A Self-attention Knowledge Domain Adaptation Network for Commercial Lithium-ion Batteries State-of-health Estimation under Shallow Cycles

Accurate state-of-health (SOH) estimation is critical to guarantee the safety, efficiency and reliability of battery-powered applications. Most SOH estimation methods focus on the 0-100\% full state-of-charge (SOC) range that has similar distributions. However, the batteries in real-world applications usually work in the partial SOC range under shallow-cycle conditions and follow different degradation profiles with no labeled data available, thus making SOH estimation challenging. To estimate shallow-cycle battery SOH, a novel unsupervised deep transfer learning method is proposed to bridge different domains using self-attention distillation module and multi-kernel maximum mean discrepancy technique. The proposed method automatically extracts domain-variant features from charge curves to transfer knowledge from the large-scale labeled full cycles to the unlabeled shallow cycles. The CALCE and SNL battery datasets are employed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method to estimate the battery SOH for different SOC ranges, temperatures, and discharge rates. The proposed method achieves a root-mean-square error within 2\% and outperforms other transfer learning methods for different SOC ranges. When applied to batteries with different operating conditions and from different manufacturers, the proposed method still exhibits superior SOH estimation performance. The proposed method is the first attempt at accurately estimating battery SOH under shallow-cycle conditions without needing a full-cycle characteristic test

Zinc-Chelating Mechanism of Sea Cucumber (Stichopus japonicus)-Derived Synthetic Peptides

In this study, three synthetic zinc-chelating peptides (ZCPs) derived from sea cucumber hydrolysates with limited or none of the common metal-chelating amino-acid residues were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, zeta-potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The amount of zinc bound to the ZCPs reached maximum values with ZCP:zinc at 1:1, and it was not further increased by additional zinc presence. The secondary structures of ZCPs were slightly altered, whereas no formation of multimers was observed. Furthermore, zinc increased the zeta-potential value by neutralizing the negatively charged residues. Only free carboxyl in C-terminus of ZCPs was identified as the primary binding site of zinc. These results provide the theoretical foundation to understand the mechanism of zinc chelation by peptides

Creation and annihilation of topological meron pairs in in-plane magnetized films

Merons which are topologically equivalent to one-half of skyrmions can exist only in pairs or groups in two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic (FM) systems. The recent discovery of meron lattice in chiral magnet Co8Zn9Mn3 raises the immediate challenging question that whether a single meron pair, which is the most fundamental topological structure in any 2D meron systems, can be created and stabilized in a continuous FM film? Utilizing winding number conservation, we develop a new method to create and stabilize a single pair of merons in a continuous Py film by local vortex imprinting from a Co disk. By observing the created meron pair directly within a magnetic field, we determine its topological structure unambiguously and explore the topological effect in its creation and annihilation processes. Our work opens a pathway towards developing and controlling topological structures in general magnetic systems without the restriction of perpendicular anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. © 2019, The Author(s).1

Synthesis of dominant plastic microfibre prevalence and pollution control feasibility in Chinese freshwater environments

Microplastic pollution of freshwaters is known to be a great concern in China and these pollutants can be discharged into the coastal environment through fluvial processes, posing threats to the global marine ecosystem. This paper reviewed the literature measuring microplastic pollution in the Chinese freshwater environment and found that microfibres dominate other plastic morphologies in more than 65% of samples collected in surface water, sediments and effluents of wastewater treatment plants and domestic sewers. Current potential sources of microfibre pollution are identified including fishery activities, laundry sewage, and waste textiles according to previous research. Recommendations are offered using the circular economy management framework, such as textile waste reuse and recycling systems in China, for improving current control measures for microplastics in freshwaters

kineticsofthedecompositionofdimethylhexane16dicarbamateto16hexamethylenediisocyanate

The kinetics of the decomposition of dimethylhexane-1,6-dicarbamate to 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate was studied. A consecutive reaction model was established and the reaction orders for the two steps were confirmed to be 1 and 1.3 by the integral test method and the numerical differential method, respectively. The activation energies of the two steps were (56.94 ± 5.90) kJ·mol ? 1 and (72.07 ± 3.47) kJ·mol ? 1 with the frequency factors exp(12.53 ± 1.42) min ? 1 and (14.254 ± 0.84) mol ? 0.33 ·L 0.33 ·min ? 1 , respectively. Based on the kinetic model obtained, the progress of the reaction can be calculated under given conditions

Kinetics of the decomposition of dimethylhexane-1,6-dicarbamate to 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate

The kinetics of the decomposition of dimethylhexane-1,6-dicarbamate to 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate was studied. A consecutive reaction model was established and the reaction orders for the two steps were confirmed to be 1 and 1.3 by the integral test method and the numerical differential method, respectively. The activation energies of the two steps were (56.94 +/- 5.90) kJ center dot mol(-1) and (72.07 +/- 3.47) kJ center dot mol(-1) with the frequency factors exp(12.53 +/- 1.42) min(-1) and (14.254 +/- 0.84) mol(-0.33) center dot L-0.33 center dot min(-1), respectively. Based on the kinetic model obtained, the progress of the reaction can be calculated under given conditions. (C) 2015 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved

Propionate and Butyrate Inhibit Biofilm Formation of Salmonella Typhimurium Grown in Laboratory Media and Food Models

Salmonella is among the most frequently isolated foodborne pathogens, and biofilm formed by Salmonella poses a potential threat to food safety. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially propionate and butyrate, have been demonstrated to exhibit a beneficial effect on promoting intestinal health and regulating the host immune system, but their anti-biofilm property has not been well studied. This study aims to investigate the effects of propionate or butyrate on the biofilm formation and certain virulence traits of Salmonella. We investigated the effect of propionate or butyrate on the biofilm formation of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) SL1344 grown in LB broth or food models (milk or chicken juice) by crystal violet staining methods. Biofilm formation was significantly reduced in LB broth and food models and the reduction was visualized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Biofilm metabolic activity was attenuated in the presence of propionate or butyrate. Meanwhile, both SCFAs decreased AI-2 quorum sensing based on reporter strain assay. Butyrate, not propionate, could effectively reduce bacterial motility. Bacterial adhesion to and invasion of Caco-2 cells were also significantly inhibited in the presence of both SCFAs. Finally, two SCFAs downregulated virulence genes related to biofilm formation and invasion through real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). These findings demonstrate the potential application of SCFAs in the mitigation of Salmonella biofilm in food systems, but future research mimicking food environments encountered during the food chain is necessitated

Live and pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila decrease susceptibility to Salmonella Typhimurium infection in mice

Introduction: The gut microbiome is vital for providing resistance against colonized pathogenic bacteria. Recently, specific commensal species have become recognized as important mediators of host defense against microbial infection by a variety of mechanisms. Objectives: To examine the contribution of live and pasteurized A. muciniphila to defend against the intestinal pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium in a streptomycin-treated mouse model of infection. Methods: C57B6J mice were pretreated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), live Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK), and pasteurized A. muciniphila (pAKK) for two weeks, then mice were infected by S. Typhimurium SL 1344. 16S rRNA-based gut microbiota analysis was performed before and after infection. Bacterial counts in feces and tissues, histopathological analysis, gut barrier-related gene expression, and antimicrobial peptides were examined. Co-housing was performed to examine the role of microbiota in the change of susceptibility of mice to infection. Results: AKK and pAKK markedly decreased Salmonella fecal and systemic burdens and reduced inflammation during infection. Notably, further characterization of AKK and pAKK protective mechanisms revealed different candidate protective pathways. AKK promoted gut barrier gene expression and the secretion of antimicrobial peptides, and co-housing studies suggested that AKK-associated microbial community played a role in attenuating infection. Moreover, pAKK had a positive effect on NLRP3 in infected mice. We verified that pretreatment of pAKK could promote the expression of NLRP3, and enhance the antimicrobial activity of macrophage, likely through increasing the production of reactive oxygen (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), and inflammatory cytokines. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that live or pasteurized A. muciniphila can be effective preventive measures for alleviating S. Typhimurium-induced disease, highlighting the potential of developing Akkermansia-based probiotics or postbiotics for the prevention of Salmonellosis