Inspired by the remarkable surface wetting behavior of natural organisms, artificially designed superwettable systems have attracted significant attention from multidisciplinary scientists over the past two decades. Starch is an eco-friendly, nontoxic, and low-cost natural polymer that serves as an alternative to nonbiodegradable and/or bioincompatible synthetic polymers in these systems. This review

Nonlinear wavefront shaping is crucial for advancing optical technologies, enabling applications in optical computation, information processing, and imaging. However, a significant challenge is that once a metasurface is fabricated, the nonlinear wavefront it generates is fixed, offering little flexibility. This limitation often necessitates the fabrication of different metasurfaces for different wavefronts

The rapid evolution of laser micro/nano-manufacturing techniques has transformed precision manufacturing, enabling the creation of complex micro/nano structures. These techniques are crucial for multiple industries, including electronics, photonics, and biomedical engineering, owing to their unmatched precision and versatility. The ability to manipulate materials at such scales has unlocked new possibilities

Hyperglycemia in individuals with diabetes causes cognitive impairment, called diabetic encephalopathy (DE). The pathogenesis of DE is closely related to angiopathy, and effective treatment is highly desirable. The botanical agent berberine (BBR) effectively lowers blood glucose in diabetic patients. Here, we show for the first time that BBR significantly improved cognitive function in type 2 diabetic

The integrated energy systems (IESs) offer a practical solution for achieving low-carbon targets in residential buildings. However, IES encounters several challenges related to increased energy consumption and costs due to fluctuations in renewable energy generation. Leveraging building flexibility to address these power fluctuations within IES is a promising strategy, which requires coordinated control

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With the intelligent transformation of process manufacturing, accurate and comprehensive perception information is fundamental for application of artificial intelligence methods. In zinc smelting, the fluidized bed roaster is a key piece of large-scale equipment and plays a critical role in the manufacturing industry; its internal temperature field directly determines the quality of zinc calcine and

Gut microbiota reportedly affects both efficacy and toxicity in drug metabolism. Probiotics possess several enzymes and are increasingly used in clinical and food settings. However, the effect of probiotics on in vivo drug metabolism, activity, efficacy, and toxicity remains a pressing topic of investigation. We assessed the effects of the probiotic Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Zhang (LCZ) on lovastatin

Depressurization and heat injection are viewed as the main methods to be used in natural gas hydrate (NGH) exploitation. However, these methods have limitations, such as low energy-utilization efficiency or a limited extraction range, and are still far from commercial exploitation. In this work, we propose a potential commercial method to exploit NGHs by effectively using geothermal energy inside deep

Drill bits with complex geometries are pivotal role as essential tools widely applied in high-performance manufacturing processes, particularly in aerospace and related industries. However, the precise measurement of the geometries of such cutting tools is quite challenging owing to their complex reflective properties, surface morphology, and numerous parameters within small dimensions. In this paper

With the rapid growth of the global population and the increasing demand for healthier diets, improving the nutrient utilization efficiency of staple food crops has become a critical scientific and industrial challenge, prompting innovation in food processing technologies. This review introduces first the common nutritional challenges in the processing of staple food crops, followed by the comprehensive

To maintain power grid stability under the increasing integration of renewable energy, the operational flexibility of thermal power plants is assuming growing significance. Flame stability and responsiveness on the combustion side under the extreme conditions of ultra-low loads and rapid load-change processes are the key to increasing the flexibility of thermal power plants. In this paper, a burner

Carbonated recycled aggregate concrete (CRAC), which involves the recycling of concrete waste and fixing CO2, is expected to achieve a good positive net CO2 benefit. Unfortunately, the existing studies imply that the application of recycled aggregates and carbonation modification have both advantages and disadvantages in producing a net climate benefit. To explore the net CO2 benefit of CRAC, the life-cycle

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) with adapted rheology continues to attract interest considering the requirement for novel processing techniques such as self-consolidating, pumping, spraying, and three-dimensional (3D) printing. The rheology of UHPC is complex due to its high solid volume fraction, low water content, and wide range of constituent materials that affect its flow properties. This

Sequential-modular-based process flowsheeting software remains an indispensable tool for process design, control, and optimization. Yet, as the process industry advances in intelligent operation and maintenance, conventional sequential-modular-based process-simulation techniques present challenges regarding computationally intensive calculations and significant central processing unit (CPU) time requirements

In deep oil reservoir development, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques encounter significant challenges under high-temperature and high-salinity conditions. Traditional profile-control agents often fail to maintain stable blocking under extreme conditions and exhibit poor resistance to high temperature and high salinity. This study develops a functionalized nanographite system (the MEGO system)

Optical monitoring of object position and alignment with nanoscale precision is critical for ultra-precision measurement applications, such as micro/nano-fabrication, weak force sensing, and microscopic imaging. Traditional optical nanometry methods often rely on precision nanostructure fabrication, multi-beam interferometry, or complex post-processing algorithms, which can limit their practical use

Ensuring the long-term durability of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars poses a significant challenge in practical applications, particularly in marine environments. Moisture absorption by GFRP bars causes hydrolysis and plasticization of the polymer matrix, resulting in a decline in both their stiffness and strength. Furthermore, the penetration of detrimental ions (e.g., OH–) with moisture

The passive containment heat removal system (PCS) is one of the key passive safety systems of China’s third-generation advanced pressurized water reactor—Hua-long Pressurized Reactor (HPR1000), used to prevent overpressure of large concrete containment under severe accident scenarios. This paper provides an overview of the development of the HPR1000 passive containment heat removal system, including

The central dogma of molecular biology—detailing the unidirectional flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to proteins—has long been regarded as the definitive framework for understanding biological processes [1]. While this concept has proven invaluable, it leaves many cellular phenomena unexplained. Recent discoveries in glycobiology challenge this framework by introducing the paracentral dogma

Marine seismic exploration is traditionally conducted using towed streamers to investigate the geological structure of sea shelves and identify mineral deposits. Conventional streamers typically use piezoelectric hydrophones or fiber-optic interferometric hydrophones, which are complex, costly, and challenging to manufacture. In this study, we introduced a fiber-optic marine towed streamer seismic

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) represents a critical technological pathway for global carbon emission reduction. CCUS-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology is the most feasible CCUS technology demonstrating dual benefits of enhanced energy production and carbon reduction. This study comprehensively described the key influencing factors governing CO2-EOR and geological storage and

CO2-responsive gels, which swell upon contact with CO2, are widely used for profile control to plug high-permeability gas flow channels in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) applications in oil reservoirs. However, the use of these gels in high-temperature CCUS applications is limited due to their reversible swelling behavior at elevated temperatures. In this study, a novel dispersed particle

Soil could represent a potentially notable source of carbon for achieving global carbon neutrality. However, how the land surface soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, which is more sensitive to climate change than other carbon stocks, will change naturally under the influence of global warming remains unknown. In this work, the global land surface SOC trends from 1981–2019 were explored, and the driving

As a natural alternative to antibiotics, probiotics have considerable potential for use in livestock farming. However, the current use of probiotics in livestock poses potential public health risks due to inadequate regulations, including issues such as the inferior quality and dissemination of antibiotic resistance. In this study, 95 non-duplicate commercial probiotic products for livestock were collected

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As large language models (LLMs) continue to demonstrate their potential in handling complex tasks, their value in knowledge-intensive industrial scenarios is becoming increasingly evident. Fault diagnosis, a critical domain in the industrial sector, has long faced the dual challenges of managing vast amounts of experiential knowledge and improving human–machine collaboration efficiency. Traditional

Unlike conventional spherical charges, a shaped charge generates not only a strong shock wave and a pulsating bubble, but also a high-strain rate metal jet and a ballistic wave during the underwater explosion. They show significant characteristic differences and couple each other. This paper designs and conducts experiments with shaped charges to analyze the complicated process. The effects of liner

Ganoderma lingzhi (G. lingzhi), renowned as the “mushroom of immortality” in traditional Chinese medicine, has emerged as a powerful medicinal model organism. Ganoderic acids (GAs) from G. lingzhi, are potent triterpenoids with substantial therapeutic properties. However, the GA biosynthetic pathway remains poorly understood, which limits its large-scale commercialization. Therefore, this study utilized

Computational solid mechanics has become an indispensable approach in engineering, and numerical investigation of fracturing in composites is essential, as composites are widely used in structural applications. Crack evolution in composites is the path to elucidating the relationship between microstructures and fracture performance, but crack-based finite-element methods are computationally expensive

Current damage detection methods based on model updating and sensitivity Jacobian matrixes show a low convergence ratio and computational efficiency for online calculations. The aim of this paper is to construct a real-time automated damage detection method by developing a theory-assisted adaptive muti-agent twin delayed deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm (TA2-MATD3). First, the theoretical

Limestone calcined clay cements (LC3) present a sustainable alternative to traditional Portland cement due to their potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions. However, LC3 cements often exhibit slower early-age strength development, which poses a challenge for their broader adoption. This study critically examines various technological approaches to enhance the early-age strength of LC3 cements

Tamm plasmon polaritons (TPPs) are localized photonic states at the interface between a metal layer and one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal substrate. Unlike surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), TPPs can be excited by both transverse magnetic and electric waves without requiring additional coupling optics. TPPs offer robust color filtering, making them ideal for applications such as complementary

With the emergence of general foundational models, such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), researchers have shown considerable interest in the potential applications of foundation models in the process industry. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities presented by the use of foundation models in the process industry, including the frameworks

The production of cement and concrete using carbonated steel slag as a supplementary cementitious material achieves the dual benefits of efficient steel slag utilization and CO2 fixation. In this study, a combination of microbial technology and a rotary kiln process was employed to expedite the carbonation of steel slag for CO2 fixation from cement kiln flue gas. This approach resulted in a significant

In-memory computing (IMC) based on spin-logic devices is regarded as an advantageous way to optimize the Von Neumann bottleneck. However, performing complete Boolean logic with spintronic devices typically requires an initialization operation, which can reduce processing speed. In this work, we conceptualize and experimentally demonstrate a programmable and initialization-free spin-logic gate, leveraging

At present, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the only mature and commercialized technology capable of effectively and economically reducing greenhouse gas emissions to achieve a significant and immediate impact on the CO2 level on Earth. Notably, long-term geological storage of captured CO2 has emerged as a primary storage method, given its minimal impact on surface ecological environments and high

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Interconnection planning involving bi-directional converters (BdCs) is crucial for enhancing the reliability and robustness of hybrid alternating current (AC)/direct current (DC) microgrid clusters with high penetrations of renewable energy resources (RESs). However, challenges such as the non-convex nature of BdC efficiency and renewable energy uncertainty complicate the planning process. To address

Placement optimization is a crucial phase in chip design, involving the strategic arrangement of cells within a limited region to enhance space utilization and reduce wirelength. Chip design enterprises need to optimize the placement according to design rules to meet customer demands. While mixed-cell-height circuits are widely used in modern chip design, few studies have simultaneously considered

In recent decades, the pursuit of miniaturization has been crucial in nanofabrication, fostering innovation, and enabling novel applications in chip manufacturing, nanophotonics, and quantum devices [1], [2]. Advancements in nanofabrication technology are driven by the demand for higher component density and performance, necessitating precise material processing in atmospheric environments. Traditional

This paper presents a reliability-based code calibration procedure aimed at determining optimal partial safety factors to be employed in design rules for pultruded glass fibre-reinforced polymer (pGFRP) I-section beams, susceptible to web-crippling, namely under end-two-flange (ETF) and interior-two-flange (ITF) loading cases with unfastened flanges. Following a comprehensive state-of-the-art literature

Electric tractors (ETs) with mounted implements form operating units. There are significant differences in parameters such as shape, firmness, and moisture content of the soil in contact with the tractor and implements when working in complex terrains such as field stubble, waterlogged silt, and loose/firm terrain. These differentiated dynamics prevent cooperation between ETs and operating implements

High-water-cut mature reservoirs typically serve as the “ballast” for ensuring China’s annual crude oil production of 200 million tons. Despite the use of water flooding and chemical methods, over 40% of crude oil remains unexploited. It is critical to develop efficient revolutionary technologies to further enhance oil recovery (EOR) by a large percentage in high-water-cut mature reservoirs. To address

Three-dimensional (3D) braided composites have significant potential for use in engineering structural materials. However, conventional 3D braiding machines are insufficient for designing composites with complex geometries. This paper proposes a programmable design methodology for 3D rotary braiding machines using circle-cutting and combination strategies. By introducing varying numbers of incisions

Alcohol consumption poses an escalating public health challenge. However, the impact of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) on post-transplant hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation and surgical outcomes remains inadequately characterized. Herein, we retrospectively analyzed our cohort (NCT06114251) comprising 453 patients with an HBV background. Propensity score matching (PSM) and sensitivity analyses were

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive autoimmune disease characterized by bone destruction that is primarily caused by the overactivation of osteoclasts (OCs), which are critical therapeutic targets. Triptolide (TP) has strong anti-RA effects but is limited by its narrow therapeutic window and associated toxicity, necessitating combination therapy to increase its efficacy and reduce side effects

The conventional method for analyzing the durability of concrete structures is complex and time-consuming. The values of durability parameters are closely linked with the specific mix proportions of concrete and its service environment. For a reliable service life assessment, it is crucial to accurately determine critical physical indicators within the design model, such as the chloride diffusion coefficient

To address the rising global agricultural labor costs, there is an urgent need for robots to accomplish some complex agronomic tasks and break through the limitations of traditional machinery. Thus, robots are considered an essential support for the future smart agriculture. Given that agronomic targets, such as plants and animals, are living organisms with diverse growth patterns and physical characteristics

In the face of the unrelenting challenge posed by earthquakes—a natural hazard of unpredictable nature with a legacy of significant loss of life, destruction of infrastructure, and profound economic and social impacts—the scientific community has pursued advancements in earthquake early warning systems (EEWS). These systems are vital for pre-emptive actions and decision-making that can save lives and

Mapping potential areas for finfish mariculture, particularly high-yield regions, is crucial for the proper utilization of marine space and global food security. Physiological models (growth performance models) that consider the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the marine environment are a potentially effective approach to achieving this goal. In the present study, we developed an integrated model that

In 2023, the global soybean trade volume with China reached 99.41 million tonnes without any contribution from Africa. With its vast arable land, Africa has the potential to develop a strong soybean industry to increase food security, create employment opportunities, and position itself as a key exporter to China. However, soybean growth and yield are stringently linked to nodulation and nitrogen gas