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Traditional graphene-based films normally possess high thermal conductivity (TC) only along a single direction, which is not suitable for thermal interface materials (TIMs). Here, a graphene film with excellent bidirectional TC and mechanical properties was prepared by hot-pressing super-elastic graphene aerogel (SEGA). Thermal annealing at 1800 °C improves the further restacking of graphene sheets, bringing high structure stability to SEGA for enduring the hot-pressing process. The junctions and nodes between the graphene layers in the hot-pressed SEGA (HPSEGA) film provide bidirectional heat transport paths. The in-plane TC and through-plane TC of HPSEGA film with a thickness of 101 μm reach 740 Wm−1K−1 and 42.5 Wm−1K−1, respectively. In addition, HPSEGA film with higher thickness still maintains excellent thermal transport properties due to the interconnected structure reducing the effect of the defects. The infrared thermal images visually manifest the excellent thermal-transfer capability and thermal-dissipation efficiency of the HPSEGA films, indicating the great potential as advanced bidirectional TIMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the impact of the glass network‐modifier cation field strength (CFS) on ion irradiation‐induced mechanical property changes in borosilicate (BS) glasses for the ternary M2O–B2O3–SiO2 systems with M = {Na, K, Rb} and the quaternary [0.5M(2)O–0.5Na2O]–B2O3–SiO2 systems with M = {Li, Na, K, Rb Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba}. 11B nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments on the as‐prepared BS glasses yielded the fractional population of four‐coordinated B species (B[4]) out of all {B[3], B[4]} groups in the glass network, along with the fraction of B[4]–O–Si linkages out of all B[4]–O–Si/B bonds. Both parameters correlated linearly with the (average) CFS of the M+ and/or {M(2)+, Na+} cations. Both the nanoindentation‐derived hardness and Young's modulus values of the glasses reduced upon their irradiation by Si2+ ions, with the property deterioration decreasing linearly with increasing Mz+ CFS, that is, for higher Mz+⋅⋅⋅O interaction strength. The irradiation damage of the glass network also increased linearly with the fraction of B[4]–O–Si linkages, which are the second weakest in the structure after the Mz+⋅⋅⋅O bonds. Our results underscore the advantages of employing BS glasses with high‐CFS cations for enhancing the radiation resistance for nuclear waste storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of the radiation resistance of zirconolite glass-ceramic is significant to it serves as the first barrier for high-level waste (HLW). The evolutions in the morphology and chemical composition of a Ce-bearing zirconolite glass-ceramic induced by 15 MeV Si-ion-irradiation were studied in this paper. The swelling of the glass matrix, amorphization, and shape change of the zirconolite phase were identified after irradiation. The chemical compositions of both zirconolite and glass matrix were changed and more Ce was incorporated into the glass. These modifications induced by ion irradiation were discussed in detail combined with thermal-spike model calculations, suggesting that the electronic energy deposition also can play a dominant role in the evolutions of both the morphology and the chemical composition of the ion irradiated zirconolite glass-ceramic. These results are extremely important for understanding the microstructural evolutions of zirconolite glass-ceramic in a strong radiation environment. • Morphology and chemical composition changes of the zirconolite glass-ceramic induced by Si-ion-irradiation were studied. • Numerous micro-bumps induced by the swelling of the glass matrix were observed on the irradiated surface. • The amorphization and shape change of the zirconolite were identified after irradiation. • The chemical compositions of both phases were changed and more amount of Ce element was incorporated into the glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low impact development (LID) provides a new way to address the problems of urban nonpoint source pollution and storm flood management. Implementation of LID measures is challenging due to the variation of characteristics in different watersheds, such as budget, size, number, location, and combination. Traditional bioretention soil media (BSM) is defined as a mixture in which the mass ratio of local river sand, soil, and wood chips is 65∶30∶5. A certain proportion of modifiers with better adsorption effects was added to the traditional BSM to prepare an improved BSM. The media infiltration capacity, ponding depth, and discharge ratio (catchment area/facility area) were key design parameters affecting watershed management of urban hydrologics in loess regions. Therefore, a numerical calculation method of ponding depth and discharge ratio was proposed in this study to evaluate the effects of media modification on the system. Under the design condition of a 60-min rainfall duration and two-year recurrence interval, a limitation of the ponding depth and duration to 15 cm and 20 min, respectively, should result in the discharge ratios of planting soil, BSM+10% water treatment residuals (WTR), and BSM+10% fly ash to be ≤5∶1 , ≤20∶1 , and ≤10∶1 , respectively. The sensitive parameters were identified and verified through a pilot test and soil physical model HYDRUS simulation, in which the calibrated and validated model can be used to predict the thickness of modified media under different runoff volume and pollutant reduction design objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fermentation to produce the alcoholic liquor baijiu, sorghum starch is the main carbohydrate source, being hydrolyzed and converted into ethanol and aromatics. The mechanisms of starch hydrolysis which affect fermentation quality and efficiency are not fully understood. To investigate this, three sorghum varieties were used as fermentation material, with two fermentation methods. Changes in the amounts of various components and in starch molecular structure in lees (sediment) during fermentation were investigated. The lees from waxy sorghum had higher fermentation rates and saccharification power than those from normal sorghum in the early stage of fermentation, but decreased below those of normal sorghum in the end stage of fermentation, due to increased accumulation of acid, which inhibited enzyme activities, and even stopped fermentation. The chain-length distributions of both amylopectin and amylose in the lees did not show significant changes with fermentation, showing that starch in sorghum grain cannot be hydrolyzed directly, but only by hydrolysis of starch leached from the grain into the water; this is in accord with data from electron micrographs indicating that starch hydrolysis happened in the leachate rather than in the lees. This information can help manufacturers fine-tune their processes to improve production processes and product. [Display omitted] • Starch molecular structure affects the process and final product of the liquor baijiu. • Components, acidity and enzyme-mixture activity changes during fermentation were measured. • Higher amylopectin content first increased fermentation rate, and then decreased it. • Starch fine structure showed starch was insignificantly hydrolyzed in fermentation. • The brewing method affected acid resistance, starch usage and fermentation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persulfate oxidants are widely used in soil remediation and wastewater treatment but perform poorly in degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), especially heavy fractions in solids. Herein, we propose the utilization of a green peroxymonosulfate-ferrate-FeS (PFI) oxidant as a promising process aid for remediating soils contaminated with heavy petroleum components, including asphaltenes and resins. The PFI oxidant could degrade heavy petroleum fractions because of dual activation of the peroxymonosulfate and ferrate by FeS at ambient conditions. Nevertheless, when dealing with soil with high oil content (>10%), the degradation efficiency remains limited (<30%) regardless of the quantity of oxidants employed. Surface elemental analysis shows that a coating of secondary products (Fe(OH) 3 , Fe 2 O 3) on the surface and in pores of the soil-pollutant matrix explains the failure of oxidation and inefficient use of oxidant. To address this issue, a strategy of pre-solvent extraction-oxidation hybrid process with sequent acidic washing is proposed, where dichloromethane serves as the solvent, and PFI acts as the oxidant. In this system over 90% of the oil could be recovered with an oxidation efficiency of 80% by alleviating the problem of iron oxide coating the matrix surface. The oxidant consumption is also reduced to 70 wt% of the sludge. The PFI oxidant is found to exhibit excellent universality in treating oily sludge with low petroleum content (<2%), reducing the petroleum content in the residue to less than 0.3 wt% (meeting the national standards). The degradation of low oil content sludge by the PFI oxidant followed pseudo first-order kinetics. These findings not only elucidate the failure of PFI oxidation for high oil content oily sludge and identify its potential engineering application range, but also offer a practical strategy for processing petroleum-contaminated soil with varying oil contents through wet oxidation. [Display omitted] • A peroxysulfate-ferrate-FeS (PFI) oxidant can remediate heavy oil-contaminated soil. • The presence of secondary products contributes to the failure of PFI oxidation. • A pre-solvent extraction-oxidation hybrid process can address oxidation failure and achieve oil recovery. • PFI oxidation effectively remediated soil containing less than 2% oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Screening suitable plants that can facilitate decontamination and sustainably harvest electricity plays a crucial role in phyto-power integrated with bioelectrochemical systems (BES). Here, four plant-integrated microbial fuel cell (PMFCs) were assembled to assess decontamination and power generation performance within micro-contaminated water. The results demonstrated the Hydrocotyle vulgaris L. -MFC exhibited exceptional performance, achieving optimal removal rates of 53.17% for COD, 88.35% for TN, 80.51% for NO 3 −-N, 98.56% for NO 2 −-N, and 99.89% for NH 4 +-N, respectively. The same tendency is observed for power generation performance. It is attributed that plant introduction could enhance the enrichment of the exoelectrogen in the rhizosphere. Furthermore, the dominant functional bacteria such as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Firmicutes, Bacteroidota and Chloroflexi contributing to nitrogen cycle, autotrophic denitrification, and organic matters degradation were observed in PMFCs significantly more than that of single MFC. The present study could provide brandnew technique reference for micro-polluted water remediation in real-world scenarios. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the problem of optimal supervisory control for cyclic tasks in the context of discrete-event systems (DES). We consider the completion of each single task as the visit of a marked state, and overall control objective is to complete tasks cyclically in the sense that marked states are visited infinitely often. Following the standard optimal supervisory control framework, two types of costs, disable cost and occurrence cost, are considered. However, instead of considering the standard accumulated total cost or the average cost per event, we consider the measure for the control performance using the average cost per task. We show that such an optimality measure is more suitable for tasks that need to be completed cyclically. Our goal is to design a live and non-blocking supervisor such that the average cost per task in the worst-case is minimized. To solve the problem, we propose a game-theoretical approach by converting the optimal control problem as a two-player graph game. Structural properties of the converted game are discussed. In particular, we show that this game can be solved by a set of mean payoff decision problems, for which effective algorithms exist. Our problem can be considered as a special instance of the general ratio-game in the literature. However, by exploring new structural property for this problem, we achieve superior computational efficiency when compared to the conventional solution designed for more general problem formulations. Illustrative examples are provided to demonstrate the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the cation field strength (CFS) of the glass network-modifier cations on the structure and properties of borosilicate glasses (BS) were examined for a large ensemble of mixed-cation (R /2) M (2) O–(R /2)Na 2 O–B 2 O 3 – K SiO 2 glasses with M + ={Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+} and M 2+ ={Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+} from four series of { K , R } combinations of K = n (SiO 2)/ n (B 2 O 3) = {2.0, 4.0} and R =[ n (M (2) O) ​+ ​ n (Na 2 O)]/ n (B 2 O 3) = {0.75, 2.1}. Combined with results from La3+ bearing glasses enabled the probing of physical-property variations across a wide CFS range, encompassing the glass transition temperature (T g), density, molar volume and compactness, as well as the hardness (H) and Young's modulus (E). We discuss the inferred composition–structure/CFS–property relationships. Each of T g , H , and E revealed a non-linear dependence against the CFS and a strong T g / H correlation, where each property is maximized for the largest alkaline-earth metal cations, i.e., Sr2+ and Ba2+, along with the high-CFS La3+ species. The 11B MAS NMR-derived fractional BO 4 populations decreased linearly with the average M z +/Na+ CFS within both K –0.75 glass branches, whereas the NBO-rich K –2.1 glasses manifested more complex trends. Comparisons with results from RM 2 O–B 2 O 3 – K SiO 2 glasses suggested no significant "mixed alkali effect". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide theoretical guidance and an experimental basis for a smart anti-corrosion coating of halloysite nanocontainers loaded with benzotriazole (BTA) inhibitors on copper in a marine corrosion environment. Design/methodology/approach: In the present study, the smart anti-corrosion coatings of halloysite nanocontainers loaded inhibitors on copper were synthesized by adding BTA inside the halloysite nanocontainers. Then, the halloysite carrier's surface topography and composition in the halloysite were observed using scanning electron microscopy. After the successful synthesis of the coating, the inhibitor's physical and chemical properties, as well as the mass change in halloysite, were evaluated in terms of temperature fluctuation and time using thermal gravity analysis (TGA). Finally, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to check the pH selectivity for the self-releasing of BTA out of the nanocontainers. Findings: The results indicate that the efficiency of the nanotubes was enhanced by calcination at high temperatures. The thermal gravity analysis by TGA shows that halloysite nanoparticles store inhibitors BTA and there are approximately 37.39 Wt.% BTA loaded in each nanocontainer. The release of the preloaded BTA from the halloysite nanocontainers is pH 7 in a 3.5% NaCl solution. Originality/value: The development of a new environmentally safe coating for corrosion protection of metallic surfaces has attracted great interest in material science over the past few years. At present, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) have become a research hotspot internationally and are widely used in nanocomposites, catalysis, nanofiltration, drug sustained-release and other fields. However, the application of HNT is limited by its modification methods. As the carrier of metal nanocorrosion inhibitor in the Marine corrosive environment, the modification research of HNT still needs to be further studied and improved so as to expand the practical application of HNT in the Marine corrosive environment. In this paper, the modification of HNTs was investigated and observed. Four different modification schemes were used to observe and compare the structural properties of the nanotubes under different conditions so as to provide a theoretical basis for the further loading of HNTs as corrosion inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the anti-impurity gas poisoning ability and hydrogen storage properties of Ti–Cr alloy by introducing zirconium as additive have been investigated. The results showed that all alloys had C14-type main phase and Ti minor phase. The lattice parameter a, c and cell volume of the C14-type phase rose as Zr content increased. Furthermore, after introducing Zr, all alloys could absorb hydrogen immediately without any prior heat treatment or hydrogen exposure with/without prolonged air exposure. The maximum hydrogen storage capacity and the average effective hydrogen storage capacity of TiCr 2 alloy also increased with Zr content. The cycle properties of all alloys with/without prolonged air exposure were also discussed. The results showed that all alloys had good cycle stability even if the alloys were exposed to the air for 2 days. The above results suggested that the addition of Zr had a positive effect on improving the hydrogen storage properties and anti-impurity gas poisoning properties of TiCr 2 alloy. Finally, the mechanisms of first hydrogenation kinetic of all alloys with/without prolonged air exposure were also investigated by using the rate limiting step. • Zr was introduced to Ti–Cr hydrogen storage alloys for the first time. • Adding Zr can improve first hydrogenation properties of TiCr 2 alloy. • The lattice parameters a and c of C14-type phase rise as Zr content increases. • Adding Zr can enhance anti-impurity gas poisoning properties of TiCr 2 alloy. • Alloys after adding Zr have good cycle stability with/without prolonged air exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a number of efficient iteration methods for the solution of a special class of block 3 × 3 saddle point systems have been proposed by some authors. In order to easily evaluate the strong stability of these numerical algorithms and provide a practical and reliable termination criterion, in this paper, we perform the structured backward error analysis for this type of block 3 × 3 saddle point system and present an explicit and computable formula of the normwise structured backward error. Some numerical experiments are performed to demonstrate that our results can be used to easily test the stability of running algorithms, and the new stopping criterion based on the derived structured backward error is more suitable and efficient than the commonly used residue-based one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The QX factorization of the centrosymmetric matrix is a structure-preserving QR factorization proposed by Konrad Burnik. In this paper, we first propose a sufficient condition for the uniqueness of this decomposition. Then, using the refined matrix equation approach, we derive the first-order normwise perturbation bounds convenient for computation for the QX factorization. Using the matrix-vector equation approach and the modified matrix-vector equation approach, we obtain the optimal first-order normwise perturbation bounds. Moreover, the normwise condition numbers for the QX factorization are also presented. Some numerical examples are given to illustrate our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The mechanical and structural property changes were investigated in an iron phosphate glass irradiated by 5 MeV Xe-ion. • Property degradation is predominantly caused by collision-induced bond rupture. • The self-recovery effect in hardness change is attributed to ionization-induced defect healing. • Iron phosphate glass demonstrates enhanced resistance against ion irradiation. We investigated the irradiation effects of a ternary 36Fe 2 O 3 −10B 2 O 3 –54P 2 O 5 glass (in molar percent; denoted as "10B") which has been deemed as an advanced candidate for high-level nuclear waste in recent years. The mechanical property changes upon 5.0 MeV Xe20+-ion irradiation were studied by nanoindentation, and the structural response was studied by grazing-incidence X-ray diffractometer (GIXRD) and Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy (μFTIR). Both hardness and Young's modulus decreased after irradiation, and the saturated variations (–24 % for hardness and –5 % for modulus) are lower than those of international simplified glass (ISG). The 10B glass also manifests an extended lifespan over ISG in terms of mechanical durability. The GIXRD confirms that the sample remains amorphous even irradiated after the maximum dose, while the μFTIR-derived structure changes suggest a depolymerized P-network, a P–B demixture, and a decreased boron coordination number, which should be the main cause of the mentioned mechanical property changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiCr 2 with adding different amount of Mn (0, 2, 4 and 8 wt.%) alloys have been investigated. All alloys have C14-type main phase (gray color in SEM) and Ti minor phase (dark gray color in SEM). Rietveld fitting results proved that the lattice parameter a and cell volume of C14-type phase decreased with increasing Mn content. The first hydrogenation measurement manifest that all alloys have best activation properties and could be activated without any prior heat treatment and hydrogen exposure. However, introducing Mn led to the decrease of the first hydrogen absorption rate of TiCr 2 alloy, which may be due to the decrease of cell volume of C14-type main phase. The first hydrogenation properties at low temperature and effect of air exposure of the alloy were discussed. The results showed that the maximum hydrogen absorption capacity at 0 °C was obviously higher than that at room temperature. In addition, TiCr 2 alloy doped with minor amounts of Mn after long-time air exposure showed better hydrogenation performance. This may be due to the Mn additive acting as a deoxidizer. Finally, the first hydrogenation kinetic mechanisms of all alloys at different temperature were also studied by using the rate limiting step. • Mn was introduced to improve the activation properties of TiCr 2 alloys. • Alloy with Mn can be activated without any heat treatment and hydrogen exposure. • Crystal structure affects hydrogen storage properties of TiCr 2 alloys. • First hydrogen absorption rate decreased after adding Mn. • Alloy exhibits good low-temperature hydrogen absorption performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of low b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for detection of inflamed vessels in active Takayasu arteritis (TA). Methods: Forty patients with active TA involving the thoracic aorta and its super-aortic branches underwent low b-value (50 s/mm2) DWI, T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), and delayed enhancement T1-weighted imaging (DEI). Corresponding images on these 3 sequences at the same diseased level were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively using Friedman and Kruskal-Wallis test, and the agreement between them in detection of inflamed vessels was assessed using Cochran's Q test. Results: The overall image quality of DEI, DWI, and T2WI was scored 7.97 ± 1.15, 7.32 ± 1.73, and 6.51 ± 1.69 respectively. The score of DEI and DWI was higher than that of T2WI (p < 0.001). The quality of blood suppression was rated higher in DWI than T2WI and DEI (p < 0.001). Both the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the diseased vessel walls measured on DEI and DWI were significantly higher than those on T2WI (p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in SNR and CNR between DEI and DWI (p = 0.283 and 0.063). In detection of mural inflammation, significant advantage was observed when comparing the findings from DEI/DWI to those from T2WI (p < 0.001). But no significant difference was found between the findings of DWI and DEI (p > 0.99). Conclusions: Low b-value DWI may be used as a promising alternative to DEI for detecting inflamed vessels in active TA. Key Points: • Currently, the most widely used imaging modality in detection of mural inflammation is contrast-enhanced MRI. • Low b-value DWI is shown comparable to contrast-enhanced MRI and superior to T2WI in identifying mural inflammation in patients with active Takayasu arteritis. • Low b-value DWI is a fast and unenhanced MRI technique which may potentially replace contrast-enhanced MRI in identifying disease activity of Takayasu arteritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progressively restoration of degraded vegetation in semiarid and arid desertified areas undoubtedly formed different habitat types. The most plants regulate their growth by fixing carbon with their energy deriving from photosynthesis; carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) play the crucial role in regulating plant growth, community structure, and function in the vegetation restoration progress. However, it is still unclear how habitat types affect the dynamic changes in allocation in C and N storage of vegetation–soil system in sandy grasslands. Here, we investigated plant community characteristics and soil properties across three successional stages of habitat types: semi‐fixed dunes (SFD), fixed dunes (FD), and grasslands (G) in 2011, 2013, and 2015. We also examined the C and N concentrations of vegetation–soil system and estimated their C and N storage. The C and N storage of vegetation system, soil, and vegetation–soil system remarkably increased from SFD to G. The litter C and N storage in SFD, N storage of vegetation system in SFD, and N storage of soil and vegetation–soil system in FD increased from 2011 to 2015, while aboveground plant C and N storage of FD were higher in 2011 than in 2013 and 2015. Most of C and N were sequestered in soil in the vegetation restoration progress. These results suggest that the dynamic changes in allocation in C and N storage in vegetation–soil systems varied with habitat types. Our study highlights that SFD has higher N sequestration rate in vegetation, while FD has the considerably N sequestration rate in the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Total resection of meningiomas involving the major dural sinuses (MIMDS) is still challenging for neurosurgeons. Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) was shown to have a high probability of tumor control. The current study evaluated the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent subtotal resection alone or in combination with postoperative GKRS for the treatment of WHO grade I MIMDS. Methods: From January 2006 to December 2016, 204 patients with MIMDS underwent Simpson IV subtotal resection in Wuhan Union Hospital. In 151 patients, no additional treatment was performed, while the tumor remnant was treated with GKRS in 53 patients. All patients were monitored with regular MR follow-ups. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data, radiological characteristics, and outcomes of these 204 patients. Progression-free survival (PFS) was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Related factors were determined by univariate Cox regression analyses. Results: The mean follow-up period was 75.5 months. The tumor recurrence/progression rates were 13.9% in the microsurgery group and 3.8% in the combined therapy group (p = 0.045). The 5- and 10- year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 92.3 and 80.7%, respectively, in the microsurgery group and 100.0 and 88.5% in the combined therapy group. Treatment approach was found to be an independent prognostic factor for tumor recurrence/progression in the univariable analyses (p=0.04). Conclusions: Compared with microsurgery alone, targeted Simpson grade IV resection combined with early gamma knife treatment resulted in longer progression-free survival without increased complications for WHO grade I MIMDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underwater autonomous navigation technology is a key link for AUV to complete various underwater missions successfully. In this paper, we have proposed a position correction model based on hybrid gated RNN, which does not need to establish a motion model like typical navigation algorithms, to avoid modeling errors in the navigation process. According to the low update rate of GPS and the slip data caused by the coverage of GPS antenna during the process of floating and diving, it does not meet the actual requirements of navigation and control. We proposed to use improved EKF and iSAM as the output of the training dataset to filter out GPS slips, then the position error is corrected at the same time. First, the normalized input sequence is fed to the two-layer hybrid gated RNN with BiLSTM output mode as sequence and LSTM output mode as last, and then the processed data is fed to the two fully connected layers with a dropout layer added in the middle. After that, the output of the position correction model can be obtained through the regression layer. To confirm the validity of the proposed model, we conducted sea trials to compare the proposed model with EKF and iSAM. The experimental results prove that the proposed position correction model performs better than EKF and iSAM in all aspects, and the correction model trained with iSAM is more effective than that trained with EKF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of the portable and wearable devices has inspired the ever-growing pursuit of flexible energy storage equipment which can power these devices. Here, rice paper (RP) was integrated with a homemade LGS-polypyrrole (LGS-PPy) ink and commercial pen ink in order to construct a flexible electrode of a supercapacitor via a facial dip-coating method. The obtained RP/LGS-PPy ink/Pen ink composites showed a high areal specific capacitance of 1568 mF/cm2 at 0.2 mA/cm2, owing to the uniform deposition of a LGS-PPy layer which was covered by the pen ink coating. Furthermore, the assembled symmetric supercapacitor fabricated from the RP/LGS-PPy ink/Pen ink electrode exhibited impressive electrochemical performances in terms of specific capacitance (317.5 mF/cm2 at 2 mA/cm2), power density (846 μW/cm2 at the energy density of 23.5 μWh/cm2), and life times (82.1% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles). In addition, the capacitance of the as-prepared device remained essentially unchanged even after bending at 180°, thus demonstrating this device's outstanding flexibility. The low cost of raw materials, robust fabrication strategy as well as the moderate performances make the RP-based supercapacitor a promising candidate for future flexible energy storage devices. [Display omitted] • RP/LGS-PPy ink/pen ink was constructed via a facial dip-coating method. • The RP-based electrode exhibited outstanding desirable areal specific capacitance and excellent cycling stability. • The RP-based electrode demonstrated impressive flexibility. • The assembled supercapacitor showed superior energy density and power density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydro-dynamic induced vibration is a major risk for offshore platform, which may cause fatigue damdage. The present work experimentally studies a smart isolation system for vibration mitigation of offshore platform utilizing magnetorheological elastomer (MRE). The principle of the proposed MRE-based smart isolation system is presented, in which a real-time decoupling between superstructure (deck) and the jacket structure is achieved by controlling MRE's horizontal stiffness. For a case study, a scaled simplified fixed offshore platform model is built. The prototype of MRE-based isolation system is manufactured and its field-induced dynamic performances are tested. A fuzzy logic controller is proposed for achieving real-time decoupling control. A wave tank testing for the offshore platform with MRE-based isolation system is conducted, in which wave loadings in different dynamic characteristics are considered (e.g., regular and random waves). The results show that the deck acceleration and its displacement, and isolation drift are greatly decreased by the controlled MRE isolation system. It is proven that the smart MRE-based isolation system is able to provide effectiveness vibration suppression for offshore platform structure over a wide range of wave loadings. • Innovation: It is the first experimental investigation on the vibration mitigation of fixed platform by MRE-based variable stiffness isolation system. • Highlight 1: An MRE-based isolation system for reducing wave-induced dynamic responses of fixed platform is numerically studied. • Highlight 2: The testing model of a platform with MRE isolator is developed, and the controllable stiffness of MRE isolator is tested. • Highlight 3: A fuzzy logic controller is proposed to control the performance of MRE isolation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource utilization of solid waste can aid in gradual substitution of fossil fuels while achieving waste recycling. In this study, residual carbon and ash slag from the coal gasification fine slag were separated by froth flotation, and then was used to prepare Ru/C and ZSM-5 dual catalysts with carbon-rich and ash-rich components as raw materials, respectively. The performance of two catalysts for catalytic upgrading of volatiles from pyrolysis of cow manure (CM) to produce light aromatic hydrocarbons was systematically investigated. The direct pyrolysis products of CM mainly included alcohols, ketones, ethers, and other oxygen-containing compounds. When ZSM-5 was used as the catalyst, the yield of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs) increased significantly due to the better catalytic cracking and aromatization abilities of ZSM-5 catalyst. However, the yield of phenols in the pyrolysis products improved when Ru/C was used as the catalyst due to the cleavage effect of Ru/C on the C–O bond. When Ru/C and ZSM-5 were used as dual catalysts in relay catalytic pyrolysis of volatiles, the increase in MAHs yield in the pyrolysis product was higher than the total increase obtained under Ru/C and ZSM-5 single catalysis. The possible pathways for the generation of MAHs from CM under Ru/C and ZSM-5 relay catalytic pyrolysis were revealed by the pyrolysis experiment performed on model compounds. [Display omitted] • Ru/C and ZSM-5 catalysts were graded preparation from coal gasification fine slag. • Catalytic pyrolysis of cow manure over Ru/C and ZSM-5 was evaluated. • The relay catalytic pyrolysis of dual catalysts obtained more light aromatics. • Mechanism of cow manure relay catalytic pyrolysis to light aromatics was revealed. • Simultaneously realize the reutilization of two types waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zirconolite-based glass-ceramic is a waste matrix used for incorporating high-level waste (HLW) which is rich in minor actinides. In this study, Ce-bearing zirconolite glass-ceramics were prepared via a traditional two-step thermal treatment method, and gadolinium was selected as the trivalent actinide residual to investigate co-doping effects. Co-doped samples were then characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XRD results indicated that zirconolite was the sole crystalline phase synthesized from a SiO 2 –B 2 O 3 –Na 2 O–CaO–ZrO 2 –TiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 –CeO 2 –Gd 2 O 3 system. A slight lattice expansion in the Ce-bearing zirconolite was also found after Gd doping. However, the average size of zirconolite particles obtained empirically via SEM remained constant (~1.8 μm) and was within the error range. A progressive decrease of the volume fraction of zirconolite was also observed after doping. In addition, XPS results confirmed that the Ce3+ fraction incorporated into zirconolite decreased with the increase in Gd3+, while it still dominated the Ce species, even for a Gd-doping concentration of as much as 1.0 wt%. This study aimed to advance the current understanding of the immobilization of actinide residuals in zirconolite glass-ceramics as well as provide some basic technical data for the deep geological disposal of HLW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that various developmental signals play diverse roles in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) production; however, how these signaling pathways are orchestrated remains incompletely understood. Here, we report that Rab5c is essential for HSPC specification by endocytic trafficking of Notch and AKT signaling in zebrafish embryos. Rab5c deficiency leads to defects in HSPC production. Mechanistically, Rab5c regulates hemogenic endothelium (HE) specification by endocytic trafficking of Notch ligands and receptor. We further show that the interaction between Rab5c and Appl1 in the endosome is required for the survival of HE in the ventral wall of the dorsal aorta through AKT signaling. Interestingly, Rab5c overactivation can also lead to defects in HSPC production, which is attributed to excessive endolysosomal trafficking inducing Notch signaling defect. Taken together, our findings establish a previously unrecognized role of Rab5c-mediated endocytic trafficking in HSPC development and provide new insights into how spatiotemporal signals are orchestrated to accurately execute cell fate transition. Cell-autonomous Notch signaling regulated by the membrane trafficking protein Rab5c plays an instructive role in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell specification, while the AKT signaling seems to provide a permissive signal to maintain hemogenic endothelium survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the structured backward errors for the generalized saddle point problems with some different structures have been studied by some authors, but their results involve some Kronecker products, the vec-permutation matrices, and the orthogonal projection of a large block matrix which make them very expensive to compute when utilized for testing the stability of a practical algorithm or as an effective stopping criteria. In this paper, adopting a new technique, we present the explicit and computable formulae of the normwise structured backward errors for the generalized saddle point problems with five different structures. Our analysis can be viewed as a unified or general treatment for the structured backward errors for all kinds of saddle point problems and the derived results also can be seen as the generalizations of the existing ones for standard saddle point problems, including some Karush-Kuhn-Tucker systems. Some numerical experiments are performed to illustrate that our results can be easily used to test the stability of practical algorithms when applied some physical problems. We also show that the normwise structured and unstructured backward errors can be arbitrarily far apart in some certain cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish processing produces a lot of by‐products highly containing large amount of proteins which mainly consist of collagen, implying great potential value for application as nutraceutical ingredients. In present study, two kinds of sharks, Chiloscyllium plagiosum and Mustelus griseus, were used as raw material to gain three kinds of "compound peptides" (CPs) by enzymolysis, FCP (CPs from the flesh of C. plagiosum), SCP (CPs from the skin of C. plagiosum), and SMG (CPs from the skin of M. griseus). According to a series of constituent analysis, the molecule weights of FCP, SCP, and SMG were under 800 Da; amino acids composition analysis of FCP, SCP, and SMG showed that there were high glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline and low cysteine contents in SCP and SMG, which is the characteristic of collagen peptides; their total protein contents were 87.500%, 91.875%, and 95.625%, respectively; and heavy metal contents of CPs were all beneath national standards. After three kinds of CPs were administrated intragastrically to C57BL/6 mice at a total dosage of 15 g/kg, bone‐strengthening effects of SCP and SMG were manifested by osteoblasts activity promotion, bone mineral density (BMD) increase, and marrow adipocyte number decrease, yet nonsignificant effects were shown in FCP group. No index showed toxicity of SCP and SMG in subacute toxicology trial, indicating their safety as functional foods. Herein, industrial application foundation of the skins from these two sharks was explored but more efforts should subsequently be implemented for further exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we prepared KMnF3:Yb 3 + , Er 3 + nanoparticles (NPs)/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) composites, NaYF4:Yb 3 + , Tm 3 + NPs/PMMA composites and NaYF4Yb 3 + , Er 3 + NPs/PMMA composites by in situ polymerization, and these NPs/PMMA composites can emit red, blue and green up-conversion fluorescence excited by 980 nm, respectively. The mixed white NPs/PMMA composites were obtained by adjusting the doping ratio of the above three NPs. These NPs/PMMA composites are transparent. We tested the up-conversion fluorescence spectra of all the NPs and NPs/PMMA composites, under 980 nm excitation. The up-conversion luminescence spectra of the NPs and NPs/PMMA composites are consistent, which further indicates that the in situ polymerization has not changed the chemical structure of the NPs. Then, we prepared transparent bulk polymers by curing these NPs/PMMA composites. Under 980 nm laser excitation, these NPs/PMMA bulk polymers can emit red, blue, green and white up-conversion emissions, respectively. The results indicate that the NPs/PMMA composites can be applied to three-dimensional (3D) display. The NPs/PMMA composites were achieved by co-polymerization of MMA and oleic acid-coated NPs. The 3D display photographs of KMnF3:Yb3+,Er3+ NPs/PMMA bulk polymers, NaYF4:Yb3+,Tm3+ NPs/PMMA bulk polymers, NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ NPs/PMMA bulk polymers, the mixed white NPs/PMMA bulk polymers by the scanning path of 980 nm laser on the bulk polymers were shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to explore the feasibility of self-matting coatings based on soybean oil. A novel reactive waterborne polyurethane (RWPU) dispersion containing unsaturated C＝C double bonds was synthesized from epoxidized soybean oil (ESO). Subsequently, the RWPU dispersion was copolymerized with hard/soft monomers at different weight ratios to prepare polyurethane/acrylate (MPU) hybrid emulsions. The results reveal the gloss levels of MPUs to be as low as 3.3 gloss units at 60°. A scanning electron microscope and three-dimensional surface profilometer were employed to observe the morphology of the MPU-based films, and the relation between the surface roughness and gloss was determined. Further, thermal gravimetric analysis was conducted to determine the thermal stability of the MPU-based films, and the results denoted that these MPU-based films exhibited excellent thermal stability. Tensile tests indicated that the RWPU dispersion, which was copolymerized at a hard monomer weight of 30%, exhibited a good tensile strength of 13.2 MPa and a high elongation percentage of 578%. Furthermore, after one year, the MPU emulsions exhibited a narrow particle size distribution and their zeta potential values were approximately −30.0 mV, revealing the excellent storage stabilities (>one year) of all the MPU emulsions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we synthesized ~ 105 ± 15 nm cubic phase KMnF3:Yb3+,Er3+ NPs, ~ 195 ± 10 nm hexagonal phase NaYF4:Yb3+,Tm3+ NPs, and ~ 200 ± 10 nm hexagonal phase NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ NPs. Under the excitation of 980 nm, the strong red upconversion luminescence (4F9/2⟶4I15/2, the peak is located at ~653 nm) of Er3+ ions of KMnF3:Yb3+,Er3+ NPs can be seen, the strong blue upconversion luminescence (1D2⟶3F4, 1G4⟶3H6; the peaks are located at ~451 nm and ~477 nm, respectively) of Tm3+ ions of NaYF4:Yb3+,Tm3+ NPs can be observed, and the strong green upconversion luminescence (4I11/2⟶4I15/2, 4S3/2⟶4I15/2; the peaks are located at ~524 nm and ~541 nm, respectively) of Er3+ ions of NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ NPs can be found. The mixed white upconversion luminescent materials can be obtained by adjusting the doping ratio of the above NPs. Cyclohexane solution of red, blue, green, and the mixed white NPs can be used as ink, and "JLNU" is written on paper with a pen. Without 980 nm radiation, nothing could be seen. Under 980 nm irradiation, the colored letters "JLNU" can be seen. Red, blue, green, and the mixed white upconversion NPs can be used in security anticounterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zero-dimensional/two-dimensional (0D/2D) TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 heterostructural photocatalysts were fabricated via ALD technique. TiO 2 nanoparticles were "site-selectively grown" on g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets and the surface modification induced band engineering of the composite photocatalysts. Thus, the redox properties of the photocatalysts were fine tuned. Under visible light, since only g-C 3 N 4 was excited, TiO 2 was acting as the electron transport channel in the optimized interfacial structures. They effectively suppressed the recombination and facilitated the transfer of photogenerated charges, improving the photocatalytic activity. When both the components were excited under UV–vis light, the dynamic equilibrium of the conduction band positions on these n–n type semiconductor heterojunctions led to the increased recombination rate of charges, decreasing the reactivity for H 2 evolution. However, the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants by these composite photocatalysts exhibited enhanced activities, resulting from the photogenerated holes on VB of TiO 2 which could promote oxidation of organic pollutants with strong oxidation potentials. Furthermore, TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysts with limited numbers of deposition cycles exhibited optimal photocatalytic activity under visible light. In contrast, excessive deposition cycles on g-C 3 N 4 for TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 led to continuous film and increased thickness of TiO 2 , resulting in the attenuation of the reactivity. We verified this TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysts with less mass-loading, but more enhanced photocatalytic activity. Unlabelled Image • TiO 2 was "site-selective grown" on the surface of g-C 3 N 4 by ALD technique. • Band engineering was induced by grafting of TiO 2 on g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets. • Electron transport channel on TiO 2 was formed in TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 under visible light. • TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 with less mass-loading showed more enhanced photocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the effects of doping, cold rolling and forging on the microstructure and hydrogen storage properties of air exposed TiFe + x wt.% (Zr+2V) (x = 0, 4, 5 and 6) alloys were studied. The results showed that all doped samples had similar crystal structure: bcc TiFe main phase and hcp secondary phase. Doping (Zr+2V) can improve obviously the first hydrogenation kinetics of TiFe alloy due to the presence of hcp secondary phase. Further study, we found that the process of cold rolling and forging could reduce the crystallite size of x = 4 sample but forged sample showed a smaller crystallite size. Then it also should be noted that x = 4 forged sample showed the fastest hydrogenation kinetics, highest hydrogen capacity and good cycling stability. By analyzing the kinetic model, all handled x = 4 samples agreed with GB3D model, which meant 3D growth, diffusion controlled with decreasing interface velocity. • TiFe + x wt.% (Zr+2V) (x = 0, 4, 5 and 6) alloys were synthesized. • Doping (Zr+2V) can improve the first hydrogenation of TiFe alloy. • Forged x = 4 sample shows the fastest activation kinetics and highest capacity. • Forged x = 4 sample shows a good cycling stability. • First hydrogenation for all handled x = 4 samples agrees with GB3D model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the feasibility of an innovative surface alloying technique was successfully demonstrated in which Cr-Al alloying layer was fabricated on an Al substrate by high current pulsed electron beam (HCPEB) to enhance the surface properties. The microstructures of the alloying layer were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The microhardness and corrosion resistance were also examined. After surface alloying by HCPEB irradiation, a mixture of Al and Cr elements was formed, which generated a Cr-Al alloying layer on the surface of Al substrate. Meanwhile, abundant nanostructured intermetallic compounds, such as Al 8 Cr 5 , AlCr 2 and Al 13 Cr 2 , together with ultrafine Cr particles and Al (Cr) solid solution, were also formed in the alloying layers. In addition, both the microhardness and corrosion resistance were dramatically improved due to the addition of Cr element and the modified layer microstructure. • The Cr-Al alloying layer was obtained on Al substrate under HCPEB irradiation. • Cr particles were dissolved into Al matrix to form an alloying layer. • Intermetallic phase and Al (Cr) solid solution were formed in the alloying layers. • The microhardness and corrosion resistance were increased by HCPEB irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nanoporous glass microspheres were synthesized from coal gasification fine slag. • Ultra-high content amino functional groups was grafted by multi-step modification. • The adsorption of dyes and heavy metals in single and binary systems was studied. • The synergistic adsorption mechanism of the binary system was revealed. The discharge of large-scale industrial solid waste and wastewater has caused severe damage to environmental health. In this study, the adsorption behaviors of Pb(II) and Congo Red (CR) dye in single and binary aqueous systems were investigated using novel functionalized nanoporous glass microspheres (NGM). The NGM material was fabricated from coal gasification fine slag (CGFS) by a simple treatment and characterized using TG, BET, XRD, TEM, FT-IR, and XPS to analyze its physicochemical properties. The adsorption experiments showed that the adsorption amounts of DMA-NGM for Pb(II) and CR were 302.39 mg/g and 342.74 mg/g for the single systems, and 372.73 mg/g and 412.93 mg/g for the binary systems, respectively. The increased adsorption capacity was attributed to the synergistic effect of electrostatic attraction and chelation. Furthermore, the pseudo-second-order model and Elovich model could reasonably describe the adsorption of Pb(II) and CR on DMA-NGM. Pb(II) adsorption on DMA-NGM was monolayer adsorption and CR adsorption was multilayer adsorption. In summary, the results demonstrate the potential of efficient and environmentally friendly adsorbents for the resource recovery of CGFS and the processing of printing and dyeing wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The effect of residual carbon recovered from CGFS on rice straw HTC was explored. • The presence of residual carbon can decontaminate hydrothermal wastewater. • Residual carbon can induce small organic molecules to condense into hydrochar. • The abundant pores of residual carbon can adsorb alkali metals in the aqueous phase. • The combustion reactivity of residual carbon is improved after HTC with rice straw. The large-scale resource utilization of coal gasification fine slag (CGFS) and the decontamination of wastewater through the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process of biomass are crucial for the production of clean fuels. In this study, the residual carbon in CGFS was recovered by froth flotation, and the HTC of rice straw was carried out with different addition amounts of residual carbon and hydrothermal temperatures. The physicochemical structure and fuel properties of hydrochar as well as water quality indicators of hydrothermal wastewater were carefully explored. The results showed that the combustion reactivity of residual carbon was significantly improved, implying an obvious synergistic effect after inducing HTC of rice straw. In addition, the wastewater produced by rice straw HTC was dark brown and contained high concentration of complex organic substances. The addition of residual carbon significantly improved the water quality of hydrothermal wastewater by removing organic matter. The abundant pore structure of the residual carbon can adsorb the organic molecules in the aqueous phase and induce their polymerization and conversion into hydrochar, thereby reducing the concentration of organic compounds in the wastewater and improving the water quality. At the same time, it can also adsorb potassium metal ion dissolved in the aqueous phase by rice straw. Hydrochar formed on the surface of residual carbon has lower aromatic condensation degree and more carbon defects, which can provide more reaction sites. In addition, the alkali metal adsorbed on residual carbon has a catalytic effect. All the above factors contribute to the synergistic effect of combustion reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the problem of optimal multi-robot path planning for cyclic tasks represented by a particular type of linear-temporal logic (LTL) formulae. Specifically, the team of robot needs to fulfill a given LTL formula and at the same time, accomplishes some particular tasks infinitely often. To avoid the state-space explosion when the number of robot increases, we use Petri nets to model the team of multi-robot. Our goal is to find an optimal infinite sequence in the prefix-suffix form for each robot such that the average cost per task is minimized. We propose an efficient planning method based on the notion of basis reachability graph, which is a compact representation of the reachability space of the PN. We demonstrate the computational efficiency and scalability of our method through illustrative examples. The proposed methods have also been implemented in real-world experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zirconolite based glass-ceramic has been deemed as a promising waste form for high-level waste (HLW). In this study, the zirconolite (nominally CaZrTi 2 O 7) glass-ceramic based on a SiO 2 -B 2 O 3 -Na 2 O-CaO-ZrO 2 -TiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 system was sought to be synthesized by two-step thermal treatment. The temperature effects such as nucleation temperature and cooling rate were studied. The influence of the Ce-dopant concentration on crystallization behavior was also investigated. For characterization, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimeter (TG-DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were applied. Our results illustrate that homogeneous zirconolite with the particle size of 1.8 μm can be the target phase when the glass matrix underwent a rapid cooling process and the nucleation temperature was controlled at around 860 °C. Besides, the results also indicate that the distribution of the zirconolite along with its lattice parameters change regularly as the increase of CeO 2 concentration. A larger crystal size of zirconolite phase and some trace amounts of precipitated phases are observed when the CeO 2 concentration exceed 3 wt%. This work emphasizes the synthesis of zirconolite glass-ceramic in a SiO 2 -B 2 O 3 -Na 2 O-CaO-ZrO 2 -TiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 system, which is expected to provide basic technical data for underground disposal of HLW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Amino acids attached TiO 2 nanoparticles to form nanoenzyme. • The nanoenzyme can catalytically hydrolyze organophosphorus pesticides. • Electrochemical detection of organophosphorus pesticides can be achieved using this nanoenzyme modified electrode. Abstract In this work, amino acids (AAs) serine (S), histamine (H) and glutamic acid (E) attached nanoenzymes were found to help catalyze hydrolysis of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) to form electroactive p -nitrophenol (PNP). This phenomenon follows the mechanism of proton transfer relay found in biomimetic hydrolases. So an electrochemical method using S, H, E conjugated TiO 2 NPs (NPs) modified electrode to detect OPs was developed. TiO 2 NPs were used as carriers and the attached AAs S, H, E have hydrolyzing activity toward hydrolysis of OPs, so the TiO 2 NPs-AAs behave like nanoenzyme with hydrolysis activity. OPs (methyl paraoxon, methyl parathion and ethyl paraoxon) can produce electrochemical active PNP at this nanoenzyme modified electrode surface and OPs can be quantified via the electrochemical signals of PNP. This technique was selective toward OPs with p -nitrophenol group. The detection limit of methyl paraoxon, methyl parathion and ethyl paraoxon was about 0.2 μM and the working range were two orders. Finally, this detection technique can be applied into the assay of OPs in real samples with high detection accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Combined effect of Ca and Na during catalytic gasification was revealed. • Na and Ca favor the formation of micropores and mesopores respectively during gasification. • Interactions between Ca/Na compounds with char make the carbon matrix more vulnerable to steam. • Redox experiments show that Ca/Na-char produce more active intermediates during gasification. Abstract The main aim is to investigate the effects of Ca/Na compounds on coal pyrolysis, gasification reactivity as well as char characteristics during gasification. The pyrolysis and gasification tests of different metal loaded coals were performed on thermogravimetric analyzer and fixed bed reactor. The raw and gasified chars were prepared and characterized by nitrogen adsorption, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicate that Ca coexist with Na has a better catalytic activity compared to Ca and Na alone. The addition of metals can promote the pyrolysis gas release in advance and increase the release amount of H 2 and CO 2. The present of Ca/Na compounds have no significant effect on pore structure evolution during pyrolysis, but it inhibits the aromatic structure condensation of the coal char. The addition of Na and Ca is beneficial to the formation of micropores and mesopores respectively during gasification, the simultaneous existence of Ca and Na results in a more abundant pore structure. Both Ca and Na can inhibit the condensation of aromatic structures during coal char gasification, Ca together with Na will make the char has a higher degree of disorder. The interaction between Ca and Na with coal char makes the carbon matrix easier to be attacked by H 2 O to form more active intermediates. Redox experiments further verified that more active intermediates were generated during the gasification of Ca/Na loaded char. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate whether contralateral moxibustion would generate a similar analgesic effect with ipsilateral moxibustion. Contra- and ipsilateral moxibustion were separately applied to Zusanli (ST36) acupoints of inflammatory pain mice. The analgesic effect was evaluated, respectively, by licking/biting time (LBT) of formalin-induced inflammatory pain and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) of complete Freund's adjuvant- (CFA-) induced inflammatory pain. For formalin-induced pain, compared with formalin group, the total LBT of ipsi- and contralateral moxibustion reduced in both phase I and phase II, but there was no significant difference between ipsi- and contralateral moxibustion. For CFA-induced inflammatory pain, compared with CFA group, TWL of ipsi- and contra-Moxi groups increased immediately after moxibustion intervention; however there was no obvious difference between ipsi- and contralateral moxibustion at any timepoint. It indicated that contralateral moxibustion had a similar analgesic effect with ipsilateral moxibustion in both formalin- and CFA-induced pain. These results suggest that both ipsi- and contralateral moxibustion could be applied for pain relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the microstructure and hydrogen storage properties of TiFe + 4 wt% (Zr + 2Mn) alloy before and after high-energy milling. The as-cast sample was made of a main TiFe phase with a Zr- and Mn-rich secondary phase. We found that ball milling can significantly reduce the crystallite size of TiFe + 4 wt% (Zr + 2Mn) alloy. First hydrogenation measurements showed that the sample milled for 15 min displayed a faster hydrogenation than the as-cast sample but with a slight loss of capacity. Further milling made the samples totally inert to hydrogen. It may be concluded that the as-cast alloy has a special microstructure that is possibly destroyed by milling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vector motion parameter estimation plays a crucial role in evaluating missile performance. In the past, missiles were typically assumed to be point targets, to simplify modeling and calculation of these parameters, due to the limitations of equipment measurement accuracy. However, with the improvements to missile strike accuracy, more accurate vector motion parameter estimation techniques are required. The development of such techniques is made possible by the increased precision of modern measurement equipment. This paper proposes an extended-target vector motion parameter estimation method, based on traditional point-target estimation, which uses the Doppler frequency, and phase differences due to the localized scattering center. Because flying missiles have an attitude angle, we also consider this parameter, based on the use of an extended-target model. The results of simulations with the proposed method reveal significant improvements to parameter estimation accuracy in contrast to the results obtained with the conventional point-target method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau protein are two crucial hallmarks in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Their aggregation forms are thought to be toxic to the neurons in the brain. A series of new 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-acridone analogues were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as potential dual inhibitors for Aβ and tau aggregation. In vitro studies showed that compounds 25 – 30 (20 μM) with N -methylation of the quinolone ring effectively inhibited Aβ 1-42 aggregation by 84.7%–99.5% and tau aggregation by 71.2%–101.8%. Their structure-activity relationships are discussed. In particular, 30 could permeate the blood-brain barrier, bind to Aβ 1-42 and tau, inhibit Aβ 1-42 β-sheets formation, and prevent tau aggregation in living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this work, we studied the effects of char structural evolution and alkali and alkaline earth metallic species (AAEMs) catalysis on the reactivity during the char gasification with CO2, H2O, and their mixture. The gasified chars with different carbon conversion levels were prepared, and their physicochemical structures were characterized via nitrogen adsorption and FT‐Raman techniques. The concentrations of AAEMs in different modes were obtained by the sequential chemical extraction method. The reactivities of the raw and gasified chars were analyzed by the thermogravimetric analysis. The gasification atmospheres had varied effects on the physicochemical structure of coal char. The gasified char obtained in the CO2 atmosphere had a lower aromatic condensation degree compared with that obtained in the H2O atmosphere, irrespective of the temperature. The impact of the atmospheres on the specific surface area of the char varied with the temperature because H2O and CO2 have different routes of development of pore structure with coal char. A large specific surface area facilitates the exposure and dispersion of more AAEMs on the surface of the channel, which is conducive to their contact with the gasification agent to play the catalytic role. Thus, the reactivity of the gasified char is well correlated with its specific surface area at different gasification temperatures. In the absence of AAEMs, the chemical structure of coal char becomes the dominant factor affecting the reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domain engineered ferroelectric relaxor-PbTiO 3 single crystals exhibit ultrahigh piezoelectric coefficients. A 10th order Landau-Devonshire energy function for rhombohedral PIN-PMN-PT ferroelectric single crystals was implemented in a phase-field model to study the behavior of domain walls under external electric field. The domain formation and domain wall evolution were simulated. A new way to apply periodic boundary conditions was implemented to accommodate nonzero strain during the domain formation and evolution. It was found that 71 and 109 domain walls reacted differently to external electric field along the [110] direction. A domain wall broadening effect was observed in the 71 domain walls when the electric field was below the coercive field. When the electric field exceeded the coercive field, homogeneous polarization switching occurred with no motion of the 71 domain walls. Heterogeneous polarization switching occurred by the sweeping of the 109 domain walls. The evolution mechanism of the two types of domain walls helps explain the behavior of engineered domain structures subjected to external electric field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Different zeolite/carbon composites were prepared from coal gasification fine slag. • Catalytic pyrolysis of cow manure over zeolite/carbon composites was evaluated. • Relationship between catalysts structure and product selectivity was clarified. • Mechanism of cow manure pyrolysis vapors to light aromatics was revealed. • Model amino acids used to study the mechanism of nitrogen species transformation. The resource utilization of solid waste not only reduces the environmental pollution, but also reduces the use of fossil energy. In this study, three low-cost zeolite/carbon composites, including Y-type zeolite/carbon, Beta zeolite/carbon and ZSM-5 zeolite/carbon, were prepared from coal gasification fine slag (CGFS), which were used for catalytic upgrading of pyrolysis vapors of cow manure (CM). The composition and distribution of products from the catalytic pyrolysis of CM over different types composites were explored, and the relationship between catalysts structure and product selectivity was clarified. The results show that different types of catalysts have virous effects on the composition and distribution of products due to different physiochemical structures such as pore size and acid site. Among them, ZSM-5 zeolite/carbon is more conducive to the formation of monocyclic aromatics due to its shape selective catalysis, Beta zeolite/carbon has relatively large pore size and has high selectivity for polycyclic aromatics, and Y-type zeolite/carbon is more conducive to the removal of nitrogen and oxygen-containing compounds. Moreover, vanillin, glucose and valine, which are the main components of lignin, cellulose and protein in CM were selected as model compounds to reveal the reaction mechanism of catalytic upgrading. The results of this study can provide reference and theoretical guidance for the comprehensive utilization of solid waste and the development of low-carbon green industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of Fe substitution by Zr on the microstructure, hydrogen storage properties and oxidation resistance of the TiFe 0.85-x Cr 0.15 Zr x (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) alloys are studied in this work. It is shown that all the alloys are consisted of TiFe phase, MgZn 2 -type phase and minor Ti phase. The introduction of Zr causes no change for the TiFe main phase. All the alloys absorb hydrogen directly under mild conditions without any activation process. As Zr content increases, the maximum hydrogen storage capacity of the first hydrogenation increases while the reversible hydrogen storage capacity decreases. The marked change of the first hydrogenation properties may be due to the formation of the bright phase (MgZn 2 -type phase). The decrease of the reversible hydrogen storage capacity is due to the formation of the stable hydrides Cr 2 ZrH 3 and TiH 2 , which start to decompose at around 700 °C. During the air exposure test, the alloys with higher Zr content show good oxidation resistance. For the PCT measurement, the alloys with higher Zr show lower hydrogen absorption and desorption platform pressure, which means more stable hydrides are formed during the first hydrogenation. Moreover, the rate limiting step model of the first and fifth hydrogenation processes of all the alloys has also been investigated in detail. • TiFe 0.85- x Cr 0.15 Zr x (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15) alloys were prepared. • Regulating Zr content changed effectively the first hydrogenation properties. • MgZn 2 -type phase could act as a pathway to assist hydrogen diffusion. • Oxidation resistance increased with the introduction of Zr content. • Two kinds of irreversible hydrides were formed in the hydrogenation process of the alloys with Zr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on coupled mode theory, electro-optic modulation theory, and microring resonance theory, a structural model was proposed for a polymer parallel channel microring resonator (MRR) electro-optic switch array, and in the meantime, with a resonance wavelength of 1550 nm, optimization design and simulation analysis were conducted on a eight microrings and nine channels switch array. According to the results of numerical simulation, the free spectral range (FSR) was about 17.71 nm and the 3-dB bandwidth of the output spectrum was about 0.18 nm when the cross-section size of the waveguide core was 1.5 × 1.5 μm 2 , the confining layer between the waveguide core and the electrode was 2.0 μm thick, the metal electrode was 0.05 μm thick, the coupling gap between the microring and the channel was 0.1 μm, and the microring radius was 12.76 μm. When the voltage of 7 V was applied on microring i of the device in turn, the output optical power P i of horizontal channel i was the largest, and the output optical power of all the other channels became very small, which meant that the switching function of horizontal channel i was fulfilled. The insertion loss of the device was within a range of 1.39–8.17 dB, and the crosstalk was smaller than −4.8 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The release characteristics of Ca during a Chinese bituminous coal pyrolysis and char gasification in different gasifying agents was studied. Residual chars with different carbon conversion levels were obtained by gasifying in a quartz fixed-bed reactor under H 2 O, CO 2 , and H 2 O/CO 2 atmospheres at 800–1000 °C. Sequential chemical extraction and microwave digestion were used to determine the modes of occurrence of Ca in chars. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the ash composition and the morphology of minerals. The contents of Ca in chars were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results indicate that water-soluble form and HCl-soluble form Ca transforms mainly into gas phase during pyrolysis. The release ratio of Ca at 800 °C under different atmospheres is H 2 O/CO 2  >H 2 O > CO 2 . The main reason is that minerals are more prone to sintering in CO 2 atmosphere. The interaction of H 2 O and CO 2 can expand pores, which precipitate the minerals to the char surface and release into the gas phase. Increasing temperature induces the collapse of the pore structure which changed the release rule of Ca. The composition of the ash obtained from gasification at 1000 °C in CO 2 , H 2 O and H 2 O/CO 2 are nearly same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]