THE STABILITY OF BOUSSINESQ EQUATIONS WITH PARTIAL DISSIPATION AROUND THE HYDROSTATIC BALANCE

This paper is devoted to understanding the stability of perturbations around the hydrostatic equilibrium of the Boussinesq system in order to gain insight into certain atmospheric and oceanographic phenomena.The Boussinesq system focused on here is anisotropic,and involves only horizontal dissipation and thermal damping.In the 2D case R^(2),due to the lack of vertical dissipation,the stability and large-time behavior problems have remained open in a Sobolev setting.For the spatial domain T×R,this paper solves the stability problem and gives the precise large-time behavior of the perturbation.By decomposing the velocity u and temperatureθinto the horizontal average(ū,θ)and the corresponding oscillation(ū,θ),we can derive the global stability in H~2 and the exponential decay of(ū,θ)to zero in H^(1).Moreover,we also obtain that(ū_(2),θ)decays exponentially to zero in H^(1),and thatū_(1)decays exponentially toū_(1)(∞)in H^(1)as well;this reflects a strongly stratified phenomenon of buoyancy-driven fluids.In addition,we establish the global stability in H^(3)for the 3D case R^(3).

Effect of palmitoylethanolamide on degeneration of a human-derived retinal pigment epithelial cell induced by all-trans retinal

AIM:To study the effect of palmitoylethanolamide(PEA)on apoptosis of retinal pigment epithelial(RPE)cells induced by all-trans retinal(at RAL)and to explore the possible molecular mechanism.METHODS:Cell Titer 96■Aqueous One Solution Cell Proliferation Assay(MTS)was used to detect the effect of PEA on human-derived retinal epithelial cells(ARPE-19)viability induced by at RAL.A Leica DMi8 inverted microscope was used to observe cell morphology.Reactive oxygen species(ROS)production was evaluated with 2’,7’-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate(H2DCFDA)staining and fluorescence microscopy.Expression of c-Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK),phosphorylated JNK(p-JNK),c-Jun,phosphorylated c-Jun(p-c-Jun),Bak,cleaved caspase-3,C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),and binding(Bip)protein levels were tested by Western blot.Abca4-/-Rdh8-/-mice,mouse models of at RAL clearance defects which displays some symbolic characteristics of dry age-related macular degeneration(AMD)and Stargardt disease(STGD1).In the animal models,PEA was injected intraperitoneally.The full-field electroretinogram was used to detect visual function under scotopic conditions traced from mice.Optical coherence tomography showed reconstitution or thickening of the retinal pigment epithelium layer.Effect of PEA on fundus injury induced by light in Abca4-/-Rdh8-/-mice was observed by fundus photography.RESULTS:PEA ameliorated ARPE-19 cells apoptosis and inhibited ROS(including mitochondrial ROS)production induced by at RAL.PEA improved the retinal functional,prohibited both RPE and photoreceptor from death,ameliorates light-induced fundus impairment in Abca4-/-Rdh8-/-mice.In vitro and in vivo,PEA inhibited JNK,p-JNK,c-Jun,p-c-Jun,Bak,cleaved caspase-3,CHOP,and Bip protein levels induced by all-trans retinal in ARPE-19 cells.CONCLUSION:PEA has effect on treating RPE cells apoptosis in retinopathy caused by at RAL accumulation.PEA is a potential treatment strategy for dry AMD and STGD1.The molecular mechanism is affecting the ROS-JNKCHOP signaling pathway partly.

Fast Estimation of Loader’s Shovel Load Volume by 3D Reconstruction of Material Piles

Fast and accurate measurement of the volume of earthmoving materials is of great signifcance for the real-time evaluation of loader operation efciency and the realization of autonomous operation. Existing methods for volume measurement, such as total station-based methods, cannot measure the volume in real time, while the bucket-based method also has the disadvantage of poor universality. In this study, a fast estimation method for a loader’s shovel load volume by 3D reconstruction of material piles is proposed. First, a dense stereo matching method (QORB–MAPM) was proposed by integrating the improved quadtree ORB algorithm (QORB) and the maximum a posteriori probability model (MAPM), which achieves fast matching of feature points and dense 3D reconstruction of material piles. Second, the 3D point cloud model of the material piles before and after shoveling was registered and segmented to obtain the 3D point cloud model of the shoveling area, and the Alpha-shape algorithm of Delaunay triangulation was used to estimate the volume of the 3D point cloud model. Finally, a shovel loading volume measurement experiment was conducted under loose-soil working conditions. The results show that the shovel loading volume estimation method (QORB–MAPM VE) proposed in this study has higher estimation accuracy and less calculation time in volume estimation and bucket fll factor estimation, and it has signifcant theoretical research and engineering application value.

THE GLOBAL SOLUTION AND BLOWUP OF A SPATIOTEMPORAL EIT PROBLEM WITH A DYNAMICAL BOUNDARY CONDITION

We study a spatiotemporal EIT problem with a dynamical boundary condition for the fractional Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator with a critical exponent.There are three major ingredients in this paper.The first is the finite time blowup and the decay estimate of the global solution with a lower-energy initial value.The second ingredient is the L^(q)(2 ≤q <∞) estimate of the global solution applying the Moser iteration,which allows us to show that any global solution is a classical solution.The third,which is the main ingredient of this paper,explores the long time asymptotic behavior of global solutions close to the stationary solution and the bubbling phenomenons by means of a concentration compactness principle.

Reconstruction and functionalization of aerogels by controlling mesoscopic nucleation to greatly enhance macroscopic performance

This work presents a strategy for the mesoscopic engineering of hierarchically structured sodium alginate(SA)aerogels to enhance the macroscopic performance.The strategy was implemented by meso-functionalizing and reorganizing SA aerogels via controlled heterogeneous nucleation,in which microcrystalline cellulose-manganese dioxide(MCC-MnO_(2))nano-crystallites worked as template.Due to the short rod-like structure and abundant hydroxyl groups of MCC-MnO_(2),the organized mesostructure of SA aerogels was reconstructed during the assembly of SA molecule chains,which gave rise to a significant enhancement in macroscopic performance of SA areogels.For instance,the functionalized and reconstructed MCC-MnO_(2)/SA aerogels acquired a more than 70%increase in mechanical strength with an excellent deformation recovery.Furthermore,an almost double enhancement of removal capacity for metal ions(i.e.,Cu^(2+)and Pb^(2+))and organic dyes(i.e.,congo red and methylene blue)was obtained for MnO_(2)/SA aerogels,with an 87%repossession of the pollutants removal performance after 5 operation cycles.

ENERGY CONSERVATION FOR THE WEAK SOLUTIONS TO THE 3D COMPRESSIBLE NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTAL FLOW

In this paper,we establish some regularity conditions on the density and velocity fields to guarantee the energy conservation of the weak solutions for the three-dimensional compressible nematic liquid crystal flow in the periodic domain.

Point-to-face contact heterojunctions:Interfacial design of 0D nanomaterials on 2D g-C_(3)N_(4)towards photocatalytic energy applications

Green energy generation is an indispensable task to concurrently resolve fossil fuel depletion and environmental issues to align with the global goals of achieving carbon neutrality.Photocatalysis,a process that transforms solar energy into clean fuels through a photocatalyst,represents a felicitous direction toward sustainability.Eco-rich metal-free graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))is profiled as an attractive photocatalyst due to its fascinating properties,including excellent chemical and thermal stability,moderate band gap,visible light-active nature,and ease of fabrication.Nonetheless,the shortcomings of g-C_(3)N_(4)include fast charge recombination and limited surface-active sites,which adversely affect photocatalytic reactions.Among the modification strategies,point-to-face contact engineering of 2D g-C_(3)N_(4)with 0D nanomaterials represents an innovative and promising synergy owing to several intriguing attributes such as the high specific surface area,short effective charge-transfer pathways,and quantum confinement effects.This review introduces recent advances achieved in experimental and computational studies on the interfacial design of 0D nanostructures on 2D g-C_(3)N_(4)in the construction of point-to-face heterojunction interfaces.Notably,0D materials such as metals,metal oxides,metal sulfides,metal selenides,metal phosphides,and nonmetals on g-C_(3)N_(4)with different charge-transfer mechanisms are systematically discussed along with controllable synthesis strategies.The applications of 0D/2D g-C_(3)N_(4)-based photocatalysts are focused on solar-to-energy conversion via the hydrogen evolution reaction,the CO_(2)reduction reaction,and the N2 reduction reaction to evaluate the photocatalyst activity and elucidate reaction pathways.Finally,future perspectives for developing high-efficiency 0D/2D photocatalysts are proposed to explore potential emerging carbon nitride allotropes,large-scale production,machine learning integration,and multidisciplinary advances for technological breakthroughs.

Quantitative modeling, optimization, and verification of ^(63)Nipowered betavoltaic cells based on three-dimensional ZnO nanorod arrays

Betavoltaic cells(BCs)are promising self-generating power cells with long life and high power density.However,the low energy conversion efficiency(ECE)has limitations in practical engineering applications.Widebandgap semiconductors(WBGSs)with three-dimensional(3-D)nanostructures are ideal candidates for increasing the ECE of BCs.This paper proposes hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorod arrays(ZNRAs)for ^(63)Ni-powered BCs.A quantitative model was established for simulation using the parameter values of the dark characteristics,which were obtained from the experimental measurements for a simulated BC based on a Ni-incorporated ZNRAs structure.Monte Carlo(MC)modeling and simulation were conducted to obtain the values of the β energy deposited in ZNRAs with different nanorod spacings and heights.Through the simulation and optimization of the 3-D ZNRAs and 2-D ZnO bulk structures,the performance of the ^(63)Ni-powered BCs based on both structures was evaluated using a quantitative model.The BCs based on the 3-D ZNRAs structure and 2-D ZnO bulk structure achieved a maximum ECE of 10.1%and 4.69%,respectively,which indicates the significant superiority of 3-D nanostructured WBGSs in increasing the ECE of BCs.

Reduced Ti-MOFs encapsulated black phosphorus with high stability and enhanced photocatalytic activity

The generation of green hydrogen(H_2) energy is of great significance to solve worldwide energy and environmental issues. Reduced Ti based photocatalyst has recently attracted intensive attention due to its excellent photocatalytic activity, while the synthesis of reduced Ti based photocatalysts with high stability is still a great challenge. Here, we report a facile method for synthesis of reduced Ti metal organic frameworks(small amounts of Pt incorporated) encapsulated BP(BP/R-Ti-MOFs/Pt) hybrid nanomaterial with enhanced photocatalytic activity. The strong interaction between Ti and P reduces the valence state of the binding Ti^(4+)on the BP surface, forming abundant reduced Ti^(4+)within R-Ti-MOFs/BP. Such reduced Ti^(4+)render R-Ti-MOFs/BP efficient charge transfer and excellent light absorption capability, thus promote the photocatalytic H_2 production efficiency. Furthermore, the Ti-P interaction stabilizes both reduced Ti^(4+)and BP during the photocatalytic reaction, which greatly enhanced the stability of the obtained BP/R-TiMOFs/Pt photocatalyst.

Boosting the Electrochemical Performance of Li-and Mn-Rich Cathodes by a Three-in-One Strategy

There are plenty of issues need to be solved before the practi-cal application of Li-and Mn-rich cathodes,including the detrimental voltage decay and mediocre rate capability,etc.Element doping can e ectively solve the above problems,but cause the loss of capacity.The introduction of appropriate defects can compensate the capacity loss;however,it will lead to structural mismatch and stress accumulation.Herein,a three-in-one method that combines cation–polyanion co-doping,defect construction,and stress engineering is pro-posed.The co-doped Na^(+)/SO_(4)^(2-)can stabilize the layer framework and enhance the capacity and voltage stability.The induced defects would activate more reac-tion sites and promote the electrochemical performance.Meanwhile,the unique alternately distributed defect bands and crystal bands structure can alleviate the stress accumulation caused by changes of cell parameters upon cycling.Consequently,the modified sample retains a capacity of 273 mAh g^(-1)with a high-capacity retention of 94.1%after 100 cycles at 0.2 C,and 152 mAh g^(-1)after 1000 cycles at 2 C,the corresponding voltage attenuation is less than 0.907 mV per cycle.

Expression analysis of eight amphioxus genes involved in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the embryonic development of metazoans. Although the pathway has been studied extensively in many model animals, its function in amphioxus, the most primitive chordate, remains largely uncharacterized. To obtain basic data for functional analysis, we identified and isolated seven genes （Lrp5/6, Dvl, APC, Ckla, CklS, Gsk3β, and Gro） of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway from the amphioxus （Branchiostoma floridae） genome. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that amphioxus had fewer members of each gene family than that found in vertebrates. Whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that the genes were maternally expressed and broadly distributed throughout the whole embryo at the cleavage and blastula stages. Among them, Dvl was expressed asymmetrically towards the animal pole, while the others were evenly distributed in all blastomeres. At the mid-gastrula stage, the genes were specifically expressed in the primitive endomesoderm, but displayed different patterns. When the embryo developed into the neurula stage, the gene expressions were mainly detected in either paraxial somites or the tail bud. With the development of the embryo, the expression levels further decreased gradually and remained only in some pharyngeal regions or the tail bud at the larva stage. Our results suggest that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway might be involved in amphioxus somite formation and posterior growth, but not in endomesoderm specification.

Preliminary study of an open-air water-contacting discharge for direct nitrogen fixation

Efficient nitrogen fixation through a reactive plasma process attracts intense interest due to the environmental issues induced by the conventional Haber–Bosch method. In this work, we present a direct and simple fixation routine without any catalysts for nitrogen in open air using an atmospheric-pressure pin-to-solution plasma electrolytic system. Nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia as the nitrogen-derived chemicals in solution were analyzed as indicators under various discharge conditions to estimate the energy efficiency of this process. The results show that the nitrogen fixation process was much more efficient by the pin-positive discharge compared to the negative one. N chemicals preferred to be formed when the solution was of negative polarity. It was also found that, with the help of solution circulation, the energy efficiency was enhanced compared to that of static liquid. However, an inverse trend was observed with the increase of the discharge current. Further study by optical emission spectroscopy indicates the important roles of active N2* and water vapour and their derived species near the plasma–water interface in the fixation process.

Visualization of gold nanoparticles formation in DC plasma-liquid systems

Dual argon plasmas ignited by one direct current power source are used to treat an aqueous solution of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate-(Ⅲ)trihydrate(HAuCl_(4)·3H_(2)O)which is contained in an H-type electrochemical cell.The solution contained in one cell acts as a cathode,and in the other as an anode.Experiments are carried out to directly visualize the formation process of gold nanoparticles(Au NPs)in separated cells of the H-type electrochemical reactor.The results and analyzes suggest that hydrogen peroxide and hydrated electrons generated from the plasma-liquid interactions play the roles of reductants in the solutions,respectively.Hydrogen peroxide can be generated in the case of the liquid being a cathode or an anode,while most of hydrated electrons are formed in the case of the liquid being an anode.Therefore,the reduction of the AuCl_(4)−ions is mostly attributed to the hydrogen peroxide as the liquid acts as a cathode,while to the hydrogen peroxide and hydrated electrons as the liquid acts as an anode.Moreover,the p H value of the solution can be used to tune the formation processes and final form of the Au NPs due to its mediation of reductants.

Numerical investigation of microtexturing rings＇ structure on the friction performance of bearing cells

We presented a numerical examination of the effect of microtexturing negative rings' structure on the tribological performance of parallel bearing couples' cell. Three mcirotexturing rings, which are circle, square and ellipse, were chosen and the analysis model were established. We used the Reynolds equation coupled with finite difference method and successive over relaxation Gauss-Seidel iterative method to solve the Newtonian flow's hydrodynamics within a bearing couple. The effect of texture density and radius ratio(thickness) of the microtexturing rings were investigated on the tribological performance under the similar operating conditions. The numerical simulation reveals that: 1) The microtexturing rings' structure can homogenize the local pressure much uniformly within the bearing cell. 2) The tribological performance is determined mainly by the microtexturing rings' geometry and texture density, and the thickness of the rings' structure can help to change the quantitative values. 3) The square and circle rings' s microtexturing surface can slightly improve the frictional performance with the bearing cells' gap, while the ellipse ring's surface may decrease the frictional performance. 4) The ellipse rings' microtexturing surface can achieve the minimum spacing gap but the maximum friction coefficient of the bearing couple, and then the circle and square rings' structure take the second and third place, respectively.

Colorimetric quantification of aqueous hydrogen peroxide in the DC plasma-liquid system

The quantification of hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))generated in the plasma-liquid interactions is of great importance,since the H_(2)O_(2)species is vital for the applications of the plasma-liquid system.Herein,we report on in situ quantification of the aqueous H_(2)O_(2)(H_(2)O_(2)aq)using a colorimetric method for the DC plasma-liquid systems with liquid as either a cathode or an anode.The results show that the H_(2)O_(2)aqyield is 8-12 times larger when the liquid acts as a cathode than when the liquid acts as an anode.The conversion rate of the gaseous OH radicals to H_(2)O_(2)aqis 4-6 times greater in the former case.However,the concentrations of dissolved OH radicals for both liquid as cathode and anode are of the same order of tens of n M.

Dual-Functional Lithiophilic/Sulfiphilic Binary-Metal Selenide Quantum Dots Toward High-Performance Li-S Full Batteries

The commercial viability of lithium-sulfur batteries is still challenged by the notorious lithium polysulfides(Li PSs)shuttle effect on the sulfur cathode and uncontrollable Li dendrites growth on the Li anode.Herein,a bi-service host with Co-Fe binary-metal selenide quantum dots embedded in three-dimensional inverse opal structured nitrogen-doped carbon skeleton(3DIO FCSe-QDs@NC)is elaborately designed for both sulfur cathode and Li metal anode.The highly dispersed FCSe-QDs with superb adsorptive-catalytic properties can effectively immobilize the soluble Li PSs and improve diffusion-conversion kinetics to mitigate the polysulfide-shutting behaviors.Simultaneously,the 3D-ordered porous networks integrated with abundant lithophilic sites can accomplish uniform Li deposition and homogeneous Li-ion flux for suppressing the growth of dendrites.Taking advantage of these merits,the assembled Li-S full batteries with 3DIO FCSe-QDs@NC host exhibit excellent rate performance and stable cycling ability(a low decay rate of 0.014%over 2,000 cycles at 2C).Remarkably,a promising areal capacity of 8.41 mAh cm^(-2)can be achieved at the sulfur loading up to 8.50 mg cm^(-2)with an ultra-low electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 4.1μL mg^(-1).This work paves the bi-serve host design from systematic experimental and theoretical analysis,which provides a viable avenue to solve the challenges of both sulfur and Li electrodes for practical Li-S full batteries.

Unidirectional propagation of water waves near ancient Luoyang Bridge

Metasurfaces and metagratings offer new platforms for electromagnetic wave control with significant responses.However,metasurfaces based on abrupt phase change and resonant structures suffer from the drawback of high loss and face challenges when applied in water waves.Therefore,the application of metasurfaces in water wave control is not ideal due to the limitations associated with high loss and other challenges.We have discovered that non-resonant metagratings exhibit promising effects in water wave control.Leveraging the similarity between bridges and metagratings,we have successfully developed a water wave metagrating model inspired by the ancient Luoyang Bridge in China.We conduct theoretical calculations and simulations on the metagrating and derive the equivalent anisotropic model of the metagrating.This model provides evidence that the metagrating has the capability to control water waves and achieve unidirectional surface water wave.The accuracy of our theory is strongly supported by the clear observation of the unidirectional propagation phenomenon during simulation and experiments conducted using a reduced version of the metagrating.It is the first time that the unidirectional propagation of water waves has been seen in water wave metagrating experiment.Above all,we realize the water wave metagrating experiment for the first time.By combining complex gratings with real bridges,we explore the physics embedded in the ancient building—Luoyang Bridge,which are of great significance for the water wave metagrating design and provide a new method for analyzing the effects of water waves on bridges.At the same time,this discovery also provides a new idea for ocean cargo transportation,ocean garbage cleaning,and the development and protection of ancient bridges.

Core-shell nanoparticle enhanced Raman spectroscopy in situ probing the composition and evolution of interfacial species on PtCo surfaces

The composition and evolution of interfacial species play a key role during electrocatalytic process.Unveiling the structural evolution and intermediate during catalytic process by in situ characterization can shed new light on the electrocatalytic reaction mechanism and develop highly efficient catalyst.However,directly probing the interfacial species is extremely difficult for most spectroscopic techniques due to complicated interfacial environment and ultra-low surface concentration.Herein,electrochemical core-shell nanoparticle enhanced Raman spectroscopy is utilized to probe the composition and evolution processes of interfacial species on Au@Pt,Au@Co,and Au@PtCo core-shell nanoparticle surfaces.The spectral evidences of interfacial intermediates including hydroxide radical(OH*),superoxide ion(O_(2)^(−)),as well as metal oxide species are directly captured by in situ Raman spectroscopy,which are further confirmed by the both isotopic experiment and density functional theory calculation.These results provide a mechanistic guideline for the rational design of highly efficient electrocatalysts.

Molecular insight into the GaP(110)-water interface using machine learning accelerated molecular dynamics

GaP has been shown to be a promising photoelectrocatalyst for selective CO_(2)reduction to methanol.Due to the relevance of the interface structure to important processes such as electron/proton transfer,a detailed understanding of the GaP(110)-water interfacial structure is of great importance.Ab initio molecular dynamics(AIMD)can be used for obtaining the microscopic information of the interfacial structure.However,the GaP(110)-water interface cannot converge to an equilibrated structure at the time scale of the AIMD simulation.In this work,we perform the machine learning accelerated molecular dynamics(MLMD)to overcome the difficulty of insufficient sampling by AIMD.With the help of MLMD,we unravel the microscopic information of the structure of the GaP(110)-water interface,and obtain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of proton transfer at the GaP(110)-water interface,which will pave the way for gaining valuable insights into photoelectrocatalytic mechanisms and improving the performance of photoelectrochemical cells.

A Cooperative Security Monitoring Mechanism Aided by Optimal Multiple Slave Cluster Heads for UASNs

As each cluster head(CH)sensor node is used to aggregate,fuse,and forward data from different sensor nodes in an underwater acoustic sensor network(UASN),guaranteeing the data security in a CH is very critical.In this paper,a cooperative security monitoring mechanism aided by multiple slave cluster heads(SCHs)is proposed to keep track of the data security of a CH.By designing a low complexity“equilateral triangle algorithm(ETA)”,the optimal SCHs(named as ETA-based multiple SCHs)are selected from the candidate SCHs so as to improve the dispersion and coverage of SCHs and achieve largescale data security monitoring.In addition,by analyzing the entire monitoring process,the close form expression of the probability of the failure attack identification for the SCHs with respect to the probability of attack launched by ordinary nodes is deduced.The simulation results show that the proposed optimal ETA-based multiple SCH cooperation scheme has lower probability of the failure attack identification than that of the existing schemes.In addition,the numerical simulation results are consistent with the theoretical analysis results,thus verifying the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.