bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Pressure on Si-Based Anode Performance in All-Solid-State Batteries
Authors: He Deyu , Yuan Minjuan , Hu Bo , Zou Chunlong , Zhao Xuyang , Zhao Chunrong , Wang Jiantao , Ding Haiyang
Published: January 2024

The effects of pressures on electrochemical performance, micro-morphology, surface elemental valence, and cell impedance of nano-silica-based anode all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASLBs) are investigated in this study. The cell under various applied pressures is measured using electrochemical charge/discharge tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance test (EIS), and X-ray spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicate that the first cycle lithium insertion capacity reaches its highest value of 3554.5 mAh·g−1 when the Si-based anode undergoes charge and discharge at a rate of 0.1C under a pressure of 100 MPa. Moreover, the coulombic efficiency (CE) at a pressure of 300 MPa reaches a high value of 92.67%, which significantly surpasses the 88.11% under 100 MPa. Meanwhile, higher pressure significantly enhances the cycling performance of Si-based anode, with a capacity of 2268 mAh·g−1 after 100 cycles of charging and discharging at 0.3C under 300 MPa, and a capacity retention rate of 80.21%. SEM images and XPS demonstrated that higher pressures block Si expansion and inhibit crack formation in the Si-based anode, and meanwhile the lower pressure would lead to severe decomposition of Li6S5Cl in the electrode after long-term cycling and hence resulting in more SEI generation in the Si-based anode. The XPS results demonstrate that. The EIS test results show that the impedance of solid-state batteries is lower under a pressure of 300 MPa, indicating an improved interface of the ASLBs.
Thermodynamic Simulation of the Interaction Reaction between Copper-Based Oxygen Carrier and Acid Gases from Municipal Solid Waste Pyrolysis
Authors: Lin Yousheng , Lu Zhihan , He Tao
Published: January 2024

To reveal the interaction reaction of copper-based oxygen carriers with acid gases during chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling of MSW pyrolysis and gasification syngas, the thermodynamic analysis is employed by HSC Chemistry. The thermodynamic simulation results show that the products of the copper-chloride interactions are solid CuCl, gaseous Cu3Cl3 (g), and CuCl (g), and no solid CuCl2 is formed. In addition, it’s found that CuCl (g) originates from the high-temperature decomposition of the complex Cu3Cl3 (g). At a sufficient amount of OC, the interaction products of copper-based OC with H2S are CuSO4, SO2, and Cu2SO4, while Cu2S and CuS disappear. Compared to HCl, H2S dominates during the competitive reaction or adsorption with copper-based oxygen carrier or CaO. Due to the capture of Cl and S in the gaseous state of Ca2+, the lattice oxygen of chlorinated or sulfated oxygen carriers can be restored, suggesting that CaO can be used as an in situ dechlorinator for CLOU. The results of this work will provide theoretical guidance for the inhibition of copper-based oxygen carriers chlorination loss and active design of multifunctional oxygen carriers.
Research on Engineering Characteristics of Cement Mixing Piles Strengthening Steel Sheet Pile Structure Wharf
Authors: Ding Yingpin , Xiao Can , Sun Shuqing , Niu Fei , Zhou Xinyue
Published: January 2024

In order to solve the technical problem of using steel sheet piles in soft soil foundations of deep water docks, the use of grid type cement mixing pile walls to reinforce the in-situ soft soil behind steel sheet pile docks is a new type of composite structure attempt. This paper combines practical engineering and uses finite element analysis software to study the vertical displacement, vertical stress, and horizontal displacement changes of reinforced soil in three layout forms: non-mixing pile structure, grid type cement mixing structure, and dispersed mixing pile structure. The results show that the grid type cement mixing pile structure can reduce soil settlement, improve the stability of reinforced soil, and reduce lateral soil pressure on steel sheet piles compared to the non-mixing pile structure and the dispersed mixing pile structure. In the practical application of steel sheet pile wharf engineering, the use of grid type cement mixing piles can improve the stability and engineering benefits of the wharf structure.
Thermodynamic Simulation of Alkali-activated Processes of Tuff-Based Geopolymer
Authors: Cui Kewang , Feng Zhen , Zhang Tongwei , Yu Zihao
Published: January 2024

The quantity of tuff powder is more than that of tuff mechanized sand in the dry process, which belongs to solid waste. In this paper, tuff from Gansu, Yunnan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Tibet was selected as the research object, and the composition of tuff in different areas was defined. Temperature and NaOH concentration were used as variables to conduct thermodynamic simulation, so as to explore the influence of both on the products after alkali-activated. The results show that the main products of alkali-activated tuff geopolymer are sodium silicate aluminate hydrate/calcium silicate aluminate hydrate (CNASH), magnesium silicate hydrate (MSH), Gibbsite, Goethite, and Quartz, except in the Jiangxi area. The amount of CNASH increases gradually with the increase of NaOH concentration, while the amount of Quartz decreases gradually with the increase of NaOH concentration. In the range of 20°C to 100°C, temperature has a significant effect on the production of CNASH and Quartz. The production of CNASH increases first and then decreases with the increase of temperature, and reaches the maximum at about 60°C. The production of Quartz increases with increasing temperature. The conclusion of this paper is helpful in understanding the alkali-activated mechanism of tuff powder.
Effect of Non-Uniform Concentration Field on TiN Growth in Two-Phase Region with Electropulsing
Authors: Liang Shangdong , Wei Guangxu , Xiao Zixuan , Yang Chengcheng , Zhu Zhenghai , Huang Dongjian
Published: January 2024

Ti microalloyed steel has the advantages of high toughness and high strength, but it is easy to form TiN particles with large dimensions at high temperatures, which is harmful to the metal and seriously affects the quality of cast billets. In this paper, by analyzing the kinetic characteristics of Ti element diffusion in the two-phase region with electropulsing, the influence mechanism of pulsed current on the growth of TiN particles in the two-phase region is investigated. The results show that the pulsed current improves the flow rate of Ti and N elements in the molten steel, reduces the concentration of Ti in the liquidoid along the solid-liquid interface, and the more the current intensity, the more obvious the impact; in addition, with the increase of the flow rate, the diffusion flux of Ti elements is also gradually improved. Therefore, the pulsed current promotes the diffusion of Ti elements by improving the concentration field of Ti and other solute elements in the two-phase region, thus inhibiting the growth of TiN.
Prediction and Verification of Wear Resistance of In-situ Inorganic Compounds Reinforced Zinc Matrix Composites
Authors: Zhao Haofeng , Guo Yuedong , Wang Ru , Ma Zhiguo , Wang Ruirui
Published: January 2024

The wear resistance of zinc matrix composites reinforced by inorganic compounds in situ and the prediction of wear resistance by neural network were studied. The inorganic compound is Mg2Sn phase. The results show that Mg2Sn phase is a strengthening phase, and its uniform distribution in the matrix can improve the hardness and wear resistance of zinc matrix composites. When the amount of tin and magnesium respectively reach 10%, the wear resistance value at load 80N is 4.0, while the wear resistance value at 40N is 4.5. The influence of Mg and Sn elements on the hardness and wear resistance of the zinc matrix composite was predicted by neural network, and the experimental results showed that when the content of Mg and Sn elements exceeded 10%, the hardness and wear resistance of the material would decrease, which was related to the aggregation of Mg2Sn and the cleavage of the matrix, which reduced the toughness of the material.
Influence of Polysulfone Drilling Fluid Agent Structure on Biological Toxicity
Authors: Zhu Jinzhi , Wu Xiaohua , Lu Haiying , Lu Fuwei , Li Chengli , Luo Xiao
Published: January 2024

The impact of the structure of polysulfone drilling fluid agents on biological toxicity was investigated to determine its influence. The investigation focused on the molecular weight, group structure, and raw material composition of these agents. Results showed that Synthetic polymers with molecular weights ranging from 40 to 1.34 million showed no biological toxicity. Acute biotoxicity was not affected by the size of the polymer molecular weight. Water-soluble polymers containing quaternary ammonium groups exhibited significant biological toxicity, with EC50 values ranging from 1000 mg/L to 3000 mg/L. Emulsified asphalt using quaternary ammonium cationic surfactant showed an EC50 value of approximately 1100 mg/L. The biological toxicity resulted from solid particles dispersed by sulfonic acid and carboxyl groups in water. Slight toxicity was observed in sulfonated phenolic resins, potentially due to residual sulfonated raw materials or the rigid network structure of the resin itself.
Study on the Preparation of Crystalline Glaze from Granite Waste
Authors: Zhao Qiaoli
Published: January 2024

In this paper, the common gabbro granite (black) waste in the stone market is used as the main raw material to successfully prepare ceramic crystalline glaze. The best preparation process of crystalline glaze is: the ratio of material, ball and water is 1:2:0.8, the grinding time is 24h, that is, D97=34.68 μm, and the glaze layer thickness is 1.2 mm-1.68 mm, and good quality glaze can be obtained. According to XRD, differential thermal analysis and theoretical calculation of granite, the best sintering system for the glaze with granite as the main raw material is formulated as follows: the sintering temperature is 1220°C-1300°C, the crystallization holding temperature is 1140°C-1160°C, and the holding time is 1h-2h.
Investigation of Tensile Properties of FDM-Printed Reclaimed Carbon Fiber Reinforced Reclaimed Polyamide-6 Composites (rCF/rPA) via Various Densities of Infill Patterns
Authors: Su Ning , Zhu Chenkai , Chen Xiang
Published: January 2024

This work determined the effect of different infill patterns with various infill densities on the tensile properties of FDM-printed reclaimed carbon fiber reinforced reclaimed polyamide-6 (rCF/rPA) composites. The rCFs were derived from recycled carbon fiber composite wastes by pyrolysis, while the rPA recyclates were obtained by mechanical recovery of end-of-life (EoL) nylon fishnets. The comparison between honeycomb and triangular infill patterns within rCF/rPA coupons via the FDM recycling was performed under the various relative densities of 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90%. The best performance of rCF/rPA coupons occurred in honeycomb infill patterns with 90% relative infill densities. The tensile strength and modulus of those specimens were 76.5 GPa ± 3.5 MPa and 4.8 GPa ± 0.1 GPa, respectively.
Investigation on Cracking Cause of Drill Pipe Joint Used in an Ultra Deep Well
Authors: Zhao Mifeng , Hu Fangting , Zheng Rusen , Fan Yujie , Kang Jiayao , Wei Junhui , Long Yan
Published: January 2024

The drill pipe joint cracked during service, resulting in joint failure. The geometric dimensions of thread, chemical composition and microstructure of the drill pipe joint were tested. The geometric dimensions, chemical composition and microstructure were found to comply with the standard requirements. The whole macroscopic fracture didn’t show obvious corrosion product. The tensile properties, Charpy impact properties, and Brinell hardness met the standard requirements. Microstructure of fracture was analyzed, which showed a typical erosion micromorphology with parallel arranged fatigue strips. Through simulation analysis, it was found that the location of cracking was the stress concentration area. The failure mechanism of the drill pipe joint was revealed. The stress concentration led to fatigue cracking at the drill pipe joint. After the fatigue crack penetrated through the wall thickness, the drilling fluid leaked from the inner wall to the outer wall. The flow rate of the leaking drilling fluid is significantly increased. And it is sprayingly leaked, which further leads to fan-shaped erosion damage of the cracked surface from the inner wall to the outer wall.
Progress in Research on Marine Litter-Related Monitoring Technologies
Authors: Liu Haiying , Wang Mingqi , Tang Haitian , Zhang Hanlin
Published: January 2024

The problem of marine litter pollution is becoming increasingly serious and has become one of the important global environmental issues. From the perspective of source and sink, floating riverine litter (FRL) is the main source of floating marine litter (FML), while beach litter (BL) and FML are the source and sink of each other. It is necessary to research the transformation mechanism and collaborative governance policy among these three kinds of marine litter, based on accurate monitoring data. However, conventional monitoring methods have problems such as high labor costs, insufficient representativeness and poor comparability. Hence, developing efficient and intelligent monitoring technology is the focus of recent future. Since 2018, monitoring technique of marine litter relevant research literature has grown rapidly, showing this technique a hot spot. In this paper, the relevant research literature is divided into three litter types (BL, FML, and FRL) and two ways (fixed monitoring and mobile monitoring). Similarities and differences in research focus, platform selection, result accuracy and result application are summarized and reasoned, with a view to accelerating the research progress and better supporting BL, FML, and FRL control in China.
High Dk and ultra-high thermal conductivity ST/μBN/polyolefin composites for microwave applications
Authors: Yang Z Y , Qing Z , Li E Z , Tang B , Yuan Y
Published: January 2024

In this work, we examined the structure, microwave dielectric, thermal and mechanical characteristics of composites containing SrTiO3/xμBN/polyolefin (with x at 0, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weight percent). SrTiO3 (ST) and micro boron nitride (μBN) powders were fabricated with 1,2-PB/EPDM/SBS (1,2-PB, EPDM and SBS are abbreviations of 1,2-polybutadienes, ethylene-propylene-dicyclopentadiene and styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock copolymer, respectively) by hot-press process after modified by Vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH550), respectively. The ball mill and surface modification procedure enhanced the dispersion of the boron nitride in the solution and promoted compatibility between ceramic particles and polyolefin matrix. The incorporation of BN created more effective boron transfer pathways with ST particles, significantly improving the thermal conductivity of the composite. However, as μBN content increased, more ceramic agglomerates and pores were introduced, deteriorating dielectric, thermal and mechanical properties of the samples. The particle size test and XPS were conducted to determine the effect of surface modification on the dispersion and surface properties of ceramics. Cross-plane thermal conductivity, TGA and stress-strain curves were used to evaluate the thermal and mechanical properties of the composites. In all, a composite with high-Dk and high thermal conductivity was obtained when x = 10 wt.%: Dk = 17.4, Df = 0.0071 and λ = 1.784 W/(m*k), which is promising for microwave applications.
Effect of Hf and Ta on Ni-based superalloy powders
Authors: Zhang H P , Liu J T , Zhang Y W
Published: January 2024

The effect of Hf and Ta modifying on the microstructure and composition of Ni-based superalloy powders was investigated. The element concentrations on the powder surface and subsurface were quantitatively characterized by the Auger electron spectroscopy, and cross sections of powders were observed by the electron probe microanalysis. The results show that Hf and Ta hardly change the morphology of powders, but significantly change the powder surface and subsurface composition. Hf and Ta enhance the volume fraction of MC carbides in powders, thereby reducing the concentrations of C, Ti, and Nb on the powder surface and subsurface, which effectively inhibits the formation of the prior particle boundary during HIP. It reduces crack sources and thus improves the mechanical properties of the alloy.
Study on the phase structure and electrical properties of lead-free Barium titanate-based piezoelectric ceramic
Authors: Chen Kui , Yang Chengtao , Tang Bin
Published: January 2024

Excessive Sr-doping has been observed to lead to a deterioration in the piezoelectric properties of BT-based ceramics. In response to this issue, this study introduces a solution through the development of lead-free piezoceramics using the composition (1-2x)Ba0.86Sr0.14Ti0.90Sn0.10O3-2xBa0.86Ca0.14Ti0.90Sn0.10O3 (BSTS-xBCTS), prepared through the conventional solid-state method. The rhombohedral, orthorhombic, and tetragonal phase coexistence is determined in the ceramic with 0.2≤x≤0.04. with x=0.3, the BSTS-xBCTS ceramic shows a sizeable piezoelectric property (d
33∼ 540 pC/N) and high ε
r value (∼ 10280), superior or comparable to the other BT-based or lead-based ceramics. These results demonstrate that the electrical property of the BSTS-xBCTS ceramic exceeds those of some lead-based ceramics or equivalent and holds significant potential in various technological applications that require electrical materials.
The effect of the preparation method of asphalt waste foam ceramic loaded Pd/Ce-P-Al2O3 coatings on their properties
Authors: Sun Y B , Gao X M , Ai H S , Shi G P , Liang F X
Published: January 2024

Asphalt waste-based foam ceramics were prepared by organic foam impregnation, followed by ultrasound-assisted impregnation and calcination to deposit 3-5 wt.% Pd/Ce-P-Al2O3 active coatings. The results show that γ-Al2O3 as an aluminum source provides a higher specific surface area and facilitates the dispersion of the catalytic components, so that low-temperature conversion of CO can be achieved, but the coating uniformity, stability, and the ability to modify the defects on ceramic surfaces are lower than those of the aluminum nitrate calcination products. Aluminum dihydrogen phosphate as a P source could rapidly convert 60% of CO, but the performance decreased at a later stage, while phosphoric acid as a P source could achieve the complete conversion of CO at a lower temperature. The mechanical properties of the samples with the addition of aluminum dihydrogen phosphate and aluminum nitrate baked products were better, which was 0.6 MPa higher than the uncoated foam ceramics.
Fretting wear properties of the laser cladding NiCrAlY coating on Ti-45Al alloy surface
Authors: Sun Yongshuo , Qian Chunguang , Song Qiang , Wen Daosheng , Lv Qinghua , Zhang Minghao , Wang Xinwei
Published: January 2024

In order to improve the fretting tribological properties of Ti-45Al alloy, the coating was prepared by laser cladding on the surface of Ti-45Al alloy using NiCrAlY mixed powder as raw material. The results showed that the microhardness of the coating was higher than that of Ti-45Al alloy, and its average hardness was about 401.8 HV. The fretting running state of the coating was obviously different from that of Ti-45Al alloy. The mixed sliding zone in NiCrAlY coating disappeared. The fretting wear morphology of the coating and the matrix was observed. The fretting wear resistance of the coating was significantly higher than that of Ti-45Al alloy.
A new nested-niche technique for optimization design of composite laminated structure
Authors: Ma Sen , Wang Haiquan , Zhao Qilin , Hu Bingxu , Chen Yun
Published: January 2024

Optimization design of composite laminated structure has typical features as multimodality and variable-dimension when the ply number is considered as a design variable, the niche technique combined with evolutionary algorithm is an effective method for such problem. In order to get lighter weight, a new nested-niche technique that can consider the diversity of the population in the ply number and the ply orientation successively is proposed in this paper to improve the optimization performance. Performance of the proposed technique is verified by engineering cases, the weight obtained based on the nested-niche technique is 3.32kg, reduced by 25.2% and 11.5% compared with GA and INDE in references. Finally, influence of the inner-niche radius of the technique on the performance is discussed.
The mechanical properties of (NbMoTaW)Si2 from a first-principles calculations
Authors: Jiang Huang-Hui , Shao Lin , Xu Chao-Ren , Tang Bi-Yu
Published: January 2024

The realm of ceramic materials has seen a surge in interest directed towards high entropy disilicides due to their exceptional properties. Using the methodologies of density functional theory (DFT) and the special quasi-random structure (SQS), we have delved into the examination of structural stability and the inherent elastic properties of (NbMoTaW)Si2. The available experimental data and the optimized lattice parameters coincide very well. The thermodynamic stability observed in all high entropy ceramics, specifically (NbMoTaW)Si2 disilicides, can be attributed to their negative formation enthalpies. The present results of elastic parameters show that the strength/hardness of (NbMoTaW)Si2 are larger due to the higher bulk and shear moduli. The Vickers hardness of (NbMoTaW)Si2 is higher than the average value of component binary metal silicide, indicating solid solution strengthening effect. The mechanical anisotropy of the (NbMoTaW)Si2 reveals the significant difference in various directions on different crystalline planes. Conducting theoretical research holds significance in facilitating the synthesis of enhanced high entropy disilicides ceramics. Furthermore, such studies are crucial in advancing the evolution and practical utilization of high entropy materials.
Acoustically transparent polybutadiene-based polyurethane encapsulants for deep-sea and transducers
Authors: Li J J , Gao Y , Gu X H , Yang C H , Li J
Published: January 2024

Copolyether polyurethane (PUR), as a typical encapsulation material, is widely used for underwater acoustic transducers. Two novel types of polybutadiene-based PURs were prepared using a one-step method and compared with copolyether PURs. The polybutadiene-based PUR exhibited excellent mechanical properties. Epoxidized hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (EHTPB)–based PUR exhibited tensile strength and hardness of up to 17.3 MPa and Shore A95, respectively, which were 76.5% and 13.3% higher than those of copolyether PURs. The molecular chain of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB)-based PUR exhibited good flexibility, a soft segment glass transition temperature (Tg) (approximately -52 °C), and complete microphase separation. Compared with HTPB-based PUR, EHTPB-based PUR exhibited a higher molecular chain rigidity and a lower degree of microphase separation. The insertion losses of HTPB-based PUR at 350 and 700 kHz were 69.8 dB/m and 204.6 dB/m, respectively, which were 57.4% and 47.1% lower than those of copolymer PUR. The water absorption and water vapor transmission coefficient of HTPB-based PUR were an order of magnitude lower than those of copolymer PUR. EHTPB-based and copolymer PURs exhibited similar insertion losses at 350 kHz. EHTPB-based PUR exhibited the lowest water vapor transmission coefficient of 7.2 × 10−14 g·cm/cm2·s·Pa, which was approximately 1/15th of that of copolyether PUR.
Fabrication process and variation rule of electrical properties of CrSi thin film resistors
Authors: Zhu Jiajia , Zhang Zhili , Gu Lihui , He Nailong , Song Hua , Zhang Sen
Published: January 2024

CrSi film is sputtered on SiO2 by reactive magnetron sputtering method, on which TIW layer is deposited as the resistance end. After lithographic patterns and corrosion, metal layer is deposited and etched as input and output to test the electrical parameters of the film. It is discovered that the target’s component determines the electrical parameters’ adjustable range. It is possible to stabilize the temperature coefficient of resistance of CrSi film in ±10ppm/oC by adjusting the process parameters, resulting in reduction of fluctuations compared with the widely used ±20ppm/oC, and obtainment of high-precision CrSi film resistors. In addition, microscopic factors such as grain size and spacing must be considered. CrSi grains, which transmit electrons, and the SiN groups, which are dispersed along the grain spacing and permit electron tunnelling, dictate the electrical characteristics of the film. The law of process adjustment parameters is clarified through the comparison of different component targets, which has important reference value and guiding significance for the future research of similar targets or high-precision resistors.
Scale inhibition and dispersion performance of epoxy succinic acid copolymer containing sulfonic acid groups
Authors: Yan M F , Liu Z , Li N , Zheng Y X , Li H H , Gao Y H , Liu Z F
Published: January 2024

To improve the dispersion performance of Polyepoxysuccinic acid (PESA), sulfonic acid groups were introduced into the PESA structure, resulting in the synthesis of a phosphorus- and nitrogen-free ternary polymer. The scale inhibition and dispersion performance of the ternary polymer were compared with those of PESA using static experiments, and its dynamic performance was studied. The results showed that the ternary copolymer had outstanding scale inhibition and dispersion properties. At a dosage of 20 mg/L, the scale inhibition rate on calcium carbonate was 100%, while the scale inhibition rate was 100% on calcium sulfate at a dosage of 10 mg/L. The scale inhibition rate on calcium phosphate was 95% at a dosage of 100 mg/L. At 50 mg/L, the transmittance was only 31.9%. Therefore, the copolymer demonstrated good dynamic scale inhibition performance and could inhibit scale precipitation on the surface of the heat exchanger.
Community-scale changes to landfast ice along the coast of Alaska over 2000-2022
Authors: Cooley Sarah W , Ryan Jonathan C
Published: January 2024

Landfast sea ice that forms along the Arctic coastline is of great importance to coastal Alaskan communities. It provides a stable platform for transportation and traditional activities, protects the coastline from erosion, and serves as a critical habitat for marine mammals. Here we present a full assessment of landfast ice conditions across a continuous 7885 km length of the Alaska coastline over 2000–2022 using satellite imagery. We find that the maximum landfast ice extent, usually occurring in March, averaged 67 002 km2 during our study period: equivalent to 4% of the state’s land area. The maximum extent of landfast ice, however, exhibits considerable interannual variability, from a minimum of 29 871 km2 in 2019 to a maximum of 87 571 km2 in 2010. Likewise, the landfast ice edge position averages 22.9 km from the coastline but, at the community-scale, can range from 2.8 km (in Gambell) to 71.1 km (in Deering). Landfast ice breakup date averages 2 June but also varies considerably both between communities (3 May in Quinhagak to 24 July in Nuiqsut) and interannually. We identify a strong control of air temperature on breakup timing and use this relationship to project future losses of ice associated with Paris Climate Agreement targets. Under 2 °C of global air temperature warming, we estimate the average Alaskan coastal community will lose 19 days of ice, with the northernmost communities projected to lose 50 days or more. Overall, our results emphasize the highly localized nature of landfast ice processes and the vulnerability of coastal Arctic communities in a warming climate.
Recognition of grinding surface roughness grade based on adversarial domain adaptation under variable illumination
Authors: Yi Huaian , Huang Jiefeng , Shu Aihua , Song Kun
Published: January 2024

End-to-end roughness measurement can be achieved through the self-extraction of grinding surface features, which can be achieved through deep learning. However, due to the grinding surface texture being random, the features are weak, the self-extracted grinding surface features of the same surface under different lighting environments are different, and the training data and the test data when the lighting environments are inconsistent with the recognition of the measurement of the precision of the lower. To tackle these problems, this paper proposes an adversarial domain self-adaptation (NMDANN) based visual measurement method for grinding surface roughness under variable illumination. An improved residual network is used as a generator to extract more effective metastable features, and multi-head attention is introduced into the domain discriminator to enhance its domain adaptive capability. The experimental results show that the method can achieve an average recognition precision of 96.9112% for different grades of roughness on the grinding surface under the changing light environment, which is 40.1360% higher than the ordinary classification model ResNet50 and 10.1626% higher than the DANN model with migration capability. It lays the foundation for the online visual measurement of roughness on the grinding surface under the variable light environment. This lays the foundation for the online visualization of grinding surface roughness measurement in variable light environments.
Scanning tunneling microscopy study of epitaxial Fe3GeTe2 monolayers on Bi2Te3
Authors: Goff Brad M , Zhou Wenyi , Bishop Alexander J , Bailey-Crandell Ryan , Robinson Katherine , Kawakami Roland K , Gupta Jay A
Published: January 2024

Introducing magnetism to the surface state of topological insulators, such as Bi2Te3, can lead to a variety of interesting phenomena. We use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to study a single quintuple layer (QL) of the van der Waals magnet Fe3GeTe2 (FGT) that is grown on Bi2Te3 via molecular beam epitaxy. STM topographic images show that the FGT grows as free-standing islands on Bi2Te3 and outwards from Bi2Te3 steps. Atomic resolution imaging shows triangular lattices of 390 ± 10 pm for FGT and 430 ± 10 pm for Bi2Te3, consistent with the respective bulk crystals. A moiré pattern is observed on FGT regions with a periodicity of 4.3 ± 0.4 nm that can be attributed solely to this lattice mismatch and thus indicates zero rotational misalignment. While most of the surface is covered by a single QL of the FGT, there are small double QL regions, as well as regions with distinct chemical terminations due to an incomplete QL. The most common partial QL surface termination is the FeGe layer, in which the top two atomic layers are missing. This termination has a distinctive electronic structure and a

3

 

x

 

3

R

30
∘

reconstruction overlaid on the moiré pattern in STM images. Magnetic circular dichroism measurements confirm these thin FGT films are ferromagnetic with T
C ∼190 K.
Five near-infrared-emissive graphene quantum dots for multiplex bioimaging
Authors: Valimukhametova Alina R , Fannon Olivia , Topkiran Ugur C , Dorsky Abby , Sottile Olivia , Gonzalez-Rodriguez Roberto , Coffer Jeffery , Naumov Anton V
Published: January 2024

Due to high tissue penetration depth and low autofluorescence backgrounds, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has recently become an advantageous diagnostic technique used in a variety of fields. However, most of the NIR fluorophores do not have therapeutic delivery capabilities, exhibit low photostabilities, and raise toxicity concerns. To address these issues, we developed and tested five types of biocompatible graphene quantum dots (GQDs) exhibiting spectrally-separated fluorescence in the NIR range of 928–1053 nm with NIR excitation. Their optical properties in the NIR are attributed to either rare-earth metal dopants (Ho-NGQDs, Yb-NGQDs, Nd-NGQDs) or defect-states (nitrogen doped GQDS (NGQDs), reduced graphene oxides) as verified by Hartree-Fock calculations. Moderate up to 1.34% quantum yields of these GQDs are well-compensated by their remarkable >4 h photostability. At the biocompatible concentrations of up to 0.5–2 mg ml−1 GQDs successfully internalize into HEK-293 cells and enable in vitro imaging in the visible and NIR. Tested all together in HEK-293 cells five GQD types enable simultaneous multiplex imaging in the NIR-I and NIR-II shown for the first time in this work for GQD platforms. Substantial photostability, spectrally-separated NIR emission, and high biocompatibility of five GQD types developed here suggest their promising potential in multianalyte testing and multiwavelength bioimaging of combination therapies.
Inkjet-printed transistors with coffee ring aligned carbon nanotubes
Authors: Naderi Paria , Grau Gerd
Published: January 2024

Low-concentration deposition techniques such as inkjet printing for forming carbon nanotube (CNT) transistor channels typically result in higher on–off current ratio, while lowering the field-effect mobility compared to traditional high-concentration techniques. In this paper, we show that inkjet-printed devices can have both high field-effect mobility and on–off current ratio by utilizing coffee ring induced thickness variation in the channel. The coffee ring effect occurs naturally in printed patterns with most solvents and substrates, and it pushes dissolved particles to the edges of printed features. Thickness variation and coffee ring effect are usually avoided in the channel of solution processed thin-film transistors by implementing additional expensive steps in the fabrication process. Instead, here, we control these variations and utilize them to create inkjet-printed CNT channels with printing induced thickness variation that improves transistor properties. Printing properties such as printing speed, and number of layers are studied to manipulate capillary flow and form thicker line edges, which ultimately enhance current transport in the CNT network. A two-pass printing pattern with separate lines improves the field-effect mobility five times compared to a pattern with connected lines that has no defined edges. The field-effect mobility increases from 1.1 to 5.7 cm2 V−1 s−1 at a drain voltage of −2 V.
Grain size and heavy metal assessment in barchan dunes surrounding the Talatan PV power generation area, Qinghai Province
Authors: Wang Lijie , Chen Hao , Xiao Fengjun , Shao Tianjie , Chang Ju , Ma Huirong
Published: January 2024

Heavy metal contamination in sediments near photovoltaic (PV) power generation areas poses potential environmental risks, requiring detailed characterization and source apportionment to facilitate sustainable management. This research explores the characteristics of sediment grains and the concentrations of heavy metals present in surface sediments from barchan dunes proximal to the Talatan Photovoltaic (PV) power generation area, located within Gonghe County, Qinghai Province. The sediments displayed an average grain size within the medium sand range, with marginal differences discernible between the windward and leeward slopes. With the exception of Mn, Cu, Zn, V, Pb, and Ba, concentrations of the remaining metals were found to surpass the baseline levels established by Chinese aeolian soil data, alluding to potential anthropogenic influences. Through employing coefficients of variation in multivariate statistical analysis, it was identified that the concentrations of Cr and Co were significantly elevated, suggesting potential anthropogenic contamination, which may be associated with photovoltaic industrial activities. Specifically, the elevated concentrations of Cr and Co suggested anthropogenic contamination, potentially associated with photovoltaic industrial activities. Utilizing a combination of Correlation Coefficient Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, and Cluster Analysis, three potential sources of heavy metals were identified: (1) industrial origin for elements such as Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, and As; (2) elements with limited direct application in the photovoltaic industry but associated with materials and energy storage, namely Ba, V, and Mn; (3) anthropogenic inputs related to construction materials and battery storage systems in the photovoltaic park, specifically Co and Pb. The findings offer a significant understanding of the heavy metal characteristics and sources in proximity to the Talatan PV power generation area, emphasizing the impact of human activities on environmental quality. These insights underscore the necessity for enhanced monitoring and management of industrial activities to mitigate potential environmental impacts. Further research is recommended on a broader spatial scale to yield a more comprehensive understanding of this subject.
Sustainability analysis of primary wastewater treatment by willow plantations in Québec
Authors: Fagoaga Noel , Sas Eszter , Jerbi Ahmed , Brereton Nicholas J B , Laplante Robert , Labrecque Michel , Pitre Frederic E
Published: January 2024

Wastewater treatment is a necessary step to avoid environmental impacts of water consumption and usage. Traditional approaches are expensive and are limited to developed countries. Phytofiltration using fast-growing trees and shrubs like willows potentially offer an alternative. This paper aims to determine if wastewater treatment using phytofiltration can provide complementary environmental and economic benefits for rural communities in a Nordic climate such as the province of Québec, Canada. It looks at different perspectives of the wastewater treatment solution in a local and rural context. Based on life cycle analysis (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCC), we found that, for an exemplar Québec municipality, the conventional wastewater treatment scenario impacted more on climate change, ecosystem quality and human health than the two phytofiltration of wastewater scenarios studied, where impact is highly dependant on the biomass valorization. The net present cost of the phytofiltration scenarios were lower than typical conventional treatment in Québec. For a biomass producer, conventional biomass production had the highest environmental impact on ecosystem quality, while biomass production from phytofiltration had the highest environmental impact on climate change, human health, and resources. We demonstrate that the phytofiltration is a viable and multifunctional technology that could provide good incentives for a local biomass value chain. it allows to both alleviate wastewater treatment burden and provide affordable biomass for bioenergy development for rural communities. Mobilizing local stakeholders will be key to make phytofiltration an alternative solution for both environmental burden alleviation and rural economic development.
Sustainable additive manufacturing of polysulfone membranes for liquid separations
Authors: Leonard Brian , Loh Harrison , Lu David , Ogbuoji Ebuka A , Escobar Isabel C , Sierros Konstantinos , Sanyal Oishi
Published: January 2024

Membranes serve as important components for modern manufacturing and purification processes but are conventionally associated with excessive solvent usage. Here, for the first time, a procedure for fabricating large area polysulfone membranes is demonstrated via the combination of direct ink writing (DIW) with non-solvent induced phase inversion (NIPS). The superior control and precision of this process allows for complete utilization of the polymer dope solution during membrane fabrication, thus enabling a significant reduction in material usage. Compared to doctor blade fabrication, a 63% reduction in dope solution volume was achieved using the DIW technique for fabricating similarly sized membranes. Cross flow filtration analysis revealed that, independent of the manufacturing method (DIW vs. doctor blade), the membranes exhibited near identical separation properties. The separation properties were assessed in terms of bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection and permeances (pressure normalized flux) of pure water and BSA solution. This new manufacturing strategy allows for the reduction of material and solvent usage while providing a large toolkit of tunable parameters which can aid in advancing membrane technology.
Epidemic modelling requires knowledge of the social network
Authors: Johnson Samuel
Published: January 2024

‘Compartmental models’ of epidemics are widely used to forecast the effects of communicable diseases such as COVID-19 and to guide policy. Although it has long been known that such processes take place on social networks, the assumption of ‘random mixing’ is usually made, which ignores network structure. However, ‘super-spreading events’ have been found to be power-law distributed, suggesting that the underlying networks may be scale free or at least highly heterogeneous. The random-mixing assumption would then produce an overestimation of the herd-immunity threshold for given R
0; and a (more significant) overestimation of R
0 itself. These two errors compound each other, and can lead to forecasts greatly overestimating the number of infections. Moreover, if networks are heterogeneous and change in time, multiple waves of infection can occur, which are not predicted by random mixing. A simple SIR model simulated on both Erdős–Rényi and scale-free networks shows that details of the network structure can be more important than the intrinsic transmissibility of a disease. It is therefore crucial to incorporate network information into standard models of epidemics.
On the advances in machine learning and complex network measures to an EEG dataset from DMT experiments
Authors: Alves Caroline L , Ciba Manuel , de O. Toutain Thaise G L , Augusto Moura Porto Joel , Pondé de Sena Eduardo , Thielemann Christiane , Rodrigues Francisco A
Published: January 2024

There is a growing interest in the medical use of psychedelic substances, as preliminary studies using them for psychiatric disorders have shown positive results. In particular, one of these substances is N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an agonist serotonergic psychedelic that can induce profound alterations in the state of consciousness. In this work, we use an exploratory tool to reveal DMT-induced changes in brain activity using EEG data and provide new insights into the mechanisms of action of this psychedelic substance. We used a two-class classification based on (A) the connectivity matrix or (B) complex network measures derived from it as input to a support vector machine (SVM). We found that both approaches could detect changes in the brain’s automatic activity, with case (B) showing the highest AUC (89%), indicating that complex network measurements best capture the brain changes that occur due to DMT use. In the second step, we ranked the features that contributed the most to this result. For case (A), we found that differences in the high alpha, low beta, and delta frequency bands were most important in distinguishing between the state before and after DMT inhalation, which is consistent with the results described in the literature. Further, the connection between the temporal (TP8) and central cortex (C3) and between the precentral gyrus (FC5) and the lateral occipital cortex (P8) contributed most to the classification result. The connection between regions TP8 and C3 has been found in the literature associated with finger movements that might have occurred during DMT consumption. However, the connection between cortical areas FC5 and P8 has not been found in the literature and is presumably related to the volunteers’ emotional, visual, sensory, perceptual, and mystical experiences during DMT consumption. For case (B), closeness centrality was the most crucial complex network measure. Furthermore, we discovered larger communities and longer average path lengths when DMT was used and the converse when not, showing that the balance between functional segregation and integration had been disrupted. These findings support the idea that cortical brain activity becomes more entropic under psychedelics. Overall, a robust computational workflow has been developed here with interpretability of how DMT (or other psychedelics) modify brain networks and insights into their mechanism of action. Finally, the same methodology applied here may help interpret EEG time series from patients who consumed other psychedelic drugs.
Contemporary Prophylactic Antibiotic Practices and Adjunct Therapies in Autologous Fat Grafting Procedures: A Survey of The Aesthetic Society Members
Authors: Araya Sthefano , Chang Alexander H , Moss Civanni , Gubara Sarah M , Gebreyesus Maria T , Jordan Kenneth , Ruth Karen J , Baltodano Pablo , Patel Sameer A
Published: January 2024

Background

Autologous fat grafting (AFG) is a widely used surgical technique that involves extracting a patient's own adipose tissue and transferring it to different areas of the body. This practice is still evolving. Guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis and use of adjuncts in plastic surgery are currently limited, with a notable absence of standardized guidelines for AFG.

Objectives

In this survey, we assess contemporary antibiotic practices and adjuncts in AFG procedures.

Methods

A 52-question survey was emailed to 3106 active members of The Aesthetic Society. Two hundred and ninety-three responses were recorded, representing a 9% response rate.

Results

We analyzed 288 responses. The most common AFG procedures were facial (38%), gluteal (34%), and breast (27%) augmentation. Preoperative antibiotics were used by 84.0% overall, with rates of 74.3%, 88.0%, and 92.7% in face, breast, and gluteal AFG, respectively. Lipoaspirate–antibiotic mixing was reported by 19.8%, mainly during gluteal AFG (46.9%), and less so in face (2.8%) and breast (8%) AFG. Notably, 46.9% of surgeons administered prolonged prophylaxis for 72 h or more. Tranexamic acid was utilized by 39.9% of the surveyed surgeons. Platelet-rich plasma was used by 5.6%. Doppler ultrasound was incorporated by 16.7% in AFG, with 21.5% in gluteal AFG, 14% in the face, and 19% in breast procedures.

Conclusions

In this survey, we offer insights into antibiotic practices and adjunct therapies in AFG, especially intraoperative antibiotic mixing. Practices among members of The Aesthetic Society vary from guidelines. It is crucial to standardize practices and conduct further research to pave the way for evidence-based guidelines in AFG.

Level of Evidence: 5
The spectrum of thrombotic microangiopathy related to monoclonal gammopathy
Authors: van Doorn Daan P C , Abdul-Hamid Myrurgia A , Frenken Leon A M , van Paassen Pieter , Timmermans Sjoerd A M E G ,   for the Limburg Renal Registry
Published: January 2024

Background

Recent studies showed a high prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy (MG) in patients with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) aged over 50 years and suggested that complement dysregulation is pivotal for the disease to develop. Here, we studied this premise in seven patients with TMA and coexisting MG.

Methods

Patients with TMA on kidney biopsy and/or peripheral blood were recruited from the prospective COMPETE cohort (NCT04745195) and Limburg Renal Registry. Patients were screened for complement dysregulation, including genetics/factor H autoantibodies (FHAA) and functional ex vivo testing on microvascular endothelial cells.

Results

Seven (8%) out of 84 patients with TMA presented with a coexisting MG. MG clustered in patients aged over 50 years (n/N = 6/32, 19%). C4 and/or C3 levels were low in three patients, while four patients presented with normal complement levels. None of the patients carried rare variants in complement genes. Massive ex vivo C5b9 formation on the endothelium was noted in one patient; purified IgG from this patient caused massive ex vivo C5b9 formation via the alternative pathway of complement activation, pointing to complement dysregulation in the fluid phase. Kidney biopsies from other nephropathies linked to MG rarely exhibited concurrent TMA (n/N = 1/27, 4%).

Conclusions

MG clustered in patients with TMA aged over 50 years. TMA and coexisting MG represents a heterogeneous disease spectrum, including a small subset of patients who may present with complement dysregulation.