Search

In the realm of coalbed methane extraction, liquid nitrogen (LN2) fracturing technology is proposed as a promising ecofriendly alternative for enhancing permeability. Nevertheless, integrating this technology into practical engineering applications continues to pose significant challenges. To elucidate the mechanical effects of LN2injection channel geometries on fracturing, this study employs uniaxial compression and acoustic emission (AE) techniques to assess changes in the mechanical properties of coal samples featuring slots and circular slots of varying angles before and after freeze–thaw. Additionally, the study examines the coupled effects of LN2and geo-stress on the failure mechanisms of coal samples featuring slotted geometries. The findings indicate that (1) post-LN2freeze–thaw, slotted coal samples exhibit decreased uniaxial compressive strength, reduced elastic modulus, and lower AE peak energy, with an increase in cumulative AE energy. (2) The angle of the slots significantly affects the mechanical properties of the coal samples, showing a positive correlation with uniaxial compressive strength, elastic modulus, and cumulative AE energy under consistent conditions. (3) Under uniaxial compression, cracks primarily localize near the slots, with a higher prevalence of tensile cracks in coal samples with angled slots of 0° and 90° and circular slots compared to those with angled slots between 30° and 60°. Following LN2freeze–thaw, the coal samples transition from a brittle to a ductile state, effectively facilitating the propagation of shear cracks. Based on these results, new experimental evidence supports the application of LN2in coal seam fracturing technology for enhanced fracturing and permeability, providing valuable insights for guiding engineering practices and optimizing LN2fracturing processes.

The microstructure evolution, cyclic oxidation, and hot corrosion behavior of the unheated-treated (As-built) and solution + double aging (SDA)-treated Inconel 718 alloys fabricated through laser-induction hybrid cladding (LIHC) were investigated. It was found that the as-built Inconel 718 alloy exhibits a columnar dendritic with intergranular Laves phase. After SDA-treated, γ", γ′, δ and carbide phases precipitated, the Laves phase became fine and dispersed. After cyclic oxidation, the Cr2O3scales were formed on both as-built and SDA-treated LIHC-produced Inconel 718 alloy, which could provide good cyclic oxidation resistance for the Inconel 718 alloy. However, the as-built and SDA-treated LIHC-produced Inconel 718 alloy suffered severe hot corrosion in 95 wt% Na2SO4+ 5 wt% NaCl mixed salt solution and many corrosion products were generated, including Cr2O3, NiCr2O4, NaNbO3, Na2CrO4, NiFe2O4, Fe3O4, and NiO. Nevertheless, the SDA-treated sample showed better cyclic oxidation and hot corrosion resistance than the as-built sample, owing to the more compact Cr2O3scale.

The problem of evaluating the sensitivity of non-trivial boundary conditions to the onset of azimuthal combustion instability is a longstanding challenge in the development process of modern gas turbines. The difficulty lies in how to describe three-dimensional in- and outlet boundary conditions in an artificial computational domain. To date, the existing analytical models have still failed to quantitatively explain why the features of the azimuthal combustion instability of a combustor in laboratory environment are quite different from that in a real gas turbine, making the stability control devices developed in laboratory generally lose the effectiveness in practical applications. To overcome this limitation, we provide a novel theoretical framework to directly include the effect of non-trivial boundary conditions on the azimuthal combustion instability. A key step is to take the non-trivial boundary conditions as equivalent distributed sources so as to uniformly describe the physical characteristics of the inner surface in an annular enclosure along with different in- and outlet configurations. Meanwhile, a dispersion relation equation is established by the application of three-dimensional Green’s function approach and generalized impedance concept. Results show that the effects of the generalized modal reflection coefficients on azimuthal unstable modes are extremely prominent, and even prompt the transition from stable to unstable mode, thus reasonably explaining why the thermoacoustic instability phenomena in a real gas turbine are difficult to observe in an isolated combustion chamber. Overall, this work provides an effective tool for analysis of the azimuthal combustion instability including various complicated boundary conditions.

Diabetic bone healing remains a great challenge due to its pathological features including biochemical disturbance, excessive inflammation, and reduced blood vessel formation. In previous studies, small intestine submucosa (SIS) has been demonstrated for its immunomodulatory and angiogenic properties, which are necessary to diabetic bone healing. However, the noticeable drawbacks of SIS such as fast degradation rate, slow gelling time, and weak mechanical property seriously impede the 3D printing of SIS for bone repair.

Pore water content directly affects the effect of liquid nitrogen (LN2) penetration, and the study of the freeze–thaw response of the pore water of different saturated coal samples in the process of LN2penetration is crucial for promoting the development of LN2fracturing technology. In this work, a LN2freeze–thaw study was carried out with three types of coal samples, namely, dry, naturally water-saturated, and fully water-saturated samples, and the pore water microscale response of the coal samples under freeze–thaw degradation was analyzed by a low-field NMR technique. The results show that (1) the swelling effect caused by the pore free water phase transition is the key to the low-temperature penetration enhancement of coal. (2) As the coal samples were subjected to different times of LN2, the pore water fugacity was affected by the pore evolution; in 0–50 min, the pore water content of the BBT coal sample was positively correlated with the freezing time, while the opposite was true for the BT coal sample; in 50–150 min, both samples showed a tendency to increase first and then decrease. The pore water content before and after freeze–thaw increased by 26.90% in a GT coal sample, 237.20% in a BBT coal sample, and 118.86% in a BT coal sample. (3) The pore water of GT coal sample is mainly in the closed pores, which is reduced during freeze–thaw. The pore water of BBT and BT coal samples are mainly distributed in open pores, the effective pore water of BBT coal sample is the highest at the end of freezing and thawing, the effective pore water of BT coal sample is the most at the beginning of freezing and thawing, and the maximum effective pore water content of the two samples is close to each other. Compared with BT coal sample, BBT coal sample have a better fracturing effect and better pore water storage. (4) As the specimen is degraded by freezing and thawing, internal pore channels are developed, the frozen specimen forms a combination with coal as the main body and that with ice and water as the auxiliary body, the heat conduction of the specimen is weakened, and the conduction efficiency is reduced. By increasing the duration of LN2freezing, the influence of pore water on coal fracturing can be enhanced and the efficiency of LN2action can be improved.

Hydrogen and methane, as lightweight, high-energy fuels, occupy an important position in energy utilization and industrial production, and have broad application prospects. The safe extraction and production of new energy gases, as well as the safe utilization of hydrogen and methane is increasingly essential. The problem of detecting the type and concentration of hydrogen and methane is very important. This paper proposed a multi-peak high performance metamaterial refractive index sensor to fulfill the research gap for hydrogen or methane detection. We made unique designs on the patterns of the metasurface and made innovative combinations of materials. Through discussing different shapes and geometrical parameters, we get an optimal structure with a perfect absorption state, high sensitivity, and polarization independence. In the near-infrared spectral range spanning from 1700 nm to 2600 nm, resonance peaks were observed in the absorption spectrum at wavelengths of 1738.27 nm, 1843.17 nm, and 2368.13 nm. These peaks exhibited absorption rates respectively are 99.28 %, 89.71 %, and 99.69 %. The high sensitivity of the sensor under different environmental refractive indices was up to 715.43 nm/RIU. This leads to more precise and reliable identification of hydrogen and methane. The polarization dependence of our structure ensures consistent results under light illumination from various angles. This feature enhances the convenience of using it in both production and daily life, with fewer constraints and more accurate outcomes. The possible applications of this study lie in detecting the presence of hydrogen and methane gases, the exploration and extraction of new energy gases, as well as to monitoring and alarm systems for hydrogen and methane leaks. Moreover, it can serve as a validation system for the results of hydrogen and methane production processes. These applications are of significant importance for environmental protection and process safety.

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.

Single-metal-site catalysts have recently aroused extensive research in electrochemical energy fields such as zinc-air batteries and water splitting, but their preparation is still a huge challenge, especially in flexible catalyst films. Herein, we propose a sublimation strategy in which metal phthalocyanine molecules with defined isolated metal-N4sites are gasified by sublimation and then deposited on flexible single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) films by means of π–π coupling interactions. Specifically, iron phthalocyanine anchored on the SWCNT film prepared was directly used to boost the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction of the zinc-air battery, showing a high peak power density of 247 mW cm–2. Nickel phthalocyanine and cobalt phthalocyanine were, respectively, stabilized on SWCNT films as the anodic and cathodic electrocatalysts for water splitting, showing a low potential of 1.655 V at 10 mA cm–2. In situ Raman spectra and theoretical studies demonstrate that highly efficient activities originate from strain-induced metal phthalocyanine on SWCNTs. This work provides a universal preparation method for single-metal-site catalysts and innovative insights for electrocatalytic mechanisms.

To evaluate the feasibility of producing biodiesel feedstock from Chlorellasp. GN1, the growth, lipid, and fatty acid profile in long-term outdoor cultivation during four seasons were studied. The alga grew well in the four seasons, and the dry weight (2.73 g/L) and specific growth rate (0.652 day−1) reached their highest values in the autumn. Nitrogen deficiency induced all the lipid contents to exceed 40% of the dry weight in the four seasons, and higher lipid contents (> 50% of the dry cell weight) were achieved in autumn and summer. The highest lipid content (52.8%) was acquired in autumn. Additionally, in the four seasons, C16 and C18 were primary fatty acids (> 90%) in the alga, which were ideal fatty acid components for biodiesel. Moreover, more saturated fatty acids were synthesized in cells during summer and autumn, while the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids reached the highest level in the winter. The study indicated that the alga has great prospects for biodiesel feedstock preparation.

The role of osteocytes in maintaining bone mass has been progressively emphasized. Pip5k1c is the most critical isoform among PIP5KIs, which can regulate cytoskeleton, biomembrane, and Ca2+release of cells and participate in many processes, such as cell adhesion, differentiation, and apoptosis. However, its expression and function in osteocytes are still unclear.

ABSTRACT Grey brick is among the oldest and most durable construction materials in Chinese traditional architecture. However, many conservationists have found that the quality of the antique-style brick produced today [...]

ABSTRACTElectrical resistance tomography (ERT) method is proposed to visually investigated of the defect in cementitious materials. Specimens with one precast defect are made with different water-cement (w/c) ratio and detected [...]

A novel multi-functional microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) integrated with ion imprinted polymers (IIPs) was proposed for specific, portable and low-cost detection of cadmium (Cd(ii)) in water. The IIP was grafted on paper and integrated into the μPAD for separation of Cd(ii) through multi-layer design. The paper-based screen printed carbon electrode (pSPCE) modified with reduced graphene oxide was fabricated and combined with the μPAD for electrochemical sensing of the separated Cd(ii). Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was prepared viaelectroreduction on the working electrode surface of the pSPCE (rGO/pSPCE), which provided a sensitization effect with an improved signal for Cd(ii) detection. The μPAD developed with the integrated IIP and combined with rGO/pSPCE is able to detect Cd(ii) with a linear range from 1 ng ml−1to 100 ng ml−1and a detection limit of 0.05 ng ml−1. The accuracy of this μPAD was evaluated with spiked real water samples and compared with that of the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method, from which the recovery values ranged from 96.5% to 114.2% with RSDs <10% between the two methods. This μPAD demonstrated its advantages of low-cost, portability, and suitability for highly sensitive detection of Cd(ii), making it a valuable tool for on-site analysis.

Piezoelectric composites have been widely used in high-frequency transducers because of their good high-frequency vibration characteristics, high-electro- mechanical conversion efficiency, and large bandwidth. However, compared with piezoelectric ceramics, piezoelectric composites have the disadvantage of high loss, and this disadvantage leads to much heat generation under the excitation of high-power electrical signals. As a result, piezoelectric composite transducers often suffer from high internal temperatures during high-power operation, which in turn affects their acoustic performance. To address this problem, this article proposes a sandwich-type piezoelectric composite transducer structure that can dissipate heat efficiently and conducts theoretical, finite-element simulation, and experimental studies on it. The results show that the sandwich-type heat dissipation structure designed in this article can significantly reduce the internal temperature of the piezoelectric composite transducer, which provides a guarantee for the high-power operation of the piezoelectric composite transducer.

Dissimilatory iron reduction (DIR) coupled with carbon cycling is increasingly being recognized as an influential process in freshwater wetland soils and sediments. The role of DIR in organic matter (OM) mineralization, however, is still largely unknown in lake sediment environments. In this study, we clarified rates and pathways of OM mineralization in two shallow lakes with seasonal hydrological connectivity and different eutrophic situations. We found that in comparison with the domination of DIR (55%) for OM mineralization in Lake Xiaoxingkai, the contribution of methanogenesis was much higher (68%) in its connected lake (Lake Xingkai). The differences in rates and pathways of sediment OM mineralization between the two lakes were attributed to higher concentrations of carbonate associated iron oxides (Fecarb) in Lake Xiaoxingkai compared to Lake Xingkai (P = 0.002), due to better deposition mixing, more contributions of terrigenous detrital materials, and higher OM content in Lake Xiaoxingkai. Results of structural equation modeling showed that Fecarband total iron content (TFe) regulated 25% of DIR in Lake Xiaoxingkai and 76% in Lake Xingkai, accompanied by a negative effect of TFe on methanogenesis in Lake Xingkai. The relative abundance and diversity of Fe-reducing bacteria were significantly different between the two lakes, and showed a weak effect on sediment OM mineralization. Our findings emphasize the role of iron minerals and geochemical characterizations in regulating rates and pathways of OM mineralization, and deepen the understanding of carbon cycling in lake sediments.

The stability of the core can significantly impact the therapeutic effectiveness of liposome-based drugs. While the spherical nucleic acid (SNA) architecture has elevated liposomal stability to increase therapeutic efficacy, the chemistry used to anchor the DNA to the liposome core is an underexplored design parameter with a potentially widespread biological impact. Herein, we explore the impact of SNA anchoring chemistry on immunotherapeutic function by systematically studying the importance of hydrophobic dodecane anchoring groups in attaching DNA strands to the liposome core. By deliberately modulating the size of the oligomer that defines the anchor, a library of structures has been established. These structures, combined with in vitroand in vivoimmune stimulation analyses, elucidate the relationships between and importance of anchoring strength and dissociation of DNA from the SNA shell on its biological properties. Importantly, the most stable dodecane anchor, (C12)9, is superior to the n= 4–8 and 10 structures and quadruples immune stimulation compared to conventional cholesterol-anchored SNAs. When the OVA1 peptide antigen is encapsulated by the (C12)9SNA and used as a therapeutic vaccine in an E.G7-OVA tumor model, 50% of the mice survived the initial tumor, and all of those survived tumor rechallenge. Importantly, the strong innate immune stimulation does not cause a cytokine storm compared to linear immunostimulatory DNA. Moreover, a (C12)9SNA that encapsulates a peptide targeting SARS-CoV-2 generates a robust T cell response; T cells raised from SNA treatment kill >40% of target cells pulsed with the same peptide and ca.45% of target cells expressing the entire spike protein. This work highlights the importance of using anchor chemistry to elevate SNA stability to achieve more potent and safer immunotherapeutics in the context of both cancer and infectious disease.

•The load-bearing characteristics of the multi-layer linings in deep soft rock tunnels were revealed through a 3D geo mechanical model tests..•A high-precise extensometer measurement system was developed and successfully applied to measure radial deformation in surrounding rock.•The synergistic load-bearing effect of the multi-layer linings was investigated using the convergence-confinement method.

Fibrosis is caused by extensive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, which play a crucial role in injury repair. Fibrosis attributes to ~45% of all deaths worldwide. The molecular pathology of different fibrotic diseases varies, and a number of bioactive factors are involved in the pathogenic process. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of multipotent stem cells that have promising therapeutic effects in the treatment of different diseases. Current updates of fibrotic pathogenesis reveal that residential MSCs may differentiate into myofibroblasts which lead to the fibrosis development. However, preclinical and clinical trials with autologous or allogeneic MSCs infusion demonstrate that MSCs can relieve the fibrotic diseases by modulating inflammation, regenerating damaged tissues, remodeling the ECMs, and modulating the death of stressed cells after implantation. A variety of animal models were developed to study the mechanisms behind different fibrotic tissues and test the preclinical efficacy of MSC therapy in these diseases. Furthermore, MSCs have been used for treating liver cirrhosis and pulmonary fibrosis patients in several clinical trials, leading to satisfactory clinical efficacy without severe adverse events. This review discusses the two opposite roles of residential MSCs and external MSCs in fibrotic diseases, and summarizes the current perspective of therapeutic mechanism of MSCs in fibrosis, through both laboratory study and clinical trials.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are widely present in agricultural soils, but their sources and fate in greenhouse soils remain unclear. In this study, the sources, fractionation, and migration of PFASs were compared in the greenhouse and open-field soils of the Fen-Wei Plain, China. The total concentrations of PFASs (Σ17PFAS) were comparable in the greenhouse and open-field soils but with different profiles. Detrended correspondence and correlation analyses indicated that dry deposition was an important source of PFASs in the open-field soils, whereas surface water had a notable contribution to the greenhouse soils due to more frequent irrigation. The PFASs in the soils were mainly present in water-soluble fraction (F1). The F1 proportions of short-chain and long-chain PFASs were negatively correlated with the anion exchange capacity (AEC) and organic carbon content (foc) in soil, respectively, with that of short-chain PFASs being higher than long-chain ones. The AEC was significantly higher while focwas lower in the greenhouse soil than the open-field soil, leading to lower proportions of F1 for short-chain PFASs while higher for long-chain ones in the greenhouse soil. Frequent irrigation and elevated temperatures promoted the migration of PFASs in greenhouse soil; thus, the Σ17PFAS and F1 exhibited an increasing trend with soil depth.

Metastasis is an important factor contributing to poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer; yet, the molecular mechanism leading to this cell behavior is still not well understood. In this study, we explored the role of cysteine protease inhibitor SN (Cystatin SN, CST1) in promoting gastric cancer metastasis. We hypothesized that CST1 could regulate gastric cancer progression by regulating GPX4 and ferroptosis. Whole transcriptome sequencing suggested that the expression of CST1 was significantly increased in metastatic cancer, and high CST1 expression was correlated with a worse prognosis. Our data further confirmed that the overexpression of CST1 may significantly promote the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells in vitro and enhance liver, lung, and peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer in nude mice. Meanwhile, high expression of CST1 promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of gastric cancer cells. Mechanistically, a co-immunoprecipitation experiment combined with mass spectrometry analysis confirmed that CST1 could interact with GPX4, a key protein regulating ferroptosis. CST1 relieves GPX4 ubiquitination modification by recruiting OTUB1, improving GPX4 protein stability and reducing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby inhibiting ferroptosis and, in turn, promoting gastric cancer metastasis. Moreover, clinical data suggested that CST1 is significantly increased in peripheral blood and ascites of gastric cancer patients with metastasis; multivariate Cox regression model analysis showed that CST1 was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. Overall, our results elucidated a critical pathway through which high CST1 expression protects gastric cancer cells from undergoing ferroptosis, thus promoting its progression and metastasis. CST1 may be used as a new oncological marker and potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer metastasis.

AbstractLong span cable-stayed bridges face risks of fire and explosion accidents caused by vehicles transporting fuel or chemicals. Such accidents may lead to damage to the stay cables, which in turn reduces the load capability of the bridge. This report introduces a newly developed fire and blast protection system for the multi-strand stay cables of Rod El Farag Axis Bridge in Egypt. The protection system consists of a thermal insulation blanket wrapped on cables and a steel tube covered with an anti-blast layer. Fire and blast tests were carried out to verify the effectiveness of the developed protection system.

Photo-Fenton catalytic oxidation is considered economical and eco-friendly technology for energy development and environmental protection. However, high-performance catalysts are vital in this process. Thus, in this study, an Fe-doped porous g-C3N4(Fe/PCN) nanomaterial was prepared viaa one-step self-assembly strategy, which showed a large specific surface area, relatively negative conduction potential and intense visible light utilization, exhibiting an enhanced catalytic performance. As expected, in the photo-Fenton catalytic system, 99.24% oxytetracycline (OTC) degraded over Fe/PCN within 60 min, and the photo-Fenton degradation rate constant was up to 0.076 min−1. Furthermore, a thimbleful of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) could meet the requirement in this photo-Fenton reaction system. The catalytic mechanism of Fe/PCN was discussed in depth, where Fe/PCN not only activated H2O2to generate hydroxyl radicals (OH), but also photo-generated superoxide radicals (O2−) due to its more negative conduction potential (−0.78 eV vs.NHE) than E0(O2/O2−) (−0.33 eV vs.NHE). Besides, the stability experiment showed that the precipitation of iron salts was prevented, which is conductive for practical applications. The possible degradation pathway of OTC was proposed and proven to be green according to the toxicity estimation software tool (TEST). The low consumption of H2O2, high tolerance to pH changes and coexisting ions and green degradation pathway of the prepared Fe/PCN make it a potential candidate for OTC removal. This work proposes a simple method to modulate the morphology and structure of g-C3N4to enhance the catalytic activity of Fenton-like reactions.

In this work, based on a dual signal amplification strategy of enzyme-assisted signal amplification (EASA) and catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA), combined with the magnetic attraction effect, a capillary pump-driven surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) microfluidic chip (LoC-SERS) platform was developed for the sensitive detection of colorectal cancer-associated (CRC) microRNA (miRNA). During the detection process, the miRNA first undergoes an EASA reaction with hairpin DNA1 (hpDNA1) under the action of endonuclease, which generates a large amount of DNA2 cyclically. After that, DNA2 triggers the CHA reaction to proceed, which leads to the ligation of the SERS nanoprobes and the capture nanoprobes (hpDNA2–hpDNA3 complexes). Finally, as the reactant solution flows through the collection zone, the end products are magnetically attracted by the micro-magnets, generating many “hot spots” and leading to a triple amplification of the SERS signal. By quantitative analysis, the platform achieved ultra-low detection limits of miR-122 (4.26 aM) and miR-192 (4.71 aM) within a linear range of 10 aM–10 pM. In addition, the platform's results for clinical samples are highly consistent with those measured by qRT-PCR methods. Overall, the proposed LoC-SERS platform is expected to be an important tool for the early screening of CRC.

In order to explore the evolution law of mechanical strength of frozen and thawed coal samples after the freezing of liquid nitrogen (LN2) at ultralow temperature, the Yuanzhuang bitumite is cored to make standard samples. The MTS testing machine and ultrasonic detector are used for testing, and the stress–strain curve and ultrasonic time domain image of coal samples are obtained. The evolution law of mechanical strength of coal samples is studied. The results showed that (1) uniaxial compressive strength, elastic modulus, and ultrasonic longitudinal wave velocity of frozen coal samples are positively correlated with the freezing time of LN2in 0–50 min and negatively correlated with the freezing time of LN2in 50–150 min. (2) The uniaxial compressive strength, elastic modulus, and ultrasonic longitudinal wave velocity of thawed coal samples decrease with the increase of LN2freezing time. (3) With the increase of the LN2freezing time, the time-domain waveform of coal samples begins to be disordered, and the frequency-domain waveform begins to shift to low peaks, and branch peaks are generated. (4) The brittleness index of frozen coal samples increases with the increase of freezing time, and the brittleness index of thawed coal samples decreases with the increase of freezing time. Compared with the frozen coal samples, the thawed coal samples are subjected to greater thermal stress under the freezing of LN2at the same time, which shows a stronger deterioration of mechanical properties. The results can provide a reference for LN2fracturing and antireflection.

Previous randomised trials of bivalirudin versus heparin in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have reported conflicting results, in part because of treatment with different pharmacological regimens. We designed a large-scale trial examining bivalirudin with a post-PCI high-dose infusion compared with heparin alone, the regimens that previous studies have shown to have the best balance of safety and efficacy.

The methodology for the synthesis of fluorene-based atropisomers was developed via the strategy of aromatic ring formation. By this strategy, an efficient benzannulation of indene-based diene with benzoylacetonitrile divergently promoted by DABCO and a chiral organocatalyst was established, and various atropisomeric fluorene-based skeletons were generated in good yields, which not only provide a new strategy for the construction of atropisomeric biaryls but also offer a new member to the atropisomeric family.

Wastewater treatment and reclamation from wastewater are essential for the sustainable use of water resource. Zeolite-based heterogeneous catalysis shows great potential in circumventing the current limitations on pollutant removal and transformation to useful chemicals, inspiring advancements towards practical water treatment. This paper summarizes the methods for synthesizing zeolite-based catalyst, and the corresponding advantages and disadvantages. In comparison with traditional Fenton-like reaction, the superiority of zeolite-based catalysis lies in less sludge, wide pH range and easy recyclability. Accordingly, applications of zeolite-based Fenton-like catalysis (ZFCs) in pollutant removal and reclamation of wastewater were reviewed. Emphasis was placed on the methodological strategies in improving ZFCs, including the combination of external driving force (e.g., photocatalysis or electrochemistry), as well as the introduction of various transition metals into zeolite-based catalyst. Possible challenges and future perspectives for ZFCs were proposed.

The effects of air frying at different temperatures (140 °C, 160 °C, 180 °C, and 200 °C) on the simulated digestive properties of proteins in scallop adductor muscle (SAM) and the mechanisms involved were investigated. The results of the simulated gastrointestinal digestion showed that the 160 °C-treated SAM group had significantly higher protein digestibility than the fresh SAM group, which was reflected in higher degree of hydrolysis, more low molecular weight (<0.5 kDa) protein digestive products, and less insoluble residues, while the 140 °C-, 180 °C- and 200 °C-treated SAM groups all had opposite results. Moreover, air frying altered the solubility, secondary structure percentage and surface hydrophobicity of SAM proteins, as well as the microstructure of insoluble residues in simulated gastric juice. Correlation analysis showed that the protein digestive level of the air fried SAMs was positively correlated with the ratio of soluble proteins before digestion and the surface hydrophobicity of insoluble residues, but negatively correlated with the content of α-helix of soluble proteins dissolved in simulated gastric juice. Therefore, the highest digestibility of the 160 °C-treated SAM group can be attributed to the lowest α-helix content of soluble proteins, as well as the highest surface hydrophobicity and the largest pores size of insoluble residues. The present study provides a good basis for understanding the effects of air frying temperature on the digestive properties of aquatic muscle foods and the mechanisms involved, which contributes to establish precise air frying method for aquatic muscle foods.

Unsaturated fatty acids are easily affected by metal ions, leading to the changes of their flavor, nutrition, and safety through lipid oxidation. Nevertheless, there is a lack of comprehensive evaluation of the pro-oxidative ability of different metal ions, which have different effects on different lipids. Thus, in this work, crude lipids extracted from abalone were incubated with different metal ions, and the comprehensive lipid oxidation products were analyzed by nontargeted lipidomics approaches using an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-Q-Exactive HF-X Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer (UPLC-Q-Exactive HF-X). Results showed that the overall pro-oxidative ability from strong to weak was Fe3+, Fe2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Mn2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+. Among them, Fe3+and Fe2+could promote the accumulation of oxidation intermediates and branched fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids. Na+, K+, Cu2+, and Mg2+could accelerate the oxidation of N-acyl ethanolamines and ceramides. K+and Na+had more influences on the free fatty acids than Zn2+and Mn2+. Slow oxidation of triglyceride may be attributed to its long distance from the oil–water interface and the restriction of the polar headgroups of phospholipids on free radicals.

Data from a nationwide survey of recent college graduates were used to investigate the question of what factors, or antecedents, might exist that would lead to an interest in working for the public sector. As antecedents, three general classes of variables were identified including: demographics, religion and volunteer experiences, and recent critical historical events (i.e., reactions to 9/11 and the Iraq war). The dependent variable was an expressed interest in working for the federal government. Secondary data analysis was carried out on survey responses from 621 graduating seniors. The results indicated that minority group status, viewing government as a form of public service, and trust in the government were all significant predictors of interest in working for the federal government., Introduction In designing human resource systems for the public sector, a common assumption has been that there exists a group of individuals who are attracted to working for government agencies [...]

Activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) is a tumor driver gene implicated in several human malignancies. This study aimed to determine the roles of ATF2 and its related molecules in the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). According to the Pan‐cancer bioinformatics system, ATF2 is highly expressed in HCC. An increase in the expression of ATF2 was identified in clinically collected tumor tissues and procured HCC cells. The silencing of ATF2 reduced the viability, colony formation, invasion, and death resistance of HepG2 and SNU‐398 cells in vitro. ATF2 promoted the transcription of Wolf‐Hirschhorn syndrome candidate 1 (WHSC1) by binding to its promoter. WHSC1 further increased the expression of DNA topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A) in HCC by inducing the dimethylation of histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36me2) in the TOP2A promoter region. TOP2A activated the oncogenic PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Further overexpression of WHSC1 activated the TOP2A/PI3K/AKT axis and restored the malignant behaviors of HCC cells suppressed by ATF2 silencing in vitro. In summary, this study demonstrated that, depending on WHSC1, ATF2 can activate the TOP2A/PI3K/AKT signaling cascade to promote the tumorigenesis of HCC. ATF2, WHSC1, and TOP2A may serve as potential targets in managing HCC.

The key focal adhesion protein β1 integrin plays an essential role in early skeletal development. However, roles of β1 integrin expression in osteocytes during the regulation of bone homeostasis and mechanotransduction are incompletely understood.

It is a key focus in research on the interaction between different types of lipid and proteins for the aroma formation of fish. The interaction oxidation model of myofibrillar proteins and polar and non-polar lipid in different ratios was constructed to investigate the molecular mechanism of aroma formation of the large yellow croaker. The thermal interaction of lipid and protein was found to generate much more fishy compounds when the ratio of non-polar and polar lipid was 4:1. The aroma intensity reached the highest after thermal interaction at the ratio of non-polar and polar lipid was 1:1. As the proportion of non-polar lipid increased, the concentration of (E,E)-2,4-Heptadienal increased and reached 0.09 μg/g. Triglyceride was the main non-polar lipid that participated in thermal interaction with myofibrillar proteins for the formation of characteristic odorants of fish. As the amount of non-polar lipid increased, lipid oxidation and chain breakage made it easier to convert into volatile flavor compounds under the interaction of myofibrillar proteins. Further, this study provides certain support and influence for the regulation of flavor in fish processing by lipid.

The internal relationship between lipid composition and characteristic flavor in the steamed large yellow croaker (LYC) was investigated using volatolomics, lipidomics, and electronic sensory systems. Compared to fresh LYC, the concentrations of five key volatile flavor compounds detected after steaming exceeded human sensory thresholds. Notably, nonanal, hexanal, and 1-octen-3-ol significantly influenced the flavor of the cooked meat. Steaming at 70 °C enhanced the LYC flavor profile, with the strongest flavor observed at 80 °C. The content of three key volatile flavor compounds peaked, especially hexanal, which reached 54.55 μg/kg. Phosphatidylcholines, triacylglycerols, and fatty acids were closely associated with the volatile flavor profile of steamed LYC. The oxidation of FA 22:6 was identified as a crucial source of flavor in LYC. This study aimed to improve consumer experience by exploring the nutritional quality and flavor formation mechanisms in the thermal processing of LYC.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that affect individuals' social interactions, communication skills, and behavioral patterns, with significant individual differences and complex etiology. This article reviews the definition and characteristics of ASD, epidemiological profile, early research and diagnostic history, etiological studies, advances in diagnostic methods, therapeutic approaches and intervention strategies, social and educational integration, and future research directions. The highly heritable nature of ASD, the role of environmental factors, genetic–environmental interactions, and the need for individualized, integrated, and technology-driven treatment strategies are emphasized. Also discussed is the interaction of social policy with ASD research and the outlook for future research and treatment, including the promise of precision medicine and emerging biotechnology applications. The paper points out that despite the remarkable progress that has been made, there are still many challenges to the comprehensive understanding and effective treatment of ASD, and interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research and global collaboration are needed to further deepen the understanding of ASD and improve the quality of life of patients.

This paper presents an improved timing compensation scheme to enhance the performance of multi-level VSB receivers. Long and short ghosts may cause both timing-offsets and carrier phase offsets in the multi-level VSB receivers. Consequently, they may induce errors to search the frame headers. The timing method using the Nyquist sidebands can be used to efficiently acquire the sampling frequency offset. However, the timing loop may also suffer from the carrier phase offsets. In this paper, the square-sum of both components of the channel correlation output is adopted to find the frame headers; and it also be used to compensate the residual timing-offsets. The proposed compensation scheme is free from the carrier phase offset. Simulations show the performance of the VSB receivers has been improved in poorly fading multi-path channels. Index Terms--Nyquist sidebands, PN sequence, Timing synchronization, VSB receivers.

In this paper, according to the multi-channel model of the fractionally spaced linear equalizers, the symbol-spaced adaptive decision feedback equalizers (ADFE) are extended to the fractionally spaced adaptive decision feedback equalizers (FSADFE) naturally. We applied FSADFE to the ATSC DTV receivers. The ADFE converges very slowly when the channel presents severe characteristic, which results in the poor performance. FSADFE can make up this weakness of ADFE, and the gain of performance between them is considerable. This gain benefits the DTV receivers, especially in some severe channels. Index Terms--Adaptive equalizer, ATSC, DTV, Decision feedback equalizer, Fractionally spaced linear equalizer

Excess permanent deformation of subgrade may cause critical rutting in pavements, and subsurface water significantly affects the accumulation of permanent deformation. This study aims to reveal the permanent deformation behaviour of unsaturated subgrade soils. Subgrade box tests were performed at varying moisture content, stress levels and loading frequency, respectively. The test results show that the permanent deformation significantly increased with moisture content. The concept of a permitted moisture content-applied dynamic load envelope was proposed. Based on curve fitting, a prediction model of permanent deformation of subgrade soils was developed, and the effects of moisture content and loading cycles were included. The validation results show that the model exhibited reasonably good performance in modelling the deformation. This study may provide an alternative way for predicting the permanent deformation of unsaturated subgrade soils.

We construct a high‐resolution shear‐wave velocity (VS) model for the uppermost 100 m using ambient noise tomography near the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide camp. This is achieved via joint inversion of Rayleigh wave phase velocity and H/V ratio, whose signal‐to‐noise ratios are boosted by three‐station interferometry and phase‐matched filtering, respectively. The VSshows a steep increase (0.04–0.9 km/s) in the top 5 m, with sharp interfaces at ∼8–12 m, followed by a gradual increase (1.2–1.8 km/s) between 10 and 45 m depth, and to 2 km/s at ∼65 m. The compressional‐wave velocity and empirically‐obtained density profile compares well with the results from Herglotz–Wiechert inversion of diving waves in active‐source shot experiments and ice core analysis. Our approach offers a tool to characterize high‐resolution properties of the firn and shallow ice column, which helps to infer the physical properties of deeper ice sheets, thereby contributes to improved understanding of Earth's cryosphere. Accurately determining the physical properties of Antarctic ice sheets enhances our understanding of climate change impacts on the Earth's cryosphere and improves sea level rise predictions. The uppermost ∼100 m of ice sheets are often covered by firn, an intermediate material between fresh granular snow and glacier ice. Firn acts as a buffer between the atmosphere and deep ice, playing a critical role in the mass balance, flow, and dynamics of the ice sheet. In this study, we use advanced techniques to measure seismic velocities of the top ∼100 m of the ice sheet and thus characterize the properties of the firn layer. Using a week‐long record of seismic ambient noise, we obtain velocity models that reveal the detailed structure of the firn layer, including rapid velocity increases over depth that indicate rapid changes in compaction and slight lateral velocity variations. These models were validated through favorable comparisons to conventional analyses and ice core records, and can be used to estimate other important ice properties (e.g., density) via empirical relationships. Our approach could easily be up‐scaled to long‐term monitoring of larger areas, to help inform predictive models of ice sheet dynamics. We denoise fundamental‐mode Rayleigh waves extracted from ambient noise recorded in West Antarctic via three‐station interferometryWe improve the quality of Rayleigh wave H/V ratio measurements with phase‐matched filteringThe high‐resolution Vs model obtained by jointly inverting phase velocities and H/V ratios reveals high‐resolution firn structures We denoise fundamental‐mode Rayleigh waves extracted from ambient noise recorded in West Antarctic via three‐station interferometry We improve the quality of Rayleigh wave H/V ratio measurements with phase‐matched filtering The high‐resolution Vs model obtained by jointly inverting phase velocities and H/V ratios reveals high‐resolution firn structures

Lipid composition is crucial for assessing the nutrition and flavor of animal-derived raw materials, a key concern for consumers. Based on high-resolution mass spectrometry and chemical pattern recognition, the intermuscular lipids fingerprint of seven types of livestock, poultry, and fish muscle were analyzed. In total, 704 lipids were detected, containing fourteen lipid molecules, with significant content differences among samples, notably triglycerides, phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, diglycerides, and fatty acids. Livestock and poultry muscle had a low content of lipids with an unsaturation degree above 4 (around 10% and 25%). These unsaturated lipid molecules in fish muscle ranged from approximately 60%–75%. Rainbow trout had higher contents of triglycerides and phosphatidylcholines with chain lengths exceeding 13. Mutton had more of these lipids within the 13–18 chain length, exceeding 0.3 g/(g·protein), which may be crucial for their unique texture and flavor. The results will help the deep processing and nutritional assessment of muscle foods.

Liquid nitrogen (LN2) fracturing is an anhydrous fracturing technology that enhances coal permeability and supports unconventional oil and gas exploitation. In this Review, we provide a systematic review of five aspects of LN2fracturing. They are the history of the technology’s development, research topics, factors influencing fracturing efficiency, fracturing mechanism, and engineering processes and systems. Liquid nitrogen fracturing transforms coal and rock pore structure through mechanisms such as low temperature, freeze–thaw damage, and gas expansion. It changes coal and rock mechanical properties and improves the pore penetration and efficiency of unconventional oil and gas extraction. However, in-depth studies are still required in many areas. They include theoretical studies of two-phase nitrogen flow in coal and rock, development of technical equipment to support field operations, and plans to monitor and evaluate fracturing efficiency. On the basis of the advances in LN2fracturing research and the challenges, we conclude that future research should focus on multiphase flow and field equipment and technology.

Low-dimensional piezoelectric and quantum piezotronics are two important branches of low-dimensional materials, playing a significant role in the advancement of low-dimensional devices, circuits, and systems. Here, we firstly propose a solid-phase sintering and vapor-liquid-solid growth (SS-VLS-like) method of preparing a quantum-sized oxide material, i.e., black phosphorus (BP)@MgO quantum dot (QD) crystal with a strong piezoelectric response. Quantum-sized MgO was obtained by Mg slowly released from MgB2within the confinement of a nanoflake BP matrix. Since the slow release of Mg only grows nanometer-sized MgO to hinder the further growth of MgO, we added a heterostructure matrix constraint: nanoflake BP. With the BP as the matrix confinement, MgO QDs embedded in the BP@MgO QD crystals were formed. These crystals have a layered two-dimensional (2D) structure with a thickness of 11 nm and are stable in the air. In addition, piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) images show that they have extremely strong polarity. The strong polarity can also be proved by polarization reversal and a simple pressure sensor.

The use of antibiotics in human beings is a most significant milestone in the present era. However, owing to the chemical diversity and complexity, antibiotic removal from water has been an issue with the massive emission. As an efficient technology for antibiotic wastewater treatment, photo-Fenton oxidation has drawn much attention. In this work, we constructed a photo-Fenton system by combining oxygen-enriched graphitic carbon nitride polymer (OCN) and manganese ferrite (MnFe2O4) to form OCN-MnFe2O4(OMF) composites, which show good performance for antibiotics degradation without adding H2O2. The degradation efficiency within 1 h for tetracycline, oxytetracycline and ciprofloxacin were 86.5%, 82.2% and 42.7%, respectively. Both radical pathways (PFRs, OH, O2−and h+) and non-radical pathways (electron transfer and 1O2) play roles in antibiotic degradation. Additionally, the performance of this photo-Fenton system over OMF was nearly not affected by water matrix and inorganic salt ions, exhibiting high stability. It is anticipated that this photo-Fenton system is highly efficient for the treatment of antibiotics-polluted water.

Collective cell migration is a widely observed phenomenon during animal development, tissue repair, and cancer metastasis. Considering its broad involvement in biological processes, it is essential to understand the basics behind the collective movement. Based on the topology of migrating populations, tissue-scale kinetics, called the “leader–follower” model, has been proposed for persistent directional collective movement. Extensive in vivo and in vitro studies reveal the characteristics of leader cells, as well as the special mechanisms leader cells employ for maintaining their positions in collective migration. However, follower cells have attracted increasing attention recently due to their important contributions to collective movement. In this Perspective, the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the “leader–follower” model is reviewed with a special focus on the force transmission and diverse roles of leaders and followers during collective cell movement.