Properties of collective flow and pion production in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions with a relativistic quantum molecular dynamics model

The relativistic mean-field approach was implemented in the Lanzhou quantum molecular dynamics transport model(LQMD.RMF). Using the LQMD.RMF, the properties of collective flow and pion production were investigated systematically for nuclear reactions with various isospin asymmetries. The directed and elliptic flows of the LQMD.RMF are able to describe the experimental data of STAR Collaboration. The directed flow difference between free neutrons and protons was associated with the stiffness of the symmetry energy, that is, a softer symmetry energy led to a larger flow difference. For various collision energies, the ratio between the π^(-) and π^(+) yields increased with a decrease in the slope parameter of the symmetry energy. When the collision energy was 270 MeV/nucleon, the single ratio of the pion transverse momentum spectra also increased with decreasing slope parameter of the symmetry energy in both nearly symmetric and neutron-rich systems.However, it is difficult to constrain the stiffness of the symmetry energy with the double ratio because of the lack of threshold energy correction on the pion production.

Enhanced anomalous Hall effect in kagome magnet YbMn_(6)Sn_(6)with intermediate-valence ytterbium

We report on the magnetization and anomalous Hall effect(AHE)in the high-quality single crystals of the kagome magnet YbMn_(6)Sn_(6),where the spins of the Mn atoms in the kagome lattice order ferromagnetically and the intermediate-valence Yb atoms are nonmagnetic.The intrinsic mechanism plays a crucial role in the AHE,leading to an enhanced anomalous Hall conductivity(AHC)compared with the other rare-earth RMn_(6)Sn_(6)compounds.Our band structure calculation reveals a strong hybridization between the 4f electrons of Yb and conduction electrons.

Present and future of new systemic therapies for early and intermediate stages of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a high mortality neoplasm which usually appears on a cirrhotic liver.The therapeutic arsenal and subsequent prognostic outlook are intrinsically linked to the HCC stage at diagnosis.Notwithstanding the current deployment of treatments with curative intent(liver resection/local ablation and liver transplantation)in early and intermediate stages,a high rate of HCC recurrence persists,underscoring a pivotal clinical challenge.Emergent systemic therapies(ST),particularly immunotherapy,have demonstrate promising outcomes in terms of increase overall survival,but they are currently bound to the advanced stage of HCC.This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the literature,encompassing studies up to March 10,2024,evaluating the impact of novel ST in the early and intermediate HCC stages,specially focusing on the findings of neoadjuvant and adjuvant regimens,aimed at increasing significantly overall survival and recurrence-free survival after a treatment with curative intent.We also investigate the potential role of ST in enhancing the downstaging rate for the intermediate-stage HCC initially deemed ineligible for treatment with curative intent.Finally,we critically discuss about the current relevance of the results of these studies and the encouraging future implications of ST in the treatment schedules of early and intermediate HCC stages.

Steam reforming of acetic acid over Ni/biochar of low metal-loading:Involvement of biochar in tailoring reaction intermediates renders superior catalytic performance

Biochar is a reactive carrier as it may be partially gasified with steam in steam reforming,which could influence the formation of reaction intermediates and modify catalytic behaviors.Herein,the Ni/biochar as well as two comparative catalysts,Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2),with low nickel loading(2%(mass))was conducted to probe involvement of the varied carriers in the steam reforming.The results indicated that the Ni/biochar performed excellent catalytic activity than Ni/SiO_(2) and Ni/Al_(2)O_(3),as the biochar carrier facilitated quick conversion of the -OH from dissociation of steam to gasify the oxygen-rich carbonaceous intermediates like C=O and C-O-C,resulting in low coverage while high exposure of nickel species for maintaining the superior catalytic performance.In converse,strong adsorption of aliphatic intermediates over Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2) induced serious coking with polymeric coke as the main type(21.5%and 32.1%,respectively),which was significantly higher than that over Ni/biochar(3.9%).The coke over Ni/biochar was mainly aromatic or catalytic type with nanotube morphology and high crystallinity.The high resistivity of Ni/biochar towards coking was due to the balance between formation of coke and gasification of coke and partially biochar with steam,which created developed mesopores in spent Ni/biochar while the coke blocked pores in Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2) catalysts.

Regulating^(*)COOH intermediate via amino alkylation engineering for exceptionally effective photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction

Photocatalytic reduction of CO_(2) into fuel represents a promising approach for achieving carbon neutrality,while realizing high selectivity in this process is challenging due to uncontrollable reaction intermediate and retarded desorption of target products.Engineering the interface microenvironment of catalysts has been proposed as a strategy to exert a significant influence on reaction outcomes,yet it remains a significant challenge.In this study,amino alkylation was successfully integrated into the melem unit of polymeric carbon nitrides(PCN),which could efficiently drive the photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction.Experimental characterization and theoretical calculations revealed that the introduction of amino alkylation lowers the energy barrier for CO_(2) reduction into^(*)COOH intermediate,transforming the adsorption of^(*)COOH intermediate from the endothermic to an exothermic process.Notably,the as-prepared materials demonstrated outstanding performance in photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction,yielding CO_(2)at a rate of 152.8μmol h^(-1) with a high selectivity of 95.4%and a quantum efficiency of 6.6%.

The study of intelligent algorithm in particle identification of heavy-ion collisions at low and intermediate energies

Traditional particle identification methods face timeconsuming,experience-dependent,and poor repeatability challenges in heavy-ion collisions at low and intermediate energies.Researchers urgently need solutions to the dilemma of traditional particle identification methods.This study explores the possibility of applying intelligent learning algorithms to the particle identification of heavy-ion collisions at low and intermediate energies.Multiple intelligent algorithms,including XgBoost and TabNet,were selected to test datasets from the neutron ion multi-detector for reaction-oriented dynamics(NIMROD-ISiS)and Geant4 simulation.Tree-based machine learning algorithms and deep learning algorithms e.g.TabNet show excellent performance and generalization ability.Adding additional data features besides energy deposition can improve the algorithm’s performance when the data distribution is nonuniform.Intelligent learning algorithms can be applied to solve the particle identification problem in heavy-ion collisions at low and intermediate energies.

Brent vs.West Texas Intermediate in the US petro derivatives price formation

In this paper,we apply the spatial panel model to explore the relationship between the dynamic of two types of crude oil prices(WTI and Brent crude oil)and their refined products over time.Considering the turbulent months of 2011,when Cushing Oklahoma had reached capacity and the crude oil export ban removal in 2015 as breakpoints,we apply this method both in the full sample and the three resultant regimes.First,results suggest our results show that both WTI and Brent display very similar behaviour with the refined products.Second,when attending to each regime,results derived from the first and third regimes are quite similar to the full sample results.Therefore,during the second regime,Brent crude oil became the benchmark in the petrol market,and it influenced the distillate products.Furthermore,our model can let us determine the price-setters and price-followers in the price formation mechanism through refined products.These results possess important considerations to policymakers and the market participants and the price formation.

Freshening of the Intermediate Waters in the Northern South China Sea over the Past Six Decades

The properties of salinity in the South China Sea(SCS),a significant marginal sea connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans,are greatly influenced by the transport of fresh water flux between the two oceans.However,the long-term changes in the intermediate water in the SCS have not been thoroughly studied due to limited data,particularly in relation to its thermodynamic variations.This study utilized reanalysis data products to identify a 60-year trend of freshening in the intermediate waters of the northern South China Sea(NSCS),accompanied by an expansion of low-salinity water.The study also constructed salinity budget terms,including advection and entrainment processes,and conducted an analysis of the salinity budget to understand the impacts of external and internal dynamic processes on the freshening trend of the intermediate water in the NSCS.The analysis revealed that the freshening in the northwest Pacific Ocean and the intensification of intrusion through the Luzon Strait at intermediate levels are the primary drivers of the salinity changes in the NSCS.Additionally,a weakened trend in the intensity of vertical entrainment also contributes to the freshening in the NSCS.This study offers new insights into the understanding of regional deep sea changes in response to variations in both thermodynamics and oceanic dynamic processes.

Hydrogen production at intermediate temperatures with proton conducting ceramic cells:Electrocatalytic activity,durability and energy efficiency

Proton conducting ceramic cells(PCCs)are an attractive emerging technology operating in the intermediate temperature range of 500 to 700℃.In this work,we evaluate the production of hydrogen at intermediate temperatures by proton conducting ceramic cell electrolysis(PCCEL).We demonstrate a highperformance steam electrolysis owing to a composite positrode based on BaGd_(0.8)La_(0.2)Co_(2)O_(6-δ)(BGLC1082)and BaZr0.5Ce0.4Y0.1O3-δ(BZCY541).The high reliability of PCCEL is demonstrated for 1680 h at a current density as high as-0.8 A cm^(-2)close to the thermoneutral cell voltage at 600℃.The electrolysis cell showed a specific energy consumption ranging from 54 to 66 kW h kg^(-1)that is comparable to state-of-the-art low temperature electrolysis technologies,while showing hydrogen production rates systematically higher than commercial solid oxide ceramic cells(SOCs).Compared to SOCs,the results verified the higher performances of PCCs at the relevant operating temperatures,due to the lower activation energy for proton transfer comparing with oxygen ion conduction.However,because of the p-type electronic conduction in protonic ceramics,the energy conversion rate of PCCs is relatively lower in steam electrolysis.The faradaic efficiency of the PCC in electrolysis mode can be increased at lower operating temperatures and in endothermic conditions,making PCCEL a technology of choice to valorize high temperature waste heat from industrial processes into hydrogen.To increase the faradaic efficiency by optimizing the materials,the cell design,or the operating strategy is a key challenge to address for future developments of PCCEL in order to achieve even more superior techno-economic merits.

The Effectiveness of Explicit Vocabulary Instruction on Productive Vocabulary Learning in Writing Among Intermediate School Learners in Saudi Arabia

This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of explicit vocabulary instruction on productive vocabulary learning in writing among intermediate school learners in Saudi Arabia,verify the existence of any statistically significant differences at the significance level of 0.01 between the mean scores of the post-test of the control group and the experimental group in the vocabulary test,and verify the existence of any statistically significant differences at the significance level of 0.01 between the mean scores of the pre-and post-test of the experimental group in the vocabulary test in favor of the post-test.The study community consisted of all intermediate school students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,while the study sample included 30 students.The experimental method was adopted to identify the effectiveness of explicit vocabulary instruction on productive vocabulary learning in writing and the achievement test was used as the study tool.The study reached many results including there were no statistically significant differences at the significance level of 0.01 between the mean scores of the post-test of the control group and the experimental group in the vocabulary test and there were no statistically significant differences at the significance level of 0.01 between the mean scores of the pre-and post-test of the experimental group in the vocabulary test in favor of the post-test.According to these results,some recommendations and proposals were made including training English teachers at the intermediate school level in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,on explicit vocabulary instruction and conducting future researches on the trends of English teachers at the intermediate school level,in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,regarding the adoption of explicit vocabulary instruction while teaching the English language.

Experimental study on failure characteristics of single-sided unloading rock under different intermediate principal stress conditions

Investigation of unloading rock failure under differentσ_(2)facilitates the control mechanism of excavation surrounding rock.This study focused on single-sided unloading tests of granite specimens under true triaxial conditions.The strength and failure characteristics were studied with micro-camera and acoustic emission(AE)monitoring.Furthermore,the choice of test path and the effect ofσ_(2)on fracture of unloading rock were discussed.Results show that the increasedσ_(2)can strengthen the stability of single-sided unloading rock.After unloading,the rock’s free surface underwent five phases,namely,inoculation,particle ejection,buckling rupture,stable failure,and unstable rockburst phases.Moreover,atσ_(2)≤30 MPa,the b value shows the following variation tendency:rising,dropping,significant fluctuation,and dropping,with dispersed damages signal.Atσ_(2)≥40 MPa,the tendency shows:a rise,a decrease,a slight fluctuation,and final drop,with concentrated damages signal.After unloading,AE energy is mainly concentrated in the micro-energy range.With the increasedσ_(2),the micro-energy ratio rises.In contrast,low,medium and large energy ratios drop gradually.The increased tensile fractures and decreased shear fractures indicate that the failure mode of the unloading rock gradually changes from tensile-shear mode to tensile-split one.The fractional dimension of the rock fragments first increases and then decreases with an inflection point at 20 MPa.The distribution of SIF on the planes changes asσ_(2)increases,resulting in strengthening and then weakening of the rock bearing capacity.

Mechanism study on UV-induced photodegradation of nonylphenol ethoxylates by intermediate products analysis

Photodegradation of nonylphenol ethoxylates （NPloEO） was investigated in laboratory scale under UV irradiation. The intermediate photodegradation products were analyzed by LC-ESI-MS. Three kinds of intermediate products including aldehydic compounds, carboxylic compounds and cyclohexanyl compounds were identified. Five main degradation routes involving the oxidation of the alkyl chain and ethoxylate unit, shortening of the alkyl chain and ethoxylate unit, hydrogenation of the benzene ring were proposed.

Effects of intermediate stress on deep rock strainbursts under true triaxial stresses

The effect of intermediate stress(in situ tunnel axial)on a strainburst is studied with a threedimensional(3D)bonded block distinct element method(DEM).A series of simulations of strainbursts under true triaxial in situ stress conditions(i.e.high tangential stress,moderate intermediate stress and low radial stress)of near-boundary rock masses are performed.Compared with the experimental results,the DEM model is able to capture the stress-strain response,failure pattern and energy balance of strainbursts.The fracturing processes of strainbursts are also numerically reproduced.Numerical results show that,as the intermediate stress increases:(1)The peak strain of strainbursts increases,the yield stress increases,the rock strength increases linearly,and the ratio of yield stress to rock strength decreases,indicating that the precursory information on strainbursts is enhanced;(2)Tensile and shear cracks increase significantly,and slabbing and bending of rock plates are more pronounced;and(3)The stored elastic strain energy and dissipated energy increase linearly,whereas the kinetic energy of the ejected rock fragments increases approximately exponentially,implying an increase in strainburst intensity.By comparing the experimental and numerical results,the effect of intermediate stress on the rock strength of strainbursts is discussed in order to address three key issues.Then,the Mogi criterion is applied to construct new strength criteria for strainbursts by converting the one-face free true triaxial stress state of a strainburst to its equivalent true triaxial stress state.In summary,the effect of intermediate stress on strainbursts is a double-edged sword that can enhance the rock strength and the precursory information of a strainburst,but also increase its intensity.

Electrical conductivity optimization of the Na3AlF6–Al2O3–Sm2O3 molten salts system for Al–Sm intermediate binary alloy production

Metal Sm has been widely used in making Al–Sm magnet alloy materials. Conventional distillation technology to produce Sm has the disadvantages of low productivity, high costs, and pollution generation. The objective of this study was to develop a molten salt electrolyte system to produce Al–Sm alloy directly, with focus on the electrical conductivity and optimal operating conditions to minimize the energy consumption. The continuously varying cell constant(CVCC) technique was used to measure the conductivity for the Na3AlF6–AlF3–LiF–MgF2–Al2O3–Sm2O3electrolysis medium in the temperature range from 905 to 1055°C. The temperature(t) and the addition of Al2O3(W(Al2O3)), Sm2O3(W(Sm2O3)), and a combination of Al2O3and Sm2O3into the basic fluoride system were examined with respect to their effects on the conductivity(κ) and activation energy. The experimental results showed that the molten electrolyte conductivity increases with increasing temperature(t) and decreases with the addition of Al2O3or Sm2O3or both. We concluded that the optimal operation conditions for Al–Sm intermediate alloy production in the Na3AlF6–AlF3–LiF–MgF2–Al2O3–Sm2O3system are W(Al2O3) + W(Sm2O3) = 3wt%, W(Al2O3):W(Sm2O3) = 7:3, and a temperature of 965 to 995°C, which results in satisfactory conductivity, low fluoride evaporation losses, and low energy consumption.

Mechanical Modeling and Analysis of Stability Deterioration of Production Well During Marine Hydrate Depressurization Production

Different from oil and gas production,hydrate reservoirs are shallow and unconsolidated,whose mechanical properties deteriorate with hydrate decomposition.Therefore,the formations will undergo significant subsidence during depressurization,which will destroy the original force state of the production well.However,existing research on the stability of oil and gas production wells assumes the formation to be stable,and lacks consideration of the force exerted on the hydrate production well by formation subsidence caused by hydrate decomposition during production.To fill this gap,this paper proposes an analytical method for the dynamic evolution of the stability of hydrate production well considering the effects of hydrate decomposition.Based on the mechanical model of the production well,the basis for stability analysis has been proposed.A multi-field coupling model of the force state of the production well considering the effect of hydrate decomposition and formation subsidence is established,and a solver is developed.The analytical approach is verified by its good agreement with the results from the numerical method.A case study found that the decomposition of hydrate will increase the pulling-down force and reduce the supporting force,which is the main reason for the stability deterioration.The higher the initial hydrate saturation,the larger the reservoir thickness,and the lower the production pressure,the worse the stability or even instability.This work can provide a theoretical reference for the stability maintaining of the production well.

Rational Manipulation of Intermediates on Copper for CO_(2)Electroreduction Toward Multicarbon Products

Excess greenhouse gas emissions,primarily carbon dioxide(CO_(2)),have caused major environmental concerns worldwide.The electroreduction of CO_(2)into valuable chemicals using renewable energy is an ecofriendly approach to achieve carbon neutrality.In this regard,copper(Cu)has attracted considerable attention as the only known metallic catalyst available for converting CO_(2)to high-value multicarbon(C_(2+))products.The production of C_(2+)involves complicated C-C coupling steps and thus imposes high demands on intermediate regulation.In this review,we discuss multiple strategies for modulating intermediates to facilitate C_(2+)formation on Cu-based catalysts.Furthermore,several sophisticated in situ characterization techniques are outlined for elucidating the mechanism of C-C coupling.Lastly,the challenges and future directions of CO_(2)electroreduction to C_(2+)are envisioned.

Unveil the Redox Evolution of Ore-forming Fluids using Sulfur Isotope:A Case Study of the Zhengguang Intermediate Sulfidation Epithermal Au-Zn Deposit,NE China

Oxygen fugacity(fO_(2))is a key intensity variable during the entire magmatic-hydrothermal mineralization courses.The redox state and its variations between different stages of the ore-forming fluids of intermediate sulfidation epithermal deposits are rarely deciphered due to the lack of appropriate approaches to determine fO_(2)of the fluids.Here,we reported theδ^(34)S of the sulfides from three different stages(stageⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ)of Zhengguang,an Early Ordovician Au-rich intermediate sulfidation(IS)epithermal deposit,to decipher the redox evolution of the ore-forming fluids.The increasingδ^(34)S values from stageⅠpyrite(pyl,average-2.6‰)through py2(average-1.9‰)to py3(average-0.2‰)indicates a decrease of the oxygen fugacity of the ore-forming fluids.A compilation ofδ^(34)S values of sulfides from two subtypes of IS deposits(Au-rich and Ag-rich)from NE China shows that theδ^(34)S values of sulfides from Au-rich IS deposits are systematically lighter than those of Ag-rich IS Ag-Pb-Zn deposit,indicating the ore-forming fluids of the former are more oxidized than the latter.We highlight that sulfur isotopic composition of hypogene sulfides is an efficacious proxy to fingerprint the oxygen fugacity fluctuations of epithermal deposits and could potentially be used to distinguish the subtypes of IS deposits.

Morphology and morphometry of two hybridizing buntings at their hybrid zone in northern Iran reveal intermediate and transgressive morphotypes

The closely related Black-headed Bunting(Emberiza melanocephala,a western Palearctic lineage)and Red-headed Bunting(Emberiza bruniceps,an eastern Palearctic lineage)hybridize and replace each other south of the Caspian Sea.The parental species have distinct phenotypes and therefore morphology is useful for assessing hybridization in the contact zone.In the years of 1940 and 1977,quite a few hybrids were collected and studied morphologically.Since then,the hybrid zone appears to have expanded westwards,but there has been a time gap in the collection of morphological data.Here we reanalyze bunting specimens morphologically and compare the historical data with recent data.Morphometric and phenotypic traits from three time periods(1940,1977 and recent)were studied to assess phenotypic variation of hybrids,pattern of hybridization,and transgressive traits in the hybrid zone.Our results show that most of the birds in the hybrid zone exhibit intermediate phenotypes(both colors and morphometric characters),ranging from the pure phenotype of either of the parental species.However,hybridization has also produced novel phenotypes not seen in any of the parents.Using a canonical discriminant function analysis,the morphometric characters separated each parental species and the hybrids quite well.Our results showed morphometric intermediacy of hybrids in accordance with phenotypes.We observe a time trend in which recent hybrids are more similar to Red-headed Buntings phenotypically compared to historical samples.This pattern is likely a signature of a westward expansion of the Red-headed Bunting into the breeding range of the Black-headed Bunting.

Mechanistic insights into the active intermediates of 2,6-diaminopyridine dinitration

Mechanistic understanding of the active intermediates of 2,6-diaminopyridine(DAP) dinitration in the concentrated nitric-sulfuric acid system is of crucial importance for the selectivity control of target product, i.e., 2,6-diamino-3,5-dinitropyridine(DADNP). The active intermediates determining the product selectivity are theoretically studied. The HSO_(4)^(-)-NO_(2)^(+) complex is proposed as the dominant active nitrating intermediate for the first time, which shows low energy barrier(i.e., 10.19 kcal·mol^(-1),1 kcal = 4.186 k J) for direct dinitration of DAP to DADNP. The formed water during the reaction results in not only the formation of less active SO_(4)^(2-)-NO_(2)^(+) complex, but also the occurance of DAP sulfonation(DAP-SO_(3)H intermediate)to facilitate the formation of mononitration byproduct. Meanwhile, the accompanied thermal effects cause the generation of undesirable pyridine-NHNO_(2) intermediate, which is difficult to be rearranged to yield DADNP, inhibiting the reaction and thus giving low DAP conversion. The insights reported here elucidates the importance of thermal effects elimination and water content control, confirmed experimentally in the batch-and micro-reaction systems.

Wave Force on the Crown Wall of Rubble Mound Breakwaters at Intermediate Depths

Rubble mound breakwaters with a crown wall are a common coastal engineering structure.The wave force on crown walls is an important parameter for the practice engineering design.Particularly,the wave force on crown walls under intermediate depths has been studied through physical model tests and numerical simulations.In this study,a three-dimensional numerical wave flume was developed to investigate monochromatic wave interactions in a rubble mound breakwater with a crown wall.Armor blocks were modeled in detail.The Navier-Stokes equations for two-phase incompressible flows,combined with shear stress transport k-ωturbulence model and volume of fluid method for tracking the free surface,were solved.A set of laboratory experiments were performed to validate the adopted model.Subsequently,a series of numerical simulations were implemented to examine the impacts of different hydrodynamic parameters(including wave height,incident wave period,and water depth)and the berm width on the wave force of the crown wall.Finally,a comparison of the experimental results and Martin method shows that the latter method is not suitable for this experimental scope.New empirical formulas are proposed to predict the wave force on crown walls under intermediate depth.The results can provide a basis for the design of crown wall of rubble mound breakwaters at intermediate depths.