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Individually, increasing the concentration of either oxygen or aluminum has a deleterious effect on the ductility of titanium alloys. For example, extremely small amounts of interstitial oxygen can severely deteriorate the tensile ductility of titanium, particularly at cryogenic temperatures. Likewise, substitutional aluminum will decrease the ductility of titanium at low-oxygen concentrations. Here, we demonstrate that, counter-intuitively, significant additions of both Al and O substantially improves both strength and ductility, with a 6-fold increase in ductility for a Ti-6Al-0.3 O alloy as compared to a Ti-0.3 O alloy. The Al and O solutes act together to increase and sustain a high strain-hardening rate by modifying the planar slip that predominates into a delocalized, three-dimensional dislocation pattern. The mechanism can be attributed to decreasing stacking fault energy by Al, modification of the “shuffle” mechanism of oxygen-dislocation interaction by the repulsive Al-O interaction in Ti, and micro-segregation of Al and O by the same cause., Individual addition of O or Al is known to deteriorate ductility of Ti alloys, especially at cryogenic temperatures. Here the authors demonstrate a counter-intuitive effect where significant addition of both Al and O substantially improves both strength and ductility in a Ti-6Al-0.3 O ternary alloy.

The improper disposal of flower waste from cultural activities is one of the main challenges in certain countries such as India. If the flower waste is not managed properly, it causes a number of environmental issues. Therefore, various technologies have been developed to transform flower waste into value-added products. To integrate multiple technologies holistically to maximise the energy and material recovery, an integrated flower-waste biorefinery is required. Since there are a wide range of technologies available that can convert the waste into multiple products, there is a need to develop a systematic approach to evaluate all the technologies. This research proposes a systematic approach to synthesise an integrated flower-waste biorefinery based on different optimisation objectives, e.g., maximum economic performance and minimum environmental impact. Due to the conflicting nature between the two objectives, a fuzzy optimisation approach has been adapted to synthesise a sustainable integrated flower-waste biorefinery that satisfies both objectives at once. The efficacy of the proposed approach is demonstrated through a case study in India based on the optimised results with fuzzy optimisation—a synthesised flower-waste integrated biorefinery with economy performance of $400,932 and carbon emission of 46,209 kg CO2/h.

The stress-gradient hypothesis (SGH) in ecology predicts that the strength and frequency of positive interspecific interactions, including processing chain commensalisms (PCCs), increase with environmental stress. Although observed in some empirical PCC studies, a recent theoretical study of PCCs using a consumer-resource-type model found that, given the model's assumptions, the SGH never occurs. To investigate if this is a true reflection of PCCs or merely an artefact of the model, in this study, we modified this earlier model formulation by incorporating generalized, monotonically increasing resource uptake functions in place of linear functions, and added a term to represent the spontaneous leakage of the downstream resource to the environment. Mathematical analyses of the model revealed two key insights: 1) the specific algebraic forms of the functional responses of the species in a PCC do not affect the long-term behaviour of the system; 2) the SGH can occur in a facilitative interaction only if the consumer-independent leakage rate of the downstream resource exceeds the consumer-independent input rate. The first insight shows that the outcomes of consumer-resource interactions are robust to details of the functional responses when the functional responses are monotonically increasing, while the second insight shows that the SGH is not a universal feature of positive interactions but instead holds only under a well-defined set of conditions which may vary between PCC interactions and the environmental contexts in which they take place.

As climate change continues to threaten human and natural systems, the search for cost-effective and practical mitigation solutions is gaining momentum. Reforestation has recently been identified as a promising nature-based climate solution. Yet there are context-dependent biophysical, financial, land-use and operational constraints to reforestation that demand careful consideration. Here, we show that 121 million ha of presently degraded land in Southeast Asia, a region noted for its significant reforestation potential, are biophysically suitable for reforestation. Reforestation of this land would contribute 3.43 ± 1.29 PgCO2e yr−1 to climate mitigation through 2030. However, by taking a combination of on-the-ground financial, land use and operational constraints into account, we find that only a fraction of that mitigation potential may be achievable (0.3–18%). Such constraints are not insurmountable, but they show that careful planning and consideration are needed for effective landscape-scale reforestation. Reforestation has been recently identified as a promising climate mitigation option. In Southeast Asia, 120 million ha of land are biophysically suitable for reforestation. However, financial, land-use and operational factors constrain mitigation potential to a fraction of its total possible value.

Hall-Petch relationships were studied in Ti-6Al-4V alloy with fully equiaxed and two different bimodal microstructures obtained by intercritical annealing at 850 °C (BM850) and 950 °C (BM950). The Hall-Petch coefficient of the BM850 microstructure composed of harder primary α grains and softer transformed β areas was identical to that of the fully equiaxed microstructure, indicating the same nature of yielding behavior determined by the resisting ability of equiaxed α grain boundaries against slip transfer in both microstructures. The BM950 microstructure having smaller amount of primary α, however, showed a yielding nature like a particle-strengthened composite, leading to the different Hall-Petch relationship.

Actions and policies to enhance biodiversity in the urban landscape must match the spatial scale at which biodiversity responds to the management and target variables. To this end, we compare the importance and effect of different kinds of greenery cover and road-lane density on bird and butterfly species richness between two landscape scales: 50-m versus 126-m radii around point counts (equivalent to areas of 0.8 h and 5 ha, respectively). We also compared the results against those of an earlier study using 500-m walking transects with widths of 100 m (i.e., 5 ha). Road lane density was more important at the 126-m than 50-m radius for both birds and butterflies. For birds, natural vegetation or forest cover and cultivated shrub cover were also more important at 126-m radius whereas the cultivated tree canopy cover was more important at 50-m radius. Cultivated tree cover and natural vegetation or forest cover were positively associated with species richness while road lane density and cultivated shrub cover were negatively associated with species richness. The results from point counts generally corroborate the results from the transects-based study, except that the short-duration point counts performed poorly in sampling butterflies. Our results indicate that in designing urban greenery policy, the plot sizes of individual developments is an appropriate spatial scale for the stipulation of tree cover targets, while urban planners have more flexibility to allocate natural greenery at broader spatial scales.

Questions: How do abiotic conditions, forest structure, as well as taxonomic and functional diversities and composition recover after wind-generated treefalls? Do young and old-growth secondary forests differ in their responses?. Location: Mandai region of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Singapore, where extensive treefalls occurred during an unusually powerful windstorm in 2011. Southeast Asia. Methods: Soil nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, canopy cover, leaf litter depth, coarse woody debris, and woody stems ≥1-cm diameter were measured and identified in 10 × 10 m plots. Twenty-six plots were located in treefall areas and 14 plots were located in relatively unaffected areas, with equal numbers in young and old-growth secondary forest types. The first round of surveys took place within 3–6 months of the windstorm event and yearly re-surveys were conducted until 2015. Specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf thickness, woody density, maximum plant height, and seed dry mass were measured or derived from various sources. Results: There was a pulse of soil nutrient availability in both affected and unaffected areas 1 year after the wind event. Canopy cover and basal area in the affected areas recovered to similar levels as unaffected areas by the second year, and coarse woody debris by the fourth year. In affected plots, taxonomic and functional diversities increased and overshot that of—and taxonomic composition diverged from—unaffected plots after the second year. Young and old-growth secondary forest types mainly differed in the taxonomic composition of new recruits. However, there was no evidence of changes in functional composition towards resource-acquisitive strategies such as lower wood density or higher specific leaf area. Conclusions: Abiotic conditions and basal area recovered rapidly within 2–4 years after the windstorm. Taxonomic composition in young and old-growth affected forests both diverged from unaffected forests but also from each other over time.

The strength of materials is a function of the direction of the tensile/compression test, which means, the measured strength values can be different in different directions. This discrepancy comes from the microstructure and morphological features of the material which gives it an apparent anisotropy. This study uses a layered fast spherical harmonics formulation to represent the full map of two-point statistics for two-phase materials and the statistical distribution of the strength variation. In a recent study by the authors, the strength of a two-phase microstructure of Ti–6Al–4V alloy was measured. These microstructures were used in the current study for calibration and validation of the model and the statistical variation of strength. This approach is fast and efficient due to using spherical harmonics, furthermore, the model can output strength in all directions simultaneously rather than a single direction.

Mentoring is suffering from a shortage of trained mentors which compromise the efficacy of novice mentoring or mentoring between a senior clinician and a junior clinician. E-mentoring is proposed as a means of supplementing this dominant form of mentoring in medicine by providing accessible, timely and longitudinal support for mentees. However, with little is known about e-mentoring nor its role in a blended mentoring approach, a systematic scoping review is proposed to evaluate these gaps in understanding in order to better understand e-mentoring and assess the viability of employing e-mentoring practice to support novice mentoring. Using Arksey and O'Malley's (Int J Soc Res Methodol 8(1):19-32, 2005) approach, 5 reviewers carried out independent literature reviews of e-mentoring as an adjuvant to novice mentoring in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Google Scholar, Scopus, GreyLit, OpenGrey, and Web of Science databases. Braun and Clarke's (Qual Res Psychol 3(2):77-101, 2006) thematic analysis approach was used to thematically analyse accounts of e-mentoring across different settings. 6557 abstracts were identified, 109 full text articles were reviewed, and 18 articles were included and thematically analysed. The themes identified include definitions, role, stages, processes, platforms, evaluation, and relationships in e-mentoring. The themes identified provide a clinically relevant definition of e-mentoring, and in highlighting the similarities in the phases of novice and e-mentoring reaffirms the validity of a blended approach as a means of addressing shortfalls in mentoring in medicine.

Premise of research. The aspartate protease nepenthesin is the primary constituent of pitcher fluids in the pitcher plant genus Nepenthes and is responsible for the hydrolysis of prey protein. Nepe...

The effect second milling time on the electromagnetic properties of MnZn ferrites has been studied up to MHz range. The average particle sizes of powder ranging from 1.49 to 1.16 μm were obtained by varying the second milling time from 72 to 324min. It is found that the total losses (Pcv) deteriorate when the second milling time over 252 min and the limit particle size is 1.21 μm. The value of initial permeability (μi) reduces by 20% when the particle size is 1.16 μm due to the uneven distribution of grain size, indicating that uniform microstructure demands suitable particle size. Meanwhile, the eddy current loss (Pe) and residual loss (Pr) dominate the total loss at 3 MHz playing a significant role in total losses. The hysteresis loss (Ph) and eddy current loss (Pe) deteriorate gradually at 3 MHz when the particle size is 1.21 μm at 100 °C. The residual loss increases greatly with the particle size decreasing at 3 MHz. An excellent MnZn power ferrite possessing high initial permeability (μi = 887), high saturation magnetic flux density (Bs = 531 mT) and low total losses (Pcv = 1940 kW/m3) at 3 MHz-50 mT is synthesized in this research.

INTRODUCTION: Uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is rare and aggressive and without a well-established cancer-driver. Treatment is mainly surgical because most other therapies have limited benefits. Polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4) is a modulator of centriole duplication that is essential for proper cell division. Its inhibition by the PLK4 inhibitor, CFI-400945 resulted in centriole dysregulation, increased in double-strand DNA damage, and ultimately, mitotic catastrophe and cell death. Recent genomic studies have identified a subset of LMS with homologous recombination (HR) repair deficiency. We hypothesize that HR-deficient LMS is highly sensitive to CFI-400945. METHODS: Gene knockouts (KO) were done by CRISPR-Cas9 system. Plasmids encoding the BRCA1- and BRCA2-targeting guide RNA, Cas9 protein, and selection markers were generated and were transfected into SK-UT-1 and SKN followed by selection with antibiotics. The KO and wild-type cell lines were treated with CFI-400945 in vitro. Percentage apoptosis was evaluated by Annexin V-PI staining and cell proliferation was examined by sulforhodamine B assay. To determine whether BRCA1- and BRCA2-KO had any effects on double-strand DNA damage, the γH2AX foci were studied by immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: CFI-400945 caused a greater degree of apoptosis and less cell viability in the KO than in the wild-type cell lines. In SK-UT-1, quantity of apoptotic cells for BRCA2-KO and BRCA1-KO were 77% and 34%, respectively, versus 27% in the wild-type cell line (p CONCLUSIONS: PLK4 inhibitor induced DNA double-strand breaks in LMS and the repair of these breakages was dependent on HR repair. In vitro, LMS with BRCA1 or BRCA2 deficiencies were more sensitive to the effect of PLK4 inhibitor. Citation Format: Tsz Yan Chong, Horace HY Lee, Judy WP Yam, Kin Long Chow, Ho Shing Wong, Ka Yu Tse, Mark R. Bray, Tak Wah Mak, Philip PC Ip. Uterine leiomyosarcoma with homologous recombination deficiency is highly sensitive to polo-like kinase 4 inhibitor [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5394.

Artificial dams are one of the most common hydraulic structures for mitigating debris flow disasters in alpine valley regions. However, performance alteration and failure after successive debris flows can lead to dam failure, releasing large amounts of materials within a very short time; moreover, the contribution of artificial dam failures to debris flows is poorly understood. This study quantitatively analyzed the artificial dam failure effects based on the numerical simulations of the Zhouqu '8.8' debris flow, with three scenarios: all nine dams failed (S1); no dams were ever built (S2); all nine dams remained intact (S3). The results showed that artificial dam failures had a significant amplifying effect on the magnitude of a debris flow. The maximum velocity and flow depth decreased by 20% and 11.2% if all the dams did not collapse; comparison of S1 and S2 showed that discharge and velocity at the front of the debris flow increased by 54.6% and 89%, the bulk density and yield stress increased by 3.3% and 5.7%, due to artificial dam failures. This could increase the destructive capacity of a debris flow and the possibility of a river blockage. A single artificial dam failure could locally amplify the magnitude of debris flow. Overall, on the catchment scale, the magnitude of a debris flow was dominated by topography and channel geometry, which can reduce the amplification effect of dam failures at locations where the channel was curved. However, where the channel was straight and flat, the flow velocity and discharge increased cumulatively by 3 m/s and 637 m3/s due to cascading failure. In addition, a comprehensive scheme combining ecological and engineering measures to mitigate debris flow disasters is discussed. This quantitative study is important and urgent needed to understand the amplification effect of dam failures and to implement debris flow mitigation in alpine valley regions.

To explore the ecotoxicity of Cu为了阐明Cu

This study aims to investigate the role of mattering, trait extraversion and perceived social inclusion in developing the sense of life satisfaction among adults who reside in Malaysia during the quarantine period amidst the Pandemic in March-June 2020. Previous studies indicated that mattering was a robust predictor of life satisfaction; however, the nature of the quarantine might have affected the perception of social inclusion among individuals with certain levels of extraversions. Therefore, we hypothesized a moderated mediation model; mattering will interact with trait extraversion in predicting life satisfaction, and the prediction is mediated by perceived inclusion. Three hundred and ninety participants were voluntarily recruited to respond to scales such as Life Satisfaction Inventory, State Self-Esteem Scale, General Mattering Scale and the extraversion facet in Big Five Inventory. The scales, demography questions, and informed consent were accessible by online link given to the participants through social media. The analysis was conducted by using PROCESS Macro model eight for statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) applying the Bootstrap analysis with 5000 samples and 95% confidence interval. The result suggested that the hypothesis was confirmed; perceived inclusion levels significantly mediated the association between mattering and life satisfaction among individuals with low and moderate levels of extraversion. However, full mediation only applied among the individuals with moderate extraversion, because among those with low extraversion, mattering was still a significant predictor of life satisfaction.

In recent years, the intensified influences of global climate change and human activities have increased the frequency of large-scale debris flow disasters. As a result, main river channels often become blocked, thus forming a disaster chain of rivers dammed by debris flow followed by outburst flooding. In order to quickly and easily reveal the dynamic process of a debris flow dam breach, and quantitatively predict the outburst flood hazard, this study takes the Zhouqu “8.8” debris flow barrier dam in Western China as an example. Based on a stability assessment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research ‘s Dam Breach Slope (DBS-IWHR), China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research’s Dam Breach (DB-IWHR), and Hydrologic Engineering Center's River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) were integrated to simulate the development of dam breach, breach flood, and outburst flood evolution, respectively, under different scenarios. The simulated peak discharge flow of the actual spillway was 317.15 m3/s, which was consistent with the actual discharge of 316 m3/s. The results under different scenarios showed that, with the increased inflow of the barrier lake, the erosion rate of the dam increased, the peak discharge of the dam break flood increased, the peak arrival time shortened, and the downstream flooding area increased. These findings could provide scientific support for risk management and emergency decision-making with respect to barrier dam failure.

Large super-elasticity approaching its theoretically expected value was achieved in Ti-13.3Nb-4.6Mo alloy having an ultrafine-grained β-phase. In-situ synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the dominant yielding mechanism changed from dislocation slip to martensitic transformation by decreasing the β-grain size down to sub-micrometer. Different grain size dependence of the critical stress to initiate dislocation slip and martensitic transformation, which was reflected by the transition of yielding behavior, was considered to be the main reason for the large super-elasticity in the ultrafine-grained specimen. The present study clarified that ultra-grain refinement down to sub-mirometer scale made dislocation slips more difficult than martensitic transformation, leading to an excellent super-elasticity close to the theoretical limit in the β-Ti alloy.