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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play an important role in the formation of ground-level ozone and secondary organic aerosol (SOA), and they have been key issues in current air pollution prevention and control in China. Considerable attention has been paid to industrial activities due to their large and relatively complex VOCs emissions. The present research aims to provide a comprehensive review on whole-process control of industrial VOCs, which mainly includes source reduction, collection enhancement and end-pipe treatments. Lower VOCs materials including water-borne ones are the keys to source substitution in industries related to coating and solvent usage, leak detection and repair (LDAR) should be regarded as an efficient means of source reduction in refining, petrochemical and other chemical industries. Several types of VOCs collection methods such as gas-collecting hoods, airtight partitions and others are discussed, and airtight collection at negative pressure yields the best collection efficiency. Current end-pipe treatments like UV oxidation, low-temperature plasma, activated carbon adsorption, combustion, biodegradation, and adsorption-combustion are discussed in detail. Finally, several recommendations are made for future advanced treatment and policy development in industrial VOCs emission control. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steel slag has been investigated as a potential aggregate for pavement-wearing courses in road engineering. The volume stability, resistance to high and low temperatures, and water stability for asphalt mixtures containing steel slag have been widely studied. As for the skid resistance, previous studies have primarily focused on the initial performance. The relationship between the steel slag's appearance morphology and skid resistance during the wearing process remains to be further explored. It is essential to undertake a comparative study on the long-term skid resistance of steel slag and conventional aggregates to address the differences. This research picked two steel slags and two types of conventional aggregates (granite and limestone) as research samples. The chosen aggregate samples underwent various degrees of wear treatment with the Los Angeles abrasion machine, and their angularity was examined utilizing an aggregate image measurement system (AIMS). Based on the polishing pre-treatment, the micro-texture of the aggregates was observed with the assistance of a laser confocal microscope, and its correlation with skid resistance was determined. British pendulum number (BPN) tests were also conducted and analyzed at various polishing durations. The results show that steel slag has a low abrasion rate and higher initial angularity and abrasion resistance compared to natural stones. The micro-texture analysis demonstrates that steel slags have a coarser roughness, more contact points, and more durable abrasion resistance. Additionally, the fluctuations in BPN further prove that steel slag has superior initial and sustained skid resistance. Overall, steel slag can be a promising alternative for pavement-wearing course aggregate due to its superior long-term skid resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We clarify the issues to be addressed when inorganic materials are employed in the electrodes of low temperature fuel cells, which conventionally operate around 80 °C. The employed inorganic proton conductor is zirconium sulfophenyl phosphonate (ZrSPP), which is incorporated as an ionomer in the electrode catalyst layers by coating the Pt-supported carbon nanotubes with a ZrSPP layer (ZrSPP–Pt/CNTs). Compared with an MEA with an electrode comprising Nafion and Pt/CNT without a ZrSPP coating, a membrane–electrode assembly (MEA) with an electrode comprising ZrSPP–Pt/CNT exhibits an improved performance at elevated temperatures of 90 °C and 100 °C, illustrating an advantage of the inorganic proton conductors. However, a ZrSPP coating on the Pt/CNTs decreases the cell performance at 80 °C. A detailed in situ analysis using limiting-current measurements reveals that the oxygen transport resistance through the solid ionomers increases by approximately six times with the incorporation of the ZrSPP layer. These results indicate that the mass transport through the inorganic materials should be addressed when they are employed in electrodes. [Display omitted] • Issues of using inorganic proton conductors in the electrodes of PEFCs are clarified. • An inorganic proton conductor, ZrSPP, is coated on the surface of Pt/CNTs. • An MEA with ZrSPP-coated Pt/CNTs shows improved performance at 90 °C and 100 °C. • In situ analysis of mass transport properties in the cathode of MEAs is performed. • Oxygen transport resistance through the solid ionomers increases by ZrSPP coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing robust and efficient nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a big challenge for green and sustainable energy since insufficient catalytic activity and poor stability of current catalysts cannot meet the application requirements. This work reports a freestanding HER electrode FeNiCuAlMo prepared by arc-melting and chemical dealloying methods. The HER performance firstly improves and then declines with the increase of dealloying time. When the dealloying time is 3 h, the electrode shows optimal catalytic performance. The fabricated electrode is composed of AlMo 3 and Al 5 CuMo 2 , where micro-sized AlMo 3 particles are embedded in cellular dendritic Al 5 CuMo 2. Impressively, it displays excellent HER performance, including a small overpotential of 173 mV at a current density of 500 mA/cm2 and outstanding long-term stability for 100 h of continuous hydrogen evolution at 1000 mA/cm2 in an alkaline electrolyte without obvious attenuation. The intrinsic activity of the electrodes combined intermetallic compounds with hierarchical porous structure provides several effects, including enhanced massive active sites, electrolyte access, electron transport, and fast gas release that contribute jointly to enhancing HER activities. The micro-sized AlMo 3 particles provide robust framework for the dendritic Al 5 CuMo 2 active sites center, allowing the exposure of enough active sites and simultaneously maintaining good stability. The highly stable and active electrocatalytic HER property makes it as a promising candidate for practical hydrogen production. [Display omitted] • Multicomponent intermetallic composed of AlMo 3 and Al 5 CuMo 2 was prepared. • The interfaces between AlMo 3 and Al 5 CuMo 2 increase transport route and active sites. • The catalyst exhibits a small overpotential of 173 mV at 500 mA/cm2 for HER. • The catalyst shows a remarkable durability at high current density of 1000 mA/cm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gelatin-polysaccharide interactions have garnered significant attention in recent years due to their profound effects on the properties (rheology and structure) of various food products. This study investigates the interaction between Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) and gelatin, focusing on the impact of different concentrations LBP (0–2.0%, w/v) on gelation behavior, water mobility, and gelatin structure. The results show that the addition of LBP initially increases and then decreases the gel strength and hardness of the gelatin. Incorporating LBP into gelatin leads to decreased brightness, gelling temperature (T g), gelation rate (k gel), immobile water content, and residue, while increasing the redness, yellowness, bound and free water content, and thermal stability. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffractometer (XRD), cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (Cryo-SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses provide evidence for the existence of hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, and ionic bond interactions between LBP and gelatin, in addition to covalent bonds formed through the Maillard reaction. Moreover, LBP induces changes in the structure of gelatin, including alterations in secondary structure, crystalline structure, and microstructure. AFM observations further indicate that LBP promotes the formation of gelatin aggregates. These findings present promising avenues for the application of LBP-gelatin composite gels as novel materials in the food industries. [Display omitted] • Gelation behaviors and structural changes reveal LBP-gelatin interaction. • LBP-induced changes in gelatin's water mobility. • Incorporation of LBP enhances thermal stability of gelatin. • Modification of gelatin structure by LBP confirmed by FTIR, XRD, Cryo-SEM, and AFM. • LBP-gelatin interaction: Hydrogen bonds, electrostatic and ionic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Spectroscopic and computational investigation elucidates HCQ-collagen interaction. • Collagen structure modified by HCQ binding, confirmed by XRD, FTIR, CD, and SEM. • Decreased water relaxation time observed upon HCQ-collagen interaction. • HCQ-collagen binding involves hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding. • Insights into HCQ's pharmacological mechanisms for connective tissue diseases. Hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) can be used to treat various connective tissue diseases. Collagen, which is not only an important drug delivery carrier but also the main component in the connective tissue, is the focus of this study. Here, the interaction mechanism of HCQ with collagen was investigated through various spectroscopic and computational methods. It is found that HCQ binds to collagen spontaneously, primarily via hydrophobic interactions and some hydrogen bonds. The findings of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) verified that formation of HCQ-collagen complex and the amorphous structure, secondary structures, and microstructure of collagen were changed after HCQ binding. A decrease in the relaxation time of free water was observed in the collagen system when HCQ was added. Molecular docking demonstrated that HCQ was almost buried in the cavity of collagen via some hydrophobic interactions with one hydrogen bond, which conforms to the findings of the fluorescence and FTIR analyses. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations further revealed the structural change information in the docking process. Hopefully, the information generated in this study can provide some useful insights for the research on the pharmacological mechanisms of HCQ in the treatment of the connective tissue diseases and the application of collagen as a drug carrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation plays an important role in achieving deep decarbonization. This paper examines how the sector might be decarbonized in China in light of three national decarbonization scenarios toward the Paris Agreement goals, using Global Change Assessment Model 4.0 (the Tsinghua University version), which includes a detailed representation of China's transportation. Results indicate that while barely affected by meeting the Nationally Determined Contribution, China's transportation sector might need significant changes beyond 2030 to decouple associated CO 2 emissions from GDP growths. Supporting national mitigation has more pronounced implications on freight than passenger transport services, and arouses a radical shift of transport fuels away from fossil-based liquids to clean alternatives. Decarbonizing China's transportation toward 1.5 °C is in many aspects similar to toward 2 °C, but lowers final energy use and ramps up clean fuels at an observably higher pace. In our 1.5 °C scenario, oil-refined liquids tend to phase out in the second half of the century, whereas clean fuels provide 62% (18–36% in 2 °C scenarios) and 98% (68–91% in 2 °C scenarios) of China's transport energy by 2050 and 2100, respectively. Fuel carbon intensity improvements are responsible for the majority of China's transport mitigation in our decarbonization scenarios, followed by energy intensity improvements and transport service reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tolerance to corrosion of cathode catalyst supports comprising carbon nanofibers with differing alignments of graphene layers was evaluated, and its correlation with structural parameters obtained from Raman spectra was discussed. The carbon nanofibers employed in this study were platelet-type carbon nanofibers (PCNF) and tubular carbon nanofibers (TCNF). The tolerance to carbon corrosion was evaluated in a membrane electrode assembly using a start-stop durability testing protocol. While the ratio of the D band peak intensity to that of the G band ( I D / I G ) does not show any correlation with tolerance to carbon corrosion, full width at half maximum of the G band (FWHM(G)) correlates well with tolerance to carbon corrosion. The results suggest that carbon materials with low FWHM(G) values are promising as cathode catalyst supports in PEFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of moisture exposure on scratch behavior of four model cast polyurethane (CPU) elastomers with different soft segments is investigated. Two model CPU systems contain less polar ether groups and the other two contain more polar ester groups in the soft segment polyols. The ASTM D7027 /ISO 19252 standard scratch test was chosen to determine the scratch behavior of the model CPU systems in dry and water-saturated conditions. It is found that the absorbed moisture alters the surface characteristics, mechanical properties and the corresponding scratch behaviors of PU elastomers in different fashions, depending on the PU chemical constituents. The homogeneously absorbed water molecules in the less polar polyether-based PU elastomers serve as plasticizer to degrade the mechanical properties and increase the coefficient of friction (COF), thus leading to deterioration in scratch resistance. However, for the more polar polyester-based PU elastomers, because of the interaction between water molecules and the polar bonding sites, clustering of water occurs on the surface and acts as lubricant to decrease the COF, which improves the scratch resistance. A 3-D finite element method (FEM) modeling was conducted to further understand the observed scratch-induced deformation in the model systems. The present study provides guidelines for preparing scratch-resistant PU elastomers that are exposed to humid environment during service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High transmittance Ga-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates using sol-gel spin coating technique. Crystallinity levels, microstructures, optical and electrical properties of the thin films were systematically investigated by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, UV–visible spectrophotometer, PL spectrometer and four-point probe method, respectively. All GZO thin films exhibited polycrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and slight (0 0 2) preferred orientation growth, which show excellent transmittance (> 95%) in the 380–780 nm wavelength range. The PL spectra of the GZO films revealed a strong ultraviolet emission peaks at around 393 nm and a weak blue emission peak at around 468 nm. When the Ga doping level was 4 at.%, the minimum resistivity of 1.12 × 10 − 2 Ω·cm with the highest transmittance was reached. The optical band gaps ( E g ) of the films were increased from 3.311 eV to 3.329 eV with the increase of Ga dopant concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• HCQ statically quenching the fluorescence of CAS and WP. • Hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds are the forces for complexes formation. • The four major proteins in milk exhibited different binding sites with HCQ. • The complex of HCQ-CAS was more stable compared to HCQ-WP. This study investigated the interaction between hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) and caseins (CAS) or whey proteins (WP) by the means of various spectroscopic, molecular docking, and molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. The fluorescence spectrum revealed that CAS and WP interaction with HCQ resulted in static quenching due to the formation of HCQ-CAS and HCQ-WP complexes. The formation of complexes was also validated by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The FTIR and CD data revealed that HCQ binding altered the secondary structure of CAS and WP. Moreover, molecular docking and MD simulation were performed to analyze the formation of complexes, which compacted the CAS structure. Moreover, they also demonstrated that HCQ interaction with CAS and WP mainly involved hydrophobic interactions, with some hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction forces. This was consistent with the zeta potential, thermodynamic and FTIR analyses. In conclusion, the present study guides the construction of the CAS and WP as a drug delivery system for HCQ and helps us understand how HCQ interacts with food components such as milk proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate analysis of electrode material parameters is of great significance for advancing Lithium-ion battery research. This paper presents the first application of the laboratory X-ray computed tomography (CT) technique for the material parameter analysis of rectangular lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Firstly, performing a disassembly experiment of rectangular LFP battery, the geometric size of positive and negative electrodes and the heterogeneity of materials are analyzed. Secondly, a sine function model is proposed to identify the 2D tomographic images representing the positive and negative electrodes from the reconstructed 3D dataset. Then, the histograms of the 2D tomographic images are fitted with a Gaussian function to identify and quantify the content of electrode materials. Finally, the distributions of positive and negative materials are quantified by meshing and contour plots. The positive and negative materials are unevenly distributed on current collectors, and their distribution properties are closely related to the distance between the electrodes and the thickness center of the wound prismatic cell. The locations of the low aggregation regions of the positive and negative materials are not consistent. It can be expected that this paper will provide a new insight into the analysis of 3D imaging of electrode materials before/after battery operation. • A sine function model is constructed to identify the 2D tomographic images of electrodes. • Using a Gaussian function identify and quantify the content of electrode materials. • Using meshing and contour plots quantify the distribution of electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidatively generated DNA damage is considered to be a significant contributing factor to cancer, aging, and age-related human diseases. It is important to detect oxidatively generated DNA damage to understand and clinically diagnosis diseases caused by oxidative damage. In this study, using selective enzymatic cleavage and quantum dot (QD) labeling, we developed a novel capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence method for the sensitive detection of oxidized DNA bases. First, oxidized DNA bases are recognized and removed by one DNA base excision repair glycosylase, leaving apurinic and apyrimidinic sites (AP sites) at the oxidized positions. The AP sites are further excised by the AP nicking activity of the chosen glycosylase, generating a nucleotide gap with 5′- and 3′- phosphate groups. After dephosphorylation with one alkaline phosphatase, a biotinylated ddNTP is introduced into the nucleotide space within the DNA strand by DNA polymerase I. The biotin-tagged DNA is further labeled with a QD-streptavidin conjugate via non-covalent interactions. The DNA-bound QD is well-separated from excess DNA-unbound QD by highly efficient capillary electrophoresis and is sensitively detected by online coupled laser-induced fluorescence analysis. Using this method, we can assess the trace levels of oxidized DNA bases induced by the Fenton reaction and UV irradiation. Interestingly, the use of the formamidopyrimidine glycosylase (FPG) protein and endonuclease VIII enables the detection of oxidized purine and pyrimidine bases, respectively. Using the synthesized standard DNA, the approach has low limits of detection of 1.1 × 10 −19 mol in mass and 2.9 pM in concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidatively generated DNA damage is considered to be a significant contributing factor to cancer, aging, and age-related human diseases. It is important to detect oxidatively generated DNA damage to understand and clinically diagnosis diseases caused by oxidative damage. In this study, using selective enzymatic cleavage and quantum dot (QD) labeling, we developed a novel capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence method for the sensitive detection of oxidized DNA bases. First, oxidized DNA bases are recognized and removed by one DNA base excision repair glycosylase, leaving apurinic and apyrimidinic sites (AP sites) at the oxidized positions. The AP sites are further excised by the AP nicking activity of the chosen glycosylase, generating a nucleotide gap with 5′- and 3′- phosphate groups. After dephosphorylation with one alkaline phosphatase, a biotinylated ddNTP is introduced into the nucleotide space within the DNA strand by DNA polymerase I. The biotin-tagged DNA is further labeled with a QD-streptavidin conjugate via non-covalent interactions. The DNA-bound QD is well-separated from excess DNA-unbound QD by highly efficient capillary electrophoresis and is sensitively detected by online coupled laser-induced fluorescence analysis. Using this method, we can assess the trace levels of oxidized DNA bases induced by the Fenton reaction and UV irradiation. Interestingly, the use of the formamidopyrimidine glycosylase (FPG) protein and endonuclease VIII enables the detection of oxidized purine and pyrimidine bases, respectively. Using the synthesized standard DNA, the approach has low limits of detection of 1.1 × 10 −19 mol in mass and 2.9 pM in concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The restacking of graphene or reduced graphite oxide (r-GO) is commonly regarded as a severe obstacle for potential applications. We propose the application of exfoliated carbon nanotube (e-CNT) as an effective carbon spacer for fabricating a sandwich-like three-dimensional (3D) carbon composite with GO. The 3D carbon combination of GO + e-CNT is successfully prepared via homogenously mixing of GO and e-CNT in an aqueous dispersion in which carbon spacers are homogenously intercalated with graphene layers. With the addition of a carbon spacer, the BET surface area of 3D carbon (51.6 m2 g− 1) is enhanced by a factor of three compared with r-GO (17.2 m2 g− 1) after thermal reduction. In addition, the 3D GO + e-CNT supported PtPd catalyst (PtPd-GO + e-CNT) shows homogenous distribution of PtPd nanoparticles of 3.9 ± 0.6 nm in size, with an enlarged electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) value of 164 m2 g−1 and a mass activity of 690 mA mg− 1 toward the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), which is the typical anode reaction for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Montmorillonite (MMT) modified with chitosan (CTS, molecular weight = 5 × 10 4 ) was applied to remove heavy metal cations by using Co 2 + as a model ion. An increase in MMT interlayer distance observed from X-ray diffraction indicates the intercalation of CTS into MMT. Together with the results of scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, it was concluded that the composite material of CTS and MMT (CTS–MMT) was prepared successfully. The mass ratio of CTS to MMT had a strong influence on the adsorption performance of CTS–MMT. The highest adsorption value of 150 mg/g was obtained over the composite material with CTS to MMT mass ratio of 0.25, which is much higher than those reported in other studies. The adsorption isotherms and kinetic results indicated that Co 2 + was adsorbed over CTS–MMT in a multilayer model, and the chemical sorption of Co 2 + was determined to be the rate-limiting step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) is a well-established antimalarial drug that has received considerable attention during the COVID-19 associated pneumonia epidemic. Gelatin is a multifunctional biomacromolecule with pharmaceutical applications and can be used to deliver HCQ. The effect of HCQ on the gelation behaviors, water mobility, and structure of gelatin was investigated to understand the interaction between the drug and its delivery carrier. The gel strength, hardness, gelling (T g) and melting (T m) temperatures, gelation rate (k gel), and water mobility of gelatin decreased with increasing amounts of HCQ. The addition of HCQ led to hydrogen bonding that interfered with triple helix formation in gelatin. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis further confirmed that the interaction between HCQ and gelatin is primarily through hydrogen bonding. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that higher content of HCQ resulted in more and larger aggregates in gelatin. These results provide not only an important understanding of gelatin for drug delivery design but also a basis for the studying interactions between a drug and its delivery carrier. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) is a well-established antimalarial drug that has received considerable attention during the COVID-19 associated pneumonia epidemic. Gelatin is a multifunctional biomacromolecule with pharmaceutical applications and can be used to deliver HCQ. The effect of HCQ on the gelation behaviors, water mobility, and structure of gelatin was investigated to understand the interaction between the drug and its delivery carrier. The gel strength, hardness, gelling (T g) and melting (T m) temperatures, gelation rate (k gel), and water mobility of gelatin decreased with increasing amounts of HCQ. The addition of HCQ led to hydrogen bonding that interfered with triple helix formation in gelatin. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis further confirmed that the interaction between HCQ and gelatin is primarily through hydrogen bonding. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that higher content of HCQ resulted in more and larger aggregates in gelatin. These results provide not only an important understanding of gelatin for drug delivery design but also a basis for the studying interactions between a drug and its delivery carrier. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to identify the chemical composition, monosaccharide composition, and molecular weight (Mw) of the polysaccharide (LBP) extract from Lycium barbarum L., and investigate the effects of Ca2+ on the zeta potential, rheological properties, infrared spectra (IR), and structure as well as the gelation mechanism of the LBP. The results showed that the LBP was an acidic glycoprotein mixture with an Mw of 4.05 × 105 Da. The addition of Ca2+ first decreased and then increased the absolute value of zeta potential. The elastic modulus (G'), complex viscosity (η*), and stress relaxation modulus (G(t)) of LBP increased with an increase of Ca2+ concentration, and reached the maximum value at the concentration of 12 mM. IR showed that the typical peak wavenumber of the LBP has changed in the presence of Ca2+. SEM and AFM analysis confirmed that Ca2+ could improve the formation of gel network structure in LBP. In addition, the electrostatic interaction and the calcium bridges produced by the addition of Ca2+ played a key role in the formation of the gel network structure. These findings will benefit the application of LBP in the food and pharmaceutical industries. [Display omitted] • Effect of Ca2+ on the rheological properties and structure of LBP was investigated. • Gelation mechanism of LBP was also elucidated. • Increasing concentration of Ca2+ improved rheological properties of the LBP gels. • Ca2+ increased the stability of LBP gel network structure. • Electrostatic interaction was crucial to LBP gel network structure formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) related to solar radiation and greenhouse effect is one of the most important volatile sulfides and its' oxidation products are also important contributors to acid rain. It is of great importance to study the consumption and reactions of DMS in the atmosphere. In this work, atmospheric-like particulate TiO 2 was selected to study the reaction mechanism of DMS on TiO 2 with the purpose to explore the possible heterogeneous oxidation of DMS. The results showed that the heterogeneous reaction of DMS with TiO 2 occurred under the condition of illumination, which is a first-order-like reaction with the rate constant K = 2.83 × 10−4/s, the initial reaction uptake coefficient and the steady reaction uptake coefficient indicated the occupation of products and by-products on the surface of TiO 2. The heterogeneous reaction mechanism of DMS studied by aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS) suggested that DMS underwent a series of complex chemical reactions with sulfate and various sulfur-containing gas products, in which hydroxyl radicals might play an important role. • Simplify the research system by using model oxidized particulates with a single component. • Study the heterogeneous reaction of DMS on model particulates by smog chamber. • Reveal reaction mechanism of DMS on atmospheric-like particulates by ATOFMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Document-level relation extraction (RE) is a more challenging task providing a new perspective to solve larger and more complex text mining work. Recent document-level RE research following traditional sentence-level methods focus on learning a character representation of one sentence, highlighting the importance of partial words. When applied to a document with a longer text, more entities and more complicated semantics, these traditional methods lacking the ability to select evidence and further reason on them, may not be sufficient to identify all potential relation in the document in an intuitive way. However, some textual semantic associations between entities as well as logical structure of document could provide evidence to the potential relation and explain the reasoning process. Hence, by introducing Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST) as an external knowledge, this article attempts to select appropriate evidence and show reasoning process on a new document-graph, RST-GRAPH, which indicators valid semantic associations between multiple text units through RST and incorporates a set of reasoning modules to capture efficient evidence. Our experimental result shows that the RST-GRAPH, as the first work introducing RST, builds associations in an interpretable manner along discourse relation link between any entities compared to previous graph-oriented models, exhibits a clear process of evidence reasoning with competitive performance on DocRED dataset, and outperforms most existing models on the value of Ign F1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) is the most serious and complicated clinical manifestation of lupus erythematosus. Cognitive dysfunction is the most common symptom of NPSLE. A variety of potential mechanisms or mediators related to the pathogenesis of NPSLE cognitive dysfunction have been proposed. However, the involvement of microglia CD40 has not been reported yet. This study aimed to investigate whether hippocampal microglia CD40 of MRL/MpJ-Faslpr (MRL/lpr) mice was involved in NPSLE cognitive dysfunction. This study found, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and immunohistochemistry, that hippocampal CD40 was aberrantly overexpressed in the MRL/lpr lupus mice. It also determined using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence that the aberrantly overexpressed CD40 was mainly derived from hippocampal microglia. The adeno-associated virus was used to inhibit microglia CD40 expression, and the brain damage and cognitive dysfunction of MRL/lpr mice improved. Also, imiquimod (IMQ)-induced lupus mice had the same NPSLE cognitive dysfunction, brain damage, and overexpressed hippocampal microglia CD40 as MRL/lpr mice. Therefore, IMQ-induced lupus mouse was proposed as one of the mouse models for studying NPSLE cognitive dysfunction for the first time in this study. The findings indicated that hippocampal microglia CD40 was involved in the development of NPSLE cognitive dysfunction, thus providing a novel research direction for the study of the pathogenesis of NPSLE. [Display omitted] • Aberrant high expression of CD40 in hippocampal microglia cells is found in MRL/lpr neuropsychiatric lupus mice. • The down-regulation of hippocampal microglia CD40 can alleviate NP symptoms in lupus mice. • Imiquimod-induced lupus mice show significant NPSLE cognitive dysfunction and brain damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental exposure would cause DNA damage and epigenetic modification changes, potentially resulting in physiological dysfunction, thereby triggering diseases and even cancer. DNA damage and epigenetic modifications are thus promising biomarkers for environmental exposures and disease states. Benefiting from its high sensitivity and accuracy, high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) is considered the "gold standard technique" for investigating epigenetic DNA modifications. This review summarizes the recent advancements of UHPLC-MS/MS-based technologies for DNA damage and epigenetic modifications analysis, mainly focusing on the innovative methods developed for UHPLC-MS/MS-related pretreatment technologies containing efficient genomic DNA digestion and effective removal of the inorganic salt matrix, and the new strategies for improving detection sensitivity of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Moreover, we also summarized the novel hyphenated techniques of the advanced UHPLC-MS/MS coupled with other separation and analysis methods for the measurement of DNA damage and epigenetic modification changes in special regions and fragments of chromosomes. • Accelerated genomic DNA digestion strategies for LC-MS analysis. • Matrix desalination and salt interference mitigation. • New strategies for improving detection sensitivity of LC-MS. • Applications of DNA damage and epigenetic modification analysis via LC-MS and complementary techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coking chemical industry associated with high energy consumption and high pollution emits significant amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to atmosphere, but is often ignored. This article reports a new study on emissions of VOCs from a typical coking chemical plant. Results show that about 70 species of VOCs including alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons and oxygenates are detected, naphthalene and benzene could be used as the emission markers. Compared to coking stage, gas purifying stage is found to have 4 times more total concentrations of VOCs, in which condensing and blasting process is found to be the largest contributor with 77% ozone formation potential (OFP) contribution. Emission control measures currently used are insufficient and inefficient to reduce VOCs to meet regulatory emission standards. Further, by using a proposed integrated emission factor of 2.652 g/kg coke, the coking chemical industry in China was estimated to account for about 7.8–20% of total historical industrial VOCs emissions, and about 1241 Gg of VOCs were emitted in 2019. A large proportion is emitted from the northern China with a distinctive spatial distribution. Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Shannxi provinces are the top four emitters. It is suggested that more stringent and efficient measures should be taken on the coking chemical industry, not just on the coking processes, but also on the gas purifying processes. Unlabelled Image • Present the first study on VOCs from the whole coking chemical processes • Provide VOCs emission and control information of coking chemical industry • Discuss ozone formation contribution, EF establishment and national emission distribution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relation extraction is a crucial task of natural language processing (NLP). It plays a key role in question answering, web search, and information retrieval and so on. Previous research on this task has verified the effectiveness of using attention mechanisms, shortest dependency paths (SDP) and LSTM. However, most of these methods focus on learning a semantic representation of the whole sentence, highlighting the importance of partial words, or pruning the sentence with SDP. They ignore the lose of information in these methods, such as the dependency relation of each word and preposition words to indicate the relation direction. Besides, the SDP-based approach is prone to over-pruning. Based on the above observations, this paper presents a framework with a Bi-directional SDP (Bi-SDP) attention mechanism to tackle these challenges. The Bi-SDP is a novel representation of SDP, including original SDP and its reverse. The attention mechanism, based on Bi-SDP, builds a parallel word-level attention to capture relational semantic words and directional words. Furthermore, we explored a novel pruning strategy to minimize the length of input instance and the number of RNN cells simultaneously. Moreover, experiments are conducted on two datasets: SemEval-2010 Task 8 dataset and KBP37 dataset. Compared with the previous public models, our method can achieve better competitive performance on the SemEval-2010 Task 8 dataset and outperform existing models on the KBP37 dataset. Additionally, our experimental results also evidence that the directional prepositions in sentences are useful for relation extraction and can improve the performance of relationship with apparent physical direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combating global climate change calls for all countries to accelerate emissions reductions, and equity is an important guiding principle. A new indicator – the carbon Palma ratio, extended from the income Palma ratio and defined as the ratio of the total emissions of the top 10% emitters to those of the bottom 40% – is proposed, which provides a new perspective to inform the international community and the public of the distribution inequality of carbon emissions among individuals. The ratio is quantified within and across countries, by applying an elastic relationship between individual emissions and income. Results show that the carbon Palma ratios within most developing countries are overall high, suggesting them to focus more on coordinating regional and income differences and mainly guide high emitters to mitigate, so as to improve emissions and income equity simultaneously. The carbon Palma ratios within developed countries are comparatively smaller; however, the greater historical responsibilities to warming suggest them to substantially reduce emissions of all citizens, so as to enhance national mitigation contributions systematically. At a global scope, the current carbon Palma ratio is observably higher than within any country, reflecting an extremely severe inequality when looking at individual emissions beyond territorial limitations. The regional decomposition of emitters further suggests developed countries to take the lead in the post-Paris era in ratcheting up mitigation and climate finance ambition. Image 1 • Carbon Palma ratio is proposed to measure individual emissions inequality. • The ratio provides a new perspective to quantify and inform inequality. • The ratios in developed countries are overall lower than in developing countries. • The global ratio reflects an extremely severe inequality across the world. • Decomposition suggests developed countries to enhance mitigation and finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We described an aptamer based and Mg2+ mediated free zone capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) assay for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) detection. This CE-LIF assay applied an anti-AFB1 aptamer with a single fluorescein (FAM) label at 5′ end and a short complementary DNA (cDNA). In the absence of AFB1, the cDNA hybridized with the aptamer probe and formed a duplex DNA. The use of running buffer containing MgCl 2 allowed good isolation of the duplex DNA from the single stranded DNA in CE. We found introducing a biotin label on the cDNA further improved the isolation. When AFB1 existed in sample solution, the aptamer probe bound with AFB1, dissociating from the duplex DNA. Thus, the duplex DNA peak decreased, while the aptamer probe peak increased during CE-LIF analysis. We achieved detection of AFB1 by measuring the aptamer probe peak. The length of cDNA, the ratio of aptamer to cDNA, and the concentration of MgCl 2 in sample buffer and separation buffer had great effect on the aptamer based CE-LIF assay. Under optimized conditions, the detection limit of AFB1 was 0.2 nM, and the dynamic range was from 0.2 nM to 500 nM. Limit of quantitation was 0.5 nM. This CE-LIF assay enabled detection of AFB1 spiked in diluted human serum, diluted human urine, and corn flour samples. This assay exhibits potential for wide application as it integrates the rapidity, high sensitivity, low sample consumption of CE-LIF analysis and the strengths of aptamer. An aptamer free zone capillary electrophoresis coupled with laser induced fluorescence assay (CE-LIF) was developed for detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). AFB1 competes with a short complementary DNA (cDNA) in the binding to a fluorescein (FAM)-labeled aptamer probe. The duplex DNA is well isolated from the FAM-labeled aptamer in CE with separation buffer containing MgCl 2. The presence of AFB1 caused decrease of the aptamer-cDNA duplex peak and increase of aptamer probe peak during CE-LIF analysis. Image 1 • Aptamer free zone capillary electrophoresis (CE) assay for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). • Complementary DNA (cDNA) and fluorescein-labeled aptamer probe are used. • MgCl 2 mediated CE allows separation of aptamer probe and aptamer-cDNA duplex. • AFB1 binding causes decrease of duplex peak and increase of aptamer probe peak. • AFB1 is detected by peaks changes in CE coupled with laser induced fluorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescence microscopy images captured in low light and short exposure time conditions are always contaminated by photons and readout noises, which reduce the fluorescence microscopy images quality. In most cases, this kind of noise can be modeled as Poisson–Gaussian noise. Correspondingly, its denoising task has always been a hot but challenging topic in recent years. In this paper, by integrating model-driven and learning-driven methodologies, we propose an end-to-end supervised neural network for fluorescence microscopy images denoising, named MCSC-net, which embeds the multi-layer learned iterative soft threshold algorithm (ML-LISTA) into deep convolutional neural network (DCNN). Our approach not only uses the strong learning ability of DCNN to adaptively update all parameters in the ML-LISTA, but also introduces dilated convolution into network training without additional parameters to improve denoising performance. In addition, compared with several related methods on a real data set of fluorescence microscopy images, MCSC-net achieves the best denoising effects both in qualitative and quantitative aspects, which shows its strong appeal in practical denoising applications. • The network is an extension of pursuit algorithm (ML-LISTA). • The network can be deepened without introducing additional parameters. • The introduction of dilated convolution improves the denoising effect. • Our method achieves attractive results in all the comparison methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Wear behaviors of a series of model cast polyurethane elastomers (CPU) under linear reciprocating sliding and fretting conditions were investigated and physically compared with their corresponding scratch behavior. It is found that the sliding wear and scratch damages of the model systems are both governed by abrasive wear mechanism, which involves tensile tear induced cracking along with material removal on the surface. The scratch resistance against tensile tear induced cracking/material removal of the model CPU systems correlates well with their abrasive wear performance, which can then be linked to their material properties, i.e., a higher tensile strength improves abrasive wear resistance. On the other hand, the fretting wear damage of the model systems is found to be dominated by adhesive-fatigue wear mechanism, and thus cannot be correlated with the scratch performance. Temperature rise measurement of the model CPU systems during wear was also performed to further understand the observed wear behaviors. The present study provides fundamental insights into understanding of complex abrasive wear behavior of polymers through their corresponding simpler scratch behavior. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • Physical correlation between abrasive wear and scratch of CPU is established. • Increasing tensile strength of CPU improves the abrasive wear resistance. • The fretting wear damage of CPU is governed by adhesive-fatigue wear mechanism. • Damping characteristic and COF determine temperature rise of CPU during wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol F (BPF) is a major alternative to bisphenol (BPA) and has been widely used. Although BPA exposure is known to generate various toxic effects, toxicity of BPF remains under-explored. A comprehensive method involving mass spectrometry (MS)-based global lipidomics and metabolomics, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI)- MS imaging (MSI) was used to study toxic effects of BPF and the underlying mechanisms on tumor metastasis-related tissues (liver and kidney) in breast cancer xenografts. Our results demonstrated that BPF exposure disturbed the metabolome and lipidome of liver and kidney. Exposure induced reprogramming of the glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis and glycolytic metabolism by activating glycine, serine, cysteine, glutamine, lactate and pyruvate in liver and kidney tissues. It also perturbed the biosynthesis and degradation of glycerophospholipids (GPs) and glycerolipids (GLs), resulting in abnormality of membrane homeostasis and cellular functions in kidney tissues. Moreover, spatial distribution and profile of metabolites changed across renal cortex and medulla regions after BPF treatment. Levels of phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) and triacylglycerols (TAG) increased in renal medulla and pelvis, while the levels of phosphatidylcholines (PC) and phosphatidylinositols (PI) increased in cortex and pelvis. These observations offer a deeper understanding of critical role of metabolites and lipid reprogramming in BPF-induced biological effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a widespread, persistent environmental contaminant, and it is enzymatically activated to form a reactive metabolite, tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone (TCBQ). To our knowledge, there is no information about TCBQ toxicity on embryonic stem cells. Here, we demonstrated that TCBQ induced significantly apoptosis of mouse embryonic stem cells in a concentration-dependent manner. We also showed that TCBQ elevated genomic 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) by affecting ten-eleven translocation (Tet) dioxygenases in mouse embryonic stem cells. We further investigated whether Tet dioxygenases were implicated in TCBQ-induced apoptosis. By depleting all three dioxygenases (Tet1-3), we found that Tet dioxygenases slightly inhibited both early and late apoptosis induced by TCBQ at a low concentration (30 μmol/L). Meanwhile, treated by TCBQ at higher concentrations (40 and 50 μmol/L), the total percentage of apoptotic cells was not affected by Tet dioxygenases. However, Tet dioxygenases tended to arrest mouse ES cells to be at early apoptotic stage and to reduce the cells to enter later apoptotic stage. These results indicate that Tet dioxygenases play a role in shaping TCBQ-induced apoptosis in mouse embryonic stem cells. Our study provides new insights into the toxicology of PCP and its reactive metabolite TCBQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The microstructure type of soft soils is decided by the sedimentary environment. • Geotechnical tests and FESEM tests for three types of soft soils were carried out. • The microstructure parameters of three kinds of soft soils were analyzed with fractal theory. • The relationships between micro and macro parameters were established. The marine environment has an important influence on the microscopic and macroscopic properties of soft soils, which are different from other types of soft soils. This paper discussed the microscopic properties of marine, interactive marine, and river-lake facies soft soils and their relationship to macroscopic parameters. Geotechnical tests and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) tests for three types of soft soils were carried out to study the influences of sedimentary environments on microstructure and macroscopic properties; the microstructure parameters were obtained by image processing technology and fractal theory; quantitative relationships between microstructure parameters and the macroscopic physical parameters were analyzed by multiple regression analysis methods. The results show that three sedimentary environments lead to significant differences in the microstructure of soft soils, particularly in the marine environment, with the soil particles being mostly flake stacked under marine sedimentation, flocculated in interactive marine, and agglomerated in river-lake facies. The fractional dimensions of the pores, soil particles distribution and the pore shape are 1.54, 1.78 and 1.43, respectively, the largest for the interactive marine soft soils. The probability entropies of soil particles in marine, interactive marine, and river-lake are 0.43, 0.47, and 0.53, respectively, which get bigger in order. The highest pore complexity is found in the interactive marine soft soils. The relationship formula between macroscopic physical parameters and microstructure parameters was established. It reveals that the physical parameters are expressed by joint action of pore distribution fractional dimension, soil particles probability entropy, pore shape fractional dimension and soil particles shape fractional dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aptamer affinity capillary electrophoresis coupled with laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) combines the advantages of affinity aptamer, rapid CE separation, and high sensitivity detection. Here we reported an affinity CE-LIF assay for thrombin by using a fluorophore-labeled RNA aptamer containing 2′-fluoro modification in sugar rings of pyrimidine nucleotides (C and U) as affinity ligand. This RNA aptamer has high binding affinity, specificity and biostability. Thrombin at 0.2 nM was successfully detected. This RNA aptamer allowed for the detection of thrombin spiked in diluted human serum sample due to the nuclease resistance. The RNA aptamer has comparable binding affinity to a 29-mer DNA aptamer for thrombin, and the binding site of the RNA aptamer on thrombin partially overlaps with the binding site of the 29-mer DNA aptamer on thrombin. It shows the nuclease-resistant RNA aptamers are promising in assays for thrombin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorder is critical for delivery management. To evaluate the diagnostic ability of MRI features in predicting the PAS, invasive depth and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in high-risk gravid patients. Between February 2019 and November 2020, women with ultrasound (US)-suspected PAS were enrolled. With the exclusion criteria, 80 women were included in the study. Two experienced genitourinary radiologists reviewed and recorded the MRI features. The chi square test was used to compare the effectiveness of MRI features. Relative risk ratios were computed to test the association of intraplacental T2-hypointense bands with poor outcomes of cesarean section. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses based on the number and area of intraplacental T2-hypointense bands were used to predict PAS, invasion depth, and PPH. PAS was diagnosed in 56 of 80 women (70%). At delivery, 24 of 80 women (30%) experienced PPH (≥1000 mL). Intraplacental T2-hypointense bands were detected at MRI in 28 of 56 women with PAS (50%). The relative risk ratio of intraplacental T2-hypointense bands was 1.51 for PAS, 3.17 for depth of PAS invasiveness and 4.74 for PPH. The largest areas of intraplacental T2-hypointense bands for predicting PAS, invasion depth and PPH were 0.66 cm2, 1.68 cm2 and 1.99 cm2, respectively. The appearance of intraplacental T2-hypointense bands has important diagnostic value for PAS, its invasion depth and PPH. The area of the largest T2-hypointense band in the placenta can predict poor outcomes of cesarean section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported a fluorescence anisotropy (FA) approach for small molecules using tetramethylrhodamine (TMR) labeled aptamer. It relies on target-binding induced change of intramolecular interaction between TMR and guanine (G) base. TMR-labeling sites are crucial for this approach. Only terminal ends and thymine (T) bases could be tested for TMR labeling in our previous work, possibly causing limitation in analysis of different targets with this FA strategy. Here, taking the analysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as an example, we demonstrated a success of conjugating TMR on other bases of aptamer adenine (A) or cytosine (C) bases and an achievement of full mapping various labeling sites of aptamers. We successfully constructed aptamer fluorescence anisotropy (FA) sensors for adenosine triphosphate (ATP). We conjugated single TMR on adenine (A), cytosine (C), or thymine (T) bases or terminals of a 25-mer aptamer against ATP and tested FA responses of 14 TMR-labeled aptamer to ATP. The aptamers having TMR labeled on the 16th base C or 23rd base A were screened out and exhibited significant FA-decreasing or FA-increasing responses upon ATP, respectively. These two favorable TMR-labeled aptamers enabled direct FA sensing ATP with a detection limit of 1 µM and the analysis of ATP in diluted serum. The comprehensive screening various TMR labeling sites of aptamers facilitates the successful construction of FA sensors using TMR-labeled aptamers. It will expand application of TMR-G interaction based aptamer FA strategy to a variety of targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA-functionalized nanomaterials represent the cutting edge of the convergence between nanoscience and life sciences. The gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), with their versatile attributes, serve as multifunctional carriers in complex environments, supporting diverse physiological activities of DNA. Concurrently, DNA enhances the target specificity and stability of nanomaterials, significantly improving or fine-tuning their performance. This review explores key aspects of DNA-functionalized AuNPs, including their synthesis methods, properties, and biosensing applications. It starts by delving deeply into the interactions between DNA and AuNPs, emphasizing their role in material customization and highlighting the advantages and applicability of each technique. Furthermore, the review thoroughly evaluates the latest synthesis methods developed from shielding the charger repulsion and extremely compressing the physical space. It showcases the potential of DNA-functionalized AuNPs in addressing complex challenges for biosensing applications. This synergistic relationship has propelled advancements in nanotechnology, facilitating the integration of life sciences, medicine, and nanotechnology, and expanding the application domains of these novel biomimetic nanocomposite materials. Therefore, there is an urgent need for in-depth research into the synthesis, structure and function of DNA-functionalized nanomaterials to unravel their pivotal mechanisms. Illustration of the application of DNA-functionalized gold nanomaterials in the field of biosensing. [Display omitted] • Mechanisms behind those milestones during the evolution of synthesizing DNA-functionalized AuNPs have been extensively discussed. • Engineering DNA-AuNPs enables biosensing of biomolecules for more intuitive and accurate access to spatiotemporal information. • Continuous innovation of synthesis enhances the efficiency in designing more functionalized nanomaterials across diverse fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In previous temperature field reconstructions, the inherent delays introduced by acoustic sensors were often overlooked in the actual measurement of acoustic signals.In this paper, we propose a Spatio-Temporal Feature Extraction (STFE) method that takes into account this delay information to achieve more accurate temperature field reconstruction. • No one has done time-series prediction in the highly dynamic and nonlinear background of temperature field before, especially the location of each path is different, it is more difficult to do time-series prediction with time in different dimensions, and this paper contributes to the time-series prediction in this aspect. • The problem of time resolution of the reconstructed image of the temperature field has been solved after reconstructing the measured time-of -flight (TOF) and, at the same time, a great contribution has been made to both the accuracy and the overall error of the reconstruction of the position of the temperature field. The temperature distribution within a furnace chamber is a key parameter reflecting the combustion condition of the boiler, and acoustic tomography provides an accurate quantitative reconstruction of the temperature distribution within the chamber's overlay. However, during the measurement process of acoustic tomography, the inherent latency in ultrasonic sensor data acquisition is a challenge for the real-time detection of the temperature field. When using ultrasonic sensors to measure the time-of-flight (TOF) of acoustic waves in the furnace chamber, the temperature properties of the chamber are recorded at different time points due to the sequential nature of signal transmission and reception, and the propagation paths of the recordings are different at different moments due to the different installation locations of the sensors, so utilizing this temporal information to reconstruct the temperature field is a complex challenge. The aim of this study is to accurately reconstruct the temperature field at each moment by utilizing the TOF of different attributes. To this end, a sophisticated multi-dimensional time series analytical framework is proposed to elucidate the temperature field dynamics informed by TOF variations by extracting its temporal and spatial features, respectively, to more accurately simulate the evolution process in real engineering. Firstly, the graph structure of each acoustic wave propagation path is established. Spatial correlations are derived from Pearson correlation analysis to form the "equivalent path" matrix. Subsequently, non-negative matrix decomposition is employed to determine the weight of each position. Concurrently, the TOF matrix is utilized to extract temporal features and calculate the time weights corresponding to different temperature field conditions. These two coefficient matrices are reorganized to reconstruct the real-time temperature field for a specific frame. The reconstruction not only precisely delineates the temperature field's variations during the measurement process but also significantly improves the fidelity of reconstruction. Specifically, the position reconstruction accuracy improves by over 4%, with an overall accuracy enhancement exceeding 2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coverage search is widely applied in the maritime military and civilian fields. To improve search efficiency and detection accuracy, we propose an effective and rapid multi-autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) coverage path planning (ER-MCPP) algorithm using side-scan sonar (SSS). First, the given search region was optimized and modeled using grid decomposition. Next, a Voronoi diagram was used to divide and allocate the regions according to the initial position of the AUV. Subsequently, based on the idea of guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), a coverage search algorithm for a single AUV was proposed, including a path planning method combining improved lawn mower and outward-spiral methods, an integrated navigation method based on Kalman filtering, and a path tracking method considering ocean currents. In addition, we proposed a fault-tolerant control method. When an AUV fails unexpectedly, the other AUVs can accomplish a coverage search for the region through cooperation. Simulation experiments were performed using the MATLAB software. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is valid. Compared with other methods, our algorithm has better robustness, finds targets more rapidly, and has a higher search efficiency. The practicality of the proposed algorithm is verified through field tests. • The environmental modeling method optimizes arbitrary polygonal regions. • The probabilistic model paves the way for target detection. • The Voronoi diagram method provides optimal region allocation. • The PNT method ensures search efficiency and detection accuracy. • The fault-tolerant strategy improves system robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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As a typical waste, used cigarette filters (UCFs) are difficult to biodegrade and harmful to the environment. The direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell (DC-SOFC) is an energy conversion device that can utilize carbon directly, including biochar, as fuel. We report a superior DC-SOFC powered by Fe-loaded UCF biochar in this paper. The microstructure and composition are characterized, indicating that the UCF biochar is micron-sized and contains metal elements such as K and Ca that are beneficial to the performance of DC-SOFC. The peak power density of the cell fueled by pure UCF biochar is 308 mW cm−2 and increases to 341 mW cm−2 after loading Fe as the catalyst, which is comparable to that of the cell with Fe-loaded activated carbon (368 mW cm−2). It proves the feasibility of the UCF biochar as fuel for DC-SOFCs, providing a theoretical basis and technical demonstration for the disposal and transformation of solid waste. • A biochar derived from the used cigarette filters is applied as fuel in DC-SOFCs. • DC-SOFC output increases from 308 to 341 mW cm−2 at 850 °C by Fe catalyst. • Accumulated elements in used cigarette filters char acts as catalyst for Boudouard reaction. • Fe-loaded UCF biochar is a promising fuel for DC-SOFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scenario-based analysis is conducted on the long-term projections of liquid biofuels in China for transport fuels. The key influencing factors during each period are assessed. Driven by the transport energy demand growth, increasing price of crude oil and technological progress, liquid biofuels are expected to develop rapidly in the medium and long term. Meanwhile, it is projected that the utilization of liquid biofuels will be full of uncertainties, with wide range of 45 Million ton of oil equivalent (Mtoe) to 120 Mtoe by 2050. At different times, critical factors significantly differ. In the long term (2030–2050), the development of liquid biofuels is highly dependent on the availability of biomass resources. In the medium term (2020–2030), biomass availability and feedstock price are critical. In the near term (current–2020), the feedstock price of 1.5 generation liquid biofuels is critical. In 2050, the utilization of liquid biofuels can reduce 1–7% of overseas oil dependence ratio, 100–370 million tons of CO 2 emission. Market-based instruments, i.e., carbon pricing policy and excise tax preferences, can stimulate the medium- and long-term development of biofuels. However, in the near-term, subsidies are highly necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal elevation of indispensable steroid hormone estrogens and exposure to exogenous estrogen-like compounds pose adverse health effects to aquatic animals and human alike. These compounds generally display functionally important estrogenic activity even at extremely low picomolar concentrations. In this study we identified one critical but lethal gene (TAF1) that remarkably represses estrogenic activity. This gene is selected as a candidate for genetically modulating an estrogen-responding cell line. To overcome its lethality, instead of adopting a gene knockout strategy, we developed a transient TAF1 depletion strategy using a designed small interfering RNA. By the transient knockdown of TAF1 in the estrogen-responding reporter cell line, the maximum induction signals for endogenous estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2) and environmental estrogens 17α-ethynyl estradiol (EE2) and bisphenol compounds were enhanced by 4.8–13.3 folds. The limit of detection for EE2 is about 8 × 10−15 mol/L. Moreover, by the established method, trace estrogenic activity (14.7–24.2 pg E2 equivalents (E2Eq)/L) can be detected in a portion of Tap water samples. [Display omitted] • By siRNA knockdown of TAF1, the established reporter displays enhanced response to estrogenic compounds by 4.8–13.3 folds. • The TAF1-knockdown enhanced reporter assay can be used to measure estrogenic activity down at the picomolar concentrations. • This improved assay can be applied for analysis of drinking water in a small detection volume (1 mL) with simple pretrement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel model based on GAT for multi-fault detection and identification of sensors in nuclear power plant. • The attention score matrix (α matrix) of GAT is used to fully learn the correlation between sensors and is used for reconstruction. • A strategy based on fault decoupling is proposed for multi-fault identification of sensors. The accuracy of sensor's measurements is critical for the normal operation of nuclear power plants. However, the harsh operating environment of nuclear power plants increases the probability of sensor failure. Therefore, it is necessary to detect and identify the fault of sensors in time. This paper proposes a fault detection model based on graph attention network, which is called ALPHA-GAT, to solve multiple fault detection and identification of sensors in the primary coolant loop of a nuclear power plant. ALPHA-GAT first uses GAT to obtain the correlation matrices of sensors, and the correlation matrices are fed into an adversarial autoencoder for reconstruction. The node features of the GAT are parallelly fed into a long short-term memory network to predict the ground truth of sensors. Subsequently, the anomaly score which is used for fault detection and identification, is calculated based on reconstruction error and prediction error. A strategy based on fault decoupling to identify multi-sensor faults has also been proposed, which replaces the data of fault sensor with the prediction of the model. This strategy effectively alleviates the negative impact of fault data on subsequent diagnosis. Finally, the data from a simulation model of a nuclear power plant is used to verify the efficiency of the proposed model. The results of experiments indicate that ALPHA-GAT effectively improves the accuracy and timeliness of multi-sensor fault detection and identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progression from naive through formative to primed in vitro pluripotent stem cell states recapitulates epiblast development in vivo during the peri-implantation period of mouse embryo development. Activation of the de novo DNA methyltransferases and reorganization of transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes are key events that occur during these pluripotent state transitions. However, the upstream regulators that coordinate these events are relatively underexplored. Here, using Zfp281 knockout mouse and degron knockin cell models, we identify the direct transcriptional activation of Dnmt3a/3b by ZFP281 in pluripotent stem cells. Chromatin co-occupancy of ZFP281 and DNA hydroxylase TET1, which is dependent on the formation of R-loops in ZFP281-targeted gene promoters, undergoes a "high-low-high" bimodal pattern regulating dynamic DNA methylation and gene expression during the naive-formative-primed transitions. ZFP281 also safeguards DNA methylation in maintaining primed pluripotency. Our study demonstrates a previously unappreciated role for ZFP281 in coordinating DNMT3A/3B and TET1 functions to promote pluripotent state transitions. [Display omitted] • ZFP281 activates Dnmt3a/3b in pluripotent stem cells in vitro and epiblast in vivo • ZFP281 and TET1 undergo bimodal chromatin occupancy in pluripotent state transitions • ZFP281 and TET1 chromatin binding depends on the formation of R-loops at promoters • ZFP281 is necessary for the establishment and maintenance of primed pluripotency The naive, formative, and primed pluripotent states and their interconversions recapitulate the pluripotency continuum during early development. Huang et al. investigate the transcriptional programs and identify an essential role for ZFP281 in coordinating DNMT3A/3B and TET1 to establish the DNA methylation and gene expression programs during the pluripotent state transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double-strand breaks (DSBs), one class of the most harmful DNA damage forms that bring elevated health risks, need to be repaired timely and effectively. However, an increasing number of environmental pollutants have been identified to impair DSB repair from various mechanisms. Our previous work indicated that the formation of unsaturated RecA nucleofilaments plays an essential role in homology recombination (HR) pathway which can accurately repair DSBs. In this study, by developing a benzonase cutting protection assay and combining it with traditional electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) analysis, we further investigated the assembly patterns of four RecA mutants that display differential DSB repair ability and ATPase activity. We observed that the mutants (G204S and S69G) possessing both ATP hydrolysis and DSB repair activities form unsaturated nucleofilaments similar to that formed by the wild type RecA, whereas the other two ATP hydrolysis-deficient mutants (K72R and E96D) that fail to mediate HR form more compacted nucleofilaments in the presence of ATP. These results establish a coupling of ATPase activity and effective DSB repair ability via the assembly status of RecA nucleofilaments. This linkage provides a potential target for environmental factors to disturb the essential HR pathway for DSB repair by suppressing the ATPase activity and altering the assembly pattern of nucleofilaments. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]