Effects of minor B addition on microstructure and properties of AlCoFeNi eutectic high-entropy alloy

The simultaneous strengthening of mechanical and magnetic properties is an ideal fabrication strategy for soft-magnetic materials. A non-equiatomic Al19Co20Fe20Ni41 eutectic high-entropy alloy was prepared to investigate the alloying effect of B on the microstructure evolution, phase formation, mechanical and soft-magnetic properties. With the increase in B content, the microstructures of(Al19Co20Fe20Ni41)100-xBx alloys transformed from the initial lamellar eutectic structure(x=0) to the divorced eutectic structure(x>0.6). Fine borides precipitated in the intergranular phase(x≥0.6). The hardness of alloys increased from HV 328.66 to HV 436.34 and the compression mechanical performance displayed a transition from plastic material to brittle material. The Al19Co20Fe20Ni41 alloy possesses good soft-magnetic properties, and the minor B addition has little effect on it. Increasing the resistivity can effectively reduce the eddy current loss when used as a soft-magnetic material.

Effect of Zr on solidification and microstructure of a Ni-based superalloy with high Al and Ti contents

The total content of Al and Ti in advanced Ni-based wrought superalloys is up to 7.5wt.%,which makes it easier to form harmful nonequilibrium eutectic(γ+γ′)andηphase.It has been reported that the addition of certain amount of Zr can modify precipitation of the nonequilibrium phases obviously,but the mechanism is still controversial.The effect of Zr ranging from<0.0006wt.%to 0.150wt.%on solidification behavior,segregation and microstructure of a Ni-based superalloy with high Al and Ti contents was investigated,eliminating the interferences of C and B.Results show that increase in Zr content significantly promotes the formation of eutectic(γ+γ′),ηand Zr-rich phase in the interdendritic region.Besides the Zr-rich phase,Zr dissolves slightly in the eutecticγ′and obviously in theηphase.An interesting phenomenon is discovered that the Zr addition significantly increases the area fraction of liquid pools and enlarges the forming range ofγdendrites,which suggests that Zr markedly retards the solidification.Zr affects the eutectic(γ+γ′)andηformation mainly due to the retard of solidification and dissolution of Zr in them.The retard of solidification obviously increases the residual liquid fraction and undercooling.Zr can serve as a forming element for the eutectic(γ+γ′)andηphase,and the obvious dissolution of Zr inηphase significantly decreases the critical concentration of Ti for its precipitation.

Functional-Material-Based Touch Interfaces for Multidimensional Sensing for Interactive Displays:A Review

Multidimensional sensing is a highly desired attribute for allowing human-machine interfaces(HMIs)to perceive various types of information from both users and the environment,thus enabling the advancement of various smart electronics/applications,e.g.,smartphones and smart cities.Conventional multidimensional sensing is achieved through the integration of multiple discrete sensors,which introduces issues such as high energy consumption and high circuit complexity.These disadvantages have motivated the widespread use of functional materials for detecting various stimuli at low cost with low power requirements.This work presents an overview of simply structured touch interfaces for multidimensional(x-y location,force and temperature)sensing enabled by piezoelectric,piezoresistive,triboelectric,pyroelectric and thermoelectric materials.For each technology,the mechanism of operation,state-of-the-art designs,merits,and drawbacks are investigated.At the end of the article,the author discusses the challenges limiting the successful applications of functional materials in commercial touch interfaces and corresponding development trends.

Enhanced electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction to formic acid using nanocomposites of In_(2)O_(3)@C with graphene

In_(2)O_(3)is an effective electrocatalyst to convert CO_(2)to formic acid(HCOOH),but its inherent poor electrical conductivity limits the efficient charge transfer during the reaction.Additionally,the tendency of In_(2)O_(3)particles to agglomerate during synthesis further limits the exposure of active sites.Here we address these issues by leveraging the template effect of graphene oxide and employing InBDC as a self-sacrificing template for the pyrolysis synthesis of In_(2)O_(3)@C.The resulting In_(2)O_(3)@C/rGO-600 material features In_(2)O_(3)@C nanocubes uniformly anchored on a support of reduced graphene oxide(rGO),significantly enhancing the active sites exposure.The conductive rGO network facilitates charge transfer during electrocatalysis,and the presence of oxygen vacancies generated during pyrolysis,combined with the strong electron-donating ability of rGO,enhances the adsorption and activation of CO_(2).In performance evaluation,In_(2)O_(3)@C/rGO-600 exhibits a remarkable HCOOH Faradaic efficiency exceeding 94.0%over a broad potential window of−0.7 to−1.0 V(vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)),with the highest value of 97.9%at−0.9 V(vs.RHE)in a H-cell.Moreover,the material demonstrates an excellent cathodic energy efficiency of 71.6%at−0.7 V(vs.RHE).The study underscores the efficacy of uniformly anchoring metal oxide nanoparticles onto rGO for enhancing the electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction performance of materials.

人为噪音、夜间人造光和路杀对两栖动物的影响

全球生物多样性减少是当今世界面临的重大生态问题,两栖动物作为衡量环境的重要指示物种,近些年受到越来越多研究者的关注。本文以脊椎动物中生物多样性受威胁最严重的两栖动物为研究对象,通过检索2003-2021年文献,提取并整合关键词。首先分析了当代人类活动中的人为噪音、夜间人造光、路杀等3个因子对两栖动物的影响,发现人为噪音导致两栖动物的鸣叫行为发生改变,并且干扰两栖动物的繁殖行为,夜间人造光降低了两栖动物的生长速度,减少了行为活动时间,路杀直接影响了两栖动物的种群数量。其次归纳相应的缓解措施,提出改进意见,如加强道路基础设施建设,安装隔音屏障以缓冲噪音;控制两栖动物密集区的光照强度;建造两栖动物通道等。最后对今后人类活动对两栖动物影响研究中亟需解决的问题进行了展望,应加强人类活动对两栖动物影响的研究,努力减小人类活动对两栖动物的负面影响。

Temperature-insensitive KNN-based ceramics by elevating O-T phase transition temperature and crystal texture

The inferior temperature stability of piezoelectric response is the main drawback of KNN-based ceramics.Here,the Ba-doped 0.97(K0.48Na0.52)(Nb0.96Sb0.04)O3-0.03Bax(Bi0.5Ag0.5)1-xZrO3(abbreviated as KNNSBxBAZ)textured ceramics were prepared by the template grain growth(TGG)method.Excellent comprehensive properties(d33¼(406±15)pC/N,TC=274℃,strain is 0.17%)were achieved in KNNSBxBAZ textured ceramics with x=0.2.Meanwhile,its piezoelectric and strain properties also show superior temperature stability(d33 maintained within±20%change in awide temperature range from 25℃to 200℃and strain variation was less than 5%in the temperature range from room temperature to 165℃).The high O-T phase transition temperature(TO-T is 110℃)induced by incorporating Ba ions accounts for the enhanced temperature stability of piezoelectric properties.In addition,the crystal texture always maintains the contribution of piezoelectric anisotropy to the piezoelectric properties during elevated temperature,which significantly improved the temperature stability of piezoelectric properties.This work provides an effective strategy for simultaneously achieving high piezoelectric response and excellent temperature stability in KNN-based ceramics.

Norlichexanthone purified from plant endophyte prevents postmenopausal osteoporosis by targeting ERa to inhibit RANKL signaling

Although different types of drugs are available for postmenopausal osteoporosis,the limitations of the current therapies including drug resistances and adverse effects require identification of novel anti-osteoporosis agents.Here,we defined that norlichexanthone(NOR),a natural product,is a ligand of estrogen receptor-alpha(ERα)and revealed its therapeutic potential for postmenopausal osteoporosis.We used mammalian-one hybrid assay to screen for ERαmodulators from crude extracts of several plant endophytes.As a result,NOR purified from the extract of endophyte ARL-13 was identified as a selective ERαmodulator.NOR directly bound to ERαwith an affinity in nanomolar range,revealing that it is a natural ligand of ERα.NOR induced osteoblast formation in MC3T3-E1 precursor cells.Conversely,NOR inhibited receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand(RANKL)-induced osteoclast formation in both RAW264.7 macrophages and mouse primary monocytes.Mechanistically,NOR inhibited RANKL-induced association of ERαand TRAF6 to prevent ERα-mediated TRAF6 activation via Lys63-linked ubiquitination.Importantly,NOR exhibited potent anti-osteoporosis efficacy in an ovariectomized mouse model.Comparing to estrogen,NOR was of much less capability in stimulating endometrial hyperplasia and promoting mammalian cancer cell proliferation.Taken together,our study identified NOR as a natural and high affinity ligand of ERαwith substantial anti-osteoporosis but less estrogenic activity.

NOGEA: A Network-oriented Gene Entropy Approach for Dissecting Disease Comorbidity and Drug Repositioning

Rapid development of high-throughput technologies has permitted the identification of an increasing number of disease-associated genes(DAGs),which are important for understanding disease initiation and developing precision therapeutics.However,DAGs often contain large amounts of redundant or false positive information,leading to difficulties in quantifying and prioritizing potential relationships between these DAGs and human diseases.In this study,a networkoriented gene entropy approach(NOGEA)is proposed for accurately inferring master genes that contribute to specific diseases by quantitatively calculating their perturbation abilities on directed disease-specific gene networks.In addition,we confirmed that the master genes identified by NOGEA have a high reliability for predicting disease-specific initiation events and progression risk.Master genes may also be used to extract the underlying information of different diseases,thus revealing mechanisms of disease comorbidity.More importantly,approved therapeutic targets are topologically localized in a small neighborhood of master genes in the interactome network,which provides a new way for predicting drug-disease associations.Through this method,11 old drugs were newly identified and predicted to be effective for treating pancreatic cancer and then validated by in vitro experiments.Collectively,the NOGEA was useful for identifying master genes that control disease initiation and co-occurrence,thus providing a valuable strategy for drug efficacy screening and repositioning.NOGEA codes are publicly available at https://github.com/guozihuaa/NOGEA.

Evaluating the lifetime performance index with the inverted exponentiated Rayleigh distribution based on censored sample

Lifetime performance index is a powerful and effective way to analyze whether a product achieves the specified standards.In this paper,we investigate the lifetime performance index for the inverted exponential Rayleigh distribution using progressive type II censored sample data.The censored sample is able to greatly save the cost of the experiment and speed up the experiment.We derive the estimation value of lifetime performance index using the maximum likelihood method,and conduct the hypothesis test.Based on extensive numerical simulation,the power function is utilized to assess effectiveness of hypothesis testing.The simulation results show that lifetime performance index is good for determining whether the lifetime of the product reaches the criterion.Finally,a practical dataset is provided to give a demonstration for the procedures of lifetime performance evaluation.

Enhanced piezoelectric properties and temperature stability in KNN-based textured ceramics

Considering the advantages of high Curie temperature and environment-friendly nature of KNN piezoelectric ceramics,the limitation of weak piezoelectric response and their temperature sensitivity to applications is worth exploring.Herein,the<001>textured(1-x)(K_(0.5)Na_(0.5))(Nb0.96Sb0.04)O3-x(Bi_(0.5)Na_(0.5))HfO_(3)(x=0.01-0.045)lead-free ceramics were synthesized by templated grain-growth method.The high piezoelectric performance(d33 of 474 pC/N and strain of 0.21%)and excellent temperature stability(unipolar strain maintained within 4.3%change between 30℃and 165℃)were simultaneously achieved in the textured KNNS-0.03BNH ceramics.The high piezoelectric performance can be attributed to the summation of the crystallographic anisotropy and phase structure contributions in<001>textured ceramics.The superior temperature stability of piezoelectric properties can be interpreted by the contribution of crystal anisotropy to piezoelectric properties reduces the effect of phase transition on piezoelectric properties deterioration.This study provides an effective strategy for simultaneously achieving high piezoelectric properties and superior temperature stability in KNN-based textured ceramics.