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Building on the recent demonstration of aqueous-dispersible hydrophobic pigments that retain their surface hydrophobicity even after drying, we demonstrate the synthesis of surface-modified Ti-Pure R-706 (denoted R706) titanium dioxide-based pigments, consisting of a thin (one to three monolayers) grafted polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) coating, which (i) are hydrophobic in the dry state according to capillary rise and dynamic vapor sorption measurements and (ii) form stable aqueous dispersions at solid contents exceeding 75 wt % (43 vol %), without added dispersant, displaying similar rheology to R706 native oxide pigments at 70 wt % (37 vol %) consisting of an optimal amount of conventional polyanionic dispersant (0.3 wt % on pigment basis). The surface-modified pigments have been characterized via 29Si and 13C cross-polarization/magic angle spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy; infrared spectroscopy; thermogravimetric and elemental analyses; and ζ potential measurements. On the basis of these data, the stability of the surface-modified PMHS-R706 aqueous dispersions is attributed to steric effects, as a result of grafted PMHS strands on the R706 surface, and depends on the chaotropic nature of the base used during PMHS condensation to the pigment/polysiloxane interface. The lack of water wettability of the surface-modified oxide particles in their dry state translates to improved water-barrier properties in coatings produced with these surface-modified pigment particles. The synthetic approach appears general as demonstrated by its application to various inorganic-oxide pigment particles.

In this article, the problem of robust tracking control for wheeled mobile robot (WMR) with skidding, slipping, and parameter uncertainties is addressed. Through designing double sliding mode variables, a fixed time disturbance observer is developed to estimate the multiple disturbances within a fixed time, and the convergence time is regardless of the initial estimation error of the system. Based on the fixed-time disturbance observer (FTDOB) and the novel power reaching law sliding mode technique, a robust tracking controller is synthesized. The proposed control method eliminates the chattering problem existing in the traditional sliding mode control, and can guarantee the high-precision tracking control performance even in the presence of skidding, slipping and parameter uncertainties. The closed-loop system stability analysis is verified by the Lyapunov stability theory. Meanwhile, simulation comparative results are carried out to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the deformation and damage characteristics of internal coal bodies of small pillars under different pressures, rock–coal–rock assemblage samples were subjected to the conventional triaxial compression test to analyze the mechanical behavior characteristics under different pressures. The results showed that, with the increase in peripheral pressure, the peak strength and modulus of elasticity of the assemblage specimens increased, the range of fracture compaction stage gradually decreased, and the specimen was gradually transformed from brittle to ductile. With an increase in peripheral pressure, the residual strength gradually increased, and the strength decay coefficient gradually decreased. The strength decay coefficient decreased the most at 0–10 MPa, and this decrease slowed down after exceeding 15 MPa. When the peripheral pressure was 0 MPa, the damage degree of the coal pillar was larger. With the increase in peripheral pressure, the number of cracks in the coal column increased, the damage degree increased more, and mixed damage characteristics of tension–shear were found. Based on the Hoek–Brown criterion, the strength criterion applicable to the specimen of rock–coal–rock combination was obtained through numerical fitting iteration, which provides an experimental and theoretical basis for realizing the stability control of small coal columns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mustard gas is a kind of erosive poison with great harm and used as a chemical weapon since World War. It has suggested that the photocatalytic technology is an effective method to eliminate it. Because the small difference in molecular structure between 2-CEES and Mustard gas, and the less toxic of 2-CEES, 2-CEES is often used as a simulator to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of catalysts. In this work, symbiotic mixture of Bi2WO6 and Bi6O6(OH)3(NO3)3·1.5H2O nanosheets doped with Mo (Mo-B-B) have been synthesized by a facile hydrothermal treatment. The samples were characterized by XRD, DRS, XPS, SEM, TEM, Raman, and PL. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by measuring the degradation of 2-CEES under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the doped Mo reduce the Eg of bare symbiotic mixture and improve the separation efficiency of photo-generated carriers that is beneficial to photocatalytic activity. The optimum amount of doped Mo is 5% that exhibits the best activity for degradation for 2-CEES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excitability is a pivotal quality in guide dogs because moderately active dogs are more trainable. Excessive activity is associated with behavioral problems and pet surrender. Excitability is a highly heritable trait, yet the relevant genetic factors and markers associated with this condition are poorly characterized. In the present study, we selected six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of two genes that are possibly related to excitability in dogs (TH c.264G > A, TH c.1208A > T, TH c.415C > G, TH c.168C > T, TH c.180C > T and MAOB c.199 T > C). We measured the excitability of dogs using seven variables from three behavioral tests: the play test (interest in play, grabbing in throw and tug‐of‐war), the chase test (following and forward grabbing) and the passive test (moving range and moving time). These behavioral tests are part of the Dog Mentality Assessment developed by Svartberg & Forkman. The activity scores in the guide dog group were higher than in the temperament withdrawal group, and significant differences were detected in the aggregate score (p = 0.02), passive activity score (p = 0.007) and moving range score (p = 0.04). Analysis using the Kruskal–Wallis test and non‐parametric Steel–Dwass test to evaluate the relationship between these SNPs and behavioral variable scores revealed that TH c.264G > A was associated with aggregate scores of excitability‐related behavioral variables (adj. p = 0.03), object‐interaction activity scores (adj. p = 0.03), following scores (adj. p = 0.03) and forward grabbing scores (adj. p = 0.03) in Labrador dogs and MAOB c.199 T > C was associated with moving range scores in these dogs (adj. p = 0.004). However, these results had low power. To explain the behavioral traits, further genetic studies more reliable than candidate gene studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposed a simple side-incident TE11 mode microwave probe for the rapid and long-range inspection of cracks in metallic pipes. The probe feeds the microwaves to a metallic pipe, which works as a waveguide; the reflection signal provoked by a defect is measured for detection and localization. The probe enables the detection of both circumferentially and axially oriented cracks, unlike those reported in earlier studies. To achieve better performance, numerical simulations were conducted to evaluate the conversion efficiency and optimize the insertion length of the coaxial cable and the exposed length of the cable core wire. The simulation results suggest that the optimized probe configuration is feasible for pipes with various diameters by proportionally changing the current probe configuration. Although injected microwaves propagated in two directions, the ratio of microwaves to one direction could be controlled by adjusting the inclination angle and the exposed length of the cable core wire. Subsequently, three TE11 probes fabricated according to the simulation results were used to detect circumferential and axial slits in a brass pipe. The results showed that circumferential slits in the vertical positions (parallel to the nontilted coaxial cable) and axial slits in the horizontal positions (perpendicular to the nontilted coaxial cable) caused large reflections, consistent with the electromagnetic field distribution of the TE11 mode microwaves in a circular waveguide. Further experiments verified the feasibility of the designed probe for pipes with different diameters and for directional pipe inspection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the applicability of microwave nondestructive testing to detect a metal pipe's inner crack. Three-dimensional finite element simulations were conducted to study the inspectability of cracks using microwaves in different modes and the dependency of the reflection characteristics of microwaves on crack size. The simulation results showed that microwaves in the TM01 and TE01 modes can detect circumferential and axial cracks, respectively. The positive relationship between crack size and intensity corresponding to the reflected microwaves was obtained in simulations and then verified by experiments. In both simulations and experiments, the axial crack length showed a small influence on the results, especially for shallow crack detection. In the experiments, circumferential and axial cracks with a width of 0.3 mm were detected using microwaves. The experimental results revealed that signal amplitudes decreased when a slit penetrated a pipe wall, probably due to a microwave leakage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a simulation-assisted probability of detection (POD) analysis that considers multiple flaw parameters and signal features is presented, including an evaluation of its applicability to eddy current testing for weld inspection. In the proposed method, both the real and imaginary parts of eddy current signals were considered, unlike conventional methods that only consider signal amplitude. Type 304 stainless steel plates were joined by butt welding, and slits were fabricated on the weld path. The eddy current inspection was conducted using a uniform eddy current probe. Numerical simulations were also performed using the finite element method, with the model imitating the experimental situation. The POD contours were calculated using the proposed method, and they exhibited a reasonable tendency. In addition, the 95% lower confidence intervals of the proposed and conventional PODs were compared and were almost equal with respect to the decision threshold, indicating the applicability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surrounding rock of roadway with a coal–rock interface is a common form in coal mines. In order to determine deformation characteristics and obtain the control principle of roadways with a coal–rock interface, the interface between the roof and coal seam was added to simulate the weak cohesion between the stratum. In this model, the interface shear stiffness was considered to be one of the key factors affecting horizontal inward movement of the roadway sidewalls. The deformation of the roadway with or without coal–rock interface under different burial depths was analyzed. Then, the shear stiffness of the interface element was changed to study the influence of shear stiffness on roadway deformation. At the same time, the characteristics of discontinuous deformation caused by the coal–rock interface at different positions in the roadway were studied. The results show that the roadway sidewall appeared to bulge in the middle and there is no dislocation and a small deformation in the contact position of the roadway sidewall with the roof and the floor when there is no interface between the stratum of the roadway. When there is an interface, the sidewall of the roadway is extruded as a whole, the slip and dislocation between the coal sidewall and the roof were obvious, and the maximum deformation of the sidewall is 1.68 times that of the roadway without an interface. When the shear stiffness of the interface is low, the deformation and the range of the plastic zone of roadway are large, with a large deformation at the upper part of the roadway sidewall, and a small deformation at the lower part of the roadway sidewall. The deformation of sidewall at the interface position decreases gradually with the increase of the interface shear stiffness, approaching the shape without the interface. When the coal–rock interface is at the sidewall of the roadway, the deformation of the rock and coal body at the interface is discontinuous, with slip and dislocation. The greater the proportion of rock height in the roadway sidewall, the greater the rock deformation. On the contrary, the coal deformation increases. It is more reasonable to simulate the deformation of roadways by adding a coal–rock interface, and the results are closer to the actual situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron-dependent accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation play key roles in ferroptosis, which has been an attractive strategy to kill tumor cells. However, the rapid annihilation of hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) produced from the Fenton reaction has become a major obstacle in inducing lipid peroxidation in cells. In this study, we develop a nano-delivery system of unsaturated phospholipid (Lip) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) functionalized FeOCl nanosheets (FeOCl@PAA-Lip). In this system, the ˙OH radicals produced from the Fenton reaction between FeOCl nanosheets and endogenous H2O2 of tumor cells attack Lip on the nanosheets in situ to initiate the lipid peroxidation chain reaction, which not only realizes free radical conversion but also leads to the amplification of ROS and lipid peroxides, thus enhancing tumor ferroptosis. The in vitro and in vivo results confirmed that FeOCl@PAA-Lip nanosheets exhibited specific tumor cell-killing effects, good biocompatibility, long circulation time, low side effects, high tumor targeting and an excellent tumor inhibition rate (73%). The Lip functionalization strategy offers a paradigm of enhancing ferroptosis treatment by conversion of ˙OH/phospholipid radicals/lipid peroxyl radicals and strengthening lipid peroxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]