Solution-Synthesized Multifunctional Janus Nanotree Microswimmer

Synthetic active matters are perfect model systems for non-equilibrium thermodynamics and of great potential for novel biomedical and environmental applications. However, most applications are limited by the complicated and low-yield preparation, while a scalable synthesis for highly functional microswimmers is highly desired. In this paper, an all-solution synthesis method is developed where the gold-loaded titania-silica nanotree can be produced as a multi-functional self-propulsion microswimmer. By applying light, heat, and electric field, the Janus nanotree demonstrated multi-mode self-propulsion, including photochemical self-electrophoresis by UV and visible light radiation, thermophoresis by near-infrared light radiation, and induced-charge electrophoresis under AC electric field. Due to the scalable synthesis, the Janus nanotree is further demonstrated as a high-efficiency, low-cost, active adsorbent for water decontamination, where the toxic mercury ions can be reclaimed with enhanced efficiency.     

A miniature triaxial apparatus for investigating the micromechanics of granular soils with in situ X-ray micro-tomography scanning

The development of a miniature triaxial apparatus is presented. In conjunction with an X-ray micro-tomography (termed as X-ray μCT hereafter) facility and advanced image processing techniques, this apparatus can be used for in situ investigation of the micro-scale mechanical behavior of granular soils under shear. The apparatus allows for triaxial testing of a miniature dry sample with a size of \mathrm{8}\hspace{0.17em}\mathrm{mm}\times \mathrm{16}\hspace{0.17em}\mathrm{mm} (diameter \times height). In situ triaxial testing of a 0.4–0.8 mm Leighton Buzzard sand (LBS) under a constant confining pressure of 500 kPa is presented. The evolutions of local porosities (i.e., the porosities of regions associated with individual particles), particle kinematics (i.e., particle translation and particle rotation) of the sample during the shear are quantitatively studied using image processing and analysis techniques. Meanwhile, a novel method is presented to quantify the volumetric strain distribution of the sample based on the results of local porosities and particle tracking. It is found that the sample, with nearly homogenous initial local porosities, starts to exhibit obvious inhomogeneity of local porosities and localization of particle kinematics and volumetric strain around the peak of deviatoric stress. In the post-peak shear stage, large local porosities and volumetric dilation mainly occur in a localized band. The developed triaxial apparatus, in its combined use of X-ray μCT imaging techniques, is a powerful tool to investigate the micro-scale mechanical behavior of granular soils.     

The effect of chemical admixtures and mineral additives on the properties of self-compacting mortars

Mortar serves as the basis for the workability properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) and these properties could be assessed by self-compacting mortars (SCM). In fact, assessing the properties of SCM is an integral part of SCC design. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of various mineral additives and chemical admixtures in producing SCMs. For this purpose, four mineral additives (fly ash, brick powder, limestone powder, and kaolinite), three superplasticizers (SP), and two viscosity modifying admixtures (VMA) were used. Within the scope of the experimental program, 43 mixtures of SCM were prepared keeping the amount of mixing water and total powder content (portland cement and mineral additives) constant. Workability of the fresh mortar was determined using mini V-funnel and mini slump flow tests. The setting time of the mortars, were also determined. The hardened properties that were determined included ultrasonic pulse velocity and strength determined at 28 and 56 days. It was concluded that among the mineral additives used, fly ash and limestone powder significantly increased the workability of SCMs. On the other hand, especially fly ash significantly increased the setting time of the mortars, which can, however, be eliminated through the use of ternary mixtures, such as mixing fly ash with limestone powder. The two polycarboxyl based SPs yield approximately the same workability and the melamine formaldehyde based SP was not as effective as the other two.     

Analysis of early warning of corporate financial risk via deep learning artificial neural network

To forecast the financial crisis of manufacturing corporations more accurately, a risk warning model of corporate finance is constructed based on back propagation (BP) neural network to forecast the financial crisis. Firstly, based on the principle of index selection, the forecast indexes are selected and the index system of financial risk early warning is constructed. Then the index system is optimized by factor analysis. Finally, the BP neural network algorithm model is adopted to forecast the financial crisis of 200 manufacturing corporations in 2018 and 2019, and the forecasting results are compared with the traditional method. The results show that the prediction accuracy of the enterprise financial risk early warning model based on the BP neural network for 2018 is above 85%, and the prediction accuracy for 2019 is above 95%, or even 100%. Through comparison with other traditional methods, the prediction accuracy of the BP neural network in 2018 (above 88%) is higher than that of other algorithms (below 87%). In 2019, the prediction accuracy of BP neural network (above 90%) is higher than other algorithms (less than 88%). The accuracy of the proposed financial risk warning model is 95%, and the accuracy is at least 2% higher than traditional method, which prove that the risk early warning model constructed in this study can accurately forecast the financial crisis of the corporation. This study is of important reference value for the establishment of efficient financial crisis forecasting model under deep learning.     

Effects of Adenine Methylation on the Structure and Thermodynamic Stability of a DNA Minidumbbell

DNA methylation is a prevalent regulatory modification in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. N¹-methyladenine (m¹A) and N⁶-methyladenine (m⁶A) have been found to be capable of altering DNA structures via disturbing Watson–Crick base pairing. However, little has been known about their influences on non-B DNA structures, which are associated with genetic instabilities. In this work, we investigated the effects of m¹A and m⁶A on both the structure and thermodynamic stability of a newly reported DNA minidumbbell formed by two TTTA tetranucleotide repeats. As revealed by the results of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies, both m¹A and m⁶A favored the formation of a T·m¹A and T·m⁶A Hoogsteen base pair, respectively. More intriguingly, the m¹A and m⁶A modifications brought about stabilization and destabilization effects on the DNA minidumbbell, respectively. This work provides new biophysical insights into the effects of adenine methylation on the structure and thermodynamic stability of DNA.     

First-Principles Investigation of the Interfacial Stability,Precipitate Formation,and Mechanical Behavior of Al3Li/Al3Zr/Al Interfaces

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - Precipitates including Al3Li, Al3Zr and core–shell structured Al3Li (Al3Zr) produce significant strengthening effects in Al-Li alloys by means of...     

Fabrication of polymer derived ceramic parts by selective laser curing

Polymer derived ceramic parts of complex shape were fabricated by selective laser curing (SLC). The ceramic parts were built similar to the selective laser sintering process by sequentially irradiating layers consisting of SiC loaded polysiloxane powder with a CO₂-laser beam (λ = 10.6 μm), which locally induces curing reaction of the polymer phase at moderate temperatures around 400 °C. The laser-cured bodies were converted to SiOC/SiC ceramic parts in a subsequent pyrolysis treatment at 1200 °C in argon atmosphere. The scanning speed and the power of the CO₂-laser beam were varied, leading to pronounced differences in material properties. Laser irradiating a powder mixture containing 50 vol.% polymer/50 vol.% SiC resulted in relative green densities between 38 and 60%. Relative densities decreased to 32–50% after pyrolysis due to the polymer shrinkage. A post-infiltration with liquid silicon was carried out in order to produce dense parts. While before infiltration the bending strength only attained 17 MPa as a result of both microcracks in the SiOC matrix and a pronounced porosity, an average value of 220 MPa was achieved after post-infiltrating with Si. In the case of 50 vol.% SiC content the linear shrinkage after pyrolysis was only 3%. Thus, the SLC approach can be considered as a near-net-shape forming process of ceramic components with complex geometries.     

一种基于TCP的实时视频传输延时预测模型*

针对TCP重传易导致延时抖动大、降低流媒体播放质量的问题,提出了使用TCP传输实时视频时,播放质量不受TCP重传影响的必要条件,即视频帧发送延时、播放缓冲区延时与网络往返时间需要满足一定的关系式。建立了视频帧发送延时的预测模型,该模型通过输入视频帧长度、丢包率、网络往返时间、TCP拥塞窗口大小与TCP超时重传时间,预测视频帧的发送延时。NS2模拟结果表明,可以通过发送延时的预测值来判断视频帧是否适合采用TCP传输。     

Profiling selected paths with loops

Path profiling records the frequency of each path in an executed program.To accomplish profiling,probes are instrumented in the program and executed as the program runs.So,the number of probes has a significant impact on the efficiency of a profiling technique.By profiling only the interesting paths,existing techniques try to improve the profiling efficiency by reducing the number of probes and optimize path encodings for efficient storage.However,they lack accuracy,waste time on running uninteresting paths,and can mainly deal with acyclic paths.In this article,a novel technique called Profiling Selected Paths(PSP)is introduced to profile selected paths,which enables custom selection for both acyclic and cyclic paths and increases the execution efficiency by early termination on uninteresting paths.Theoretical analysis and experimental evaluation indicate that PSP performs better than existing techniques.     

Should I scan my face? The influence of perceived value and trust on Chinese users’ intention to use facial recognition payment

While China has seen the widespread adoption of facial recognition payment, concerns over the potential risks impede the further growth of user acceptance. Drawing on the perspectives of perceived value and trust, we developed a research model to explore how the Chinese users’ trade-off between perceived benefits (perceived convenience and perceived novelty) and perceived risks (perceived privacy risk and perceived financial risk) influences their usage intention. Based on survey data from 1,200 Chinese mobile payment users, this study uses structural equation modeling to examine the hypotheses. Our results show that perceived convenience positively influences perceived value, while privacy risk and financial risk negatively influence perceived value and trust. Although perceived novelty has no significant effect on perceived value and trust, perceived value positively influences trust, and both of them have a positive effect on the intention to use. Furthermore, our moderation analysis indicates that the influence of perceived value on the intention to use is stronger among users who consider facial information to be more sensitive. The theoretical implications for research as well as the practical implications for practitioners are also discussed.