-band and extremely low frequency (ELF) chorus waves were simultaneously observed within one orbit period of the Van Allen Probe B. Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the electron evolution by the observed chorus with different frequencies. The results show that various frequency chorus waves have different effects on electron dynamics. For chorus in the range f≈0.3fce−0.7fce, energy diffusion is the dominant process in electron evolutions. For chorus in the range 0.1fce⩽f⩽0.25fce, the pitch angle diffusion tends to be comparable to energy diffusion for Ek>0.5 MeV. For ELF chorus below 0.1fce, the pitch angle diffusion rate is much above the energy diffusion rate, leading to potential scattering losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pin1 is the only known peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) that can specifically recognize and isomerize the phosphorylated Serine/Threonine-Proline (pSer/Thr-Pro) motif, change the conformation of proteins through protein phosphorylation, thus regulate various cellular processes in the body. Pin1 plays an important role in cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and autoimmune diseases. However, the specific mechanism of Pin1 regulation in LPS-induced septic shock is unclear. Here, we found that lack of Pin1 reduced shock mortality and organ damage in mice, and NLRP3 inflammasome activation also was reduced in this process. We further confirmed that Pin1 can affect the expression of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase1, and this process can be regulated through the p38 MAPK pathway. We analyzed that p38 MAPK signaling pathway was highly expressed in septic shock and showed a positive correlation with Pin1 in the Gene Expression Omnibus database. We found that Pin1 could affect the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, have no obvious difference in extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and Jun-amino-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling. We further found that Pin1 and p-p38 MAPK interacted, but not directly. In addition, Pin1 deficiency inhibited the cleavage of gasdermin D (GSDMD) and promoted the death of macrophages with LPS treatment, and reduced secretion of inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β and IL-18. In general, our results suggest that Pin1 regulates the NLRP3 inflammasome activation by p38 MAPK signaling pathway in macrophages. Thus, Pin1 may be a potential target for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as septic shock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel monocular visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm built on the semi-direct method is proposed to deal with some problems in complex environments, such as low-texture, moving objects and perceptual aliasing. The proposed algorithm takes advantage of direct and feature-based methods. On one hand, a direct method is used to track the camera poses and solve the feature alignment. On the other hand, ORB features in keyframes are extracted and matched for optimization and loop closure. To improve the localization accuracy in dynamic environments, a motion detection module that is robust to illumination change is adopted. In addition, for the sake of resolving the loop closure detection problem in perceptual aliasing scenes, this paper fuses the spatial information between two visual words into the bag of visual words (BoVW) model and employs an improved pyramid term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) scoring match scheme. Experimental results prove that the proposed algorithm behaves better performance than ORB-SLAM with regard to overall accuracy and speed in complex environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans live today in a high‐tech and informationalized society. With the development of the emerging electronic information age, various electronic systems are inclined to be multifunctional and miniaturized. It is urgent to develop "small and powerful" micro‐batteries with flexibility and high electrochemical performance to meet the diverse needs of microelectronic components. However, low electrochemical performance exists in traditional microenergy storage devices, which fail to satisfy the energy needs for microdevices. Here, for the first time, a planar integrated flexible rechargeable dual‐ion microbattery (DIMB) is reported, which is fabricated from an interdigital pattern of graphite as an electrode and lithium hexafluorophosphate as an electrolyte. As a microbattery, the DIMB exhibits a high reversible capacity of 56.50 mAh cm−3, and excellent cycle stability with 90% capacity retention after 300 cycles under a high working voltage. The application of DIMB in microdevices, such as light‐emitting diodes (LEDs), digital electronic game consoles, and electrochromic glasses is also investigated, fully demonstrating its "small and powerful" performance. The integrated DIMB is a high‐voltage microdevice that reaches a nonpareil discharge voltage of about 100 V and a charging capacity of 102 mAh g−1. This dual ion‐based flexible microbattery could become a promising candidate for energy storage and conversion components in next‐generation microelectronic devices and integrated electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]