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Ultrasonic focusing transducers have broad prospects in advanced ultrasonic non-destructive testing fields. However, conventional focusing methods that use acoustic concave lenses can disrupt the acoustic impedance matching condition, thereby adversely affecting the sensitivity of the transducers. In this paper, an active focusing planar ultrasonic transducer is designed and presented to achieve a focusing effect with a higher sensitivity. An electrode pattern consisting of multiple concentric rings is designed, which is inspired by the structure of Fresnel Zone Plates (FZP). The structural parameters are optimized using finite element simulation methods. A prototype of the transducer is manufactured with electrode patterns made of conductive silver paste using silk screen-printing technology. Conventional focusing transducers using an acoustic lens and an FZP baffle are also manufactured, and their focusing performances are comparatively tested. The experimental results show that our novel transducer has a focal length of 16 mm and a center frequency of 1.16 MHz, and that the sensitivity is improved by 23.3% compared with the conventional focusing transducers. This research provides a new approach for the design of focusing transducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Temperature is an important factor that affects the growth and reproduction of insects. The silkworm is an economically important insect, and as a representative insect of Lepidoptera, it is particularly important to investigate its extreme-temperature resistance mechanisms. In this article, we identified a gene in B. mori, the B. mori singed (Bmsn) gene, which is involved in the high-temperature resistance of silkworms. We demonstrated that the Bmsn gene can increase the proliferation activity of silkworm cells and enhance their tolerance to high temperatures. Furthermore, we constructed a transgenic B. mori strain that overexpressed the Bmsn gene and demonstrated that its overexpression can increase high-temperature resistance and improve the economic characteristics of silkworms. Temperature is an important factor in the growth, development, survival, and reproduction of organisms. The high-temperature resistance mechanism of insects may be significant for use in the prevention and control of insect pests. The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an important Lepidoptera model species for studies on pest control in agriculture and forestry. We identified a gene in B. mori, the B. mori singed (Bmsn) gene, which is involved in the high-temperature resistance of silkworms. Sn proteins are highly conserved among species in many taxonomic groups. The overexpression of the Bmsn gene promoted the proliferation of silkworm cells, reduced oxidation, and reduced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species under stress. Interfering with the Bmsn gene had the opposite result. We constructed a transgenic B. mori strain that overexpressed the Bmsn gene. The physiological traits of the transgenic strain were significantly improved, and it had stronger high-temperature resistance. The Bmsn gene is involved in the process by which fat bodies respond to high-temperature stress. These findings provide insights into the mechanism of high-temperature resistance of insects and offer a new perspective on agricultural and forestry pest control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence shows that the abnormal increase in the mortality of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) caused by apoptosis, pyroptosis, and necroptosis is closely related to the function of mucous membrane immunity and barrier function in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). As a procedural death path that integrates the above-mentioned many deaths, the role of PANoptosis in UC has not been clarified. This study aims to explore the characterization of PANoptosis patterns and determine the potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. We constructed a PANoptosis gene set and revealed significant activation of PANoptosis in UC patients based on multiple transcriptome profiles of intestinal mucosal biopsies from the GEO database. Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis revealed five key genes (ZBP1, AIM2, CASP1/8, IRF1) of PANoptosome with good diagnostic value and were highly correlated with an increase in pro-inflammatory immune cells and factors. In addition, we established a reliable ceRNA regulatory network of PANoptosis and predicted three potential small-molecule drugs sharing calcium channel blockers that were identified, among which flunarizine exhibited the highest correlation with a high binding affinity to the targets. Finally, we used the DSS-induced colitis model to validate our findings. This study identifies key genes of PANoptosis associated with UC development and hypothesizes that IRF1 as a TF promotes PANoptosome multicomponent expression, activates PANoptosis, and then induces IECs excessive death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we comprehensively explored the electronic structure and optical properties of Ni-doped Bi4O5Br2 through first-principles computational calculations. By calculating its electronic structure and band characteristics, we investigated the impact of Ni doping on the photocatalytic performance of Bi4O5Br2. The computational results indicated that Ni doping significantly altered the band structure of Bi4O5Br2, leading to a reduction in the band gap width. The band gap for undoped Bi4O5Br2 was 2.151 eV, whereas the Ni-doped system exhibited a smaller band gap, directly indicating its enhanced visible light absorption capacity and facilitating the effective separation of photo-generated electron–hole pairs. Through analysis of 2D charge density maps, we observed changes in chemical bonding induced by Ni doping. The shortening of Ni-O bonds suggested increased bond strength, consistent with the observed reduction in cell volume. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for understanding the mechanisms behind the enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production performance in Ni-doped Bi4O5Br2, offering valuable insights for the design and optimization of highly efficient photocatalytic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic, optical, and magnetic properties of Nd-doped ZnO systems were calculated using the DFT/GGA + U method. According to the results, the Nd dopant causes lattice parameter expansion, negative formation energy, and bandgap narrowing, resulting in the formation of an N-type degenerate semiconductor. Overlapping of the generated impurity and Fermi levels results in a significant trap effect that prevents electron-hole recombination. The absorption spectrum demonstrates a redshift in the visible region, and the intensity increased, leading to enhanced photocatalytic performance. The Nd-doped ZnO system displays ferromagnetic, with FM coupling due to strong spd-f hybridization through magnetic exchange interaction between the Nd-4f state and O-2p, Zn-4s, and Zn-3p states. These findings imply that Nd-doped ZnO may be a promising material for DMS spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodic permanent magnet(PPM) electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) are commonly employed for axial defect inspection in pipelines. However, the lowest-order shear horizontal waves (SH0) guided waves have difficulties in distinctly differentiating internal and external defects. To enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and resolution, a unidirectional electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) based on Circumferential Lamb waves (CLamb waves) is developed. Through structural parameter optimization and excitation frequency adjustment, high-amplitude and low-dispersion CLamb waves are successfully generated in the high-frequency-thickness product region of the dispersion curve. Finite element simulations and experimental validation confirm the capability of this EMAT in exciting CLamb waves for the detection of crack-like defects. Experimental results demonstrate that the excitation efficiency of the CLamb EMAT exceeds that of the periodic permanent magnet electromagnetic acoustic transducer by more than tenfold. The defect reflection signal of the CLamb EMAT exhibits higher resolution and more significant amplitude compared to the PPM EMAT. The integration of this method with SH0 mode detection allows for the inspection of both internal and external defects in pipelines, offering a new avenue for EMAT applications in pipeline inspection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on density functional theory (DFT), theoretical models of three kinds of lanthanide rare earth metal ion-doped γ-Bi2MoO6 were constructed (Ln-BMO (Ln=Gd, Ho, Yb)). The geometric structure, electronic structure, and optical properties of the model were calculated, and the influence of doped Ln3+ ions on the structures and properties of the system was analyzed. The results revealed that the substitution of smaller ionic radius Ln3+ ions for Bi3+ ions caused a contraction of the lattice parameters. At the same time, the contribution of the [Ln]4d near valence band and conduction band reduced the bandwidth of γ-Bi2MoO6, forming the Ln-O ionic bond with different strengths to obtain higher charge conductivity and charge-separation ability. Secondly, Ln3+ ions have a strongly ionic charge, which leads to the appearance of optical absorption bands in the infrared region and part of the visible region. This reduces the reflection in the visible region, improves the utilization rate, delays the loss of electron energy, and promotes phase matching in the visible region. And the Gd3+-doped system has better photocatalytic activity than the other Ln3+-doped system. This research provides theoretical insights into doped lanthanide rare earth ions and also provides strategies for the modification of γ-Bi2MoO6 nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the application of nanofluids for enhancing heat transfer in the field of liquid-cooled data centers, a mathematical and physical model of liquid-cooled servers was established in this paper. FC–40 was used as the server cooling liquid base, and simulation studies were conducted on the flow and heat transfer of five types of nanofluid: Cu–FC40, CuO–FC40, Al–FC40, Al2O3–FC40, and TiO2–FC40. The results showed that using Al–FC40 nanofluids as the cooling medium had the best heat transfer effect. Under the same operating conditions, the average Nusselt number Nu and friction resistance coefficient f of five types of nanofluid were analyzed, and the heat transfer state of Al–FC40 nanofluid had the smallest f. Further analysis was conducted on the influence of 'nanoparticle volume fraction' α and 'server inlet flow rate' u on fluid flow and heat transfer. Our research found that an increase in α and the acceleration of u can effectively reduce the surface temperature of server components. As u increases, Nu gradually increases and f generally decreases, but the amplitude of the increase and decrease becomes smoother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the density functional theory, the effect of rare-earth La doping at different concentrations on the electronic structure, optical properties, and magnetic properties of ZnO was calculated by using the GGA+U method under the condition of spin polarization. The calculation results show that the cell of a La-doped ZnO system is distorted, resulting in a formation energy less than zero, in which case it is easy to dope. After La doping, the band gap narrows, the Fermi level enters the conduction band, and the excess carriers induced by La atoms degenerate to form n-type degenerate semiconductor materials. In the visible light region, a blue shift in the optical absorption edge of the La-doped ZnO system causes an increased average static dielectric constant, stronger polarization ability, stronger binding ability on charges, and the photoconductivity of the doped ZnO system is improved. The magnetic moment of the La-doped ZnO system is zero, so it is not magnetic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first-principle calculation method based on the density functional theory (DFT) in combination with the LDA+U algorithm is employed to study the electronic structure and magnetic properties of Co/Mn co-doped ZnO nanowires. Special attention is paid to the optimal geometric replacement position, the coupling mechanism, and the magnetic origin of Co/Mn atoms. According to the simulation data, Co/Mn co-doped ZnO nanowires of all configurations exhibit ferromagnetism, and substitution of Co/Mn atoms for Zn in the (0001) inner layer brings nanowires to the ground state. In the magnetic coupling state, the obvious spin splitting is detected near the Fermi level, and strong hybridization effects are observed between the Co/Mn 3d and O 2p states. Moreover, the ferromagnetic ordering forming Co2+-O2−-Mn2+ magnetic path is established. In addition, the calculation results suggest that the magnetic moment mainly takes its origin from the Co/Mn 3d orbital electrons, and the size of the magnetic moment is related to the electronic configurations of Co/Mn atoms. Therefore, a realistic description of the electronic structure of Co/Mn co-doped ZnO nanowires, obtained via LDA+U method, shows their potential for diluted magnetic semiconductor materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic ultrasonic testing technology has advantages in measuring the thickness of pipelines in service. However, the ultrasonic signal is susceptible to corrosions on the internal and external surfaces of the pipeline. Since the electromagnetic ultrasonic signal is nonlinear, and a dynamic model is difficult to establish accurately, in this paper, a new unscented Kalman filter (UKF) method based on a sliding mode observer (SMO) is proposed. The experiments, conducted on five different testing samples, validate that the proposed method can effectively process the signals drowned in noise and accurately measure the wall thickness. Compared with FFT and UKF, the signal-to-noise ratio of the signals processed by SMO–UKF shows a maximum increase of 155% and 171%. Meanwhile, a random assignment method is proposed for the self-regulation of hyper parameters in the process of Kalman filtering. Experimental results show that the automatic adjustment of hyper parameters can be accomplished in finite cycle numbers and greatly shortens the overall filtering time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) is suitable for measuring the propagation time more accurately without causing abrasion to the transducer during testing due to the principle of its excitation. This work designs a flux-concentrating EMAT with a radial-flux-focusing permanent magnet to significantly enhance static magnetic field strength. Through theoretical analysis and finite element simulation, two kinds of coils are designed according to the concentration areas of the horizontal and vertical components of the magnetic field. One is used to generate pure longitudinal waves, and the other is used to generate both longitudinal waves and shear waves. The experimental comparison shows that the amplitudes of the pure longitudinal wave and the dual-mode wave excited by the two kinds of coils with the radial-flux-focusing magnet are more than two times higher than those with the ordinary magnet. Therefore, the flux-concentrating EMAT with the appropriate coil provides an insight into realizing more accurate detection where longitudinal wave detection is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of different modeling and solving approaches on the simulation of a steam ejector have been investigated with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. The four most frequently used and recommended turbulence models (standard k-ε, RNG k-ε, realizable k-ε and SST k-ω), two near-wall treatments (standard wall function and enhanced wall treatment), two solvers (pressure- and density-based solvers) and two spatial discretization schemes (the second-order upwind scheme and the quadratic upstream interpolation for convective kinematics (QUICK) of the convection term have been tested and compared for a supersonic steam ejector under the same conditions as experimental data. In total, more than 185 cases of 17 different modeling and solving approaches have been carried out in this work. The simulation results from the pressure-based solver (PBS) are slightly closer to the experimental data than those from the density-based solver (DBS) and are thus utilized in the subsequent simulations. When a high-density mesh with y+ < 1 is used, the SST k-ω model can obtain the best predictions of the maximum entrainment ratio (ER) and an adequate prediction of the critical back pressure (CBP), while the realizable k-ε model with the enhanced wall treatment can obtain the best prediction of the CBP and an adequate prediction of the ER. When the standard wall function is used with the three k-ε models, the realizable k-ε model can obtain the best predictions of the maximum ER, and the three k-ε models can gain the same CBP value. For a steam ejector with recirculation inside the diffuser, the realizable k-ε model or the enhanced wall treatment is recommended for adoption in the modeling approach. When the spatial discretization scheme of the convection term changes from a second-order upwind scheme to a QUICK scheme, the effect can be ignored for the maximum ER calculation, while only the CBP value from the standard k-ε model with the standard wall function is reduced by 2.13%. The calculation deviation of the ER between the two schemes increases with the back pressure at the unchoked flow region, especially when the standard k-ε model is adopted. The realizable k-ε model with the two wall treatments and the SST k-ω model is recommended, while the standard k-ε is more sensitive to the near-wall treatment and the spatial discretization scheme and is not recommended for an ejector simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uniform flowerlike microspheres Cd2+/Fe3+ co-doped BiOBr were prepared with the aid of the microwave hydrothermal process. The results indicate that the degradation performance of Bi1−xCdxOBr and Bi1−xFexOBr are 1.31 and 2.05 times that of BiOBr for RhB, respectively. Moreover, the novel Cd2+/Fe3+ co-doped BiOBr photocatalysts with ~0.42 eV impurity bands presented remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activities with being 3.10 times that of pure BiOBr, by achieving e−/h+ efficient separation and narrowed bandgap with the ions synergistic effect of Cd2+ and Fe3+. Based on DFT insights, the photodegradation mechanism was systematically studied that the conversion of multivalent Fe3+ ions promoted the production of •O2−, and Cd2+ ions worked as electron transfer mediators, which elucidated that the •O2− and h+VB mainly participated in the catalytic reaction. The experimental and theoretical results show that the synergistic effects of multi-ion doping have great potential in the field of photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deformation behavior and precipitation features of an Al–Cu alloy are investigated using uniaxial tensile tests at intermediate temperatures. It is found that the true stress drops with the decreased strain rate or the increased deformation temperature. The number of substructures and the degree of grain elongation decrease with the raised temperature or the decreased strain rate. At high temperatures or low strain rates, some dynamic recrystallized grains can be found. The type of precipitates is influenced by the heating process before hot tensile deformation. The content and size of precipitates increase during tensile deformation at intermediate temperatures. As the temperature increases over 200 °C, the precipitation process (Guinier Preston zone (G.P. zones)→θ′′ phase→θ′ phase) is enhanced, resulting in increased contents of θ′′ and θ′ phases. However, θ′′ and θ′ phases prefer to precipitate along the {020}Al direction, resulting in an uneven distribution of phases. Considering the flow softening degree and the excessive heterogeneous precipitation of θ′′ and θ′ phases during hot deformation, the reasonable strain rate and temperature are about 0.0003 s−1 and 150 °C, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence shows that the abnormal increase in the mortality of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) caused by apoptosis, pyroptosis, and necroptosis is closely related to the function of mucous membrane immunity and barrier function in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). As a procedural death path that integrates the above-mentioned many deaths, the role of PANoptosis in UC has not been clarified. This study aims to explore the characterization of PANoptosis patterns and determine the potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. We constructed a PANoptosis gene set and revealed significant activation of PANoptosis in UC patients based on multiple transcriptome profiles of intestinal mucosal biopsies from the GEO database. Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis revealed five key genes (ZBP1, AIM2, CASP1/8, IRF1) of PANoptosome with good diagnostic value and were highly correlated with an increase in pro-inflammatory immune cells and factors. In addition, we established a reliable ceRNA regulatory network of PANoptosis and predicted three potential small-molecule drugs sharing calcium channel blockers that were identified, among which flunarizine exhibited the highest correlation with a high binding affinity to the targets. Finally, we used the DSS-induced colitis model to validate our findings. This study identifies key genes of PANoptosis associated with UC development and hypothesizes that IRF1 as a TF promotes PANoptosome multicomponent expression, activates PANoptosis, and then induces IECs excessive death.