Recent advances in Ni-based catalysts for the electrochemical oxidation of ethanol

The electrochemical ethanol oxidation reaction(EOR) plays a crucial role in electrochemical hydrogen production and direct ethanol fuel cells, both vital for utilizing renewable energies. Ni-based catalysts are pivotal in enabling efficient EOR, leading to the formation of acetic acid/acetaldehyde or CO_(2). These can serve as alternative anodic oxidation reactions for oxygen evolution reaction(OER) in water electrolysis or the anodic reaction for direct ethanol fuel cells, respectively. This review explores recent advancements in EOR over Ni-based catalysts. It begins with an overview of EOR performance across various Ni-based catalysts, followed by an examination of the reaction chemistry, mechanism, and active sites.The review then delves into strategies for designing highly active Ni-based EOR catalysts. These strategies include promotion with transition metals, noble metals, nonmetals, and carbon materials, as well as creating amorphous structures, special morphologies, and single-atom catalysts. Additionally, it discusses the concept of self-supporting catalysts using three-dimensional porous substrates. Finally, the review highlights emerging methodologies that warrant further exploration, along with future directions for designing highly active and stable EOR catalysts.

外泌体在糖尿病视网膜病变的机制研究进展

外泌体是广泛存在于人体,由机体细胞产生并分泌的纳米级细胞外囊泡,能相对稳定地存在于各种生物组织和体液中,并携带特定的miRNA、蛋白质、转录因子等多种信息分子,参与调控体内多种疾病的病理生理过程。近年来随着外泌体在各学科研究的不断深入,其在眼科学领域的研究也迅速开展,目前发现外泌体在糖尿病视网膜病变、年龄相关性黄斑变性、自身免疫性葡萄膜炎、角膜病及青光眼等多种疾病中发挥重要作用。随着生活水平的提高,全世界糖尿病视网膜病变致盲人数逐年增加,而糖尿病视网膜病变机制研究未明,近年许多研究发现外泌体在其中发挥着重要作用,本文对外泌体在糖尿病视网膜病变的发生、发展机制的最新研究进展进行综述。

Stability and deactivation of OER electrocatalysts: A review

Recently, H_(2) has attracted increasing attention as green energy carrier holding the possibility to replace fossil fuel-based energy sources and thereby reduce CO_(2) emissions. Green hydrogen can be generated by water electrolysis using renewable energies like wind and solar power. When it is combusted, only water forms as by-product. However, the efficiency of water electrolysis is hampered by the anodic oxygen evolution reaction(OER) because of the slow kinetics which leads to a high overpotential. Therefore, many catalysts have been developed for OER to facilitate the kinetics and reduce the overpotential. In addition to electrocatalytic activity, the stability of the catalysts is imperative for industrial application and has been intensively studied. In this review, we cover recent findings on the stability and deactivation mechanisms of OER catalysts. We discuss the correlation between OER activity and stability, methodologies and experimental techniques to study the stability and deactivation as well as the deactivation mechanisms, together with factors influencing stability. Furthermore, strategies for stabilizing and regenerating OER catalysts as well as methods to predict stability are summarized. Finally, the review highlights emerging methodologies yet to be explored and future directions of stability studies and the design of highly stable OER catalysts.

铁矿烧结疏水性粉尘高效润湿界面化学研究

铁矿烧结过程会产生大量PM_(2.5)粉尘,其中富含重金属、二噁英等有毒物质,既严重污染环境,又危害人体健康,其表面特殊的强疏水性更是严重制约了该类粉尘的高效湿式除尘与有价元素湿法冶金回收。文章详细分析了铁矿烧结粉尘的元素、物相组成与表面润湿性等特征,系统探究了不同类型非离子型表面活性剂对疏水性粉尘的润湿规律,结合FT-IR与XPS表征对非离子型表面活性剂高效润湿铁矿烧结粉尘机理进行初步探明。结果表明:铁矿烧结粉尘的疏水性源自其表面由烷烃链和芳香基组成的疏水外壳;使用非离子表面活性剂聚乙二醇辛基苯基醚(Triton X-405)溶液对疏水性粉尘进行润湿有最好的润湿效果。初步推断该高效润湿界面化学过程:Triton X-405通过其分子中的疏水基与铁矿烧结粉尘颗粒表面的疏水外壳发生吸附,并将其分子中的亲水基如羟基、醚键等引入粉尘表面,以实现强疏水性粉尘的高效润湿。本研究可为铁矿烧结烟尘的粉尘控制与湿法回收提供理论基础。

Fast Calculation of Electromagnetic Forces in IPMSMs Under PWM VSI Supply Based on Small-Signal Time-Harmonic Finite Element Method

This paper introduces a novel method for fast calculating the electromagnetic forces in interior permanent magnet synchronous machines(IPMSMs)under pulse width modulation(PWM)voltage source inverter(VSI)supply based on the small-signal time-harmonic finite element analysis(THFEA),which has been successfully utilized for fast calculating the PWMinduced losses in silicon steel sheets and permanent magnets.Based on the small-signal THFEA,the functional relationships between high-frequency harmonic voltages(HFHVs)and corresponding airgap flux densities are established,which are used for calculating the flux density spectra caused by each HFHV in the PWM voltage spectra.Then,the superposition principle is applied for calculating the flux density spectra caused by fundamental currents and all HFHVs,which are converted to the electromagnetic force spectra at last.The relative errors between the force density spectra calculated with the proposed method and those obtained from traditional time-stepping finite element analysis(TSFEA)using PWM voltages as input are within 3.1%,while the proposed method is 24 times faster than the traditional TSFEA.

Methanation of CO/CO_(2)for power to methane process:Fundamentals,status,and perspectives

Power-to-methane(P2M)processes,by converting electricity from renewable energy to H2and then into other high value-added and energy-intense chemicals in the presence of active catalysts,have become an effective solution for energy storage.However,the fluctuating electricity from intermittent renewable energy leads to a dynamic composition of reactants for downstream methanation,which requires an excellent heterogeneous catalyst to withstand the harsh conditions.Based on these findings,the objective of this review is to classify the fundamentals and status of CO/CO_(2)methanation and identify the pathways in the presence of various catalysts for methane production.In addition,this review sheds insight into the future development and challenges of CO_(2)or CO methanation,including the deactivation mechanisms and catalyst performance under dynamically harsh conditions.Finally,we elaborated on the advantages and development prospects of P2M,and then we summarized the current stage and ongoing industrialization projects of P2M.

YWHAH activates the HMGA1/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway by positively regulating Fra-1 to affect the proliferation of gastric cancer cells

Fos-related antigen 1(Fra-1)is a nuclear transcription factor that regulates cell growth,differentiation,and apoptosis.It is involved in the proliferation,invasion,apoptosis and epithelial mesenchymal transformation of malignant tumor cells.Fra-1 is highly expressed in gastric cancer(GC),affects the cycle distribution and apoptosis of GC cells,and participates in GC occurrence and development.However,the detailed mechanism of Fra-1 in GC is unclear,such as the identification of Fra-1-interacting proteins and their role in GC pathogenesis.In this study,we identified tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein eta(YWHAH)as a Fra-1-interacting protein in GC cells using co-immunoprecipitation combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.Experiments showed that YWHAH positively regulated Fra-1 mRNA and protein expression,and affected GC cell proliferation.Whole proteome analysis showed that Fra-1 affected the activity of the high mobility group AT-hook 1(HMGA1)/phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(AKT)/mechanistic target of rapamycin(mTOR)signaling pathway in GC cells.Western blotting and flow cytometry confirmed that YWHAH activated HMGA1/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway by positively regulating Fra-1 to affect GC cell proliferation.These results will help to discover new molecular targets for the early diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis prediction of GC.

Promotional effects of Ru and Fe on Ni/ZrO_(2) catalyst during CO_(2) methanation:A comparative evaluation of the mechanism

Ni-based catalysts are widely investigated non-noble metal-based systems for CO_(2)methanation.However,their industrial application is still limited due to lower activity at low-temperature and catalyst deactivation.Incorporating a second metal such as Ru and Fe is considered as a successful strategy to overcome these challenges through alloy formation or the synergies provided by the interplay of two adjacent metallic sites.Nonetheless,their promotional effect on the CO_(2)methanation mechanism under similar conditions has not been reported yet.In this work,Fe and Ru-promoted Ni/ZrO_(2)catalysts were investigated to evaluate their promotional effect on the mechanism.The Ni/Fe ratio was first optimized and a CO_(2)conversion rate of 37.7 mmolCO_(2)/(molNi+Fes)and 96.3%CH^(4)selectivity was obtained over the Ni_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)/ZrO_(2)catalyst.In comparison with Ni_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)/ZrO_(2),Ni_(0.8)Ru_(0.2)/ZrO_(2)prepared with the same composition showed higher activity and stability in CO_(2)methanation.Characterization results indicate alloys formation and H spillover for Ni_(0.8)Ru_(0.2)/ZrO_(2)to be responsible for promotion.Besides,in situ DRIFTS studies evidenced the occurrence of both CO_(2)dissociative and associative pathways over Ni_(0.8)Ru_(0.2)/ZrO_(2)catalyst,while solely the CO_(2)associative pathway occurred for Ni_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)/ZrO_(2)

Trajectory Design for UAV-Enabled Maritime Secure Communications:A Reinforcement Learning Approach

This paper investigates an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)-enabled maritime secure communication network,where the UAV aims to provide the communication service to a legitimate mobile vessel in the presence of multiple eavesdroppers.In this maritime communication networks(MCNs),it is challenging for the UAV to determine its trajectory on the ocean,since it cannot land or replenish energy on the sea surface,the trajectory should be pre-designed before the UAV takes off.Furthermore,the take-off location of the UAV and the sea lane of the vessel may be random,which leads to a highly dynamic environment.To address these issues,we propose two reinforcement learning schemes,Q-learning and deep deterministic policy gradient(DDPG)algorithms,to solve the discrete and continuous UAV trajectory design problem,respectively.Simulation results are provided to validate the effectiveness and superior performance of the proposed reinforcement learning schemes versus the existing schemes in the literature.Additionally,the proposed DDPG algorithm converges faster and achieves higher utilities for the UAV,compared to the Q-learning algorithm.

Grain size effect on the assembly quality of micro-scaled barrel formed by microforming

In this research,a method employing micro-extrusion was designed to produce the micro-scaled barrel-shaped parts with complex geometrical features to study the feasibility of the proposed microforming method and its grain size effect on the formability of the complicated internal features in terms of deformation behavior,material evolution,accuracy of dimensions and final components quality.The results reveal that the deformation behavior is highly affected by grain size and becomes unpredictable with increased grain size.In addition,assembly parameters including feature dimension,tolerance and coaxiality also vary with grain size,and the variation of grain size needs to be accommodated by different assembly types,viz.,clearance fit or transition fit.From the microstructural evolution aspect,it was identified there were two dead zones and four shear bands,and the formation of these deformation zones was barely affected by the variation in grain size.Though bulges,cracks,and fracture induced voids were observed on the surface of the final components,tailoring the microstructure of the working material with finer grains could significantly avoid these defects.This study advances the understanding of forming microparts by extrusion processes and provides guidance for microforming of similar microparts.

Review on frost resistance and anti-clogging of pervious concrete

Pervious concrete is a special type of concrete that is of high porosity and contains no or a small amount of fine aggregate,and it is an important basic material for sponge city construction.The presence of a large number of connected pores inside pervious concrete leads to a marked difference in durability failure mechanism compared with that of ordinary concrete.In this study,the frost resistance and anti-clogging of pervious concrete were introduced in detail,and the methods to improve their performance were summarized systematically.The cracking pattern of pervious concrete is influenced by geometric characteristics and three-dimensional morphological features of pores,resulting in its crack generation,development,and geometry being significantly different from those of ordinary concrete,thus leading to different freeze-thaw cycle mechanisms.In addition,due to its different pore structure compared to ordinary concrete,three types of clogging mechanisms,affecting the long-term permeability of pervious concrete were elaborated systematically(i.e.,physical clogging,biological clogging,and chemical clogging).And the ways to improve the anti-clogging of pervious concrete are systematically presented from multiple perspectives.Finally,in order to broaden the engineering applications of pervious concrete,some research proposals are presented in this study.

A simplified index to assess the combined impact of tropical cyclone precipitation and wind on China

Relationships between tropical cyclone(TC)precipitation,wind,and storm damage are analyzed for China based on TCs over the period from 1984 to 2013.The analysis shows that the maximum daily areal precipitation from stations with daily precipitation of ≥50 mm and the sum of wind gusts of ≥13.9 m/s can be used to estimate the main damage caused by TCs,and an index combining the precipitation and wind gust of a TC(IPWT)is defined to assess the severity of the combined impact of precipitation and wind.The correlation coefficient between IPWT and the damage index for affecting TCs is 0.80,which is higher than that for only precipitation or wind.All TCs with precipitation and wind affecting China are divided intofive categories,Category 0 to Category 4,based on IPWT,where higher categories refer to higher combined impacts of precipitation and wind.The combined impact category is closely related to damage category and it can be used to estimate the potential damage category in operational work.There are 87.7%,72.9%,69.8%,and 73.4%of cases that have the same or one category difference between damage category and combined impact category for Categories 1,2,3,and 4,respectively.IPWT and its classification can be used to assess the severity of the TC impact and of combined precipitation and wind conveniently and accurately,and the potential damage caused by TCs.The result will be a good supplementary data for TC intensity,precipitation,wind,and damage.In addition,IPWT can be used as an index to judge the reliability of damage data.Further analysis of the annual frequency of combined precipitation-wind impact categories reveals no significant increasing or decreasing trend in impact over China over the past 30 years.

Sparse Support Vector Machine with Lp Penalty for Feature Selection

We study the strategies in feature selection with sparse support vector machine （SVM）. Recently, the socalled Lp-SVM （0 〈 p 〈 1） has attracted much attention because it can encourage better sparsity than the widely used L1-SVM. However, Lp-SVM is a non-convex and non-Lipschitz optimization problem. Solving this problem numerically is challenging. In this paper, we reformulate the Lp-SVM into an optimization model with linear objective function and smooth constraints （LOSC-SVM） so that it can be solved by numerical methods for smooth constrained optimization. Our numerical experiments on artificial datasets show that LOSC-SVM （0 〈 p 〈 1） can improve the classification performance in both feature selection and classification by choosing a suitable parameter p. We also apply it to some real-life datasets and experimental results show that it is superior to L1-SVM.

Prevention of nosocomial COVID-19 infections in otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)has rapidly evolved into a pandemic,causing a global public health crisis.Many frontline healthcare workers providing ear,nose and throat services have been reported to contract COVID-19 at work.Early during the COVID-19 outbreak,several medical professionals in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery were in-fected in Wuhan,China.A series of measures were then taken immediately,which successfully halted the spread of the disease.Here we would like to share the lessons we have learned,and our experience to protect our health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concentrations of phthalates metabolites in blood and semen and the potential effects on semen concentration and motility among residents of the Pearl River Delta region in China

Exposure to phthalate acid esters(PAEs)has been found to have adverse effects on reproduction of human and animal.However,the effects on the semen quality are controversial.In this study,we have collected paired blood and sperm samples from patients(n=103)at a medical clinic in Guangzhou,China,to determine the concentrations of eight phthalate metabolites∑8m-PAEs).The concentration ranges of P8m-PAEs were 2.7-55 and 0.99-17 ng/mL in blood and semen samples,respectively.MEHP(median,3.6 ng/mL in blood and 0.55 ng/mL in semen)and MnOP(median,3.4 ng/mL in blood and 0.69 ng/mL in semen)were the predominant analytes in both blood and semen samples.However,analytes were not correlated in paired blood and semen.Semen motility was significantly associated to the concentrations of∑8m-PAEs in semen,but it did not associate to the concentrations of PAEs in blood.Multi-linear regression analysis,including concentrations of PAEs in both blood and semen,as well as BMI,occupation,living habits,suggested that exposure to PAEs at current environmental levels had very limited effects on semen quality of population in Guangzhou,China.