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Drivers' risk perception plays a crucial role in understanding vehicle interactions and car-following behavior under complex conditions and physical appearances. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate the variability of risks involved. With advancements in communication technology and computing power, real-time risk assessment has become feasible for enhancing traffic safety. In this study, a novel approach for evaluating driving interaction risk on freeways is presented. The approach involves the integration of an interaction risk perception model with car-following behavior. The proposed model, named the driving risk surrogate (DRS), is based on the potential field theory and incorporates a virtual energy attribute that considers vehicle size and velocity. Risk factors are quantified through sub-models, including an interactive vehicle risk surrogate, a restrictions risk surrogate, and a speed risk surrogate. The DRS model is applied to assess driving risk in a typical scenario on freeways, and car-following behavior. A sensitivity analysis is conducted on the effect of different parameters in the DRS on the stability of traffic dynamics in car-following behavior. This behavior is then calibrated using a naturalistic driving dataset, and then car-following predictions are made. It was found that the DRS-simulated car-following behavior has a more accurate trajectory prediction and velocity estimation than other car-following methods. The accuracy of the DRS risk assessments was verified by comparing its performance to that of traditional risk models, including TTC, DRAC, MTTC, and DRPFM, and the results show that the DRS model can more accurately estimate risk levels in free-flow and congested traffic states. Thus the proposed risk assessment model provides a better approach for describing vehicle interactions and behavior in the digital world for both researchers and practitioners. • Introduced a multifaceted driving risk assessment model with potential field theory. • Proposed the concept of 'virtual energy' based on vehicle sizes and speed. • Developed an innovative speed risk component reflecting a vehicle's forward desire. • Incorporated risk assessment with car-following models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Optical and acoustic modes can be independently designed in this hybrid waveguide. • Small-signal Stokes gain of 0.7 dB is observed. • The hybrid waveguide has efficient selectivity for the excited acoustic modes. On-chip stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) has attracted extensive attention by introducing acousto-optic coupling interactions in all-optical signal processing systems. In this article, we demonstrate stimulated intermodal Brillouin scattering (SIMBS) through a hybrid photonic-phononic silicon waveguide on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. The designed photonic-phononic waveguide can independently control the optical and acoustic fields by introducing the ridge waveguide as a line defect into the honeycomb lattice phononic crystal slab. Small-signal Stokes gain of 0.7 dB is achieved in a 1-cm long straight waveguide device with an on-chip pump power of 42.5 mW. Positive net Brillouin amplification is also expected by effectively reducing the linear loss. Our proposed device offers a potential approach to implementing Brillouin amplifiers, nonreciprocal devices, and signal processing in planar photonic integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new thermal insulating shotcrete is of great significance for the management of thermal damage in deep mines, and its own strength has a greater impact on the roadway insulation and safe production, so it is very necessary to study the shear strength of the new thermal insulating shotcrete under the influence of the deep hot and humid environment and the stress of mining. For the heat-insulating shotcrete, firstly, we carried out the concrete variable angle shear test under different loading rates, which concluded that the shear rate and peak shear stress showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing; as the angle increases, the different rates have a greater impact on the peak shear stress of the specimen. Secondly, the concrete variable angle shear test was carried out under the temperature and humidity cycle, which revealed that the shear strength of thermal insulated shotcrete increased firstly and then decreased with the increase of temperature at the same number of cycles. Finally, the empirical equations between the cohesive force c, the angle of internal friction ϕ and the number of warm and wet cycles n and the temperature of warm and wet cycles T are fitted with the MATLAB software respectively, and the research results provide technical references for the management of geothermal temperature in deep well projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By leveraging the principles of electromagnetic theory and materials science, the characteristics of dielectric polymer composites can be optimized, eliminating repetitive trial‐and‐error in their application as electromagnetic absorbers (EMAs). Herein, a systematic framework for optimizing the thickness and composition of double‐layer EMAs is proposed, using a combination of transmission line, Debye relaxation, and Maxwell–Garnett theories. Following theoretical optimization, a double‐layered electrospun EMA is fabricated, which comprises a ≈1.17 mm thick matrix of styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) decorated with MXene on its fibrous structure. The second SBS layer, with a thickness of ≈0.52 mm, incorporates a hybrid of MXene and graphene nanoribbons (GNR) as conductive additives. The EMA exhibits durable electrical performance after 2000 tensile cycles, owing to the surface chemistry engineering and the novel in situ assembly technique. It is capable of shielding 99.9% of the incident wave and >80% absorptivity (A) over almost the entire Ku‐band. The EMA also exhibits desirable mechanical characteristics, such as >300% stretchability and full twist and wrinkle recoveries, making it an excellent choice for protective attire applications. Additionally, the introduced approach provides solutions for the advancement of tailorable polymer composite EMAs, with respect to specific criteria of the target wave frequency, effective absorption bandwidth, and absorption levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent operation and maintenance technology for vessels can ensure the safety of the entire system, especially for the development of intelligent and unmanned marine technology. The material properties of metal abrasive particles in oil could demonstrate the wear areas of the marine mechanical system because different components consist of different materials. However, most sensors can only roughly separate metallic contaminants into ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic particles but cannot differentiate them in greater detail. A micro-three-coil sensor is designed in this paper; the device applies different excitation signals to two excitation coils to differentiate materials, based on the different effects of different material particles in the asymmetric magnetic field. Therefore, a particle's material can be judged by the shape of the induction electromotive force output signal from the induction coil, while the particle size can be judged by the amplitude of the signal. Experimental results show that the material differentiation of four different types of particles can be achieved, namely, of aluminum, iron, 304 stainless steel, and carbon steel. This newly designed sensor provides a new research prospect for the realization of an inductive detection method to distinguish non-ferrous metals and a reference for the subsequent detection of metal contaminants in oil and other liquids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle trajectory prediction is essential for the operation safety and control efficiency of automated driving. Prevailing studies predict car following and lane change processes in a separate manner, ignoring the dependencies of these two behaviors. To remedy this issue, this paper proposes an integrated deep learning-based two-dimension trajectory prediction model that can predict combined behaviors. Specifically, we designed a switch neural network structure based on the attention mechanism, bi-directional long-short term memory (BiLSTM) and Temporal convolution neural network (TCN) to mimic and predict the joint behaviors. Experiments are conducted based on the Next Generation Simulation (NGSIM) dataset to validate the effectiveness of our proposed model. As results indicate, our proposed model outperforms the state-of-art trajectory prediction models and can provide accurate short-term and long-term predictions. • Integrated Car-following and Lane Change Prediction Algorithm. • A Deep Neural Network with a Switch Structure for the Integrated Behavior Prediction. • A Deep Neural Network with a Temporal Convolution Network and Attention Mechanism for Prediction Accuracy Improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient urban bus control system has the potential to significantly reduce travel delays and streamline the allocation of transportation resources, thereby offering enhanced and user-friendly transit services to passengers. However, bus operation efficiency can be impacted by bus bunching, a problem originating from uncertain travel times between stops and time-varying passenger demand rates. This problem is notably exacerbated when the bus system operates along a signalized corridor in the face of unpredictable travel demand. To mitigate this challenge, we introduce a multi-strategy fusion approach for the longitudinal control of connected and automated buses. The approach is driven by a physics-informed deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithm and takes into account a variety of traffic conditions along urban signalized corridors. Taking advantage of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology, the proposed approach can leverage real-time information regarding bus operating conditions and road traffic environment. By integrating the aforementioned information into the DRL-based bus control framework, our designed physics-informed DRL state fusion approach and reward function efficiently embed prior physics and leverage the merits of equilibrium and consensus concepts from control theory. This integration enables the framework to learn and adapt multiple control strategies to effectively manage complex traffic conditions and fluctuating passenger demands. Three control variables, i.e., dwell time at stops, speed between stations, and signal priority, are formulated to minimize travel duration and ensure bus stability with the aim of avoiding bus bunching. We present simulation results to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, underlining its superior performance when subjected to sensitivity analysis, specifically considering factors such as traffic volume, desired speed, and traffic signal conditions. • A multi-strategy fusion approach based on distributed DRL is presented for dynamic bus operation control. • Uncertainties in bus operation systems are considered, and a practical bus control environment is designed. • An efficient DPPO-based learning procedure is developed, demonstrating remarkable solution efficiency and convergence. • A physics-informed DRL state fusion approach and a tailored reward function are utilized to achieve multi-agent consensus. • Principles from multi-agent control theory and equilibrium states within bus operations are incorporated in the framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel modified Allam cycle for co-generating power and water is proposed. • Seawater evaporation as a means to generate a cold source and produce freshwater. • The efficiency is 49.11%, marking a 6.18% improvement over the original system. • The proposed system is particularly well-suited for hot and water-stressed regions. The efficient performance of the Allam cycle deteriorate in hot regions, where water scarcity is a common issue. To overcome these challenges, a novel modification of the Allam cycle is proposed to simultaneously generate power and water. In this study, the seawater evaporation is utilized to provide cold sink for CO 2 liquefaction, and the heat from compressing the vapor separated during seawater evaporation is utilized in a multi-effect evaporation desalination subsystem to produce freshwater. Detailed techno-economic analyses are conducted to assess the feasibility of the proposed system. The calculations indicate that the net efficiency of the new system is 49.11 %, representing a 6.18 % increase compared to the original system. Additionally, the system has the capacity to produce 292.64 kg/s of freshwater. For every 1 °C rise in ambient temperature, freshwater production increases by 0.6 %, and efficiency decreases by 0.06 %. Although the proposed system incurs an investment cost increment of approximately 5.89 %, it is projected to recoup this cost within less than 2.1 years. Moreover, the parametric analyses indicate that the proposed co-generation system is highly competitive in regions with higher electricity prices and water prices. These findings contribute to the application and promotion of Allam cycle technology in hot and water-stressed regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overfertilization is prevalent in rainfed apple orchards on China's Loess Plateau; yet, its impacts on soil physicochemical properties in deep soil profiles are poorly documented. To address this, we sampled sixty 6-m soil profiles from cropland, 8-year, 17-year, and 25-year apple orchards to determine soil water content (SWC), pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), NO 3 –-N, NH 4 +-N, Olsen-P (AP), available potassium (AK), and electrical conductivity (EC). Divergent distribution patterns of the studied properties for various land-use types were observed in the 6-m profiles. The variability was low for SWC and pH, moderate for NH 4 +-N, AP, and AK, and high for SOC, NO 3 –-N and EC. Notably, a 6-m soil profile might be robust for exploring the vertical dynamics of SOC, NO 3 –-N, NH 4 +-N, AP, and EC rather than SWC, pH and AK. Averaged across the 6-m profiles, 8-year orchards had equivalent values for all the selected variables, while the 25-year orchards exhibited significantly decreased soil water storage by 165 mm and depth-averaged pH by 0.50, but increased NO 3 –-N by 4530 kg ha−1, AP by 235 kg ha−1, AK by 2435 kg ha−1, and depth-averaged EC by 460 μs cm−1, when compared with cropland. Factor analysis illustrated that pH and EC were jointly driven by NO 3 –-N, AP, and AK, although NO 3 –-N was of paramount importance for regulating pH and EC. A partial least squares path model further revealed that stand age rather than fertilization negatively affected SWC, and fertilization significantly influenced NO 3 –-N, AP, and AK, the direct effects of which on pH were depth-dependent, highlighting the importance of deep profiles for elucidating the evolution of soil quality. Collectively, rainfed apple orchards exposed to repeated severe overfertilization were linked to aggravated soil degradation in terms of desiccation, acidification, N-P-K surplus and salinization. Hence, farmers' rampant overuse of fertilizers must be urgently controlled in order to develop sustainable apple production. • Soil chemical properties in the 6-m profile are explored in rainfed apple orchards. • 6-m soil profile is insufficient for evaluating the dynamics of pH and available K. • pH is jointly driven by NO 3 –, Olsen-P, and available K, though NO 3 – is paramount. • Stand age rather than fertilization is responsible for soil desiccation. • Overfertilization causes significant acidification, N-P-K surplus and salinization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil detection in mechanical equipment is a critical aspect of assessing the wear status of equipment. In this paper, we design a novel multi-pollutant detection sensor embedded in a high permeability material, which employs a radial channel detection method to improve the detection accuracy of metallic pollutants and non-metallic pollutants while maintaining the accuracy of detecting metallic wear particles. The experimental results demonstrate that the micro-triple-coil multi-pollutant detection sensor, based on a high-gradient magnetic field, can detect ferromagnetic particles, non-ferromagnetic particles, and moisture with high accuracy. The theoretical lower detection limit for ferrous particles is 38 µm, and for copper particles, it is 51 µm. Furthermore, the sensor successfully detects emulsified oil with 1% water content in the moisture detection experiment. Our proposed detection sensor provides a new reference direction for future oil detection sensor design and exhibits high accuracy. [Display omitted] • The magnetic field of the excitation coil is enhanced by a silicon steel sheet. • Sensor stability is further improved by utilizing a radial magnetic field. • Utilizes strong electric field areas to improve moisture detection accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trajectory optimization for connected automated vehicles (CAVs) is an effective method to improve the overall performance of urban traffic. At the same time, the emergence of deep reinforcement learning (DRL) enables agents to learn the optimal strategy in a complex environment by constantly interacting with the environment. In a connected environment with signalized intersections, the optimal control of CAV can significantly reduce fuel consumption and improve driving comfort under the premise of ensuring both traffic efficiency and travel safety. Thus, a DRL-based longitudinal trajectory control approach is proposed to optimize the motion of the CAV in a mixed traffic flow with signalized intersections. By designing a reasonable reward function comprising fuel consumption reward, safety reward, traffic light reward, and travel time reward, the CAV can learn the optimal policy and reach the destination adhering to traffic light and safety. Moreover, the potential-based reward is carefully designed to provide prior knowledge for agents. Eventually, the performances of the CAV with the proposed strategy are testified under different scenarios. Simulation results show that our proposed DRL-based optimization method can effectively save fuel consumption of the CAV and the whole platoon, as well as improve driving comfort in all scenarios while satisfying the rules of traffic lights and travel safety. • A DRL-based control method is proposed for optimizing the longitudinal trajectory of CAVs at signalized intersections. • The proposed method significantly improves travel efficiency, driving comfort, and fuel consumption in vehicular platoons. • A potential-based reward shaping function is integrated into the reward function to provide prior knowledge. • The effectiveness and flexibility of the proposed method are confirmed under various scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aliasing signals triggered by multiple wear particles passing through an inductive debris sensor simultaneously are inevitable in practice. To investigate the superimposed characteristics of aliasing signals, the aliasing signals induced by two particles with different spacing, sizes, and different magnetic properties were investigated. The experimental results revealed that there is only one pulse in aliasing signals of two particles with the same magnetic property, and the amplitude of aliasing signals decreases with spacing and increases with particle size. For two particles with different properties, when the spacing between two particles is smaller, the aliasing signal amplitudes were suppressed; while the spacing is larger, the magnetic properties can be distinguished and the sizes can be well estimated by aliasing inductance signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate optical imaging capable of reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) target objects with strong surrounding noises are highly demanding in diverse applications. For conventional imagers with narrow probe beams, the probe beams usually suffer from serious spreading and distortion due to the diffraction and surrounding noises. Here, we construct a 3D imager by using pulsed Bessel beams, enabling reconstruction of high-resolution 3D profiles with sub-millimeter transverse resolution and sub-centimeter depth resolution. We demonstrate that due to the outstanding diffraction-free and self-healing properties of Bessel beams, the present imager can provide high-quality reconstructed images in high-noise environments with opaque scatters. The method developed here for reducing the effects of surrounding noises can also be exploited in the light detection and ranging technology at single-photon level. • We report the construction of a novel noise-tolerant 3D imager by using the non-diffractive pulsed laser beams for reconstructing 3D images of target objects. • We demonstrate that, due to the outstanding diffraction-free and self-healing properties of Bessel beams, our imager can provide high-quality reconstructed images for small target objects. Moreover, the imager can operate in high-noise environments with both opaque and non-opaque scatters. • The method and technology developed in this work for suppressing diffraction and noises are useful for designing LidAR systems and have potential applications in optical information processing and transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and shows a rising trend with the increase of aged. Currently, existing intelligent AF detection methods have achieved good results in massive labeled data. However, it is time-consuming and undesirable to label ECG signals in real applications. Meanwhile, due to distribution discrepancy by different testing conditions, it is unsatisfied for directly applying trained model to other datasets. Inspired by the domain adaptation techniques, this paper proposes a novel Domain Adaptive Residual Network (DARN) to detect AF of unlabeled datasets with the aid of detection knowledge of labeled dataset. Firstly, residual blocks are adopted to extract informative deep features from the ECG signals automatically. Then, deep features are fed into feature classifier to acquire final detection result. Further, the multi-layer multi-kernel maximum mean discrepancy is combined into the training process to reduce distribution discrepancy of different domains, which imposes constraints on network parameters. Finally, the proposed method was evaluated with the data from MIT-BIH Atrial Fibrillation Database (AFDB), MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database and 2017 Physionet challenge dataset. The experimental results show that the proposed domain adaptive approach improves the accuracy by 4.50% on average and the F1 score by 4.28% on average using the knowledge of AFDB. Additionally, comparison experiment shows that the proposed feature extractor and classifier achieved 98.97%, 98.75%, and 98.84% for the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy on the AFDB, respectively. Consequently, the proposed method is provided with high application potential as a valuable auxiliary tool for clinical AF detection. • A domain adaptive residual network is proposed for atrial fibrillation Detection. • It extracts deep features without manual feature extraction and feature selection. • The feature extractor and classifier utilize residual block for good performance. • The multi-kernel maximum mean discrepancy is incorporated in the training process. • It improves accuracy by 4.50% on average and the F1 score by 4.28% on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pulsed plasma in a water vapor-saturated gas provides effective remediation of SO 2. • 85% reduction in SO 2 were achieved with plasma in presence of water vapor. • OH radicals as reaction intermediate are verified by plasma emission spectroscopy. • SO 2 remediation scales with gas temperature and plasma power density. We report a substantial enhancement in the removal of gaseous SO 2 by discharging a transient nanosecond pulsed plasma in a water vapor-saturated gas mixture. With the plasma alone (i.e., "dry"), the SO 2 remediation is limited to approximately 15% reduction in SO 2 (i.e., ΔSO 2 = 65 ppm). In presence of water vapor, we observe 84% remediation (ΔSO 2 = 500 ppm) during plasma discharge due to the availability of OH radicals. Here, there is a synergistic effect of adding water vapor to the gas mixture in which the plasma excites highly reactive OH radical species that drive a two-step reaction process: SO 2 + OH → HSO 3 and the subsequent reaction of HSO 3 + OH → H 2 SO 4 , which precipitates out in the aqueous phase. The efficacy of this approach increases as we increase the temperature of the gas matrix, indicating the relatively low barriers of this reaction, which is consistent with the OH-driven reaction pathway, and it also increases with plasma density, thus demonstrating the scalability of this approach. Plasma emission spectroscopy as well as Raman scattering spectroscopy provide spectroscopic evidence of the OH radical species, further substantiating the OH reaction intermediate mechanism. This approach provides a promising mitigation strategy for the continued use of high sulfur fuels (i.e., bunker fuel). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncovering the function of phytopathogen effectors is crucial for understanding mechanisms of pathogen pathogenicity and for improving our ability to protect plants from diseases. An increasing number of effectors have been predicted in various plant pathogens. Functional characterization of these effectors has become a major focus in the study of plant-pathogen interactions. In this study, we designed a novel screening system that combines the TMV (tobacco mosaic virus)-GFP vector and Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. This system enables the rapid identification of effectors that interfere with plant immunity. The biological function of these effectors can be easily evaluated by observing the GFP fluorescence signal using a UV lamp within just a few days. To evaluate the TMV-GFP system, we initially tested it with well-described virulence and avirulence type III effectors from the bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. After proving the accuracy and efficiency of the TMV-GFP system, we successfully screened a novel virulence effector, RipS1, using this approach. Furthermore, using the TMV-GFP system, we reproduced consistent results with previously known cytoplasmic effectors from a diverse array of pathogens. Additionally, we demonstrated the effectiveness of the TMV-GFP system in identifying apoplastic effectors. The easy operation, time-saving nature, broad effectiveness, and low technical requirements of the TMV-GFP system make it a promising approach for high-throughput screening of effectors with immune interference activity from various pathogens., (© 2024 Society for Experimental Biology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Electrocatalysts with low Pt loading mass to achieve high current density (≥1 A cm -2 ) for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are still extremely challenging due to the limited intrinsic activity and weak stability of catalytic sites. The modulation of the electronic microenvironment of the support-Pt structure is crucial to enhance the intrinsic activity and stability of catalytic sites. Herein, an innovative titanium oxycarbide (Ti V CO) solid solution with Ti vacancies (Ti V ) is proposed as support to anchor sub-nanoscale Pt atomic clusters (Pt ACs) and a stable "Ti V -Pt ACs" structure is carefully designed. The electronic microenvironment of "Ti V -Pt ACs" is indirectly optimized by an unsaturated C/O site near Ti V . Thanks to this, novel "Ti V -Pt ACs" structure (Pt@Ti V CO) with low Pt loading mass (2.44 wt.%) exhibits excellent HER activity in acidic solution and the mass activity is more than ten times that of commercial 20% Pt/C at the overpotentials of 50 and 100 mV. Particularly, Pt@Ti V CO shows amazing stability at high and fluctuating current density of 1-2 A cm -2 for 120 h. This work provides a novel and promising method to develop stable and low-loading Pt-based catalysts adapting to high current density., (© 2023 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

A novel Au-allenylidene promoted decarboxylative annulation by intramolecular α-nucleophilic addition has been disclosed. The unsaturated cyclic ethynylethylene carbamates/carbonates can be converted to unique nucleophiles attached with alkylidene ketenes by sequential decarboxylation and oxidation processes. Such alkylidene ketenes can be rapidly trapped by intramolecular α-attacking annulation to generate potential biological active unsaturated γ-lactams/lactones with broad scope, facile post-modification, high regioselectivity and efficiency.

We report spectroscopic measurements of the local pH and p K a at an electrode/electrolyte interface using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy of 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA). In acidic and basic solutions, the protonated and deprotonated carboxyl functional groups at the electrode surface exist in the solution as -COOH and -COO - , which have different Raman active vibrational features at around 1697 and 1414 cm -1 , respectively. In pH neutral water, as the applied electrochemical potential is varied from negative to positive, the acidic form of the 4-MBA ( i.e. , -COOH) decreases in Raman intensity and the basic form ( i.e. , -COO - ) increases in Raman intensity. The change in local ion concentration is due to the application of electrochemical potentials and the accumulation of ions near the electrode surface. Under various applied potentials, the ratio of 1697 and 1587 cm -1 (pH-independent) peak areas spans the range between 0.7 and 0, and the ratio of the 1414 and 1587 cm -1 peak areas ranges from 0 to 0.3. By fitting these data to a normalized sigmoid function, we obtain the percentage of surface protonation/deprotonation, which can be related to the p K a and pH of the system. Thus, we can measure the local p K a at the electrode surface using the surface enhanced Raman signal of the 4-MBA.

Textiles represent a fundamental material format that is extensively integrated into our everyday lives. The quest for more versatile and body-compatible wearable electronics has led to the rise of electronic textiles (e-textiles). By enhancing textiles with electronic functionalities, e-textiles define a new frontier of wearable platforms for human augmentation. To realize the transformational impact of wearable e-textiles, materials innovations can pave the way for effective user adoption and the creation of a sustainable circular economy. We propose a repair, recycle, replacement and reduction circular e-textile paradigm. We envisage a systematic design framework embodying material selection and biofabrication concepts that can unify environmental friendliness, market viability, supply-chain resilience and user experience quality. This framework establishes a set of actionable principles for the industrialization and commercialization of future sustainable e-textile products., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Al batteries have great potential for renewable energy storage owing to their low cost, high capacity, and safety. High energy density and adaptability to fluctuating electricity are major challenges. Here, a lightweight Al battery for fast storage of fluctuating energy is constructed based on a novel hierarchical porous dendrite-free carbon aerogel film (CAF) anode and an integrated graphite composite carbon aerogel film (GCAF) cathode. A new induced mechanism by the O-containing functional groups on the CAF anode is con-firmed for uniform Al deposition. The GCAF cathode possesses a higher mass utilization ratio due to the extremely high loading mass (9.5-10.0 mg cm -2 ) of graphite materials compared to conventional coated cathodes. Meanwhile, the volume expansion of the GCAF cathode is almost negligible, resulting in better cycling stability. The lightweight CAF‖GCAF full battery can adapt well to large and fluctuating current densities owing to its hierarchical porous structure. A large discharge capacity (115.6 mAh g -1 ) after 2000 cycles and a short charge time (7.0 min) at a high current density are obtained. The construction strategy of lightweight Al batteries based on carbon aerogel electrodes can promote the breakthrough of high-energy-density Al batteries adapted to the fast storage of fluctuating renewable energy., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background/objective: We retrospectively analyzed the effective and safety of continuous low-dose cyclophosphamide combined with prednisone (CP) in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients with severe complications., Methods: A total of 130 RRMM patients with severe complications were enrolled in this study, among which 41 patients were further given bortezomib, lenalidomide, thalidomide or ixazomib on the basis of CP regimen (CP+X group). The response to therapy, adverse events (AEs), overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were recorded., Results: Among the 130 patients, 128 patients received therapeutic response assessment, with a complete remission rate (CRR) and objective response rate (ORR) of 4.7% and 58.6%, respectively. The median OS and PFS time were (38.0 ± 3.6) and (22.9±5.2) months, respectively. The most common AEs were hyperglycemia (7.7%), pneumonia (6.2%) and Cushing's syndrome (5.4%). In addition, we found the pro-BNP/BNP level was obviously decreased while the LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction) was increased in RRMM patients following CP treatment as compared with those before treatment. Furthermore, CP+X regimen further improved the CRR compared with that before receiving the CP+X regimen (24.4% vs . 2.4%, P =0.007). Also, both the OS and PFS rates were significantly elevated in patients received CP+X regimen following CP regimen as compared with the patients received CP regimen only., Conclusion: This study demonstrates the metronomic chemotherapy regimen of CP is effective to RRMM patients with severe complications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Shi, Wei, Peng, Chen, Zhou, Wu, Yu, Zhao, Hou and Zhou.)

Photoelectrochemical solar fuel generation at the semiconductor/liquid interface consists of multiple elementary steps, including charge separation, recombination, and catalytic reactions. While the overall incident light-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) can be readily measured, identifying the microscopic efficiency loss processes remains difficult. Here, we report simultaneous in situ transient photocurrent and transient reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) measurements of titanium dioxide-protected gallium phosphide photocathodes for water reduction in photoelectrochemical cells. Transient reflectance spectroscopy enables the direct probe of the separated charge carriers responsible for water reduction to follow their kinetics. Comparison with transient photocurrent measurement allows the direct probe of the initial charge separation quantum efficiency (ϕ CS ) and provides support for a transient photocurrent model that divides IPCE into the product of quantum efficiencies of light absorption (ϕ abs ), charge separation (ϕ CS ), and photoreduction (ϕ red ), i.e ., IPCE = ϕ abs ϕ CS ϕ red . Our study shows that there are two general key loss pathways: recombination within the bulk GaP that reduces ϕ CS and interfacial recombination at the junction that decreases ϕ red . Although both loss pathways can be reduced at a more negative applied bias, for GaP/TiO 2 , the initial charge separation loss is the key efficiency limiting factor. Our combined transient reflectance and photocurrent study provides a time-resolved view of microscopic steps involved in the overall light-to-current conversion process and provides detailed insights into the main loss pathways of the photoelectrochemical system.

This article investigates the leader-follower formation learning control (FLC) problem for discrete-time strict-feedback multiagent systems (MASs). The objective is to acquire the experience knowledge from the stable leader-follower adaptive formation control process and improve the control performance by reusing the experiential knowledge. First, a two-layer control scheme is proposed to solve the leader-follower formation control problem. In the first layer, by combining adaptive distributed observers and constructed i n -step predictors, the leader's future state is predicted by the followers in a distributed manner. In the second layer, the adaptive neural network (NN) controllers are constructed for the followers to ensure that all the followers track the predicted output of the leader. In the stable formation control process, the NN weights are verified to exponentially converge to their optimal values by developing an extended stability corollary of linear time-varying (LTV) system. Second, by constructing some specific "learning rules," the NN weights with convergent sequences are synthetically acquired and stored in the followers as experience knowledge. Then, the stored knowledge is reused to construct the FLC. The proposed FLC method not only solves the leader-follower formation problem but also improves the transient control performance. Finally, the validity of the presented FLC scheme is illustrated by simulations.

Atomic-scale utilization and coordination structure of Pt electrocatalyst is extremely crucial to decrease loading mass and maximize activity for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) and oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs). A novel atomic-scale (Pt-O x )-(Co-O y ) nonbonding active structure is designed and constructed by anchoring Pt single atoms and Co atomic clusters on the defective carbon derived from oxygen-rich coal tar pitch (CTP). The Pt loading mass is extremely low and only 0.56 wt%. A new nonbonding interaction phenomenon between Pt-O x and Co-O y is found and confirmed based on X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. Based on the (Pt-O x )-(Co-O y ) nonbonding active structure, surface chemical field coupling with electrocatalysis for the HER and ORR is confirmed. It is found that the (Pt-O x )-(Co-O y ) nonbonding active structure exhibits high mass activities of 64.4 A cm -2 mg Pt -1 (at an overpotential of 100 mV) and 7.2 A cm -2 mg Pt -1 (at 0.8 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode) for the HER and ORR, respectively. The values are 6.5 and 11.6 times as much as those of commercial 20% Pt/C. The work provides innovative insight to design and understand efficient active sites of atomic-scale Pt on oxygen-rich CTP-derived carbon supports for electrocatalysis., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

To overcome pathogen infection, plants deploy a highly efficient innate immune system, which often uses hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a versatile reactive oxygen species, to activate downstream defense responses. H2O2 is a potential substrate of aquaporins (AQPs), the membrane channels that facilitate the transport of small compounds across plasma membranes or organelle membranes. To date, however, the functional relationship between AQPs and H2O2 in plant immunity is largely undissected. Here, we report that the rice (Oryza sativa) AQP OsPIP2;2 transports pathogen-induced apoplastic H2O2 into the cytoplasm to intensify rice resistance against various pathogens. OsPIP2;2-transported H2O2 is required for microbial molecular pattern flg22 to activate the MAPK cascade and to induce the downstream defense responses. In response to flg22, OsPIP2;2 is phosphorylated at the serine residue S125, and therefore gains the ability to transport H2O2. Phosphorylated OsPIP2;2 also triggers the translocation of OsmaMYB, a membrane-anchored MYB transcription factor, into the plant cell nucleus to impart flg22-induced defense responses against pathogen infection. On the contrary, if OsPIP2;2 is not phosphorylated, OsmaMYB remains associated with the plasma membrane, and plant defense responses are no longer induced. These results suggest that OsPIP2;2 positively regulates plant innate immunity by mediating H2O2 transport into the plant cell and mediating the translocation of OsmaMYB from plasma membrane to nucleus., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists.)

Nanoscale oxide layer protected semiconductor photoelectrodes show enhanced stability and performance for solar fuels generation, although the mechanism for the performance enhancement remains unclear due to a lack of understanding of the microscopic interfacial field and its effects. Here, we directly probe the interfacial fields at p-GaP electrodes protected by n-TiO 2 and its effect on charge carriers by transient reflectance spectroscopy. Increasing the TiO 2 layer thickness from 0 to 35 nm increases the field in the GaP depletion region, enhancing the rate and efficiency of interfacial electron transfer from the GaP to TiO 2 on the ps time scale as well as retarding interfacial recombination on the microsecond time scale. This study demonstrates a general method for providing a microscopic view of the photogenerated charge carrier's pathway and loss mechanisms from the bulk of the electrode to the long-lived separated charge at the interface that ultimately drives the photoelectrochemical reactions.

We explore the effect of charge density wave (CDW) on the in-plane thermoelectric transport properties of (PbSe) 1+δ (VSe 2 ) 1 and (PbSe) 1+δ (VSe 2 ) 2 heterostructures. In (PbSe) 1+δ (VSe 2 ) 1 we observe an abrupt 86% increase in the Seebeck coefficient, 245% increase in the power factor, and a slight decrease in resistivity over the CDW transition. This behavior is not observed in (PbSe) 1+δ (VSe 2 ) 2 and is rather unusual compared to the general trend observed in other materials. The abrupt transition causes a deviation from the Mott relationship through correlated electron states. Raman spectra of the (PbSe) 1+δ (VSe 2 ) 1 material show the emergence of additional peaks below the CDW transition temperature associated with VSe 2 material. Temperature-dependent in-plane X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra show a change in the in-plane thermal expansion of VSe 2 in (PbSe) 1+δ (VSe 2 ) 1 due to lattice distortion. The increase in the power factor and decrease in the resistivity due to CDW suggest a potential mechanism for enhancing the thermoelectric performance at the low temperature region.

A robust and reliable method for improving the photocatalytic performance of InP, which is one of the best known materials for solar photoconversion (i.e., solar cells). In this article, we report substantial improvements (up to 18×) in the photocatalytic yields for CO2 reduction to CO through the surface passivation of InP with TiO2 deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Here, the main mechanisms of enhancement are the introduction of catalytically active sites and the formation of a pn-junction. Photoelectrochemical reactions were carried out in a nonaqueous solution consisting of ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([EMIM]BF4), dissolved in acetonitrile, which enables CO2 reduction with a Faradaic efficiency of 99% at an underpotential of +0.78 V. While the photocatalytic yield increases with the addition of the TiO2 layer, a corresponding drop in the photoluminescence intensity indicates the presence of catalytically active sites, which cause an increase in the electron-hole pair recombination rate. NMR spectra show that the [EMIM](+) ions in solution form an intermediate complex with CO2(-), thus lowering the energy barrier of this reaction., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Objective: To evaluate the impact of cytogenetic grouping and autologous stem cell transplantation on the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) induced by PAD (velcade+epirubicin+dexamethasone) and TAD (thalidomide+epirubicin+dexamethasone)., Methods: A total of 191 patients with a definite diagnosis of MM were enrolled from May 2008 to December 2013 into this prospective study. They were non-randomly induced by PAD (n = 132) or TAD (n = 59) plus autologous stem cell transplantation or chemotherapy. Response and survival rates were also analyzed between two groups., Results: The overall response rates of PAD and TAD groups were 84.4% (108/128) and 69.5% (41/59) (P = 0.011) respectively. The very good partial remission (VGPR) rates were 70.3% (90/128) and 32.2% (19/59) (P < 0.001) and near complete remission/complete remission (nCR/CR) rates 68.0% (87/128) and 25.4% (15/59) respectively (P < 0.001). Both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) showed no significant inter-group difference (P = 0.223, 0.989). The survival analysis of PAD group showed that FISH high-risk group had shorter PFS and OS than FISH low-risk group (15.2 vs 19.1 months for PFS, P = 0.098; 41.2 months vs non-attaining for OS, P = 0.017). In FISH high-risk group, patients consolidated with autologous stem cell transplantation showed longer PFS than those with chemotherapy (17.8 vs 14.6 months, P = 0.029) while the OS showed no difference (P = 0.840). In FISH low-risk group, no difference were observed in PFS and OS between patients with consolidation therapies alone (P = 0.131, 0.294)., Conclusions: The response rates are higher in patients induced by PAD than by TAD. After PAD induction, cytogenetic grouping may further distinguish the prognosis of MM patients. For FISH high-risk patients, their PFS is prolonged by autologous stem cell transplantation.

Objective: To observe treatment response, survival, safety and the improvement of ECOG in patients with refractory multiple myeloma (MM) with serious heart failure after the administration of continuous low-dose of cyclophosphamide combined with prednisone (CP)., Methods: From January 2005 to September 2013, a total of 75 patients were treated by metronomic chemotherapy with continuous low-dose cyclophosphamide (50 mg/d) and prednisone (15 mg/d)., Results: Among the 75 patients, 2 were lost for follow-up. In the 73 available patients, the overall response was 64.4%, including 2 patients (2.7%) with complete remission (CR), 4 cases (5.5%) very good partial remission (VGPR), and 24 patients (32.9%) partial remission (PR). The median survival was 12 months (1-70 months) with a median onset time of 90 days (16-120) and a median progressive freedom survival of 12 months (1-60). The level of B-type natriuretic peptide in responders declined significantly, as compared to no responders [(336.6 ± 30.3) ng/L vs (906.4 ± 104.8) ng/L, P<0.01]. Common adverse events were as follows: 32 (43.8%) cases of bone marrow suppression, 26 (35.6%) cases of infection, 8 cases of dizzy as well as sleepiness (11.0%), 7(9.6%) cases of Cushing syndrome, 4 (5.5%) cases of secondary diabetes mellitus, and 3 (4.1%) cases of edema respectively., Conclusion: The metronomic chemotherapy of cyclophosphamide combined with prednisone had satisfactory impact on the treatment outcome, including the improvement of cardiac functions and physical capacities, better survival and safety in refractory MM with serious heart failure. It provides a novel regimen for such patients.