Comprehensive Assessment of the Safety of Eucommia ulmoides Leaf Extract for Consumption as a Traditional Chinese Health Food

To ensure the export quality of Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract(ELE)and facilitate E.ulmoides leaf inclusion in the directory of traditional Chinese health foods,an overall safety assessment of ELE was performed,including genotoxicity and long-term toxicity,according to the national food safety standards of China.No variations in the reverse mutation number of the nominal bacterial strains were observed under ELE treatment in comparison with the solvent control.Additionally,the micronucleus rates of in vivo mammalian erythrocytes and in vitro mammalian cells under ELE treatment were equivalent to or significantly lower than those of the solvent control.The fold change in the trifluorothymidine resistance mutation frequency of the thymidine kinase gene under ELE treatment was less than three times in comparison with the solvent control,suggesting that ELE did not cause genotoxicity.Moreover,animal experiments showed that the growth performance of rats under ELE treatment was enhanced because the body weights of rats increased.No oxidative injury or inflammatory responses were induced and no histopathological lesions of tissues were detected under ELE treatment.In addition,plasma triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels significantly decreased,and plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels significantly increased with ELE treatment,suggesting that ELE was health-promoting.Furthermore,moderate to excellent antimicrobial activities,a favorable anticancer capacity,and superior antioxidant abilities of ELE were found,implying ELE possesses good bioactivities.Therefore,we affirmed ELE is safe to consume as a traditional Chinese health food.

Stress effect on lattice thermal conductivity of anode material NiNB_(2)O_(6)for lithium-ion batteries

The thermal transport properties of NiNB_(2)O_(6)as anode material for lithium-ion battery and the effect of strain were studied by machine learning interatomic potential combined with Boltzmann transport equation.The results show that the lattice thermal conductivity of NiNB_(2)O_(6)along the three crystal directions[100],[010],and[001]are 0.947 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1),0.727 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1),and 0.465 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1),respectively,indicating the anisotropy of the lattice thermal conductivity of NiNB_(2)O_(6).This anisotropy of the lattice thermal conductivity stems from the significant difference of phonon group velocities in different crystal directions of NiNB_(2)O_(6).When the tensile strain is applied along the[001]crystal direction,the lattice thermal conductivity in all three directions decreases.However,when the compressive strain is applied,the lattice thermal conductivity in the[100]and[010]crystal directions is increased,while the lattice thermal conductivity in the[001]crystal direction is abnormally reduced due to the significant inhibition of compressive strain on the group velocity.These indicate that the anisotropy of thermal conductivity of NiNB_(2)O_(6)can be enhanced by the compressive strain,and reduced by the tensile strain.

Influence of Acid Treatment on Pore Structure and Fractal Characterization of a Tight Sandstone:A Case Study from Wudun Sag,Dunhuang Basin

In this study,X-ray diffraction,N_(2)adsorption(N_(2)A),and mercury intrusion(MI)experiments were used to investigate the influence of acid treatment on pore structure and fractal characterization of tight sandstones.The results showed that acid treatment generated a certain number of ink-bottle pores in fine sandstone,aggravated the ink-bottle effect in the sandy mudstone,and transformed some smaller pores into larger ones.After the acid treatment,both the pore volume in the range of 2–11 nm and 0.271–8μm for the fine sandstone and the entire pore size range for the sandy mudstone significantly increased.The dissolution of sandstone cement causes the fine sandstone particles to fall off and fill the pores;the porosity increased at first but then decreased with acid treatment time.The fractal dimension obtained using the Frenkel-Halsey-Hill model was positively correlated with acid treatment time.However,the total fractal dimensions obtained by MI tests showed different changes with acid treatment time in fine sandstone and sandy mudstone.These results provide good guiding significance for reservoir acidification stimulation.

Effect of Ferric Nitrate Loading Mode on Properties of Si_(3)N_(4) Composite MgO-C Refractories Prepared by Nitridation

In order to investigate the effect of the catalyst loading mode on the mechanical properties of Si_(3)N_(4) composite MgO-C refractories prepared by nitridation,fused magnesia,flake graphite,silicon powder,and phenolic resin were used as the main raw materials,and ferric nitrate as the catalyst to prepare refractories by nitriding at 1350℃.The effects of different catalyst supports(silicon powder,silicon powder+phenolic resin)on the formation of Si_(3)N_(4) in MgO-C refractories and the properties of refractories were studied.The results show that the silicon powder+resin catalyst support promotes the participation ofα-Si_(3)N_(4) in the reaction to generateβ-Si_(3)N_(4) and MgSiN_(2),and generates more SiC.However,this loading mode causes more gas to escape from the refractories and loosens the material structure,which reduces the mechanical properties.On the contrary,MgO-C refractories prepared by nitridation with silicon powder-supported catalysts under the same conditions show higher density and better mechanical properties.

An Improved CREAM Model Based on DS Evidence Theory and DEMATEL

Cognitive Reliability and Error Analysis Method(CREAM)is widely used in human reliability analysis(HRA).It defines nine common performance conditions(CPCs),which represent the factors thatmay affect human reliability and are used to modify the cognitive failure probability(CFP).However,the levels of CPCs are usually determined by domain experts,whichmay be subjective and uncertain.What’smore,the classicCREAMassumes that the CPCs are independent,which is unrealistic.Ignoring the dependence among CPCs will result in repeated calculations of the influence of the CPCs on CFP and lead to unreasonable reliability evaluation.To address the issue of uncertain information modeling and processing,this paper introduces evidence theory to evaluate the CPC levels in specific scenarios.To address the issue of dependence modeling,the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory(DEMATEL)method is used to process the dependence among CPCs and calculate the relative weights of each CPC,thus modifying the multiplier of the CPCs.The detailed process of the proposed method is illustrated in this paper and the CFP estimated by the proposed method is more reasonable.

Interface engineering strategy via electron-defect trimethyl borate additive toward 4.7 V ultrahigh-nickel LiNi_(0.9)Co_(0.05)Mn_(0.05)O_(2)battery

The Li metal battery with ultrahigh-nickel cathode(LiNi_(x)M_(1-x)O_(2),M=Mn,Co,and x≥0.9)under high-voltage is regarded as one of the most promising approaches to fulfill the ambitious target of 400 Wh/kg.However,the practical application is impeded by the instability of electrode/electrolyte interface and Ni-rich cathode itself.Herein we proposed an electron-defect electrolyte additive trimethyl borate(TMB)which is paired with the commercial carbonate electrolyte to construct highly conductive fluorine-and boron-rich cathode electrolyte interface(CEI)on LiNi_(0.9)Co_(0.05)Mn_(0.05)O_(2)(NCM90)surface and solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)on lithium metal surface.The modified CEI effectively mitigates the structural transformation from layered to disordered rock-salt phase,and consequently alleviate the dissolution of transition metal ions(TMs)and its“cross-talk”effect,while the enhanced SEI enables stable lithium plating/striping and thus demonstrated good compatibility between electrolyte and lithium metal anode.As a result,the common electrolyte with 1 wt%TMB enables 4.7 V NCM90/Li cell cycle stably over 100 cycles with 70%capacity retention.This work highlights the significance of the electron-defect boron compounds for designing desirable interfacial chemistries to achieve high performance NCM90/Li battery under high voltage operation.

Determination of trace elements in high purity nickel by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The contents of Mg,Al,Si,Ti,Cr,Mn,Fe,Co,Cu,Ga,As,Se,Cd,Sb,Pb and Bi in high purity nickel were determined by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(HR-ICP-MS).The sample was dissolved in HNO3 and HCl by microwave digestion.Most of the spectral interferences could be avoided by measuring in the high resolution mode.The matrix effects because of the presence of excess HCl and nickel were evaluated.Correction for matrix effects was made using Sc,Rh and Tl as internal standards.The optimum conditions for the determination were tested and discussed.The detection limits range from 0.012 to 1.76 μg/g depending on the type of elements.The applicability of the proposed method is also validated by the analysis of high purity nickel reference material(NIST SRM 671).The relative standard deviation(RSD) is less than 3.3%.Results for determination of trace elements in high purity nickel were presented.

Hierarchical Control of Ride Height System for Electronically Controlled Air Suspension Based on Variable Structure and Fuzzy Control Theory

The current research of air suspension mainly focuses on the characteristics and design of the air spring. In fact, electronically controlled air suspension （ECAS） has excellent performance in flexible height adjustment during different driving conditions. However, the nonlinearity of the ride height adjusting system and the uneven distribution of payload affect the control accuracy of ride height and the body attitude. Firstly, the three-point measurement system of three height sensors is used to establish the mathematical model of the ride height adjusting system. The decentralized control of ride height and the centralized control of body attitude are presented to design the ride height control system for ECAS. The exact feedback linearization method is adopted for the nonlinear mathematical model of the ride height system. Secondly, according to the hierarchical control theory, the variable structure control （VSC） technique is used to design a controller that is able to adjust the ride height for the quarter-vehicle anywhere, and each quarter-vehicle height control system is independent. Meanwhile, the three-point height signals obtained by three height sensors are tracked to calculate the body pitch and roll attitude over time, and then by calculating the deviation of pitch and roll and its rates, the height control correction is reassigned based on the fuzzy algorithm. Finally, to verify the effectiveness and performance of the proposed combined control strategy, a validating test of ride height control system with and without road disturbance is carried out. Testing results show that the height adjusting time of both lifting and lowering is over 5 s, and the pitch angle and the roll angle of body attitude are less than 0.15°. This research proposes a hierarchical control method that can guarantee the attitude stability, as well as satisfy the ride height tracking system.

Quantification of trace amounts of impurities in high purity cobalt by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A An analytical method using high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry （HR-ICP-MS） for rapid simultaneous determination of 24 elements （Be, Mg, A1, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn Sb, Ba, Pt, Au, and Pb） in high purity cobalt was described. Sample digestions were performed in closed microwave vessels using HNO3 and HCI. The matrix effects because of the presence of excess HCI and Co were evaluated. The usefulness of high mass resolution for overcoming some spectral interference was demonstrated. The optimum conditions for the determination were tested and discussed. The standard addition method was employed for quantitative analysis. The detection limits were 0.016-1.50 ].tg·g^-1, the recovery ratios were 92.2%-111.2%, and the RSD was less than 3.6%. The method was accurate, quick, and convenient. It was applied to the determination of trace impurities in high purity cobalt with satisfactory results.

Hydrothermal Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Electrochemical Properties of Complex Cu(α-Furacrylic acid)_2(phen)

The title complex （C26H18CuN206, Mr= 517.96） has been synthesized by the reaction of α-furanacrylic acid with 1,10-phenanthroline （phen） in the solvent mixture of water and methanol. Crystal data： monoclinic, space group C2/c with a = 2.2927（4）, b = 1.01248（18）, c = 1.05061（18） nm, β = 111.188（3）°, V= 2.274（7） nm^3, Dc = 1.513 g/cm^3, Z = 4, F（000） = 1060,μ = 1.007mm^-1, R = 0.0320 and ωR = 0.0781. The crystal structural analysis shows that the copper atom is coordinated with four oxygen atoms from two α-furacrylic acids and two nitrogen atoms from 1,10-phenanthroline, giving a distorted octahedral coordination geometry. The result of electrochemical analysis shows that the electron transfer in the electrode reaction is quasi-reversible.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Electrochemical Properties of a One-dimensional Chain Coordination Polymer [Cu(phen)(2,4,6-TMBA)_2(H_2O)]_n

A one-dimensional chain coordination polymer [Cu（phen）（2,4,6-TMBA）2（H2O）]n has been synthesized by reacting 2,4,6-trimethyl-benzoic acid, 1,10-phenanthroline and Cu（Ⅱ） perchlorate and its structure was characterized. Crystal data for this complex： tetragonal, space group I41, a = 2.0293（3）, b = 2.0293（3）, c = 1.3758（2） nm, α =β= γ = 90°, V= 5.6657（13） nm3, Dc= 1.379 g/cm3, Z = 8, μ（MoKa） = 0.815 mm-1, Mr = 588.14, F（000） = 2456, S = 1.047, R = 0.0459 and wR = 0.1053. The crystal structure shows that two neighboring Cu（Ⅱ） ions are linked together by one bridging-chelating 2,4,6-trimethyl-benzoic group, forming a one-dimensional chain structure. Each Cu（Ⅱ） ion is coordinated with two nitrogen atoms from one 1,10-phenanthroline molecule, three oxygen atoms from three 2,4,6-trimethyl-benzoic acid molecules and one oxygen atom from one water molecule, giving a six-coordinate distorted octahedral coordination geometry. The cyclic voltammetry behavior of the complex was also investigated.

Hydrothermal Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Thermal Stability of a Binuclear Copper(Ⅱ) Complex with 3-(Pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazole

One novel binuclear copper（Ⅱ） complex [Cu 2 （Hpt） 2 （CO 3） 2 （H 2 O） 2 ]·H 2 O with copper carbonate and 3-（pyridin-2-yl）-1,2,4-triazole （Hpt） was hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by IR and X-ray diffraction analysis.The complex crystallizes in triclinic,space group P2 1 /n with a=0.6862（1）,b=0.7805（1）,c=1.1983（2） nm,α=72.03（2）,β=107.72（3）,γ=75.28（2）o,V=0.5884 nm 3,D c=2.105 g/cm 3,Z=1,F（000）=357,GOOF=1.041,the final R=0.01859 and wR=0.04348.The whole molecule is composed of two cooper ions,two Hpt molecules,two carbonate and three water molecules,forming a binuclear structure.The crystal structure shows that the cooper ion is coordinated with three nitrogen atoms from two Hpt molecules,two oxygen atoms from one carbonic acid and one water molecule,forming a distorted square pyramidal geometry.The TG analysis result shows that the title complex is stable under 131.0 ℃.

Enhanced Potassium‑Ion Storage of the 3D Carbon Superstructure by Manipulating the Nitrogen‑Doped Species and Morphology

Potassium-ion batteries(PIBs)are attractive for gridscale energy storage due to the abundant potassium resource and high energy density.The key to achieving high-performance and large-scale energy storage technology lies in seeking eco-efficient synthetic processes to the design of suitable anode materials.Herein,a spherical sponge-like carbon superstructure(NCS)assembled by 2D nanosheets is rationally and efficiently designed for K+storage.The optimized NCS electrode exhibits an outstanding rate capability,high reversible specific capacity(250 mAh g^(−1) at 200 mA g^(−1) after 300 cycles),and promising cycling performance(205 mAh g^(−1) at 1000 mA g^(−1) after 2000 cycles).The superior performance can be attributed to the unique robust spherical structure and 3D electrical transfer network together with nitrogen-rich nanosheets.Moreover,the regulation of the nitrogen doping types and morphology of NCS-5 is also discussed in detail based on the experiments results and density functional theory calculations.This strategy for manipulating the structure and properties of 3D materials is expected to meet the grand challenges for advanced carbon materials as high-performance PIB anodes in practical applications.

Determination of impurity elements in MnZn ferrites by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) method was developed for the determination of Na, Mg, Al,K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, As, Mo, Ag, Cd and Pb in MnZn ferrites. The sample was digested by HNO3+HCl with microwave digestion followed by dilution with ultrapure water, then the above 16 impurity elements in the solution were analyzed directly by ICP-MS. The impurity elements were introduced by the helium gas or hydrogen gas into the octopole reaction system(ORS) to eliminate the polyatomic interferences caused by the high salty matrixes. The matrix effect was minimized through matrix matching,and Be, Y and Rh were used as internal standard elements. The working parameters of the instrument were optimized. The results show that the method has good precision and high accuracy. The detection limits for the investigated elements are in the range of0.9-37.5 ng/L, the relative standard deviation of each element is within 1.1%-4.8%, and the recovery of each element is 90%-108%.

Hydrothermal Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Electrochemical Properties of the Complex Cu(o-Methylbenzoic acid)_2(2,2′-bipy)·(H_2O)

The title complex （C26H24CuN2O5, Mr = 508.01） has been synthesized by o-methylbenzoic acid, 2,2＇-bipyridine （bipy） and copper perchlorate in the mixed solvent of water and methanol. It crystallizes in orthorhombic, space group P212121 with a = 0.70814（10）, b = 1.6953（3）, c = 1.9539（3） nm, V= 2.3457（6） nm^3, De= 1.439 g/cm^3, Z = 4,μ = 0.971 mm^-1, F（000） = 1052, R = 0.0432 and wR = 0.0860. The structural determination shows that the copper atom is coordinated by three oxygen atoms from two o-methylbenzoic acids and one water molecule together with two nitrogen atoms from 2,2＇-bipyridine, giving a distorted square-pyramidal coordination geometry. The cyclic voltammetric behavior of the complex is also discussed.

Quantification of Trace Amounts of Impurities in High Purity Cobalt by High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

An analytical method using high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry （HR-ICP-MS） for rapid simultaneous determination of Be, Mg, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, Pt, Au and Pb in high purity cobalt was described. Sample digestions were performed in closed microwave vessels using HNO3 and HCl. The matrix effects due to the presence of excess HCl and Co were evaluated. The usefulness of high mass resolution for overcoming some spectral interference was demonstrated. The optimum conditions for the determination was tested and discussed. Correction for matrix effects, Sc, Rh and Bi were used as internal standards. The detection limits is 0.003-0.57 μg/g, the recovery ratio is 92.2%-111.2%, and the RSD is less than 3.6%. The method is accurate, quick and convenient. It has been applied to the determination of trace impurities in high purity cobalt with satisfactory results.

Matrix Effects and Behaviors of Elements in Oxalic Acid Medium by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

The influence of different concentration of oxalic acid matrix on elemental inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry （ICP-MS） has been investigated. It has been proved that the sensitivity of analytes can be significantly enhanced by adding small amounts of oxalic acid medium with adjusted nebulizer flow-rate gas, especially for the elements with ionization potential between 9 and 11 eV. Oxalic acid, as an enhancement agent, can be used to compensate the signal depression caused by inorganic matrix and to improve the detection limits about two to eight times, for the hard-to-ionize elements in ICP-MS determination.

Determination of trace multi-elements in coal fly ash by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The contents of Cr, Cu, Ni, As, Cd and Pb in coal fly ash were determined by a high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method. The sample digestions were performed in closed microwave vessels with HNO3, HClO4 and HF. The optimum conditions for the determination were obtained. The applicability of the proposed method was validated by the analysis of coal fly ash reference material (NIST SRM 1633a). The results show that most of the spectral interferences can be avoided by measuring in the high resolution mode (maximum mass resolution R=9 000). The detection limit is from 0.05 to 0.21 μg/g, and the precision is fine with relative standard deviation less than 4.3%.

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Electrochemical Properties of Complex Cu(CH_3C_6H_4COOH)_2(2,2′-bipy)·(H_2O)

The title complex has been synthesized by 4-methylbenzoic acid and 2,2′-bipyridine （bipy） in the mixed solvent of water and methanol. It crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P1^- with a = 0.7047（3）, b = 1.1217（5）, c = 1.6718（7） nm, α = 103.826（7）, β = 90.772（6）, γ = 104.195（6）°, C26H25CuN2O5.50, Mr = 517.02, V = 1.2404（9） nm^3, Dc = 1.384 g/cm^3, Z = 2, F（000） = 536,μ（MoKα） = 0.921 mm^-1, R = 0.0782 and wR = 0.2172. Structural analysis shows that the copper atom is coordinated with three oxygen atoms from two 4-methylbenzoic acids and one water molecule together with two nitrogen atoms from 2,2＇-bipyridine, giving a distorted square-pyramid coordination geometry. The cyclic voltametric behavior of the complex has also been described.

Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Thermal Stability of a One-dimensional Chain Cobalt Coordination Polymer [Co(4,4'-bipy)(2,4,6-TMBA)_2(CH_3CH_2OH)_2]_n

A one-dimensional chain cobalt（Ⅱ） coordination polymer with 2,4,6-trimethyl- benzoic acid, 4,4′-bipyridine and cobalt perchlorate anhydrous has been synthesized and characterized in the mixture solvent of water and alcohol. Crystal data for this complex： monoclinic, space group C2/c, a = 2.3805（8）, b = 1.1464（4）, c = 1.5807（5） nm, y = 128.435（4）°, V= 3.3791（18） nm^3, Dc = 1.246 g/cm^3, Z = 4, F（000） = 1340, final GooF = 1.009, R = 0.0504 and wR = 0.1287. Structural analysis shows that the cobalt ion is coordinated with two nitrogen atoms of one 4,4′- bipyridine molecule and four oxygen atoms from two 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoic acid molecules and two alcohol molecules, giving a distorted octahedral coordination geometry. The result of TG analysis indicates that the title complex is stable till 200 ℃.