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Parameter uncertainties in the electromechanical actuator system and the obvious friction nonlinearity in the low speed stage will greatly deteriorate the control performance and even lead to system instability. In this paper, an adaptive super-twisting sliding mode controller with neural network (ASTSMNNC) is proposed for the electromechanical actuator system. The LuGre model is used to describe the nonlinear friction, a nonlinear dual-observer is designed to observe the LuGre model internal friction state, a parameter adaptive law is designed to estimate the unknown parameters existing in the system, the time-varying disturbance in the system is estimated by using the universal approximation property of neural network. The feedforward compensation technology is used to compensate the estimated errors of parameters and the observed error of disturbance, the second-order nonlinear sliding mode is designed to compensate the residual estimated errors of parameters and neural network, and the chattering phenomenon caused by the sliding mode control can be reduced at the same time. What’s more, the controller theoretically guarantees a prescribed tracking performance in the presence of various uncertainties, which is very important for high-accuracy control of motion systems. Lyapunov stability theorem is used to prove that the proposed controller can achieve the bounded stability of the system. Extensive comparative experimental results are obtained to verify the high-performance nature of the proposed control strategy.

Markov decision processes (MDPs) are widely used for modeling sequential decision-making problems under uncertainty. We propose an online algorithm for solving a class of average-reward MDPs with continuous state spaces in a model-free setting. The algorithm combines the classical relative Q-learning with an asynchronous averaging procedure, which permits the Q-value estimate at a state–action pair to be updated based on observations at other neighboring pairs sampled in subsequent iterations. These point estimates are then retained and used for constructing an interpolation-based function approximator that predicts the Q-function values at unexplored state–action pairs. We show that with probability one the sequence of function approximators converges to the optimal Q-function up to a constant. Numerical results on a simple benchmark example are reported to illustrate the algorithm.

Measuring the complex permittivity of ultrathin, flexible materials with a high loss tangent poses a substantial challenge with precision using conventional methods, and verifying the accuracy of test results remains difficult. In this study, we introduce a methodology based on a back-propagation artificial neural network (ANN) to extract the complex permittivity of paper-based composites (PBCs). PBCs are ultrathin and flexible materials exhibiting considerable complex permittivity and dielectric loss tangent. Given the absence of mature measurement methods for PBCs and a lack of sufficient data for ANN training, a mapping relationship is initially established between the complex permittivity of honeycomb-structured microwave-absorbing materials (HMAMs, composed of PBCs) and that of PBCs using simulated data. Leveraging the ANN model, the complex permittivity of PBCs can be extracted from that of HMAMs obtained using standard measurement. Subsequently, two published methods are cited to illustrate the accuracy and advancement of the results obtained using the proposed approach. Additionally, specific error analysis is conducted, attributing discrepancies to the conductivity of PBCs, the homogenization of HMAMs, and differences between the simulation model and actual objects. Finally, the proposed method is applied to optimize the cell length parameters of HMAMs for enhanced absorption performance. The conclusion discusses further improvements and areas for extended research.

The work focuses on the utilization of the conventional solid-state sintering procedure to synthesize white phosphors Ca2InTaO6:xDy3+(0.02 ≤ x ≤ 0.12). Utilizing X-ray diffraction, the phase structure of samples was examined, and the crystal structure was refined using the Rietveld method. A scanning electron microscope was used to analyze the microstructure of sample. First-principles calculations confirm that the indirect bandgap of Ca2InTaO6is 3.786 eV. The luminous properties and energy transfer mechanism of Ca2InTaO6:xDy3+were studied using photoluminescence spectroscopy. The 4F9/2 → 6H13/2transition of Dy3+ions is responsible for the greatest emission peak, which was measured at 575 nm. According to research, the lifespan falls as the concentration of Dy3+doping amount rises because of frequent interaction and energy transfer between Dy3+ions. The correlated color temperature of the W-LEDs packaged with Ca2InTaO6:0.08Dy3+is 4677 K and CIE 1931 chromaticity coordinates are (0.3578, 0.3831). Meantime, the phosphor also shows outstanding temperature stability property, which maintains 83.8% of its initial emission intensity at 450 K (activation energy of 0.1467 eV). The W-LEDs retain their performance for 100 min when powered at 3.4 V voltage and 600 mA current, demonstrating the packed W-LEDs' sustained operation at high temperatures.

The metal hydride bed (MHB) reactor is an effective instrument for storing hydrogen. However, thermal stress causes the cooling tube expansion inside the MHB. The long-term effects will lead to the failure of the cooling tube. To absorb the thermal stress and reduce the deformation of the cooling tubes, this article establishes an MHB reactor with corrugated cooling tubes to study its hydrogen absorption performance. The results prove that some parameters are adversarial and flow rate patterns are complex (such as extreme flow rate and insufficient flow rate) in the hydrogen absorption process of the corrugated tube MHB reactor, which makes it impossible to optimize the structure of the corrugated tube through the gradient method. Under the condition of a fixed corrugated tube volume of 3×10−6m3and a cooling water volumetric flow rate of 0.5×10−4m3/s, the structural parameters of the corrugated tube are optimized by the Monte Carlo algorithm. According to the optimized results (N=8, ro=4.25 mm, ri=3.98 mm, do=3.17 mm, di=4.33 mm), the hydrogen absorption efficiency of the corrugated tube MHB reactor (reaction fraction 0.758) is 1.36 times that of the straight tube (reaction fraction 0.557) at 560 s. Thus, the corrugated tube can reduce thermal stress and improve the heat transfer effect. This research is beneficial in improving long-term stability, enhancing operational efficiency, and reducing the volume and weight of large MHB reactors.

At the first interim analysis of the KEYNOTE-671 trial, adding perioperative pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved event-free survival in participants with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We report overall survival and health-related quality of life outcomes from the second interim analysis.

The bio-corrosion behavior and bio-compatibility of TiNbZrTa and TiNbZrTaMo high entropy alloys (HEAs) are crucial for their efficient maintenance during biological implantation. In this work, TiNbZrTa and TiNbZrTaMo HEAs were successfully prepared via vacuum melting, with a β-type titanium alloy Ti35Nb7Zr5Ta, exhibiting good biocompatibility used as a comparison. Due to the high entropy effect of equal atomic ratios, both TiNbZrTa and TiNbZrTaMo HEAs exhibit body-centered cubic (BCC) structure and lattice distortion compared to the β titanium alloy Ti35Nb7Zr5Ta. Mo elements contribute to the formation of a new BCC phase, resulting in a white matrix rich in Ta and Mo, and a dark second phase rich in Ti, Zr, and Nb. Electrochemical test results at 37 °C shown that TiNbZrTa has a wider and more stable passivation area than TiNbZrTaMo. The XPS results shown that formation of the passive film is related to the main elements added. Ti, Nb, Ta and Mo formed oxides via the solid-liquid interface and migrate inward, while Zr is formed at the passivation film/metal substrate interface and migrates outward, finally forming the layered structure of the passivation film. Additionally, the cytotoxicity test of mouse fiber cells was carried out to evaluate the biocompatibility of the HEAs. The results shown that the cell proliferation rate of TiNbZrTa and TiNbZrTaMo HEAs reached 0 and 1, respectively, with TiNbZrTa exhibiting better biocompatibility, as adding Mo reduced the cell proliferation rate. These findings may provide a method for predicting the bio-corrosion behavior and bio-compatibility of HEAs used for biological implantation.

Designing high-performance binder-free electrochemical electrodes is crucially important toward supercapacitors. In this paper, a Zn/N-doped porous carbon film coating on flexible carbon nanotubes (ZIF-8@CT-800) derived from the epitaxial Zn-MOF film growth on cotton textile was successfully fabricated via a combination of the liquid-phase epitaxial (LPE) method and calcination treatments. The ZIF-8@CT-800 serves directly as a self-supported electrode for supercapacitors and exhibits a high areal capacitance of 930 mF·cm–2at a current density of 1 mA·cm–2and a good recyclability of 86% after 2000 cycles. The excellent supercapacitor property is ascribed to the unique structural design of ZIF-8@CT-800, which provides appropriate channels for enhanced electronic and ionic transport as well as increased surface area for accessing more electrolyte ions. This work will provide significant guidance for designing MOF-derived porous carbon to construct flexible binder-free electrode materials with high electrochemical performance.

Uncertainty exists about whether lowering systolic blood pressure to less than 120 mm Hg is superior to that of less than 140 mm Hg, particularly in patients with diabetes and patients with previous stroke.

In this paper, we described a palladium/norbornene-catalyzed ortho-C–H phosphormethylation of aryl iodides using XCH2P(O)RR′, offering a reliable method for the modular synthesis of polysubstituted α-phosphorylated arenes. Alkenylation, hydrogenation, cyanation, methylation, and arylation were all viable termination steps compatible with the reaction. This method demonstrates excellent functional group tolerance and can be extended to the late-stage modification of bioactive molecules. Furthermore, the synthetic transformations of the products demonstrate the practical utility of this reaction.

Multivalent battery chemistries have been explored in response to the increasing demand for high-energy rechargeable batteries utilizing sustainable resources. Solvation structures of working cations have been recognized as a key component in the design of electrolytes; however, most structure–property correlations of metal ions in organic electrolytes usually build upon favorable static solvation structures, often overlooking solvent exchange dynamics. We here report the ion solvation structures and solvent exchange rates of magnesium electrolytes in various solvents by using multimodal nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis and molecular dynamics/density functional theory (MD/DFT) calculations. These magnesium solvation structures and solvent exchange dynamics are correlated to the combined effects of several physicochemical properties of the solvents. Moreover, Mg2+transport and interfacial charge transfer efficiency are found to be closely correlated to the solvent exchange rate in the binary electrolytes where the solvent exchange is tunable by the fraction of diluent solvents. Our primary findings are (1) most battery-related solvents undergo ultraslow solvent exchange coordinating to Mg2+(with time scales ranging from 0.5 μs to 5 ms), (2) the cation transport mechanism is a mixture of vehicular and structural diffusion even at the ultraslow exchange limit (with faster solvent exchange leading to faster cation transport), and (3) an interfacial model wherein organic-rich regions facilitate desolvation and inorganic regions promote Mg2+transport is consistent with our NMR, electrochemistry, and cryogenic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (cryo-XPS) results. This observed ultraslow solvent exchange and its importance for ion transport and interfacial properties necessitate the judicious selection of solvents and informed design of electrolyte blends for multivalent electrolytes.

As the most critical safety issue for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), thermal runaway (TR) may occur during operation, but the characteristics of TR under such conditions are not clear yet. Hence, the TR processes are studied under discharge conditions in this work. Firstly, TR is investigated under thermal abuse coupled with discharge to obtain the critical parameters at the cell level, compared with the test without discharge operation, the onset temperature of TR shows significant changes based on the residual state of charge (SOC), but the maximum difference of TR incubation time is only about 3%. Subsequently, the effect mechanism of discharge on TR is analyzed by clarifying the heat source contribution of the cells, the heat generated by the cell becomes the main driving force of TR before the discharge ratio reaches its maximum value, and the difference in total heat accumulation is caused by the scale of exothermic side reactions of LIB under the influence of SOC. The lower the cell SOC, the more heat is generated by the cell itself to trigger TR. Lastly, the effectiveness of discharge to mitigate TR propagation also has been verified from various perspectives at the module level. The results are expected to provide a reference for the safe application of LIBs and TR disaster mitigation.

The ethylene-forming enzyme (EFE) is an Fe(II), 2-oxoglutarate (2OG), and l-arginine (l-Arg)-dependent oxygenase that either forms ethylene and three CO2/bicarbonate from 2OG or couples the decarboxylation of 2OG to C5 hydroxylation of l-Arg. l-Arg binds with C5 toward the metal center, causing 2OG to change from monodentate to chelate metal interaction and OD1 to OD2 switch of D191 metal coordination. We applied anaerobic UV–visible spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and computational approaches to three EFE systems with high-resolution structures. The ineffective l-Arg analogue l-canavanine binds to the EFE with O5 pointing away from the metal center while promoting chelate formation by 2OG but fails to switch the D191 metal coordination from OD1 to OD2. Substituting alanine for R171 that interacts with 2OG and l-Arg inactivates the protein, prevents metal chelation by 2OG, and weakens l-Arg binding. The R171A EFE had electron density at the 2OG binding site that was identified by mass spectrometry as benzoic acid. The substitution by alanine of Y306 in the EFE, a residue 12 Å away from the catalytic metal center, generates an interior cavity that leads to multiple local and distal structural changes that reduce l-Arg binding and significantly reduce the enzyme activity. Flexibility analyses revealed correlated and anticorrelated motions in each system, with important distinctions from the wild-type enzyme. In combination, the results are congruent with the currently proposed enzyme mechanism, reinforce the importance of metal coordination by OD2 of D191, and highlight the importance of the second coordination sphere and longer range interactions in promoting EFE activity.

Duodenal perforation caused by foreign bodies (FBs) is very rare but is an urgent emergency that traditionally requires surgical intervention. Several case reports have reported the successful endoscopic removal of duodenal perforating FBs. Here we aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic management of duodenal perforating FBs in adults. Between October 2004 and October 2022, 12,851 patients with endoscopically diagnosed gastrointestinal FBs from four tertiary hospitals in China were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were enrolled if they were endoscopically and/or radiographically diagnosed with duodenal perforating FBs. The incidence of duodenal total FBs and perforating FBs was 1.9% and 0.3%, respectively. Thirty‐four patients were enrolled. Endoscopic removal was achieved in 25 patients (73.5%), and nine patients (26.5%) received surgery. For the endoscopic group, most perforating FBs were located in the duodenal bulb (36.0%) and descending part (28.0%). The adverse events included 3 mucosal injuries and 1 localized peritonitis. All patients were cured after conventional treatment. In the surgical group, most FBs were lodged in the descending part (55.6%). One patient developed localized peritonitis and one patient died of multiple organ failure. The significant features of FBs requiring surgery included FB over 10 cm, both sides perforation, multiple perforating FBs and massive pus overflow. Endoscopic removal of duodenal perforating FBs is safe and effective, and can be the first choice of treatment for experienced endoscopists. Surgical intervention may be required for patients with FBs over 10 cm, both sides perforation, multiple perforating FBs, or severe infections.

In previous work, we demonstrated the creation of bespoke tactile elements on 3-D surfaces through the “Embedding Soft material into Structure ENabling Tactile sensing” (ESSENT) approach. Each tactile sensing channel is filled with soft material, transforming applied force at one end of the channel into a microdeformation at the other end of the channel, measured by means of emitting light and sensing the intensity of the reflected light. However, due to the large number of design parameters of the sensing channel structure, it is difficult to predict the optimal parameters for the desired tactile sensing specifications. In such case, consistent performance among multiple tactile sensing channels requires a tedious trial-and-error approach. Such problem deteriorates rapidly with the increase in the number of tactile sensing elements, hindering the widespread adoption of ESSENT technology toward high-density arrays and complex surface layouts. To address this challenge, this article presents a multiobjective optimization method for designing the parameters of ESSENT sensing channels. Theoretical predictions and experimental results show that by identifying the channel design parameters, sensing consistency can be significantly improved. Describing by mean square deviation, the value based on the best optimization result (0.0394) is seven times better than nonoptimized sensing channels (0.2865). Moreover, by calculating the sensitivity of different channels in an array sensor, we found that the variance of sensitivity across sensing channels after optimization is one order of magnitude smaller than that without optimization.

Utilizing advanced information technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence (AI), China has established and implemented the Intelligent Infectious Disease Active Surveillance and Early Warning System. It provides new tools for the surveillance, early warning, and response to infectious diseases, enhancing the timeliness, scientific basis, and efficiency of epidemic control efforts. The system comprises four functional modules including multi-channel active surveillance, intelligent early warning, data-driven risk assessment, and smart emergency response. This paper provides a detailed overview of the structure and functions of the Intelligent Infectious Disease Active Surveillance and Early Warning System in China, with a specific focus on its application in dengue prevention and control in Hainan Province from February to May 2024. Firstly, the system can proactively capture and integrate heterogeneous surveillance data from multiple sources. Based on these multi-channel data, users can select appropriate warning indicators and AI models to automatically trigger early warnings. Using vast amounts of surveillance data, the system can construct machine learning models to accurately assess the transmission risk of infectious diseases. In terms of emergency response, the system offers powerful tools for early diagnosis, smart epidemiological investigation, digital contact tracing, vaccine and drug development, and evaluation of intervention measures. This system facilitates early detection, reporting, and management of outbreaks, serving as a valuable reference for other countries and regions. Nevertheless, continuous efforts are needed to strengthen scientific research and multidisciplinary collaboration, establish reliable data collection mechanisms, enhance continuous model monitoring and adjustments, and leverage the latest large language models. In the future, the system will be further optimized to help control emerging and major infectious diseases more effectively.

Zeolites with different framework structures (SSZ-13, ZSM-5, BEA) but similar Si/Al ratios (~ 12–15) and Pd loading (~ 1 wt%) were synthesized and evaluated as low-temperature passive NOx adsorbers (PNA). These materials exhibit high NOx adsorption efficiency with atomically dispersed Pd being the active adsorption site. Hydrothermal aging at 750 °C for 16 h in the presence of 10% water vapor in air resulted in the formation of PdO nanoparticles in all three samples as evidenced by high-energy XRD. Hydrothermal aging of the small-pore 1–3 wt% Pd/SSZ-13 (Si/Al = 6) materials, which contain ~ 100–90% atomically dispersed palladium ions, decreases its PNA performance only by ~ 10–20%, indicating agglomeration of only ~ 10–20% of atomically dispersed Pd into PdO. High-field solid state 27Al NMR studies on the fresh and aged samples reveal dealumination and significant changes in the distribution of Al (and thus, Brönsted acid) sites after hydrothermal aging. FTIR measurements with NO probe molecule and titration of Brönsted acid sites with nitrosyl (NO+) ions further corroborate the 27Al NMR data. Because framework aluminum atoms are the anchoring sites for atomically dispersed Pd ions, their elution from the framework causes the loss of active atomically dispersed Pd species. With the aid of HAADF-STEM imaging and synchrotron XRD studies, we further confirm and visualize the fate of these Pd species: they agglomerate into PdO nanoparticles on the external surface of zeolite. Consequently, these changes lead to the decrease in PNA performance of these materials after hydrothermal aging. The thus formed PdO agglomerates cannot be re-dispersed back to their ionic state due to the loss of framework Al T-sites and/or inherent stability of such large PdO particles. Our study demonstrates that, unlike in previous studies that found increased PNA performance upon HTA, high temperatures hydrothermal aging of PNA materials that contain atomically dispersed Pd initially results in a decrease in NOx storage efficiency due to the formation of PdO agglomerates. However, we also highlight the high hydrothermal stability of predominantly atomically dispersed 1–3 wt% Pd/SSZ-13 (Si/Al = 6), whose performance decreases only marginally after prolonged hydrothermal aging at 750 °C. This study shows that hydrothermally stable passive NOx materials can be prepared using small-pore SSZ-13 zeolite.

Defect detection tasks of solid propellants (SPs), involving size, shape, and surface defects, are essential for ensuring the quality of many industrial products. Developing separate models for three tasks, however, is complicated and inefficient due to the redundant deployment. Multitask learning (MTL), with its potential for knowledge sharing, may greatly reduce the space and power consumption, but still faces the challenges of destructive interference and empirical tradeoffs between tasks. To this end, a novel end-to-end network for multidefect detection of SPs is put forth: 1) a new setting for MTL without any empirical tradeoffs is introduced, in which the knowledge is shared while the models are not visible to each other among diverse tasks; 2) in this setting, a bilateral feature extractor is constructed to extract both low- and high-level features, and a feature fusion module is further exploited to encourage each task to adaptively learn the task-specific knowledge; 3) an end-to-end training manner with a dynamic balance strategy and a gradient stop-flow strategy is designed to ensure that different tasks can benefit from, but do not interfere with, each other; 4) the introduction of semantic knowledge from the size detection branch enables the surface detection branch to learn semantic features beyond only pixel-to-pixel mapping. A smoothness construction loss is further designed to boost the performance of the surface detection task. Experimental results on an image dataset from a real-world manufacturing line show that the setting for MTL has the superiority in terms of the model size, inference speed, and detection accuracy.

Simulation optimization is a widely used tool in the analysis and optimization of complex stochastic systems. The majority of the previous works on simulation optimization rely heavily on detailed system information, such as the distributions of input variables and the system dynamics. However, it is usually costly and even unrealistic to obtain such detailed information in practice. To overcome this difficulty, new methods are needed to solve stochastic optimization problems based on simulation outputs or real-world data and fairly limited knowledge of the underlying system, i.e., in a blackbox setting. In this paper, we provide an up-to-date overview of the subject of blackbox simulation optimization, which has only been attracting attention from the simulation community in recent years. We discuss some of the new stochastic approximation algorithms developed recently for blackbox stochastic optimization. We also discuss challenges and potential future research opportunities.

An NFC tag chip employing the ISO/IEC14443-A protocol is developed in SMIC $0.13\mu \text{m}$ EEPROM 2P6M CMOS process, boasting a chip area of $620.03\mu \text{m}\times 567.93\mu \text{m}$ and a power consumption of under $100\mu \text{W}$ . The chip addresses critical issues such as reducing power consumption and minimizing area costs for covering numerous IoT nodes. For a small area of the chip, a specialized ESD protection circuit is proposed, efficiently multiplexing discharge transistors, cross-gate connected rectifiers, limiters for overvoltage protection, and load switch modulators within the chip’s limited space. For power efficiency, a compact $175.44\mu \text{m}\times 32.98\mu \text{m}\,\,18.52\mu \text{A}$ LDO based on the current mirror and current feedback is presented for the DC supply during the 100% ASK modulation. Additionally, an ASK demodulator and a 13.56MHz±kHz clock generator are designed in compact areas of $62.19\mu \text{m}\times 56.06\mu \text{m}$ and $24.76\mu \text{m}\times 13.14\mu \text{m}$ , respectively. These components ensure stable protocol communication with digital circuits and support a 7kb EEPROM, providing a comprehensive solution for NFC-based IoT information collection.

Metropolitansworldwide are increasingly adopting electric taxis (ET) to address concerns about transportation-related emissions. However, the widespread deployment of electric taxis presents challenges in terms of increased electricity demand and changing demand profiles. This transition impacts both the urban transportation network (TN) and the electricity power distribution network (PDN), highlighting the interdependence between these two systems. In this paper, we propose a two-stage stochastic programming planning model that aims to optimize both the TN and PDN, enabling efficient deployment of charging stations and grid upgrades. Our model seeks to strike a balance between meeting ET drivers' charging preferences, minimizing the costs associated with infrastructure deployment and grid expansion, and harmonizing the coordination between the TN and PDN. Additionally, we explore the potential benefits of utilizing an autonomous ET fleet to enhance overall system performance.

This study delves into the alterations in resonant frequencies due to bending in flexible sensor applications. We examined the resonant frequencies of four inductor–capacitor (LC) resonant circuits subjected to various bending conditions and assessed the performance of LC temperature sensors under different bending states. Optimization of the sensor coil parameters was achieved through finite element simulations. LC resonant circuits were fabricated on flexible Pi films utilizing an inkjet printing technique, followed by bending tests. Our findings indicate a rise in the circuit’s resonant frequency as the bending radius diminishes. Separate simulations for capacitors and inductors revealed that the factors influencing the shift in resonant frequency after bending vary across LC sensors with different architectures. Additionally, we evaluated two configurations of LC temperature sensors in bending states. Notably, the reel-type LC temperature sensor, designed for direct winding at the temperature measurement site, demonstrated a measurement sensitivity of 89.3 KHz/°C, presenting a pioneering approach for temperature assessment in constrained, enclosed, and curved environments. The insights gleaned from this research are instrumental for the design and optimization of flexible sensors in practical applications.

Tumor-infiltrating T cells offer a promising avenue for cancer treatment, yet their states remain to be fully characterized. Here we present a single-cell atlas of T cells from 308,048 transcriptomes across 16 cancer types, uncovering previously undescribed T cell states and heterogeneous subpopulations of follicular helper, regulatory and proliferative T cells. We identified a unique stress response state, TSTR, characterized by heat shock gene expression. TSTRcells are detectable in situ in the tumor microenvironment across various cancer types, mostly within lymphocyte aggregates or potential tertiary lymphoid structures in tumor beds or surrounding tumor edges. T cell states/compositions correlated with genomic, pathological and clinical features in 375 patients from 23 cohorts, including 171 patients who received immune checkpoint blockade therapy. We also found significantly upregulated heat shock gene expression in intratumoral CD4/CD8+cells following immune checkpoint blockade treatment, particularly in nonresponsive tumors, suggesting a potential role of TSTRcells in immunotherapy resistance. Our well-annotated T cell reference maps, web portal and automatic alignment/annotation tool could provide valuable resources for T cell therapy optimization and biomarker discovery.

This study addressed the kinetics characteristics and pyrolysis behavior of waste industrial lignin in a thermogravimetric analyzer. DAEM and Coats-Redfern integration methods were employed to evaluate the kinetic parameters at varying heating rates (10–30 °C/min). The physicochemical inspection showed that the industrial lignin had excellent prospects to produce finest chemicals. The TGA results illustrated that the pyrolysis process of industrial lignin could be divided into three stages, including the water loss stage, massive decomposition stage (255–376℃), and charring stage (392–508℃). The activation energies calculated by DAEM are 12.7–23.9 kJ/mol as V/V* rose and 21–27 kJ/mol by the Coats-Redfern integration method of different pyrolysis stages. In addition, the average activation energy of the massive decomposition stage was higher than that of the charring stage. The similar activation energies calculated by both DAEM and Coats-Redfern methods confirmed the accuracy of the kinetic calculations.

Palladium (Pd)-based catalysts efficiently convert ammonium formate solution to hydrogen at low temperatures (<100 °C), but they tend to deactivate quickly during stability testing. This manuscript presents a systematic investigation into the catalytic properties of Pd–Ag bimetallic catalysts, focusing on their surface compositions and exploring the mechanisms behind the deactivation of Pd/Ag-based catalysts. This study reports a carbon-supported Pd–Ag bimetallic nanoparticle (NP) catalyst obtained through a galvanic replacement method, which showed enhanced formate dehydrogenation performance. The best catalyst, Pd3Ag10/ACA-G (Pd–Ag bimetallic NPs with a 3 : 10 mass ratio loaded on acid-washed activated carbon, prepared by the galvanic replacement method), presents the highest activity with a TOF of 5202 h−1(∼2.6-fold of commercial Pd/C). The enhanced electron density of Pd–Ag bimetallic nanoparticles, coupled with the advantages of a smaller nanoparticle size, and the modulation of hydrogen adsorption energy through the Ag/Pd surface alloy on the Ag/Pd(111) facet, collectively resulted in experimentally higher turnover rates of hydrogen production. The changes on the catalyst surface, including surface Ag fraction decrease, NP size growth, and O-containing species (carboxylate, etc.) adsorption, gradually resulted in catalyst deactivation.

This article proposes a new dual-polarization multiprobe arch measurement system with a 2–18-GHz measurement frequency range. The basic principle of the arch measurement system is reviewed, and the hardware is introduced in detail. Based on the simulated results, the time gating method is presented, proving a useful way to reduce spurious coupling and clutter interference. The proposed arch measurement system is implemented, and some materials, such as commercial PTFE, FR-4, and customized paper-based honeycomb N15, are measured for verification. The results based on our proposed method have approximately ±2-dB amplitude differences and 1-GHz frequency shift compared to those results based on the RCS method and approximately 5-dB amplitude differences and 2-GHz shift compared to those results based on another customized arch system. The calculated uncertainty of the whole system is less than 4 dB, and the measurement time of a single sample is within 2 min. The proposed measurement system has remarkable advantages, such as high measurement accuracy, fast measurement speed, and wide application range.

Understanding the cellular processes that underlie early lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) development is needed to devise intervention strategies1. Here we studied 246,102 single epithelial cells from 16 early-stage LUADs and 47 matched normal lung samples. Epithelial cells comprised diverse normal and cancer cell states, and diversity among cancer cells was strongly linked to LUAD-specific oncogenic drivers. KRASmutant cancer cells showed distinct transcriptional features, reduced differentiation and low levels of aneuploidy. Non-malignant areas surrounding human LUAD samples were enriched with alveolar intermediate cells that displayed elevated KRT8expression (termed KRT8+alveolar intermediate cells (KACs) here), reduced differentiation, increased plasticity and driver KRASmutations. Expression profiles of KACs were enriched in lung precancer cells and in LUAD cells and signified poor survival. In mice exposed to tobacco carcinogen, KACs emerged before lung tumours and persisted for months after cessation of carcinogen exposure. Moreover, they acquired Krasmutations and conveyed sensitivity to targeted KRAS inhibition in KAC-enriched organoids derived from alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells. Last, lineage-labelling of AT2 cells or KRT8+cells following carcinogen exposure showed that KACs are possible intermediates in AT2-to-tumour cell transformation. This study provides new insights into epithelial cell states at the root of LUAD development, and such states could harbour potential targets for prevention or intervention.

In this paper, we propose a new unbiased stochastic derivative estimator in a framework that can handle discontinuous sample performances with structural parameters. This work extends the three most popular unbiased stochastic derivative estimators: (1) infinitesimal perturbation analysis (IPA), (2) the likelihood ratio (LR) method, and (3) the weak derivative method, to a setting where they did not previously apply. Examples in probability constraints, control charts, and financial derivatives demonstrate the broad applicability of the proposed framework. The new estimator preserves the single-run efficiency of the classic IPA-LR estimators in applications, which is substantiated by numerical experiments. Funding: This work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71571048, 71720107003, 71690232, 71371015], by the National Science Foundation [Grants CMMI-0856256, CMMI-1362303, CMMI-1434419], by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research [Grant FA9550-15-10050], and by the Science and Technology Agency of Sichuan Province [Grant 2014GZX0002]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/opre.2017.1674. Keywords: simulation * stochastic derivative estimation * discontinuous sample performance * likelihood ratio * perturbation analysis * weak derivative, 1. Introduction Stochastic derivative estimation is an active research area in simulation optimization, because it plays a central role in both sensitivity analysis and gradient-based optimization (see Asmussen and Glynn [...]

Solid-state materials with efficient room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) emission have been widely used in materials science, and organic RTP-emitting systems with heavy-metal doping in aqueous solutions have attracted much attention in recent years. A novel supramolecular interaction was induced by host–guest assembly using cucurbit[7]uril (Q[7]) as the host and brominated naphthalimide phosphor as the guest. This interaction was further enhanced through synergistic chelation stimulated by analytical silver ion complexation. This approach facilitated the system’s structural rigidity, intersystem crossing, and oxygen shielding. We achieved deep red phosphorescence emission in aqueous solution and ambient conditions along with quantitative determination of silver ions. The new complex exhibited good reversible thermoresponsive behavior and was successfully applied for the first time to target phosphorescence imaging of silver ions in the mitochondria of A549 cancer cells. These results are beneficial for constructing novel RTP systems with stimulus-responsive luminescence in aqueous solution, contributing to future research in bioimaging, detection, optical sensors, and thermometry materials.

The (mutual) interactions of water and cyclohexanol with the pore walls and functional groups of Brønsted acidic zeolites of the BEA type (H-BEA) have been investigated. Upon reaction with Brønsted acid sites, water forms hydrated hydroxonium ions limited in size by the sorption free energy, creating in this way domains occupied by water. Organic molecules, such as cyclohexanol, occupy the remaining unoccupied volume. The pore size of the zeolite H-BEA stabilizes hydrated hydroxonium ions (H+(H2O)10) that are two H2O molecules larger than those formed in the smaller pore zeolite H-ZSM-5. Increasing the density of hydroxonium ions by increasing the concentration of aluminum in the zeolite gradually leads to less negative standard free energy of adsorbed cyclohexanol. The increasing proximity of positive charges of the hydroxonium ions induces a higher excess chemical potential of the sorbed molecule, which is manifested in a weakened interaction strength with the zeolite pores.

LarB catalyzes the first step of biosynthesis for the nickel-pincer nucleotide cofactor by converting nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (NaAD) to AMP and pyridinium-3,5-biscarboxylic acid mononucleotide (P2CMN). Prior studies had shown that LarB uses CO2for substrate carboxylation and reported the structure of a Lactiplantibacillus plantarumLarB·NAD+complex, revealing a covalent linkage between Cys221 and C4 of the pyridine ring. This interaction was proposed to promote C5 carboxylation, with C5-carboxylated-NaAD suggested to activate magnesium-bound water, leading to phosphoanhydride hydrolysis. Here, we extended the analysis of wild-type LarB by using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy to obtain additional evidence for cysteinyl side chain attachment to the ring of NAD+, thus demonstrating that this linkage is not a crystallization artifact. Using the S127A variant of L. plantarumLarB, a form of the enzyme with a reduced rate of NaAD hydrolysis, we examined its interaction with the authentic substrate. The intermediate arising from C5 carboxylation of NaAD, dinicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (DaAD), was identified by using mass spectrometry. S127A LarB exhibited spectroscopic evidence of a Cys221-NAD+adduct, but a covalent enzyme-NaAD linkage was not detectable. We determined the S127A LarB·NaAD structure, providing new insights into the enzyme mechanism, and tentatively identified the position and mode of CO2binding. The crystal structure revealed the location of the side chain for Glu180, which was previously disordered, but showed that it is not well positioned to abstract the C5 proton in the adduct species to restore aromaticity as Cys221 is expelled. Based on these combined results, we propose a revised catalytic mechanism of LarB..

Crystallization of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) either blended with or coated with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) during isothermal and nonisothermal processes has been studied, which reveals the influence of the interaction way between PVDF and CTAB on the polymorphic behavior of PVDF. The random dispersion of CTAB with limited content in the blend sample leads to three different states of PVDF chains, i.e., intact chains and TGTG′ and TTT chain sequences induced by the ion–dipole interaction. While the intact chains and TGTG′ sequences promote the crystallization of PVDF in the α-phase, the TTT chain sequences cause the crystallization of PVDF in the γ-phase at high temperatures, which endows a full transformation of α into γ′at the later stage. On the other hand, for the PVDF coated with CTAB, the ion–dipole interaction results in the long TTT sequences, or even all-trans chain segments, at the interface between PVDF and CTAB, which ensure the crystallization of PVDF directly in the γ-phase at high temperatures but in the β-phase during melt-quenching. This provides a simple and effective method for fabricating high-crystallinity (e.g., 47%) electroactive PVDF thin films with a preferential β-phase of ca. 95.3% and a small amount of γ-phase (around 4.7%).

Predictive understanding of the molecular interaction of electrolyte ions and solvent molecules and their chemical reactivity on electrodes has been a major challenge but is essential for addressing instabilities and surface passivation that occur at the electrode–electrolyte interface of multivalent magnesium batteries. In this work, the isolated intrinsic reactivities of prominent chemical species present in magnesium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonimide) (Mg(TFSI)2) in diglyme (G2) electrolytes, including ionic (TFSI–, [Mg(TFSI)]+, [Mg(TFSI):G2]+, and [Mg(TFSI):2G2]+) as well as neutral molecules (G2) on a well-defined magnesium vanadate cathode (MgV2O4) surface, have been studied using a combination of first-principles calculations and multimodal spectroscopy analysis. Our calculations show that nonsolvated [Mg(TFSI)]+is the strongest adsorbing species on the MgV2O4surface compared with all other ions while partially solvated [Mg(TFSI):G2]+is the most reactive species. The cleavage of C–S bonds in TFSI–to form CF3–is predicted to be the most desired pathway for all ionic species, which is followed by the cleavage of C–O bonds of G2 to yield CH3+or OCH3–species. The strong stabilization and electron transfer between ionic electrolyte species and MgV2O4is found to significantly favor these decomposition reactions on the surface compared with intrinsic gas-phase dissociation. Experimentally, we used state-of-the-art ion soft landing to selectively deposit mass-selected TFSI–, [Mg(TFSI):G2]+, and [Mg(TFSI):2G2]+on a MgV2O4thin film to form a well-defined electrolyte–MgV2O4interface. Analysis of the soft-landed interface using X-ray photoelectron, X-ray absorption near-edge structure, electron energy-loss spectroscopies, as well as transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of decomposition species (e.g., MgFx, carbonates) and the higher amount of MgFxwith [Mg(TFSI):G2]+formed in the interfacial region, which corroborates the theoretical observation. Overall, these results indicate that Mg2+desolvation results in electrolyte decomposition facilitated by surface adsorption, charge transfer, and the formation of passivating fluorides on the MgV2O4cathode surface. This work provides the first evidence of the primary mechanisms leading to electrolyte decomposition at high-voltage oxide surfaces in multivalent batteries and suggests that the design of new, anodically stable electrolytes must target systems that facilitate cation desolvation.

To realize good point connection between high-strength steel and aluminum alloy, a process of drawing–upsetting–extrusion–clinching was proposed. First, the sheets were drawn; then, the bottom of the protrusion part was extruded, forming the necessary initial interlock; and finally, the protrusion part was reverse press clinched, forming a certain height of the clinched head. Taking DP980 high-strength steel and Al5083 aluminum alloy as the connection objects and using the method of numerical simulation combined with experimental test, the mold was made, and the experiment was carried out on the basis of numerical simulation. The experimental results proved the feasibility of the process and the effectiveness of the numerical model. The simulation and experimental results show that the necessary interlock in the drawing–upsetting–extrusion stage is the premise of effective connection. The relative protrusion height should be around 55.6% after reverse-press-clinching. The best comprehensive mechanical properties measured by strength test were shear resistance of 2644 N, fatigue life of 24,535 times and peel resistance of 1522 N. Through failure analysis, the relationship between the interlock Tuand the neck thickness Tnof the joint with the best comprehensive mechanical properties was established as Tu= 0.35Tn. The design method of die and process parameters when the sheet thickness changes was researched by numerical simulation. The results show that the clearance between the punch and the die and the bottom thickness are directly proportional to the sheet thickness, and the drawing depth is directly proportional to the punch radius.

•Orelabrutinib exhibited a favorable efficacy and safety profile in patients with r/r MCL.•Overall response rate was 81.1%, with 27.4% achieving complete response and 53.8% achieving partial response.

Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a common phenomenon, but LLPS of electrolytes prepared in miscible organic solvents is rarely documented. In this study, we report four new cases of LLPS that occur in MgTFSI2or ZnTFSI2electrolytes in mixed organic solvents, and we use multimodal NMR methods to investigate the speciation differences between the upper and lower phases of these electrolytes. The conditions for the formation of this LLPS share four common features: cations with high charge density; anions with low charge density; a strongly coordinating solvent (indicated by its Gutmann donor number) with high compressibility; and a relatively weak coordinating solvent with low relative permittivity and high mobility. With these conditions, the cations tend to draw the strongly coordinating solvents together to form a densely packed, energetically favorable ion solvation region, while the cosolvents with low relative permittivity tend to form an ion-depleted dilute phase. Therefore, the driving force for LLPS with miscible solvents is the preferred interaction between cations and the strongly coordinating solvents that overcomes entropy loss due to phase separation. Furthermore, contact ion pairs and large ion aggregates are clearly evidenced in the dilute upper layer due to the incomplete screening of electrostatic interactions by the weaker cosolvent. This LLPS driven by cation solvation may be more common in multivalent electrolytes and is a design consideration that should not be overlooked in this context.

Backgrounds: Esophageal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (E-GISTs) are extremely rare and surgical resection is the recommended approach. However, surgical resection usually causes severe trauma that may result in significant postoperative morbidity. Endoscopic resection (ER) has developed rapidly in recent years and has been widely used in gastrointestinal lesions. Nevertheless, the feasibility and efficacy of ER in the management of E-GISTs are unknown. Methods: Retrospective data were collected from January 2011 to December 2020 in a large tertiary center of China. Twenty-eight patients with E-GISTs treated by ER were included in the study. Results: Of the 28 patients, there were 21 males and 7 females, with a median age of 55 years (40–70 years). The median tumor size was 15 mm (5–80 mm). The technical success rate was 100% (28/28), while the en bloc resection rate was 96.4% (27/28). The median operation time was 35 min (10–410 min). Sixteen (57.2%) tumors were categorized into very low risk group, six (21.4%) into low risk group, and six (21.4%) into high risk group. Pathologists carefully examined margins of each lesion. There were 11 lesions (39.3%) determined as R0 resection and 17 lesions (60.7%) as R1 resection with positive margins. The median hospital stay was 2 days (range, 1–8 days). One patient suffered from hydrothorax and required drainage, leading to a major adverse event rate of 3.6% (1/28). There was no conversion to surgery, and no death occurred within 30 days after the procedure. Imatinib was given to two patients after ER under multidisciplinary team surveillance. During follow-up (median of 54 months, 9–122 months), no recurrences or metastasis were observed. Conclusion: ER is safe and effective for E-GISTs and might become an optional choice in the future. Multicenter, prospective, large samples with long-term follow-up studies are still needed.

Background: Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) represents the gold standard treatment method for cases with large kidney stones. As a critical step in performing PCNL, the procedure of establishing a safe and accurate nephrostomy tract will dramatically impact the treatment quality of patients with large-sized kidney stones.Objective: This work attempts to describe a new and improved process of establishing an accurate nephrostomy tract and clinically evaluate the effectiveness and safeness of this proposed methodology.Methods: This work represents a retrospective single-center study carried out between August 2013 and November 2019. The collected samples consist of 937 patients who were operated on using PCNL coupled with our proposed procedure. Briefly, a preoperative B-ultrasonography was firstly performed to decide the puncture point in a simulated surgical position where was marked with ureteral catheter segments (2–3 cm). A computed tomography (CT) scan was followed to correct the anchor points in the simulated surgical position. After this, an accurate puncture operation was performed under the real-time guidance of intraoperative B ultrasound.Results: Examining this study, 851 subjects with renal stones and 86 subjects with ureteropelvic junction stones were included for the PCNL operation project. All samples were grouped with Guy’s grading system: grade I, II, III, and IV patients there were 0.00%, 42.69%, 51.01%, and 6.30%, respectively. Among these patients, the average age was 48.49 ± 10.80 years old, with a male to female ratio of around 1.73:1.Conclusions: This study showed that our developed method warrants an accurate and safe PCNL operation that involves the process of establishing the nephrostomy tract. Other advantageous attributes of this new PCNL process include negligible radiation exposure, lesser complications, and low failure rates. More importantly, this new localization approach is particularly attractive for hospitals that are new to the field of adopting PCNL considering its safeness, effectiveness, and learnability.

The hydrodynamics and stirring characteristics of the nitrogen−slag−copper matte in a bath with top submerged lance were numerically studied via the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method. The relationship between the bubble behavior and fluid velocity was elucidated. The effects of gas injecting velocity and swirling flow on the fluid vortex structure, gas penetration depth, and fluid velocity were investigated. The results demonstrate that the formation and rising of the bubble increase and reduce the fluid velocity, respectively. The V-shaped and W-shaped temperature distributions of the fluid are observed at the height of 0.43 and 0.52 m, respectively, resulting from the injection of the low-temperature gas phase. Compared to the gas injection velocity of 58 m/s, the time-averaged and maximum penetration depths of the gas phase with the injection velocity of 96 m/s increase by 78.4 % and 31.9 %, respectively. Swirling flow reduces the gas penetration depth, enhances the momentum transfer efficiency between phases, and suppresses the slag splashing, which is attributed to the reduced axial velocity component.

In this paper, we compare the infinitesimal perturbation analysis (IPA) and likelihood ratio (LR) derivative estimators for the steady-state system time of the M/M/1 queue. We derive the explicit formulas for the variances of both estimators. We then show IPA has smaller variance, which is often considered as a rule-of-thumb in the simulation literature. This is the first theoretical result that proves IPA has smaller variance than LR for steady-state performance measures.

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have high theoretical energy density but low sulfur utilization due to the inherent insulating nature of sulfur and the shuttle effect of polysulfides. Herein, the CO2-activation carbon paper was prepared by poly(p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole) (PBO) nanofiber and was first applied as an interlayer for efficiently alleviating the shuttle effect of polysulfides in Li–S batteries. This interlayer exhibits good flexibility and strength with rich −C═O and −COOH functional groups on the three-dimensional porous structure, which improves chemical adsorption on Li2Sxspecies and ion rapid diffusion via interconnected diffusion channels and thus enhances the electrochemical kinetics. The initial specific capacity is 1367.4 mAh g–1and remains 999.8 mAh g–1after 200 cycles at 0.2C and 780.1 mAh g–1at 5C, and the Coulombic efficiency is high, up to 99.8%, which is much better than that for the carbon paper without CO2activation. The highly conductive flexible PBO carbon paper may bring breakthroughs in performance and thus lead to more practical applications of Li–S batteries.

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) including mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrasses are highly efficient for organic carbon (OC) accumulation due to their unique ability to trap high rates of allochthonous substrates. It has been suggested that the magnitude of OC preservation is constrained by nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) limitation in response to climate and anthropogenic changes. However, little is known about the connection of soil OC with N–P and their forms in response to allochthonous inputs in BCEs. By analyzing soil OC, N, and P densities of BCEs from 797 sites globally, we find that, in China, where allochthonous OC provides 50–75% of total OC, soil C/P and N/P ratios are 4- to 8-fold lower than their global means, and 23%, 29%, and 20% of buried OC, N, and P are oxidation-resistant fractions that linked with minerals. We estimate that the OC stocks in China should double over the next 40 years under high allochthonous inputs and elevated N/P ratio scenarios during BCE restoration. Allochthonous-dominated BCEs thus have the capacity to enhance refractory and mineral bound organic matter accumulation. Protection and restoration of such BCEs will provide long-term mitigating benefits against sea level rise and greenhouse gas emissions.