The effect of salt anion in ether‐based electrolyte for electrochemical performance of sodium‐ion batteries:A case study of hard carbon

Compared with the extensively used ester‐based electrolyte,the hard carbon(HC)electrode is more compatible with the ether‐based counterpart in sodium‐ion batteries,which can lead to improved cycling stability and robust rate capability.However,the impact of salt anion on the electrochemical performance of HC electrodes has yet to be fully understood.In this study,the anionic chemistry in regulating the stability of electrolytes and the performance of sodium‐ion batteries have been systematically investigated.This work shows discrepancies in the reductive stability of the anionic group,redox kinetics,and component/structure of solid electrolyte interface(SEI)with different salts(NaBF_(4),NaPF_(6),and NaSO_(3)CF_(3))in the typical ether solvent(diglyme).Particularly,the density functional theory calculation manifests the preferred decomposition of PF_(6)−due to the reduced reductive stability of anions in the solvation structure,thus leading to the formation of NaF‐rich SEI.Further investigation on redox kinetics reveals that the NaPF_(6)/diglyme can induce the fast ionic diffusion dynamic and low charge transfer barrier for HC electrode,thus resulting in superior sodium storage performance in terms of rate capability and cycling life,which outperforms those of NaBF_(4)/diglyme and NaSO_(3)CF_(3)/diglyme.Importantly,this work offers valuable insights for optimizing the electrochemical behaviors of electrode materials by regulating the anionic group in the electrolyte.

Source localization based on field signatures:Laboratory ultrasonic validation

Location awareness in wireless networks is essential for emergency services,navigation,gaming,and many other applications.This article presents a method for source localization based on measuring the amplitude-phase distribution of the field at the base station.The existing scatterers in the target area create unique scattered field interference at each source location.The unique field interference at each source location results in a unique field signature at the base station which is used for source localization.In the proposed method,the target area is divided into a grid with a step of less than half the wavelength.Each grid node is characterized by its field signature at the base station.Field signatures corresponding to all nodes are normalized and stored in the base station as fingerprints for source localization.The normalization of the field signatures avoids the need for time synchronization between the base station and the source.When a source transmits signals,the generated field signature at the base station is normalized and then correlated with the stored fingerprints.The maximum correlation value is given by the node to which the source is the closest.Numerical simulations and results of experiments on ultrasonic waves in the air show that the ultrasonic source is correctly localized using broadband field signatures with one base station and without time synchronization.The proposed method is potentially applicable for indoor localization and navigation of mobile robots.

Role of micro-Ca/In alloying in tailoring the microstructural characteristics and discharge performance of dilute Mg-Bi-Sn-based alloys as anodes for Mg-air batteries

The influence of micro-Ca/In alloying on the microstructural charac teristics,electrochemical behaviors and discharge properties of extruded dilute Mg-0.5Bi-0.5Sn-based(wt.%)alloys as anodes for Mg-air batteries are evaluated.The grain size and texture intensity of the Mg-Bi-Sn-based alloys are significantly decreased after the Ca/In alloying,particularly for the In-containing alloy.Note that,in addition to nanoscale Mg_(3)Bi_(2)phase,a new microscale Mg_(2)Bi_(2)Ca phase forms in the Ca-containing alloy.The electrochemical test results demonstrate that Ca/In micro-alloying can enhance the electrochemical activity.Using In to alloy the Mg-Bi-Sn-based alloy is effective in restricting the cathodic hydrogen evolution(CHE)kinetics,leading to a low self-corrosion rate,while severe CHE occurred after Ca alloying.The micro-alloying of Ca/In to Mg-Bi-Sn-based alloy strongly deteriorates the compactness of discharge products film and mitigates the"chunk effect"(CE),hence the cell voltage,anodic efficiency as well as discharge capacity are greatly improved.The In-containing alloy exhibits outstanding discharge performance under the combined effect of the modified microstructure and discharge products,thus making it a potential anode material for primary Mg-air battery.

Prediction of Lubricant Physicochemical Properties Based on Gaussian Copula Data Expansion

The composition of base oils affects the performance of lubricants made from them.This paper proposes a hybrid model based on gradient-boosted decision tree(GBDT)to analyze the effect of different ratios of KN4010,PAO40,and PriEco3000 component in a composite base oil system on the performance of lubricants.The study was conducted under small laboratory sample conditions,and a data expansion method using the Gaussian Copula function was proposed to improve the prediction ability of the hybrid model.The study also compared four optimization algorithms,sticky mushroom algorithm(SMA),genetic algorithm(GA),whale optimization algorithm(WOA),and seagull optimization algorithm(SOA),to predict the kinematic viscosity at 40℃,kinematic viscosity at 100℃,viscosity index,and oxidation induction time performance of the lubricant.The results showed that the Gaussian Copula function data expansion method improved the prediction ability of the hybrid model in the case of small samples.The SOA-GBDT hybrid model had the fastest convergence speed for the samples and the best prediction effect,with determination coefficients(R^(2))for the four indicators of lubricants reaching 0.98,0.99,0.96 and 0.96,respectively.Thus,this model can significantly reduce the model’s prediction error and has good prediction ability.

RoBGP:A Chinese Nested Biomedical Named Entity Recognition Model Based on RoBERTa and Global Pointer

Named Entity Recognition(NER)stands as a fundamental task within the field of biomedical text mining,aiming to extract specific types of entities such as genes,proteins,and diseases from complex biomedical texts and categorize them into predefined entity types.This process can provide basic support for the automatic construction of knowledge bases.In contrast to general texts,biomedical texts frequently contain numerous nested entities and local dependencies among these entities,presenting significant challenges to prevailing NER models.To address these issues,we propose a novel Chinese nested biomedical NER model based on RoBERTa and Global Pointer(RoBGP).Our model initially utilizes the RoBERTa-wwm-ext-large pretrained language model to dynamically generate word-level initial vectors.It then incorporates a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory network for capturing bidirectional semantic information,effectively addressing the issue of long-distance dependencies.Furthermore,the Global Pointer model is employed to comprehensively recognize all nested entities in the text.We conduct extensive experiments on the Chinese medical dataset CMeEE and the results demonstrate the superior performance of RoBGP over several baseline models.This research confirms the effectiveness of RoBGP in Chinese biomedical NER,providing reliable technical support for biomedical information extraction and knowledge base construction.

Buckling Optimization of Curved Grid Stiffeners through the Level Set Based Density Method

Stiffened structures have great potential for improvingmechanical performance,and the study of their stability is of great interest.In this paper,the optimization of the critical buckling load factor for curved grid stiffeners is solved by using the level set based density method,where the shape and cross section(including thickness and width)of the stiffeners can be optimized simultaneously.The grid stiffeners are a combination ofmany single stiffenerswhich are projected by the corresponding level set functions.The thickness and width of each stiffener are designed to be independent variables in the projection applied to each level set function.Besides,the path of each single stiffener is described by the zero iso-contour of the level set function.All the single stiffeners are combined together by using the p-norm method to obtain the stiffener grid.The proposed method is validated by several numerical examples to optimize the critical buckling load factor.

Simulation of Haloxylon Ammodendron Stand Basic Diameter Structure Based on Fuzzy Distribution Function

Based on the investigation data of 12 Haloxylon ammodendron plots in the south edge of Gurbantunggut Desert, Fuzzy distribution was introduced into the study of Haloxylon ammodendron base diameter structure fitting according to the consistency between the characteristics of Fuzzy distribution function and the distribution series of cumulative percentage of stand base diameter, and the fitting precision and effect of Fuzzy distribution function were discussed. The root mean square error RMSE and determination coefficient R2 values showed that Fuzzy-Γ1, Fuzzy-Γ2, Fuzzy-Γ3, Fuzzy-Γ4 had good fitting performance, among which Fuzzy-Γ1 had relatively high fitting precision, and its parameters were closely related to stand age and density, Fuzzy-Γ2 distribution function was the second, and Fuzzy-Γ4 distribution function had the worst fitting effect. By introducing a parameter c from the similarity of four distribution function formulas, a generalized Fuzzy distribution function Fuzzy-Γ5 is obtained. This function shows the highest fitting accuracy. Most of the values of parameter c are near 1 or 2, which shows that the diameter distribution is mainly approximate to Fuzzy-Γ1 and Fuzzy-Γ2.

Preparation of palladium-based catalyst by plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition and its applications in CO_(2) hydrogenation reduction

Supported Pd catalyst is an important noble metal material in recent years due to its high catalytic performance in CO_(2)hydrogenation.A fluidized-bed plasma assisted atomic layer deposition(FP-ALD) process is reported to fabricate Pd nanoparticle catalyst over γ-Al_(2)O_(3)or Fe_(2)O_(3)/γ-Al_(2)O_(3)support,using palladium hexafluoroacetylacetonate as the Pd precursor and H_(2)plasma as counter-reactant.Scanning transmission electron microscopy exhibits that highdensity Pd nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed over Fe_(2)O_(3)/γ-Al_(2)O_(3)support with an average diameter of 4.4 nm.The deposited Pd-Fe_(2)O_(3)/γ-Al_(2)O_(3)shows excellent catalytic performance for CO_(2)hydrogenation in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor.Under a typical condition of H_(2)to CO_(2)ratio of 4 in the feed gas,the discharge power of 19.6 W,and gas hourly space velocity of10000 h^(-1),the conversion of CO_(2)is as high as 16.3% with CH_(3)OH and CH4selectivities of 26.5%and 3.9%,respectively.

Are case reports valuable?Exploring their role in evidence based medicine and patient care

Case reports,often overlooked in evidence-based medicine(EBM),play a pivotal role in healthcare research.They provide unique insights into rare conditions,novel treatments,and adverse effects,serving as valuable educational tools and generating new hypothesis.Despite their limitations in generalizability,case reports contribute significantly to evidence-based practice by offering detailed clinical information and fostering critical thinking among healthcare professionals.By acknowledging their limitations and adhering to reporting guidelines,case reports can contribute significantly to medical knowledge and patient care within the evolving landscape of EBM.This editorial explores the intrinsic value of case reports in EBM and patient care.

Research progress on electronic and active site engineering of cobalt‐based electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction

Electrocatalytic water splitting has been identified as a potential candidate for producing clean hydrogen energy with zero carbon emission.However,the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction on the anode side of the watersplitting device significantly hinders its practical applications.Generally,the efficiency of oxygen evolution processes depends greatly on the availability of cost‐effective catalysts with high activity and selectivity.In recent years,extensive theoretical and experimental studies have demonstrated that cobalt(Co)‐based nanomaterials,especially low‐dimensional Co‐based nanomaterials with a huge specific surface area and abundant unsaturated active sites,have emerged as versatile electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions,and thus,great progress has been made in the rational design and synthesis of Co‐based nanomaterials for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reactions.Considering the remarkable progress in this area,in this timely review,we highlight the most recent developments in Co‐based nanomaterials relating to their dimensional control,defect regulation(conductivity),electronic structure regulation,and so forth.Furthermore,a brief conclusion about recent progress achieved in oxygen evolution on Co‐based nanomaterials,as well as an outlook on future research challenges,is given.

Layer by Layer Self-assembly Fiber-based Flexible Electrochemical Transistor

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxyethiophene)-polystyrene sulfonic acid(PEDOT:PSS)/polyallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride modified reduced graphene oxide(PDDA-rGO)was layer by layer self-assembled on the cotton fiber.The surface morphology and electric property was investigated.The results confirmed the dense membrane of PEDOT:PSS and the lamellar structure of PDDA-rGO on the fibers.It has excellent electrical conductivity and mechanical properties.The fiber based electrochemical transistor(FECTs)prepared by the composite conductive fiber has a maximum output current of 8.7 mA,a transconductance peak of 10 mS,an on time of 1.37 s,an off time of 1.6 s and excellent switching stability.Most importantly,the devices by layer by layer self-assembly technology opens a path for the true integration of organic electronics with traditional textile technologies and materials,laying the foundation for their later widespread application.

The Impact of Model Based Offset Scaling Technique on the Amplitude Variation with Offset Responses from 3D Seismic Data Acquired from the Tano Basin, Offshore Ghana

Amplitudes have been found to be a function of incident angle and offset. Hence data required to test for amplitude variation with angle or offset needs to have its amplitudes for all offsets preserved and not stacked. Amplitude Variation with Offset (AVO)/Amplitude Variation with Angle (AVA) is necessary to account for information in the offset/angle parameter (mode converted S-wave and P-wave velocities). Since amplitudes are a function of the converted S- and P-waves, it is important to investigate the dependence of amplitudes on the elastic (P- and S-waves) parameters from the seismic data. By modelling these effects for different reservoir fluids via fluid substitution, various AVO geobody classes present along the well and in the entire seismic cube can be observed. AVO analysis was performed on one test well (Well_1) and 3D pre-stack angle gathers from the Tano Basin. The analysis involves creating a synthetic model to infer the effect of offset scaling techniques on amplitude responses in the Tano basin as compared to the effect of unscaled seismic data. The spectral balance process was performed to match the amplitude spectra of all angle stacks to that of the mid (26°) stack on the test lines. The process had an effect primarily on the far (34° - 40°) stacks. The frequency content of these stacks slightly increased to match that of the near and mid stacks. In offset scaling process, the root mean square (RMS) amplitude comparison between the synthetic and seismic suggests that the amplitude of the far traces should be reduced relative to the nears by up to 16%. However, the exact scaler values depend on the time window considered. This suggests that the amplitude scaling with offset delivered from seismic processing is only approximately correct and needs to be checked with well synthetics and adjusted accordingly prior to use for AVO studies. The AVO attribute volumes generated were better at resolving anomalies on spectrally balanced and offset scaled data than data delivered from conventional processing. A typical class II AVO anomaly is seen along the test well from the cross-plot analysis and AVO attribute cube which indicates an oil filled reservoir.

An Improved Bounded Conflict-Based Search for Multi-AGV Pathfinding in Automated Container Terminals

As the number of automated guided vehicles(AGVs)within automated container terminals(ACT)continues to rise,conflicts have becomemore frequent.Addressing point and edge conflicts ofAGVs,amulti-AGVconflict-free path planning model has been formulated to minimize the total path length of AGVs between shore bridges and yards.For larger terminalmaps and complex environments,the grid method is employed to model AGVs’road networks.An improved bounded conflict-based search(IBCBS)algorithmtailored to ACT is proposed,leveraging the binary tree principle to resolve conflicts and employing focal search to expand the search range.Comparative experiments involving 60 AGVs indicate a reduction in computing time by 37.397%to 64.06%while maintaining the over cost within 1.019%.Numerical experiments validate the proposed algorithm’s efficacy in enhancing efficiency and ensuring solution quality.

Exploration of the Impact Mechanism of Government Credibility Based on Variable Screening Method

Government credibility is an important asset of contemporary national governance, an important criterion for evaluating government legitimacy, and a key factor in measuring the effectiveness of government governance. In recent years, researchers’ research on government credibility has mostly focused on exploring theories and mechanisms, with little empirical research on this topic. This article intends to apply variable selection models in the field of social statistics to the issue of government credibility, in order to achieve empirical research on government credibility and explore its core influencing factors from a statistical perspective. Specifically, this article intends to use four regression-analysis-based methods and three random-forest-based methods to study the influencing factors of government credibility in various provinces in China, and compare the performance of these seven variable selection methods in different dimensions. The research results show that there are certain differences in simplicity, accuracy, and variable importance ranking among different variable selection methods, which present different importance in the study of government credibility issues. This study provides a methodological reference for variable selection models in the field of social science research, and also offers a multidimensional comparative perspective for analyzing the influencing factors of government credibility.

A Study on the Explainability of Thyroid Cancer Prediction:SHAP Values and Association-Rule Based Feature Integration Framework

In the era of advanced machine learning techniques,the development of accurate predictive models for complex medical conditions,such as thyroid cancer,has shown remarkable progress.Accurate predictivemodels for thyroid cancer enhance early detection,improve resource allocation,and reduce overtreatment.However,the widespread adoption of these models in clinical practice demands predictive performance along with interpretability and transparency.This paper proposes a novel association-rule based feature-integratedmachine learning model which shows better classification and prediction accuracy than present state-of-the-artmodels.Our study also focuses on the application of SHapley Additive exPlanations(SHAP)values as a powerful tool for explaining thyroid cancer prediction models.In the proposed method,the association-rule based feature integration framework identifies frequently occurring attribute combinations in the dataset.The original dataset is used in trainingmachine learning models,and further used in generating SHAP values fromthesemodels.In the next phase,the dataset is integrated with the dominant feature sets identified through association-rule based analysis.This new integrated dataset is used in re-training the machine learning models.The new SHAP values generated from these models help in validating the contributions of feature sets in predicting malignancy.The conventional machine learning models lack interpretability,which can hinder their integration into clinical decision-making systems.In this study,the SHAP values are introduced along with association-rule based feature integration as a comprehensive framework for understanding the contributions of feature sets inmodelling the predictions.The study discusses the importance of reliable predictive models for early diagnosis of thyroid cancer,and a validation framework of explainability.The proposed model shows an accuracy of 93.48%.Performance metrics such as precision,recall,F1-score,and the area under the receiver operating characteristic(AUROC)are also higher than the baseline models.The results of the proposed model help us identify the dominant feature sets that impact thyroid cancer classification and prediction.The features{calcification}and{shape}consistently emerged as the top-ranked features associated with thyroid malignancy,in both association-rule based interestingnessmetric values and SHAPmethods.The paper highlights the potential of the rule-based integrated models with SHAP in bridging the gap between the machine learning predictions and the interpretability of this prediction which is required for real-world medical applications.

A Health State Prediction Model Based on Belief Rule Base and LSTM for Complex Systems

In industrial production and engineering operations,the health state of complex systems is critical,and predicting it can ensure normal operation.Complex systems have many monitoring indicators,complex coupling structures,non-linear and time-varying characteristics,so it is a challenge to establish a reliable prediction model.The belief rule base(BRB)can fuse observed data and expert knowledge to establish a nonlinear relationship between input and output and has well modeling capabilities.Since each indicator of the complex system can reflect the health state to some extent,the BRB is built based on the causal relationship between system indicators and the health state to achieve the prediction.A health state prediction model based on BRB and long short term memory for complex systems is proposed in this paper.Firstly,the LSTMis introduced to predict the trend of the indicators in the system.Secondly,the Density Peak Clustering(DPC)algorithmis used todetermine referential values of indicators for BRB,which effectively offset the lack of expert knowledge.Then,the predicted values and expert knowledge are fused to construct BRB to predict the health state of the systems by inference.Finally,the effectiveness of the model is verified by a case study of a certain vehicle hydraulic pump.

Preceptors'experiences in guiding nursing students to use research findings and to implement evidence-based practice

Objective:Evidence-based practices(EBPs)have been taught to students by identifying the best evidence/evidence from research results.However,the experiences of Indonesian nurse preceptors in helping students implement research findings have not been explored thoroughly.This study aimed to explore Indonesian nurse preceptors in guiding nursing students to use research findings.Methods:This study used interpretive phenomenology analysis that involves 9 nurse preceptors from hospitals in West Kalimantan,Indonesia.Semi-structured in-depth interviews were recorded and then transcribed verbatim.Results:Three themes were generated during the analysis:“types of student supervision,”“issues during supervision,”and“the need for research literacy and supervision.”Conclusions:Nurse preceptors need support to supervise the nursing students to use research findings.In addition to upgrading nursing skills,nurse preceptors must receive training in research and its utilization.Developing an appropriate strategy to assist students in using research findings will enhance the promotion of evidence-based nursing practices on a daily basis.

Effects of Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) Raw Material Types on Properties of Anorthite Based Insulation Refractories

To optimize their Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) raw materials,anorthite based insulation refractories were prepared by the in-situ sintering process combined with the foaming method after sintering at 1350℃for 3 h,using green and pollution-free kaolin,kyanite,andalusite and sillimanite as Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) raw materials,respectively,and industrial CaCO_(3) as the CaO source.Effects of Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) raw material types on the physical properties,phase composition and microstructure were investigated.The results are as follows.All samples prepared by different Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) raw materials have hexagonal flake anorthite and a small amount of mullite and corundum.Their bulk density and thermal conductivity decrease in the order of using kaolin,andalusite,kyanite and sillimanite as the Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) raw material,but their apparent porosity increases.Moreover,in the sample with kaolin,the bonding between anorthite crystals on the pore walls is closer than that of the other samples,which is conducive to increasing the cold crushing strength.The bonding between anorthite crystals on pore walls gradually decreases in the order of using kyanite,andalusite and sillimanite as the Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) raw material,thus their cold crushing strength decreases accordingly.In comprehensive consideration,the properties of the sample from kyanite are the optimal.Its apparent porosity,thermal conductivity and cold crushing strength are 84.6%,0.141 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1) and 1.89 MPa,respectively.

Preparation and Properties of Vegetable-Oil-Based Thioether Polyol and Ethyl Cellulose Supramolecular Composite Films

Ethyl cellulose(EC),an important biomass-based material,has excellent film-forming properties.Nevertheless,the high interchain hydrogen bond interaction leads to a high glass transition temperature of EC,which makes it too brittle to be used widely.The hydroxyl group on EC can form a supramolecular system in the form of a non-covalent bond with an effective plasticizer.In this study,an important vegetable-oil-based derivative named dimer fatty acid was used to prepare a novel special plasticizer for EC.Dimer-fatty-acid-based thioether polyol(DATP)was synthesized and used to modify ethyl cellulose films.The supramolecular composite films of DATP and ethyl cellulose were designed using the newly-formed van der Waals force.The thermal stability,morphology,hydrophilicity,and mechanical properties of the composite films were all tested.Pure EC is fragile,and the addition of DATP makes the ethyl cellulose films more flexible.The elongation at the break of EC supramolecular films increased and the tensile strength decreased with the increasing DATP content.The elongation at the break of EC/DATP(60/40)and EC/DATP(50/50)was up to 40.3%and 43.4%,respectively.Noticeably,the thermal initial degradation temperature of the film with 10%DATP is higher than that of pure EC,which may be attributed to the formation of a better supramolecular system in this composite film.The application of bio-based material(EC)is environmentally friendly,and the novel DATP can be used as a special and effective plasticizer to prepare flexible EC films,making it more widely used in energy,chemical industry,materials,agriculture,medicine,and other fields.

Short Communication: Enhancing the Drying Process of Microbial-Based Products with a Dehumidifier

The development of microbial-based products requires certain criteria for them to be successfully commercialized. The product must meet the following desirable criteria: effectiveness, contamination free, stability, cost-effectiveness, and a prolonged shelf life. Controlling the drying process is crucial for ensuring the stability and durability of the product. The traditional approach, which involved mechanical and natural drying, led to decreased productivity and quality. The objective of this research endeavour was to achieve a dry process enhancement while preserving the microbial quality of Trichoderma asperellum (M103). The temperature and relative humidity during the drying period were monitored under two conditions: with and without a dehumidifier. The results demonstrate that the dehumidifier increases drying period efficiency by up to 63%.