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Stable and efficient single atom catalysts (SACs) are highly desirable yet challenging in catalyzing acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we report a novel iridium single atom catalyst structure, with atomic Ir doped in tetragonal PdO matrix (IrSAs-PdO) via a lattice-confined strategy. The optimized IrSAs-PdO-0.10 exhibited remarkable OER activity with an overpotential of 277 mV at 10 mA·cm−2 and long-term stability of 1000 h in 0.5 M H2SO4. Furthermore, the turnover frequency attains 1.6 s−1 at an overpotential of 300 mV with a 24-fold increase in the intrinsic activity. The high activity originates from isolated iridium sites with low valence states and decreased Ir-O bonding covalency, and the excellent stability is a result of the effective confinement of iridium sites by Ir-O-Pd motifs. Moreover, we demonstrated for the first time that SACs have great potential in realizing ultralow loading of iridium (as low as microgram per square center meter level) in a practical water electrolyzer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increased worldwide awareness of sustainable development, the development of polypropylene (PP)-based insulation material is highly recommended. However, uncovering the processing-structure-property relationship of PP insulation materials for recyclable cables is still a long-standing issue. In this study, PP in-reactor alloys containing intrinsic elastomer were considered an important component to substitute crosslinked polyethylene. We studied the effects of processing methods on the phase morphology, crystalline structure, and electrical properties of PP in-reactor alloys. The lower cooling rate was conducive to constructing smaller rubber phase, and higher crystallinity with a small number of β crystals, which could form deep trap energy levels due to their reduced free volume in β crystals and boundaries among β crystals. The suitable thermal treatment temperature had a positive effect on eliminating defects in the interface and facilitating the perfection of PP crystals. As a result, PP films exhibited an enhanced breakdown strength. The exploration of the relationship between processing technology, microscopic structure, and macroscopic performance is expected to has significant guidance for the manufacture of PP-based recyclable cables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly deals with the current status and development trends of research on the microstructure and properties of additive manufacturing formed parts. According to the laser processes and powder processing, the microstructure of the parts including morphologies, phase composition, and grain orientation is analyzed; the forming quality of the parts including hardness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, strength, fracture toughness, residual stresses, and fatigue properties is analyzed in many ways. At the same time, we expect to find the research directions that conform to the future development trends for LAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building fires are one of the most common fire types and tend to cause heavy casualties. During the evacuation, the shortest path makes the escapees leave the accident scene faster. Meanwhile, the safety of escapees in the evacuation process cannot be ignored. Optimal path should both ensure evacuation efficiency and maximize the safety of escapees. A bi-objective path planning model, which considers both path risk and path length, is presented. Path risk is based on five risk factors that are likely to cause casualties in a fire: carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), temperature, visibility, and crowding. The linear weighted sum method is used to convert the risk-objective model and the length-objective model into a dynamic bi-objective path planning model. The Dijkstra algorithm is modified to solve the model. The modified algorithm outperforms the traditional Dijkstra algorithm in terms of both efficiency and adjustment ability. The simulation analysis of a building fire shows that the bi-objective model and algorithm can plan a combined optimal evacuation path for escapees considering risk and path length, which avoids the area with high risk level and optimizes the evacuation path length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) isolator composed of a curved beam (as spider foot) and a linear spring (as spider muscle) inspired by the precise capturing ability of spiders in vibrating environments. The curved beam is simplified as an inclined horizontal spring, and a static analysis is carried out to explore the effects of different structural parameters on the stiffness performance of the QZS isolator. The finite element simulation analysis verifies that the QZS isolator can significantly reduce the first-order natural frequency under the load in the QZS region. The harmonic balance method (HBM) is used to explore the effects of the excitation amplitude, damping ratio, and stiffness coefficient on the system's amplitude-frequency response and transmissibility performance, and the accuracy of the analytical results is verified by the fourth-order Runge-Kutta integral method (RK-4). The experimental data of the QZS isolator prototype are fitted to a nine-degree polynomial, and the RK-4 can theoretically predict the experimental results. The experimental results show that the QZS isolator has a lower initial isolation frequency and a wider isolation frequency bandwidth than the equivalent linear isolator. The frequency sweep test of prototypes with different harmonic excitation amplitudes shows that the initial isolation frequency of the QZS isolator is 3 Hz, and it can isolate 90% of the excitation signal at 7 Hz. The proposed biomimetic spider-like QZS isolator has high application prospects and can provide a reference for optimizing low-frequency or ultra-low-frequency isolators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A novel locus for Fusarium crown rot (FCR) resistance was identified on chromosome 1B at 641.36–645.13 Mb using GWAS and could averagely increase 39.66% of FCR resistance in a biparental population. Fusarium crown rot can cause considerable yield losses. Developing and growing resistance cultivars is one of the most effective approaches for controlling this disease. In this study, 361 Chinese wheat landraces were evaluated for FCR resistance, and 27 with the disease index lower than 30.00 showed potential in wheat breeding programs. Using a genome-wide association study approach, putative quantitative trait loci (QTL) for FCR resistance was identified. A total of 21 putative loci on chromosomes 1A, 1B, 2B, 2D, 3B, 3D, 4B, 5A, 5B, 7A, and 7B were significantly associated with FCR resistance. Among these, a major locus Qfcr.sicau.1B-4 was consistently identified among all the trials on chromosome 1B with the physical regions from 641.36 to 645.13 Mb. A polymorphism kompetitive allele-specific polymerase (KASP) marker was developed and used to validate its effect in an F2:3 population consisting of 136 lines. The results showed the presence of this resistance allele could explain up to 39.66% of phenotypic variance compared to its counterparts. In addition, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that two candidate genes of Qfcr.sicau.1B-4 were differently expressed after inoculation. Our study provided useful information for improving FCR resistance in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a model reaction for the electrooxidation of many small organic molecules, formic acid electrooxidation (FAEO) has aroused wide concern. The promises of direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFC) in application further strengthen people's attention to the related research. However, despite decades of study, the FAEO mechanism is still under debate due to the multi-electron and multi-pathway nature of the catalytic process. In this review, the progresses towards understanding the FAEO mechanism along with the developed methodology (electrochemistry, in-situ spectroscopy, and theoretical calculation and simulation) are summarized. We especially focused on the construction of anti-poisoning catalysts system based on understanding of the catalytic mechanism, with anti-poisoning catalyst design being systemically summarized. Finally, we provide a brief summarization for current challenges and future prospects towards FAEO study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scaffold materials that imitating functional extracellular matrix would be an achievement in bone tissue engineering. Based on the superiority of marine collagen, this article reports the fabrication of novel Tilapia Collagen/Hydroxyapatite(T-col/HAp)-based tissue engineering scaffold. In order to improve the osteoinductive activity of scaffold, we fabricated Aspirin-PLGA microspheres by the O/W emulsion solvent extraction and embedded Aspirin-PLGA microspheres (AM) in the T-col/HAp scaffold. T-col/HAp/AM exhibited an interpenetrating network with microspheres staying in porous microstructure. The average pore of scaffold was in the range of 100–150 μm with ideal mechanical strength and chemical stability characteristics. The release rate of aspirin from the microspheres that embedded scaffold was gradual and controlled. Also, the significantly enhanced cell proliferation and mineralization capacity were observed in T-col/HAp/AM and T-col/HAp exposed cell group suggesting that this scaffold based on tilapia collagen could be an ideal biomaterial for bone tissue engineering. Furthermore, a high alkaline phosphatase activity for T-col/HAp/AM exposed group after 14 days incubation indicates the bone regeneration capacity of BMSCs. Combined with the Western Blot results, we can infer that the inhibition of local inflammation and the regulation of OPG/RANKL signaling pathway by the sustained release of aspirin may be a credible way for the bone regeneration. The in vivo results further verify that a great deal of bone tissue, with the treatment of T-col/HAp/AM, has been generated at an early postsurgical stage in rat cranial bone defect models by histology and imaging. The results from our study demonstrate that the T-col/HAp/AM scaffold could be an appropriate scaffold for bone tissue engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A tiller inhibition gene, TIN4, was mapped to an approximately 311 kb genomic interval on chromosome arm 2DL of wheat. The tiller is one of the key components of plant morphological architecture and a central agronomic trait affecting spike number in wheat. Low tiller number has been proposed as a major component of crop ideotypes for high yield potential. In this study, we characterized the development of tillering in near-isogenic lines (NIL7A and NIL7B), indicating that the TIN4 gene inhibited the growth of tillering buds and negatively regulated tiller number. Low-tillering was controlled by a single gene (TIN4) located on chromosome 2DL by genetic analysis and bulked segregant RNA-seq analysis. A total of 17 new polymorphic markers were developed in this study, and 61 recombinants were identified in the secondary F2 population containing 4,266 individuals. TIN4 was finally mapped on a 0.35 cM interval, co-segregated with molecular marker M380, within a 311 kb genomic interval of the wheat cultivar Chinese Spring reference genome sequence that contained twelve predicted genes. Yield experiments showed that the yield of low-tillering lines was higher than that of high-tillering lines at a higher density. Overall, this study provides a foundation for the construction of a low-tillering ideotype for improving wheat yield and further cloning TIN4 by map-based cloning approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, phosphorus doped graphene supported PtNiP nanocluster electrocatalyst (PtNiP/P-graphene) was successfully prepared via a simple hypophosphite-assisted co-reduction method. The improved anchoring force and increased anchoring sites of graphene support result from phosphorus doping as well as size-confined growth effect of NaH2PO2 leads to uniform dispersion of ultrafine PtNiP nanoclusters. Doped P also promotes the removal of CO-like intermediate by adjusting Pt electronic structure combining with alloyed Ni via electronic effects. As a result, the as-prepared PtNiP/P-graphene catalyst with more exposed active sites and optimized electronic structure of Pt alloy shows excellent electrocatalytic performances for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) both in activity and durability in an acidic medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its advantages of scalable process and cost-effectiveness, nanoimprinting faces challenges with imprinting hard materials (e.g., crystalline metals) at low/room temperatures, and with fabricating complex nanostructures rapidly (e.g., heterojunctions of metal and oxide). Herein, we report a room temperature ultrasonic nanoimprinting technique (named nanojackhammer) to address these challenges. Nanojackhammer capitalizes on the concentration of ultrasonic energy flow at nanoscale to shape bulk materials into nanostructures. Working at room temperature, nanojackhammer allows rapid fabrication of complex multi-compositional nanostructures made of virtually all solid materials regardless of their ductility, hardness, reactivity and melting points. Atomistic simulations reveal a unique alternating dislocation generation and recovery mechanism that significantly reduces the imprinting force under ultrasonic cyclic loading. As a proof-of-concept, a metal-oxide-metal plasmonic nanostructure with built-in nanogap is rapidly fabricated and employed for biosensing. As a fast, scalable, and cost-effective nanotechnology, nanojackhammer will enable various unique applications of complex nanostructures in optoelectronics, biosensing, catalysis and beyond. Nanoimprinting faces challenges with imprinting hard materials at low or room temperature, and with fabricating complex nanostructures rapidly. Here, the authors overcome these challenges by a room-temperature ultrasonic nanoimprinting technique that capitalizes on the concentration of ultrasonic energy flow at nanoscale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of simultaneous energy harvesting and vibration suppression has made tremendous progress in the past few years. However, the energy harvesting and vibration reduction seem to be independent, or even paradox in some scenarios; for example, energy harvesting strategy expects the primary system to maintain large-amplitude vibration as long as possible. In comparison, the vibration suppression strategy aims to suppress the vibration of primary system as soon as possible. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate how to properly design an integrated system, which first ensures the broadband vibration suppression performance, while at the same time, harvests additional energy as much as possible. To achieve this goal, a cascaded essentially nonlinear system is presented for high-sensitive vibration and harvesting energy. The presented device comprises a nonlinear energy sink and a nonlinear energy harvester with cascaded essential nonlinearities. Numerical results show that the presented device is able to simultaneously suppress vibration and harvest vibration energy over a wide frequency range. Moreover, unlike previous research, it is effective for extremely small initial impulses. This work explores possibilities for reducing and harvesting extremely low ambient vibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering an electrocatalytic anode material to boost reaction kinetics is highly desirable for the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is the major obstacle for high efficiency water electrolysis. Here, we present a novel kind of Zn-doped Co3O4 hollow dodecahedral electrocatalyst. Abundant oxygen vacancy defects are introduced due to the incorporation of Zn2+, which is beneficial for OH− adsorption and the charge transfer reaction during the OER process. Moreover, the increase in surface area caused by the advanced structure of the hollow porous dodecahedra facilitates mass transport by increasing the surface area. The novel strategy proposed in this study provides an efficient way to design high-performance electrocatalysts for water electrolysis. Water splitting: A dodecahedral catalyst A cheap catalyst that aids water splitting and is made from readily available materials has been developed by researchers in China. Hydrogen releases energy when burned in air, and is therefore a promising source of clean power. Hydrogen can be sourced by splitting water into its constituent atoms, but the chemical reaction separating hydrogen and oxygen, known as the oxygen evolution reaction, is not particularly efficient. Yao Xiao and coworkers from the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry developed an oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyst made from zinc-doped cobalt oxide, Zn-Co3O4. The catalyst has a unique dodecahedral structure, and the team believes it is its large surface area that is responsible for its excellent performance. Unlike many other water-splitting catalysts, the constituent materials of Zn-Co3O4 are cheap and readily available. Cobaltosic oxide hollow dodecahedra with abundant oxygen vacancy defects was synthesized and manifested extraordinary catalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear vibration absorption of a laminated composite beam is investigated with the account of complex environment (moisture and temperature). A passive efficient nonlinear energy sink (NES) vibration absorber is used to control the transverse vibration. The generalized Hamilton principle is applied to derive a dynamic model of the laminated composite beam coupled with the NES. Numerical simulations reveal the effects of temperature, moisture, and laying angle on natural frequencies. It is numerically found that the NES can rapidly reduce the vibration amplitude. Then, approximate analytical solutions are sought via the harmonic balance method. The approximate analytical solutions are confirmed by the numerical solutions. Amplitude–frequency response curves show that the NES can reduce the amplitude to very low values for various temperatures, moisture levels, and laying angles. In a certain ranges of the NES parameters, different control effects are determined via an approximate analysis. It is demonstrated that the NES is a promising approach to control vibration of a laminated composite beam in complex environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a nonlinear energy sink and a negative stiffness element are integrated for achieving enhanced, passive, and adaptive vibration suppression for a pipe conveying fluid. The enhanced NES simultaneously processes a negative linear and a cubic nonlinearity, which is implemented by two linear springs with a special configuration with preloaded deformation. The governing equation of the NES–pipe system is derived and simulated for examining the isolation effectiveness. The performance of the enhanced and classical NESs is compared. It is found that the enhanced NES can absorb vibration energy with a faster decay rate, achieving simultaneous small threshold, high energy dissipation efficiency, and higher robustness. By performing optimal design, a maximum efficiency ∼ 98.19 % is realized, which is much higher than previous research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A improved bifunctional nanostructure composite was designed and fabricated as reversible electrodes for electrochromic film and lithium-ion battery. This unique optic-electro responsive urchin-like architecture assembled from WO3@PANI nanobelts were prepared by solvothermal and electropolymerization methods. As expected, the composite exhibits the superior optical-electrochemical performances. The composite owns quick switching time ranging from purple, green, yellow, gray to blue via voltage regulation, better rate performance and long-term cycling stability in the galvanostatic charge/discharge process. Benefited from stable structure and short diffusion path, it also demonstrates a distinct optical modulation (△T = 45%) and excellent durability after long-term cycles (1200 cycles). The as-prepared electrode exhibits outstanding cycling stability (capacity retention of 516 mAh g−1 after 1200 cycles with a low average fading capacity of ca. 0.103 mAh g−1 and fading cyclic rate of ca. 0.02% per cycle). The long-term stability studies reveal that urchin-like composite has much more excellent optical and electrochemical durability. The morphology and structure of the composite were carried out by characterization equipment. This effective synthesis strategy will have profound implications for developing the other inorganic-organic nanocomposites in optical and electrochemical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), as a noninvasive therapeutic method, has been actively explored recently for cancer treatment. However, owing to the weak absorption in the optically transparent windows of biological tissues, most commercial photosensitizers (PSs) exhibit low singlet oxygen (O) quantum yields when excited by light within this window. Finding the best way to boost O production for clinical applications using light sources within this window is, thus, a great challenge. Herein, we tackle this problem using plasmon resonance energy transfer (PRET) from plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) to PSs and demonstrate that the formation of plasmon quenching dips is an effective way to enhance O generation. The combination of the photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) and gold nanorods (AuNR) was employed as a model system. We observed a clear quenching dip in the longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) band of the AuNRs when the LSPR band overlaps with the Q band of Ce6 and the spacing between Ce6 and the rods is within the acting distance of PRET. Upon irradiation with 660 nm continuous-wave laser light, we obtained a seven-fold enhancement in the O signal intensity compared with that of a non-PRET sample, as determined using the O electron spin resonance probe 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidine (TEMP). Furthermore, we demonstrated that the PRET effect is more efficient in enhancing O yield than the often-employed local field enhancement effect. The effectiveness of PRET is further extended to the in vitro level. Considering the flexibility in manipulating the localized SPR properties of plasmonic nanoparticles/nanostructures, our findings suggest that PRET-based strategies may be a general way to overcome the deficiency of most commercial organic PSs in biological optically transparent windows and promote their applications in clinical tumor treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the strong affinity of thiols to Au and Ag, they are often employed to modify the surfaces of nanoparticles (NPs). Recently, these strong ligand-interface interactions have been employed to control NP growth, and this technique has emerged as a unique modulation strategy for creating unconventional plasmonic hybrid nanostructures. In these systems, the roles of the non-mercapto components of the thiol molecules and their structures are still unknown. Therefore, we herein present our investigation into this phenomenon. Primary amino (-NH) groups in thiols are found to play a key role in regulating growth kinetics, i.e., in accelerating Ag deposition on Au NPs. The-NH groups are thought to bring Ag ions to the particle surface by coordinating to them, and thereby assist their reduction. The effect of molecular structure is non-trivial and thus provides the possibility of selective thiol detection. Based on the dependence of kinetic modulation on the non-mercapto components and molecular structures of molecules, we demonstrate the highly sensitive and specific detection of cysteine (limit of detection: 6 nM) in a mixture of 19 natural amino acids based on Ag growth on Au nanospheres. In addition, based on this modulation effect, we reveal the entrapping of chiral thiols within the growth layer through their plasmonic circular dichroism (PCD) responses. We believe that thiol-based growth regulation has great potential for creating plasmonic nanostructures with novel functionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a highly efficient and promising control method for forced vibration control of an axially moving beam with an attached nonlinear energy sink (NES). Because of the axial velocity, external force and external excitation frequency, the beam undergoes a high-amplitude vibration. The Galerkin method is applied to discretize the dynamic equations of the beam–NES system. The steady-state responses of the beams with an attached NES and with nothing attached are acquired by numerical simulation. Furthermore, the fast Fourier transform (FFT) is applied to get the amplitude–frequency responses. From the perspective of frequency domain analysis, it is explained that the NES has little effect on the natural frequency of the beam. Results confirm that NES has a great potential to control the excessive vibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generation of circular dichroism (CD) beyond the UV region is of great interest in developing chiral sensors and chiroptical devices. Herein, we demonstrate a simple and versatile method for fabrication of plasmonic oligomers with strong CD response in the visible and near IR spectral range. The oligomers were fabricated by triggering the side-by-side assembly of cysteine-modified gold nanorods. The modified nanorods themselves did not exhibit obvious plasmonic CD signals; however, the oligomers show strong CD bands around the plasmon resonance wavelength. The sign of the CD band was dictated by the chirality of the absorbed cysteine molecules. By adjusting the size of the oligomers, the concentration of chiral molecules, and/or the aspect ratio of the nanorods, the CD intensity and spectral range were readily tunable. Theoretical calculations suggested that CD of the oligomers originated from a slight twist of adjacent nanorods within the oligomer. Therefore, we propose that the adsorbed chiral molecules are able to manipulate the twist angles between the nanorods and thus modulate the CD response of the oligomers. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pt and its based alloy nanoparticles (NPs) have been reported to demonstrate novel enzyme-like activities. Varying composition is very important to realize the optimization of their functions through the tuning of electronic structure. In this paper, our effort is focused in this direction by tailoring the electronic structure of Pt NPs via alloying with copper. Using gold nanorod (Au NR) as core, a simple method to prepare PtCu alloy shell is developed (termed as Au@PtCu NR). The introduction of copper could result in endcap-preferred growth mode owing to the lattice mismatch between alloy shell and the Au core. The variation in the electronic structure changes the substrate affinity, and enhanced affinity was found for HO. Besides, the designed Au@PtCu nanostructures have realized spatial separation of catalytic and recognition sites. Binding of recognition antibodies had negligible effect on their catalytic activity. Based on their peroxidase-like activity, a highly sensitive detection of human immunoglobulin G (IgG) was demonstrated in a direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) mode. The detection limit can be as low as 90 pg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aspect ratio (AR) is one of the most intriguing parameters of gold nanorods (GNRs), which plays an important role in determining localized surface plasmon (LSPR) properties. Instead of conventional imaging techniques, the optical extinction spectroscopy (OES) method has been developed for allowing fast statistically measuring the average AR under static approximation. In this work, combining with the previous achievements in spectroscopic technique, we further analyze the effects of gold dielectric function and near distance dielectric sensitivity. The former may reflect possible dielectric loss of real Au samples from ideal single crystalline. The latter reflects the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) adsorption on the surface of GNR induces different LSPR shifts below and above critical micelle concentration (CMC). However, their effect on the determination of AR has not been evaluated in OES method. The average AR measurements as a function of absorbance of CTAB-GNRs and LSPR maximum below the CMC were studied. Our results indicate that after considering these factors, the mean ARs obtained from spectroscopic techniques are closer to those obtained from imaging techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the light of the current problems of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in terms of antibacterial performance, we have designed a novel trimetallic core/shell nanostructure with AgPt alloy nanodots epitaxially grown on gold nanorods (Au@PtAg NRs) as a potential antibacterial agent. Both Escherichia coli ( E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus) were studied. The antibacterial activity exhibits an obvious composition-dependence. On increasing the Ag fraction in the alloy shell up to 80%, the antibacterial activity gradually increases, demonstrating a flexible way to tune this activity. At 80% Ag, the antibacterial activity is better than that of a pure Ag shell. The improved antibacterial ability mainly results from the high exposure of silver on the shell surface due to the dot morphology. We thus demonstrate that forming alloys is an effective way to improve antibacterial activity while retaining high chemical stability for Ag-based nanomaterials. Furthermore, due to the tunable localized surface plasmonic response in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region, additional control over antibacterial activity using light—such as photothermal killing and phototriggered silver ion release—is expected. As a demonstration, highly enhanced antibacterial activity is shown by utilizing the NIR photothermal effect of the nanostructures. Our results indicate that such tailored nanostructures will find a role in the future fight against bacteria, including the challenge of the increasing severity of multidrug resistance. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A heat transfer model of furnace roller cooling process was established based on analysis of furnace roller's structure. The complicated model was solved with iteration planning algorithm based on Newton search. The model is proved logical and credible by comparing calculated results and measured data. Then, the relationship between water flow velocity, inlet water temperature, furnace temperature and roller cross section temperature, outlet water temperature, water temperature rise, cooling water heat absorption was studied. The conclusions and recommendations are mainly as follows: 1) Cooling water temperature rise decreases with the increase of water flow velocity, but it has small relationship with inlet water temperature; 2) In order to get little water scale, inlet water temperature should be controlled below 30 °C. 3) The cooling water flow velocity should be greater than critical velocity. The critical velocity is 0.07 m/s and water flow velocity should be controlled within 0.4-0.8 m/s. Within this velocity range, water cooling efficiency is high and water temperature rise is little. If cooling water velocity increases again, heat loss will increase, leading to energy wasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil water retention curve (SWRC) plays an important role in simulating soil water movement and assessing soil water holding capacity and availability. Comparison of fitness between different models to determine the best SWRC model of specific regions is required. In this study, three popular models, van Genuchten, Brooks Corey and Gardner model, were selected for comparing in a degraded alpine meadow region on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Fitness, error distribution along with key parameters were compared. For each soil horizon, the soil moisture content at all soil water potentials decreased consistently with degradation, thereby integrally moving the SWRCs of all soil depths downward with degradation. The differences in SWRCs across various degradation degrees diminished along with soil depth and soil water potential. The Adj.r2 values of van Genuchten, Brooks Corey and Gardner models ranged in 0.971–0.995, 0.958–0.997, and 0.688–0.909, respectively. The van Genuchten and Brooks Corey models significantly (p < 0.05) outperformed the Gardner model, and have no significant differences in fitness. The fitness of all three models showed no significant changes with degradation. Regardless of degradation degree and soil depth, the fitting error of van Genuchten and Brooks Corey models was mainly distributed in the higher (from –100 hPa to –500 hPa) and lower (below –10000 hPa) potential sections. With regard to the parameters of van Genuchten and Brooks Corey models, the field capacity (θs), and permanent wilting moisture were highly coherent with Adj.r2 values of higher than 0.98, while the curve shape parameter (θr), and air entry pressure of the Brooks Corey model were much lower than those of the van Genuchten model with Adj.r2 values of lower than 0.91. The SWRCs with varying degrees of degradation are best fitted by both van Genuchten and Brooks Corey models but cannot be fitted by Gardner model. Soil water holding capacity decreased with degradation especially in the top soil (0 cm to 30 cm), but the curve shape of all SWRCs did not change significantly with degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]