Ensemble relation network with multi-level measure

Fine-grained few-shot learning is a difficult task in image classification. The reason is that the discriminative features of fine-grained images are often located in local areas of the image, while most of the existing few-shotlearning image classification methods only use top-level features and adopt a single measure. In that way, the localfeatures of the sample cannot be learned well. In response to this problem, ensemble relation network with multi-level measure (ERN-MM) is proposed in this paper. It adds the relation modules in the shallow feature space tocompare the similarity between the samples in the local features, and finally integrates the similarity scores from thefeature spaces to assign the label of the query samples. So the proposed method ERN-MM can use local details andglobal information of different grains. Experimental results on different fine-grained datasets show that the proposedmethod achieves good classification performance and also proves its rationality.     

Trimetallic NiFeCr-LDH/MoS2composites as novel electrocatalyst for OER

The development of efficient and stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is an ongoing challenge. In order to solve the problem of low oxygen evolution efficiency of the current OER catalysts, a novel material was synthesized by the incorporation of NiFeCr-LDH and MoS₂, and its structural and electrochemical properties were also investigated. The introduction of MoS₂ improves the electrochemical performance of NiFeCr-LDH. The polarization curve shows that the potential of composite material is only 1.50 V at a current density of 10 mA cm^?2, which is far superior to commercial precious metal catalysts. In addition, the stability experiment shows that the composite material has excellent stability, and the current density has little change after 500 cycles. Furthermore, we found that some metal ions, such as Ni, Cr and Mo, exist in the form of high valence on the surface of NiFeCr-LDH@MoS₂, which is also conducive to the occurrence of oxygen evolution reaction.     

Effect of cooking temperature on texture and flavour binding of braised sauce porcine skin

To investigate the effect of cooking temperature (55, 65, 75, 85 and 95 °C) on texture and flavour binding of braised sauce porcine skin (BSPS), sensory acceptance, microstructure and flavour-binding capacity were investigated during the processing of BSPS. Samples cooked at 85 and 95 °C showed better texture and aroma scores. Hardness and chewiness of BSPS were obviously improved at 85 and 95 °C than control group. Collagen structure was significantly destroyed over 85 °C. The porcine skin collagen heated at 85 and 95 °C showed relatively higher flavour-binding capacity than other samples. The improvement of texture of BSPS was mainly attributed to the degradation of collagen. Higher aroma scores of BSPS were related to intense binding abilities with aroma compounds at 85 and 95 °C. Cooking at 85 or 95 °C could be an optimal cooking temperature for BSPS.     

The effect of alkali metal oxide on the properties of borosilicate fireproof glass: Structure,thermal properties,viscosity, chemical stability

The purpose of the current work was to research the effect of alkali metal oxide on the structure, thermal properties, viscosity and chemical stability in the glass system (R₂O–CaO–B₂O₃–SiO₂) systematically. Because the glass would emulsify when Li₂O was added to the glass batch, this article did not discuss Li₂O. The results showed that when the amount of Na₂O was less than 4 mol.%, there was a higher interconnectivity of borate and silicate sub-networks in glass, as more mixed Si–O–B bonds were present in glass. The glass samples exhibited excellent thermal properties and chemical stabilities. As the amount of Na₂O exceeded 4 mol.%, the interconnectivity of borate and silicate sub-networks was weakened. The thermal properties and chemical stabilities of the glass samples were reduced. The connectivity of the silicate sub-network was weakened slightly as the Na/K ratio varied, and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the glass samples gradually increased, and the resistance to thermal shock (RTS) value gradually decreased. Moreover, the viscosity of the glass samples decreased with the ratio of Na/Si and Na/K increased.     

Flexible,Mechanically Stable,Porous Self-Standing Microfiber Network Membranes of Covalent Organic Frameworks: Preparation Method and Characterization

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) show advantageous characteristics, such as an ordered pore structure and a large surface area for gas storage and separation, energy storage, catalysis, and molecular separation. However, COFs usually exist as difficult-to-process powders, and preparing continuous, robust, flexible, foldable, and rollable COF membranes is still a challenge. Herein, such COF membranes with fiber morphology for the first time prepared via a newly introduced template-assisted framework process are reported. This method uses electrospun porous polymer membranes as a sacrificial large dimension template for making self-standing COF membranes. The porous COF fiber membranes, besides having high crystallinity, also show a large surface area (1153 m² g⁻¹), good mechanical stability, excellent thermal stability, and flexibility. This study opens up the possibility of preparation of large dimension COF membranes and their derivatives in a simple way and hence shows promise in technical applications in separation, catalysis, and energy in the future.     

Epitaxial Growth of 2D Materials on High-Index Substrate Surfaces

Recently, the successful synthesis of wafer-scale single-crystal graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), and MoS₂ on transition metal surfaces with step edges boosted the research interests in synthesizing wafer-scale 2D single crystals on high-index substrate surfaces. Here, using hBN growth on high-index Cu surfaces as an example, a systematic theoretical study to understand the epitaxial growth of 2D materials on various high-index surfaces is performed. It is revealed that hBN orientation on a high-index surface is highly dependent on the alignment of the step edges of the surface as well as the surface roughness. On an ideal high-index surface, well-aligned hBN islands can be easily achieved, whereas curved step edges on a rough surface can lead to the alignment of hBN along with different directions. This study shows that high-index surfaces with a large step density are robust for templating the epitaxial growth of 2D single crystals due to their large tolerance for surface roughness and provides a general guideline for the epitaxial growth of various 2D single crystals.     

Microstructure and coloring mechanism of iron spots on bluish white porcelain from Jingdezhen of the Song Dynasty

Jingdezhen is famous for its bluish white (Qingbai) porcelains of the Song Dynasty, and those decorated with iron spots are distinctive among them. Herein, iron spots on a bluish white porcelain were investigated using a series of microscopic and spectroscopic characterizations. We found the decreasing iron content from more than 8 wt% to about 2 wt% during the glaze color transition from rusty to brown and finally into green, which built a connection on the coloring mechanism of iron-rich crystallized glaze and celadon glaze. We identified the rare ε-Fe₂O₃, a promising magnetic material, in both the dark brown crystals and the triangular crystals in the rusty area, which is its first discovery among bluish white porcelains. Based on these findings, we discussed the coloring mechanism of iron-spot decoration along with the physical form of the iron oxide crystals, indicating the partially reducing atmosphere during firing process.     

Enhanced electrochemical performance of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 via titanium and boron co-doping

Titanium and boron are simultaneously introduced into LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ to improve the structural stability and electrochemical performance of the material. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that Ti⁴⁺ ion replaces Li⁺ ion and reduces the cation mixing; B³⁺ ion enters the tetrahedron of the transition metal layers and enlarges the distance of the [LiO₆] layers. The co-doped sample has spherical secondary particles with elongated and enlarged primary particles, in which Ti and B elements distribute uniformly. Electrochemical studies reveal the co-doped sample has improved rate performance (183.1 mAh·g^-1 at 1 C and 155.5 mAh·g^-1 at 10 C) and cycle stability (capacity retention of 94.7% after 100 cycles at 1 C). EIS and CV disclose that Ti and B co-doping reduces charge transfer impedance and suppresses phase change of LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O_2.     

Constructing magnetically recoverable CdS/CaFe2O4 P–N heterojunctions for enhanced photoelectrochemical properties towards H2 evolution reaction

A novel CdS/CaFe₂O₄ (CS/CFO) heterogeneous p-n junction was created by thermal deposition of CaFe₂O₄ nanoparticles on CdS rods. The CS/CFO hetero-structured photocatalysts exhibited increasingly efficient visible light harvesting compared to the bare CdS. The CS/CFO composites also presented higher photocurrent and slower decay of photoluminescence, suggesting a better separation of the photo-generated electrons and holes. The photocatalytic H₂ evolution quantity on the optimized CS/CFO composite from water in the presence of ethanol was up to 2200 μmol after 3-h visible light illumination, which is more than twice that of the pristine CdS. The chemical interaction between CdS and CaFe₂O₄ was confirmed by the shifts in the XPS peaks, which made it possible for the charge carriers to transfer across the p-n junction interface. This research highlights the importance of forming an interfacial p-n heterojunction between two semiconductors for efficient charge separation and improved photocatalytic performance.