Search

How defects between layers of porous membranes affect their gas separation performance is still a problem. Here, we design three bilayer porous graphene membranes with different and representative defect torsion angles to regulate gas separation. We find from first-principles density functional theory calculations that the selectivity of the H 2 /CH 4 mixture can be varied by several orders of magnitude, of about 107:1 (E barrier/CH4 : 0.24, 0.18, 0.24 eV), 1019:1 (E barrier/CH4 : 0.49, 0.37, 0.47 eV) and 1012:1 (E barrier/CH4 : 0.42, 0.15, 0.45 eV), when going through the models of bi-H pore10 -20 x , bi-H pore10 -20 y and bi-H pore10 -47 y. Every barrier curve of gas penetration features three peaks. Additionally, molecular dynamics simulations show that the bilayer porous graphene membrane with a defect torsion angle of 20° along the x / y -axis possesses high H 2 /CH 4 separation ratio (up to 56–58:1) at room temperature after 5000 ps. The defect torsion angle of bilayer porous graphene improves the selectivity exponentially by regulating the three high penetration energy barriers of CH 4 , while the three energy barriers of H 2 are all very low. This work provides a new strategy to achieve highly selective separation of mixture by porous 2D-materials via regulating defect torsion angle between layers. [Display omitted] • The defect torsion angle is a powerful knob for regulating gas separation. • The potential energy curve for defect torsion angle model features three peaks. • Bi-H pore10 -20 y shows a high separation selectivity of 1019:1 for H 2 over CH 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative structure-activity relationship modeling techniques are widely employed in diverse areas of chemistry, including environmental risk assessment of compounds and virtual screening of drugs. The modeling process entails optimizing the hyper parameters of the model and selecting appropriate molecular descriptors. It is a typical optimization problem with high-dimensional, nonlinear, continuous and discrete variables coexisting. To address this challenge, this paper proposes an enhanced snake optimizer with multiple strategies. First, new food emergence and temperature change mechanisms are introduced to balance the exploration and exploitation. Second, a death and regeneration mechanism is employed to enhance the algorithm's ability to escape from local optima. Third, new formulas for food searching, fighting, mating and eating are designed to simplify the complexity of the algorithm and improve its search efficiency and accuracy. Fourth, the performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated using the CEC2017 benchmark functions, eight engineering cases with continuous variables, and six feature selection cases with discrete variables. Experimental results demonstrate that the algorithm significantly outperforms comparison algorithms. Finally, the algorithm was applied to quantitative structure-activity relationship modeling for environmental toxicity prediction. Compared with other algorithms, the algorithm can better configure hyper-parameters and select fewer and more effective features for environmental toxicity prediction model. It will be an effective tool to improve the performance of quantitative structure-activity relationship models. • New food emergence and temperature change mechanisms are presented to better balance exploration and exploitation. • Death and regeneration mechanism is adopted to avoid local optima. • The performance of the proposed algorithm is validated in CEC2017, engineering design and feature selection problems. • A joint optimization approach is proposed for quantitative structure-activity relationship modeling. • An environmental toxicity prediction model is obtained by jointly optimizing hyper-parameters and molecular descriptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiro-OMeTAD is a commonly used hole transport layer (HTL) in perovskite photodetectors (PDs) due to its high glass transition temperature, good solubility in organic solvents, amorphous nature, and better energy level alignment with perovskite layers, etc. However, the unoxidized Spiro-OMeTAD has low electrical conductivity and hole mobility, while air oxidation raises device performance and reproducibility issues. In this study, we successfully achieved early and rapid oxidation of Spiro-OMeTAD by introducing a quantitative amount of manganese dioxide (MnO 2), circumventing the challenges of air oxidation and greatly reducing device preparation time and cost. Additionally, MnO 2 -doped HTLs exhibited significantly improved PD performance, with specific detectivity (D*) increased from 4.36 × 1012 Jones to 4.14 × 1013 Jones. Unpackaged MnO 2 -doped PDs maintained about 81.4 % of the initial EQE value in the glove box after one month, showing remarkable stability. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using MnO 2 as an oxidizing agent for Spiro-OMeTAD and allows us to appreciate the potential of transition metal-based oxides in the oxidation of HTMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composite thin film photodetector in this study combines the characteristics of MAPbI 3 material for near-ultraviolet-visible light and PDPP3T:PC71BM material for near-infrared light absorption, resulting in efficient light harvesting. To fabricate high-performance photodetectors, we optimized the photodetector structure, thin film fabrication process, solute concentration, and photoactive layer thickness. Finally, we obtained a photodetector with a broad spectral detection range in the near-ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared (UV–vis–NIR). The detectivity (D*) of our prepared UV–vis–NIR photodetector at 380 nm, 655 nm and 848 nm is 1.24 × 1013 jones, 2.13 × 1013 jones and 1.59 × 1013 jones, respectively. This is one of the best performances among polymer photodetectors reported so far and is comparable to commercial inorganic silicon-based PDs. In addition, the optimal composite thin film photodetector exhibits a fast response speed (t rise /t fall = 109/49 μs), a linear dynamic range of 100 dB, and excellent stability. Furthermore, the PDPP3T:PC71BM active layer can effectively suppress the leakage current in the reverse biased region, which enables the device to obtain an ultra-low dark current density (J dark) of 8.58 × 10−10 A cm−2. This study explores a new avenue for high-performance photodetectors based on mixtures of perovskites and low-bandgap photoactive polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is produced by ovarian granulosa cells (GCs)and plays a major role in inhibiting the recruitment of primordial follicles and reducing the sensitivity of growing follicles to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6) has similar spatiotemporal expression to AMH during follicular development, suggesting that BMP6 may regulate AMH expression. However, the specific mechanism by which BMP6 regulates AMH expression remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to examine the molecular pathway by which BMP6 regulates AMH expression. The results showed that BMP6 promoted the secretion and expression of AMH in goat ovarian GCs. Mechanistically, BMP6 upregulated the expression of sex-determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9) and GATA-binding factor 4 (GATA4), which was associated with the transcriptional initiation of AMH. AMH expression was significantly decreased by GATA4 knockdown. Moreover, BMP6 treatment promoted the phosphorylation of SMAD1/5/8, whereas inhibiting the SMAD1/5/8 signaling pathway significantly abolished BMP6-induced upregulation of AMH and GATA4 expression. Interestingly, the activation of SMAD1/5/8 alone did not affect the expression of AMH or GATA4. The results suggested that BMP6 upregulated GATA4 through the SMAD1/5/8 signaling pathway, which in turn promoted AMH expression. • BMP6 increased AMH secretion. • BMP6 up-regulated mRNA of GATA4 and SOX9. • An inhibitor of SMAD1/5/8 signaling pathway (LDN-193189) abolished BMP6-induced up-regulation of AMH and GATA4 mRNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single crystal (SC) MAPbBr 3 and MAPbCl 3 perovskite are considered promising materials for fabricating high-performance photodetectors (PDs) due to their impressive optoelectronic properties and good chemical stability. Structural modification of PDs is the fundamental solution to improve performance. In this paper, we designed a simple structure diagram considering photoelectric properties and the possibility of epitaxial crystal growth. Then a solution height restriction method (SHR) was used to grow the crystal and make the internal secondary excitation feasible. X-ray rocking curves (XRC) of MAPbBr 3 -SHR SCs show the quality of crystal under this growth method is excellent. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) indicate element diffusion exists in the interface. Photoluminescence spectra (PL) and the photoelectric performance test have proved the existence and validity of the internal secondary excitation of crystals. Based on the above analysis, it was demonstrated that the inner MAPbCl 3 single-crystal enhances the optoelectronic performance of MAPbCl 3 -MAPbBr 3 crystals by the internal secondary excitation effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole Slide Imaging and Hyperspectral Microscopic Imaging provide great quality data with high spatial and spectral resolution for histopathology. Existing Hyperspectral Whole Slide Imaging systems combine the advantages of the techniques above, thus providing rich information for pathological diagnosis. However, it cannot avoid the problems of slow acquisition speed and mass data storage demand. Inspired by the spectral reconstruction task in computer vision and remote sensing, the Swin-Spectral Transformer U-Net (SSTU) has been developed to reconstruct Hyperspectral Whole Slide images (HWSis) from multiple Hyperspectral Microscopic images (HMis) of small Field of View and Whole Slide images (WSis). The Swin-Spectral Transformer (SST) module in SSTU takes full advantage of Transformer in extracting global attention. Firstly, Swin Transformer is exploited in space domain, which overcomes the high computation cost in Vision Transformer structures, while it maintains the spatial features extracted from WSis. Furthermore, Spectral Transformer is exploited to collect the long-range spectral features in HMis. Combined with the multi-scale encoder-bottleneck-decoder structure of U-Net, SSTU network is formed by sequential and symmetric residual connections of SSTs, which reconstructs a selected area of HWSi from coarse to fine. Qualitative and quantitative experiments prove the performance of SSTU in HWSi reconstruction task superior to other state-of-the-art spectral reconstruction methods. • Hyperspectral Whole Slide Imaging Reconstruction network trained by WSIs and Hyperspectral images within small FOVs. • HWSI Reconstruction within new collected WSI and trained SSTU network. • Spectral and Swin Transformer based U-Net structure. • Solving the collection speed and storage space restriction of real HWSI systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the phase transformation properties of C/Sb composite multilayer films based on flexible substrates were studied. After different times of bending, the flexible films can still achieve amorphous to crystalline phase transition, but the crystalline resistance increases to different degrees. When the bending times are less than 15000 times, the deformation makes the grain fine, the surface of the film tends to be flat, the surface electric field effect is weakened, and the resistance drift is reduced. When the bending times are higher than 15000 times, cracks begin to appear in the film, and the cracks' depth and width increase with the bending times. The distribution of C and Sb elements at the crack was analyzed by scanning electronic microscope energy spectrum. The phase change memory device of C/Sb composite multilayer film based on flexible PEEK substrate has been made, and the rapid reversible resistance transition (∼10 ns) in various complex states has been successfully achieved. This research provides a new idea for flexible information storage. • The addition of carbon increases the phase transition temperature and improves the thermal stability of pure antimony. • Complete the phase transition in the case of external bending and internal bending. • After 80,000 bending, the phase transition can still be completed, showing good bending resistance. • The device made of composite material realizes the SET-RESET process at the pulse width of 10ns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanishing point (VP) detection in road images plays an important role in driving scenes for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles. Because it is still a challenging problem to obtain expensive annotated datasets in deep-learning-based supervised training, in this paper, we propose a semi-supervised VP detection method in road images. Our proposed model first extracts high-resolution VP heatmaps of the road images by fusing multi-level and global–local contrastive learning. Then, we apply the π model as a semi-supervised learning framework and feed the whole global network with a small number of training samples to detect VPs. In the experiment, we used Kong's dataset for the unstructured road test and the KITTI-VP dataset for the structured road test. Compared with the state-of-the-art methods, our model achieved high accuracy and robustness in road VP detection. • As the first attempt at self-supervised VP detection, our approach uses contrastive learning for self supervised training, directly extracting road features without manually labeled data and applying the semi-supervised π -model for training with a small amount of labeled data. • Our approach combines multi-level and global–local feature extraction to improve the VP detection ability. • The proposed approach can solve the problem of both unstructured and structured road VP detection in complex road scenes, including different obstacles, lighting, extreme weather, shapes, etc. • We have built a structured road VP detection dataset KITTI-VP, including 6500 road images from the KITTI dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Endo-hydrolytic activity of free dextranase is transformed to exo -hydrolytic after covalent immobilization. • Noncovalent immobilization of dextranase maintains its endo -hydrolysis behavior. • Matching target products generation and separation efficiency can control product molecular weight and mitigate fouling. • A desirable enzyme membrane reactor requires highly active enzyme, strong internal mass transfer and high permselective membrane. • Immobilization is not necessary in enzyme membrane reactor if enzyme has good shear resistance and acceptable stability. Enzyme membrane reactor (EMR) provides an effective strategy for controlling molecular weight (Mw) of oligodextrans. However, the synergistic effect between dextran hydrolysis and product separation as well as continuous operation stability remains still unclear. We observed that covalently immobilized dextranase exhibited more obvious exo -hydrolysis behavior compared to free enzymes probably due to enzyme conformational alterations. Using non-covalently immobilized enzyme, suitable ultrafiltration membrane, optimal substrate/enzyme ratio and matched permeate flux, the yield of the target product reached 62.8%. However, the non-covalently immobilized dextranase exhibited reduced hydrolytic activity and more obvious membrane fouling (caused by high-Mw dextran). When free dextranase with high activity was used together with suitable permeate flux and high shear rate, the yield increased to 72.0%. The obtained EMR maintained stable for 8 h with slight fouling formation because enzymatic hydrolysis and membrane separation were well matched. The polydispersity index of the target product reached 1.3 (analytical grade) following diafiltration purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a novel supporting approach, performance-based contracting (PBC) ties the service supplier's compensation to the performance outcome of the system owned by the customer. It enables the service supplier to implement an effective maintenance and spare parts inventory policy so as to improve system performance. In this paper, we propose a principal–agent modeling framework for deteriorating production systems operating under PBC, with the objective of maximizing the expected utilities of both stakeholders. The customer (principal) offers PBC with a fixed payment plus performance incentive form to the service supplier (agent), who in turn implements a condition-based maintenance (CBM) policy based on the system prognostic condition at periodic inspections, and sets an investment level of spare parts inventory. Considering the partial observability of the service supplier's actions, the optimal combination of performance incentive in PBC provided by the customer, and the joint CBM and spare parts inventory policy implemented by the service supplier, are determined through a two-stage and heuristic approach. Finally, a numerical example and sensitivity analysis based on a real-world scenario are presented to illustrate and verify the applicability of the proposed model. • Investigate the performance-based contracting (PBC) for degrading production systems. • Analyze condition-based maintenance (CBM) and spare parts inventory policy. • Propose a principal–agent model and a two-stage solution approach. • Determine optimal PBC incentive, joint CBM and spare parts inventory policy. • Verify the applicability of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformer overheating faults can lead to an increase in the transformer oil-dissolved methane content, therefore, the high-precision in-situ detection of oil-dissolved methane is significant for early-stage transformer fault diagnosis. However, traditional methods can not achieve in-situ monitoring, and there is a shortage of methane-sensitive materials. To enable high-sensitivity in-situ detection of transformer oil-dissolved methane, this paper proposed a methane sensor based on the evanescent field of the non-adiabatic tapered optical fiber (NATOF), utilizing the specific adsorption of cryptophane-A to methane. A NATOF with a waist diameter of 8.17 µm and length of 8 mm was fabricated using the melt-drawn tapering method, and a polyacrylate/cryptophane-A film was deposited on the surface of the NATOF by drip-coating method. The sensor's response to transformer oil-dissolved methane was experimentally investigated. The results showed that the sensor exhibited a detection sensitivity of 9.8 pm/ppm for transformer oil-dissolved methane, with a detection limit of 2.35 ppm. Furthermore, the sensor's excellent reversibility was validated through cyclic experiments. The sensor proposed in this paper can realize the in-situ detection of transformer oil-dissolved methane. • The specificity of methane absorption is ensured by employing Cryptophane-A as the methane-sensitive material. • A compact and highly sensitive methane sensor based on non-adiabatic tapered fiber was developed. • High-sensitivity in-situ detection of transformer oi-dissolved methane was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmentally programmed cell death (dPCD) is a tightly controlled biological process. In recent years, vital roles of dPCD on regulating floral organ growth and development have been reported. It is well known that flower is an essential organ for reproduction and a turning point of plants' life cycle. Hence, uncovering the complex molecular networks which regulates dPCD processes in floral organs is utmost important. So far, our understanding of dPCD on floral organ growth and development is just starting. Herein, we summarize the important factors that involved in the tapetal degeneration, pollen tube rupture, receptive synergid cell death, nucellar degradation, and antipodal cell degradation. Meanwhile, the known factors that involved in transmitting tract formation and self-incompatibility-induced PCD were also introduced. Furthermore, the genes that associated with anther dehiscence and petal senescence and abscission were reviewed as well. The functions of various types of factors involved in floral dPCD processes are highlighted principally. The regulatory panorama described here can provide us some insights about flower-specific dPCD process. • Developmentally programmed cell death (dPCD) plays essential roles in floral organ growth, development, and senescence. • dPCD process was observed in nine types of floral organs. • Regulatory networks of dPCD in floral organs were delineated in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel BiOBr/BiOCOOH p-n heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared for the first time. • The composites exhibited significantly enhanced activity for Levofloxacin degradation. • The heterojunctions promote the photo-generated carriers transmission and separation. BiOBr/BiOCOOH p-n heterojunction photocatalysts were fabricated via a two-step solvothermal method. The photocatalytic performance of as-prepared heterojunctions was evaluated under visible light for the degradation of Levofloxacin. The composite samples exhibited significantly accelerative degradation rate compared to both pure catalysts (BiOBr and BiOCOOH). Besides, the apparent rate constant of the optimal sample for Levofloxacin degradation was 1.7 and 144.8 times higher than that of pure BiOBr and BiOCOOH. The improved activity can be attributed to the high charge separation efficiency. Furthermore, quenching experiment was also carried out. The results indicated that the photogenerated hole (h+) and superoxide radical (O 2 −) were the dominant reactive radicals responsible for the degradation of Levofloxacin. Cycling test also reveals that the sample owned good stability. In the end, a possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism was proposed. This work would provide a good example for the design and preparation of bismuth based p-n heterojunction composite photocatalysts with high visible-light-responsive performance for environment purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An accelerated reliability growth model is developed. • The approach incorporates usage heterogeneity and failure learning effect. • Cost-based optimization model is proposed. • Optimal reliability growth test program is derived. • Applicability of the approach is verified through a numerical example. For products sold with a two-dimensional warranty policy, the warranty servicing cost can be reduced through reliability growth during development. This paper investigates a multi-phase reliability growth test program for repairable products with independent competing failure modes. Considering a test-find-test scheme, an accelerated reliability growth model is developed, allowing different failure modes having distinct accelerated relationships. Taking usage heterogeneity and mode-specific failure learning effect into account, the reliability growth is achieved through periodic fixes on a phase-by-phase basis. From the manufacturer's perspective, the main objective is to achieve the optimal trade-off between the warranty cost and the reliability growth test cost by determining the optimal test program that minimizes the expected total cost per product sold, ensuring that the pre-specified reliability growth requirement is met. Assuming the tri-Weibull product failure distribution, we illustrate the proposed optimization model numerically and study the effect of relevant parameters on the optimal reliability growth test program. The results show that the proposed approach yields significant cost reduction and reliability improvement for the examples studied in this paper, especially when the manufacturer possesses high failure learning ability, and the product has expensive repair cost per a warranty failure and extensive warranty coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The performance of free-space laser communication (FSLC) is greatly decreased by horizontal atmospheric turbulence. Adaptive optics is used to overcome horizontal turbulence. This study investigated the effect of the 3 dB bandwidth of an adaptive optics system (AOS) on FSLC performance by using power-in-bucket (PIB) method, which considers the effect of receiving aperture and then, can accurately evaluate of the effect of system bandwidth on the communication performance. A 9 km horizontal maritime link experiment was performed through adaptive correction to validate the theoretical analysis. Results indicate that the effect of system bandwidth can be accurately evaluated using PIB method. This work provides a basis for designing and evaluating AOSs for FSLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing market for second-hand products facilitates the acceptance of warranty provided by dealers to promote sales and provide assurance for customers. Offering warranty results in additional cost due to warranty claims servicing. Such cost can be reduced through upgrade and preventive maintenance (PM) that improve the reliability of the product. Reliability improvement is worthwhile only if the cost incurred is less than the reduction in the warranty cost. For repairable second-hand products sold with a two-dimensional warranty, this paper investigates the worthiness of reliability improvement from the dealer’s viewpoint. A new modeling approach is proposed and studied, allowing the same product to have distinct degradation processes due to customer usage intensity variation. The effects of customer usage heterogeneity, upgrade and PM actions on the product reliability and the corresponding expected cost to the dealer are characterized. Optimal reliability program including the upgrade degree and PM policy is derived so that the expected total cost of the second-hand product to the dealer can be minimized. Numerical examples are utilized to illustrate the applicability of the proposed model. In addition, some practical implications from a sensitive analysis regarding the important parameters are elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 /C 60 heterojunction photodetectors were here fabricated. The peak EQE achieves ∼80% in the visible-light range from 400 to 760 nm. Benefitting from eliminating the leakage current (PEDOT:PSS-free), extremely low dark current density (0.6 nA/cm 2 ) and high specific detectivity (2.7 × 10 13 Jones) are acquired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ternary composite of Fe 3 O 4 /SnO 2 /rGO has been synthesized via a facile one-step hydrothermal method. In the composite, rGO serves as a conductive and robust matrix, Fe 3 O 4 and SnO 2 nanoparticles are uniformly loaded on the rGO nanosheets without aggregation, due to the space-confine effect of the simultaneous nucleation and growth of Fe 3 O 4 and SnO 2 nanocrystallites. As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the Fe 3 O 4 /SnO 2 /rGO nanocomposite exhibited a reversible capacity of 947 mAh g −1 at a current density of 200 mA g −1 in the first cycle, and maintained 831 mAh g −1 after 200 cycles. The cyclic performance and rate capability of the Fe 3 O 4 /SnO 2 /rGO are markedly improved compared with the binary counterparts of FeO x /rGO and SnO x /rGO obtained in the control experiment, as a result of enhanced structural stability and kinetics for charge and Li + transfer due to the synergetic effect in the ternary composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM 2.5) and humidity have been considered as two leading determinants of atmospheric visibility. However, quantitative evidence of their independent and interactive effects on visibility is rare at multi-city level. Based on the data of 190 monitoring stations from 182 Chinese cities, the generalized linear model combined with nonlinear smoother was constructed to estimate the station-specific effects of PM 2.5 and relative humidity on visibility. Then, multivariate meta-analysis was used to pool the station-specific estimates. Finally, attributable visibility loss respectively due to PM 2.5 and humidity were calculated. In general, both PM 2.5 and relative humidity were detected to have a significant non-linear negative influence on visibility. Per 1 μg/m3 increase in PM 2.5 was associated with a visibility reduction of 0.232 km and 0.030 km under the level of PM 2.5 below or above 68 μg/m3, respectively. The visibility declined by 0.105 km, 0.254 km, and 0.569 km per 1% increase in relative humidity under low (<58%), middle (58%–85%), and high (>85%) humidity, respectively. Significant interactive effects of PM 2.5 and humidity were observed. The impacts of PM 2.5 on visibility were significantly amplified in days with moderate humidity. However, extremely high humidity could largely attenuate the PM 2.5 -visibility association. The influence of extremely high humidity (like 99%) also consistently declined as the PM 2.5 concentration elevated. From the national perspective, PM 2.5 accounted for a higher proportion of average daily visibility loss than humidity [9.75 km (95%CI: 7.94, 11.57) vs. 7.23 km (95%CI: 5.02, 9.45)]. The relatively mild polluted southern China suffered from similar PM 2.5 -attributable visibility loss with northern China. The findings could provide important information for the prediction and improvement of atmospheric visibility. [Display omitted] • Both PM 2.5 and relative humidity had a negative non-linear effect on visibility. • Humidity between 60 and 80% significantly amplified the impact of PM 2.5 on visibility. • PM 2.5 substantially attenuated the effect of extremely high humidity on visibility. • Daily average visibility loss of 10 km and 7 km were attributed to PM 2.5 and humidity. • Visibility in less polluted but more humid areas also suffered greatly from PM 2.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For repairable items under the two-dimensional warranty, the manufacturer expenses warranty costs for rectifying the failures occurring over the warranty coverage. Preventive maintenance actions reduce the occurrence intensity of item failures, and hence the warranty cost resulted from corrective maintenance, but bring additional preventive maintenance cost. In this paper, we investigate a periodic and imperfect preventive maintenance strategy for an item covered by a fixed and combined base warranty and extended warranty region from the manufacturer׳s perspective. After the base warranty expires, the buyer purchases an extended warranty service contract from the same manufacturer for extra protection. Over the whole warranty coverage, the item failures are minimally repaired by the manufacturer at no cost to the buyer. The effect of preventive maintenance action is characterized by reducing the item׳s failure intensity proportionally to the maintenance degree at each preventive maintenance action. Then a mathematical model is proposed to derive the optimal preventive maintenance strategy so as to minimize the total expected warranty servicing cost to the manufacturer. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the application of the proposed model and evaluate the impact of different model parameters on the optimal solutions and the corresponding warranty servicing costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe 2 O 3 wrapped by few layered graphene nanosheets composites (Fe 2 O 3 -FLG) have been synthesized via a facile and massive one-step P-milling method, which is effective in reducing the particle size of Fe 2 O 3 and exfoliating the graphite into FLG. The composite shows good electrochemical performance due to the tight wrapping of FLG nanosheets, which is beneficial to electric conductivity and integrity of the electrode. The sample treated under 20 h retains a reversible capacity of 758 mAh g −1 at 200 mA g −1 after 300 cycles, which equals to 88% of its theoretic capacity. With the superior electrochemical performance, Fe 2 O 3 -FLG composites prepared via the P-milling method could be promising as anode materials for high performance lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This work uses a doped method to develop a low-cost PDs hole transport material with high hole mobility and stability. • The CsI:TBP complex inhibited the agglomeration of Li-TFSI in Spiro-OMeTAD to form HTL with smooth and dense surfaces. • The photodetector exhibits a broadband response from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared, fast response and low dark current. • The EQE, responsivity and detectability of the photodetector are 88%, 0.48 A W−1, and 2.7 × 1013 Jones, respectively. • The EQE of the unpackaged device remained at 98.1% of the initial value after 60 days of storage. Hole transport materials play an essential role in the performance of perovskite detectors (PDs). Therefore, hole transport materials with excellent performance can significantly promote photoinduced holes' extraction rate and mobility. Spiro-OMeTAD, a small organic molecular material, has high solubility and excellent film-forming properties and is ideal for the hole transport layer (HTL) of photodetectors. In this work, a small amount of CsI is introduced into Spiro-OMeTAD together with Li-TFSI and TBP as additives. It is found that CsI and TBP formed a complex, which inhibited the agglomeration of Li-TFSI in Spiro-OMeTAD, thus preventing the rapid evaporation of TBP from leaving some cracks Spiro-OMeTAD. The photodetectors exhibit broadband response from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared (300–800 nm), achieving fast response (rise/fall time is 54.1/10.7 μs) and low dark current density (9.72 ×10−10 A cm−2). The detector can be self-powered at zero bias voltage, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) is 88%, the Responsivity (R) is 0.48 A W−1, and the detectivity (D*) is close to 2.7 × 1013 Jones. When the photovoltaic detector is placed in a nitrogen-filled glove box without special packaging for more than two months, the EQE remains 98.1% of the original. This study provides a simple method for fabricating a large area of high-performance planar PDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the structure and the cytocompatibility of fish scales from Carassius auratus , scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology of fish scales treated with different processing methods. Based on varying morphologies and components, the fish scales can be divided into three regions on the surface and three layers in vertical. The functions of these three individual layers were analyzed. SEM results show that the primary inorganic components are spherical or cubic hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles. The fish scales have an ~ 60° overlapped plywood structure of lamellas in the fibrillary plate. The plywood structure consists of co-aligned type I collagen fibers, which are parallel to the HA lamellas. X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis indicate that the main components are HA and type I collagen fibers. MC3T3-E1 cell culture results show a high cytocompatibility and the ability to guide cell proliferation and migration along the scale ridge channels of the fish scales. This plywood structure provides inspiration for a structure-enhanced composite material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) optimization utilizing prognostic information and methods for complex systems has attracted increasing attention. This paper presents a bi-level approach to optimize a CBM policy for multi-component systems subject to stochastic and economic dependencies. The objective of the decision rule at the system level is to address if preventive and/or corrective maintenance actions are necessary regarding the predictive reliability of the system. At the component level, the aim is to identify the optimal group of components to be preventively maintained when maintenance is triggered due to the decision made at the system level. A maintenance efficacy indicator is introduced to prioritize components to be maintained by taking into account both the resulting reliability improvement quantity and the maintenance cost incurred. The optimal inter-inspection interval, the thresholds of system and component conditional reliability for triggering maintenance are jointly determined for minimization of the long-run average cost rate. A numerical study and sensitivity analysis on a 2oo3:G system are carried out to validate the performance of the proposed maintenance policy. Compared to another opportunistic maintenance policy without considering the system health condition, the proposed CBM policy leads to more cost gain and effectiveness in the maintenance decision-making. • A multi-level CBM policy for multi-component systems is proposed. • Stochastic dependence is characterized by degradation "rate–rate" interactions. • A maintenance cost rate model using predictive reliability data is developed. • Importance of components or groups is ranked by a maintenance efficacy indicator. • The optimal CBM policy is derived utilizing MCS and PSO-based heuristic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The WRKY transcription factor family has been associated with a variety of plant biological processes, such as biotic and abiotic stress responses. In this study, 13 wheat TaWRKY DEGs in transcriptome data before and after drought stress, namely TaWRKY1 to TaWRKY8 , including various copies, were identified and classified as Group I, II, or III. TaWRKY1-2D overexpression enhanced drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. Moreover, the AtRD29A , AtP5CS1 , AtPOD1 , AtCAT1 , and AtSOD (Cu/Zn) genes, which are related to the stress response and antioxidant system, were significantly upregulated in TaWRKY1-2D transgenic Arabidopsis under drought stress. TaWRKY1-2 silencing in wheat increases the MDA content, reduces the contents of proline and chlorophyll and the activities of antioxidant enzymes, and inhibits the expression levels of antioxidant (TaPOD , TaCAT , and TaSOD (Fe))- and stress-related genes (TaP5CS) under drought stress. Yeast two-hybrid screening revealed TaDHN3 as an interaction partner of TaWRKY1-2D; their interaction was further confirmed using yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation. Furthermore, TaWRKY1-2D may play essential roles in wheat drought tolerance through posttranslational regulation of TaDHN3. Overall, these findings contribute to our knowledge of the WRKY family in wheat and identify TaWRKY1-2D as a promising candidate gene for improving wheat breeding to generate drought-tolerant wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fe2O3-graphite (Fe2O3-G) composites have been facilely and effectively synthesized via ball milling. Structural features and electrochemical properties of the Fe2O3-G composites as anodes for lithium-ion batteries are investigated. The Fe2O3-G composites benefit from the close contact of nanocrystalline Fe2O3 with the graphite matrix, which improves the electronic conductivity and restrains the volume variation during cycling. The composite with 20% graphite shows the highest reversible capacity up to 491.1 mAh g−1 after 55 cycles with good rate capability. Due to the superior electrochemical performance, the Fe2O3-G composites prepared via ball milling could be promising as anode materials with high capacity, low-cost for lithium-ion batteries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Graphene, a novel class of carbon nanostructures, has great promise for use as sorbent materials because of its ultrahigh specific surface area. A new method using a column packed with graphene as sorbent was developed for the preconcentration of trace amounts of lead (Pb) using dithizone as chelating reagent prior to its determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Some effective parameters on the extraction and complex formation were selected and optimized. Under optimum conditions, the calibration graph was linear in the concentration range of 10.0–600.0μgL−1 with a detection limit of 0.61μgL−1. The relative standard deviation for ten replicate measurements of 20.0 and 400.0μgL−1 of Pb were 3.56 and 3.25%, respectively. Comparative studies showed that graphene is superior to other adsorbents including C18 silica, graphitic carbon, and single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes for the extraction of Pb. The proposed method was successfully applied in the analysis of environmental water and vegetable samples. Good spiked recoveries over the range of 95.3–100.4% were obtained. This work not only proposes a useful method for sample preconcentration, but also reveals the great potential of graphene as an excellent sorbent material in analytical processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the realm of photodetection, there has been growing interest in Ferroelectric/semiconductors heterostructures due to the interfacial charge coupling resulting from ferroelectric polarization. In this study, we created a thin film consisting of alternating layers of Ba 0.86 Ca 0.14 Ti 0.9 Sn 0.1 O 3 and PbZr 0.52 Ti 0.48 O 3 (referred to as BCST/PZT) using a sol-gel growth method on a (0001) GaN/c-sapphire template. Our objective was to examine the impact of these films on the optoelectronic properties of ferroelectric/GaN heterojunctions. Our findings indicate that the BCST/PZT multilayer films possess improved ferroelectric properties. Furthermore, the multilayer structure demonstrates outstanding optoelectronic performance compared to the individual BCST/GaN or PZT/GaN structures, particularly within the 1 V to 3 V bias range. Notably, the multilayer thin film/GaN devices exhibit a responsivity of 121.4 mA/W and a detectivity of 1.44 × 1011 Jones under a 1 V bias voltage. In contrast to other GaN-based materials documented in the literature, our straightforward sol-gel techniques yielded devices exhibiting UV photodetection characteristics that are either comparable to or superior than those reported. • Use the sol-gel method, which is simple and easy to produce large films. • Use of tin and calcium doped barium titanate. • Multilayer BCST/PZT ferroelectric film photodetectors (PDs) have better responsivity (R) and detectivity (D*). • The device shows a significant improvement in photocurrent with 1 V bias applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early Paleozoic tectonic nature and subsequent orogenic process remain poorly known in the Indochina interior. This study introduces the general geology of South Laos and presents a set of new zircon U Pb and Hf O isotopic analyses, and whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data for the mafic-intermediate igneous rocks in South Laos. The representative samples from the previously-mapped Ordo-Silurian strata in the southern Truong Son zone give the formation ages of 434–438 Ma. Five samples from the Tam Ky-Phuoc Son tectonic zone yield zircon U Pb ages of 447–485 Ma. The corresponding zircon ε Hf (t), δ18O and T DM values are in range of +1.6~ −6.5, 6.1–8.6‰, and 1.02–1.79 Ga, respectively. Forty-five mafic-intermediate igneous rocks in South Laos with mg-number = 42–69 have SiO 2 = 53.04–61.66 wt%, Al 2 O 3 = 12.13–20.92 wt% and MgO = 2.73–9.55 wt%, and are characterized by enrichment in LILEs and depletion in HFSEs with Nb Ta negative anomalies. Their (87Sr/86Sr) i ratios range from 0.7044 to 0.7109 and ε Nd (t) values from −6.2 to −2.6, with (206Pb/204Pb) i = 18.08–18.68, (207Pb/204Pb) i = 15.50–15.77, and (208Pb/204Pb) i = 38.04–38.97. Ten gabbroic samples, with mg-number = 77–79, show similar incompatible elemental ratios and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf-O isotopic compositions with the other mafic-intermediate igneous rocks, but have lower SiO 2 and higher MgO, Cr, Ni and V contents, reflective of a primary mafic magma. Such characteristics suggest a newly-modified wedge source by recycled sediment-derived components. In combination with other geological observations in Central Vietnam, we propose a northerly-younging early Paleozoic igneous event in response to the on-growing accretionary orogenesis in the Indochina interior. The southward consumption of the early Paleozoic Tam Ky-Phuoc Son Ocean in the Indochina interior continued until at least ~430 Ma and the assemblage of the Northern Indochina with the Kontum terrane likely terminated at the early Devonian. • The Ordo-Silurian mafic-intermediate igneous rocks are identified in South Laos. • The lower Paleozoic sequence in the Truong Son zone is mainly of Silurian origin. • They were derived from the recycled sediment-modified wedge source. • An oceanic consumption might continue until ~430 Ma in the Indochina interior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reuse of activated sludge as a solid waste is severely underutilized due to the limitations of traditional treatment and disposal methods. Given that, the sulfur-containing activated sludge catalyst doped with cobalt (SK-Co(1.0)) was successfully prepared by one-step pyrolysis and calcinated at 850 ℃. The generation of CoS x was successfully characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), indicating that the sulfur inside the sludge was the anchoring site for the externally doped cobalt. Cobalt (Ⅱ) (Co2+), as the main adsorption site for peroxymonosulfate(PMS), formed a complex (SK-Co(1.0)-PMS*) and created the conditions for the generation of surface radicals. The SK-Co(1.0)/PMS system showed high degradation efficiency and apparent rate constants for Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) (91.56% and 0.187 min−1) and Sulfadiazine (SDZ) (90.73% and 0.047 min−1) within 10 min and 30 min, respectively. Three sites of generation of 1O 2 , which played a dominant role in the degradation of SMX and SDZ in the SK-Co(1.0)/PMS system, were summarized as：sulfur vacancies (SVs), the Co3+/Co2+ cycles promoted by sulfur(S) species, oxygen-containing functional groups (C-O). The degradation mechanisms and pathways had been thoroughly investigated using DFT calculations. In view of this, a new idea for the resource utilization of activated sludge solid waste was provided and a new strategy for wastewater remediation was proposed. [Display omitted] • Sulfur inside activated sludge anchored exogenous cobalt. • In-solution and surface radicals were generated by (SK-Co(1.0)-PMS*). • Multiple modes generated the dominant 1O 2. • The degradation product from SDZ and SMX obtained low ecotoxicity. • DFT calculation was used to explain the degradation mechanism and path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TP53 binding protein 1 (53BP1) plays an important role in DNA damage repair and maintaining genomic stability. However, the mutations of 53BP1 in human cancers have not been systematically examined. Here, we have analyzed 541 somatic mutations of 53BP1 across 34 types of human cancer from databases of The Cancer Genome Atlas, International Cancer Genome Consortium and Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer. Among these cancer-associated 53BP1 mutations, truncation mutations disrupt the nuclear localization of 53BP1 thus abolish its biological functions in DNA damage repair. Moreover, with biochemical analyses and structural modeling, we have examined the detailed molecular mechanism by which missense mutations in the key domains causes the DNA damage repair defects. Taken together, our results reveal the functional defects of a set of cancer-associated 53BP1 mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work reports a Al 0.67 Ga 0.33 N Metal–Semiconductor–Metal (MSM) detector with a high quantum efficiency (QE) by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and Standard photolithography. As previously reported, the electrode spacing between the metal fingers of MSM detectors, annealing temperature, and electrode material affect the performance of detectors. Our work demonstrates a high QE detector by optimizing the electrode and annealing temperature. At 14 V bias, the ultraviolet-to-visible rejection ratio is measured as high as 1000. It is also found that the responsivity increases with the bias voltage. Due to the influence of the image force and tunnel effect, the QE exceeds 100 % and the responsivity reaches 4.24 A/W near 250 nm. The specific detectivity (D*) also reaches 1.32 × 1011 Jones. Compared with the literature, this is the highest QE of MSM devices with Ti electrodes on the AlGaN layer at this wavelength. This gain mechanism should be related to trapping photo carriers at the semiconductor/metal interface, image-force lowering of Schottky barrier height, and the expansion of the space charge layer (SCR). • The photodetector has extremely high quantum efficiency. • The device has an obvious peak response and large photocurrent at 250 nm. • We try to explain the high gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Using F-MSAP measured DNA methylation levels in cartilage (CA) and reserve mesenchyme (RM) cells and tissues. • DNA methylation plays an important role in the fast cartilage of deer antler. • Identified 20 methylated fragments specific to RMCs or the CA. This paper explored using of deer antlers as a model for studying rapid growth and cartilage formation in mammals. The genes and regulatory mechanisms involved in antler chondrogenesis are poorly understood, however, previous research has suggested that DNA methylation played a key role in antler regeneration. By using fluorescence-labeled methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (F-MSAP), this study measured DNA methylation levels in cartilage (CA) and reserve mesenchyme (RM) cells and tissues. Results showed that RM cells (RMCs) DNA methylation levels were significantly lower than those of CA, suggesting that DNA demethylation may be involved in antler fast cartilage differentiation. The study also identified 20 methylated fragments specific to RMCs or CA using the methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) technique and confirmed these findings using southern blot analysis. The data provide the first experimental evidence of a link between epigenetic regulation and rapid cartilage differentiation in antlers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Two modules of nonribosomal peptide synthetase were heterologous expressed and purified. • In vitro set up a biosynthetic reaction system of nonribosomal peptide. • Bacillamide C intermediate- heterocyclic AlaCys thiazole was formed. Abstract Bacillamide C, a potential natural antialgae active compound, is produced by Bacillus atrophaeus C89 derived from marine sponge Dysidea avara. A nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) cluster is hypothesized to be involved in the biosynthesis of bacillamide C. The NRPS with a domain string of A1-PCP1-Cy-A2-PCP2-C can be divided into three functional modules. After heterologous expression and purification of module A1-PCP1 and module Cy-A2-PCP2, their catalytic activities were biochemically proven in vitro by the reaction with the apo-PCP domain transformed to the holo-PCP domain through a phosphopantetheinyl transferase, ATP, and substrate amino acids. Five– membered heterocyclic AlaCys thiazole with molecular weight of 172.0389 was detected. This proved the formation of the heterocyclic dipeptide AlaCys thiazole , which is considered to be a building block for the biosynthesis of bacillamide. This study provides a basis for further biosynthesis of bacillamides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A stiffness optimization method of locking units for multi-rigid body manipulator was proposed. • The equivalent method of the locking stiffness of the locking unit was proposed. > The stiffness optimization guideline of locking units is extended from the adaptive growth laws of plant roots. Based on plant root adaptive growth theory of monocotyledons, a stiffness optimization method of locking unit for multi-rigid body space manipulator is proposed. The optimization process of locking unit stiffness is transformed into the increase and elimination of spring constraints. The kinematic model of the locking unit is established, and the equivalent method of the locking stiffness of the locking unit is proposed to make the three-dimensional support model of the locking unit correspond to the three-dimensional stiffness of the locking space. According to the proposed optimization method of locking unit and equivalent method of locking stiffness, a parallel optimization method is used to optimize the stiffness of space manipulator locking unit. The stiffness optimized locking system is compared with the conventional locking system, and the higher fundamental frequency of the system is verified by simulation analysis, which proves the effectiveness of the stiffness optimization method of the locking unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction matrix significantly affects the correction accuracy of wavefront correctors. For diffractive liquid crystal wavefront correctors (LCWFCs), the diffraction wavefront error must be taken into account to improve the accuracy of the interaction matrix. In this paper, a tunable Zernike polynomial coefficient method is demonstrated that decreases the effect of the diffraction wavefront error on the interaction matrix. Moreover, to eliminate the effect of the random error, a least squares method is combined with the tunable coefficient method. Experimental results show that, with the combined method, the error of the interaction matrix is decreased by a factor of 2.5 compared to that when the least squares method is used alone. Furthermore, an open loop adaptive correction experiment was performed and a considerable improvement of the image resolution was obtained by the novel method. Therefore, this method is very useful for liquid crystal adaptive optics systems to acquire the high correction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of gene promoter methylation plays increasing roles in personalized medicine. In this study, an improved gene promoter methylation assay based on fluorescence polarization in 5'-nuclease reaction was developed. The novel assay offered a homogeneous annealing and cleavage reaction fully integrated with PCR which used a probe labeled with fluorescence without quencher to obtain the decreased fluorescence polarization values. In this platform, gene promoter methylated and unmethylated alleles were detected simultaneously in a tube. O 6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase gene promoter methylation in 103 glioma tissue samples and epidermal growth factor receptor gene promoter methylation in 116 primary non-small-cell lung carcinoma tissue samples were detected by the novel assay and sequencing, absolute quantitative analysis of methylated allele in parallel. The accuracy of the results measured by the improved fluorescence polarization assay was evaluated using the paired-samples t test. No significant difference was found ( P > 0.05). Therefore, the improved fluorescence polarization assay in 5'-nuclease reaction demonstrated a homogeneous, reliable and cost-effective method for gene promoter methylation analysis in clinic. That would provide a scientific basis for applying a reasonable therapeutic regimen in future treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zonal method is widely used to reconstruct the wave-front. Up to now, the iterative algorithms have been used to reconstruct the arbitrary shape wave-front with high reconstruction accuracy. However, it has the shortcomings of long time consumption. To reduce the time delay, a shaped based method is proposed by adding the shape information into the geometry matrix. The simulated and experimental results indicate that the reconstruction accuracy of proposed method is similar to that of the iterative LS-based method, but the computation time of our method is 3 times less than that of the iteration method. Consequently, the high accuracy and low time consumption are simultaneously achieved with the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A magnet-renewable electroanalytical strategy has been initially developed for monitoring hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) in aquaculture freshwater systems using magnetic Fe 3 O 4 -loaded silver metal-organic framework (Fe 3 O 4 @Ag-MOF). The magnetic composites were synthesized by a hydrothermal route and further attached onto the magnetic electrodes. It was discovered that the Fe 3 O 4 @Ag-MOF-based electrochemical sensors could exhibit the extremely sharp and steady signals of solid-state Ag/AgCl electrochemistry at a lower potential. Furthermore, the highly specific and irreversible S–Cl replacement reactions could occur in the presence of H 2 S, so as to induce the conversion of AgCl into non-electroactive Ag 2 S with the rational decline of Ag/AgCl signals. Importantly, the Fe 3 O 4 @Ag-MOF-modified electrodes could be renewed simply by the removal of the magnet after each of the detection cycles for the next immobilization of Fe 3 O 4 @Ag-MOF probes. The developed electroanalytical method could facilitate the detection of H 2 S in the linear range from 4.0 to 1400 nM, with a limit of detection down to 2.0 nM. Besides, it was employed to detect H 2 S in aquaculture freshwater samples of fish, crab, and shrimp, showing the satisfactory results. Fe 3 O 4 @Ag-MOF composites were synthesized step-by-step and further attached onto the magnetic electrodes, which were allowed for the selective electroanalysis of H 2 S using NaCl, based on the solid-state Ag/AgCl electrochemistry. [Display omitted] • A magnet-renewable electroanalytical strategy is developed for monitoring H 2 S using magnetic Fe 3 O 4 @Ag-MOF. • Τhe Fe 3 O 4 @Ag-MOF-based sensor can exhibit sharp and steady signals of solid-state Ag/AgCl electrochemistry. • H 2 S can trigger the decreased Ag/AgCl signals through the specific S–Cl displacement reaction. • The Fe 3 O 4 @Ag-MOF-modified electrode can be renewed magnetically after the detection. • The as-prepared sensor is employed to probe H 2 S in aquaculture freshwater samples with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Synthesis methods and microstructures of MFe 2 O 4 spinel composites were summarized. • The absorbing property of MFe 2 O 4 composites with different components was reviewed. • Future challenges and directions of MFe 2 O 4 composites as absorbers were proposed. Constructing lightweight, thin matching thickness, wide absorption bandwidth and strong absorbers is promising way to solve problems of electromagnetic pollution. As an important ferrite, MFe 2 O 4 (M = Fe, Co, Mn, Zn, Ni, etc.) attracts wide attention for its unique spinel crystalline structure and excellent electromagnetic properties. This article reviews the recent progress of the spinel structured MFe 2 O 4 , including synthesis methods, microstructures and the effects of different components (such as carbonaceous materials, metallic compounds, conducting polymer, MXene, etc.) on the morphology and microwave absorption performances. The mechanisms of these systems, current challenges and possible perspectives are also summarized in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single crystal (SC) MAPbBr 3 perovskite is regarded as a promising material to fabricate high-performance photodetectors (PDs) due to its impressive optoelectronic properties and good chemical stability. Cs+ doping has been proved to be an effective method to significantly improve the optoelectronic properties of MAPbBr 3 SC. However, the intrinsic effect of Cs+ on the crystal structure is still unclear. Herein, we grew a series Cs x MA (1-x) PbBr 3 SCs. X-ray rocking curves (XRC) of Cs x MA (1-x) PbBr 3 SCs prove that appropriate Cs-doping concentration could reduce defect density effectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements indicate that Cs-doping enhances the atoms interaction in Cs x MA (1-x) PbBr 3 lattice due to isoelectronic impurity effect. Single-crystal PDs were fabricated to compare the optoelectronic properties of MAPbBr 3 SCs with different Cs-doping concentration, and the 2% Cs-doped Cs x MA (1-x) PbBr 3 PD shows the optimum performance. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that Cs-doping leads to lattice relaxation effect which is benefit to reduce trap density of Cs x MA (1-x) PbBr 3 SCs. The Pb-6p level of Cs x MA (1-x) PbBr 3 slightly shifts to lower energy region compared with MAPbBr 3 , resulting in the decrease of band gap of Cs x MA (1-x) PbBr 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The soft magnetic properties of Ni80Fe20 films with Tb dopants up to 8.4% are kept. [•] The different mechanisms of FMR linewidth are separated and studied. [•] Magnetic anisotropy constants, Lande g factor, etc. are discussed quantitatively. [•] The Gilbert damping is increased by more than 50 times with 8.4% of Tb dopants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cut-surface browning poses a prominent concern when it comes to the storage and consumption of sliced taro. This study evaluated the browning development of sliced taro during cold storage and investigated the underlying browning mechanisms through metabolomics and transcriptomic analyses. Metabolomics analysis revealed a consistent increase in the abundance of metabolites, specifically linolenic acid and its derivatives, as well as hydroperoxides, during the aggravated browning process, suggesting the degradation of membrane lipids, as linolenic acid is a major structural composition of cell membranes. Transcriptomic analysis showed that differentially expressed genes having upregulated expression during the browning process were enriched in the α-Linolenic acid metabolism pathway. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified two highly correlated modules with taro slice browning during storage, and genes showing a positive correlation were also enriched in the α-Linolenic acid metabolism pathway. Taken together, these findings indicate that the degradation of membrane lipids during taro browning and the loss of membrane compartmentalization might be key factors contributing to sliced taro browning. Additionally, the upregulation of LOX genes and increased protein activity, along with elevated levels of MDA during browning development, further validate the correlation between membrane lipid peroxidation and taro browning. Overall, this study contributes to our knowledge of the browning mechanisms in fresh-cut foods, providing valuable insights for future research and potential strategies for mitigating browning in sliced taro under cold storage conditions. • Linolenic acid and its derivatives increase with browning development. • Fresh-cutting induces DEGs expression in the α-Linolenic acid metabolism pathway. • LOX activity and MDA content positively correlate with taro browning. • This study validates the significance of membrane lipid metabolism in taro browning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heptamethine cyanines (Cy7) typically exhibit strong near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence signals when in monodisperse states, but their distinctive π-conjugated structure leads to limited solubility in aqueous solutions, ultimately resulting in inherent fluorescence self-quenching. Enhancing the fluorescence quantum yield of these agents within aqueous environments, in order to achieve high-resolution biological imaging, presents a significant challenge. Herein, a benzothiazole-based Cy7-derivative (Cy7-BTH) is developed, exhibiting unique H-aggregation properties in aqueous solutions. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) binds to Cy7-BTH (BSA@Cy7-BTH) to modulate its molecular stacking and energy transfer, boosting its fluorescence accompanied by bright NIR-II tail emission. The competitive binding alters the planarity of Cy7-BTH, restricting its intramolecular rotation, and simutaneously changes the conformation of BSA, leading to BSA@Cy7-BTH aggregation to form hierarchical-structured nanoparticles. Notably, the BSA@Cy7-BTH nanoparticles significantly enhanced photothermal response of Cy7-BTH while maintaining its controlled reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, offering NIR-II imaging-guided surgical removal of primary tumors, and simultaneously inhibiting cancer cell metastasis by synergistic PDT/PTT dissection of metastatic tumor cells in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). This study provides an innovative but facile strategy for their potential clinical applications by precisely regulating the intermolecular competitive interactions of NIR theranostic agents. [Display omitted] • A molecular competition-based supramolecular strategy was proposed for high SNR imaging. • BSA binds to Cy7-BTH (BSA@Cy7-BTH) to modulate its molecular stacking and energy transfer. • BSA@Cy7-BTH offers NIR-II imaging-guided surgical removal of primary tumors. • Metastatic tumor cells in SLNs were dissected by synergistic PDT/PTT without side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although configurable products have been common in the market, buyers often receive standard warranty offerings rather than customized ones from manufacturers. In this study, a reliability based method is proposed to specify warranties for certain product configuration schemes. A continuous time Markov model is adopted to measure the vulnerabilities of components involved in configuration. Then the warranty claim probability of a product with multiple components is calculated, and the warranty costs in varied warranty periods are estimated. Under a minimal repair warranty in which only failed components are replaced free of charge, warranty plans can be customized for different configuration schemes on the basis of warranty costs. Next, an example of laptop computer is introduced to illustrate the procedure and effectiveness of the proposed method. Impacts of operating frequency and operating time of products on warranty costs are also measured. In addition, some recommendations are provided in order to deal with issues of replacement policy, pro-rata rebate warranty (PRW) and compatibility between components. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]