Microstructure and some properties of powder-pack borided Ti–5Mo–5V–8Cr–3Al alloy with special attention to the microstructure at the interface TiB/substrate

The borided layer was prepared on the surface of the Ti–5Mo–5V–8Cr–3Al alloy by powder-pack boriding at 1000°C-10h. SEM, EPMA and TEM were used to investigate the effects of alloying elements (Al, V, Mo and Cr) on the growth of TiB whiskers in the borided Ti–5Mo–5V–8Cr–3Al alloy. Wear properties of borided Ti–5Mo–5V–8Cr–3Al alloy were investigated using dry reciprocating friction tests. SEM results show that the thickness of boride layer in Ti–5Mo–5V–8Cr–3Al alloy is thinner than that in the Cp-Ti. This is attributed to the enrichment of alloying elements especially V in TiB/substrate by TEM, which hinders the diffusion of B atoms, thus resulting in the short and thick TiB whiskers in Ti–5Mo–5V–8Cr–3Al alloy. Borided Ti–5Mo–5V–8Cr–3Al alloy has the better wear resistance than as-received alloy.     

Deterministic and probabilistic ship pitch prediction using a multi-predictor integration model based on hybrid data preprocessing,reinforcement learning and improved QRNN

The deterministic and probabilistic prediction of ship motion is important for safe navigation and stable real-time operational control of ships at sea. However, the volatility and randomness of ship motion, the non-adaptive nature of single predictors and the poor coverage of quantile regression pose serious challenges to uncertainty prediction, making research in this field limited. In this paper, a multi-predictor integration model based on hybrid data preprocessing, reinforcement learning and improved quantile regression neural network (QRNN) is proposed to explore the deterministic and probabilistic prediction of ship pitch motion. To validate the performance of the proposed multi-predictor integrated prediction model, an experimental study is conducted with three sets of actual ship longitudinal motions during sea trials in the South China Sea. The experimental results indicate that the root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the proposed model of deterministic prediction are 0.0254°, 0.0359°, and 0.0188°, respectively. Taking series #2 as an example, the prediction interval coverage probabilities (PICPs) of the proposed model of probability predictions at 90%, 95%, and 99% confidence levels (CLs) are 0.9400, 0.9800, and 1.0000, respectively. This study signifies that the proposed model can provide trusted deterministic predictions and can effectively quantify the uncertainty of ship pitch motion, which has the potential to provide practical support for ship early warning systems.     

芳烃联合装置抽余液生产间二甲苯工艺的工业应用

介绍了宁波中金石化有限公司200 kt/a 间二甲苯(MX)吸附分离装置的工业应用情况。该装置于2020年建成投产，一次投料开车成功，为全球最大的MX生产装置。装置性能测试结果表明，MX产能达到203.3 kt/a，产品纯度（w）为99.53%，单程收率为95.1%。保持吸附剂在合适的水含量范围内可以有效提高吸附剂选择性，提高产品纯度和单程收率；苯为吸附剂的暂时性毒物，解吸剂中苯含量增加会降低吸附分离过程的单程收率。     

广义正交码索引调制系统的性能分析

摘 要：为了提高码索引调制（code index modulation，CIM）系统的传输效率，提出了一种具有更低复杂度的单输入单输出（single input single output，SISO）的广义正交码索引调制（generalized orthogonal code index modulation，GQCIM）系统。CIM 系统使用扩频码和星座符号传输信息，但只能激活两个扩频码索引和一个调制符号。而 GQCIM 系统以一种新颖的方式克服了只激活一个调制符号的限制，同时充分利用了调制符号的正交性，增加扩频码索引以传输更多的额外信息位，提高了系统的传输效率。此外，分析了GQCIM系统的理论性能，推导了误码率性能的上界。通过蒙特卡罗仿真验证了GQCIM系统的性能，对比发现GQCIM系统的理论和仿真性能一致。而且在相同的传输效率下，结果显示GQCIM系统的性能优于同样具有正交性的调制系统，如广义码索引调制（generalized code index modulation，GCIM）系统、CIM系统、码索引调制-正交空间调制（code index modulation aided quadrature spatial modulation，CIM-QSM）系统、码索引调制-正交空间调制（code index modulation aided spatial modulation，CIM-SM）系统、脉冲索引调制（pulse index modulation，PIM）系统。     

Oxidation State Modulation of Bismuth for Efficient Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is a promising strategy for ammonia (NH₃) production under ambient conditions. However, it is severely impeded by the challenging activation of the NN bond and the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which makes it crucial to design electrocatalysts rationally for efficient NRR. Herein, the rational design of bismuth (Bi) nanoparticles with different oxidation states embedded in carbon nanosheets (Bi@C) as efficient NRR electrocatalysts is reported. The NRR performance of Bi@C improves with the increase of Bi⁰/Bi³⁺ atomic ratios, indicating that the oxidation state of Bi plays a significant role in electrochemical ammonia synthesis. As a result, the Bi@C nanosheets annealed at 900  ° C with the optimal oxidation state of Bi demonstrate the best NRR performance with a high NH₃ yield rate and remarkable Faradaic efficiency of 15.10  ± 0.43% at − 0.4 V versus RHE. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the effective modulation of the oxidation state of Bi can tune the p-filling of active Bi sites and strengthen adsorption of *NNH, which boost the potential-determining step and facilitate the electrocatalytic NRR under ambient conditions. This work may offer valuable insights into the rational material design by modulating oxidation states for efficient electrocatalysis.     

可重构智能表面辅助的四元数调制无线通信系统

四元数调制(Quaternion Modulation,QMod)是一种新型高传输速率的极化调制(Polarized Modulation,PMod)技术,是未来卫星通信系统中极具潜力的多元调制方案之一。QMod将数据块分成4块,其中两块是传输数据信号,另外两块则映射到极化状态部分。每个极化状态块均有一位比特,那么它们可以产生4个极化状态组合。这些状态组合可以用来确定传输数据块在四元数4个不同维度中的位置,从而获得两位额外的传输比特。相比于传统的PMod技术,QMod有着更高的频谱效率。为了进一步挖掘QMod的潜力,介绍了由可重构智能表面(Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface,RIS)辅助的QMod系统,同时推导了该系统的平均误码率理论上界,并在瑞利信道下进行了BER性能仿真。仿真结果表明,RIS辅助的PMod或者QMod系统即便在较低的SNR情况下仍有良好的BER性能,并且随着RIS单元数的增多,其BER性能会逐步提升。     

Ablative Radiotherapy Reprograms the Tumor Microenvironment of a Pancreatic Tumor in Favoring the Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy

The low overall survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer has driven research to seek a new therapeutic protocol. Radiotherapy (RT) is frequently an option in the neoadjuvant or palliative settings for pancreatic cancer treatment. This study explored the effect of RT protocols on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and their consequent impact on anti-programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) therapy. Using a murine orthotopic pancreatic tumor model, UN-KC-6141, RT-disturbed TME was examined by immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that ablative RT is more effective than fractionated RT at recruiting T cells. On the other hand, fractionated RT induces more myeloid-derived suppressor cell infiltration than ablative RT. The RT-disturbed TME presents a higher perfusion rate per vessel. The increase in vessel perfusion is associated with a higher amount of anti-PD-L1 antibody being delivered to the tumor. Animal survival is increased by anti-PD-L1 therapy after ablative RT, with 67% of treated animals surviving more than 30 days after tumor inoculation compared to a median survival time of 16.5 days for the control group. Splenocytes isolated from surviving animals were specifically cytotoxic for UN-KC-6141 cells. We conclude that the ablative RT-induced TME is more suited than conventional RT-induced TME to combination therapy with immune checkpoint blockade.     

Anticancer activity of flavonoids accompanied by redox state modulation and the potential for a chemotherapeutic strategy

Since researchers began studying the mechanism of flavonoids’ anticancer activity, little attention has been focused on the modulation of redox state in cells as a potential chemotherapeutic strategy. However, recent studies have begun identifying that the anticancer effect of flavonoids occurs both in their antioxidative activity which scavenges ROS and their prooxidative activity which generates ROS. Against this backdrop, this study attempts to achieve a comprehensive analysis of the individual and separate study findings regarding flavonoids’ modulation of redox state in cancer cells. It focuses on the mechanism behind the anticancer effect, and mostly on the modulation of redox potential by flavonoids such as quercetin, hesperetin, apigenin, genistein, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), luteolin and kaempferol in both in vitro and animal models. In addition, the clinical applications of and bioavailability of flavonoids were reviewed to help build a treatment strategy based on flavonoids’ prooxidative potential.     

Effect of the ZIF‐8 Distribution in Mixed‐Matrix Membranes Based on Matrimid® 5218‐PEG on CO2 Separation

In theory, the combination of inorganic materials and polymers may provide a synergistic performance for mixed‐matrix membranes (MMMs); however, the filler dispersion into the MMMs is a crucial technical parameter for obtaining compelling MMMs. The effect of the filler distribution on the gas separation performance of the MMMs based on Matrimid®‐PEG 200 and ZIF‐8 nanoparticles is demonstrated. The MMMs were prepared by two different membrane preparation procedures, namely, the traditional method and non‐dried metal‐organic framework (MOF) method. In CO₂/CH₄ binary mixtures, the MMMs were tested under fixed conditions and characterized by various methods. Finally, regardless of the MMM preparation procedure, the incorporation of 30 wt % ZIF‐8 nanoparticles allowed to increase the CO₂ permeability in MMMs. The ZIF‐8 dispersion influenced significantly the separation factor.     

Enhanced photoreactivity of MOFs by intercalating interlayer bands via simultaneous ?NCO and ?SCu modification

Herein, we propose a novel method to enhance the photoreactivity of an MOF catalyst by grafting isocyanate bonds ( NCO) and sulfhydryl-complexed copper ( SCu) onto ZIF-8 (NIF-SCu). The grafting process intercalated interlayer bands between the conduction and valence bands of ZIF-8, thereby providing a “ladder” for facile electron transition. The extreme improvement in the photoreactivity of NIF-SCu could be attributed to the enhancement in light responses in the range of 350–450 nm by  NCO groups and the widening of the visible light range of the MOF by  SCu groups. The formation of staggered energy levels in NIF-SCu could also narrow the band gap, lower the resistance, and facilitate the transfer of photogenerated carriers, thereby generating electrons with strong reduction potential in the  SCu conduction band. This study provides a new strategy for improving or even endowing the photoactivity of environmental functional materials with wide bandgaps.