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The two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e–ORR) for electrochemical hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) synthesis has drawn much attention due to its eco-friendly, cost-effective, and highly efficient properties. Developing catalysts with excellent H2O2production rates and selectivity is still a big challenge. In this work, an iron-doped nickel phosphide (Fe-Ni-P) catalyst was synthesized by a solvent thermal method. The synthesis temperature of 180 °C could obtain the best 2e–ORR catalyst, i.e., Fe-Ni-P-180, since the crystallization of metal phosphide under this temperature was promoted. In addition, Fe-Ni-P-180 had a high catalytic activity, high electron transfer rate, and low electrochemical resistance. The H2O2production rate constant of Fe-Ni-P-180 was 9.99 ± 0.63 μM/(min cm2) and the Faradaic efficiency was 94.38 ± 4.68% at 0.25 V vs RHE, which increased by 57.9 and 15.4% compared with Ni–P, respectively. Fe-Ni-P-180 could work in a wide pH range of 5–9 with the optimized pH of 7, and it exhibited low specific energy consumption and great reusability. The elemental state analysis demonstrated that Niδ+, Feδ+, and Pδ−are all active species, and the doping of Fe increases the crystallization of metal phosphide.

Differences in the flotation behavior of galena and sphalerite using potassium permanganate (KMnO4) and gum arabic (GA) alone and using a mixture of KMnO4and GA were investigated. The single mineral flotation tests revealed that when KMnO4and GA were used individually, galena and sphalerite flotation were inhibited, but the reagent dosages required were large. Sphalerite was strongly inhibited by the addition of a tiny amount of GA after oxidation with KMnO4while galena was not inhibited under the same conditions. Following oxidation by KMnO4, galena and sphalerite exhibited a significant 83 % difference in flotation recovery when 10 mg/L GA was used, which clearly showed the potential for the combined use of KMnO4and GA to achieve flotation separation of galena from mixed lead-zinc ores. The inhibitory effect of GA on sphalerite was investigated through a combination of analytical techniques, including Microcalorimetry, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDS) analysis. The results displayed that sphalerite had a much higher oxidation rate than galena, resulting in more oxides and hydroxides. As a result, the sphalerite surface exhibits an increased availability of active sites favorable to GA adsorption, thereby impeding Butyl xanthate (PBX) adsorption. However, the galena surface was able to absorb PBX, resulting in mineral separation.

Oil has long been the dominant feedstock for producing fuels and chemicals, but coal, natural gas and biomass are increasingly explored alternatives1–3. Their conversion first generates syngas, a mixture of CO and H2, which is then processed further using Fischer–Tropsch (FT) chemistry. However, although commercial FT technology for fuel production is established, using it to access valuable chemicals remains challenging. A case in point is linear α-olefins (LAOs), which are important chemical intermediates obtained by ethylene oligomerization at present4–8. The commercial high-temperature FT process and the FT-to-olefin process under development at present both convert syngas directly to LAOs, but also generate much CO2waste that leads to a low carbon utilization efficiency9–14. The efficiency is further compromised by substantially fewer of the converted carbon atoms ending up as valuable C5–C10LAOs than are found in the C2–C4olefins that dominate the product mixtures9–14. Here we show that the use of the original phase-pure χ-iron carbide can minimize these syngas conversion problems: tailored and optimized for the process of FT to LAOs, this catalyst exhibits an activity at 290 °C that is 1–2 orders higher than dedicated FT-to-olefin catalysts can achieve above 320 °C (refs. 12–15), is stable for 200 h, and produces desired C2–C10LAOs and unwanted CO2with carbon-based selectivities of 51% and 9% under industrially relevant conditions. This higher catalytic performance, persisting over a wide temperature range (250–320 °C), demonstrates the potential of the system for developing a practically relevant technology.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of many cancers with DNA-repairing deficiencies via synthetic lethality. Advocated by the polypharmacology concept, recent evidence discovered that a significantly synergistic effect in increasing the death of cancer cells was observed by simultaneously perturbating the enzymatic activities of bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) and PARP1. Here, we developed a novel cheminformatics approach combined with a structure-based method aiming to facilitate the design of dual PARP1-BRD4 inhibitors. Instead of linking pharmacophores, the developed approach first identified merged pharmacophores (a pool of amide-containing ring systems), from which phenanthridin-6(5H)-one was further prioritized. Based on this starting point, several small molecules were rationally designed, among which HF4 exhibited low micromolar inhibitory activity against BRD4 and PARP1, particularly exhibiting strong inhibition of BRD4 BD1 with an IC50value of 204 nM. Furthermore, it demonstrated potent antiproliferative effects against breast cancer gene-deficient and proficient breast cancer cell lines by arresting cell cycle progression and impeding DNA damage repair. Collectively, our systematic efforts to design lead-like molecules have the potential to open doors for the exploration of dual PARP1-BRD4 inhibitors as a promising avenue for breast cancer treatment. Furthermore, the developed approach can be extended to systematically design inhibitors targeting PARP1 and other related targets.

The influence of transporters on the pharmacokinetics of drugs is being increasingly recognized, and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) via modulation of transporters could lead to clinical adverse events. Organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B (OATP1B) is a liver-specific uptake transporter in humans that can transport a broad range of substrates, including statins. It is a challenge to predict OATP1B-mediated DDIs using preclinical animal models because of species differences in substrate specificity and abundance levels of transporters. PXB-mice are chimeric mice with humanized livers that are highly repopulated with human hepatocytes and have been widely used for drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics studies in drug discovery. In the present study, we measured the exposure increases [blood AUC (area under the blood/plasma concentration-time curve) and Cmax] of 10 OATP1B substrates in PXB-mice upon coadministration with rifampin, a potent OATP1B specific inhibitor. These data in PXB-mice were then compared with the observed DDIs between OATP1B substrates and single-dose rifampin in humans. Our findings suggest that the DDIs between OATP1B substrates and rifampin in PXB-mouse are comparable with the observed DDIs in the clinic. Since most OATP1B substrates are metabolized by cytochromes P450 (CYPs) and/or are substrates of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), we further validated the utility of PXB-mice to predict complex DDIs involving inhibition of OATP1B, CYPs, and P-gp using cyclosporin A (CsA) and gemfibrozil as perpetrators. Overall, the data support that the chimeric mice with humanized livers could be a useful tool for the prediction of hepatic OATP1B-mediated DDIs in humans.

Transfer printing is a technology widely used in the production of flexible electronics and vertically stacked devices, which involves the transfer of predefined electronic components from a rigid donor substrate to a receiver substrate with a stamp, potentially avoiding the limitations associated with lithographic processes. However, the stamps typically used in transfer printing have several limitations related to unwanted organic solvents, substantial loading, film damage, and inadequate adhesion switching ratios. This study introduces a thermally responsive phase-change stamp for efficient and damage-free transfer printing inspired by the adhesion properties observed during water freezing and ice melting. The stamp employs phase-change composites and simple fabrication protocols, providing robust initial adhesion strength and switchability. The underlying mechanism of switchable adhesion is investigated through experimental and numerical studies. Notably, the stamp eliminates the need for extra preload by spontaneously interlocking with the ink through in situ melting and crystallization. This minimizes ink damage and wrinkle formation during pickup while maintaining strong initial adhesion. During printing, the stamp exhibits a sufficiently weak adhesion state for reliable and consistent release, enabling multiscale, conformal, and damage-free transfer printing, ranging from nano- to wafer-scale. The fabrication of nanoscale short-channel transistors, epidermal electrodes, and human–machine interfaces highlights the potential of this technique in various emerging applications of nanoelectronics, nano optoelectronics, and soft bioelectronics.

It is challenging to separate between molybdenite and chalcopyrite due to their comparable hydrophobic characteristics. Inorganic depressants were previously used to separate two minerals, but the results were unsatisfactory and polluted the environment. In this study, the molybdenite and chalcopyrite were separated using a highly effective and ecologically safe depressant, 2,4-Diamino-6-hydroxypyrimidine (DAHP). According to the single mineral experiment, chalcopyrite is totally depressed while molybdenite has superior floatability. The efficacy of DAHP as the depressant was validated by further artificially mixed mineral flotation experiments, indicating the possibility of separating chalcopyrite and molybdenite. The adsorption capacity experiment results showed that the adsorption capacity of DAHP on the surface of chalcopyrite was greater than that on the surface of molybdenite. Zeta potential experiment results show that DAHP is adsorbed on the surface of chalcopyrite and molybdenite through static electrostatic interactions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiment results show that DAHP is mainly adsorbed on chalcopyrite surface through –NH3+group, which hinders the adsorption of kerosene. The electrostatic contact between DAHP and molybdenite has the least effect on kerosene adsorption. This study shows that DAHP has the potential to separate chalcopyrite and molybdenite as an efficient and environmentally friendly depressant.

Flexible electronics have been of great interest in the past few decades for their wide-ranging applications in health monitoring, human–machine interaction, artificial intelligence, and biomedical engineering. Currently, transfer printing is a popular technology for flexible electronics manufacturing. However, typical sacrificial intermediate layer-based transfer printing through chemical reactions results in a series of challenges, such as time consumption and interface incompatibility. In this paper, we have developed a time-saving, wafer-recyclable, eco-friendly, and multiscale transfer printing method by using a stable transferable photoresist. Demonstration of photoresist with various, high-resolution, and multiscale patterns from the donor substrate of silicon wafer to different flexible polymer substrates without any damage is conducted using the as-developed dry transfer printing process. Notably, by utilizing the photoresist patterns as conformal masks and combining them with physical vapor deposition and dry lift-off processes, we have achieved in situ fabrication of metal patterns on flexible substrates. Furthermore, a mechanical experiment has been conducted to demonstrate the mechanism of photoresist transfer printing and dry lift-off processes. Finally, we demonstrated the application of in situ fabricated electrode devices for collecting electromyography and electrocardiogram signals. Compared to commercially available hydrogel electrodes, our electrodes exhibited higher sensitivity, greater stability, and the ability to achieve long-term health monitoring.

In this study, microstructure and mechanical behavior of two types of Mg-based bimetal plates with a high formability sleeve were systematically studied, with a great emphasis on the effect of the interface characteristic and the sleeve fraction on the plasticity of composite plates. The rule of mixtures (ROM) for elongation was also addressed. The results show that when there is no or thin diffusion layer with thickness of about 3 μm, Mg-based bimetal plates have a good plasticity with elongation of about 19–24%, and the ROM predicted elongations are very close to the experimental ones. In contrast, with a diffusion layer about 95–155 μm thick, Mg-based bimetal plates exhibit a poor plasticity with elongation of about 11–17%, and the experimental elongations largely deviate from the ROM predictions. The plasticity of Mg-based bimetal plates increases with increasing sleeve fraction. This study provides new insights on the plastic deformation of Mg-based bimetal composites with a high formability sleeve.

The study utilizes a multi-directional compression (MDC) process on a basal-textured ZK60 alloy with the aim of inducing extensive twinning, which is followed by an aging treatment on the pre-deformed sample. The mechanical response and corrosion behavior of the deformed and aged samples are systematically investigated. The MDC process effectively generates numerous {10 1‾2} twins with increased compression passes, resulting in the enhanced grain refinement. The interplay between twins and numerous dislocations formed during pre-deformation plays a crucial role in altering both the distribution and morphology of the second phase precipitated during aging. During the aging process, the alloy exhibits a higher concentration of dense rod-like β′ phase and disk-like β″ phase. Remarkably, the compressive yield strength and ultimate strength of aged ZK60 alloy along the rolling direction are significantly improved without obvious compromise of ductility by pre-compression. Notably, the yield strength of the sample after 12-passes compression and aging (APD-12) is approximately 45 % higher than that of the sample without pre-compression (APD-0). Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of ZK60 alloy displays notable improvement upon pre-compression treatment. Specifically, the hydrogen evolution in the APD-12 sample is halved compared to the APD-0 sample. Electrochemical assessments were conducted on both pre-compressed and non-pre-compressed samples, revealing their distinct behaviors. Furthermore, an in-depth exploration has also been undertaken into the underlying mechanisms contributing to the enhancement of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance resulting from the pre-compression.

The preparation of Al/Mg/Al laminated metal composites (LMCs) by lamination technique can well combine the good corrosion resistance of Al alloy and the lightweight characteristics of Mg alloy. In this paper, the atmospheric corrosion behavior and underlying mechanism of 6082/AZ31/6082 LMCs with and without side exposure for one year of filed exposure to the tropical marine atmospheric environment were investigated. The results showed that the corrosion rates of AZ31 and 6082 and LMC-C were 55.967, 1.167, and 0.925 g m−2·a−1, respectively. The microstructure of the Al layer on the surface of LMCs underwent a significant transformation, characterized by a noticeable grain refinement and a concomitant increase in dislocation density. Moreover, the potential disparity between the second phase (AlMnFeSi and Mg2Si) and the matrix was diminished. These findings collectively contribute to the enhanced resistance of 6082/AZ31/6082 LMCs to intergranular corrosion and pitting corrosion. However, the accelerated dissolution of the intermediate Mg layer, facilitated by the galvanic corrosion effect during field exposure of the LMCs, resulted in a 4.5-fold increase in corrosion-induced mass loss. Notably, the ultimate tensile strength of the LMCs exhibited insensitivity to field exposure duration, while their plasticity underwent a gradual decline. This comprehensive study elucidates the corrosion behavior and underlying mechanisms of 6082/AZ31/6082 LMCs subjected to a tropical marine atmospheric environment, providing valuable insights for the rational design and development of LMCs with enhanced comprehensive performance.

The effect of metal-inorganic complex depressant composed of aluminum sulfate and sodium silicate (AlSS) on the flotation separation of scheelite and calcite was studied. Zeta potential and adsorption measurements confirmed that the negatively charged colloidal particles composed of Al(OH)4−and SiOm(OH) n4−2m−ntended to be adsorbed on calcite surface, inhibiting the adsorption of sodium oleate (NaOL), while the adsorption of negatively charged colloidal particles on scheelite surface was relatively low, which resulted in the great adsorption capacity of NaOL on scheelite. The contact angle measurements showed that the hydrophobicity of scheelite was significantly better than that of calcite in the NaOL+AlSS solution. XPS measurement results indicated the adsorption of Al and Si on the calcite surface rather than on the scheelite surface. Compared to adding water glass (sodium silicate, SS) only, the depression effect on calcite was significantly enhanced by the combination of AlSS, while scheelite flotation was hardly affected. Scheelite concentrate with WO3grade of 68.34% and WO3recovery of 83.14% could be obtained from mixed scheelite and calcite ores by adding AlSS.

The effect of the initial (Al + Si)/MnO molar ratio and slag composition on MnO recovery from electroslag by remelting at 1773 K was investigated. High-purity aluminum metal and silicon were employed as the deoxidizers to effectively promote the recovery of manganese metal (MM). The reduction of MnO in slag, through the interaction between molten MM with a deoxidizer and the Na2O-enriched electroslag melt, was assessed both thermodynamically and kinetically. The sulfur content of high-sulfur rejected electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) scrap decreased to 0.58% with high-temperature pretreatment. The mass ratio between slag and high-sulfur rejected EMM scrap is 2/3. When the Al2O3content in the initial slags decreased and the Na2O content increased, the MnO reduction ratio increased. The residual MnO concentration of the slag reduced with increasing the Al–Si deoxidizer content. When the (Al + Si)/MnO molar ratio reached 0.83, the MnO concentration in the final slag was only 3%. A deoxidizer mainly containing aluminum and a small amount of Si could be added to recover MnO from the slag, resulting in the improvement in the cleanliness of final Mn metal.

In the era of Industry 4.0, robot motion planning faces unprecedented challenges in adapting those high-dimension dynamic working environments with rigorous real-time planning requirements. Traditional sampling-based planning algorithms can find solutions in high-dimensional spaces but often struggle with achieving the balance among computational efficiency, real-time adaptability, and solution optimality. To overcome these challenges and unlock the full potential of robotic automation in smart manufacturing, we propose bidirectional recurrent motion planning network (BRMPNet). As an imitation learning-based approach for robot motion planning, it leverages deep neural networks to learn the heuristics for approximate-optimal path planning. BRMPNet employs the refined PointNet++ network to incorporate raw point-cloud information from depth sensors and generates paths with a bidirectional strategy using long short-term memory (LSTM) network. It can also be integrated with traditional sampling-based planning algorithms, offering theoretical assurance of the probabilistic completeness for solutions. To validate the effectiveness of BRMPNet, we conduct a series of experiments, benchmarking its performance against the state-of-the-art motion planning algorithms. These experiments are specifically designed to simulate common operations encountered within generic robotic platforms in smart manufacturing such as mobile robots and multi-joint robotic arms. The results demonstrate BRMPNet’s superior performance on key metrics including solution quality and computational efficiency, suggesting the promising potential of learning-based planning in addressing complex motion planning challenges.

In this paper, we tested the hydrodynamic characteristics of a new, double-winged otter board that consists of a forewing, a leading edge slat and a trailing edge flap. Flume experiments were conducted in a circulating flume tank by using a model with an aspect ratio (AR) of 0.85 and a horizontal planform area (S) of 0.09 m2. The results indicated that the critical angle (αcr) of the model was 44°, whereas the maximum lift coefficient (CLmax) was up to 1.715, and the door efficiency (K) was 1.122. The attack angle (α) ranged from 30° to 48° and from 10° to 46° when the lift coefficient (CL) and door efficiency (K) were greater than 1.2 and 1.0, respectively. To compare the difference between double-winged otter board and traditional Morgere Polyvalent Ovale, same model of Morgere Polyvalent Ovale was also tested under the same experimental conditions. The critical angle (αcr) and maximum of lift coefficient (CLmax) of the doublewinged otter board were 37.5% and 14.6% larger than those of the Morgere Polyvalent Ovale. Therefore, we concluded that the novel, double-winged otter board was more suitable for bottom trawling fisheries in the deep water of the Mauretania Sea due to its better hydrodynamic characteristics and stability.

Cytosine base editors (CBEs) are effective tools for introducing C-to-T base conversions, but their clinical applications are limited by off-target and bystander effects. Through structure-guided engineering of human APOBEC3A (A3A) deaminase, we developed highly accurate A3A-CBE (haA3A-CBE) variants that efficiently generate C-to-T conversion with a narrow editing window and near-background level of DNA and RNA off-target activity, irrespective of methylation status and sequence context. The engineered deaminase domains are compatible with PAM-relaxed SpCas9-NG variant, enabling accurate correction of pathogenic mutations in homopolymeric cytosine sites through flexible positioning of the single-guide RNAs. Dual adeno-associated virus delivery of one haA3A-CBE variant to a mouse model of tyrosinemia induced up to 58.1% editing in liver tissues with minimal bystander editing, which was further reduced through single dose of lipid nanoparticle-based messenger RNA delivery of haA3A-CBEs. These results highlight the tremendous promise of haA3A-CBEs for precise genome editing to treat human diseases.

Globalization and growing supply chain interconnectivity have led to greater complexity, uncertainty, and vulnerability in supply chains. Concequently, supply chains must become smarter to confront these challenges. The smarter supply chain has shown great promise; however, the business, policy, and technical challenges must be addressed before changes can be made. A literature review was performed to synthesize the studies on smarter supply chain management. The proior literature has been categoried into four aspect, including information sharing and supply–demand forecasting, smarter supply chain process integration and smarter decision-making, smarter supply chain risk management, and smarter supply chain collaboration. The successful practices and existing solutions for smarter supply chain management are also presented, which could serve as references for enterprises. The review concludes with a discussion of several research topics for futher work on smarter supply chain management.

Surface cracks in the raceway of hub bearings pose a significant safety threat. Magnetic particle testing (MPT) can be used to locate these cracks regardless of the influences caused by raceway structure. However, crack identification and evaluation in conventional MPT are quite challenging due to the low correlation between magnetic particle indication (MPI) and inspection images. To address this problem, this article introduces a dynamical MPI measuring method through 3-D vision. Specifically, a scanning 3-D vision system, an approach to forming MPI, and a curvature feature–based algorithm for MPI identification are newly proposed. 3-D measurement directly captures the spatial aggregation state of the magnetic particles, thereby enabling the connection between MPI and the cause of it, which is the leakage magnetic field above cracks. Starting from the electromagnetic field, we analyze the potential features of the 3-D profile of MPI. Magnetic force serves as a link, providing a theoretical basis for the identification and evaluation. Experiments show that our method successfully detects artificial notches with depths of 0.5–2.5 mm and natural microcracks with a maximum width of 40 μm and differentiates between variations in crack depths of 0.5 mm. The sensitivity, stability, and evaluation ability can be demonstrated.

The security of microcontrollers, which drive modern IoT and embedded devices, continues to raise major concerns. Within a microcontroller (MCU), the firmware is a monolithic piece of software that contains the whole software stack, whereas a variety of peripherals represent the hardware. As MCU firmware contains vulnerabilities, it is ideal to test firmware with off-the-shelf software testing techniques, such as dynamic symbolic execution and fuzzing. Nevertheless, no emulator can emulate the diverse MCU peripherals or execute/test the firmware. Specifically, the interrupt interface, among all I/O interfaces used by MCU peripherals, is extremely challenging to emulate. In this article, we present AIM—a generic, scalable, and hardware-independent dynamic firmware analysis framework that supports unemulated MCU peripherals by a novel interrupt modeling mechanism. AIM effectively and efficiently covers interrupt-dependent code in firmware by a novel, firmware-guided, Just-in-Time Interrupt Firing technique. We implemented our framework in angr and performed dynamic symbolic execution for eight real-world MCU firmware. According to testing results, our framework covered up to 11.2 times more interrupt-dependent code than state-of-the-art approaches while accomplishing several challenging goals not feasible previously. Finally, a comparison with a state-of-the-art firmware fuzzer demonstrates dynamic symbolic execution and fuzzing together can achieve better firmware testing coverage.

Wavelength beam combining technology plays an important role in generating high-brightness laser beams at high-power levels. This technology is used for various applications, including military and industrial manufacturing. Recent studies have demonstrated the system using mini-bar diode laser stacks, which offer superior optical performance but suffer from pricey, customized fabrication and possibly intense thermal loads. Hence, we offer a suitable alternative approach by incorporating full-bar diode laser stacks, which are relatively cost-effective, off-the-shelf, and easy to manufacture, making the frameworks more amenable to mass production. However, this framework needs further development due to the higher smile effect in the full-bar stacks. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate this idea with a 213 W output power at a central wavelength of 975 nm. Moreover, although the degradation caused by the smile and thermo-optical effects, its preserved beam quality is most prominent in its availability of applied to couple into a $105~\mu \text{m}$ core fiber. This research opens new possibilities for future WBC system design and development using full-bar diode laser stacks.

Magnetic particle testing (MT) has the advantages of high sensitivity and adaptability. However, during the formation of magnetic particle indication (MPI) corresponding to surface opening defects, the defects are filled with magnetic particles, resulting in the weakening of the leakage magnetic field (LMF), a phenomenon that has been ignored in existing studies. In order to enhance the visual feature of MPI, this article proposes an isolation strip-based MT method (ISMT), which can avoid the attenuation of LMF. Meanwhile, ISMT can isolate the surface conditions of the specimen to avoid the formation of pseudo-MPI (PMPI). The enhancement principle of ISMT is analyzed by simulation. Comparative experiments between ISMT and traditional MT were conducted to verify the visual enhancement effect of ISMT on defects of multiple depths. The results show that the enhancement effect of ISMT is 1.51 times, 1.36 times, and 1.08 times for the standard test shims of 60/100, 30/100, and 15/100, respectively. In addition, the advantage of ISMT in detecting larger defects is verified by experiments on hole defects of different sizes, and the isolation effect against surface oil stains is discussed.

In order to help investors understand the credit status of target corporations and reduce investment risks, the corporate credit rating model has become an important evaluation tool in the financial market. These models are based on statistical learning, machine learning and deep learning especially graph neural networks (GNNs). However, we found that only few models take the hierarchy, heterogeneity or unlabeled data into account in the actual corporate credit rating process. Therefore, we propose a novel framework named hierarchical heterogeneous graph neural networks (HHGNN), which can fully model the hierarchy of corporate features and the heterogeneity of relationships between corporations. In addition, we design an adversarial learning block to make full use of the rich unlabeled samples in the financial data. Extensive experiments conducted on the public-listed corporate rating dataset prove that HHGNN achieves SOTA compared to the baseline methods.

Designing insect-scale robots with high mobility is becoming an essential challenge in the field of robotics research. Among the methods for fabricating the transmission mechanism of the insect-scale robot, the smart composite microstructure (SCM) method is getting more and more attention. This method can construct compact and functional miniature origami mechanisms through planarized fabrication and folding assembly processes. Our previous work has proposed an untethered robot S$^{\text{2}}$worm equipped with a novel 2-DoF origami transmission mechanism. The S$^{\text{2}}$worm is fabricated through SCM and holds a top speed of 27.4 cm/s. In this work, we propose a novel strategy for designing the insect-scale robot with high mobility, that is, applying Grassmann–Cayley Algebra (GCA) to avoid the singularity of the transmission mechanism. The experimental results prove that the singularity of the previous work has been solved. The new robot prototype S$^{\text{2}}$worm-G weighs 4.71 g, scales 4.0 cm, achieves a top speed of 75.0 cm/s and a relative speed of 18.8 bodylength/s. To the best of our knowledge, the 2-DoF origami transmission mechanism is the first parallel mechanism designed for the insect-scale robot and the singularity of the mechanism is found and solved here. The experimental results prove that the refined S$^{\text{2}}$worm-G robot is one of the best insect-scale robots for its size, mass, and mobility.

The magnetic flux leakage (MFL) testing method is widely applied in detecting ferromagnetic materials, such as steel pipes. In order to protect the magnetic sensor, nonferromagnetic wear-resistant materials are placed between the sensor and the tested workpiece by conventional MFL. However, the leakage magnetic field (LMF) decays exponentially in the air, reducing the sensitivity. To improve the sensitivity of MFL, a novel approach for enhancing the LMF based on permeability perturbation is proposed in this article. The ferromagnetic materials are used as the medium between the sensor and the workpiece. The ferromagnetic medium generates a magnetic permeability perturbation area under the effect of the LMF, changing the magnetic reluctance in this local area. The difference in the magnetic reluctance in the medium influences the magnetizing field, and an additional LMF is formed, which enhances the LMF. Experiments found that the enhancement effects of different magnetic mediums with different magnetic characteristics were different. Different materials’ enhancement mechanism was analyzed by considering the saturated magnetization. Compared with conventional MFL, the method proposed in this article can increase the LMF and improve the sensitivity of MFL.

Digital certificates are frequently used to secure communications between users and web servers. Critical to the Web’s PKI is the secure validation of digital certificates. Nonetheless, certificate validation itself is complex and error-prone. Moreover, it is also undermined by particular constraints of mobile browsers. However, these issues have long been overlooked. In this article, we undertook the first systematic and large-scale study of the certificate validation mechanism within popular mobile browsers to highlight the necessity of reassessing it among all released browsers. To this end, we first compile a comprehensive test suite to identify security flaws in certificate validation from various aspects. By designing and implementing a generic, automated testing pipeline, we effectively evaluate 30 popular browsers on two mobile OS versions and compare them with five representative desktop browsers. We found the latest mobile browsers Accept as many as 33.2% invalid certificates and Reject merely 5.4% invalid ones on average, leaving the majority of them to be decided by users who usually have little expertise. Our findings shed light on the severity and inconsistency of certificate validation flaws across mobile browsers, which are likely to expose users to MITM attacks, spoofing attacks, and so forth.

The lift-off effect is a widely occurring phenomenon in electromagnetic nondestructive testing. The change in lift-off distance influences the signal amplitude and the stability of the detection signal. The effect has been relatively well studied in conventional eddy current testing and pulsed eddy current testing, but not in motion-induced eddy current (MIEC) testing. In this article, the influence of magnetizer lift-off on the distribution and intensity of the MIEC has been analyzed based on an analytical model. Then, a semi-analytical model (SAM) is proposed for fast computation of defect signals. Based on the SAM and the finite-element method (FEM), the influence of lift-off on the defect signal has been comprehensively studied. The proposed SAM gives results similar to those obtained by FEM, and, at the same time, it extensively increases the computation efficiency. Finally, MIEC testing experiments were performed with a high-speed rotating aluminum disk. The results show that the defect signal amplitude decreases exponentially with the increase of the probe lift-off, and it is a superimposing effect of the magnet lift-off and sensor lift-off.

Grain weight is one of the key components of wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) yield. Genetic manipulation of grain weight is an efficient approach for improving yield potential in breeding programs. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between W7268 and Chuanyu 12 (CY12) was employed to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for thousand-grain weight (TGW), grain length (GL), grain width (GW), and the ratio of grain length to width (GLW) in six environments. Seven major QTLs, QGl.cib-2D, QGw.cib-2D, QGw.cib-3B, QGw.cib-4B.1, QGlw.cib-2D.1, QTgw.cib-2D.1and QTgw.cib-3B.1, were consistently identified in at least four environments and the best linear unbiased estimation (BLUE) datasets, and they explained 2.61 to 34.85% of the phenotypic variance. Significant interactions were detected between the two major TGW QTLs and three major GW loci. In addition, QTgw.cib-3B.1and QGw.cib-3Bwere co-located, and the improved TGW at this locus was contributed by GW. Unlike other loci, QTgw.cib-3B.1/QGw.cib-3Bhad no effect on grain number per spike (GNS). They were further validated in advanced lines using Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers, and a comparison analysis indicated that QTgw.cib-3B.1/QGw.cib-3Bis likely a novel locus. Six haplotypes were identified in the region of this QTL and their distribution frequencies varied between the landraces and cultivars. According to gene annotation, spatial expression patterns, ortholog analysis and sequence variation, the candidate gene of QTgw.cib-3B.1/QGw.cib-3Bwas predicted. Collectively, the major QTLs and KASP markers reported here provide valuable information for elucidating the genetic architecture of grain weight and for molecular marker-assisted breeding in grain yield improvement.

Accumulative roll bonding (ARB) is a severe plastic deformation method to prepare the metallic composite material by physical method at room to elevate temperature, without the generation of additional waste solid or gas. With the physical characteristicsmulti-material and hybrid structure, the mechanical and function properties of the ARB composite material, like Al/steel, Al/Mg, Al/Cu, etc., shall have the “1 + 1 > 2” effect on the mechanical and functional properties, including the remarkable properties that include lightweight, high strength, thermal/electrical conductivity, electromagnetic shielding, and other functions. To deeply investigate the preparation method and microstructural evolution of various metal laminates by ARB, as well as the mechanical and functional properties of the laminate, an overview of the history of ARB technique, the breakthrough of ARB sheet properties, as well as the relative products in industries is provided. Additionally, the future development of ARB technology and the utilization of composite materials in different areas will be discussed.

During the service of an HP tube, carbon diffuses into the tube wall, forming a carburization layer and reducing the mechanical strength. To quantitatively measure the carburization layer thickness, its magnetic properties should be accurately characterized. Magnetic properties, including saturation magnetization and magnetic permeability, of chromium-depleted HP alloy have been characterized by a vibration sample magnetometer and the eddy current method. The microstructural observations were made using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The change of the magnetic properties with chromium content has been quantitatively obtained. The results show that the saturated mass magnetization and magnetic permeability have abrupt increases when chromium content is less than 14.6% and 11.8%, respectively. The obtained properties were further used to quantitatively evaluate the carburization layer thickness in a slice of ex-serviced tube. The estimation error was less than 0.33 mm, indicating the characterized magnetic properties are effective for the carburization layer measurement.

During electromagnetic detection, the disturbing magnetic field generated by the defect is far weaker than the background magnetic field generated by the transmitter. Thus, the background field can cause the magnetic field sensor saturation and bring interference signals. Meanwhile, in the actual detection process, the deformation of the material and the vibration of the probe will bring about the fluctuation of liftoff, which seriously interferes with the detection signal. In order to eliminate these two interferences, first, this article proposes a magnetizer using a double-layer parallel cables magnetic bridge circuit, which eliminates the background magnetic field at the measuring element and enhances the magnetic field at the workpiece. Then, the ability of the probe to simultaneously measure liftoff and detect defects is studied, and a dual-channel amplifier and acquisition system are proposed, which can measure and compensate the liftoff and quantify defects at the same time. Finally, the feasibility for compensation of crack signals using measured liftoff is studied, and within the liftoff variation range of 0.2–2.0 mm, cracks with a depth variation of 1.0–2.0 mm can be effectively compensated.

Current therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is largely hindered by the development of drug resistance of commonly used chemotherapy drugs, including cytarabine, daunorubicin, and idarubicin. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the chemotherapy drug resistance and potential strategy to improve the efficacy of these drugs against AML. By analyzing data from ex vivo drug-response and multi-omics profiling public data for AML, we identified autophagy activation as a potential target in chemotherapy-resistant patients. In THP-1 and MV-4-11 cell lines, knockdown of autophagy-regulated genes ATG5or MAP1LC3Bsignificantly enhanced AML cell sensitivity to the chemotherapy drugs cytarabine, daunorubicin, and idarubicin. In silico screening, we found that chloroquine phosphate mimicked autophagy inactivation. We showed that chloroquine phosphate dose-dependently down-regulated the autophagy pathway in MV-4-11 cells. Furthermore, chloroquine phosphate exerted a synergistic antitumor effect with the chemotherapy drugs in vitro and in vivo. These results highlight autophagy activation as a drug resistance mechanism and the combination therapy of chloroquine phosphate and chemotherapy drugs can enhance anti-AML efficacy.

Designing dual electron transfer channels to achieve efficient carrier separation and understanding the corresponding mechanisms for CO2photoreduction is of great significance. However, it is still challenging to find desirable model to achieve optimal photocatalytic performance. Herein, first-principles calculations and machine learning were combined to predict an optimized microstructure with dual electron transfer channels. The results indicate that the construction of BiOBr-Bi-g-C3N4heterojunction has optimal free energy (|ΔG|) for H2O dissociation and CO2reduction. Besides, the double electron transfer channels and excellent Bi active site can localize the photoexcited carriers at the interlayers rather than randomly distributing. These localized carriers generate intriguing superposition states at a particular timescale that optimize the multi-electronic reaction kinetics pathway of CO2reduction, resulting in a 4.7 and 3.1 fold increase compared to pristine Bi-BiOBr and Bi-g-C3N4with single electron transfer pathway. Machine learning was further used to optimize the experimental parameters, and the photocatalytic mechanism was verified by combining first-principles calculation with comprehensive experimental characterizations. This work provides experimental and theoretical references for the accurate prediction, rational design and ingenious fabrication of high-performance photocatalytic materials.

ABSTRACTTo study the mechanical properties of the membrane bag sand cofferdam under the action of geotextile hoop during the construction, the theoretical derivation of the film-bag sand enhancement mechanism was carried out firstly. A finite element model of sand blowing cofferdam with measured material parameters was established based on the ANSYS platform, and then different pipes were used to calculate the bag height under self-weight and external load, and the variation law of self-weight and external load, as well as the sand blowing cofferdam under different concrete slab thickness was analyzed. The main conclusions include: (1) The relationship between the height of the membrane sandbag and the tensile force of the soil sandbag is proposed, the relationship between the shape of the sandbag and the external load is further deduced. (2) The axial tension of the type bag is proportional to the quadratic of the height of the type bag sand without considering the friction condition. (3) As the concrete slab thickness increases, the vertical settlement of the blown sand cofferdam gradually decreases under the action of the cast-in-place bracket, and the reduction of the uneven settlement in the cross-bridge direction is greater than that of the vertical settlement.

In the real world, road networks with weight and label on edges can be applied in several application domains. The shortest path query with label restrictions has been receiving increasing attention recently. To efficiently answer such kind of queries, a novel index, namely Contraction Hierarchies with Label Restrictions (CHLR), is proposed in the literature. However, existing studies mainly focus on the static road networks and do not support the CHLR maintenance when the road networks are dynamically changed. Motivated by this, in this paper, we investigate the CHLR maintenance problem in dynamic road networks. We first devise a baseline approach to update CHLR by recomputing the potential affected shortcuts. However, many shortcuts recomputed in baseline do not change in fact, which leads to unnecessary overhead of the baseline. To overcome the drawbacks of baseline, we further propose a novel CHLR maintenance algorithm which can only travel little shortcuts through an update propagate chain with accuracy guarantee. Moreover, an optimization strategy is presented to further improve the efficiency of index maintenance. Considering the frequency of edge changes, we also propose a batch index maintenance algorithm to handle batch edge changes which can process a large number of edge changes at once. Furthermore, a parallel method is proposed to further accelerate calculations. Extensive and comprehensive experiments are conducted on real road networks. The experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed algorithms.

The feasibility of preparing Fe/Cu composite sheet was achieved by introducing submillimeter thickness Al sheet as an interlayer by rolling at room temperature. The shear test of the composite sheet supported that the metallurgical bonding strength between Fe/(Al)/Cu interface was stronger than that of Cu sheet at the initial state. With further 300 or 600 °C annealing treatments, the interlayer subsequently exhibited brittle shear fracture, and the shear strength significantly dropped under the shear test. Furthermore, the tensile test pointed out that the tensile fracture mechanism changed from fracture as a whole structure to interlayer-to-layer delamination mode after annealing treatment. The microstructure and X-ray diffraction observations proved that the formation of Cu–Al intermetallic compounds (IMCs) along the interlayer resulted in brittle fracture, rather than that of Fe–Al IMCs after annealing, especially under 600 °C annealing treatment. The investigation of the effect of the rolling process and annealing treatment on the mechanical properties of the Fe/(Al)/Cu composite sheet shall provide instruction for high-quality composite metallic sheet fabrication.

In this work, the friction stir welded AZ31 joint was processed by a two-step post-weld deformation (i.e. compression at room temperature and an elevated temperature, respectively). The microstructure, texture and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. Profuse extension twins were observed after the first-step cold compression along normal direction, which largely affected the dynamic recrystallisation process during the second-step hot compression. Finally, the grain orientations and their convergence on the weld side were effectively altered, thereby contributing substantially to the enhancement of joint performance. Compared to the original joint, the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation were improved 64.7%, 20.8% and 52.5%, respectively. The underline strengthening mechanism was discussed by a comprehensive analysis of Schmid factor and geometric compatibility factor.

AbstractWith the next generation of nuclear reactors under development, modeling and simulation tools are being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy to support their design, licensing, and future operation. Mirroring the physical test beds currently under construction (i.e., Demonstration and Operation of Microreactor Experiments, known as DOME, and Laboratory for Operating and Testing in the United States, known as LOTUS), the Virtual Test Bed was launched by the National Reactor Innovation Center in collaboration with the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program to support the advanced reactor community. This collaborative effort, which involves multiple teams at both Idaho National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, aims to use state-of-the-art simulation tools to model a wide range of reactor designs. These models are automatically tested to ensure their continued functionality as the tools are further developed. Examples are extensively documented, each acting as a tutorial for applying the relevant NEAMS tools to that reactor design. Currently, five advanced reactor types (with a total of 12 specific design subvariants) are simulated by a variety of models. These models range from steady-state, core multiphysics simulations to integrated plant analysis during loss-of-flow transients. To our knowledge, this is the first publicly available library of multiphysics advanced reactor models distributed with extensive documentation and maintained through continuous integration.

Impaired glucose regulation (defined as either impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose) is an important risk factor for the development of diabetes. We aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of metformin plus lifestyle intervention compared with lifestyle intervention alone in preventing diabetes in Chinese participants with impaired glucose regulation.

For magnesium matrix composites (MMCs), it is crucial to enhance their strength while maintaining plasticity. In this work, Ti particle (TiP) reinforced VW94 composites (TiP/VW94 composites) with varying amounts of Ti particles were prepared using a semi-solid stirring-assisted ultrasonic vibration method followed by homogenizing treatment. Microstructural analysis revealed that the addition of Ti particles resulted in grain refinement and facilitated the formation of lamellar long period stacking ordered structure (LPSO) during homogenizing treatment due to the increasing dislocation density. In addition, the jagged interfacial product of MnTi phase was generated at the interface between Ti particles and Mg matrix, and a strong interfacial bonding was formed at the Mg/Ti interface. The tensile test results show that the strength and elongation of TiP/VW94 composites all improved than VW94 matrix alloy and the 5%TiP/VW94 composite presents the best tensile properties with yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and elongation of 173 MPa, 256 MPa and 5.9%, respectively. The improved tensile properties of TiP/VW94 composites can be attributed to grain refinement, load transfer, dispersion strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and an increase in lamellar LPSO.

Primary care clinicians diagnose and manage most of the approximately 13 million Americans affected by major depression each year (Kessler, Merikangas, and Wang 2007). Improving the process of depression care [...], Objective. To advance research on depression communication and treatment by comparing assessments of communication about depression from patient report, clinician report, and chart review to assessments from transcripts. Data. One hundred sixty-four primary care visits from seven health care systems (2010-2011). Study Design. Presence or absence of discussion about depressive symptoms, treatment recommendations, and follow-up was measured using patient and clinician post-visit questionnaires, chart review, and coding of audio transcripts. Sensitivity and specificity of indirect measures compared to transcripts were calculated. Principal Findings. Patient report was sensitive for mood (83 percent) and sleep (83 percent) but not suicide (55 percent). Patient report was specific for suicide (86 percent) but not for other symptoms (44-75 percent). Clinician report was sensitive for all symptoms (83-98 percent) and specific for sleep, memory, and suicide (80-87 percent), but not for other symptoms (45-48 percent). Chart review was not sensitive for symptoms (50-73 percent), but it was specific for sleep, memory, and suicide (88-96 percent). All indirect measures had low sensitivity for treatment recommendations (patient report: 24-42 percent, clinician report 38-50 percent, chart review 49-67 percent) but high specificity (89-96 percent). For definite follow-up plans, all three indirect measures were sensitive (82-96 percent) but not specific (40-57 percent). Conclusions. Clinician report and chart review generally had the most favorable sensitivity and specificity for measuring discussion of depressive symptoms and treatment recommendations, respectively. Key Words. Patient-clinician communication, depression, primary care, quality

Water electrolysis in alkaline media is the most promising technology for hydrogen production, but efficient electrocatalysts are required to reduce the overpotential in HER and OER processes. In this work, the multicomponent transition metal catalyst Cr–Cu/CoOxwas loaded on copper foam by electrodeposition and annealing, and the catalyst exhibited excellent electrochemical activity. The HER overpotential is 21 mV and the OER overpotential is 252 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm–2. The overall water splitting voltage is 1.51 V, even better than the Pt/C//RuO2two-electrode system (1.61 V). The excellent performance of this catalyst is mainly derived from the close synergistic interaction among Cu, Co, and Cr. The doping of Cr modulates the valence states of Cu and Co at the active sites and improves the adsorption of various reaction intermediates. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the doping of Cr can optimize the adsorption of the reaction intermediate H*. Meanwhile, the high-valent Cr and Co promote hydrolysis through strong adsorption with OH–. The present work provides a reasonable strategy for designing low-cost transition metals as efficient catalysts for water electrolysis.