Graphene Acoustic Devices

In 2011, Ren’s group has developed the first graphene sound source device in the world. This is the first time that the graphene applications have been extended into acoustic area. The graphene sound source can produce sound in a wide sound frequency range from 100 Hz to 50 kHz. After that, we have innovated the first graphene earphone, which can be used both for human and animals. In 2017, both the sound detection and sound emission have been integrated into one graphene device, which is called graphene artificial throat. In this book chapter, more details for developing those graphene acoustic devices will be introduced, which can help to boost the real applications of graphene devices

Protomelission is an early dasyclad alga and not a Cambrian bryozoan

The animal phyla and their associated body plans originate from a singular burst of evolution occurring during the Cambrian period, over 500 million years ago1. The phylum Bryozoa, the colonial ‘moss animals’, have been the exception: convincing skeletons of this biomineralizing clade have been absent from Cambrian strata, in part because potential bryozoan fossils are difficult to distinguish from the modular skeletons of other animal and algal groups2,3. At present, the strongest candidate4 is the phosphatic microfossil Protomelission5. Here we describe exceptionally preserved non-mineralized anatomy in Protomelission-like macrofossils from the Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte6. Taken alongside the detailed skeletal construction and the potential taphonomic origin of ‘zooid apertures’, we consider that Protomelission is better interpreted as the earliest dasycladalean green alga—emphasizing the ecological role of benthic photosynthesizers in early Cambrian communities. Under this interpretation, Protomelission cannot inform the origins of the bryozoan body plan; despite a growing number of promising candidates7,8,9, there remain no unequivocal bryozoans of Cambrian age

New multipodomerous appendages of stem-group euarthropods from the Cambrian (Stage 4) Guanshan Konservat-Lagerstätte.

Funder: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard UniversityFunder: Herchel Smith Postdoctoral FellowshipStem-group euarthropods are important for understanding the early evolutionary and ecological history of the most species-rich animal phylum on Earth. Of particular interest are fossil taxa that occupy a phylogenetic position immediately crownwards of radiodonts, for this part of the euarthropod tree is associated with the appearance of several morphological features that characterize extant members of the group. Here, we report two new euarthropods from the Cambrian Stage 4 Guanshan Biota of South China. The fuxianhuiid Alacaris? sp. is represented by isolated appendages composed of a gnathobasic protopodite and an endite-bearing endopod of at least 20 podomeres. This material represents the youngest occurrence of the family Chengjiangocarididae, and its first record outside the Chengjiang and Xiaoshiba biotas. We also describe Lihuacaris ferox gen. et sp. nov. based on well-preserved and robust isolated appendages. Lihuacaris ferox exhibits an atypical combination of characters including an enlarged rectangular base, 11 endite-bearing podomeres and a hypertrophied distal element bearing 8-10 curved spines. Alacaris? sp. appendages display adaptations for macrophagy. Lihuacaris ferox appendages resemble the frontal appendages of radiodonts, as well as the post-oral endopods of chengjiangocaridid fuxianhuids and other deuteropods with well-documented raptorial/predatory habits. Lihuacaris ferox contributes towards the record of endemic biodiversity in the Guanshan Biota

Poly[[[μ-1,1′-(butane-1,4-di­yl)diimidazole-κ2 N 3:N 3′](μ-cyclo­hexane-1,4-dicarboxyl­ato-κ4 O 1,O 1′:O 4,O 4′)nickel(II)] 0.25-hydrate]

In the title coordination polymer, {[Ni(C8H10O4)(C10H14N4)]·0.25H2O}n, the coordination of the NiII ion is distorted octa­hedral. The 1,1′-(butane-1,4-di­yl)diimidazole ligand and the cyclo­hexane-1,4-dicarboxyl­ate dianion bridge metal centres, forming a two-dimensional (4,4) network. The network is consolidated by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the statistically occupied water molecules and O atoms of the two carboxylate groups

Comprehensive evaluation research of hybrid energy systems driven by renewable energy based on fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making

The worsening of climate conditions is closely related to the large amount of carbon dioxide produced by human use of fossil fuels. Under the guidance of the goal of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals”, with the deepening of the structural reform of the energy supply side, the hybrid energy system coupled with renewable energy has become an important means to solve the energy problem. This paper focuses on the comprehensive evaluation of hybrid energy systems. A complete decision support system is constructed in this study. The system primarily consists of four components: 1) Twelve evaluation criteria from economic, environmental, technological, and socio-political perspectives; 2) A decision information collecting and processing method in uncertain environment combining triangular fuzzy numbers and hesitation fuzzy language term sets; 3) A comprehensive weighting method based on Lagrange optimization theory; 4) Solution ranking based on the fuzzy VIKOR method that considers the risk preferences of decision-makers. Through a case study, it was found that the four most important criteria are investment cost, comprehensive energy efficiency, dynamic payback period and energy supply reliability with weights of 7.21%, 7.17%, 7.17%, and 7.15% respectively. A1 is the scheme with the best comprehensive benefit. The selection of solutions may vary depending on the decision-maker’s risk preference. Through the aforementioned research, the decision framework enables the evaluation of the overall performance of the system and provides decision-making references for decision-makers in selecting solutions