Composition Engineering Opens an Avenue Toward Efficient and Sustainable Nitrogen Fixation

In this work,we open an avenue toward rational design of potential efficient catalysts for sustainable ammonia synthesis through composition engineering strategy by exploiting the synergistic effects among the active sites as exemplified by diatomic metals anchored graphdiyne via the combination of hierarchical high-throughput screening,first-principles calculations,and molecular dynamics simulations.Totally 43 highly efficient catalysts feature ultralow onset potentials(|U_(onset)|≤0.40 V)with Rh-Hf and Rh-Ta showing negligible onset potentials of 0 and-0.04 V,respectively.Extremely high catalytic activities of Rh-Hf and Rh-Ta can be ascribed to the synergistic effects.When forming heteronuclears,the combinations of relatively weak(such as Rh)and relatively strong(such as Hf or Ta)components usually lead to the optimal strengths of adsorption Gibbs free energies of reaction intermediates.The origin can be ascribed to the mediate d-band centers of Rh-Hf and Rh-Ta,which lead to the optimal adsorption strengths of intermediates,thereby bringing the high catalytic activities.Our work provides a new and general strategy toward the architecture of highly efficient catalysts not only for electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction(eNRR)but also for other important reactions.We expect that our work will boost both experimental and theoretical efforts in this direction.

Exercise-induced adaptation of neurons in the vertebrate locomotor system

Vertebrate neurons are highly dynamic cells that undergo several alterations in their functioning and physiologies in adaptation to various external stimuli.In particular,how these neurons respond to physical exercise has long been an area of active research.Studies of the vertebrate locomotor system’s adaptability suggest multiple mechanisms are involved in the regulation of neuronal activity and properties during exercise.In this brief review,we highlight recent results and insights from the field with a focus on the following mechanisms:(a)alterations in neuronal excitability during acute exercise;(b)alterations in neuronal excitability after chronic exercise;(c)exercise-induced changes in neuronal membrane properties via modulation of ion channel activity;(d)exercise-enhanced dendritic plasticity;and(e)exercise-induced alterations in neuronal gene expression and protein synthesis.Our hope is to update the community with a cellular and molecular understanding of the recent mechanisms underlying the adaptability of the vertebrate locomotor system in response to both acute and chronic physical exercise.

Direct Regeneration of Spent Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes:From Theoretical Study to Production Practice

Direct regeneration method has been widely concerned by researchers in the field of battery recycling because of its advantages of in situ regeneration,short process and less pollutant emission.In this review,we firstly analyze the primary causes for the failure of three representative battery cathodes(lithium iron phosphate,layered lithium transition metal oxide and lithium cobalt oxide),targeting at illustrating their underlying regeneration mecha-nism and applicability.Efficient stripping of material from the collector to obtain pure cathode material has become a first challenge in recycling,for which we report several pretreatment methods currently available for subsequent regeneration processes.We review and discuss emphatically the research progress of five direct regeneration methods,including solid-state sintering,hydrothermal,eutectic molten salt,electrochemical and chemical lithiation methods.Finally,the application of direct regeneration technology in production practice is introduced,the problems exposed at the early stage of the industrialization of direct regeneration technol-ogy are revealed,and the prospect of future large-scale commercial production is proposed.It is hoped that this review will give readers a comprehensive and basic understanding of direct regeneration methods for used lithium-ion batteries and promote the industrial application of direct regeneration technology.

Correction:Direct Regeneration of Spent Lithium‑Ion Battery Cathodes:From Theoretical Study to Production Practice

The Highlights session of the article unfortunately was taken falsely from another manuscript.The correct Highlights session is now in place.The correct is:Analyze the primary causes of cathode failure in three representative batteries,illustrating their underlying regeneration mechanism.

Identification and Transcriptional Regulation of CAMTA Genes in Liriodendron chinense

This study explores CAMTA genes in the rare and endangered Chinese plant species,Liriodendron chinense.Despite the completion of whole-genome sequencing,the roles of CAMTA genes in calcium regulation and stress responses in this species remain largely unexplored.Within the L.chinense genome,we identified two CAMTA genes,Lchi09764 and Lchi222536,characterized by four functional domains:CG-1,TIG,ANK repeats,and IQ motifs.Our analyses,including phylogenetic investigations,cis-regulatory element analyses,and chromosomal location studies,aim to elucidate the defining features of CAMTA genes in L.chinense.Applying Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis(WGCNA),we explored the impact of CAMTA genes on different organs and their regulation under abiotic stress conditions.The identification of significant gene modules and the prediction of promoter binding sites revealed co-expressed genes associated with CAMTA transcription factors.In summary,this study provides initial insights into CAMTA genes in L.chinense,laying the groundwork for future research on their evolution and biological roles.This knowledge enhancement contributes to a better understanding of plant responses to environmental stress—an essential aspect of plant biology.

Review of preferentially selective lithium extraction from spent lithium batteries: Principle and performance

Lithium,as the lightest and lowest potential metal,is an ideal "battery metal" and the core strategic metal of the new energy industry revolution.Recovering lithium from spent lithium batteries(LIBs)has become one of the significant approaches to obtaining lithium resources.At present,the lithium extraction being generally placed at the last step of the spent LIBs recovery process has puzzles such as high acid consumption,low Li recovery purity and low recovery efficiency.Selective lithium extraction at the first step of the recovery process can effectively solve those puzzles.Since lithium leaching is a non-spontaneous reaction requiring additional energy to achieve,it is found that these methods can be divided into five ways according to the different types of energy driving the reaction occurring:(ⅰ)electric energy driving lithium extraction;(ⅱ) chemical energy driving lithium extraction;(ⅲ) mechanical energy driving lithium extraction;(ⅳ) thermal energy driving lithium extraction;(ⅴ) other energy driving lithium extraction.Through the analysis of the principle,reaction process and results of recovering lithium methods can provide a few directions for scholars’ subsequent research.It is necessary to speed up the exploration of the principle of these methods.It is expected that this study could provide a reference for the research on the selective lithium extraction.

Gas kinetic flux solver based finite volume weighted essentially non-oscillatory scheme for inviscid compressible flows

A high-order gas kinetic flux solver(GKFS)is presented for simulating inviscid compressible flows.The weighted essentially non-oscillatory(WENO)scheme on a uniform mesh in the finite volume formulation is combined with the circular function-based GKFS(C-GKFS)to capture more details of the flow fields with fewer grids.Different from most of the current GKFSs,which are constructed based on the Maxwellian distribution function or its equivalent form,the C-GKFS simplifies the Maxwellian distribution function into the circular function,which ensures that the Euler or Navier-Stokes equations can be recovered correctly.This improves the efficiency of the GKFS and reduces its complexity to facilitate the practical application of engineering.Several benchmark cases are simulated,and good agreement can be obtained in comparison with the references,which demonstrates that the high-order C-GKFS can achieve the desired accuracy.

Molecular Mechanism Underlying Plant Response to Cold Stress

Low temperature stress is one of the most important factors limiting plant growth and geographical distribution.In order to adapt to low temperature,plants have evolved strategies to acquire cold tolerance,known as,cold acclimation.Current molecular and genomic studies have reported that annual herbaceous and perennial woody plants share similar cold acclimation mechanisms.However,woody perennials also require extra resilience to survive cold winters.Thus,trees have acquired complex dynamic processes to control the development of dormancy and cold resistance,ensuring successful tolerance during the coldest winter season.In this review,we systemically described how woody plants perceive and transduce cold stress signals through a series of physiological changes such as calcium signaling,membrane lipid,and antioxidant changes altering downstream gene expression and epigenetic modification,ultimately bud dormancy.We extended the discussion and reviewed the processes endogenous phytohormones play in regulating the cold stress.We believe that this review will aid in the comprehension of underlying mechanisms in plant acclimation to cold stress.

B/Sm共掺杂羟基磷灰石的制备及发光性能

采用化学沉淀法,制备得到具有发光性能的B/Sm共掺杂羟基磷灰石粉体.通过X射线衍射(XRD)、傅里叶红外(FT-IR)、荧光光谱(PL)等研究了不同的钐掺杂量和不同硼掺杂量对羟基磷灰石晶体结构及荧光性能的影响.XRD分析结果表明,掺杂B、Sm后未产生其他杂相.荧光分析表明,在B掺量一定时,随Sm掺杂量的增多,荧光强度呈先升高后降低的变化趋势,在Sm浓度约为0.5mol%时荧光强度达到最高;固定Sm掺杂量,共掺杂样品发光强度随B掺杂量出现相似变化.在B的掺量达到5mol%以后,B/Sm共掺杂样品的荧光强度开始降低.此外,共掺杂样品荧光寿命也受到掺杂影响,呈现相应的变化.

Genome-wide identification and cold stress-induced expression analysis of the CBF gene family in Liriodendron chinense

Cold-resistance pathways that operate in model plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa have been studied extensively.It has been found that CBF genes play an important role in plant cold resistance.Liriodendron chinense,a tree known for its graceful tree shape and widely spread in south China,has weak cold tolerance.However,little is known about its response to cold.To further study the function of L.chinense CBF gene family,we started by characterizing all members of this gene family in the L.chinense genome and their expression profiling.Phylogenetic analysis found that 14 CBF genes in L.chinense are more closely related to their homologues in woody plants and A.thaliana than those in O.sativa.Cis-acting elements and GO analysis showed that some LcCBF genes participated in the biological process of cold stress response.The transcriptomic and RT-qPCR data showed that most of LcCBF genes displayed an initially increasing and subsequently decreasing trend during cold stress course and the expression profile of each member was different.Some LcCBF genes exhibited a different abundance in callus,root,stem and leaf tissues.The structure and expression characteristics of LcCBF genes imply that they may have similar and different functions in response to cold stress conditions.The identification and analysis of LcCBF gene family have laid the foundation for future studies into L.chinense cold stress mechanisms and for the cultivation of cold-resistance cultivars.

Resistance to Aspergillus flavus in maize and peanut:Molecular biology, breeding, environmental stress,and future perspectives

The colonization of maize(Zea mays L.) and peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.) by the fungal pathogen Aspergillus flavus results in the contamination of kernels with carcinogenic mycotoxins known as aflatoxins leading to economic losses and potential health threats to humans. The regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis in various Aspergillus spp. has been extensively studied, and has been shown to be related to oxidative stress responses. Given that environmental stresses such as drought and heat stress result in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species(ROS) within host plant tissues, host-derived ROS may play an important role in cross-kingdom communication between host plants and A. flavus. Recent technological advances in plant breeding have provided the tools necessary to study and apply knowledge derived from metabolomic, proteomic, and transcriptomic studies in the context of productive breeding populations. Here, we review the current understanding of the potential roles of environmental stress, ROS, and aflatoxin in the interaction between A.flavus and its host plants, and the current status in molecular breeding and marker discovery for resistance to A. flavus colonization and aflatoxin contamination in maize and peanut. We will also propose future directions and a working model for continuing research efforts linking environmental stress tolerance and aflatoxin contamination resistance in maize and peanut.

Topology Optimization with Aperiodic Load Fatigue Constraints Based on Bidirectional Evolutionary Structural Optimization

Because of descriptive nonlinearity and computational inefficiency,topology optimization with fatigue life under aperiodic loads has developed slowly.A fatigue constraint topology optimization method based on bidirectional evolutionary structural optimization(BESO)under an aperiodic load is proposed in this paper.In viewof the severe nonlinearity of fatigue damagewith respect to design variables,effective stress cycles are extracted through transient dynamic analysis.Based on the Miner cumulative damage theory and life requirements,a fatigue constraint is first quantified and then transformed into a stress problem.Then,a normalized termination criterion is proposed by approximatemaximum stress measured by global stress using a P-normaggregation function.Finally,optimization examples show that the proposed algorithm can not only meet the requirements of fatigue life but also obtain a reasonable configuration.

Spectral Reflectance Characteristics of Different Snow and Snow-Covered Land Surface Objects and Mixed Spectrum Fitting

The field spectroradiometer was used to measure spectra of different snow and snow-covered land surface objects in Beijing area.The result showed that for a pure snow spectrum,the snow reflectance peaks appeared from visible to 800 nm band locations;there was an obvious absorption valley of snow spectrum near 1 030 nm wavelength.Compared with fresh snow,the reflection peaks of the old snow and melting snow showed different degrees of decline in the ranges of 300～1 300,1 700～1 800 and 2 200～2 300 nm,the lowest was from the compacted snow and frozen ice.For the vegetation and snow mixed spectral characteristics,it was indicated that the spectral reflectance increased for the snow-covered land types(including pine leaf with snow and pine leaf on snow background), due to the influence of snow background in the range of 350～1 300 nm.However, the spectrum reflectance of mixed pixel remained a vegetation spectral characteristic.In the end,based on the spectrum analysis of snow,vegetation,and mixed snow/vegetation pixels,the mixed spectral fitting equations were established,and the results showed that there was good correlation between spectral curves by simulation fitting and observed ones(correlation coefficient R2=0.950 9).

Regulating Pd‐catalysis for electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction to formate via intermetallic PdBi nanosheets

Electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction plays an important role in the reduction of the CO_(2) concentration in atmosphere and consequently the mitigation of greenhouse effects.Pd has been extensively inves‐tigated as an electrocatalyst for the CO_(2) reduction to formate,which is an important raw material in the production of organic chemicals.However,the low selectivity and competitive reaction(hydro‐gen evolution reaction(HER))have hindered the performance of monometallic Pd catalysts.In this paper,intermetallic PdBi nanosheets(NSs)are prepared for efficient CO_(2) reduction to formate.The highest Faradaic efficiency(FE)of formate on fully ordered PdBi NSs reaches 91.9%at−1.0 V vs.RHE,which outperforms that of the disordered PdBi and pure Pd catalysts.Density functional theo‐ry calculations suggest that compared to disordered PdBi NSs,the ordered structure can decrease the free energy barrier of*OCHO(a key intermediate of formate formation)and inhibit H_(2) evolution as well,thereby enhancing the activity and selectivity for formate production.

Design of an all-dielectric long-wave infrared wide-angle metalens

Optical metasurfaces are two-dimensional arrays of nano-scatterers that modify optical wavefronts at subwavelength spatial resolution.They achieve the effect of focusing through phase control under a subwavelength scale,and are called metalenses.They are poised to revolutionize optics by enabling complex low-cost systems.However,there are severe monochromatic aberrations in the metasurfaces.In this paper,the coma of the long-wave infrared optical system is eliminated through a single-layer metasurface.By changing the phase function,this metalens has a numerical aperture of 0.89,a focal length of 150μm and a field of view of 120°(0.4@60 line pairs/mm)that enables diffraction-limited monochromatic imaging along the focal plane at a wavelength of 10.6μm.The designed metasurface maintains a favorable value of the modulation transfer function at different angles.This equipment can be widely used in imaging and industrial processing.

Unveiling the Underlying Mechanism of Transition Metal Atoms Anchored Square Tetracyanoquinodimethane Monolayers as Electrocatalysts for N_(2) Fixation

We for the first time systematically studied the structures and electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction properties of two-dimensional single transition-metal anchored square tetracyanoquinodimethane monolayers(labeled as:TM-sTCNQ,TM=3d,4d,5d series transition metals)by employing density functional theory method.Through highthroughput screenings and full reaction path researches,two promising electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction catalysts Nb-sTCNQ and MosTCNQ have been obtained.The nitrogen reduction reaction onset potential on Nb-sTCNQ is as low as−0.48 V.Furthermore,the Nb-sTCNQ catalyst can quickly desorb NH3 produced with a free energy of 0.65 eV,giving Nb-sTCNQ excellent catalytic cycle performance.The high catalytic activity of the two materials might be attributed to the effective charge transfer between the active center and adsorbed N_(2),which enables the active center to adsorb and activate inert N_(2) molecules well,and the reduction processes require small energy input(i.e.,the maximum free energy changes are small).This work provides insights for finding highly efficient,stable,and low-cost nitrogen reduction reaction electrocatalysts.We hope our results can promote further experimental and theoretical research of this field.

Depth variation of the Conrad discontinuity in the Qaidam Basin, northwestern China, and its crustal dynamic implications

We use broadband records from a dense seismic network deployed in and around the Qaidam Basin in northwestern China to analyze the crustal phases and investigate the depth of the Conrad and Moho discontinuities as well as the P-wave velocity.Waveform cross-correlation is used to assist in the identification of the crustal phases and in determining their arrival times.Depth of the Conrad discontinuity is determined by fitting the travel times of Conrad-diffracted P-waves using a two-layer model.The depth of the Conrad discontinuity under the eastern part of the basin is shallower than the western part,which can be attributed to different crustal shortening mechanisms.The upper crust shortening in the western part of the basin leads to thickening of the upper crust,while multiple thrust faults result in the rise of the Conrad discontinuity in the east.These two different mechanisms determine the depth change of the Conrad discontinuity in the basin from the west to the east,which is supported by the results in this study.

On the stress–strain states of cellular materials under high loading rates

A virtual Taylor impact of cellular materials is analyzed with a wave propagation technique, i.e. the Lagrangian analysis method, of which the main advantage is that no pre-assumed constitutive relationship is required. Time histories of particle velocity, local strain, and stress profiles are calculated to present the local stress-strain history curves, from which the dynamic stress-strain states are obtained. The present results reveal that the dynamic-rigid-plastic hardening （D-R-PH） material model introduced in a previous study of our group is in good agreement with the dynamic stress-strain states under high loading rates obtained by the Lagrangian analysis method. It directly reflects the effectiveness and feasibility of the D-R-PH material model for the cellular materials under high loading rates.

Recovery of cathode copper and ternary precursors from CuS slag derived by waste lithium-ion batteries:Process analysis and evaluation

The efficient and environmentally friendly recycling technology of waste residue that including abundant heavy metal produced during the recovery of lithium batteries has become a research hotspot.Herein,a novelty process of acid leaching-selective electrodeposition-deep impurity removal-regeneration was proposed to recovery of the CuS slag,which has been efficient transferred to high purity cathode copper and commercially available ternary precursors.Copper cathode with a purity of 99.67%was prepared under electrochemical reaction conditions at-0.55 V for 2 h.A novel impurity remover-Mn powder,which was used to remove the residual impurities and as a feedstock for the ternary precursor.Finally,NCM523 was regenerated by co-precipitation.The process is superior to the traditional process in economy,energy consumption,CO_(2)emissions,product purity and process duration.This study provides a new approach for solid waste recovery and precious metal enrichment.

Utilizing synergistic effects of bifunctional polymer hydrogel PAM-PAMPS for selective capture of Pb(Ⅱ)from wastewater

The preparation of hydrogel adsorbents with admirable performance for efficient selective remove Pb(Ⅱ)in complex wastewater still remains a great challenge.Herein,a novel bifunctional modified polymer hydrogel PAM-PAMPS was prepared by crosslinking acrylamide(AM)and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid(AMPS).Compared with PEG,PAA and PAMPS,PAM-PAMPS exhibited both the maximum adsorption capacity of Pb(Ⅱ)(541.90 mg/g)and satisfactory selectivity for Pb(Ⅱ)in multiple heavy metal ions coexistence solutions.Various characterizations indicated that–SO3H and–NH2as active sites on PAM-PAMPS occur the synergistic effects of ion-exchange and coordination with Pb(Ⅱ)during the adsorption process,respectively.The adsorption energy Ead(PAM-PAMPS)obtained from density functional theory(DFT)calculations was lower than the other three hydrogels,manifesting that PAMPAMPS formed the most stable complex with Pb(Ⅱ),which further demonstrated that Pb(Ⅱ)preferred to combine with PAM-PAMPS to selective capture of Pb(Ⅱ).The practice utilization of PAM-PAMPS was assessed by wastewater of electroplate containing Pb(Ⅱ).Meanwhile,the removal ratio of PAM-PAMPS was maintained at about 89%after 4 adsorption-desorption cycles.This study establishes a new and effective idea for the design and fabrication of bifunctionalized modified polymer hydrogels.