Assessment of oil vertical diffusion in waters following an oil spill incident in an urban inland waterway.

Accidental oil spills can have a serious impact on water bodies. While most current studies have focused on waves, few have examined water flows, which represent the most common hydrodynamic environment in urban inland waterways. In this study, 12 hydrodynamic conditions were constructed, and the oil vertical diffusion characteristics under hydrodynamic conditions were investigated by measuring oil concentration and oil droplet size distribution at different depths.

Study on the mechanics and self-sensing properties of ultrahigh-performance shotcrete containing waste glass aggregates.

To promote the recycling of waste glass and satisfy the demands of environmental sustainability for ultrahigh performance concrete (UHPC), in this study, glass sand was employed to partially or entirely replace machine-made sand, and steel fibres were incorporated to fabricate ultrahigh performance shotcrete (UHPS). The effects of glass sand and steel fibres on the mechanical and electrical properties of composite materials were analysed in this study. Furthermore, alkali‒silica reaction (ASR) tests and microstructural analyses were conducted.

Synergistic development of intangible cultural heritage and tourism industry: Empirical experiences from Jilin, China.

This study focuses on the Jilin region of China, conducting a multidimensional assessment of the current state of the synergistic development between Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and the tourism industry in the area. The objective is to explore the issues surrounding the coordinated development of ICH and the tourism sector. The findings are as follows: 1) The overall coupling degree between the ICH and tourism systems in the Jilin region is 0.

Recent advances in the dual effects of activin A on tumors.

Activin A, a gonadal protein, not only stimulates the pituitary to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) but also plays a crucial role in regulating various cell behaviors, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. Studies have shown an association between activin A expression and tumor progression, highlighting its dual role in cancer. Similar to transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), activin A can have both pro-tumor and anti-tumor effects, for instance, it inhibits the migration of lung adenocarcinoma cells, while promotes the migration of triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Sequential addition of cations increases photoluminescence quantum yield of metal nanoclusters near unity.

Photoluminescence is one of the most intriguing properties of metal nanoclusters derived from their molecular-like electronic structure, however, achieving high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of metal core-dictated fluorescence remains a formidable challenge. Here, we report efficient suppression of the total structural vibrations and rotations, and management of the pathways and rates of the electron transfer dynamics to boost a near-unity absolute PLQY, by decorating progressive addition of cations. Specifically, with the sequential addition of Zn, Ag, and Tb into the 3-mercaptopropionic acids capped Au nanoclusters (NCs), the low-frequency vibration of the metal core progressively decreases from 144.

Effect of Ga Doping on the Stability and Optoelectronic Properties of ZnSnO Thin Film Transistor.

The electrical, stability and optoelectronic properties of GZTO TFTs with different Ga doping concentrations were investigated. Active layers were prepared by co-sputtering GaO and ZTO targets with different sputtering powers. The experimental results show that the surface of GZTO films is smooth, which is favorable for stability.

NH release during the snow evaporation process in typical cities in Northeast China.

NH is the most important alkaline gas in the atmosphere and functions as a precursor to secondary ammonium salts. Therefore, identifying its sources and quantifying its emissions is imperative. NH represents a principal component of atmospheric particulate pollutants.

Study on the load-supporting characteristic of the new type of support disc-type anchor under cyclic loading test.

The new type of support disc-type anchor is an expanded body anchor with broad application prospects, and its load-bearing performance is significantly better than that of traditional anchors. However, there is a problem of premature shear damage in traditional support disc-type anchors. In order to solve this problem, this paper improves the traditional support disk anchor.

Exploring the acceptance of virtual reality training systems among construction workers: a combined structural equation modeling and artificial neural network approach.

Virtual Reality Training System (VRTS) has been verified effective in safety training in the construction field. However, in China, it is not widely used as a regular training tool. Among all the reasons, the acceptance level of construction workers (CWs) has the decisive impact on the promotion of VRTS.

Retraction notice to "Investigation on the evolution of hydrothermal biochar"[Chemosphere 307 (2022) 135774].

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal).

Energy production and denitrogenation performance by sludge biochar based constructed wetlands-microbial fuel cells system: Overcoming carbon constraints in water.

As freshwater demand grows globally, using reclaimed water in natural water bodies has become essential. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are widely used for advanced wastewater treatment due to their environmental benefits. However, low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios in wastewater limit nitrogen removal, often leading to eutrophication.

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) research: From the ocean to water treatment.

Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP), closely related to the carbon cycle due to their high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, have become a hot research topic. However, despite the growing interest in this field, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis providing a clear developmental background and quantitative research on the overall trends of TEP studies. To address the gap, this article utilizes VOSviewer and CiteSpace to conduct a bibliometric analysis of TEP research.

Enhanced electron transfer for the improvement of nitrogen removal efficiency and NO reduction at low temperatures.

Low temperature generally restricts biological activity, slowing down electron transfer in biogeochemical cycles and causing a series of environmental problems such as nitrogen pollution. We present a strategy to boost electron transfer in microbial cell at low temperatures via stimulation with low current. It is demonstrated by establishing a constructed wetland system coupled with solar powered microbial electrolysis cell, which enhances microbial activity through external micro currents (18.

Near-infrared downshifting luminescence of CaLaTaO:Nd/Yb/K phosphors and their applications: solar cells and anti-counterfeiting.

A series of Nd/Yb co-doped CaLaTaO (CLTO) phosphors are synthesized by a high temperature solid phase method. Structural characterization confirms the successful incorporation of Nd and Yb ions into the CLTO host lattice. The photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of CLTO:Nd and CLTO:Nd/Yb are investigated in detail.

Sustainable Adsorbent: Activated Carbon From Waste Styrofoam for Efficient Aluminum Removal.

This paper reports on batch investigations utilizing activated carbon (AC) made from waste Styrofoam to adsorb aluminum (Al) from aqueous solutions. The AC morphology and structure were examined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and surface area analysis. The factors affecting the performance of adsorption were thoroughly examined.

Bimetallic sulfides based hybrid anodes are constructed for high-performance lithium ion batteries.

Transition metal sulfides (TMSs) are considered as one of the most promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in virtue of their high theoretical specific capacity, low cost and environmental friendliness. However, the intrinsic poor electron/ion transport, large volume change and the shuttle effect of polysulfides hinder their achievement of superb rate capability and cycle performance. Compared with the monometallic sulfides, bimetallic sulfides have superior electron transport capability and higher electrochemical activity.

Mechanical characteristics and design parameter analysis of spherical hinge structure for swivel bridge.

As the core component of a swivel bridge, the spherical hinge structure exhibits complex mechanical behavior under high pressure, making it challenging to describe accurately through theoretical analysis or on-site monitoring. In this context, this paper systematically examined the mechanical characteristics and key design parameters of a simplified spherical hinge structure using numerical simulations and formula derivation. Additionally, an indoor scaled test was conducted based on a representative spherical hinge structure to further investigate its mechanical properties.

Application of Bivariate Reproducing Kernel-Based Best Interpolation Method in Electrical Tomography.

Electrical Tomography (ET) technology is widely used in multiphase flow detection due to its advantages of low cost, visualization, fast response, non-radiation, and non-invasiveness. However, ill-posed solutions lead to low image reconstruction resolution, which limits its practical engineering applications. Although existing interpolation approximation algorithms can alleviate the effects of the ill-posed solutions to some extent, the imaging results remain suboptimal due to the limited approximation capability of these methods.

Viscosity Reduction and Drag Reduction Performance Analysis of Bionic Excavator Buckets Based on Discrete Element Method.

With the aiming of solving problems with the existing ordinary excavator buckets used in the process of operations (such as heavy digging resistance, ease of adhesion, and others), seven types of bionic buckets and a prototype bucket were designed, based on the contractile-state curve of the earthworm head and the contour curve of the pangolin claw toe. The digging processes of the buckets were simulated using the discrete element method. The results show that, compared with the prototype buckets, all seven types of bionic buckets have significant drag reduction effects at the same digging depth, and the drag reduction effects increase with the decrease of digging speed.

Numerical simulation study on the force of overwintering foundation support structure of unsaturated seasonal permafrost under indoor experiments.

When analysing the effect of negative temperature on overwintering pit constructions of unsaturated soil, using the mechanical parameter of saturated soil at room temperature leads to an inaccuracy in the research findings. The strength parameters are obtained through indoor experiments. The foundation pit model is created using FLAC3D numerical simulation software based on the indoor experimental data.

Research on photovoltaic MPPT under complex conditions based on an advanced great wall construction algorithm method.

To mitigate the challenges posed by the non-linear multi-peak power-voltage output characteristics of photovoltaic (PV) systems operating under partial shading conditions, which often lead to suboptimal performance of conventional Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithms, a novel approach was introduced. We introduce the LGWGCA-P&O method, which synergistically combines an modified Great Wall Construction Algorithm (LGWGCA) with the Perturbation and Observation (P&O) technique. The LGWGCA is refined with a positional update mechanism inspired by the Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) algorithm, optimizing the distribution of solution agents, while a Levy flight strategy is employed to reduce excessive randomness during agent replacement and recombination, thereby accelerating the tracking process.

A comprehensive review of microplastic aging: Laboratory simulations, physicochemical properties, adsorption mechanisms, and environmental impacts.

As a new type of ecological environment problem, microplastic pollution is a severe challenge faced by the world, and its threat and potential risk to the ecosystem have become a hot research spot in the current environmental field. Microplastics (MPs) in the natural environment will experience aging effect, aging will change the physical and chemical properties of MPs and affect the adsorption behavior. Recently reported characterization techniques of MPs and laboratory simulation of aging are reviewed.

Effect of background ions and physicochemical factors on the cotransport of microplastics with Cu in saturated porous media.

Microplastics (MPs) in subsurface environments are migratory and can carry heavy metals, increasing the extent of MP and heavy metal pollution. This study used quartz sand-filled column experiments to investigate the adsorption and cotransport behaviours of PS-MPs, O, UV-aged PS-MPs, and Cu at different MP concentrations, ionic strengths, and ionic valences in a saturated porous medium. The results showed that when MPs migrate alone in the absence of an ionic background, higher concentrations have increased mobility.

Machine learning-based optimization of photogrammetric JRC accuracy.

To improve the accuracy of photogrammetric joint roughness coefficient (JRC) estimation, this study proposes two optimization models based on ground sample distance (GSD), point density, and the root mean square error (RMSE) of checkpoints. First, an algorithm that automatically generates spatial positions for equipment based on the convergence strategy was developed, using principles of Structure from Motion and Multi-View Stereo (SfM-MVS) and the shooting parameter selection algorithm (SPSA). Second, a portable positioning plate containing ground control points and checkpoints was designed based on optical principles, and a moving camera capture strategy guided by SPSA was proposed.