Research on Salt Corrosion Resistance of Lithium-Based Protective Coating on Mortar Substrate

The present study concerns hydrophobic surface treatments with silane-based coating on concrete surfaces against external ionic transport. The nano-modification and organic–inorganic modification were carried out on it and applied to the mortar matrix and concrete matrix. Lithium-based protective coating (PC1, PC2), nano-modified coating (NC1, NC2) and organic–inorganic composite coating (OL1) were prepared. The salt erosion resistance of the mortar matrix and concrete matrix was tested, compared with the blank group and the market. The test results found that the organic–inorganic modified OL1 and LC1 coatings have the greatest influence on the chloride penetration resistance of the mortar matrix, in which the chloride penetration depth of 28 days is reduced by 73.03% and 63.83%, respectively, compared with the blank group. The rate of mass change of the blank group, PC1 and PC2 coatings, and NL1 and NL2 coatings were 0.17%, 0.08%, and 0.03%, respectively. The result demonstrated that the lithium-based coating could effectively delay the penetration rate of chloride ions and sulfates into the mortar, and the nano-modified properties could improve the salt resistance. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that coating treatment would promote the secondary hydration of cement-based materials, by reducing the content of Ca(OH)2 in hydration products of cement-based materials and producing C-S-H gel, which is conducive to strength enhancement and pore refinement. The nano-component would promote the reaction degree, while the organic–inorganic coating would have the respective advantages of the two components

Weak Solutions for a -Laplacian Antiperiodic Boundary Value Problem with Impulsive Effects

By virtue of variational method and critical point theory, we will investigate the existence of weak solutions for a -Laplacian impulsive differential equation with antiperiodic boundary conditions

Closed-Loop Magnetic Manipulation for Robotic Transesophageal Echocardiography

This paper presents a closed-loop magnetic manipulation framework for robotic transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) acquisitions. Different from previous work on intracorporeal robotic ultrasound acquisitions that focus on continuum robot control, we first investigate the use of magnetic control methods for more direct, intuitive, and accurate manipulation of the distal tip of the probe. We modify a standard TEE probe by attaching a permanent magnet and an inertial measurement unit sensor to the probe tip and replacing the flexible gastroscope with a soft tether containing only wires for transmitting ultrasound signals, and show that 6-DOF localization and 5-DOF closed-loop control of the probe can be achieved with an external permanent magnet based on the fusion of internal inertial measurement and external magnetic field sensing data. The proposed method does not require complex structures or motions of the actuator and the probe compared with existing magnetic manipulation methods. We have conducted extensive experiments to validate the effectiveness of the framework in terms of localization accuracy, update rate, workspace size, and tracking accuracy. In addition, our results obtained on a realistic cardiac tissue-mimicking phantom show that the proposed framework is applicable in real conditions and can generally meet the requirements for tele-operated TEE acquisitions.Comment: Accepted by IEEE Transactions on Robotics. Copyright may be transferred without notice, after which this version may no longer be accessibl

A multi-primary trichromator to derive individual color matching functions and cone spectral sensitivities

Measuring color matching differences between observers is an important means of investigating individual differences in human color vision. In this article, we introduce a new LED-based visual trichromator with which we have estimated color matching functions and cone spectral sensitivities in a group of five normal observers. The trichromator has side-by-side semi-circular matching fields that are illuminated by two spectrally tunable LED light sources, each comprised of 18 LEDs with center wavelengths ranging from 400 to 700 nm. We used Maxwell's method to derive a set color match. A fixed triplet of red-green-blue (RGB) primaries produced the white standard field of 120 cd/m2 in one field. The other field, the mixture field, was illuminated by one of 11 different triplets of lights with various center wavelengths. Observers adjusted the intensities of the triplets in the mixture field to match the white standard field. All matches were made for field diameters of 2° and 10° of visual angle to allow comparisons with colorimetric standards and were repeated five times. Calibrations and tests showed that the trichromator and the measurements were stable and repeatable. Grassmann's laws predict that at the 11 color matches the excitations in the three cone types should be the same. Consequently, we can use those matches and a model of how cone spectral sensitivities vary between individuals to estimate the three underlying corneal cone spectral sensitivities for each observer (and thus how they vary from the standard (or mean) observer). We find good agreement with the CIE 2006 standards, but our observers show small but consistent differences

Generative Input: Towards Next-Generation Input Methods Paradigm

Since the release of ChatGPT, generative models have achieved tremendous success and become the de facto approach for various NLP tasks. However, its application in the field of input methods remains under-explored. Many neural network approaches have been applied to the construction of Chinese input method engines(IMEs).Previous research often assumed that the input pinyin was correct and focused on Pinyin-to-character(P2C) task, which significantly falls short of meeting users' demands. Moreover, previous research could not leverage user feedback to optimize the model and provide personalized results. In this study, we propose a novel Generative Input paradigm named GeneInput. It uses prompts to handle all input scenarios and other intelligent auxiliary input functions, optimizing the model with user feedback to deliver personalized results. The results demonstrate that we have achieved state-of-the-art performance for the first time in the Full-mode Key-sequence to Characters(FK2C) task. We propose a novel reward model training method that eliminates the need for additional manual annotations and the performance surpasses GPT-4 in tasks involving intelligent association and conversational assistance. Compared to traditional paradigms, GeneInput not only demonstrates superior performance but also exhibits enhanced robustness, scalability, and online learning capabilities

Genistein adsorption performance and mechanism by metal-organic frameworks based on triangular aromatic ligands

Objective： To improve the adsorption of genistein by zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks （MOFs） with triangle aromatic ligands. Methods： Two MOFs （MOF-808 and PCN-777） containing different sizes of triangle aromatic ligands were synthesized by hydrothermal method for adsorption of genistein. The synthesis of MOFs was determined by a series of characterization methods, and the adsorption performance was compared with that of a linear binary carboxylic acid ligand-constructed MOF （UiO-66）, to evaluate the effects of pore characteristics, hydrophobicity changes, and other factors on the adsorption performance, and to explore the adsorption mechanism by XPS analysis. Results： Compared with linear ligand-constructed UiO-66, the pore sizes of triangular aromatic ligand-constructed MOFs （MOF-808, and PCN-777） increased from 0.65 nm to 1.81 nm and 3.55 nm, respectively, and the water contact angles increased from 47.91° to 110.68° and 128.23°, respectively. The adsorption capacity and adsorption efficiency of genistein in linear ligand-constructed UiO-66 was 40.08 mg/g and 39.98%, respectively, while the adsorption capacity and adsorption efficiency of genistein in MOFs constructed by triangular aromatic ligand （MOF-808, PCN-777） was increased to 61.80 mg/g, 81.75 mg/g and 61.63%, 81.52% respectively. Conclusion： Metal-organic frameworks （MOFs） can be used for the adsorption and enrichment of genistein. Compared with linear ligands, the introduction of triangular aromatic ligands with different sizes changes the pore size and hydrophobicity of MOFs, enhances the internal accessibility of MOFs, and provides more adsorption sites, which improves the adsorption effect of genistein. The adsorption mechanism of genistein in PCN-777 is based on the synergistic combination of metal-chelating interactions, π-π interactions, and hydrophobic interactions

Role of LECT2 in exacerbating atopic dermatitis: insight from in vivo and in vitro models via NF-κB signaling pathway

Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is linked to various immune diseases. Previously, we reported that serum LECT2 levels correlate with disease severity in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. To investigate the role of LECT2 in AD and elucidate its potential mechanisms, we used LECT2 to treat an AD mouse model induced by 1-Chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB) in LECT2 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice, and an AD cell model using TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced HaCaT cells. Inflammatory factors and barrier proteins were analyzed by histology, immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, ELISA, and Western Blot. Activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway was evaluated by Western Blot and immunofluorescence. In the AD mouse model, LECT2 treatment increased epidermal and dermal thickness, mast cell infiltration, and downregulated barrier proteins. Inflammatory factors were increased in skin lesions and serum. In the AD cell model, LECT2 decreased barrier protein levels and increased inflammatory factor levels, enhancing NF-κB P65 nuclear translocation. These results indicate that LECT2 exacerbates AD-like responses by dysregulating the NF-κB signaling pathway, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for AD management

Effect of Water Saturation on Gas-Accessible Effective Pore Space in Gas Shales

AbstractThe existence and content of water will certainly affect the effective pore space of shales and therefore is a key point for the evaluation of in-situ gas content and gas flow capacity of shale reservoirs. In order to reasonably evaluate the gas storage and flow capacities of water-bearing shale reservoirs, the effect of water on the effective pore space of shales needs to be understood. In this study, the Upper Permian Longtan shale in the southeastern Sichuan Basin, China, was selected as an example to conduct nuclear magnetic resonance cryoporometry (NMRC) measurements under different water saturation levels. The gas-accessible effective pore spaces in shales under different water saturation levels were quantified, and the effect of water saturation on gas-accessible effective pore space in shales was investigated. The results show that water plays an important role in the gas-accessible effective pore space of shales. When the Longtan shale increases from a dry state to a water saturation of 65%, 75%, and 90%, the gas-accessible effective pore volume decreases by 35%-60% (average 46.3%), 50%-70% (average 58.8%), and 65%-82% (average 75.8%), respectively. Water has an effect on the gas-accessible effective pore space regardless of pore size, and the effect is the strongest in the 4-100 nm range, which may be mainly due to the high content of clay minerals in the Longtan shale. Our studies are of important theoretical significance and application prospects for accurately evaluating the gas-accessible effective pore space of gas shales under actual geological conditions