Dissolution mechanism and kinetics ofβ(Mg_(17)Al_(12))phases in AZ91 magnesium alloy

In this study,the phase transformations,crystallization kinetics and dissolution mechanism ofβphase(Mg_(17)Al_(12))in magnesium alloy AZ91 were investigated by optical microscopy,X-ray diffraction,differential scanning calorimetry and differential dilatometry.The results indicate that this AZ91 alloy undergoes a phase transformation during aging,a discontinuous precipitation of theβphase(Mg_(17)Al_(12))at 150℃at the grain boundaries and another continuous at 350℃within the grains.The activation energy of the dissolution reaction of theβphase(Mg_(17)Al_(12))under non-isothermal conditions is 116.781 kJ/mol,while it is 129.7383 kJ/mol under isothermal conditions.The Avrami coefficient,n,relevant for the dissolution kinetics of theβphase(Mg_(17)Al_(12))is 1.152 and 1.211 in the non-isothermal and isothermal conditions respectively.The numerical coefficients m and Avrami n are 0.993 and 1.152.

Formation of Natural Melanin/TiO_(2) Nanostructure Hybrids with Enhanced Optical,Thermal and Magnetic Properties as a Soft Material

The natural Melanin/TiO_(2) was synthesized by the use of ultrasonication under UV radiation.The influence of natural melanin on the structural,optical and thermal properties of TiO_(2) nanoparticles was investigated by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,thermogravimetric analysis and UV-Vis spectroscopy.It was observed that incorporating natural melanin on TiO_(2) nanoparticles(TiO_(2)-Mel)occurred at 2.01 eV with a low value of Urbach energy around 100 meV indicating improvement in the crystalline structure.Magnetic measurement at room temperature showed diamagnetic behavior.Furthermore,thermal results showed that TiO_(2)-Mel is stable even at temperatures up to 400℃.According to the results obtained by the thermal stability of melanin with titanium dioxide,it can be a good candidate in many applications such as solar cells and optoelectronics.

Valley transport in Kekulé structures of graphene

Valleytronics is an emergent discipline in condensed matter physics and offers a new way to encode and manipulate information based on the valley degree of freedom in materials. Among the various materials being studied, Kekulé distorted graphene has emerged as a promising material for valleytronics applications. Graphene can be artificially distorted to form the Kekulé structures rendering the valley-related interaction. In this work, we review the recent progress of research on Kekulé structures of graphene and focus on the modified electronic bands due to different Kekulé distortions as well as their effects on the transport properties of electrons. We systematically discuss how the valley-related interaction in the Kekulé structures was used to control and affect the valley transport including the valley generation, manipulation, and detection. This article summarizes the current challenges and prospects for further research on Kekulé distorted graphene and its potential applications in valleytronics.

Origin of tradeoff between movement velocity and attachment duration of kinesin motor on a microtubule

Kinesin-1 motor protein is a homodimer containing two identical motor domains connected by a common long coiledcoil stalk via two flexible neck linkers. The motor can step on a microtubule with a velocity of about 1 μm·s-1and an attachment duration of about 1 s under physiological conditions. The available experimental data indicate a tradeoff between velocity and attachment duration under various experimental conditions, such as variation of the solution temperature,variation of the strain between the two motor domains, and so on. However, the underlying mechanism of the tradeoff is unknown. Here, the mechanism is explained by a theoretical study of the dynamics of the motor under various experimental conditions, reproducing quantitatively the available experimental data and providing additional predictions. How the various experimental conditions lead to different decreasing rates of attachment duration versus velocity is also explained.

Geometries and electronic structures of Zr_(n)Cu(n=2–12) clusters: A joint machine-learning potential density functional theory investigation

Zr-based amorphous alloys have attracted extensive attention because of their large glassy formation ability, wide supercooled liquid region, high elasticity, and unique mechanical strength induced by their icosahedral local structures.To determine the microstructures of Zr–Cu clusters, the stable and metastable geometry of Zr_(n)Cu(n=2–12) clusters are screened out via the CALYPSO method using machine-learning potentials, and then the electronic structures are investigated using density functional theory. The results show that the Zr_(n)Cu(n ≥ 3) clusters possess three-dimensional geometries, Zr_(n)Cu(n≥9) possess cage-like geometries, and the Zr_(12)Cu cluster has icosahedral geometry. The binding energy per atom gradually gets enlarged with the increase in the size of the clusters, and Zr_(n)Cu(n=5,7,9,12) have relatively better stability than their neighbors. The magnetic moment of most Zr_(n)Cu clusters is just 1μB, and the main components of the highest occupied molecular orbitals(HOMOs) in the Zr_(12)Cu cluster come from the Zr-d state. There are hardly any localized two-center bonds, and there are about 20 σ-type delocalized three-center bonds.

Young's double slit interference with vortex source

The fast and convenient demultiplex of optical vortex(OV) mode is crucial for its further application. We propose a novel approach that combines classic Young's doublet with an OV source to effectively identify the OV mode through the analysis of interference patterns. The interference patterns of the OV source incident on the double slits can be perfectly illustrated by using both the classical double-slit interference method and the Huygens–Fresnel principle. The interference fringes will twist along the negative or positive direction of x axis when topological charge(TC)l>0 or l<0, and the degree of the movement varies with the TC, allowing for a quantitative display of the OV characteristics through the interference patterns. Additionally, we deduce analytically that the zeroth-order interference fringe has a linear relationship with the TC and the vertical position. These findings highlight the ability to identify the OV mode by analyzing the interference patterns produced by Young's doublet.

Quantification of Silicon (SI) and Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) from the Nafud Desert-Al-Qassim Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Using XRD Analysis

This research was conducted in the Qassim region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The goal of this research is to determine the percentage of silicon in the Rub al-Khali desert. Samples were collected from four cities located in the Al-Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia (Uyun Al-Jawa, Al-Fuwailiq, Al-Sulaibiya, and Al-Qawara), from three distinct depths (the earth’s surface, 50 cm, and 100 cm). The percentages of silicon in these places vary between the highest value for silicon dioxide, which is 74.47 m/m%, and 34.8 m/m% for silicon in Al-Qawara city at a depth of 100 cm. We used an x-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument to evaluate the samples. There are high percentage of both silica and silicon in the Nafud desert. Studies have shown that these ratios can help investors benefit from an element of Silicon and silicon dioxide, so the sands of the Nafud desert is sufficient for extracting Silicon and silica in huge quantities. This may transform the Kingdom into a leading country in the global computer technology industry that depends on silicon extracted from the desert sands, the most important of which are microcomputer data processing devices.

Structural, Magnetic and Heating Efficiency of Ball Milled γ-Fe2O3/Gd2O3 Nanocomposite for Magnetic Hyperthermia

The preparation of γ-Fe2O3/Gd2O3 nanocomposite for possible use in magnetic hyperthermia application was done by ball milling technique. The nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The heating efficiency and the effect of milling time (5 h and 30 h) on the structural and magnetic properties of the nanocomposite were reported. XRD analysis confirms the formation of the nanocomposite, while magnetization measurements show that the milled sample present hysteresis with low coercivity and remanence. The specific absorption rate (SAR) under an alternating magnetic field is investigated as a function of the milling time. A mean heating efficiency of 68 W/g and 28.7 W/g are obtained for 5 h and 30 h milling times respectively at 332 kHz and 170 Oe. The results showed that the obtained nanocomposite for 5 h milling time is a promising candidate for magnetic hyperthermia due to his properties which show an interesting magnetic behavior and high specific absorption rate.

Phytochemicals of Aloe barbadensis miller as Potential Inhibitors of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli for Urinary Tract Infection Therapy: An in Silico Approach

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common infections caused by normal skin or rectum bacteria that get into the urethra and infect the urinary tract. Although the infection can affect various parts of the tract, bladder infections are the most prevalent kind. Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli (UPEC) is the most common pathogen associated with UTI development. Therefore, inhibiting the UPEC protein target (PDB ID: 8BVD) appears to be a promising therapeutic strategy. Therefore, in this study, molecular docking and dynamics were conducted to examine the antibacterial activity of Aloe barbadensis miller against UPEC bacteria. The Aloe barbadensis miller natural compounds licochalcone A, palmidin B and palmidin C were downloaded from PubChem with amoxicillin, which was used as a control drug and studied against the target molecule. The potential parameters examined were the docking scores, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicity (ADMET), bioavailability, root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), hydrogen bonding, radius of gyration, and potential energy of the system. Docking scores showed that all ligands demonstrated an admirable candidature as an inhibitor to 8BVD molecule, and the score hierarchy is licochalcone A (-6.4 kcal/mol), palmidin C (-6.1 kcal/mol), palmidin B (-6.0 kcal/mol), and amoxicillin (-5.9 kcal/mol). All ligands appeared to have good drug-like properties and oral bioavailability. Molecular dynamic studies showed that all ligands exhibited an excellent nominee as inhibitors in their vicinity at 20 ns. However, there is a relatively high fluctuation of palmidin B compared with other compounds, which seems to be more stable. This work suggests that the selected phytoconstituents could be used as inhibitors of the 8BVD protein in the fight against UTIs. However, further investigation on the clinical and experimental validation of UTI treatment’s specific mechanisms and effects is still welcomed.

Spectroscopy and molecule opacity investigation on excited states of SiS

The SiS molecule,which plays a significant role in space,has attracted a great deal of attention for many years.Due to complex interactions among its low-lying electronic states,precise information regarding the molecular structure of SiS is limited.To obtain accurate information about the structure of its excited states,the high-precision multireference configuration interaction(MRCI)method has been utilized.This method is used to calculate the potential energy curves(PECs)of the 18Λ–S states corresponding to the lowest dissociation limit of SiS.The core–valence correlation effect,Davidson’s correction and the scalar relativistic effect are also included to guarantee the precision of the MRCI calculation.Based on the calculated PECs,the spectroscopic constants of quasi-bound and bound electronic states are calculated and they are in accordance with previous experimental results.The transition dipole moments(TDMs)and dipole moments(DMs)are determined by the MRCI method.In addition,the abrupt variations of the DMs for the 1^(5)Σ^(+)and 2^(5)Σ^(+)states at the avoided crossing point are attributed to the variation of the electronic configuration.The opacity of SiS at a pressure of 100 atms is presented across a series of temperatures.With increasing temperature,the expanding population of excited states blurs the band boundaries.

Effect of Vacancy Defects on the Properties of CoS_(2) and FeS_(2)

In order to explore the effect of vacancy defects on the structural,electronic,magnetic and optical properties of CoS_(2) and FeS_(2),first-principles calculation method was used to investigate the alloys.The calculated results of materials without vacancy are consistent with those reported in the literatures,while the results of materials with vacancy defect were different from those of literatures due to the difference vacancy concentration.The Co vacancy defect hardly changes the half-metallic characteristic of CoS_(2).The Fe vacancy defect changes FeS_(2) from semiconductor to half-metal,and the bottom of the spin-down conduction band changes from the p orbital state of S to the d(t_(2g))orbital state of Fe,while the top of the valence band remains the d orbital d(eg)state of Fe.The half-metallic Co vacancy defects of CoS_(2) and Fe vacancy defects of FeS_(2) are expected to be used in spintronic devices.S vacancy defects make both CoS_(2) and FeS_(2) metallic.Both the Co and S vacancy defects lead to the decrease of the magnetic moment of CoS_(2),while both the Fe and S vacancy defects lead to the obvious magnetic property of FeS_(2).Vacancy defects enhance the absorption coefficient of infrared band and long band of visible light obviously,and produce obvious red shift phenomenon,which is expected to be used in photoelectric devices.

Enhancing multifunctional photocatalysis with acetate-assisted cesium doping and unlocking the potential of Z-scheme solar water splitting

Graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))has been extensively doped with alkali metals to enlarge photocatalytic output,in which cesium(Cs)doping is predicted to be the most efficient.Nevertheless,the sluggish diffusion and doping kinetics of precursors with high melting points,along with imprecise regulation,have raised the debate on whether Cs doping could make sense.For this matter,we attempt to confirm the positive effects of Cs doping on multifunctional photocatalysis by first using cesium acetate with the character of easy manipulation.The optimized Csdoped g-C_(3)N_(4)(CCN)shows a 41.6-fold increase in visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)compared to pure g-C_(3)N_(4) and impressive degradation capability,especially with 77%refractory tetracycline and almost 100%rhodamine B degradedwithin an hour.The penetration ofCs+is demonstrated to be a mode of interlayer doping,and Cs–N bonds(especially with sp^(2) pyridine N in C═N–C),along with robust chemical interaction and electron exchange,are fabricated.This atomic configuration triggers the broadened spectral response,the improved charge migration,and the activated photocatalytic capacity.Furthermore,we evaluate the CCN/cadmium sulfide hybrid as a Z-scheme configuration,promoting the visible HER yield to 9.02 mmol g^(−1) h^(−1),which is the highest ever reported among all CCN systems.This work adds to the rapidly expanding field of manipulation strategies and supports further development of mediating served for photocatalysis.

Emergent topological ordered phase for the Ising-XY model revealed by cluster-updating Monte Carlo method

The two-component cold atom systems with anisotropic hopping amplitudes can be phenomenologically described by a two-dimensional Ising-XY coupled model with spatial anisotropy.At low temperatures,theoretical predictions[Phys.Rev.A 72053604(2005)]and[arXiv:0706.1609]indicate the existence of a topological ordered phase characterized by Ising and XY disorder but with 2XY ordering.However,due to ergodic difficulties faced by Monte Carlo methods at low temperatures,this topological phase has not been numerically explored.We propose a linear cluster updating Monte Carlo method,which flips spins without rejection in the anisotropy limit but does not change the energy.Using this scheme and conventional Monte Carlo methods,we succeed in revealing the nature of topological phases with half-vortices and domain walls.In the constructed global phase diagram,Ising and XY-type transitions are very close to each other and differ significantly from the schematic phase diagram reported earlier.We also propose and explore a wide range of quantities,including magnetism,superfluidity,specific heat,susceptibility,and even percolation susceptibility,and obtain consistent and reliable results.Furthermore,we observed first-order transitions characterized by common intersection points in magnetizations for different system sizes,as opposed to the conventional phase transition where Binder cumulants of various sizes share common intersections.The critical exponents of different types of phase transitions are reasonably fitted.The results are useful to help cold atom experiments explore the half-vortex topological phase.

Implications of the Stellar Mass Density of High-z Massive Galaxies from JWST on Warm Dark Matter

A significant excess of the stellar mass density at high redshift has been discovered from the early data release of James Webb Space Telescope(JWST),and it may require a high star formation efficiency.However,this will lead to large number density of ionizing photons in the epoch of reionization(EoR),so that the reionization history will be changed,which can arise tension with the current EoR observations.Warm dark matter(WDM),via the free streaming effect,can suppress the formation of small-scale structure as well as low-mass galaxies.This provides an effective way to decrease the ionizing photons when considering a large star formation efficiency in high-z massive galaxies without altering the cosmic reionization history.On the other hand,the constraints on the properties of WDM can be derived from the JWST observations.In this work,we study WDM as a possible solution to reconcile the JWST stellar mass density of high-z massive galaxies and reionization history.We find that,the JWST high-z comoving cumulative stellar mass density alone has no significant preference for either CDM or WDM model.But using the observational data of other stellar mass density measurements and reionization history,we obtain that the WDM particle mass with mw=0.51_(-0.12)^(+0.22) keV and star formation efficiency parameter f_(*)^(0)> 0.39 in 2σ confidence level can match both the JWST high-z comoving cumulative stellar mass density and the reionization history.

The electrical design of a membrane antenna for a lunar-based low-frequency radio telescope

Detecting primordial fluctuations from the cosmic dark ages requires extremely large low-frequency radio telescope arrays deployed on the far side of the Moon.The antenna of such an array must be lightweight,easily storable and transportable,deployable on a large scale,durable,and capable of good electrical performance.A membrane antenna is an excellent candidate to meet these criteria.We study the design of a low-frequency membrane antenna for a lunar-based low-frequency(<30 MHz)radio telescope constructed from polyimide film widely used in aerospace applications,owing to its excellent dielectric properties and high stability as a substrate material.We first design and optimize an antenna in free space through dipole deformation and coupling principles,then simulate an antenna on the lunar surface with a simple lunar soil model,yielding an efficiency greater than 90%in the range of 12-19 MHz and greater than 10%in the range of 5-35 MHz.The antenna inherits the omni-directional radiation pattern of a simple dipole antenna in the 5-30 MHz frequency band,giving a large field of view and allowing detection of the 21 cm global signal when used alone.A demonstration prototype is constructed,and its measured electrical property is found to be consistent with simulated results using|S11|measurements.This membrane antenna can potentially fulfill the requirements of a lunar low-frequency array,establishing a solid technical foundation for future large-scale arrays for exploring the cosmic dark ages.

Variable Stars in the 50BiN Open Cluster Survey.Ⅲ.NGC 884

Open clusters are the basic building blocks that serve as a laboratory for the study of young stellar populations in the Milky Way.Variable stars in open clusters provide a unique way to accurately probe the internal structure,temporal and dynamical evolutionary stages of individual stars and the host cluster.The most powerful tool for such studies is time-domain photometric observations.This paper follows the route of our previous work,concentrating on a photometric search for variable stars in NGC 884.The target cluster is the companion of NGC869,forming the well-known double cluster system that is gravitationally bound.From the observation run in 2016 November,a total of 9247 B-band CCD images and 8218Ⅴ-band CCD images were obtained.We detected a total of 15 stars with variability in visual brightness,including five Be stars,three eclipsing binaries,and seven of unknown types.Two new variable stars were discovered in this work.We also compared the variable star content of NGC 884 with its companion NGC 869.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering and Nonlocality in Open Quantum Systems

We investigate the dynamical behavior of quantum steering (QS), Bell nonlocality, and entanglement in open quantum systems. We focus on a two-qubit system evolving within the framework of Kossakowski-type quantum dynamical semigroups. Our findings reveal that the measures of quantumness for the asymptotic states rely on the primary parameter of the quantum model. Furthermore, control over these measures can be achieved through a careful selection of these parameters. Our analysis encompasses various cases, including Bell states, Werner states, and Horodecki states, demonstrating that the asymptotic states can exhibit steering, entanglement, and Bell nonlocality. Additionally, we find that these three quantum measures of correlations can withstand the influence of the environment, maintaining their properties even over extended periods.

Dark Matter Particles May Never Be Directly Detected by Instruments—A Dark Matter Mechanism That Does Not Exceed the Standard Model Framework

A dark matter mechanism within the framework of the standard model (SM) of particle physics is proposed in this article that the essence of dark matter may be the excited virtual particle field by the gravitational field of ordinary matter, which contains virtual photons, virtual positive and negative electron pairs, virtual gluons, virtual positive and negative quark pairs, virtual neutrinos etc. In this mechanism, there are two basic assumptions: 1) the stronger the gravitational field of ordinary matter, the greater the excited energy (mass) density of virtual particle field;2) The excited virtual particle field is generally very weak in self-interaction. The virtual particle field excited by gravity can exhibit the properties of dark matter and may become a dark matter candidate. Based on this new dark matter mechanism, the hydrodynamic equations and cosmic perturbation equations describing cosmic matter are improved, and this may be meaningful for solving the challenges faced by the standard cosmological model (Lambda-CDM or LCDM) and developing and perfecting LCDM model.

Does the Redshift Distribution of Swift Long GRBs Trace the Star-Formation Rate?

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are extremely powerful explosions that have been traditionally classified into two categories: long bursts (LGRBs) with an observed duration T90 > 2 s, and short bursts (SGRBs) with an observed duration T90 T90 is the time interval during which 90% of the fluence is detected. LGRBs are believed to emanate from the core-collapse of massive stars, while SGRBs are believed to result from the merging of two compact objects, like two neutron stars. Because LGRBs are produced by the violent death of massive stars, we expect that their redshift distribution should trace the star-formation rate (SFR). The purpose of our study is to investigate the extent to which the redshift distribution of LGRBs follows and reflects the SFR. We use a sample of 370 LGRBs taken from the Swift catalog, and we investigate different models for the LGRB redshift distribution. We also carry out Monte Carlo simulations to check the consistency of our results. Our results indicate that the SFR can describe the LGRB redshift distribution well for high redshift bursts, but it needs an evolution term to fit the distribution well at low redshift.

Statistical physics of human beings in games:Controlled experiments

It is important to know whether the laws or phenomena in statistical physics for natural systems with non-adaptive agents still hold for social human systems with adaptive agents, because this implies whether it is possible to study or understand social human systems by using statistical physics originating from natural systems. For this purpose, we review the role of human adaptability in four kinds of specific human behaviors, namely, normal behavior, herd behavior, contrarian behavior, and hedge behavior. The approach is based on controlled experiments in the framework of market-directed resource-allocation games. The role of the controlled experiments could be at least two-fold： adopting the real human decision-making process so that the system under consideration could reflect the performance of genuine human beings; making it possible to obtain macroscopic physical properties of a human system by tuning a particular factor of the system, thus directly revealing cause and effect. As a result, both computer simulations and theoretical analyses help to show a few counterparts of some laws or phenomena in statistical physics for social human systems： two-phase phenomena or phase transitions, entropy-related phenomena, and a non-equilibrium steady state. This review highlights the role of human adaptability in these counterparts, and makes it possible to study or understand some particular social human systems by means of statistical physics coming from natural systems.