Combination of a crude oil-degrading bacterial consortium under the guidance of strain tolerance and a pilot-scale degradation test

Under the guidance of strain tolerance, a new combination method for crude oil-degrading bacterial consortium was studied. Firstly, more than 50 efficient crude oil-degrading and biosurfactant producing bacteria were isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil and water in Tianjin Binhai New Area Oil field, China. Twenty-four of them were selected for further study. These strains were identified as belonging Pseudornonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Brevibacillus brevis, Achrornobacter sp., Acinetobacter venetianus, Lysinibacillus rnacroides, Klebsiella oxytoca, Stenotrophornonas rhizophila, Rhodococcus sp. and Bacillus thuringiensis. A shake-flask degradation test revealed that 12 of these strains could degrade over 50% of 1% crude oil concentration in 7 d. Of these, 8 strains were able to produce biosurfactants. Furthermore, environmental tolerance experiments indicated that the majority of the strains had the ability to adapt to extreme environments including high temperatures, alkaline en- vironments and high salinity environments. A mixed bacterial agent comprising the strains WB2, W2, W3 and HA was developed based on the environmental tolerance tests and subjected to the pilot-scale degradation test indicating that this bacterial agent could degrade 85.2% of 0.8% crude oil concentration in 60 d. Our results suggest that the application of this mixed agent could remediate crude oil polluted soils in saline and alkaline environments.

Pyridinic-N doping carbon layers coupled with tensile strain of FeNi alloy for activating water and urea oxidation

Exploitation of oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and urea oxidation reaction(UOR)catalysts with high activity and stability at large current density is a major challenge for energy-saving H_(2) production in water electrolysis.Herein,we use the pyridinic-N doping carbon layers coupled with tensile strain of FeNi alloy activated by NiFe_(2)O_(4)(FeNi/NiFe_(2)O_(4)@NC)for efficiently increasing the performance of water and urea oxidation.Due to the tensile strain effect on FeNi/NiFe_(2)O_(4)@NC,it provides a favorable modulation on the electronic properties of the active center,thus enabling amazing OER(η_(100)=196 mV)and UOR(E_(10)=1.32 V)intrinsic activity.Besides,the carbon-coated layers can be used as armor to prevent FeNi alloy from being corroded by the electrolyte for enhancing the OER/UOR stability at large current density,showing high industrial practicability.This work thus provides a simple way to prepare high-efficiency catalyst for activating water and urea oxidation.

The role of strain in oxygen evolution reaction

The oxygen evolution reaction(OER)is a crucial step in metal-air batteries and water splitting technologies,playing a significant role in the efficiency and achievable heights of these two technologies.However,the OER is a four-step,four-electron reaction,and its slow kinetics result in high overpotentials,posing a challenge.To address this issue,numerous strategies involving modified catalysts have been proposed and proven to be highly efficient.In these strategies,the introduction of strain has been widely reported because it is generally believed to effectively regulate the electronic structure of metal sites and alter the adsorption energy of catalyst surfaces with reaction intermediates.However,strain has many other effects that are not well known,making it an important yet unexplored area.Based on this,this review provides a detailed introduction to the various roles of strain in OER.To better explain these roles,the review also presents the definition of strain and elucidates the potential mechanisms of strain in OER based on the d-band center theory and adsorption volcano plot.Additionally,the review showcases various ways of introducing strain in OER through examples reported in the latest literature,aiming to provide a comprehensive perspective for the development of strain engineering.Finally,the review analyzes the appropriate proportion of strain introduction,compares compressive and tensile strain,and examines the impact of strain on stability.And the review offers prospects for future research directions in this emerging field.

Mechanical behavior of nanorubber reinforced epoxy over a wide strain rate loading

Nanorubber/epoxy composites containing 0,2,6 and 10 wt%nanorubber are subjected to uniaxial compression over a wide range of strain rate from 8×10^(-4) s^(-1) to~2×10^(4) s^(-1).Unexpectedly,their strain rate sensitivity and strain hardening index increase with increasing nanorubber content.Potential mechanisms are proposed based on numerical simulations using a unit cell model.An increase in the strain rate sensitivity with increasing nanorubber content results from the fact that the nanorubber becomes less incompressible at high strain,generating a higher hydro-static pressure.Adiabatic shear localization starts to occur in the epoxy under a strain rate of 22,000 s^(-1) when the strain exceeds 0.35.The presence of nanorubber in the epoxy reduces adiabatic shear localization by preventing it from propagating.

Screening of Myocardial Cardiotoxicity Induced by Anticancer Chemotherapy and the Importance of Global Longitudinal Strain

Introduction: The improvement of survival in patients with cancer and the expansion of therapeutic options have led to the emergence of a new profile of cardiotoxicity, specifically associated with antimitotic agents. Our study aimed to assess the incidence of chemotherapy-induced myocardial toxicity in patients with cancer. Patients and Methods: We conducted a looking-forward longitudinal cohort study including all patients admitted to the Cardiology departments of Aristide le Dantec Hospital and Dalal Jamm National Hospital Centre for apre-chemotherapy check-up. The included patients did not undergo any pre-existing cardiopathy. Results: Over a period of two years ranging from January 2019 to December 2021, a total of 37 patients were included in the study. Notably, there was a female predominance (92%) with an average age of 49.7 years ± 13.69. Breast cancer accounted for 70% of the neoplasms. Laboratory findings revealed moderate anemia in 19 patients (51%). At inclusion, the left ventricle (LV) was of normal size (LV diastole at 44.46 ± 4.97 mm). The systolic function of the left ventricle was normal in all patients, with an average ejection fraction (EF) of 63.1% ± 5.80 and a mean global longitudinal strain (GLS) of −20.4% ± 2.58. The most commonly used agents were anthracyclines. During follow-up, 3 patients (8.1%) developed clinical symptoms of left heart failure, and LV dysfunction on echocardiography was observed in 5 (13.5%) patients, with a significant decrease in EF Conclusion: The incidence of cardiac toxicity is not negligible, hence the importance of early screening. Strain imaging is an essential tool that should be performed as part of the assessment before chemotherapy and re-evaluated during treatment.

In-Situ Atomic-Scale Observation of Brownmillerite to Ruddlesden-Popper Phase Transition Tuned by Epitaxial Strain in Cobaltites

Phase transitions involving oxygen ion extraction within the framework of the crystallographic relevance have been widely exploited for sake of superconductivity,ferromagnetism,and ion conductivity in perovskiterelated oxides.However,atomic-scale pathways of phase transitions and ion extraction threshold are inadequately understood.Here we investigate the atomic structure evolution of LaCoO_(3) films upon oxygen extraction and subsequent Co migration,focusing on the key role of epitaxial strain.The brownmillerite to Ruddlesden-Popper phase transitions are discovered to stabilize at distinct crystal orientations in compressive-and tensile-strained cobaltites,which could be attributed to in-plane and out-of-plane Ruddlesden-Popper stacking faults,respectively.A two-stage process from exterior to interior phase transition is evidenced in compressive-strained LaCoO_(2.5),while a single-step nucleation process leaving bottom layer unchanged in tensile-strained situation.Strain analyses reveal that the former process is initiated by an expansion in Co layer at boundary,whereas the latter one is associated with an edge dislocation combined with antiphase boundary.These findings provide a chemomechanical perspective on the structure regulation of perovskite oxides and enrich insights into strain-dependent phase diagram in epitaxial oxides films.

Frequency-dependent Electrical Capacitance and Resistance of Ultra-high Performance Concrete and Their Responses to Compressive Strain

The frequency-dependent electrical properties and strain self-sensing behaviour of ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)as cement-based stress/strain self-sensing(CBSS)smart materials were investigated in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 300 kHz.By using the electrical parameters of the equivalent electric circuit model,the quantitative relations of capacitance and conductance of CBSS with the measurement frequency were derived.The capacitance and the conductance exhibit power-law type dependence on the measurement frequency.The calculated capacitance values at frequencies beyond 2 kHz and conductance values are consistent with the experimental results.The sweep-frequency test and the fixed-frequency test were performed to examine effects of the excitation frequencies on strain self-sensing properties of CBSS.The fractional change in capacitance(FCC)and resistance(FCR)of CBSS are frequency-dependent in the frequency range from 100 Hz to the f_(B),but frequency-independent in the frequency range from the f_(B)to 300 kHz.The f_(A)and the f_(B)are 1.7-4.0 kHz and 11-78 kHz depending on the fiber dosages,respectively.FCC and FCR reach their maximum at the f_(A)and 100 Hz,respectively.The responses of capacitance and resistance of CBSS to strain show good repeatability during cyclic loading.As the fiber dosage increases,capacitance-based sensitivity to strain increases initially and then decreases at the f_(A),and resistance-based sensitivity to strain of CBSS increases with increasing fiber contents.

Anisotropic metal–insulator transition in strained VO_(2)(B) single crystal

Mechanical strain can induce noteworthy structural and electronic changes in vanadium dioxide, imparting substantial scientific importance to both the exploration of phase transitions and the development of potential technological applications. Unlike the traditional rutile(R) phase, bronze-phase vanadium dioxide [VO_(2)(B)] exhibits an in-plane anisotropic structure. When subjected to stretching along distinct crystallographic axes, VO_(2)(B) may further manifest the axial dependence in lattice–electron interactions, which is beneficial for gaining insights into the anisotropy of electronic transport.Here, we report an anisotropic room-temperature metal–insulator transition in single-crystal VO_(2)(B) by applying in-situ uniaxial tensile strain. This material exhibits significantly different electromechanical responses along two anisotropic axes.We reveal that such an anisotropic electromechanical response mainly arises from the preferential arrangement of a straininduced unidirectional stripe state in the conductive channel. This insulating stripe state could be attributed to the in-plane dimerization within the distorted zigzag chains of vanadium atoms, evidenced by strain-modulated Raman spectra. Our work may open up a promising avenue for exploiting the anisotropy of metal–insulator transition in vanadium dioxide for potential technological applications.

Clinical Study of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction Combined with Massage Therapy in the Treatment of Exertional Chronic Lumbar Muscle Strain

[Objectives]To explore the effects of Shentong Zhuyu decoction combined with massage therapy in the treatment of exertional chronic lumbar muscle strain.[Methods]Sixty-four cases of exertional chronic lumbar muscle strain were randomly divided into two groups(32 cases each group).The patients in the control group only took celecoxib capsules,and those in the treatment group additionally took Shentong Zhuyu decoction combined with massage therapy.TCM syndrome score,lumbar function,hemorrheology index and clinical effect were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.[Results]After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores of lumbar distension/dull pain,tingling-like lumbago,adverse lateral turn,body weight loss,dark purple tongue,slow or astringent pulse,and Oswestry disability index(ODI)score in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group,and the levels of plasma viscosity,red blood cell aggregation index,platelet aggregation rate(PAG)and fibrinogen(Fib)were lower than those in the control group,showing statistical significance(P<0.05).The overall clinical effect distribution of the treatment group was better than that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).[Conclusions]Shentong Zhuyu decoction combined with massage therapy can effectively relieve the symptoms of patients with lumbago and improve the lumbar mobility function and hemorrheology,with obvious therapeutic effects in the treatment of exertional chronic lumbar muscle strain.

Band structures of strained kagome lattices

Materials with kagome lattices have attracted significant research attention due to their nontrivial features in energy bands.We theoretically investigate the evolution of electronic band structures of kagome lattices in response to uniaxial strain using both a tight-binding model and an antidot model based on a periodic muffin-tin potential.It is found that the Dirac points move with applied strain.Furthermore,the flat band of unstrained kagome lattices is found to develop into a highly anisotropic shape under a stretching strain along y direction,forming a partially flat band with a region dispersionless along ky direction while dispersive along kx direction.Our results shed light on the possibility of engineering the electronic band structures of kagome materials by mechanical strain.

Present-day Upper-crustal Strain Rate Field in Southeastern Tibet and its Geodynamic Implications:Constraints from GPS Measurements with ABIC Method

The Earth’s surface kinematics and deformation are fundamental to understanding crustal evolution.An effective research approach is to estimate regional motion field and deformation fields based on modern geodetic networks.If the discrete observed velocity field is obtained,the velocity related fields,such as dilatation rate and maximum shear strain rate,can be estimated by applying varied mathematical approaches.This study applied Akaike's Bayesian Information Criterion(ABIC)method to calculate strain rate fields constrained by GPS observations in the southeast Tibetan Plateau.Comparison with results derived from other three methods revealed that our ABIC-derived strain rate fields were more precise.The maximum shear strain rate highlighted the Xianshuihe–Xiaojiang fault system as the main boundary for the outward migration of material in southeastern Tibet,indicating rotation of eastern Tibet material around the eastern Himalaya rather than whole extrusion along a fixed channel.Additionally,distinct dilatation rate patterns in the northeast and southwest regions of the fault system were observed.The northeast region,represented by the Longmenshan area,exhibited negative dilatational anomalies;while the southwest region,represented by the Jinsha River area north of 29°N,displayed positive dilatational anomalies.This indicates compression in the former and extension in the latter.Combined with deep geophysical observations,we believe that the upper and lower crusts of the Jinsha River area north of 29°N are in an entire expanding state,probably caused by the escape-drag effect of material.The presence of a large,low-viscosity region south of 29°N may not enable the entire escape of the crust,but instead result in a differential escape of the lower crust faster than the upper crust.

Effect of Pre-strain on Microstructure and Stamping Performance of High-strength Low-alloy Steel

In this study,pre-strain ranging from 0 to 0.12 was applied through uniaxial tension on high-strength low-alloy(HSLA)specimens with four kinds of grain size.Effect of pre-strain and grain size on me-chanical property was investigated through tensile tests.Microstructures of the pre-strained and tensile tested samples were analyzed,respectively.The 30.8°v-bending and following flattening,as well as Erichson cupping tests,were performed on the pre-strained samples.Results show the elongation ratio of grain and dislocation density increases with pre-strain.Yielding platform is removed when pre-strain is larger than 0.06 while yielding plateau period decreases with pre-strain less than 0.06 due to reduction of pinning effect.The 30.8°v-bending and the following flattening tests are successfully accomplished on all the pre-strained samples with different grain size.Decrease in grain size,along with increase in pre-strain,causes increase in strength and decrease in elongation rate as well as cupping value.Pre-strain causes very slight effect on bending ability,much less than that on mechanical property and cupping test value.Reciprocal impact of the pre-strain and grain size on HSLA steel deformability is inconspicuous.

Effect of strain on structure and electronic properties of monolayer C_(4)N_(4)

The first-principles calculations are performed to examine structural,mechanical,and electronic properties at large strain for a monolayer C_(4)N_(4),which has been predicted as an anchoring promising material to attenuate shuttle effect in Li–S batteries stemming from its large absorption energy and low diffusion energy barrier.Our results show that the ideal strengths of C_(4)N_(4)under tension and pure shear deformation conditions reach 13.9 GPa and 12.5 GPa when the strains are 0.07 and 0.28,respectively.The folded five-membered rings and diverse bonding modes between carbon and nitrogen atoms enhance the ability to resist plastic deformation of C_(4)N_(4).The orderly bond-rearranging behaviors under the weak tensile loading path along the[100]direction cause the impressive semiconductor–metal transition and inverse semiconductor–metal transition.The present results enrich the knowledge of the structure and electronic properties of C_(4)N_(4)under deformations and shed light on exploring other two-dimensional materials under diverse loading conditions.

Porously Reduced 2-Dimensional Bi_(2)O_(2)CO_(3) Petals for Strain-Mediated Electrochemical CO_(2) Reduction to HCOOH

Here we introduce bismuth-based catalysts for the efficient electrochemical reduction of CO_(2)to formic acid(HCOOH),which are composed of petal-shaped Bi_(2)O_(2)CO_(3)(BOC)that spontaneously formed from Bi thin film in aqueous carbonate solution at room temperature.During the electrochemical reduction process,the BOC petals transform to reduced BOC(R-BOC)consisting of individual BOC and Bi domains.Lattice mismatch between both domains induces biaxial strain at the interfaces.Density functional theory calculations suggest that the tensile strain on the Bi domain stabilizes the*OCHO intermediate,reducing the thermodynamic barrier toward CO_(2)conversion to HCOOH.Together with the thermodynamic benefit and the unique nanoporous petal-shaped morphology,R-BOC petals have a superior Faradaic efficiency of 95.9%at-0.8 V_(RHE)for the electrochemical conversion of CO_(2)to HCOOH.This work demonstrates that the spontaneously formed binary phases with desirable lattice strain can increase the activity of bismuth catalysts to the CO_(2)reduction reaction;such a strategy can be applicable in design of various electrocatalysts.

Finite Deformation, Finite Strain Nonlinear Dynamics and Dynamic Bifurcation in TVE Solids with Rheology

This paper presents a mathematical model consisting of conservation and balance laws (CBL) of classical continuum mechanics (CCM) and ordered rate constitutive theories in Lagrangian description derived using entropy inequality and the representation theorem for thermoviscoelastic solids (TVES) with rheology. The CBL and the constitutive theories take into account finite deformation and finite strain deformation physics and are based on contravariant deviatoric second Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensor and its work conjugate covariant Green’s strain tensor and their material derivatives of up to order m and n respectively. All published works on nonlinear dynamics of TVES with rheology are mostly based on phenomenological mathematical models. In rare instances, some aspects of CBL are used but are incorrectly altered to obtain mass, stiffness and damping matrices using space-time decoupled approaches. In the work presented in this paper, we show that this is not possible using CBL of CCM for TVES with rheology. Thus, the mathematical models used currently in the published works are not the correct description of the physics of nonlinear dynamics of TVES with rheology. The mathematical model used in the present work is strictly based on the CBL of CCM and is thermodynamically and mathematically consistent and the space-time coupled finite element methodology used in this work is unconditionally stable and provides solutions with desired accuracy and is ideally suited for nonlinear dynamics of TVES with memory. The work in this paper is the first presentation of a mathematical model strictly based on CBL of CCM and the solution of the mathematical model is obtained using unconditionally stable space-time coupled computational methodology that provides control over the errors in the evolution. Both space-time coupled and space-time decoupled finite element formulations are considered for obtaining solutions of the IVPs described by the mathematical model and are presented in the paper. Factors or the physics influencing dynamic response and dynamic bifurcation for TVES with rheology are identified and are also demonstrated through model problem studies. A simple model problem consisting of a rod (1D) of TVES material with memory fixed at one end and subjected to harmonic excitation at the other end is considered to study nonlinear dynamics of TVES with rheology, frequency response as well as dynamic bifurcation phenomenon.

The Early Mesozoic NE-SW Extensional Model and Exhumation Processes at the Southeastern Margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt:Insights from the Strain and Kinematic Vorticity Analysis of the Sonid Zuoqi Ductile Detachment Zone

The Sonid Zuoqi ductile detachment zone is located at the southeastern margin of the Central Asian orogenic belt(CAOB),striking EW and dipping to the S.The major rock type of the Sonid Zuoqi ductile detachment zone is mylonite derived from granite.The sequence of mylonite features is:(1)S and C foliations of mylonite,and(2)extensional crenulation cleavage(ecc)or C′and the kinematic vorticity(Wk)value changed from 0.70 to 0.95 and from 0.37 to 0.69,respectively;the strain type of the mylonites within the Sonid Zuoqi ductile detachment zone is compressional to planar strain.The strong deformation mylonite and Halatu plutons yielded a zircon U-Pb age of 244 Ma and a zircon(U-Th)/He age of 214 Ma,respectively.Based on the strain and kinematic vorticity analysis,together with the zircon U-Pb and zircon(U-Th)/He ages and the regional tectonic background,the study area experienced three stage evolution:tangential simpleshear(244 Ma),simple-shear-dominated general shear represented by upper crustal extension(224 Ma)and pure-shear-dominated general shear represented by the Halatu pluton doming(214 Ma),which constrained the early Mesozoic NE-SW crustal extension at the southeastern margin of the CAOB.This NE-SW extension probably originated from the postorogenic extensional collapse of the CAOB,subsequent exhumation being controlled by the far afield effects of the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk belt.

Lotus root-like RuIr alloys with close-packed(0001)branches:Strain-driven performance for acidic water oxidation

Achieving composition tunability and structure editability of nanoalloys with high level strain may be an efficient strategy to remarkably boost catalytic performance toward oxygen evolution reaction(OER)in acidic water oxidation.Herein,lotus root-like RuIr alloys with native micro-strain were constructed by an epitaxial growth of Ru-richened hcp-(0001)branches on Ir-richened fcc-(111)seeds using a polyol thermal synthesis strategy.The resultant Ru_(60)Ir_(40) alloy shows an OER overpotential of 197 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2) and a Tafel slope of 46.59 mV dec^(-1),showing no obvious activity decay for 80 h continuous chronopotentiometry test in 0.5 M H_(2)SO_(4).The related characterizations including X-ray absorption fine structure(XAFS)spectroscopy and density functional theory(DFT)calculations show that that the remarkably improved activity of the lotus root-like alloy can be attributed to the(0001)facet-triggered strain,which can efficiently optimize the electronic band structure of the active metal and the weakening of the chemisorption of oxygen-containing substances to boost OER electrocatalysis.Therefore,this work provides a new strategy to designing a class of advanced electrocatalysts with high strain using diverse nanostructures as building materials for carbon-free clean energy conversion systems.

Distinct behavior of electronic structure under uniaxial strain in BaFe_(2)As_(2)

We report a study of the electronic structure of BaFe_(2)As_(2) under uniaxial strains using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and transport measurements. Two electron bands at the MY point, with an energy splitting of 50 meV in the strain-free sample, shift downward and merge into each other under a large uniaxial strain, while three hole bands at theГ point shift downward together. However, we also observed an enhancement of the resistance anisotropy under uniaxial strains by electrical transport measurements, implying that the applied strains strengthen the electronic nematic order in BaFe_(2)As_(2). These observations suggest that the splitting of these two electron bands at the MY point is not caused by the nematic order in BaFe_(2)As_(2).

An improved strain-softening constitutive model of granite considering the effect of crack deformation

This paper presents an improved strain-softening constitutive model considering the effect of crack deformation based on the triaxial cyclic loading and unloading test results.The improved model assumes that total strain is a combination of plastic,elastic,and crack strains.The constitutive relationship between the crack strain and the stress was further derived.The evolutions of mechanical parameters,i.e.strength parameters,dilation angle,unloading elastic modulus,and deformation parameters of crack,with the plastic strain and confining pressure were studied.With the increase in plastic strain,the cohesion,friction angle,dilation angle,and crack Poisson's ratio initially increase and subsequently decrease,and the unloading elastic modulus and the crack elastic modulus nonlinearly decrease.The increasing confining pressure enhances the strength and unloading elastic modulus,and decreases the dilation angle and Poisson's ratio of the crack.The theoretical triaxial compressive stress-strain curves were compared with the experimental results,and they present a good agreement with each other.The improved constitutive model can well reflect the nonlinear mechanical behavior of granite.

Spalling characteristics of high-temperature treated granitic rock at different strain rates

The dynamic spalling characteristics of rock are important for stability analysis in rock engineering.This paper presented an experimental investigation on the dynamic spalling characteristics of granite with different temperatures and strain rates.A series of dynamic spalling tests with different impact velocities were conducted on thermally treated granite at different temperatures.The dynamic spalling strengths of granite with different temperatures and strain rates were determined.A model was proposed to correlate the dynamic spalling strength of granite,high temperature and strain rate.The results show that the spalling strength of granite decreases with increasing temperature.Moreover,the spalling strength of granite with a higher strain rate is larger than that with a lower strain rate.The proposed model can describe the relationship among dynamic spalling strength of granite,high temperature and strain rate.