A coaxial zinc-tin vertically oriented arrays anode achieving the ultrahigh areal current and capacity up-to 80 mA cm-2 and 80 mAh cm-2

The anode challenges of aqueous zinc ion batteries include zinc dendrites, hydrogen evolution reactions, passivation reactions, and the structural instability. Unfortunately, most of reported strategies can only partially solve the...

Instability, index theorem, and exponential trichotomy for Linear Hamiltonian PDEs

Consider a general linear Hamiltonian system ∂ t u = J L u \partial _{t}u=JLu in a Hilbert space X X . We assume that L : X → X ∗ \ L:X\rightarrow X^{\ast } induces a bounded and symmetric bi-linear form ⟨ L ⋅ , ⋅ ⟩ \left \langle L\cdot ,\cdot \right \rangle on X X , which has only finitely many negative dimensions n − ( L ) n^{-}(L) . There is no restriction on the anti-self-dual operator J : X ∗ ⊃ D ( J ) → X J:X^{\ast }\supset D(J)\rightarrow X . We first obtain a structural decomposition of X X into the direct sum of several closed subspaces so that L L is blockwise diagonalized and J L JL is of upper triangular form, where the blocks are easier to handle. Based on this structure, we first prove the linear exponential trichotomy of e t J L e^{tJL} . In particular, e t J L e^{tJL} has at most algebraic growth in the finite co-dimensional center subspace. Next we prove an instability index theorem to relate n − ( L ) n^{-}\left ( L\right ) and the dimensions of generalized eigenspaces of eigenvalues of J L \ JL , some of which may be embedded in the continuous spectrum. This generalizes and refines previous results, where mostly J J was assumed to have a bounded inverse. More explicit information for the indexes with pure imaginary eigenvalues are obtained as well. Moreover, when Hamiltonian perturbations are considered, we give a sharp condition for the structural instability regarding the generation of unstable spectrum from the imaginary axis. Finally, we discuss Hamiltonian PDEs including dispersive long wave models (BBM, KDV and good Boussinesq equations), 2D Euler equation for ideal fluids, and 2D nonlinear Schrödinger equations with nonzero conditions at infinity, where our general theory applies to yield stability or instability of some coherent states.

Химическое сжатие, структурная нестабильность и ИК-активные фононы в ряду редкоземельных аналогов францисита Cu-=SUB=-3-=/SUB=-RE(SeO-=SUB=-3-=/SUB=-)-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=-O-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=-Cl

ATR and transmission spectra of a series of rare-earth francisite-like phases Cu3RE(SeO3)2O2Cl (RE is a rare earth element, RE = Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Tm, Yb) were studied. The frequencies of the IR-active phonons of the crystals under study were determined. In the dependences of phonon frequencies on the ionic radius in a series of isostructural compounds, two tendencies are observed: a hardening of frequencies due to an increase in chemical pressure and a softening of the vibration frequencies, in which rare-earth ions are involved, due to an increase in the mass of a specific rare-earth ion. In the Cu3Dy(SeO3)2O2Cl crystal, an anomalous softening of low-frequency phonons at low temperatures was observed, which was apparently associated with the structural instability of the compound.

A Briefing Survey on Advances of Coupled Networks With Various Patterns

In real-world scenarios, networks do not exist in isolation but coupled together in different ways, including dependent, multi-support, and inter-connected patterns. And, when a coupled network suffers from structural instability or dynamic perturbations, the system with different coupling patterns shows rich phase transition behaviors. In this review, we present coupled network models with different coupling patterns developed from real scenarios in recent years for studying the system robustness. For the coupled networks with different coupling patterns, based on the network percolation theory, this paper mainly describes the influence of coupling patterns on network robustness. Moreover, for different coupling patterns, we here show readers the research background, research context, and the latest research results and applications. Furthermore, different approaches to improve system robustness with various coupling patterns and future possible research directions for coupled networks are explained and considered.

New Insight into Li+ Dynamics in Lithium Bimetal Phosphate

Substitution of iron by other transition metals within the remarkably stable olivine framework is of interest considering the expected gain in energy density. However, manganese rich olivine materials suffer from sluggish redox kinetics, leading to electrochemical performances at high current densities which are below expectations. The source of the kinetic limitations is not clear, with multiple processes having been proposed, including low bulk electronic conductivity, structural instability of Mn3+ and a phase transition mechanism. This study employed 7Li MAS NMR relaxation techniques to indirectly probe Li+ dynamics using various stoichiometry of chemically prepared LixMnyFe1-yPO4 (0 ≤ (x, y) ≤ 1). Focusing on the particle level, the aim was to understand how the different crystal phases, alongside the Mn structural contribution, influence Li+ transport at each stage of the oxidation process. Significantly, the formation of an olivine solid solution with vacancies within this progression gave rise to a faster 7Li transverse relaxation derived from superior Li+ motion.

Essential roles of buried phenylalanine in the structural stability of thioredoxin from a psychrophilic Arctic bacterium Sphingomonas sp.

Thioredoxin (Trx), a small redox protein, exhibits thermal stability at high temperatures regardless of its origin, including psychrophiles. Trxs have a common structure consisting of the central β-sheet flanked by an aliphatic cluster on one side and an aromatic cluster on the other side. Although the roles of aromatic amino acids in the folding and stability of proteins have been studied extensively, the contributions of aromatic residues to the stability and function of Trx, particularly Trxs from cold-adapted organisms, have not been fully elucidated. This study examined the roles of aromatic amino acids in the aromatic cluster of a Trx from the psychrophilic Arctic bacterium Sphingomonas sp. PAMC 26621 (SpTrx). The aromatic cluster of SpTrx was comprised of W11, F26, F69, and F80, in which F26 at the β2 terminus was buried inside. The substitution of tyrosine for F26 changed the SpTrx conformation substantially compared to that of F69 and F80. Further biochemical and spectroscopic investigations on F26 showed that the F26Y, F26W, and F26A mutants resulted in structural instability of SpTrx in both urea- and temperature-induced unfolding and lower insulin reduction activities. The Trx reductase (SpTR) showed lower catalytic efficiencies against F26 mutants compared to the wild-type SpTrx. These results suggest that buried F26 is essential for maintaining the active-site conformation of SpTrx as an oxidoreductase and its structural stability for interactions with SpTR at colder temperatures.

Inhibitory Effects of Pinostilbene on Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes: A Study of Possible Mechanisms

Resveratrol is a phytoalexin with multiple bioactive properties, including antioxidative, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, and anticancer effects. However, resveratrol exhibits structural instability in response to UV irradiation, alkaline pH, and oxygen exposure. Thus, resveratrol derivatives have attracted considerable research interest. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the anti-adipogenic effects of pinostilbene hydrate (PH), a methylated resveratrol derivative, in 3T3-L1 cells. We also evaluated the mechanisms underlying the effects of PH on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Oil Red O staining, lipid accumulation assay, and triglyceride (TG) content assay revealed that PH significantly inhibited lipid and TG accumulation without cytotoxicity. In addition, we determined that PH decreased the expression of adipogenesis-related transcription factors, such as PPARγ, C/EBPα, SREBP-1c, and FABP4, and the phosphorylation of MAPK and protein kinase B (AKT). Moreover, PH attenuated the expression of CREB and C/EBPβ, while increasing the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC, and decreasing the expression of fatty acid synthase and FABP4. Based on these results, we suggest that PH suppresses adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells via the activation of the AMPK signaling pathway and the inhibition of the MAPK and AKT insulin-dependent signaling pathways.

Sustainability of Industrial Building SSMR through Experimental and Analytical Study under Wind Uplift Load

Standing Seam Metal Roofs (SSMRs) are widely used in the construction of industrial buildings, and their structural characteristics are rapidly being changed in order to improve the parameters of heat insulation and waterproofness. However, newly employed SSMRs did not account for a potential structural instability under strong winds by considering the multi-function of SSMRs. In this study, three different types of new SSMRs were chosen as specimens and were used in full-scale experiments, which were performed using the cyclic wind uplift method based on ASTM E1592 regulations. In contrast to a previous study in which the ultimate failure of the roof under wind pressure corresponded to seam line failure due to panel deflection, in this study, the experimental results show that seam separation was induced by a mid-clip rupture. It is verified that the behavior of the mid-clip plays a significant role in the overall performance of SSMRs under wind uplift loading. The objectives of this study were to (i) understand the structural performance and failure mode of new SSMRs under wind uplift pressure, as this condition is closest to reality, and to (ii) quantify the structural sustainability, which can be applied to risk-management practices through the established performance evaluation. It is expected that the present research results may provide future directions for improving the test standards, design guidelines, and risk-management practices.

Forecasting Tourism Demand With a New Time-Varying Forecast Averaging Approach

Existing research has shown that combination can effectively improve tourism forecasting accuracy compared with single model. However, the model uncertainty and structural instability in combination for out-of-sample tourism forecasting may influence the forecasting performance. This paper proposes a novel forecast combination approach based on time-varying jackknife model averaging (TVJMA), which can more efficiently handle structural changes and nonstationary trends in tourism data. Using Hong Kong tourism demand from five major tourism source regions as an empirical study, we investigate whether our proposed nonparametric TVJMA-based approach can improve tourism forecasting accuracy further. Empirical results show that the proposed TVJMA-based approach outperforms other competitors including single model and three combination methods in most cases. Findings indicate the outstanding performance of our method is robust to various forecasting horizons and different estimation periods.