热处理实现锌金属晶面择优取向提升电化学性能的综合实验设计

水系锌金属电池由于其安全性高、低成本等优点,在电化学储能领域内具有广阔的前景。然而,锌负极在沉积/剥离过程中的副反应阻碍了实际应用。本实验通过简单的热处理调控锌金属的结晶学取向,探究了晶面取向对于电化学性质的影响。本实验将晶体化学与电化学相结合,从前沿研究出发设计综合实验,激发学生对科研的兴趣。

Revealing the atomic mechanism of diamond–iron interfacial reaction

Diamond,with ultrahigh hardness,high wear resistance,high thermal conductivity,and so forth,has attracted worldwide attention.However,researchers found emergent reactions at the interfaces between diamond and ferrous materials,which significantly affects the performance of diamond-based devices.Herein,combing experiments and theoretical calculations,taking diamond–iron(Fe)interface as a prototype,the counter-diffusion mechanism of Fe/carbon atoms has been established.Surprisingly,it is identified that Fe and diamond first form a coherent interface,and then Fe atoms diffuse into diamond and prefer the carbon vacancies sites.Meanwhile,the relaxed carbon atoms diffuse into the Fe lattice,forming Fe_(3)C.Moreover,graphite is observed at the Fe_(3)C surface when Fe_(3)C is over-saturated by carbon atoms.The present findings are expected to offer new insights into the atomic mechanism for diamondferrous material's interfacial reactions,benefiting diamond-based device applications.

No generality in biodiversity-productivity relationships along elevation in temperate and subtropical forest landscapes

An improved understanding of biodiversity-productivity relationships(BPRs)along environmental gradients is crucial for effective ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation.The stress-gradient hypothesis suggests that BPRs are stronger in stressful environments compared to more favorable conditions.However,there is limited knowledge regarding the variation of BPRs along elevational gradients and their generality across different landscapes.To study how BPRs change with elevation,we harnessed inventory data on 6,431 trees from152 plots surveyed twice in eight to ten year intervals in mountain forests of temperate Europe and subtropical Asia.We quantified the relationship between aboveground productivity and different biodiversity measures,including taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic diversity.To elucidate the processes underlying BPRs,we studied the variation of different functional traits along elevation across landscapes.We found no general pattern of BPRs across landscapes and elevations.Relationships were neutral for all biodiversity measures in temperate forests,and negative for taxonomic and functional diversity in subtropical forests.BPRs were largely congruent between taxonomic,functional and phylogenetic diversity.We found only weak support for the stress-gradient hypothesis,with BPRs turning from negative to positive(effect not significant)close to the tree line in subtropical forests.In temperate forests,however,elevation patterns were strongly modulated by species identity effects as influenced by specific traits.The effect of traits such as community-weighted mean of maximum plant height and wood density on productivity was congruent across landscapes.Our study highlights the context-dependence of BPRs across elevation gradients and landscapes.Species traits are key modulating factors of BPRs and should be considered more explicitly in studies of the functional role of biodiversity.Furthermore,our findings highlight that potential trade-offs between conserving biodiversity and fostering ecosystem productivity exist,which require more attention in policy and management.

Multimode Design and Analysis of an Integrated Leg-Arm Quadruped Robot with Deployable Characteristics

To improve locomotion and operation integration, this paper presents an integrated leg-arm quadruped robot(ILQR) that has a reconfigurable joint. First, the reconfigurable joint is designed and assembled at the end of the legarm chain. When the robot performs a task, reconfigurable configuration and mode switching can be achieved using this joint. In contrast from traditional quadruped robots, this robot can stack in a designated area to optimize the occupied volume in a nonworking state. Kinematics modeling and dynamics modeling are established to evaluate the mechanical properties for multiple modes. All working modes of the robot are classified, which can be defined as deployable mode, locomotion mode and operation mode. Based on the stability margin and mechanical modeling, switching analysis and evaluation between each mode is carried out. Finally, the prototype experimental results verify the function realization and switching stability of multimode and provide a design method to integrate and perform multimode for quadruped robots with deployable characteristics.

Enhancing the crystallinity and stability of perovskite solar cells with 4-tert-butylpyridine induction for efficiency exceeding 24%

Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)have emerged as a promising photovoltaic technology because of their high light absorption coefficient,long carrier diffusion distance,and tunable bandgap.However,PSCs face challenges such as hysteresis effects and stability issues.In this study,we introduced a novel approach to improve film crystallization by leveraging 4-tert-butylpyridine(TBP)molecules,thereby enhancing the performance and stability of PSCs.Our findings demonstrate the effective removal of PbI_(2)from the perovskite surface through strong coordination with TBP molecules.Additionally,by carefully adjusting the concentration of the TBP solution,we achieved enhanced film crystallinity without disrupting the perovskite structure.The TBP-treated perovskite films exhibit a low defect density,improved crystallinity,and improved carrier lifetime.As a result,the PSCs manufactured with TBP treatment achieve power conversion efficiency(PCE)exceeding 24%.Moreover,we obtained the PCE of 21.39%for the 12.25 cm^(2)module.

Effects of gallium surfactant on AlN thin films by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

In this work, AlN films were grown using gallium (Ga) as surfactant on 4° off-axis 4H-SiC substrates via microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). We have found that AlN growth rate can be greatly improved due to the catalytic effect of trimethyl-gallium (TMGa), but AlN crystal structure and composition are not affected. When the proportion of TMGa in gas phase was low, crystal quality of AlN can be improved and three-dimensional growth mode of AlN was enhanced with the increase of Ga source. When the proportion of TMGa in gas phase was high, two-dimensional growth mode of AlN was presented, with the increase of Ga source results in the deterioration of AlN crystal quality. Finally, employing a two-step growth approach, involving the initial growth of Ga-free AlN nucleation layer followed by Ga-assisted AlN growth, high quality of AlN film with flat surface was obtained and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of 415 nm AlN (002) and (102) planes were 465 and 597 arcsec.

An improved analysis method for assessing the nuclear-heating impact on the stability of toroidal field magnets in fusion reactors

The superconducting magnet system of a fusion reactor plays a vital role in plasma confinement,a process that can be dis-rupted by various operational factors.A critical parameter for evaluating the temperature margin of superconducting magnets during normal operation is the nuclear heating caused by D-T neutrons.This study investigates the impact of nuclear heat-ing on a superconducting magnet system by employing an improved analysis method that combines neutronics and thermal hydraulics.In the magnet system,toroidal field(TF)magnets are positioned closest to the plasma and bear the highest nuclear-heat load,making them prime candidates for evaluating the influence of nuclear heating on stability.To enhance the modeling accuracy and facilitate design modifications,a parametric TF model that incorporates heterogeneity is established to expedite the optimization design process and enhance the accuracy of the computations.A comparative analysis with a homogeneous TF model reveals that the heterogeneous model improves accuracy by over 12%.Considering factors such as heat load,magnetic-field strength,and cooling conditions,the cooling circuit facing the most severe conditions is selected to calculate the temperature of the superconductor.This selection streamlines the workload associated with thermal-hydraulic analysis.This approach enables a more efficient and precise evaluation of the temperature margin of TF magnets.Moreover,it offers insights that can guide the optimization of both the structure and cooling strategy of superconducting magnet systems.

A Gel-Based Solidification Technology for Large Fracture Plugging

Fault fractures usually have large openings and considerable extension. Accordingly, cross-linked gel materials aregenerally considered more suitable plugging agents than water-based gels because the latter often undergo contaminationvia formation water, which prevents them from being effective over long times. Hence, in this study, aset of oil-based composite gels based on waste grease and epoxy resin has been developed. These materials havebeen observed to possess high compressive strength and resistance to the aforementioned contamination, therebyleading to notable increase in plugging success rate. The compressive strength, thickening time, and resistance toformation water pollution of these gels have been evaluated indoors. The results show that the compressivestrength of the gel can reach 11 MPa;additionally, the related gelation time can be controlled to be more than3 h, thereby providing a safe construction time;Invasion of formation water has a small effect on the gel strengthand does not shorten the thickening time. All considered performance indicators of the oil-based gel confirm itssuitability as a plugging agent for fault fractures.

Perioperative remedial antiviral therapy in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma resection:How to achieve a better outcome

BACKGROUND Although the benefits of antiviral therapy for hepatitis B virus(HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)have been proven,researchers have not con-firmed the differences in patient outcomes between patients who received preoperative antiviral therapy for a period of time(at least 24 wk)and patients who received remedial antiviral therapy just before radical resection for HBV-related HCC.AIM To investigate the efficacy of perioperative remedial antiviral therapy in patients with HBV-related HCC.METHODS A retrospective study of patients who underwent radical resection for HBV-related HCC at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University from January 2016 to June 2019 was conducted.Considering the history of antiviral therapy,patients were assigned to remedial antiviral therapy and preoperative antiviral therapy groups.RESULTS Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed significant differences in overall survival(P<0.0001)and disease-free survival(P=0.035)between the two groups.Multivariate analysis demonstrated that a history of preoperative antiviral treatment was independently related to improved survival(hazard ratio=0.27;95%confidence interval:0.08-0.88;P=0.030).CONCLUSION In patients with HBV-related HCC,it is ideal to receive preoperative long-term antiviral therapy,which helps patients tolerate more extensive hepatectomy;however,remedial antiviral therapy,which reduces preoperative HBV-DNA levels to less than 4 Log10 copies DNA/mL,can also result in improved outcomes.

Spatial and temporal patterns of the sensitivity of radial growth response by Picea schrenkiana to regional climate change in the Tianshan Mountains

Climate change significantly impacts forest ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions.However,spatiotemporal patterns of climate-sensitive changes in individual tree growth under increased climate warming and precipitation in north-west China is unclear.The dendrochronological method was used to study climate response sensitivity of radial growth of Picea schrenkiana from 158 trees at six sites during 1990-2020.The results show that climate warming and increased precipitation significantly promoted the growth of trees.The response to temperature first increased,then decreased.However,the response to increased precipitation and the self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index(scPDSI)increased significantly.In most areas of the Tianshan Mountains,the proportion of trees under increased precipitation and scPDSI positive response was relatively high.Over time,small-diameter trees were strongly affected by drought stress.It is predicted that under continuous warming and increased precipitation,trees in most areas of the Tianshan Mountains,especially those with small diameters,will be more affected by precipitation.

Divergent responses of Picea crassifolia Kom.in different forest patches to climate change in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Global climate changes have significantly affected tree growth and forest structures and functions in some arid and semi-arid regions,which are becoming warmer and wetter.Due to natural factors such as climate and terrain,some tree species may form different forest patches at the edges of their distribution areas.However,how forest patches of various sizes respond to climate change is unclear.In this study,we collected 203 tree cores from six different sizes of forest patches at the edge of the distribution area of Picea crassifolia Kom.in the northeast Tibetan Plateau.And we used the dendrochronology method to study the response of tree growth and resilience in different forest patches to climate change from 1961 to 2020.We simultaneously measured the contents of nonstructural carbohydrates(NSC),total nitrogen and total phosphorus of tree needles.Our results showed that the growth of trees in small-and medium-size forest patches(0.8–18.6 ha)has increased significantly.The early growing season(May–July)minimum temperature was the most important climate factor driving the growth of small-and medium-sized patch trees.The early growing season maximum temperature was the most important climate factor that inhibited the growth of trees in the largest patches(362.8 ha).The growth of individual trees in medium forest patches was better and the correlation with annual minimum temperature,maximum temperature,precipitation,actual evapotranspiration,and palmer drought severity index was stronger.The higher NSC content,stronger photosynthesis,and higher nitrogen utilization efficiency in leaves might be one of the reasons for the better growth of trees in moderate forest patches.In extreme drought years,as the forest patch area increased,the overall trend of tree growth resistance showed a unimodal pattern,with the highest at a forest patch area of 7.1 ha,while the overall trend of tree growth recovery was opposite.Therefore,we should strengthen the management of trees in large forest patches to cope with climate change.

Functional conservation and divergence of miR156 and miR529 during rice development

MicroRNAs(miRNAs)are important regulatory elements involved in the regulation of various plant developmental and physiological processes by blocking the expression of target genes.MiR156 and miR529 are two combinatorial regulators,which cooperatively target the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING-LIKE(SPL)family genes.However,there has been no report about the functional conservation and divergence of miR156 and miR529 during plant development to date.In this study,the biological function and relationship of miR156,miR529 and their target Os SPL14 in rice were explored.Overexpression of miR156e or miR529a(miR156e-OE and miR529a-OE)increased the grain size and tiller number but decreased the plant height and panicle length,while an opposite phenotype was observed for their target mimicry(miR156-MIMIC and miR529a-MIMIC)transgenic plants.Stem-loop RT-PCR results revealed ubiquitous expression of miR156 in roots,axillary buds and leaves,while miR529 was preferentially expressed in the panicle.Accordingly,Os SPL14 could be preferentially and precisely cleaved by miR529a in young panicle but by miR156 in vegetative tissues.Transgenic plants generated by the target immune strategy exhibited obvious growth defects upon the blocking of miR156 and/or miR529 function in rice,confirming that both miR156 and miR529 play important roles in controlling rice growth and development.Moreover,the miR156/miR529-Os SPL14 module negatively controlled grain size by regulating the genes associated with grain size and cell cycling,and controlled plant height through a more complicated mechanism.Taken together,our results demonstrate that miR156 and miR529 respectively function dominantly in the vegetative stage and reproductive stage to control rice growth and development by regulating the accumulation of Os SPL14.These findings facilitate a better understanding of the functional conservation and divergence of miR156 and miR529 family in the miRNA combinatorial regulatory network of plants.

一种新型提高HDR效率的 CRISPR/Cas9-Gal4BD 供体适配基因编辑系统

近年来,CRISPR基因编辑及衍生技术迅速发展,在生命科学、生物医学研究以及动植物育种领域得到了广泛应用。基于DNA双链断裂(double-stranded break,DSB)同源指导修复(homology-directed repair,HDR)机制的基因敲入和点编辑是基因编辑的重要策略,但效率偏低亟待提高。本文提出了驱动供体DNA富集至DSB处以提高HDR效率的新策略,并设计了一套CRISPR/Cas9-Gal4BD供体适配基因编辑系统(donor adapting system,DAS)。该系统主要利用Gal4 DNA结合域(Gal4 binding domain,Gal4BD)作为配体蛋白与Cas9融合表达,将Gal4BD结合序列(Gal4 binding sequence,Gal4BS)作为受体序列与双链DNA(double-stranded DNA,dsDNA)供体结合,以期提高HDR效率。使用HEK293T-HDR.GFP报告细胞系的初步研究结果表明当dsDNA供体同源臂在一定长度(100~60 bp)时该系统能够提高HDR效率2~4倍。进一步的优化研究表明,融合端口和融合使用连接子(linker)的选择会影响Cas9表达效果及活性,而GGS5作为Cas9-Gal4BD融合的连接子则影响较小。同时,本研究还发现Gal4BS-dsDNA供体的差异化设计也会影响HDR效率,将Gal4BS添加到dsDNA供体5′-端的效果最佳。综上所述,本研究利用CRISPR/Cas9-Gal4BD DAS在AAVS1和EMX1位点上实现了HDR编辑效率的提高,为进一步利用该系统进行动物分子设计育种研究提供了参考和借鉴。

Gait Analysis of Quadruped Robot Using the Equivalent Mechanism Concept Based on Metamorphosis

The previous research regarding the gait planning of quadruped robot focuses on the sequence for lifting o and placing the feet, but neglects the influence of body height. However, body height a ects gait performance significantly, such as in terms of the stride length and stability margin. We herein study the performance of a quadruped robot using the equivalent mechanism concept based on metamorphosis. Assuming the constraints between standing feet and the ground with hinges, the ground, standing legs and robot body are considered as a parallel mechanism, and each swing leg is regarded as a typical serial manipulator. The equivalent mechanism varies while the robot moves on the ground. One gait cycle is divided into several periods, including step forward stages and switching stages. There exists a specific equivalent mechanism corresponding to each gait period. The robot's locomotion can be regarded as the motion of these series of equivalent mechanisms. The kinematics model and simplified model of the equivalent mechanism is established. A new definition of the multilegged robot stability margin, based on friction coe cient, is presented to evaluate the robot stability. The stable workspaces of the equivalent mechanism in the step forward stage of trotting gait under di erent friction coe cients are analyzed. The stride length of the robots is presented by analyzing the relationship between the stable workspaces of the equivalent mechanisms of two adjacent step forward stages in one gait cycle. The simulation results show that the stride length is larger with increasing friction coe cient. We herein propose a new method based on metamorphosis, and an equivalent mechanism to analyze the stability margin and stable workspace of the multilegged robot.

Curcumin upregulates S100 expression and improves regeneration of the sciatic nerve following its complete amputation in mice

The repair of peripheral nerve injury after complete amputation is difficult,and even with anastomosis,the rapid recovery of nerve function remains challenging.Curcumin,extracted from plants of the genus Curcuma,has been shown to have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and to improve sciatic nerve crush injury in rats.Here,we determined whether curcumin had neuroprotective effects following complete peripheral nerve amputation injury.BALB/c mice underwent complete sciatic nerve amputation,followed by an immediate epineurium anastomosis.Mice were intragastrically administered curcumin at doses of 40（high）,20（moderate）,and 10 mg/kg/d（low） for 1 week.We found that myelin in the mice of the high- and moderate-dose curcumin groups appeared with regular shape,uniform thickness,clear boundary,and little hyperplasia surrounding the myelin.High and moderate doses of curcumin markedly improved both action potential amplitude of the sciatic nerves and the conduction velocity of the corresponding motor neurons,and upregulated m RNA and protein expression of S100,a marker for Schwann cell proliferation,in L4–6 spinal cord segments.These results suggest that curcumin is effective in promoting the repair of complete sciatic nerve amputation injury and that the underlying mechanism may be associated with upregulation of S100 expression.

A multi-layered Ti3C2/Li2S composite as cathode material for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries with lithium sulfide(Li2S)as cathode have attracted great attention recently,because of high specific capacity(1166 mA h g^-1)of Li2S and potential safety of using Li metal-free anode.Li2S cathode has lower volume expansion and higher thermal stability than the traditional sulfur cathode.However,the problems of"shuttle effect"and poor electrical conductivity of the cathode material still need to be overcome.In this work,multi-layered Ti3C2/Li2S(ML-Ti3C2/Li2S)composite has been prepared and applied as a cathode in advanced Li-S batteries.The unique multi-layer sheet structure of Ti3 C2 provides space for the storage of Li2S,and its good conductivity greatly enhances the usage ratio of Li2 S and improves the conductivity of the whole Li2S cathode.Compared with commonly used graphene,ML-Ti3C2 can trap polysulfides effectively by chemical adsorption and also activate the reaction of Li2S to polysulfides by forming Ti-S bond.As a result,during the cycling of the batteries with ML-Ti3C2/Li2S cathodes,the activation voltage barrier of the first cycle has decreased to 2.8 V,and the"shuttle effect"has been suppressed effectively.The cycling and rate performances of the ML-Ti3C2/Li2S cathodes have been significantly improved compared to that of graphene/Li2 S cathodes.They maintain a capacity of 450 mAh g^-1 at 0.2 C after 100 cycles,and deliver attractive rate performances of 750,630,540,470 and 360 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 C,0.2 C,0.5 C,1 C,and 2 C,respectively.

Archimedean copula estimation of distribution algorithm based on artificial bee colony algorithm

The artificial bee colony （ABC） algorithm is a com- petitive stochastic population-based optimization algorithm. How- ever, the ABC algorithm does not use the social information and lacks the knowledge of the problem structure, which leads to in- sufficiency in both convergent speed and searching precision. Archimedean copula estimation of distribution algorithm （ACEDA） is a relatively simple, time-economic and multivariate correlated EDA. This paper proposes a novel hybrid algorithm based on the ABC algorithm and ACEDA called Archimedean copula estima- tion of distribution based on the artificial bee colony （ACABC） algorithm. The hybrid algorithm utilizes ACEDA to estimate the distribution model and then uses the information to help artificial bees to search more efficiently in the search space. Six bench- mark functions are introduced to assess the performance of the ACABC algorithm on numerical function optimization. Experimen- tal results show that the ACABC algorithm converges much faster with greater precision compared with the ABC algorithm, ACEDA and the global best （gbest）-guided ABC （GABC） algorithm in most of the experiments.

A unified gas-kinetic scheme for multiscale and multicomponent flow transport

Compressible flows exhibit a diverse set of behaviors, where individual particle transports and their collective dynamics play different roles at different scales. At the same time, the atmosphere is composed of different components that require additional degrees of freedom for representation in computational fluid dynamics. It is challenging to construct an accurate and efficient numerical algorithm to faithfully represent multiscale flow physics across different regimes. In this paper, a unified gas-kinetic scheme(UGKS) is developed to study non-equilibrium multicomponent gaseous flows. Based on the Boltzmann kinetic equation, an analytical space-time evolving solution is used to construct the discretized equations of gas dynamics directly according to cell size and scales of time steps, i.e., the so-called direct modeling method. With the variation in the ratio of the numerical time step to the local particle collision time(or the cell size to the local particle mean free path), the UGKS automatically recovers all scale-dependent flows over the given domain and provides a continuous spectrum of the gas dynamics. The performance of the proposed unified scheme is fully validated through numerical experiments.The UGKS can be a valuable tool to study multiscale and multicomponent flow physics.

Trait variation and functional diversity maintenance of understory herbaceous species coexisting along an elevational gradient in Yulong Mountain,Southwest China

Characterizing trait variation across different ecological scales in plant communities has been viewed as a way to gain insights into the mechanisms driving species coexistence.However,little is known about how changes in intraspecific and interspecific traits across sites influence species richness and community assembly,especially in understory herbaceous communities.Here we partitioned the variance of four functional traits(maximum height,leaf thickness,leaf area and specific leaf area)across four nested biological scales:individual,species,plot,and elevation to quantify the scale-dependent distributions of understory herbaceous trait variance.We also integrated the comparison of the trait variance ratios to null models to investigate the effects of different ecological processes on community assembly and functional diversity along a 1200-m elevational gradient in Yulong Mountain.We found interspecific trait variation was the main trait variation component for leaf traits,although intraspecific trait variation ranged from 10% to 28% of total variation.In particular,maximum height exhibited high plasticity,and intraspecific variation accounted for 44% of the total variation.Despite the fact that species composition varied across elevation and species richness decreased dramatically along the elevational gradient,there was little variance at our largest(elevation)scale in leaf traits and functional diversity remained constant along the elevational gradient,indicating that traits responded to smaller scale influences.External filtering was only observed at high elevations.However,strong internal filtering was detected along the entire elevational gradient in understory herbaceous communities,possibly due to competition.Our results provide evidence that species coexistence in understory herbaceous communities might be structured by differential niche-assembled processes.This approach ee integrating different biological scales of trait variation ee may provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the structure of communities.

Experimental and numerical investigation of Weibullian behavior of grain crushing strength

The Weibullian behavior of single grain crushing strength was investigated experimentally and numerically with the aim of enhancing the understanding of rock grain breakage.The morphologies of pebble grains were obtained using white light 3D laser scanning and image processing.A grain shape library was constructed for grain shape analysis with different shape descriptors.The use of the shape library and grain stability analysis is discussed for a suggested procedure to rotate a grain to its most stable configuration.Single grain crushing tests were performed for 30 pebbles to obtain force-displacement curves and fracture patterns.Each grain was compressed diametrically between flat platens.As expected,the values of the stress at bulk fracture follow a Weibull distribution.A procedure for generating crushable agglomerates with realistic particle shapes was demonstrated,which was accomplished in the discrete element modeling(DEM)of the single grain crushing test.The work presented here is novel in that both the heterogeneous micro-structures and randomly distributed flaws are considered.The DEM results demonstrate that the proposed modeling approach and calibrated parameters are reliable and can reflect the crushing behavior of rock pebbles.Finally,three parametric studies were presented evaluating the effects of micro-crack density,micro-crack disorder,and grain morphology on the Weibullian behavior of the crushing strength,none of which has previously been thoroughly considered.These three studies provide a deeper insight into the origin of the Weibullian behavior of single grain crushing strength.