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Besides cast-rolling speed and casting temperature， the melt pressure in the cast-rolling zone is also an important factor affecting the process stability and interfacial bonding strength of horizontal two-roll cast Ti/Al composite plate. In this study， several Ti/Al composite plates were prepared under different melt pressures in the cast-rolling zone by adjusting the liquid level of the melt in the sluice during the cast-rolling composite process. The microstructure and interfacial bonding properties of the composite plates were characterized by metallography， scanning electron microscopy， microhardness， tensile test and T-type peeling test at room temperature. Results show that when the melt pressure is relatively high， composite plate with full filling， good plate shape and high bonding strength can be produced successfully. However， excessively high melt pressure will affect the stability of the cast-rolling composite process. When the melt pressure is too low， the transverse flow capacity of the melt decreases. As a result， the cast-rolling zone cannot be completely filled with the melt， and the defects such as misrun and side penetration occur. At the same time， some micropores and microcracks appear on the Ti/Al interface. Under relatively high melt pressure， the solid/liquid contact distance is long. In this condition， the wetting between the strip surface and the melt is more sufficient， the melt is more evenly distributed， and the diffusion between solid and liquid is more sufficient. As a result， the composite plate has high bonding strength， which reaches 20.1 N/mm.

Diabetic osteoporosis (DO) presents significant clinical challenges. This study aimed to investigate the potential of magnetic nanoparticle-enhanced extracellular vesicles (GMNPE-EVs) derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to deliver miR-15b-5p, thereby targeting and downregulating glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in rat DO models. Data was sourced from DO-related RNA-seq datasets combined with GEO and GeneCards databases. Rat primary BMSCs, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs), and osteoclasts were isolated and cultured. EVs were separated, and GMNPE targeting EVs were synthesized. Bioinformatic analysis revealed a high GFAP expression in DO-related RNA-seq and GSE26168 datasets for disease models. Experimental results confirmed elevated GFAP in rat DO bone tissues, promoting osteoclast differentiation. miR-15b-5p was identified as a GFAP inhibitor, but was significantly downregulated in DO and enriched in BMSC-derived EVs. In vitro experiments showed that GMNPE-EVs could transfer miR-15b-5p to osteoclasts, downregulating GFAP and inhibiting osteoclast differentiation. In vivo tests confirmed the therapeutic potential of this approach in alleviating rat DO. Collectively, GMNPE-EVs can effectively deliver miR-15b-5p to osteoclasts, downregulating GFAP expression, and hence, offering a therapeutic strategy for rat DO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulations were conducted based on the smoothed particle hydrodynamics–finite element method coupling method to investigate the damage evolutions and failure mechanism of reinforced concrete impacted by abrasive water jet. The response processes of damage and fragmentation of reinforced concrete were analyzed. The influences of key jet parameters on fracture characteristics of reinforced concrete were obtained. In addition, evolution laws of stress and damage and the failure mechanism of reinforced concrete impacted by abrasive water jet were revealed. The results indicate that the morphologies of broken pits undergo changes in the following sequence: V-shape, U-shape, and hourglass-shape. The broken pit range almost linearly increases with the impact time. Increasing abrasive concentration is more conducive to peeling concrete above steel, but an appropriate concentration is more suitable for cutting steel. Increasing jet diameter can expand the broken pit width, especially its bottom width, and increase damage to concrete below steel. The concrete stresses beneath steel display a raindrop-like distribution pattern. The concrete protective layer mainly suffers from the multiple stepwise damage accumulation failure caused by compressive shear and tensile stresses, and the interface concrete between steel and protective layer undergoes brittle failure due to weak bonding strength and massive stress concentration. The concrete beneath steel mainly undergoes brittle failure due to strong extrusion effect of steel. In addition, the concrete within steel reinforcement framework is influenced by various forces, such as tensile stress and shear stress, leading to occurrence of damage accumulation without failure. The research results would lay the theoretical foundation for abrasive water jet efficiently crushing reinforced concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's function in the establishment of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) has been underrated for a long time. It is argued either that China contributed little to the establishment or that its main effort could be accredited to Arthur N. Young, an American financial advisor to the Chinese government. A close examination of bilingual archival documents challenges these arguments. In fact, the Chinese government formulated proposals of several versions and managed to have most of its claims accepted at the Bretton Woods conference. More importantly, Chinese claims surpassed their own concerns and had a broader meaning taking into account the general quests of war‐torn and undeveloped countries. Revisiting this part of history can deliver a balance to the traditional Anglo‐American‐focused narrative regarding the IMF and WB and enrich the historical context to assist our understanding of China's current pursuits and conduct in the realm of multilateral economic cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Redox stimulation at the molecular level has been the focus of many fields, especially in electrofluorochromic (EFC) devices with individually addressable pixels and switching function. In this study, the fluorescent molecule ((1E)-1-((4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)benzylidene)-hydrazineylidene)ethyl)ferrocene (FcMe-TPE) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties was synthesized and mixed with PVA to prepare an EFC hydrogel material (PVA/FcMe-TPE) with high conductivity. The obtained hydrogel exhibited reversible fluorescent switching behavior, which could be achieved by adding a redox agent alternately based on the redox properties of the FcMe-TPE molecule. The fluorescence intensity of the hydrogel increased by 700 times after adding oxidant and could almost return to the initial value by adding reductant. Interestingly, the effect of the oxidant could be replaced by applying a voltage and the hydrogel exhibited good EFC behaviors. When the voltage increased from 0 V to 1 V, the fluorescence intensity of the hydrogel gradually increased and reached the maximum value at 1 V. The obtained fluorescent hydrogels could be customized to different appearance according to needs, and the EFC devices with individually addressable pixels and switching function were fabricated successfully. Finally, by introducing phytic acid (PA), the mechanical strength of the PVA/FcMe-TPE hydrogel was greatly improved without affecting its EFC performance. This study provides a new idea and solution for the intelligent display field, such as advanced anti-counterfeiting and information encryption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface-active ILs [C16mim]Cl synthesized by combining imidazole group (C4H6N2) and 1-chlorohexadecane (C16H33Cl) was used as surfactant to prepare ILs microemulsions for sludge treatment. Meanwhile, the treatment conditions were optimized and the optimal conditions were obtained. Due to the strong interaction between ILs and asphaltenes as well as the solubilization of microemulsions, the residual oil rate of oily sludge decreased to 1.33%. The characterization of oily sludge was performed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and contact angle measurement. Results showed that [C16mim]Cl ILs microemulsions treatment could effectively promoted the desorption of asphaltenes from the surface of sludge solids, which provided a clear understanding of the mechanism for ILs microemulsions-enhanced oily sludge recovery. Oil in Water (O/W) microemulsions prepared using ionic liquids [C16mim]Cl as surfactants were used to the treatment of oily sludge with high removal oil rate (97.97%) and low residual oil rate (1.33%). Based on the strong interaction between [C16mim]Cl and asphaltenes as well as the solubilization effect of microemulsions, the use of ionic liquids microemulsions improves the effect of sludge treatment and realizes the effective recovery of crude oil, which has potential applications in the field of energy recovery and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lamellar heterostructure design is widely recognized as a potential method to improve strength and ductility simultaneously of high‐performance steel. However, the high mechanical contrast among soft/hard phase and inharmonic plastic deformation lead to complex fracture mechanisms and limit the improvement of plasticity. Herein, the plasticity and tensile fracture mechanisms of two types of δ‐ferrite and lath martensite heterolamellar steels with and without α‐ferrite are investigated. The sample without α‐ferrite shows a combination of cleavage in δ‐ferrite and dimple zones in the martensite. The microcracks initiate in the martensite early and the then the cleavage fracture occurs in the δ‐ferrite due to the stress concentration. In contrast, the sample with α‐ferrite has lower plasticity. Failure of the samples with α‐ferrite is govern by the microcracks initiating in the interface of martensite/α‐ferrite. Eliminating the impact of the effect of α‐ferrite, the total elongation increases from 8.9% to 11.6%, and the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) increases from 1567 to 1652 MPa. This study investigates the critical factor in plasticity control of dual‐phase heterostructure and promotes the development and application of lamellar structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extending the stability of ether solvents is pivotal for developing low-temperature and high-voltage lithium batteries. Herein, we elucidate the oxidation behavior of tetrahydrofuran with ternary BF4-, PF6- and difluoro(oxalato)borate anions and the evolution of interfacial solvation environment. Combined in-situ analyses and computations illustrate that the ion dipole interactions and the subsequent formation of ether-Li+-anion complexes in electrolyte rearrange the oxidation order of solvated species, which enhances the electrochemical stability of ether solvent. Furthermore, preferential absorption of anions on the surface of high-voltage cathode favors the formation of a solvent-deficient electric double layer and an anti-oxidation cathode electrolyte interphase, inhibiting the decomposition of tetrahydrofuran. Remarkably, the formulated electrolyte based on ternary anion and tetrahydrofuran solvent endows the LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode with considerable rate capability of 5.0 C and high capacity retention of 93.12% after 200 cycles. At a charging voltage of 4.5 V, the Li||LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cells deliver Coulombic efficiency above 99% at both 25 and -30 °C., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Objective: To investigate short-term effectiveness of robot-guided femoral neck system (FNS) combined with cannulated compression screw (CCS) fixation in treatment of femoral neck fracture in young and middle-aged patients., Methods: A clinical data of 49 young and middle-aged patients with femoral neck fractures, who met the selection criteria and admitted between January 2021 and June 2023, was retrospectively analyzed. After reduction of femoral neck fractures, 27 cases were treated with robot-guided FNS fixation (FNS group) and 22 cases with robot-guided FNS and CCS fixation (FNS+CCS group). There was no significant difference in baseline data such as gender, age, cause of fracture, time from fracture to operation, fracture side, and classification (Garden classification and Pauwels classification) between the two groups ( P >0.05). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, the time when the patient began bearing weight, and hip joint pain and functional scores (VAS score and Harris score) at last follow-up for two groups were recorded. Imaging re-examination was taken to evaluate the quality of fracture reduction, fracture healing, as well as the occurrence of fracture non-union, osteonecrosis of the femoral head, and femoral neck shortening., Results: All operations were successfully completed and the incisions healed by first intention. There was no significant difference in operation time and intraoperative blood loss between the two groups ( P >0.05), and the intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency in FNS+CCS group significantly increased compared to FNS group ( P <0.05). All patients were followed up 12-18 months (mean, 14.1 months). Imaging re-examination showed that there was no significant difference in fracture reduction quality between the two groups ( P >0.05), but the fracture healing time was significantly shorter in FNS+CCS group than in FNS group, and weight-bearing began earlier ( P <0.05). The incidences of femoral neck shortening, fracture non-union, and osteonecrosis of the femoral head were lower in FNS+CCS group than in FNS group, and there was significant difference in the incidence of femoral neck shortening between groups ( P <0.05). At last follow-up, there was no significant difference in VAS scores between the two groups ( P >0.05). However, the Harris score was significantly higher in FNS+CCS group than in FNS group ( P <0.05)., Conclusion: Compared with FNS fixation alone, robot-guided FNS combined with CCS fixation in the treatment of femoral neck fractures in young and middle-aged patients has obvious advantages in terms of early weight bearing and fracture healing, improves fracture healing rate, effectively prevents postoperative complications, and can obtain good short-term effectiveness.