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Abstract Background Wolbachia symbiosis in Aedes aegypti is an emerging biocontrol measure against dengue. However, assessing its real-world efficacy is challenging due to the non-randomised, field-based nature of most intervention studies. This research re-evaluates the spatial–temporal impact of Wolbachia interventions on dengue incidence using a large battery of quasi-experimental methods and assesses each method’s validity. Methods A systematic search for Wolbachia intervention data was conducted via PubMed. Efficacy was reassessed using commonly-used quasi-experimental approaches coupled with extensive robustness checks, including geospatial placebo tests and a simulation study. Intervention efficacies across multiple study sites were computed using high-resolution aggregations to examine heterogeneities across sites and study periods. We further designed a stochastic simulation framework to assess the methods’ ability to reproduce true intervention efficacies (IE). Results Wolbachia interventions in Singapore, Malaysia, and Brazil were associated to significant decreases in dengue incidence, with reductions ranging from 48.17% to 69.19%. IEs varied with location and duration. Malaysia showed increasing efficacy over time, while Brazil exhibited initial success with subsequent decline, hinting at operational challenges. Singapore's strategy was highly effective despite partial saturation. Simulations identified Synthetic Control Methods (SCM) and its variant, count Synthetic Control Method (cSCM), as superior in precision, with the smallest percentage errors in efficacy estimation. These methods also demonstrated robustness in placebo tests. Conclusions Wolbachia interventions exhibit consistent protective effects against dengue. SCM and cSCM provided the most precise and robust estimates of IEs, validated across simulated and real-world settings.

The deformation behavior of the pure aluminum has been studied at 298 K and 77 K to elucidate the mechanism for dual-enhancement effect at cryogenic temperature. The results reveal that as the deformation temperature decreases from 298 K to 77 K, the tensile strength and elongation increase from 67.9 MPa to 49.1% to 142.4 MPa and 61.9%, respectively. The simultaneous increase in strength and ductility at 77 K is attributed to the higher strain hardening rate and more uniform deformation at cryogenic temperature. Results obtained from quasi in-situ EBSD indicate that at cryogenic temperatures, there is a higher density of dislocations that are uniformly distributed within the grains. It helps alleviate dislocation pile-ups and reduces the likelihood of crack initiation at grain boundaries. Moreover, a significant number of grains align their orientation rotation towards at cryogenic temperature. Multiple fine slip systems initiate within these grains, contributing to improved mechanical properties in pure aluminum. In contrast, samples deformed at 298 K exhibit localized strain during deformation, with the initiation of unfavorable, non-uniform coarse slip bands within the grains. The findings of this study offer insights into the mechanisms of the dual-enhancement effect in pure aluminum at cryogenic temperatures.

In recent years, wide‐bandgap semiconductor β‐Ga2O3 material has been widely studied because of its excellent properties. Simultaneously, 2D metal oxides (2DMOs) have also become a focus of research owing to their superior stability and unique physical properties arising from quantum confinement effects. Therefore, the exploration of 2D β‐Ga2O3 is expected to reveal its novel electrical properties in electronic applications. However, the synthesis of high‐quality 2D β‐Ga2O3 remains a formidable challenge. Herein, a confined space is constructed to synthesize high‐quality 2D β‐Ga2O3 nanoflakes by enhancing the control of the kinetics of chemical vapor deposition process. In the device results, it is shown that the grown nanoflakes have excellent switching properties and potential artificial synaptic response characteristics. Based on this premise, an artificial recognition system for handwritten numerals is developed, achieving a peak recognition accuracy of approximately 96%. This system holds significant potential for application within an emerging neuromorphic recognition framework tailored for advanced driver‐assistance systems. In this work, a new feasible pathway is provided for the synthesis of 2D non‐layered oxides and the potential of 2D oxides in the field of neuroanalog electronics and recognition is shown, thereby advancing the fields of 2D β‐Ga2O3 electronics and 2DMOs electronics.

Highlights Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) were in situ homogeneously growing on the surface of metal–organic framework (MOF-808) by a covalent bond to construct a core–shell MOF@COF nanoparticle. MOF@COF optimized the crystallinity of perovskite to achieve 23.61% efficiency with superior open circuit voltage (1.20 V). MOF-assisted COFs to ‘trap’ leaked lead ions by in situ chemical fixation and adsorption. The amount of lead leakage (

A novel wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process utilising titanium flux-cored wire (FCW) containing TiB2, Al60V40 and Ti6Al4V powders was proposed for fabricating TiB/Ti6Al4V composites. The FCW exhibited the capability in customising the composition of TiB/Ti6Al4V composites from hypoeutectic to hypereutectic by tailoring the proportion of TiB2 in blended powders. The comprehensive influence of TiB2 content on molten pool flow, compositional homogeneity and porosity of as-printed composites was attributed to the reduction of melt flowability, driven by viscosity escalation. It was unravelled the porosity was the intrinsic deficiency for the FCW-WAAM process, originating from the gases within FCW, while the interlayered TiB clusters were caused by the lagging melt of TiB2 powders. Due to directional solidification, TiB whiskers possessed a large aspect ratio and were partial to upward growth in hypoeutectic composites, which enhanced the load transfer strengthening. However, the porosity degraded the ductility of composites and caused the variation in mechanical performance.

Good strength-ductility balance in graphene nanosheet (GNS)-reinforced aluminum nanocomposites can be achieved through tailorable and facile agglomeration control. Our previous study showed that pre-modulating the Al powder morphology by adding hard silicon carbide nanoparticles (SiCnp) during the two-step ball milling process effectively promotes the uniform dispersion of GNSs. However, excess SiCnp content causes SiCnp aggregate and premature cracking of composites. Here, GNS-reinforced aluminum nanocomposites with different SiCnp content (0.3–1.5 vol%) were prepared, and the optimal SiCnp-to-GNS ratio was determined after optimizing the SiCnp content in a pre-studied composite preparation process. The effect of SiCnp on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites was systematically investigated. The cold welding deformation of Al flakes increased with the SiCnp content. Nonetheless, inadequate or excessive SiC content caused insufficient lamination or excessive cold-weld stacking of Al flakes, respectively. Al-0.9vol.%SiCnp powders possessed the highest specific surface area which resulted in high homogeneous dispersion of 3.0 vol% GNS during the second ball-milling stage. Consequently, the resulting hybrid reinforced (GNS + SiCnp)/Al composites showed simultaneous improvement in strength and plasticity, unlike Al-3.0vol.%GNS composites. This showed that introducing hard nanoparticles (i.e., the hybridization strategy) is a promising method to simultaneously enhance strength and plasticity of aluminum nanocomposites.

In today's world, rising energy demands are a significant challenge, and the smart grid emerges as a solution for sustainable energy management. An essential view of advancing the Smart Grid (SG) capabilities is the collaborative scheduling of Wind Power Generation (WPG) and energy storage. It plays a significant role in elevating SG efficiency, reliability, and environmental sustainability. This kind of strategic planning is essential to increase coordination between WPG and flexible deployment of Energy Storage Systems (ESS). Efficient SG functions will be maintained, and energy sources can be regulated with demand variations. Putting an emphasis on assumptions and empirical data is vital in conventional techniques. When it comes to the continuously shifting environment of SG and RE resources, traditional approaches aren't highly reliable or adaptable. The present article uses a hybrid model that integrates Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to address those drawbacks. The primary purpose of it is to help with the joint scheduling of WP and ESS. This technique is what permits DRL to reach selections rapidly in convoluted, ever-changing environments. The proposed approach, when combined with PSO's effectiveness for variable optimization, will result in improved scheduling findings. The framework additionally exploits the finest use of ESS, but it also effectively addresses the challenging task of integrating dynamic WP with the SG. Reliable and cost-effective supply is ensured by the system's design. The accuracy, stability, and versatility of the suggested approach to the dynamic features of Wind Energy (WE) and storage management are incomparable to traditional approaches. The findings indicate the method's actual validity and its significance for improving SG functions. Applying state-of-the-art statistical techniques for holistic optimization of RE resources and storage systems is emphasized by the framework. Owing to minimizing Energy Consumption (EC) and lowering greenhouse gas emissions, this study provides a significant step towards achieving the goal of effective and eco-friendly SG functions.

Background:The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist liraglutide (LIRA) is a potential hypoglycemic drug with anti-atherosclerosis (AS) effects. Autophagy in the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) facilitates AS. However, the role of autophagy in the anti-AS mechanism of LIRA remains unclear.Aims:To examine the role and mechanisms of autophagy in LIRA’s improvement of the biological characteristics of VSMCs in high glucose conditions.Study Design:Experimental animal study.Methods:VSMCs isolated from the thoracic aorta of male SD rats were subjected to a high glucose (HG) condition (25 mM) in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium with or without LIRA, the GLP-1 receptor antagonist exendin9-39 (Exe9-39), a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor (LY294002), and autophagy inhibitors (3-methyladenine [3-MA] and bafilomycin A1 [Baf A1]). Acridine orange staining, western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and mCherry-GFP-LC3 transfection were performed to evaluate the autophagy flux. Additionally, VSMC migration, calcification, proliferation, and apoptosis in HG conditions were observed.Results:Addition of LIRA alone or in combination with autophagy inhibitors significantly downregulated Beclin, increased the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, and upregulated p62 in VSMCs in HG conditions. Furthermore, autophagolysosome formation was markedly curbed after treatment with LIRA and/or autophagy inhibitors. Inhibition of autophagy by LIRA and/or the autophagy inhibitors attenuated VSMC phenotype conversion, proliferation, migration, and calcification and promoted VSMC apoptosis in HG conditions. This protective role of LIRA was augmented by LY294002, but inhibited by Exe9-39.Conclusion:LIRA plays a significant role in the improvement of the biological features of VSMCs in HG conditions.

Purpose – This method will become a new development trend in subgrade structure design for high speed railways. Design/methodology/approach – This paper summarizes the structural types and design methods of subgrade bed for high speed railways in China, Japan, France, Germany, the United States and other countries based on the study and analysis of existing literature and combined with the research results and practices of high speed railway subgrade engineering at home and abroad. Findings – It is found that in foreign countries, the layered reinforced structure is generally adopted for the subgrade bed of high speed railways, and the unified double-layer or multi-layer structure is adopted for the surface layer of subgrade bed, while the simple structure is adopted in China; in foreign countries, different inspection parameters are adopted to evaluate the compaction state of fillers according to their respective understanding and practice, while in China, compaction coefficient, subsoil coefficient and dynamic deformation modulus are adopted for such evaluation; in foreign countries, the subgrade top deformation control method, the subgrade bottom deformation control method, the subsurface fill strength control method are mainly adopted in subgrade bed structure design of high speed railways, while in China, dynamic deformation control of subgrade surface and dynamic strain control of subgrade bed bottom layer is adopted in the design. However, the cumulative deformation of subgrade caused by train cyclic vibration load is not considered in the existing design methods. Originality/value – This paper introduces a new subgrade structure design method based on whole-process dynamics analysis that meets subgrade functional requirements and is established on the basis of the existing research at home and abroad on prediction methods for cumulative deformation of subgrade soil.

Abstract Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease. Ventricular dysfunction and cardiac arrhythmias are well-documented complications in patients with repaired TOF. Whether intrinsic abnormalities exist in TOF cardiomyocytes is unknown. We establish human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from TOF patients with and without DiGeorge (DG) syndrome, the latter being the most commonly associated syndromal association of TOF. TOF-DG hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) show impaired ventricular specification, downregulated cardiac gene expression and upregulated neural gene expression. Transcriptomic profiling of the in vitro cardiac progenitors reveals early bifurcation, as marked by ectopic RGS13 expression, in the trajectory of TOF-DG-hiPSC cardiac differentiation. Functional assessments further reveal increased arrhythmogenicity in TOF-DG-hiPSC-CMs. These findings are found only in the TOF-DG but not TOF-with no DG (ND) patient-derived hiPSC-CMs and cardiac progenitors (CPs), which have implications on the worse clinical outcomes of TOF-DG patients.

The process of cold metal transfer (CMT) wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) for 2319 aluminum alloy was studied. The research investigated the coarse and fine equiaxed grain bands and porosity of the 2319 alloy after solution aging treatment, with a focus on the mechanical properties and deformation behavior of the aluminum alloy at different positions and orientations. Pores and coarse second phases mainly appeared at grain boundaries but were also observed within coarse equiaxed grains. The yield strength of the top horizontal samples reached 325.5 MPa, one of the highest yield strengths reported for 2319 aluminum alloy in the literature. The coarse brittle second phases at grain boundaries were the main crack sources during the failure process of the samples. In the fine equiaxed grain layer, cracks propagated along the grain boundaries connected to the second phases, and the presence of pores accelerated crack propagation; in the coarse equiaxed grain layer, cracks directly penetrated through the grains.

Ni-Mn-Sn-based ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs) are multifunctional materials that are promising for solid-state refrigeration applications based on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) and elastocaloric effect (eCE). However, a combination of excellent multi-caloric properties, suitable operating temperatures, and mechanical properties cannot be well achieved in these materials, posing a challenge for their practical application. In this work, we systematically study the phase transformations and magnetic properties of Ni50−xMn38Sn12Cux (x = 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) and Ni50−yMn38Sn12Fey (y = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) alloys, and the magnetic-structural phase diagrams of these alloy systems are reported. The influences of the fourth-element doping on the phase transitions and magnetic properties of the alloys are elucidated by first-principles calculations. This work demonstrates that the fourth-element doping of Ni-Mn-Sn-based FSMA is effective in developing multicaloric refrigerants for practical solid-state refrigeration.

Plant communities may be co-invaded by invasive plants, sometimes even by congeneric invasive plants (CIPs). Despite the growing understanding of co-invasion in the environment, little is known about how CIP interactions and mechanisms regulate co-invasion. Darwin’s naturalisation conundrum predicts that the coexistence of closely related species is difficult due to their structural and behavioural similarities. Nevertheless, communities containing closely related species are more susceptible to being invaded because close relatives may favour similar environments; therefore, this hypothesis should be followed in the co-invasion of CIPs. To explore whether the phylogenetic relatedness and origins of invasive species to CIPs can promote or hinder co-invasion, we conducted a controlled interaction and soil-legacy greenhouse experiment to quantify the growth response of invasive plants and their congeners. We consistently found that CIPs of identical origin were more likely to co-invade compared to CIPs of distinct origins. CIPs of distinct origins exhibited an antagonistic effect on co-invasion by allelopathy. Invasive plant-conditioned soil was more conducive to the growth of CIPs of identical origin than CIPs of distinct origins. Our results revealed the different effects of invader–invader phylogenetic relatedness on co-invader success and impact, suggesting the operation of different mechanisms across co-invasion.

Capillary barriers are widely used as a cover system to enhance the upper-soil-layer water storage capacity and reduce water infiltrate into the lower soil layer. In this paper, the effects of the median soil–particle size ratio on the water storage capacity of capillary barriers were studied using a series of indoor one-dimensional soil column infiltration tests. The results show that the water storage capacity rises with an increase in the median soil–particle size ratio until it exceeds 10. The variation in the total water storage capacity is related to not only the median soil–particle size ratio but also the particle size of coarse-grained soil or fine-grained soil. When the fine-grained soil-layer particle size is constant, the total water storage first increases, then decreases, and finally remains constant after increasing the median soil–particle size ratio. In contrast, when the coarse-grained soil layer particle size is constant, the relationship between the capillary barrier’s total water storage and median soil–particle size ratio can be defined as a power function. Using the capillary barrier can increase coarse-grained sand by 90% in water storage capacity and can only increase fine-grained sand by 7% in water storage capacity. The breakthrough time increases with the increase in the median soil–particle size ratio. The presence of the coarse and fine-grained soil layer interface in the capillary barrier can affect the fine-grained soil layer infiltration rate.

Abstract The two-electron oxygen reduction reaction in acid is highly attractive to produce H2O2, a commodity chemical vital in various industry and household scenarios, which is still hindered by the sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, both density function theory calculation and in-situ characterization demonstrate that in dual-atom CoIn catalyst, O-affinitive In atom triggers the favorable and stable adsorption of hydroxyl, which effectively optimizes the adsorption of OOH on neighboring Co. As a result, the oxygen reduction on Co atoms shifts to two-electron pathway for efficient H2O2 production in acid. The H2O2 partial current density reaches 1.92 mA cm−2 at 0.65 V in the rotating ring-disk electrode test, while the H2O2 production rate is as high as 9.68 mol g−1 h−1 in the three-phase flow cell. Additionally, the CoIn-N-C presents excellent stability during the long-term operation, verifying the practicability of the CoIn-N-C catalyst. This work provides inspiring insights into the rational design of active catalysts for H2O2 production and other catalytic systems.

The invasive vine Sicyos angulatus L. destroys the natural ecosystem of invaded areas. Understanding the differences in growth and development between S. angulatus and other plants is necessary to explore the invasion mechanisms of S. angulatus and implement appropriate prevention and control measures. Thus, this study compared the growth, photosynthesis, and root characteristics of invasive liana S. angulatus and other three vine plants, Ipomoea nil (L.) Roth, Ipomoea purpurea (L.), and Thladiantha dubia Bunge, at different growth stages: seedling, flowering, and fruiting. The results showed that the total biomass of S. angulatus in the fruiting stage was 3–6 times that of the other three plants, and the root biomass ratio and root–shoot ratio decreased throughout the growth stage. Throughout the growth stage, the total leaf area of S. angulatus was significantly higher than that of the other three plant types, and the specific leaf area of S. angulatus at the seedling and flowering stages was 2.5–3 and 1.4–3 times that of the other three plants, respectively. The photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate of S. angulatus at the fruiting stage were significantly higher than those of the other three plants, and its water use efficiency was higher than that of the other three plants at the three growth stages, indicating its strong photosynthetic capacity. The root activity and root pressure of S. angulatus were also significantly higher than those of the other three plants at the seedling and flowering stages. These results show that S. angulatus flexibly allocates resources to its aboveground parts during the growth stage to ensure that the plant obtains the space necessary for its growth and development and that with the help of higher root pressure and root activity, S. angulatus can maintain higher photosynthesis and water use efficiency with fewer resources. Therefore, the prevention and control of S. angulatus requires a combination of aboveground and underground measures. Spraying conventional weedicide/herbicide and manually removing aboveground plants may lead to its resurgence.

Nacre-inspired metal matrix composites have received much attention due to their excellent deformation coordination ability, which can achieve the synergy of strength and ductility. The preparation of nacre-like Al matrix composites by freeze casting has been a promising application, but the continuous ceramic-rich layer affects the corrosion resistance of the composites, facing complex corrosion problems during service. In this work, the microstructure and corrosion behavior of the nacre-inspired (TiBw-TiB2)/Al composites fabricated by freeze casting and squeeze casting were systematically studied. The results indicated that the Al layers and ceramic-rich layers had little change, about 35 μm and 31 μm, respectively, with an increasing ratio of the Ti/TiB2. Meanwhile, a high Ti/TiB2 ratio resulted in an increase in the Fe-Ti intermetallic phases, which was detrimental to the corrosion performance of the composites and was prone to pitting. The electrochemical test results showed that the 3Ti7TiB2 composite had the lowest corrosion current density (15.9 μA) and intergranular corrosion depth (231 μm), indicating that it had the best corrosion resistance, which can be attributable to its stable and dense passivation film. Two different corrosion phenomena during the intergranular corrosion test existed in the present nacre-inspired (TiBw-TiB2)/Al composites: intergranular corrosion in the Al matrix layer and pitting corrosion in the ceramic-rich layer. Among all the composites, the corrosion depth of the 3Ti7TiB2 composite was the smallest and significantly less than that of the 2024Al alloy. In addition, the continuous ceramic-rich layer acted as a corrosion channel during corrosion, significantly degrading the corrosion resistance of the nacre-like Al composites.

The distribution of reinforcements and interfacial bonding state with the metal matrix are crucial factors in achieving excellent comprehensive mechanical properties for aluminum (Al) matrix composites. Normally, after heat treatment, graphene nanosheets (GNSs)/Al composites experience a significant loss of strength. Here, better performance of GNS/Al was explored with a hybrid strategy by introducing 0.9 vol.% silicon carbide nanoparticles (SiCnp) into the composite. Pre-ball milling of Al powders and 0.9 vol.% SiCnp gained Al flakes that provided a large dispersion area for 3.0 vol.% GNS during the shift speed ball milling process, leading to uniformly dispersed GNS for both as-sintered and as-extruded (0.9 vol.% SiCnp + 3.0 vol.% GNS)/Al. High-temperature heat treatment at 600 °C for 60 min was performed on the as-extruded composite, giving rise to intragranular distribution of SiCnp due to recrystallization and grain growth of the Al matrix. Meanwhile, nanoscale Al4C3, which can act as an additional reinforcing nanoparticle, was generated because of an appropriate interfacial reaction between GNS and Al. The intragranular distribution of both nanoparticles improves the Al matrix continuity of composites and plays a key role in ensuring the plasticity of composites. As a result, the work hardening ability of the heat-treated hybrid (0.9 vol.% SiCnp + 3.0 vol.% GNS)/Al composite was well improved, and the tensile elongation increased by 42.7% with little loss of the strength. The present work provides a new strategy in achieving coordination on strength–plasticity of Al matrix composites.

Solid-state refrigeration based on elastocaloric materials (eCMs) requires reversibility and repeatability. However, the intrinsic intergranular brittleness of ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FMSMAs) limits fatigue life and, thus, is the crucial bottleneck for its industrial applications. Significant cyclic stability of elastocaloric effects (eCE) via 53% porosity in Ni-Fe-Ga FMSMA has already been proven. Here, Ni-Fe-Ga foams (single-/hierarchical pores) with high porosity of 64% and 73% via tailoring the material’s architecture to optimize the eCE performances are studied. A completely reversible superelastic behavior at room temperature (297 K) is demonstrated in high porosity (64–73%) Ni-Fe-Ga foams with small stress hysteresis, which is greatly conducive to durable fatigue life. Consequentially, hierarchical pore foam with 64% porosity exhibits a maximum reversible ∆Tad of 2.0 K at much lower stress of 45 MPa with a large COPmat of 34. Moreover, it shows stable elastocaloric behavior (ΔTad = 2.0 K) over >300 superelastic cycles with no significant deterioration. The enhanced eCE cyclability can be attributed to the pore hierarchies, which remarkably reduce the grain boundary constraints and/or limit the propagation of cracks to induce multiple stress-induced martensitic transformations (MTs). Therefore, this work paves the way for designing durable fatigue life FMSMAs as promising eCMs by manipulating the material architectures.

Objective: Due to a lack of effective therapy, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is extremely poor prognosis. Metabolic reprogramming is an important hallmark in tumorigenesis, cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Categorizing metabolic patterns in TNBC is critical to combat heterogeneity and targeted therapeutics.Methods: 115 TNBC patients from TCGA were combined into a virtual cohort and verified by other verification sets, discovering differentially expressed genes (DEGs). To identify reliable metabolic features, we applied the same procedures to five independent datasets to verify the identified TNBC subtypes, which differed in terms of prognosis, metabolic characteristics, immune infiltration, clinical features, somatic mutation, and drug sensitivity.Results: In general, TNBC could be classified into two metabolically distinct subtypes. C1 had high immune checkpoint genes expression and immune and stromal scores, demonstrating sensitivity to the treatment of PD-1 inhibitors. On the other hand, C2 displayed a high variation in metabolism pathways involved in carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. More importantly, C2 was a lack of immune signatures, with late pathological stage, low immune infiltration and poor prognosis. Interestingly, C2 had a high mutation frequency in PIK3CA, KMT2D, and KMT2C and displayed significant activation of the PI3K and angiogenesis pathways. As a final output, we created a 100-gene classifier to reliably differentiate the TNBC subtypes and AKR1B10 was a potential biomarker for C2 subtypes.Conclusion: In conclusion, we identified two subtypes with distinct metabolic phenotypes, provided novel insights into TNBC heterogeneity, and provided a theoretical foundation for therapeutic strategies.

Single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides a higher resolution of cellular differences than bulk RNA-seq, enabling the dissection of cell-type-specific responses to perturbations in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, cellular genomic features are highly heterogeneous and have a large number of genes without any expression signals, which hinders the statistical power to identify differentially expressed genes and may generate many false-positive results. To overcome this challenge, we conducted an integrative analysis on two PTC scRNA-seq datasets and cross-validated consistent differential expression. By combining results from 32 common cell types in the two studies, we identified 31 consistently differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across seven cell types, including B cells, endothelial cells, epithelial cells, monocytes, NK cells, smooth muscle cells, and T cells. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that these genes are important for the adaptive immune response and autoimmune thyroid diseases. The additional disease-free survival analysis also confirmed that these 31 genes significantly affected patient survival time in large scale thyroid cancer cohort. Furthermore, we experimentally validated one of the top consistent DEGs as a potential biomarker gene of PTC epithelial cells, KRT7, which may be a upstream gene for the NF-κB signaling pathway. The result shows that KRT7 may promote thyroid cancer metastasis through the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and NF-κB signaling pathway. In summary, our single-cell transcriptome integration-based approach may provide insights into the important role of NF-κB in the underlying biology of the PTC.

Mg-Gd-Y-Mn-Sc alloys with different Mn + Sc contents were prepared by hot extrusion and ageing treatment. The effect of Mn + Sc additions on the microstructures, tensile properties, and corresponding strengthening mechanisms of the as-extruded and peak-aged Mg-Gd-Y-Mn-Sc alloys were systematically investigated. Mn + Sc additions had outstanding grain refinement effect on the homogenized alloy and promoted the supersaturation of the Gd and Y atoms in α-Mg matrix, facilitating the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and dynamic precipitation during hot extrusion. The DRX mainly occurs via discontinuous DRX (D-DRX) and continuous DRX (C-DRX) mechanisms. The as-extruded alloy with higher Mn + Sc contents exhibits better strength-ductility balance with a tensile yield strength of 337 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 406 MPa and elongation to failure of 10.8%, which is mainly attributed to higher DRX fraction and denser dynamically precipitated particles. The Mn + Sc additions benefits the age-hardening response and notably improves the tensile yield strength to be 484 MPa for the peak-aged alloys by ageing precipitation and GB solute segregation, which is superior than previously reported Mg-RE-Mn alloys.

Cardiomyocytes can be readily derived from human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines, yet its efficacy varies across different batches of the same and different hiPSC lines. To unravel the inconsistencies of in vitro cardiac differentiation, we utilized single cell transcriptomics on hiPSCs undergoing cardiac differentiation and identified cardiac and extra-cardiac lineages throughout differentiation. We further identified APLNR as a surface marker for in vitro cardiac progenitors and immunomagnetically isolated them. Differentiation of isolated in vitro APLNR+ cardiac progenitors derived from multiple hiPSC lines resulted in predominantly cardiomyocytes accompanied with cardiac mesenchyme. Transcriptomic analysis of differentiating in vitro APLNR+ cardiac progenitors revealed transient expression of cardiac progenitor markers before further commitment into cardiomyocyte and cardiac mesenchyme. Analysis of in vivo human and mouse embryo single cell transcriptomic datasets have identified APLNR expression in early cardiac progenitors of multiple lineages. This platform enables generation of in vitro cardiac progenitors from multiple hiPSC lines without genetic manipulation, which has potential applications in studying cardiac development, disease modelling and cardiac regeneration.

Recent works have experimentally proven that metal matrix composites (MMCs) with network architecture present improved strength–ductility match. It is envisaged that the performance of architecturally designed composites is particularly sensitive to reinforcement strength. Here, reinforcing particles with various fracture strengths were introduced in numerical models of composites with network particle distribution. The results revealed that a low particle strength (1 GPa) led to early-stage failure and brittle fracture. Nevertheless, a high particle strength (5 GPa) delayed the failure behavior and led to ductile fracture at the SiC/Al–Al macro-interface areas. Therefore, the ultimate tensile strengths (UTS) of the network SiC/Al composites increased from 290 to 385 MPa, with rising particle strength from 1 to 5 GPa. Based on the composite property, different particle fracture threshold strengths existed for homogeneous (~2.7 GPa) and network (~3.7 GPa) composites. The higher threshold strength in network composites was related to the increased stress concentration induced by network architecture. Unfortunately, the real fracture strength of the commercial SiC particle is 1–2 GPa, implying that it is possible to select a high-strength particle necessary for efficient network architecture design.

According to the Medium and long-term oil and gas pipeline network planning issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, and National Energy Administration in 2017, the oil and gas pipeline network will achieve a multiplier development, and thus the safety management, operation and maintenance of construction site in the construction and operation periods of long-distance oil and gas pipeline will be concerned by the operators. The construction site of pipeline industry has the characteristics of multipoint, diversity, repeatability and so on. Although many intelligent construction methods of automation, informatization and intelligence have been integrated into the construction site, it is still difficult to achieve the targeted design and construction. Herein, the concept of intelligent construction site based on pipeline characteristics and full life cycle of project was defined, the recommended design framework for intelligent construction site of pipeline at all levels was formed, the modular construction method forintelligent construction site of pipeline was established, and the modular design scheme for intelligent construction site of pipeline was evaluated by the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method. This method could effectively improve the efficiency of intelligentconstruction site of pipeline, and unify the differences between different operators and development organizationsduring construction, which is conductive to ensure the quality, safety and progress of long-distance oil and gas pipeline construction site, and improve the energy efficiency of site management.

Purpose – This study aims to propose a semiempirical and semitheoretical cyclic compaction constitutive model of coarse-grained soil filler for the high-speed railway (HSR) subgrade under cyclic load. Design/methodology/approach – According to the basic framework of critical state soil mechanics and in view of the characteristics of the coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade to bear the train vibration load repeatedly for a long time, the hyperbolic empirical relationship between particle breakage and plastic work was derived. Considering the influence of cyclic vibration time and stress ratio, the particle breakage correction function of coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade under cyclic load was proposed. According to the classical theory of plastic mechanics, the shearing dilatation equation of the coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade considering particle breakage was modified and obtained. A semiempirical and semitheoretical cyclic compaction constitutive model of coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade under cyclic load was further established. The backward Euler method was used to discretize the constitutive equation, build a numerical algorithm of “elastic prediction and plastic modification” and make a secondary development of the program to solve the cyclic compaction model. Findings – Through the comparison with the result of laboratory triaxial test under the cyclic loading of coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade, the accuracy and applicability of the cyclic compaction model were verified. Results show that the model can accurately predict the cumulative deformation characteristics of coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade under the train vibration loading repeatedly for a long time. It considers the effects of particle breakage and stress ratio, which can be used to calculate and analyze the stress and deformation evolution law of the subgrade structure for HSR. Originality/value – The research can provide a simple and practical method for calculating deformation of railway under cyclic loading.

The coordinated development of jobs and housing spaces is of great importance for the rational allocation of urban functions and residents' quality of life. We focus on the measurement of the spatial relationship between working and living space in a mountainous city and the impact of industrial and topographic factors, with the main city of Chongqing as the study area. Using the employed population and residential population as identified by Baidu Huiyan, this paper analyzes the relationship between jobs and housing spaces in the central city of Chongqing by calculating the degree of job-housing deviation, dividing the study area into three groups: the Employment-Dominant Area (EDA), the Balanced Area (BA), and the Residential-Dominant Area (RDA). Factor analysis and window analysis are then applied to explore the impact of industrial and topographic factors on job-housing space based on the Fourth National Economic Census. We find that, first, the spatial distributions of employment and the residential population in the central city of Chongqing are basically the same, showing the characteristics of "high in the middle and low around" and a polycentric spatial structure; there is spatial overlap between the areas with the densest employment and residential population, such as Jiefangbei, Qixinggang, and Nanping. Second, the job-housing space in Chongqing is basically balanced; the deviation of work and residence in most suburban districts is not obvious. The sub-districts with the highest Standard Deviation (SD) are mainly concentrated in the employment-dominant areas within the outer ring, while a few are distributed in the residential-dominant areas. The multi-center structure shows a low job-housing balance in the main center (Jiefangbei) and a high job-housing balance in the four sub-centers. Third, industrial factors and relief amplitude have a great impact on job-housing balance in Chongqing's main urban area. Using SD as the dependent variable can better explain the influencing factors. The integrated service industry factor and the production service industry factor exacerbate the separation of jobs and residences because of their ability to attract the employment population. In the meantime, the social service industry factor, manufacturing factor, and relief amplitude reduce the difference between jobs and residences. In addition, urban spatial structure, traffic patterns, government planning, and residents' attributes are important factors shaping the job-housing space in the Chongqing main area.

Solid-state refrigeration technology is expected to replace conventional gas compression refrigeration technology because it is environmentally friendly and highly efficient. Among various solid-state magnetocaloric materials, Ni-Mn-based ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (SMAs) have attracted widespread attention due to their multifunctional properties, such as their magnetocaloric effect, elastocaloric effect, barocaloric effect, magnetoresistance, magnetic field-induced strain, etc. Recently, a series of in-depth studies on the thermal effects of Ni-Mn-based magnetic SMAs have been carried out, and numerous research results have been obtained. It has been found that poor toughness and cyclic stability greatly limit the practical application of magnetic SMAs in solid-state refrigeration. In this review, the influences of element doping, microstructure design, and the size effect on the strength and toughness of Ni-Mn-based ferromagnetic SMAs and their underlying mechanisms are systematically summarized. The pros and cons of different methods in enhancing the toughness of Ni-Mn-based SMAs are compared, and the unresolved issues are analyzed. The main research directions of Ni-Mn-based ferromagnetic SMAs are proposed and discussed, which are of scientific and technological significance and could promote the application of Ni-Mn-based ferromagnetic SMAs in various fields.

The interaction between soil and structure is a research hotspot in ocean engineering, and the shear performance of interfaces is an essential factor affecting the bearing capacity of offshore structures. Taking the Yellow River Underwater Delta as the research area, the Softening/Hardening damage model of the silt–steel interface and the determination method of model parameters are proposed based on the statistical damage theory. Through the interface monotonic shear test under the conditions of different normal stress, roughness and water content, the shear mechanical properties and volumetric deformation laws on the silt–steel interface are analyzed, and the damage model parameters are obtained. Finally, a FRIC subroutine for the damage model was developed based on ABAQUS. The research results indicate the following: (1) The interface between silt and steel exhibits two characteristics, softening/hardening and shear shrinkage/expansion, under different conditions. Roughness significantly impacts interfacial cohesion, while water content mainly affects the internal friction angle. (2) The softening model based on the classic rock damage model can better simulate the stress–strain relationship of the silt–steel interface under high normal stress and low water content. In contrast, the hardening model based on the classic hyperbola model can better simulate the stress–strain relationship under low normal stress and high water content. The calculated results of the softening/hardening model agree with the experimental results, and the model has 7 parameters. (3) The developed FRIC subroutine can effectively simulate the nonlinear mechanical behavior of the interface between silt and steel. The research results provide a reference for exploring the stability analysis of offshore structures considering interface weakening effects.

Abstract Metals fluorides (MFs) are potential conversion cathodes to replace commercial intercalation cathodes. However, the application of MFs is impeded by their poor electronic/ionic conductivity and severe decomposition of electrolyte. Here, a composite cathode of FeF2 and polymer‐derived carbon (FeF2@PDC) with excellent cycling performance is reported. The composite cathode is composed of nanorod‐shaped FeF2 embedded in PDC matrix with excellent mechanical strength and electronic/ionic conductivity. The FeF2@PDC enables a reversible capacity of 500 mAh g–1 with a record long cycle lifetime of 1900 cycles. Remarkably, the FeF2@PDC can be cycled at a record rate of 60 C with a reversible capacity of 107 mAh g–1 after 500 cycles. Advanced electron microscopy reveals that the in situ formation of stable Fe3O4 layers on the surface of FeF2 prevents the electrolyte decomposition and leaching of iron (Fe), thus enhancing the cyclability. The results provide a new understanding to FeF2 electrochemistry, and a strategy to radically improve the electrochemical performance of FeF2 cathode for lithium‐ion battery applications.

In this paper, a wide-angle frequency-scanning array antenna is presented for three-dimensional (3D) radar. Initially, a modified composite right/left-handed (CRLH) unit cell based on a dual-layer finger-connected interdigital capacitor (FCIDC) is analyzed. Compared with its conventional counterpart, the proposed unit cell eliminates the undesired high-order resonances and has a lower right/left-handed passband. Then, a broadband frequency-scanning feeding network, which has a large scanning angle, is designed using the proposed CRLH unit cell. The responses of the four output ports indicate that the network can offer desired amplitude and phase difference to scan towards both negative and positive elevation angles. To validate its performance, a tightly coupled planar quasi-Yagi antenna array is fed to synthesize an array antenna. The measured results show that the designed array antenna has an impedance bandwidth ($\vert \text{S}_{11}\vert

With the rapid increasing mileage of China’s long-distance oil and gas pipelines, the intersection construction with other civil engineering, encroachment by invading the pipeline route, and other third-part problems occurred occasionally. Heavy vehicles rolling the serving pipeline have become one of the inevitable safety risks. The field test method of three in-service long oil and gas pipelines under heavy vehicle rolling is elaborated. The pipeline stress and soil pressure during tests are monitored and analyzed. The parametric model of pipe mechanical response under heavy vehicle rolling and stacking load is established, and the quantitative feedback of each parameter on pipeline stress safety response under heavy vehicle rolling is formed. The results show that the influence factors such as vehicle weight, vehicle speed, buried depth of pipeline, horizontal distance and cover plate on the stress state, vertical displacement state, and contact stress of pipe soil interface are highly consistent with the finite element method and test method, which could be a guideline for the safety assessment at rolling site.

Wayside acoustic detection is a promising technology for railway-vehicle bearing health monitoring due to its merits of non-conduct measurement, low cost, and early warning capacity. However, the diagnostic accuracy will be reduced by the problems of strong background noise and Doppler distortion. Considering the super spatial directivity ability of the microphone array, in this paper, a uniform rectangular array (URA) and an optimal spatial filter (OSF) based on the principle of minimum variance distortion-less response (MVDR) are designed to improve the diagnostic accuracy. Compared with the traditional single microphone and linear array, spatial directivity can be improved significantly so that the better anti-noise performance and higher diagnostic accuracy can be achieved. First, a URA consisting of 15 microphone elements arranged into five columns and three rows is designed to capture the wayside acoustic signal. Second, the direction angle of the target moving sound source with high accuracy is calculated at different times. Third, an OSF based on the principle of the MVDR is designed to extract the target sound source signal. Fourth, Doppler effect embedded in the filtered signal is eliminated using the MVDR spectrum estimation and resampling method. Finally, the diagnosis decision is made through an envelope spectrum analysis. The comparative simulation and experimental case studies are carried out to verify the effectiveness and improvement of the proposed method.

Given a pair of facial images, it is an interesting yet challenging problem to determine if there is a kin relation between them. Recent research on that topic has made encouraging progress by learning a kin similarity metric from kinship data. However, most of the existing metric learning algorithms cannot handle hard samples very well, i.e., some ambiguous test pairs cannot be well classified due to some compounding factors, such as the large age gap or gender difference between the parents and children. To address this, we propose an Adversarial Similarity Metric Learning (ASML) method in this paper. More specifically, ASML consists of two adversarial phases: confusion and discrimination. In confusion phase, ambiguous adversarial pairs are automatically generated to challenge the learned similarity metric; while in discrimination phase, the learned metric tries its best to adjust itself to distinguish both the original pairs and the generated adversarial pairs. Consequently, a robust and discriminative similarity metric can be learned by iteratively performing the two adversarial phases. Experiments on the two widely used kinship datasets demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed ASML method in comparison with the state-of-the-art metric learning solutions to kinship verification.

For the sake of enhancing hardness and wear resistance of Ti based materials, 50 vol% (TiB + TiC)/Ti64 composite coatings with different TiB/TiC ratios were fabricated by gas tungsten arc cladding (GTAC) on the network structured 3.5 vol% TiBw (TiB whisker)/Ti64 substrate. The results showed that primary TiB and TiC exhibited much larger sizes than their eutectic counterparts, and the two-scale reinforcements formed by the dissolution-precipitation mechanism predominated the hybrid coatings. In particular, most TiC was embedded within the TiB prism displaying an intergrowth structure with “dissimilar-joining” characteristic, which contributed to the hardness and wear resistance improvement. The remarkable hardness improvement was attributed to the following three-fold mechanisms: (a) load transfer strengthening from the primary TiB and TiC; (b) Orowan strengthening from the eutectics; and (c) Hall-Petch strengthening from the refined Ti64 matrix. Moreover, the plastic deformation resistance was significantly improved by the hybrid reinforcements, leading to the enhanced the anti-abrasion performance. Consequently, the coating exhibited a comparatively low wear rate (7.35 × 10−5 mm3·N−1·m−1) compared with the substrate (54.89 × 10−5 mm3·N−1·m−1), and the corresponded wear mechanisms are summarized as: brittle debonding, oxidation and slight micro-ploughing. Keywords: Titanium matrix composite coatings, Hybrid TiB + TiC reinforcements, Gas tungsten arc cladding, Microstructure, Hardness, Wear

In order to improve ductility and toughness, ductile Ti layer was introduced into TiB reinforced Ti-6.58Al-1.76Zr-0.89Mo-1.04V (TiB/TA15) composite and constructed a laminated structure. The bending ductility and toughness of the as-fabricated laminated composites were tripled compared with the TiB/TA15 composite. Elements diffusion between adjacent layers during sintering process strengthened the ductile Ti layer, and provided extra back stress strengthening effect. Crack blunting and crack deflection by the ductile Ti layer also contributed to the property enhancement. The laminated composite exhibited an interface bonding strength of 870 MPa. As a result, no interface delamination was observed, which ensured that the ductility of the introduced Ti layers were fully tapped. Increasing the TiB/TA15 layer thickness enhanced the bending strength but deteriorated the ductility and toughness. In addition, sandwich structured composites were also prepared, and the stacking sequence exhibited noticeable effect on the bending behaviors of these composites. This impact was mainly attributed to the altering of fracture sequence of layers in the specimen. For sandwich structured composites, the change of layer thickness ratio and stacking sequence resulted in various profiles of bending curves

Background To understand the intrinsic cardiac developmental and functional abnormalities in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PAIVS) free from effects secondary to anatomic defects, we performed and compared single‐cell transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses of patient‐ and healthy subject–derived human‐induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC‐CMs) and engineered tissue models. Methods and Results We derived hiPSC lines from 3 patients with PAIVS and 3 healthy subjects and differentiated them into hiPSC‐CMs, which were then bioengineered into the human cardiac anisotropic sheet and human cardiac tissue strip custom‐designed for electrophysiological and contractile assessments, respectively. Single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) of hiPSC‐CMs, human cardiac anisotropic sheet, and human cardiac tissue strip was performed to examine the transcriptomic basis for any phenotypic abnormalities using pseudotime and differential expression analyses. Through pseudotime analysis, we demonstrated that bioengineered tissue constructs provide pro‐maturational cues to hiPSC‐CMs, although the maturation and development were attenuated in PAIVS hiPSC‐CMs. Furthermore, reduced contractility and prolonged contractile kinetics were observed with PAIVS human cardiac tissue strips. Consistently, single‐cell RNA sequencing of PAIVS human cardiac tissue strips and hiPSC‐CMs exhibited diminished expression of cardiac contractile apparatus genes. By contrast, electrophysiological aberrancies were absent in PAIVS human cardiac anisotropic sheets. Conclusions Our findings were the first to reveal intrinsic abnormalities of cardiomyocyte development and function in PAIVS free from secondary effects. We conclude that hiPSC‐derived engineered tissues offer a unique method for studying primary cardiac abnormalities and uncovering pathogenic mechanisms that underlie sporadic congenital heart diseases.

Homogeneous dispersion of high-content graphene nano-platelet (GNP) in metals is challenging due to the serious aggregation tendency of graphene. Traditional secondary processing such as extrusion usually has too limited shear strains to reach a desirable GNP dispersion state. Our previous work demonstrated that 1.0 vol% GNP/Al composite was successfully produced via multiple wire-drawing at ambient temperature. However, the fabrication of 5.0 vol% GNP/Al composite was not successful because of the limited cumulative shear strains. Here we described fully dispersed state of 5.0 vol% GNP in Al by hot-drawing at an elevated temperature 400 °C. The evolution of the microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated in relation to the number of drawing passes. The ultra-fine grains with size 372 nm were obtained via dynamic recrystallization after drawing for six passes (cumulative strain 94%). In particular, stripping of the GNP into thin layers and their preferential alignment in the wire axis occurred during the shear deformation. As a result, 5.0 vol% GNP/Al composite produced by six-pass drawing possessed improved yield strength (σs, 449 MPa) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS, 461 MPa). The results demonstrated the feasibility of dispersing high-content GNP in aluminum alloys by extrusion followed by multi-pass hot drawing techniques.

Although biomimetic stimuli, such as microgroove-induced alignment (μ), triiodothyronine (T3) induction, and electrical conditioning (EC), have been reported to promote maturation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs), a systematic examination of their combinatorial effects on engineered cardiac tissue constructs and the underlying molecular pathways has not been reported. Herein, human embryonic stem cell-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes (hESC-VCMs) were used to generate a micro-patterned human ventricular cardiac anisotropic sheets (hvCAS) for studying the physiological effects of combinatorial treatments by a range of functional, calcium (Ca2+)-handling, and molecular analyses. High-resolution optical mapping showed that combined μ-T3-EC treatment of hvCAS increased the conduction velocity, anisotropic ratio, and proportion of mature quiescent-yet-excitable preparations by 2. 3-, 1. 8-, and 5-fold (>70%), respectively. Such electrophysiological changes could be attributed to an increase in inward sodium current density and a decrease in funny current densities, which is consistent with the observed up- and downregulated SCN1B and HCN2/4 transcripts, respectively. Furthermore, Ca2+-handling transcripts encoding for phospholamban (PLN) and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) were upregulated, and this led to faster upstroke and decay kinetics of Ca2+-transients. RNA-sequencing and pathway mapping of T3-EC-treated hvCAS revealed that the TGF-β signaling was downregulated; the TGF-β receptor agonist and antagonist TGF-β1 and SB431542 partially reversed T3-EC induced quiescence and reduced spontaneous contractions, respectively. Taken together, we concluded that topographical cues alone primed cardiac tissue constructs for augmented electrophysiological and calcium handling by T3-EC. Not only do these studies improve our understanding of hPSC-CM biology, but the orchestration of these pro-maturational factors also improves the use of engineered cardiac tissues for in vitro drug screening and disease modeling.

The effect of 0–1.0 at.% Al additions on grain refinement and phase transformation of the Mg-2.0Gd-1.2Y-0.5Zn-0.2Mn (at.%) alloy containing a long period stacking ordered (LPSO) phase was investigated in this work. The addition of Al promoted the formation of the Al2RE phase in the Mg-2.0Gd-1.2Y-0.5Zn-0.2Mn (at.%) alloy, and the dominant secondary phases in the as-cast Mg-2.0Gd-1.2Y-0.5Zn-0.2Mn-1.0Al (at.%) alloy were the Mg3RE phase, LPSO phase, and Al2RE phase. With increased Al addition, the area fraction of the Al2RE phase increased monotonously, while the area fraction of LPSO phase and Mg3RE phase decreased gradually. The orientation relationship between the Al2RE phase and the α-Mg matrix was determined to be Al2RE//2¯0>α-Mg, {101}Al2RE//{101¯0}α-Mg, which was not affected by Zn and Mn concentrations in the Al2RE phase. Since the Al2RE particles with a size more than 6 μm located at the center of grains could act as nucleants for α-Mg grains, the average grain size of the as-cast alloys decreased from 276 μm to 49 μm after 1.0% Al addition. The effect of the Al addition on the grain refinement of the Mg-2.0Gd-1.2Y-0.5Zn-0.2Mn alloy was comparable to that of the Zr refined counterpart.

The effects of La addition on the microstructure, thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-3Al-xLa-0.3Mn (x = 1, 3 and 5 wt.%) alloys were studied. The results showed that the thermal conductivity of the alloys increased with the addition of La element, which was due to the formation of the Al11La3 phases by consuming the solute Al and the added La element. The yield strength of the as-cast Mg-3Al-xLa-0.3Mn alloys increased with the increase in La concentration. The thermal conductivity of the as-extruded alloys was lower than that of as-cast counterparts owing to lots of defects generated in the process of hot extrusion deformation, particularly the grain boundaries. The anisotropy of thermal conductivity was discovered in the as-extruded alloys on account of the formation of texture. As the La content increases, the tensile strength and yield strength of the as-extruded alloys decreased gradually. In contrast, the elongation first increased and then decreased, resulting from the combined effect of the texture strengthening and second phase strengthening.