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Oscillating neutron stars are sources of continuous gravitational waves. We study analytically the excitation of stellar oscillations by the mechanical impact on the stellar surface of 'clumps' of stochastically accreted matter. We calculate the waveform and spectrum of the gravitational wave signal emitted by the accretion-driven pulsations. Results are generated for an idealized model of a non-rotating, unmagnetized, one-component star with uniform polytropic index n poly assuming Newtonian gravity and the Cowling approximation. We find that the excited mode amplitudes grow with increasing n poly and mode order n. The gravitational wave signal forms a sequence of amplitude-modulated packets for n poly = 1, lasting ∼10−3 s after each impact. The gravitational wave strain increases with increasing n poly, but decreases with increasing n and increasing multipole order l for n poly = 1. In the observing band of current long-baseline interferometers, g modes emit higher, narrower peaks in the amplitude spectral density than f and p modes, with the highest peaks reaching ∼10−26 Hz−1/2 for modes with damping time τ nl ∼ 108 yr. The root-mean-square strain h rms, calculated by summing over modes with 2 ≤ l ≤ 4 and τ nl ≤ 108 yr, spans the range 10−33 ≤ h rms ≤ 10−32 for 1 ≤ n poly ≤ 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrathin inorganic nanowires are an emerging class of building blocks for creating functional materials and devices, but there remains challenging to fine‐tune the structure and property of the nanowires at the molecular level. Here, this work shows that ultrathin polymer‐grafted gold nanowires (PG‐AuNWs) can exhibit bottlebrush polymer‐like physical behaviors and macroscopic properties. The hybrid PG‐AuNWs in solutions show polymer‐like viscoelasticity which can be finely regulated by controlling the structural parameters (e.g., length of the AuNWs, molecular weight of grafted polymers) of the PG‐AuNWs, the environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, solvent compositions), and the aging time. Furthermore, this work unravels at the molecular level that the conformational properties (e.g., contour length, persistence length, and mean‐squared radius of gyration) of the PG‐AuNWs can be correlated to their structural parameters following similar power‐law relations as molecular bottlebrush polymers. This work bridges the fundamental gap between polymer‐like inorganic nanowires and bottlebrush polymers, thus accelerating the development of new nanowire‐based functional hybrid materials and devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diurnal cycle of precipitation and precipitation variances at different time scales are analyzed in this study based on multiple high-resolution 3-h precipitation datasets. The results are used to evaluate nine CMIP6 models and a series of GFDL-AM4.0 model simulations, with the goal of examining the impact of SST diurnal cycle, varying horizontal resolutions, and different microphysics schemes on these two precipitation features. It is found that although diurnal amplitudes are reasonably simulated, models generally generate too early diurnal peaks over land, with a diurnal phase peaking around noon instead of the observed late afternoon (or early evening) peak. As for precipitation variances, irregular subdaily fluctuations dominate the total variance, followed by variance of daily mean precipitation and variance associated with the mean diurnal cycle. While the spatial and zonal distributions of precipitation variances are generally captured by the models, significant biases are present in tropical regions, where large mean precipitation biases are observed. The comparisons based on AM4.0 model simulations demonstrate that the inclusion of ocean coupling, adoption of a new microphysics scheme, and increasing of horizontal resolution have limited impacts on these two simulated features, emphasizing the need for future investigation into these model deficiencies at the process level. Conducting routine examinations of these metrics would be a crucial first step toward better simulation of precipitation intermittence in future model development. Last, distinct differences in these two features are found among observational datasets, highlighting the urgent need for a detailed evaluation of precipitation observations, especially at subdaily time scales, as model evaluation heavily relies on high-quality observations. Significance Statement: High-frequency precipitation data, such as 3-hourly or finer resolution, provide detailed and precise information about the intensity, timing, and location of individual precipitation events. This information is essential for evaluating physically based numerical weather and climate models, which are important tools for understanding and predicting precipitation changes. We compared several global high-resolution observation datasets with nine CMIP6 GCMs and a series of GFDL-AM4.0 model simulations to evaluate the precipitation diurnal cycle and variance, with the goal of examining the impact of SST diurnal cycle, varying horizontal resolutions, and different microphysics schemes on these metrics. Despite the impact of these factors on the simulated precipitation diurnal cycle and variance being evident, our results also show that they are not consistently aligned with observed features. This highlights the need for further investigation into model deficiencies at the process level. Therefore, conducting routine examinations of these metrics could be a crucial first step toward improving the simulation of precipitation intermittency in future model development. Additionally, given the large uncertainties, there is an urgent need for a detailed evaluation of observational precipitation products, particularly at subdaily time scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate representation of mesoscale scale convective systems (MCSs) in climate models is of vital importance to understanding global energy, water cycles, and extreme weather. In this study, we evaluate the simulated MCS features over the United States from the newly developed GFDL global high-resolution (∼50 km) AM4 model by comparing them with the observations during spring to early summer (April–June) and late summer (July–August). The results show that the spatial distribution and seasonality of occurrence and genesis frequency of MCSs are reasonably simulated over the central United States in both seasons. The model reliably reproduces the observed features of MCS duration, translation speed, and size over the central United States, as well as the favorable large-scale circulation pattern associated with MCS development over the central United States during spring and early summer. However, the model misrepresents the amplitude and the phase of the diurnal cycle of MCSs during both seasons. In addition, the spatial distribution of occurrence and genesis frequency of MCSs over the eastern United States is substantially overestimated, with larger biases in early spring and summer. Furthermore, while large-scale circulation patterns are reasonably simulated in spring and early summer, they are misrepresented in the model during summer. Finally, we examine MCS-related precipitation, finding that the model overestimates MCS-related precipitation during spring and early summer, but this bias is insufficient to explain the significant dry bias observed in total precipitation over the central United States. Nonetheless, the dry biases in MCS-associated precipitation during late summer likely contribute to the overall precipitation deficit in the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An event‐based assessment of the sea surface temperature (SST) threshold at the genesis of tropical mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) is performed in this study. We show that this threshold (SSTG) has undergone a significant warming trend at a rate of ∼0.2°C per decade. The SSTG shows a remarkable correspondence with the tropical mean SST and upper‐tropospheric temperature on interannual and longer timescales. Using a high‐resolution global climate model that permits realistic simulations of tropical MCSs, we find that the observed features of SSTG are well simulated. Both observation and model simulations demonstrate that the upward tendency in SSTG primarily results from the environmental SST warming over MCS genesis regions rather than the changes in MCS genesis location. A continuous increase in SSTG is projected in a warming simulation, but the relationship between SSTG and upper‐tropospheric temperature remains unchanged, suggesting that the tropical tropospheric temperature generally follows a moist‐adiabatic adjustment. Plain Language Summary: The development of tropical ocean showers and thunderstorms requires a warm ocean surface as an energy source fueling the storm. As a good example, a sea surface temperature (SST) threshold of 26.5°C has long been recognized as a necessary condition for tropical cyclone genesis. Here we examine the SST threshold at the genesis of tropical mesoscale convective systems, which occur so frequently throughout the tropics that they play an important role in shaping the general circulation of the atmosphere as they redistribute moisture and energy in the atmosphere. Using satellite observations and a high‐resolution global climate model, we show that this threshold has undergone a significant warming trend during the past several decades and will continue to increase in the future. This warming trend is closely related to the changes in the tropical mean SST. A constant relationship between the SST threshold and upper‐tropospheric temperature is found in both the current climate and a warming climate, which corroborates the argument that tropospheric temperatures in the tropics approximately follow a moist adiabatic adjustment. Key Points: A significant warming trend in sea surface temperature at the genesis of tropical mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) sea surface temperature threshold (SSTG) has been observedA global climate model that can explicitly simulate MCSs captures the observed features of SSTG and projects a continuous increaseA constant relationship between SSTG and upper‐tropospheric temperature indicates the existence of a moist‐adiabatic adjustment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using abundant rainfall gauge measurements and Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) data, spatial patterns of rainfall diurnal cycles and their seasonality over high mountain Asia (HMA) were examined. Spatial distributions of rainfall diurnal cycles over the HMA have a prominent seasonality regulated by circulations at different spatiotemporal scales, within which large regional contrasts are embedded. Rainfall diurnal variability is relatively weak in the premonsoon season, with larger amplitude over the western HMA, the southeastern HMA, as well as southern periphery regions, characterized by a dominant late afternoon to morning rainfall preference. The pattern of rainfall spatial distributions is closely related to the midlatitude westerlies. Both the mean rainfall and amplitudes of diurnal cycles become more pronounced with the advance of monsoon season but weaken during postmonsoon. The widespread late afternoon to night pattern over HMA migrating with seasonal atmospheric circulation is consistent with the lifetime of convective systems, which become active from the afternoon due to radiative heating and decay during the night. Stationary terrain-dependent night-to-morning rainfall patterns are visible in those east–west-orientated valleys over HMA and the Qaidam basin throughout the seasons. This salient geographical dependence is associated with local circulation produced by the strong differential thermal conditions over mountains and valleys, which can lift the warm moist air at the mouth of the valley and trigger nocturnal convection. Significance Statement: The main purpose of this study is to explore how spatial patterns of rainfall diurnal cycles over high mountain Asia vary with the seasons. Our results show that the widespread late afternoon to night rainfall over high mountain Asia migrating with seasonal atmospheric circulation is consistent with the lifetime of convective systems. Stationary terrain-dependent night-to-morning rainfall patterns are visible in those east–west-orientated valleys over high mountain Asia and the Qaidam basin throughout the seasons. These results highlight the importance of large-scale atmospheric circulation and local circulation on precipitation, which is critical for water resources over high mountain Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patchy nanoparticles (NPs) show many important applications, especially for constructing structurally complex colloidal materials, but existing synthetic strategies generate patchy NPs with limited types of symmetry. This article describes a versatile copolymer ligand‐based strategy for the scalable synthesis of uniform Au‐(SiO2)x patchy NPs (x is the patch number and 1 ≤ x ≤ 5) with unusual symmetry at high yield. The hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate on block‐random copolymer ligands induces the segregation of copolymers on gold NPs (AuNPs) and hence governs the structure and distribution of silica patches formed on the AuNPs. The resulting patchy NPs possess unique configurations where the silica patches are symmetrically arranged at one side of the core NP, resembling the geometry of polar small molecules. The number, size, and morphology of silica patches, as well as the spacing between the patches and the AuNP can be precisely tuned by tailoring copolymer architectures, grafting density of copolymers, and the size of AuNPs. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the Au‐(SiO2)x patchy NPs can assemble into more complex superstructures through directional interaction between the exposed Au surfaces. This work offers new opportunities of designing next‐generation complex patchy NPs for applications in such as biomedicines, self‐assembly, and catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the tunnel construction engineering is increasingly transferring to southwest mountainous areas with complex terrain and geological conditions in China and presents a trend of "large buried depth, long tunnel line, high stress, strong karst, high water pressure, complex structure and frequent disasters." Taking water inrush disaster of karst tunnel fault zone as the research object, an evolutionary mechanical model of rock damage under the coupling action of stress-seepage is proposed in this paper. Besides, based on Comsol Multiphysics numerical software, the tunnel excavation is simulated, and the stress field, seepage field, and rock damage during the excavation are analyzed; thus, the mechanical mechanism of water inrush disaster from tunnel fault in karst area is obtained. The research results indicate that the tunnel excavation is a dynamic construction process, and the construction disturbance redistributes the original rock stress field and changes the state of seepage field. With the increase of excavation steps, the contour distribution of vertical stress ratio near the tunnel face is a circle shape, indicating that the rock mass is obviously disturbed by excavation, and the ratio of principal stress difference of rock mass at arch crown and bottom plate is large. Besides, the fault fissures expand and penetrate under the influence of tunnel excavation disturbance, increasing the permeability of fault zone in karst tunnel. In addition, the water seepage erosion takes away the granular rock mass, and the lithology becomes more weaker, which makes it possible for the occurrence of water inrush disaster in karst tunnel. Therefore, the advanced geological prediction is important in tunnel construction in karst area. The research results can be treated as an important theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment for water inrush disaster of fault zone in karst tunnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A method for constructing the temperature master curve of asphalt is proposed. • Temperature frequency equation effectively achieves the conversion of two indicators. • Temperature master curve accurately predicts modulus variation with temperature. • Temperature master curve was applicable to asphalt with different aging extents. Master curve is widely applied to assess the rheological properties of asphalt. The traditional master curve describes the variation of asphalt rheological properties with frequency. However, compared to frequency, the influence of temperature on asphalt properties is of greater concern. This study attempted to establish a method to transform the traditional master curve into temperature master curve. To this end, asphalt binder with different aging extents were prepared using aging simulation tests, and traditional complex shear modulus master curves of asphalt binder were established based on frequency sweep test. These were then transformed into temperature master curves using the established temperature-frequency equation. Furthermore, the accuracy of the temperature master curve was assessed through temperature sweep tests. The results showed that the temperature-frequency equation obtained based on Williams Landel Ferry equation effectively described the relationship between temperature and reduced frequency. The temperature master curve demonstrated good applicability for asphalt at different aging levels, with the differences between complex shear modulus values calculated by temperature master curve and the experimental values generally within 20%. The temperature master curve accurately characterized the trend of complex shear modulus with temperature. However, this accuracy and applicability were primarily focused on the mid-temperature and high-temperature ranges. The temperature master curve had obvious deficiency in predicting the complex shear modulus at low temperature. The findings provide new methods and insights into the relationship between asphalt rheological properties and temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of tropical mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) simulated with a finer-resolution (~50 km) version of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) AM4 model are evaluated by comparing with a comprehensive long-term observational dataset. It is shown that the model can capture the various aspects of MCSs reasonably well. The simulated spatial distribution of MCSs is broadly in agreement with the observations. This is also true for seasonality and interannual variability over different land and oceanic regions. The simulated MCSs are generally longer-lived, weaker, and larger than observed. Despite these biases, an event-scale analysis suggests that their duration, intensity, and size are strongly correlated. Specifically, longer-lived and stronger events tend to be bigger, which is consistent with the observations. The same model is used to investigate the response of tropical MCSs to global warming using time-slice simulations forced by prescribed sea surface temperatures and sea ice. There is an overall decrease in occurrence frequency, and the reduction over land is more prominent than over ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, real time monitoring of chemical substances in vivo and in vitro has gained enormous attraction, and many researches reports have been focused on the design and construction of high-performance biosensor devices. In this work, a high-performance sensor was constructed by taking advantage of the excellent electrochemical activity and high-index facets of Au-Pd nanocubes and the large surface of rGO. Glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) were modified by both Au-Pd nanocubes and rGO nanocomposites via physical adsorption. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were utilized to characterize and identify this unique nanostructure. These three-dimensional nanocomposites possess a high electroactive surface area and an excellent electrical conductivity, which resulted in favorable electroreduction activity toward H 2 O 2 with a lower detection limit of 4 nM, a wide linear range from 0.005 μM to 3.5 mM and a rapid response time. Furthermore, the proposed sensor exhibited desirable performance in the detection of endogenous H 2 O 2 in human serum samples and real-time monitoring of H 2 O 2 released from living breast cancer cell lines. In summary, this work not only provides a potential method to construct a physiological and pathological H 2 O 2 biosensor but also makes a valuable contribution to the early diagnosis of different cancers. Unlabelled Image • Au-Pd nanoalloy with hexahedral structure has been synthesized. • The sensor can be used to detect H 2 O 2 in human serum samples and breast cancer cell lines. • The work was a valuable contribution to further studies in catalysis and other relevant applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of temperature on precipitation in China is investigated from two aspects of the atmospheric water cycle: available water vapor and atmospheric instability. Daily observations are used to analyze how rainfall intensities and its spatial distribution in mainland China depend on these two aspects. The results show that rainfall intensities, and especially rainfall extremes, increase exponentially with available water vapor. The efficiency of water vapor conversion to rainfall is higher in northwestern China where water vapor is scarce than in southeastern China where water vapor is plentiful. The results also reveal a power law relationship between rainfall intensity and convective instability. The fraction of convective available potential energy (CAPE) converted to upward velocity is much larger over southeastern China than over the arid northwest. The sensitivities of precipitation to temperature-induced changes in available water vapor and atmospheric convection are thus geographically reciprocal. Specifically, while conversion of water vapor to rainfall is relatively less efficient in southeastern China, conversion of CAPE to upward kinetic energy is more efficient. By contrast, in northwestern China, water vapor is efficiently converted to rainfall but only a small fraction of CAPE is converted to upward motion. The detailed features of these relationships vary by location and season; however, the influences of atmospheric temperature on rainfall intensities and rainfall extremes are predominantly expressed through changes in available water vapor, with changes in convective instability playing a secondary role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, great efforts have been made to use biosensors for the early diagnosis of cancer. Specifically, using a biomarker to detect H 2 O 2 in physiological conditions is of great significance for understanding the signal transduction pathways and achieving early cancer diagnosis. In this work, we report an innovative H 2 O 2 sensor that was fabricated by trimetallic AuPtPd nanocomposites platform on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets with the modification of the rGO and trimetallic AuPtPd nanoparticles on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by physical adsorption. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were utilized to characterize and identify these unique nanocomposites. In addition, the electrochemical properties of the proposed sensor were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Electrochemical research has demonstrated that the AuPtPd/rGO-modified GCE showed excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of H 2 O 2 , including a wider linear range from 0.005 μM to 6.5 mM, a low detection limit of 2 nM, good selectivity and acceptable repeatability. Moreover, the sensor can monitor the release of H 2 O 2 release from living cancer cells. Therefore, this study not only improves simplicity, sensitivity and quantitatively for detection H 2 O 2 in cells at nM level but also provides a foundation for the biological and biomedical applications such as the early diagnosis of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable precipitation simulation over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) remains a challenge, manifested by a prominent systematic wet bias in the warm season. Previous studies have generally neglected the potential linkage between surface radiation energy budget and precipitation bias. Prevalent scattered cumulus and thunderstorms over the TP in summer strongly influence surface radiation. A cloud fraction scheme considering subgrid temperature and humidity fluctuations is implemented in the WRF model and tested for a month‐long simulation. It is found that the scheme better reproduces the surface solar radiation compared to a default cloud fraction scheme in the WRF model. Using abundant surface observations, we find that overestimation of the downward surface shortwave radiation (DSSR) would lead to wet bias. DSSR overestimation contributes to higher surface temperature and larger evaporation and enhanced atmospheric instability, which favor more simulated convective precipitation. The study suggests that a better simulation of clouds and surface radiation would benefit precipitation simulation over the plateau. Plain Language Summary: Summer precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is generally overestimated in general circulation models as well as regional weather forecasts and climate models. The prevailing "popcorn‐like" clouds over the TP in summer would strongly impact surface radiation. Considering the potential linkage between surface radiation energy budget and precipitation bias, a statistical cloud fraction and subgrid condensation scheme (GS‐PDF scheme) is implemented in the WRF model and tested for a month‐long simulation. The GS‐PDF scheme better captures clouds over the TP with more mid‐low cloud water (ice) than the default Xu‐Randall scheme. Increased mid‐low cloud water in the GS‐PDF scheme reduced simulated downward surface shortwave radiation, reduced simulated surface temperatures, atmospheric instabilities and convective precipitation, leading to alleviated wet bias over the TP. This study suggests that better simulations of cloud and surface radiation would be beneficial for simulations of hydrological cycles over the TP. Key Points: A new cloud macrophysics scheme considering subgrid temperature and humidity fluctuations is implemented in the WRF modelThe new macrophysics scheme reduced simulated downward surface shortwave radiation, surface temperatures and atmospheric instabilitiesA better simulation of clouds and surface radiation would benefit precipitation simulation over the Tibetan Plateau [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative epinephrine sensor was fabricated by integrating tetrahexahedral (THH) Au-Pd core–shell nanocrystals on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets. Furthermore, the nanocomposites combined the large specific areas of rGO with the high-index facets and excellent electrocatalytic activity of the THH Au-Pd nanocrystals, and the nanocomposites were an essential adapter for detecting epinephrine. In the present work, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to identify and characterize these unique nanocomposites, and the results revealed that a unique THH Au-Pd/rGO core–shell nanostructure was synthesized successfully. To further explore the electrochemical behaviors of these nanomaterials at a GC electrode, we applied cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and amperometry to study the conductivity and electrocatalytic activity of the proposed sensor, and the results suggested that the sensor based on Au-Pd/rGO presented a lower limit of detection (0.0012 μM at a signal to noise ratio of 3), wide linear detection range (0.001 µM to 1000 µM), and extraordinary selectivity and reproducibility. Moreover, the data showed that the sensor possessed good stability and acceptable accuracy to detect epinephrine in human serum samples. In summary, this work is not only a potential way to manufacture various nonenzymatic sensors but also a significant contribution to further studies in catalysis, cell fuel cells and other relevant applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene sheets are a sp 2 -hybridized carbon material that offer extraordinary electrical conductivity and excellent thermal and mechanical properties. They are expected to find use in a wide variety of applications. In this study, a new novel electrocatalyst, a Pb nanowires-Au nanoparticles nanocomposite decorated with reduced graphene oxide (rGO-Pb NWs-Au NPs), was successfully synthesized by an effective and simple approach. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy were employed to observe the as-prepared nanomaterial. In addition, the electrochemical behaviors of a rGO-Pb NWs-Au NPs-modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The final prepared sensor exhibited favorable electroreduction activity towards H 2 O 2 with a remarkable sensitivity of 552.43 µA mM −1 cm −2 , a wide linear range of 0.005–1.25 mM, a detection limit of 0.6 µM and a rapid response time (within 5 s). Moreover, the sensor also exhibited good reproducibility, selectivity and stability. Therefore, the present work also provides a potential practicable approach to fabricate various of non-enzymatic amperometric sensors, such as sensors for the detection of glucose, urea, ascorbic acid and dopamine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical niobic acid (Nb 2 O 5 · n H 2 O) microflowers are synthesized by a surfactant-free hydrothermal approach. The three-dimensional microflowers are assembled from two-dimensional ultrathin nanosheets with thickness of ∼5 nm. Using rhodamine B as a probe, the Nb 2 O 5 · n H 2 O microflowers exhibit high photocatalytic activity under UV light irradiation. Furthermore, the Nb 2 O 5 · n H 2 O microflowers are easily converted to niobium pentoxide without significant structural alteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel hierarchical structure with nanofibers and nanowires were prepared at low cost. • High flux oil-water separation nanofibrous membrane were designed and fabricated. • The interface with superhydrophilicity and underwater oleophobicity was constructed. • It is suitable for various environments and large-scale industrialization. Nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) are frequently used in oil-water separation thanks to their high porosity, controllable pore size, and convenience in modification to obtain super wettability. However, the low production rate and dense structure of NFMs have limited the industrial applications. In this work, zinc oxide (ZnO) seed loaded polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) NFMs with fluffy structure were prepared through solution blow spinning (SBS). Subsequently, ZnO nanowires (NWs) were synthesized based on the seeds through ultrasonic assisted hydrothermal reaction, constructing superhydrophilic surface with hierarchical structure. The u-ZnO-NWs/PVDF showed uniform morphology throughout the entire membrane with an average fiber diameter of 517.35 ± 158.72 nm and an average nanowire diameter of 72.55 ± 20.52 nm, which resulted in a low average pore size (4024.68 ± 393.40 nm), superhydrophilicity, and underwater oleophobicity. The nanowire equipped membrane revealed super high water flux (12960.77 ± 325.04 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1), which could be applied in the separation of oil-in-water emulsions with high separation efficiency (>97 %) and high flux (about 8000 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1) under gravity. Results indicated the potential of SBS u-ZnO-NWs/PVDF in the fields of oil-water separation, sewage treatment, as well as catalytic degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A confined m-PyC/FeOCl catalyst was prepared from pyrite cinder (PyC). • The residual m-PyC was used as the structure regulator for FeOCl formation. • M−PyC/FeOCl had good photo-Fenton catalytic activity reusability, and separability. • The combination of FeOCl and m-PyC caused a significantly synergistic effect. • The active species included h+ and OH, with h+ as the predominant active species. A series of novel confined photo-Fenton catalytic materials of pyrite cinder (PyC)-based FeOCl (m-PyC/FeOCl- φ) was successfully fabricated via a facile leaching–sorption–calcination method by using PyC as the iron source for FeOCl and the residue after iron extraction as the template and structure regulator for FeOCl generation. The resulting m-PyC/FeOCl-43% consists of relatively uniform square columnar or flake particles that are loaded in the channels of porous m-PyC matrix and interstitial space between particles, with a specific surface area of 4.90 m2/g, pore size of 8.10 nm, and band gap energy (E g) of 1.798 eV. It had significantly higher degradation activity than that of pure FeOCl and m-PyC in the photo-Fenton catalytic reaction system, a wide pH range of 3–7, and excellent reusability, separability, and thermal stability below 350 °C. The degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) catalyzed by m-PyC/FeOC-43% was mostly completed within 15 min under favorable conditions, and the corresponding k app value was 0.1532 min−1, which is 35.6 times and 9.6 times higher than those of m-PyC and FeOCl, respectively. An appropriate amount of m-PyC can effectively template and regulate the structure and morphology of FeOCl on it and efficiently expand the response range of irradiated light and promote the separation of photogenic e−/h+ pairs and the generation of OH and h+. FeOCl and m-PyC in m-PyC/FeOC-43% synergistically degraded CIP to enhance the photo-Fenton catalytic degradation efficiency under H 2 O 2 and visible light irradiation. The active species produced during photo-Fenton catalytic process included h+ and OH, and h+ was the predominant degradable active species. This work introduces a new approach for the resource utilization of PyC and provides a promising efficient and economical photo-Fenton catalysts for removing fluoroquinolones antibiotics from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A portable smartphone application for stem-base width and plant height measurement. • An easy-to-attain reference object for scale factor determination. • Combing an application and a reference object to measure actual morphological traits. The measurements of stem-base width and plant height in rice seedlings are significantly associated with the assessment of in-field seedling growth quality, the determination of optimal seedling transplanting time, and the decision-making of later fertilization use. At present, the measurements of such two morphological traits heavily rely on the inefficient manual measurement method. Herein, we develop a smartphone application to accomplish these tedious and repetitive measurement tasks. Using the developed smartphone application, the reference object and rice seedling were taken into an entire image and then were performed image pre-processing, thereby segmenting the foreground from the background. The reference object image and rice seedling image in the foreground were respectively separated via a comparison in heights of the foreground contours. The reference object image was used for obtaining a scale factor, while the rice seedling image was used for measuring actual stem-base width and plant height by employing the obtained scale factor. The results of automatic measurements resulted from different conditions were compared with those of manual measurements, accomplishing the assessment of measurement accuracy. Collectively, the smartphone application achieved R2 values of 0.9832 and 0.9796 in measuring stem-base width and plant height respectively, and corresponding RMSE values were 0.0307 mm and 1.2311 mm respectively, when tests were performed in various conditions including three camera resolutions, three photographing heights, and three sunlight conditions. The mean runtime for processing an individual image was about 1796.164 ms when a total of 350 rice seedlings were measured under various conditions. This work not only demonstrates that the smartphone application allows low-cost, fast, and accurate measurements of stem-base width and plant height in rice seedling, which can be used as a reasonable alternative to the traditional manual measurement method; but also offers a valuable reference for farmers or researchers in terms of evaluating in-field seedling growth quality, determining optimal seedling transplanting time, as well as guiding follow-up in-field fertilizer expenditures; and further provides methodological support for relevant researches in other crops or domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphous TiO 2 layers with a controllable thickness from 3.5 to 40 nm were coated on the one-dimensional CdS nanorods surface under mild conditions. Compared to the bare CdS nanorods, the as-prepared CdS@TiO 2 nanorods exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activities for phenol photodecomposition under visible light irradiation. The improved photoactivity is ascribed to the efficient separation of photogenerated electron and hole charge carriers between CdS cores and TiO 2 shells. This study promises a simple approach to fabricating CdS@TiO 2 core–shell structure nanocomposites, and can be applied for other semiconductor cores with TiO 2 shells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of condensate gas fields are high-pressure gas field. Traditional throttle refrigeration de-hydrocarbon process shows inadaptability during the later period of gas field development. In order to improve the adaptability of treatment process, the scheme of replacing the throttle with turbine expander was proposed to control hydrocarbon dew point. By the comparison and analysis of the two processes, it was concluded that the expansion turbine low temperature de-hydrocarbon process could not only reduce the gathering pressure and delay process modification time, but also lower the engineering investment and energy consumption. Therefore, it provides a new idea for process design of the condensate gas field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We construct a novel chronic myeloid leukemia polyepitope dentritic cell (DC) vaccine (DC-BCR/ABL*WT1). [•] DC-BCR/ABL*WT1 is more specific to Chinese population. [•] DC-BCR/ABL*WT1 demonstrates strong immune response to BCR/ABL(+) patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) support membranes containing varies functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (F-MWCNTs) were prepared via phase inversion. Polyamide (PA) films were formed upon the support membranes by interfacial polymerization. The characteristics (include wettability, pore size, surface roughness, and porosity) of PVDF support membranes were improved by embedding F-MWCNTs into the polymer solution. PA films formed on the different support layers exhibited different morphology, separation performance, and formation mechanism. The results revealed that, as two key parameters, pore size and surface wettability showed dominant influence on the properties of the selective layer. Herein, we proposed a speculative conceptual model to explain the synergistic effect of pore size and surface wettability of F-MWCNTs/PVDF support membrane on interfacial polymerization mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a multiscale assessment of the springtime U.S. Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) in the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL)'s Atmosphere Model version 4 (AM4). In AM4, MCSs exhibit lower intensity but longer duration, producing more precipitation compared to observation. The overall MCS activity demonstrates a "location bias" with its peak shifting from the Southern Great Plains to the Midwest in AM4, causing an eastward shift in associated precipitation. However, the dry bias of MCS precipitation over the Great Plains due to this shift is compensated by additional precipitation from amplified extratropical cyclone activities. Further analysis reveals that AM4 effectively reproduces the spatiotemporal distribution and relative frequency contribution of large-scale forcing patterns driving MCS genesis. The MCS location bias emerges under all forms of large-scale forcing patterns and is further attributed to local dynamic and thermodynamic factors including weaker surface lows, eastward-shifted fronts, and suppressed low-level jets (LLJs). Here we argue that the MCS location bias results from AM4 biases in both synoptic-mesoscale anomalies (i.e., fronts and LLJs) and seasonal mean circulations. The lack of two-way air-sea interaction in AM4 creates a hemispheric-scale sea level pressure bias, which is ultimately responsible for a seasonal mean northerly bias in lower-tropospheric winds and the subsequent weakening of LLJs. The existence of such biases in prescribed sea surface temperature (SST) experiments implies the need for extra caution when utilizing extended-range forecasts for MCSs over the continental U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely maintenance is crucial to ensure the long-term performance of asphalt pavements. Due to the large amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted during construction, it is important to evaluate the environmental impacts of various maintenance technologies, so that the whole life impacts of asphalt pavements can be understood and reduced. This paper estimated the GHG emissions of 16 maintenance technologies in the four categories of surface seal or coating system, thin overlay system, hot recycling system and cold recycling system by using life cycle assessment (LCA), and identified the technologies and the combination of them that have the least GHG emissions. In order to compare the maintenance technologies on a level-playing basis, this study designed maintenance scenarios for the entire life cycle of the pavement, and established a system boundary where all maintenance scenarios are compared transparently for a defined functional unit. Results show that, among the preventive maintenance technologies, micro-surface and fog seal have the lowest GHG emissions. In order to meet the same performance requirements of highway pavement, cold recycling with extra overlay will generate more than twice GHG emissions that of hot recycling. Increasing the frequency of preventive maintenance, and reducing the occurrence of corrective maintenance can reduce GHGs emissions by 30%–45% in pavement life. Reasonably designed maintenance plan for the entire life cycle can significantly reduce the GHG emissions of asphalt pavements. • The CO 2 footprint of sixteen asphalt pavement maintenance technologies was analyzed. • Micro-surface and fog seal have the lowest GHG emissions. • Cold recycling with extra overlay will generate more than twice GHG emissions that of hot recycling. • Increasing the frequency of preventive maintenance can reduce the GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the development of a resource-efficient FPGA-based neural network regression model for potential applications in the future hardware muon trigger system of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Effective real-time selection of muon candidates is the cornerstone of the ATLAS physics programme. With the planned ATLAS upgrades for the High Luminosity LHC, an entirely new FPGA-based hardware muon trigger system will be installed that will process full muon detector data within a 10 μ s latency window. The large FPGA devices planned for this upgrade should have sufficient spare resources to allow deployment of machine learning methods for improving identification of muon candidates and searching for new exotic particles. Our neural network regression model promises to improve rejection of the dominant source of background trigger events in the central detector region, which are due to muon candidates with low transverse momenta. This model was implemented in FPGA using 157 digital signal processors and about 5000 lookup tables. The simulated network latency and deadtime are 122 and 25 ns, respectively, when implemented in the FPGA device using a 320 MHz clock frequency. Two other FPGA implementations were also developed to study the impact of design choices on resource utilisation and latency. The performance parameters of our FPGA implementation are well within the requirements of the future muon trigger system, therefore opening a possibility for deploying machine learning methods for future data taking by the ATLAS experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasmall silica‐based nanoparticles (SNPs) are attractive for application in many fields, but existing synthetic approaches show limited control over the size and morphology of these SNPs. This study describes a general single copolymer chain‐mediated strategy for the scalable synthesis of highly monodispersed symmetric and asymmetric SNPs with sub‐50 nm diameter. Random copolymers of poly(acrylic acid‐r‐styrene) intramolecularly collapse into ultrasmall single‐chain nanoparticles and serve as seeds to template the hydrolysis of silica precursors to produce uniform SNPs. It is shown in experiments and simulations that the composition and random architecture of the copolymers are crucial to the formation of ultrasmall seeds and the uniform deposition of silica. Furthermore, tailoring the architecture of copolymers can be used to produce ultrasmall asymmetric Janus‐like and dumbbell‐like SNPs with well‐defined polymer and silica domains. This study paves a new route to the scalable production of ultrasmall SNPs with tailored morphologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innate immunity plays an important role in invertebrates because it provides the first line of protection by recognizing invading microbial pathogens and then activating downstream signaling pathways. However, until now, increasing reports of clam diseases did not include those of Anadara sativa , which are widely distributed and economically important maritime clams. In the present study, transcriptome libraries of untreated (termed H) and Vibrio anguillarum- challenged (termed HV) A. sativa hepatopancreases were constructed and sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq4000 platform. In total, we obtained 78,012,510 and 84,937,516 clean reads from 80,006,030 to 86,871,742 raw data reads, respectively, assembled by different software programs. Furthermore, 150,274 unigenes were generated from 196,003 transcripts, with an N50 length of 1088 bp, and then annotated with the SwissProt, NR, NT, PFAM, KO, GO, KOG and KEGG databases. Moreover, 3982 differentially expressed unigenes (H vs HV) were determined, with 3583 upregulated and 399 downregulated genes. Among these differentially expressed unigenes, 207 unigenes were found using KEGG annotation in 16 immune-related signaling pathways, such as Toll-like receptor (TLR), NOD-like receptor (NLR), and RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) signaling pathways. Finally, we selected 11 full-length TLRs and classified them into 3 groups, namely, one V-TLR, four Ls-TLR and six sP-TLR; furthermore, we validated the increased expression patterns of the 11 TLRs in response to LPS injection. In summary, these results revealed multiple findings on potential immune-related genes, such as the differential expression analysis and annotation based on the A. sativa transcriptome in response to V. anguillarum stimulation, and explored the molecular and expression characterization of A. sativa TLRs, which provide new insights into the innate immune responses and defense mechanisms in shellfish. • First transcriptome library of Anadara sativa hepatopancreas aimed to obtain more unigenes injected by Vibrio anguillarum. • We obtained 80,006,030 and 86,871,742 raw reads from two transcriptome groups and assembled into 150,274 unigenes. • A number of 3982 DEGs were identified and 207 DEGs were annotated in 16 immune-related signaling pathways. • We also obtained 11TLRs that divided into three groups, and detected their expression patterns by qRT-PCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring the performance of hybrid rice seeding is very important for the seedling production line to adjust the sowing amount of the seeding device. The objective of this paper was to develop a system for the real-time online monitoring of the performance of hybrid rice seeding based on embedded machine vision and machine learning technology. The embedded detection system captured images of pot trays that passed under the illuminant cabinet installed in the seedling production line. This paper proposed an algorithm for fixed threshold segmentation by analyzing the images with the exploratory analysis method. With the algorithm, the grid image and seed image were extracted from the pot tray image. The paper also proposed a method for obtaining pixel coordinates of gridlines from the grid image. Binary images of seeds were divided into small pieces, according to the pixel coordinates of gridlines. Each piece corresponded to a cell on the pot tray. By scanning the contours in each piece of the image to check whether there were seeds in the cell, the number of empty cells was counted and then used to calculate the missing rate of hybrid rice seeding. The seed number sowed in pot trays was monitored while using the machine learning approach. The experimental results demonstrated that it would consume 4.863 s for the device to process an image, which allowed for the detection of the missing rate and seed number in real-time at the rate of 500 trays per hour (7.2 s per tray). The average accuracy of the detection of missing rates of a seedling production line was 94.67%. The average accuracy of the detection of seed numbers was 95.68%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In on-pump cardiac surgery, the albumin priming strategy could maintain colloid osmotic pressure better than crystalloid solutions and reduce excessive perioperative fluid balance. However, a high-quality meta-analysis is required to compare the safety of these approaches in perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. Owing to limited direct evidence, we conducted a network meta-analysis (NMA) to increase the pool of studies and provide indirect evidence. Methods: The pre-defined primary outcomes were intraoperative and the first 24 h postoperative RBC transfusion volume in units. The pre-defined secondary outcome was postoperative blood loss (the first 24 h). We reviewed all randomized controlled trials comparing albumin, crystalloid, and artificial colloid priming strategies. Studies that only displayed pre-defined outcomes could be included. A pairwise meta-analysis was performed on studies that directly compared the pre-defined outcomes between albumin and crystalloids. Additionally, a random-effects network meta-analysis (NMA) model was employed to generate indirect evidence for the pre-defined outcomes between albumin and crystalloids. Results: The literature search identified 830 studies,10 of which were included in the final analysis. Direct meta-analysis indicated that crystalloid priming significantly decreased total perioperative RBC transfusions (MD: -0.68U; 95%CI: -1.26, -0.09U; P = 0.02) and intraoperative RBC transfusions (MD: -0.20U; 95%CI: -0.39, -0.01U; P = 0.03) compared to albumin. Postoperative RBC transfusions showed a decreasing trend in the crystalloid group; however, the difference was not statistically significant. (MD: -0.16U; 95%CI: -0.45, 0.14U; P = 0.30). After including indirect evidence, the NMA results continued to demonstrate a higher RBC receiving with the albumin priming strategy compared to crystalloids, although the differences did not reach statistical significance. For postoperative blood loss, direct evidence showed no significant differences between albumin and crystalloid priming strategies. However, NMA evidence displayed that albumin exist higher probability of reducing postoperative blood loss than crystalloid. Conclusion: Both direct and NMA evidence indicated that the albumin priming strategy resulted in more perioperative RBC transfusions than crystalloids. Considering the additional blood management burden, the application of an albumin-priming strategy in on-pump cardiac surgery still needs more consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidal molecules (CMs) are precisely defined assemblies of nanoparticles (NPs) that mimic the structure of real molecules, but externally programming the precise self‐assembly of CMs is still challenging. In this work, we show that the photo‐induced self‐assembly of complementary copolymer‐capped binary NPs can be precisely controlled to form clustered ABx or linear (AB)y CMs at high yield (x is the coordination number of NP‐Bs, and y is the repeating unit number of AB clusters). Under UV light irradiation, photolabile p‐methoxyphenacyl groups of copolymers on NP‐A*s are converted to carboxyl groups (NP‐A), which react with tertiary amines of copolymers on NP‐B to trigger the directional NP bonding. The x value of ABx can be precisely controlled between 1 and 3 by varying the irradiation duration and hence the amount of carboxyl groups generated on NP‐As. Moreover, when NP‐A* and NP‐B are irradiated after mixing, the assembly process generates AB clusters or linear (AB)y structures with alternating sequence of the binary NPs. This assembly approach offers a simple yet non‐invasive way to externally regulate the formation of various CMs on demand without the need of redesigning the surface chemistry of NPs for use in drug delivery, diagnostics, optoelectronics, and plasmonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidal molecules (CMs) are precisely defined assemblies of nanoparticles (NPs) that mimic the structure of real molecules, but externally programming the precise self‐assembly of CMs is still challenging. In this work, we show that the photo‐induced self‐assembly of complementary copolymer‐capped binary NPs can be precisely controlled to form clustered ABx or linear (AB)y CMs at high yield (x is the coordination number of NP‐Bs, and y is the repeating unit number of AB clusters). Under UV light irradiation, photolabile p‐methoxyphenacyl groups of copolymers on NP‐A*s are converted to carboxyl groups (NP‐A), which react with tertiary amines of copolymers on NP‐B to trigger the directional NP bonding. The x value of ABx can be precisely controlled between 1 and 3 by varying the irradiation duration and hence the amount of carboxyl groups generated on NP‐As. Moreover, when NP‐A* and NP‐B are irradiated after mixing, the assembly process generates AB clusters or linear (AB)y structures with alternating sequence of the binary NPs. This assembly approach offers a simple yet non‐invasive way to externally regulate the formation of various CMs on demand without the need of redesigning the surface chemistry of NPs for use in drug delivery, diagnostics, optoelectronics, and plasmonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple studies have reported a shift in the trend of warm season rainfall over arid eastern-central Asia (AECA) around the turn of the new century, from increasing over the second half of the twentieth century to decreasing during the early years of the twenty-first. Here, a closer look based on multiple precipitation datasets reveals important regional disparities in these changes. Warm-season rainfall increased over both basin areas and mountain ranges during 1961-1998 due to enhanced moisture flux convergence associated with changes in the large-scale circulation and increases in atmospheric moisture content. Despite a significant decrease in warm-season precipitation over the high mountain ranges after the year 1998, warm season rainfall has remained large over low-lying basin areas. This discrepancy, which is also reflected in changes in river flow, soil moisture, and vegetation, primarily results from disparate responses to enhanced warming in the mountain and basin areas of AECA. In addition to changes in the prevailing circulation and moisture transport patterns, the decrease in precipitation over the mountains has occurred mainly because increases in local water vapor saturation capacity (which scales with temperature) have outpaced the available moisture supply, reducing relative humidity and suppressing precipitation. By contrast, rainfall over basin areas has been maintained by accelerated moisture recycling driven by rapid glacier retreat, snow melt, and irrigation expansion. This trend is unsustainable and is likely to reverse as these cryospheric buffers disappear, with potentially catastrophic implications for local agriculture and ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flooding events or wet spells have increased over Pakistan in recent years. However, a long‐term classification of large‐scale and synoptic‐scale configuration for these events has been lacking. In this study, a total of 53 wet spells during the period of 1951–2015 over the core monsoon domain of northern Pakistan are identified using rainfall data. Based on daily geopotential height fields from NCEP/NCAR re‐analysis, the dominant synoptic‐scale systems, displaying distinct low‐level circulation and moisture transport, are found during these wet spells over Pakistan. They are categorized as trough with low pressure system (LPS, 30 cases), trough without LPS (19 cases) and LPS only (4 cases) wet spells. Without the accompanying LPS over India, the trough tends to be deep and intrudes to southern Pakistan with moisture transport mainly from the Arabian Sea. In contrast, the trough is relatively shallow and interacts with presence of the LPS to steer moisture from the Bay of Bengal towards Pakistan. We found that subtropical trough is an essential ingredient of wet spells over Pakistan. This is different from wet spells over the core monsoon domain of India, which is mainly dominated by LPS. The ridge development over Siberia is a precursor to wet spells over Pakistan and provides guidance for prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flooding events or wet spells have increased over Pakistan in recent years. However, a long‐term classification of large‐scale and synoptic‐scale configuration for these events has been lacking. In this study, a total of 53 wet spells during the period of 1951–2015 over the core monsoon domain of northern Pakistan are identified using rainfall data. Based on daily geopotential height fields from NCEP/NCAR re‐analysis, the dominant synoptic‐scale systems, displaying distinct low‐level circulation and moisture transport, are found during these wet spells over Pakistan. They are categorized as trough with low pressure system (LPS, 30 cases), trough without LPS (19 cases) and LPS only (4 cases) wet spells. Without the accompanying LPS over India, the trough tends to be deep and intrudes to southern Pakistan with moisture transport mainly from the Arabian Sea. In contrast, the trough is relatively shallow and interacts with presence of the LPS to steer moisture from the Bay of Bengal towards Pakistan. We found that subtropical trough is an essential ingredient of wet spells over Pakistan. This is different from wet spells over the core monsoon domain of India, which is mainly dominated by LPS. The ridge development over Siberia is a precursor to wet spells over Pakistan and provides guidance for prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a deep reinforcement learning-based energy optimization management method for hydrogen-electric coupling system is proposed for the conversion and utilization and joint optimization operation of hydrogen, wind and solar energy forms considering information uncertainty on the demand side of smart grid. Based on the wind energy, photovoltaic energy generation and load forecast information, the method uses deep Q network to simulate the energy management strategy set of the hydrogen-electric coupling system, and obtains the optimal strategy through reinforcement learning to finally realize the optimal operation of the hydrogen-electric coupling system based on the demand response. Firstly, based on the energy management model, a research framework and equipment model for integrated energy systems is established. On the basis of fundamental theories of reinforcement learning framework, Q-learning algorithm and DQN algorithm, the empirical replay mechanism and freezing parameter mechanism to improve the performance of DQN are analyzed, and the energy management and optimization of integrated energy system is completed with the objective of economy. By comparing the performance of DQN algorithms with different parameters in integrated energy system energy management, the simulation results demonstrate the improvement of algorithm performance after inheriting the set of strategies, and verify the feasibility and superiority of deep reinforcement learning compared to genetic algorithm in integrated energy system energy management applications. • A hydrogen-electric coupling regional comprehensive energy system was established. • Deep reinforcement learning algorithm is used to manage energy system. • Hydrogen energy as the main energy storage mode was investigated. • The hydrogen-electric coupling integrated energy system was optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to explore the effect of polyphosphoric acid (PPA) on the low-temperature creep properties of styrene–butadiene-styrene (SBS) and crumb rubber (CR)-modified asphalt binder. PPA-SBS and PPA-CR composite-modified asphalt with different PPA contents were prepared by a high-speed shear method. The low-temperature properties of composite-modified asphalt were studied by bending beam rheometer (BBR) test, and the test results were fitted by the Burgers model to assess the creep property of the asphalt. From the test results, it is demonstrated that the low-temperature properties of polymer-modified asphalt were weakened after PPA was added. At low temperatures, the stiffness modulus (S) of PPA-CR composite-modified asphalt was half that of PPA-SBS, and the creep rate (m) was more than 9.4% higher. The results of relaxation time ($\lambda$ λ), dissipated energy ratio (DER), and the derivative of creep compliance (J'(t)) showed that the creep property of PPA-CR composite-modified asphalt is better than that of PPA-SBS and SBS-modified asphalt at low temperatures. Moreover, the antiaging ability of polymer-modified asphalt was also ameliorated by incorporating PPA, regardless of SBS or CR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to explore the effect of polyphosphoric acid (PPA) on the low-temperature creep properties of styrene–butadiene-styrene (SBS) and crumb rubber (CR)-modified asphalt binder. PPA-SBS and PPA-CR composite-modified asphalt with different PPA contents were prepared by a high-speed shear method. The low-temperature properties of composite-modified asphalt were studied by bending beam rheometer (BBR) test, and the test results were fitted by the Burgers model to assess the creep property of the asphalt. From the test results, it is demonstrated that the low-temperature properties of polymer-modified asphalt were weakened after PPA was added. At low temperatures, the stiffness modulus (S) of PPA-CR composite-modified asphalt was half that of PPA-SBS, and the creep rate (m) was more than 9.4% higher. The results of relaxation time ($\lambda$ λ), dissipated energy ratio (DER), and the derivative of creep compliance (J'(t)) showed that the creep property of PPA-CR composite-modified asphalt is better than that of PPA-SBS and SBS-modified asphalt at low temperatures. Moreover, the antiaging ability of polymer-modified asphalt was also ameliorated by incorporating PPA, regardless of SBS or CR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The topography of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has shaped the paleoclimatic evolution of the Asian monsoon. However, the influence of the TP on the global climate, beyond the domain of the Asian monsoon, remains unclear. Here we show that the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans act as efficient repeaters that boost the global climatic impact of the TP. The simulations demonstrate that oceanic repeaters enable TP heating to induce a wide-ranging climate response across the globe. A 1 °C TP warming can result in a 0.73 °C temperature increase over North America. Oceanic repeaters exert their influence by enhancing the air-sea interaction-mediated horizontal heat and moisture transport, as well as relevant atmospheric circulation pathways including westerlies, stationary waves, and zonal-vertical cells. Air-sea interactions were further tied to local feedbacks, mainly the decreased air-sea latent heat flux from the weakening air-sea humidity difference and the increased shortwave radiation from sinking motion-induced cloud reduction over the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Our findings highlight the crucial influence of TP heating variation on the current climate under a quasi-fixed topography, in contrast to topography change previously studied in paleoclimate evolution. Therefore, TP heating should be considered in research on global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Process-oriented diagnostics (PODs) aim to provide feedback for model developers through model analysis based on physical hypotheses. However, the step from a diagnostic based on relationships among variables, even when hypothesis driven, to specific guidance for revising model formulation or parameterizations can be substantial. The POD may provide more information than a purely performance-based metric, but a gap between POD principles and providing actionable information for specific model revisions can remain. Furthermore, in coordinating diagnostics development, there is a trade-off between freedom for the developer, aiming to capture innovation, and near-term utility to the modeling center. Best practices that allow for the former, while conforming to specifications that aid the latter, are important for community diagnostics development that leads to tangible model improvements. Promising directions to close the gap between principles and practice include the interaction of PODs with perturbed physics experiments and with more quantitative process models as well as the inclusion of personnel from modeling centers in diagnostics development groups for immediate feedback during climate model revisions. Examples are provided, along with best-practice recommendations, based on practical experience from the NOAA Model Diagnostics Task Force (MDTF). Common standards for metrics and diagnostics that have arisen from a collaboration between the MDTF and the Department of Energy's Coordinated Model Evaluation Capability are advocated as a means of uniting community diagnostics efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm (AOA) is a meta-heuristic algorithm inspired by mathematical operators, which may stagnate in the face of complex optimization issues. Therefore, the convergence and accuracy are reduced. In this paper, an AOA variant called ASFAOA is proposed by integrating a double-opposite learning mechanism, an adaptive spiral search strategy, an offset distribution estimation strategy, and a modified cosine acceleration function formula into the original AOA, aiming to improve the local exploitation and global exploration capability of the original AOA. In the proposed ASFAOA, a dual-opposite learning strategy is utilized to enhance population diversity by searching the problem space a lot better. The spiral search strategy of the tuna swarm optimization is introduced into the addition and subtraction strategy of AOA to enhance the AOA's ability to jump out of the local optimum. An offset distribution estimation strategy is employed to effectively utilize the dominant population information for guiding the correct individual evolution. In addition, an adaptive cosine acceleration function is proposed to perform a better balance between the exploitation and exploration capabilities of the AOA. To demonstrate the superiority of the proposed ASFAOA, two experiments are conducted using existing state-of-the-art algorithms. First, The CEC 2017 benchmark function was applied with the aim of evaluating the performance of ASFAOA on the test function through mean analysis, convergence analysis, stability analysis, Wilcoxon signed rank test, and Friedman's test. The proposed ASFAOA is then utilized to solve the wireless sensor coverage problem and its performance is illustrated by two sets of coverage problems with different dimensions. The results and discussion show that ASFAOA outperforms the original AOA and other comparison algorithms. Therefore, ASFAOA is considered as a useful technique for practical optimization problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract An ordered tubular FeS@tubular mesoporous carbon composite consisting of FeS nanoparticles and tubular mesoporous carbon (CMK-5) is synthesized as anode material for Li- and Na-ions batteries. For applications in Li-ion batteries, the FeS@CMK-5 anode maintains a high reversible capacity of 720 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 200 mA g−1, much better than that of pristine FeS (166 mAh g−1) and CMK-5 (472 mAh g−1). Na-ion storage measurements reveal that the FeS@CMK-5 composite delivers a reversible capacity of 445 and 391 mAh g−1, respectively, at the current density of 1000 and 5000 mA g−1 over 100 cycles. The excellent electrochemical properties of FeS@CMK-5 for Li- and Na-ions storage can be attributed to its special structural superiority, which effectively accommodates the volume change, improves the electrical conductivity, and shortens the diffusion paths of Li- and Na-ions during the insertion/extraction process. Highlights • An ordered tubular FeS@CMK-5 composite is properly designed. • The FeS@CMK-5 composite shows robust structural stability. • This anode shows superior electrochemical properties for Li- and Na-ions storage. • The improved mechanism is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this work, carboxylated multi walled carbon nanotubes (CMWCNTs) were firstly prepared and functionalized with poly- L -histidine (PLH), which were then chelated with copper (II) ions to from the nanocomposites of Cu(II)-PLH-CMWCNTs. The nanocomposites could be exploited as an efficient mimic enzyme for sensitive electrochemical detection of salvianic acid A (SAA). Cu(II)-PLH-CMWCNTs owned good charge transfer property and excellent synergetic catalytic effect between the overoxidized imidazole groups and the copper redox-active units. Therefore, highly sensitive electrochemical response to SAA was achieved under optimum experimental conditions. A good linear relationship between differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) peak current and the SAA concentration was established in the range of 0.4–1000 μM. A low detection limit of 0.037 μM and a sensitivity of 0.27 μA μM−1 cm−2 were achieved. The developed biosensor also had advantages of good repeatability, stability and high selectivity, thus, it was successfully applied to the determination of SAA in real samples with satisfactory results, which may have great potential for further exploitation of electroanalysis applications. Highlights • Cu(II)-PLH-CMWCNTs nanocomposites was successfully synthesized and exhibited high catalytic performance. • Cu(II)-PLH-CMWCNTs was exploited as superior mimetic enzyme for the first time. • The prepared biosensor exhibited catalytic ability to salvianic acid A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic abuse has posed enormous burdens on patients and healthcare systems. Hence, the design and development of non-antibiotic wound dressings to meet clinical demand are urgently desired. However, there remains one of the impediments to hydrogel wound dressings that integrated with good recoverability, toughness, and excellent antibacterial properties. Herein, a series of semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN) hydrogels with exceptional mechanical performance and remarkable antibacterial activity based on quaternized chitosan (QCS) and polyacrylamide (PAM) were developed using a one-pot method. Additionally, the antibacterial activity of semi-IPN hydrogel against S. aureus and E. coli was enhanced by integrating it with quercetin (QT). The semi-IPN hydrogels also exhibited high recoverability and toughness, outstanding liquid absorbability (the swelling ratio reached 565 ± 12 %), and a satisfying water vapor transmission rate. Moreover, the semi-IPN hydrogels presented ideal hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. These high-elastic hydrogels are promising candidates for potential applications in wound dressing, tissue repair, chronic wound care, as well as other biomedical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Assessing the structure and function of left atrium (LA) is crucial in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) because LA remodeling correlates with atrial fibrillation. However, few studies have investigated the potential effect of myomectomy on LA phasic remodeling in HOCM after myectomy using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking (FT). This study aims to evaluate the LA structural and functional remodeling with HOCM after myectomy by CMR-FT and to further investigate the determinants of LA reverse remodeling. Methods: In this single-center study, we retrospectively studied 88 patients with HOCM who received CMR before and after myectomy between January 2011 and June 2021. Preoperative and postoperative LA parameters derived from CMR-FT were compared, including LA reservoir function (total ejection fraction [EF], total strain [εs], peak positive strain rate [SRs]), conduit function (passive EF, passive strain [εe], peak early negative strain rate [SRe]) and booster function (booster EF, active strain [εa], late peak negative strain rate [SRa]). Eighty-six healthy participants were collected for comparison. Univariate and multivariate linear regression identified variables associated with the rate of change of εa. Results: Compared with preoperative parameters, LA reservoir function (total EF, εs, SRs), booster function (booster EF, εa, SRa), and SRe were significantly improved after myectomy (all P < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed in passive EF and εe. Postoperative patients with HOCM still had larger LA and worse LA function than healthy controls (all P < 0.05). After analyzing the rates of change in LA parameters, LA boost function, especially εa, showed the most dramatic improvement beyond the improvements in reservoir function, conduit function, and volume. In multivariable regression analysis, minimum LA volume index (adjusted β = − 0.39, P < 0.001) and Δleft ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) pressure gradient (adjusted β = − 0.29, P = 0.003) were significantly related to the rate of change of εa. Conclusions: Patients with HOCM after septal myectomy showed LA reverse remodeling with a reduction in LA size and restoration in LA reservoir and booster function but unchanged LA conduit function. Among volumetric and functional changes, booster function had the greatest improvement postoperatively. Besides, preoperative LAVmin index and ΔLVOT might be potential factors associated with the degree of improvement in εa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigated the hardware implementation of two feedforward neural networks (NNs) using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), then used the networks for alpha–gamma discrimination in barium fluoride (BaF2). The BaF2 detector output was sampled using a 1-GSPS ADC, and then we extracted six information of the pulses in FPGA as the input features to the NNs. The performance of this method turned out very good, the false alarm rate of the networks was less than 0.3%. Besides, dead time of the networks was less than 820 ns. Low logic occupancy is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a fabrication of rationally-designed multicomponent nanocomposites comprising a magnetite core and an outer silver-decorated anatase shell and their application for visible-light photodegradation of organic compounds. The nanocomposites exhibit a well-defined core-shell structure, superparamagnetic behavior, wide-spectrum photoresponse and markedly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity. The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity increases with the density of decorated Ag nanoparticles in the ternary system. More importantly, the obtained nanostructured photocatalysts could be easily collected and separated by applying an external magnetic field and reused at least eight times without any appreciable reduction in photocatalytic efficiency. The enhanced photocatalytic activity and good chemical stability, in combination with the excellent magnetic recyclability, make this multifunctional nanostructure as a promising integrated system for applications in environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae have attracted significant attention for biofuel production and transcription factors that can effectively regulate lipid accumulation in higher plants. In this study we expressed the transcription factor LEAFY COTYLEDON 2 from Arabidopsis thaliana in Chlorella sorokiniana. The relative electron transport rate (rel.ETR) of C. sorokiniana-AtLEC2 improved significantly under high-intensity light. As a result, the total lipid content and main fatty acid composition (C16, C18) increased by more than onefold. Differentially expressed proteins were analyzed using a label-free strategy to elucidate the regulation mechanism of AtLEC2. The results showed upregulation of TAG biosynthesis (G3PDH) and photosynthesis-related proteins (e.g., ATP synthase F0, Photosystem II, Photosystem I P700, cytochrome b6, cytochrome b6f, chlorophyll a-b binding protein, Photosystem I assembly protein). Furthermore, AtLEC2 expression in C. sorokiniana led to fixed carbon flow in photosynthesis to TAG through G3PDH upregulation. The current study will provide a new direction for the cultivation of high-yield oil algae and will reveal the mechanism of regulation of AtLEC2 on TAG accumulation in C. sorokiniana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]