Properties and low-temperature performance of biomass heavy oil used in road applications

Biomass heavy oil, a renewable green energy source, has been extensively explored for its preparation process and material properties. This study examined the applicability of biomass heavy oil integrated into matrix asphalt. Bio-asphalt samples were prepared using polymer-modified asphalt I-C as the matrix asphalt, blended with straw liquid oil, straw solid oil, and castor liquid oil. The low-temperature performances of these samples were assessed. First, the effects of bio-oil on the fundamental performance of asphalt were analyzed through three-component tests, encompassing a short-term aging test and a temperature scanning test based on dynamic shear rheometry. Subsequently, the effects of the chemical composition of bio-asphalt on its fundamental performance were examined through four-component tests, including SARA, gel-permeation chromatography (GPC), and gray entropy correlation. The glass transition temperature (Tg) was considered a parameter for evaluating the low-temperature properties of the bio-asphalt binders. The bending-beam rheometry (BBR) low-temperature creep test and the binder fracture energy (BFE) full-section fracture energy test revealed that adding bio-oil reduces Tg of the matrix asphalt. The integrated creep flexural parameter Jc and the BFE fracture energy density values indicated that the low-temperature fracture-resistant properties of bio-asphalt surpass those of the matrix asphalt. Furthermore, the low-temperature cracking resistance of the bio-asphalt samples was determined through the BFE test. Gray entropy correlation analysis of the low-temperature performance indicators of bio-asphalt revealed that the BBR test is suitable for evaluating low-temperature performance only up to − 12 °C. In summary, the bio-asphalt mixtures demonstrate exceptional fatigue resistance under low-temperature service conditions. Therefore, bio-oil emerges as an effective candidate for enhancing the low-temperature performance characteristics of matrix asphalt

Improvement of high-temperature wear resistance of Zr-based metallic glass by pre-oxidation treatment

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are promising for extensive industrial applications due to their superior mechanical properties, excellent glass formation ability (GFA), and low manufacturing costs. However, the wear resistance of Zr-based BMGs, especially when exposed to high-temperature service environments, is deficient and could lead to premature failure of critical components. Herein, we report an effective strategy that can significantly enhance the high-temperature wear resistance of Zr-based BMGs, referred to as pre-oxidation treatment (PT). At ambient temperature, the wear rate of the pristine Zr-based BMG samples was estimated to be ∼173.7 × 10−6 mm3 N−1 m−1, whereas the PT samples subjected to the PT strategy showed no detectable volume loss. In addition, the wear rate of the PT samples at 250 °C was ∼11.5 × 10−6 mm3 N−1 m−1. Intriguingly, even as the temperature surpassed the crystallization point of the BMG, the PT samples demonstrated a further enhancement in wear resistance, showcasing a wear rate of approximately ∼7.29 × 10−6 mm3 N−1 m−1. Our work introduces a promising and convenient strategy to enhance the high-temperature wear resistance of Zr-based BMG components, thereby promoting their application in real-world engineering scenarios

Combining Machine Learning and Crowdsourcing for Better Understanding Commodity Reviews

In e-commerce systems, customer reviews are important information for understanding market feedbacks on certain commodities. However, accurate analyzing reviews is challenging due to the complexity of natural language processing and informal descriptions in reviews. Existing methods mainly focus on studying efficient algorithms that cannot guarantee the accuracy for review analysis. Crowdsourcing can improve the accuracy of review analysis while it is subject to extra costs and low response time. In this work, we combine machine learning and crowdsourcing together for better understanding customer reviews. First, we collectively use multiple machine learning algorithms to pre-process review classification. Second, we select the reviews on which all machine learning algorithms cannot agree and assign them to humans to process. Third, the results from machine learning and crowdsourcing are aggregated to be the final analysis results. Finally, we perform real experiments with practical review data to confirm the effectiveness of our method

Templated Synthesis of Aluminum Nanoparticles - A New Route to Stable Energetic Materials

Nanoscale structural cavities in ionomer membrane films were used as templates for the facile synthesis of small aluminum nanoparticles via catalytic decomposition of an alane precursor. The loading of reactive aluminum in the composite film could be varied, up to more than half of the film weight. While the embedded nanoparticles were protected by the membrane structure from any significant oxidation for the composite films to exhibit surprising stability in ambient air, they could be fully accessed in base water for the hydrogen production quantitatively. The templated synthesis may represent a new route for stable aluminum nanoparticles and related energetic nanomaterials

Hepatic Sel1L-Hrd1 ER-Associated Degradation (ERAD) manages FGF21 levels and systemic metabolism via CREBH

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (Fgf21) is a liver-derived, fasting-induced hormone with broad effects on growth, nutrient metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Here, we report the discovery of a novel mechanism regulating Fgf21 expression under growth and fasting-feeding. The Sel1LHrd1 complex is the most conserved branch of mammalian endoplasmic reticulum (ER)- associated degradation (ERAD) machinery. Mice with liver-specific deletion of Sel1L exhibit growth retardation with markedly elevated circulating Fgf21, reaching levels close to those in Fgf21 transgenic mice or pharmacological models. Mechanistically, we show that the Sel1LHrd1 ERAD complex controls Fgf21 transcription by regulating the ubiquitination and turnover (and thus nuclear abundance) of ER-resident transcription factor Crebh, while having no effect on the other well-known Fgf21 transcription factor Pparα. Our data reveal a physiologically regulated, inverse correlation between Sel1L-Hrd1 ERAD and Crebh-Fgf21 levels under fasting-feeding and growth. This study not only establishes the importance of Sel1L-Hrd1 ERAD in the liver in the regulation of systemic energy metabolism, but also reveals a novel hepatic “ERADCrebh- Fgf21” axis directly linking ER protein turnover to gene transcription and systemic metabolic regulation

Hepatic Sel1L-Hrd1 ER-Associated Degradation (ERAD) manages FGF21 levels and systemic metabolism via CREBH

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (Fgf21) is a liver-derived, fasting-induced hormone with broad effects on growth, nutrient metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Here, we report the discovery of a novel mechanism regulating Fgf21 expression under growth and fasting-feeding. The Sel1LHrd1 complex is the most conserved branch of mammalian endoplasmic reticulum (ER)- associated degradation (ERAD) machinery. Mice with liver-specific deletion of Sel1L exhibit growth retardation with markedly elevated circulating Fgf21, reaching levels close to those in Fgf21 transgenic mice or pharmacological models. Mechanistically, we show that the Sel1LHrd1 ERAD complex controls Fgf21 transcription by regulating the ubiquitination and turnover (and thus nuclear abundance) of ER-resident transcription factor Crebh, while having no effect on the other well-known Fgf21 transcription factor Pparα. Our data reveal a physiologically regulated, inverse correlation between Sel1L-Hrd1 ERAD and Crebh-Fgf21 levels under fasting-feeding and growth. This study not only establishes the importance of Sel1L-Hrd1 ERAD in the liver in the regulation of systemic energy metabolism, but also reveals a novel hepatic “ERADCrebh- Fgf21” axis directly linking ER protein turnover to gene transcription and systemic metabolic regulation

Hepatic Sel1L-Hrd1 ER-associated degradation (ERAD) manages FGF21 levels and systemic metabolism via CREBH

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (Fgf21) is a liver-derived, fasting-induced hormone with broad effects on growth, nutrient metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. Here, we report the discovery of a novel mechanism regulating Fgf21 expression under growth and fasting-feeding. The Sel1L-Hrd1 complex is the most conserved branch of mammalian endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) machinery. Mice with liver-specific deletion of Sel1L exhibit growth retardation with markedly elevated circulating Fgf21, reaching levels close to those in Fgf21 transgenic mice or pharmacological models. Mechanistically, we show that the Sel1L-Hrd1 ERAD complex controls Fgf21 transcription by regulating the ubiquitination and turnover (and thus nuclear abundance) of ER-resident transcription factor Crebh, while having no effect on the other well-known Fgf21 transcription factor Pparα. Our data reveal a physiologically regulated, inverse correlation between Sel1L-Hrd1 ERAD and Crebh-Fgf21 levels under fasting-feeding and growth. This study not only establishes the importance of Sel1L-Hrd1 ERAD in the liver in the regulation of systemic energy metabolism, but also reveals a novel hepatic “ERAD-Crebh-Fgf21” axis directly linking ER protein turnover to gene transcription and systemic metabolic regulation.</p