Hebei University

In this study, we explore the transparent hafnia-based ferroelectric capacitors (FeCaps), employing transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) as the electrode and quartz as substrate. Through interface engineering, involving a Ti interlayer between the ferroelectric Hf _0.5 Zr _0.5 O ₂ (HZO) film and the electrodes, we not only achieve a substantial enhancement in polarization, but also manage to process within a reduced thermal budget (350 °C) compatible with back end of line (BEOL). The bottom interface is demonstrated to play the major role in improving the ferroelectric properties. Moreover, the transparent FeCaps exhibit a maximum transmittance of about 90% close to the bare substrate under visible light. These findings pave the way for hafnia-based FeCaps in the future advancement of transparent electronics.

Drawing inspiration from human fine tactile and proprioceptive kinaesthetic sensing pathways, we propose a soft magnetic skin (m-skin) with multimodal sensing functions integrated into the anthropomorphic robotic finger. This paper mainly explores the magnetic tactile sensor's structural design, performance analysis, and bimodal sensing. The realization recognizes the contact information and the spatial joint angle of the fingers only by detecting the change in the magnetic field signal. Through our research, we pave the way for robotic fingers to realize an all-round sensing ability similar to human fingers, and the dexterous hand is designed with flexible five-fingers to prove the performances of soft magnetic skin, thus opening up new ways for human-robot interaction.

Objective A pilot study to evaluate the correlation between multimodal imaging features and the expression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER-2) in breast cancer to provide a basis for clinical treatment and prognosis evaluation. Methods We included a total of 62 patients with breast cancer admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University between 2018 and 2022. All of them underwent the relevant investigations, including ultrasound, mammography, and enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in the hospital within one month before surgery or biopsy. HER-2 expression level was divided into negative and positive by immunohistochemistry(IHC). Using SPSS 24.0 statistical software to analyze the differences in imaging features between the HER-2 positive and the HER-2 negative groups. Results There was a statistically significant difference between the HER-2 positive and the HER-2 negative groups (p = 0.005) in the hyperechoic halo sign around the lesion detected by ultrasonography as well as in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) on MRI (p = 0.047). The sensitivity and specificity of the hyperechoic halo sign in predicting HER-2 positivity was 48.3% and 84.8% respectively, and the area under the curve (AUC) for the ADC value to predict HER-2 expression was 0.533. When b was equal to 800 and the ADC value (cutoff value) was 0.000888 mm²/s, the sensitivity and specificity were 65.5% and 51.5%, respectively. Conclusion A combination of multimodal imaging features and HER-2 gene expression can provide more valuable information for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic schedule in breast cancer.

In recent decades, MgO-based cement has gained attention due to its environmental benefits. It requires less energy than Portland cement, as it needs lower temperatures to transform MgO, making it a potential eco-friendly alternative. Additionally, MgO can absorb CO2 to form carbonates and bicarbonates, positioning it as a candidate for “carbon-neutral” cement that could offset its CO2 emissions. The chapter discusses the use of reactive magnesia as an activator for slag and provides a detailed review of MgO-activated cementitious materials. It covers the both macro- and micro-performances such as compressive strength, drying shrinkage, hydration products, microstructure, and the mechanisms. This chapter also examines the evolution of these characteristics under specific conditions and critically assesses the limitations and application viability of these cementing materials.

The central North China Craton (NCC) acts as a transition zone between the stable western and reworked eastern NCC. It is characterized by high seismic activity and experienced volcanic activity with small magma volumes. To assess the dynamic processes of the central NCC, particularly in a zone marked by intense differential tectonic deformation, we have obtained a 3‐D radial anisotropic model of crust and uppermost mantle via joint inversion of Love‐ and Rayleigh‐wave dispersion curves and ellipticity measurements. Compared to models without Rayleigh‐wave ellipticity, our new model shows improved accuracy in crustal radial anisotropy. This refined model reveals two noteworthy geological features: (a) Most of the Shanxi Rift has pronounced positive radial anisotropy in the crust except for Linfen and Xinding Basins, as critical earthquake‐prone areas, which are characterized by weak positive to negative anisotropy with much thinner sediments. This observation suggests that differential rifting processes with uneven sedimentation and crustal deformation occur in these Cenozoic basins due to right‐lateral strike slip motion. (b) The crust in the Lvliang Mountains shows weak positive or negative anisotropy with a lower crustal low‐velocity layer beneath the northern parts, whereas the crust in the Taihang Mountains exhibits positive anisotropy. This implies that the Lvliang Mountains experienced uplift under compressional environments since the Yanshanion Orogeny. Furthermore, the magmatic underplating in the crust accelerated the uplift of the northern Lvliang Mountains. In contrast, the Taihang Mountains underwent relative uplift under extensional environments, along with the subsidence of the Bohai Bay Basin during the Cenozoic.

Matrix immobilization has been proven to be a favored method for enhancing the phosphorescence of carbon dots (CDs), however, it remains a significant challenge to realize time‐dependent phosphorescence colors (TDPC) by embedding CDs with single emission center. In this study, we present a novel matrix‐controlling strategy to regulate the microenvironment of CDs by doping limited Mn²⁺ in zeolite. The surrounding environment influences the surface state of the CDs, leading to the formation of different excitons. At low temperatures, Mn‐coordinated CDs (C‐CDs) show fast‐decaying green phosphorescence, while non‐coordinated CDs (NC‐CDs) exhibit inherent slow‐decaying blue phosphorescence. Notably, the energy transfer occurs between NC‐CDs and Mn²⁺ to produce an ultrafast‐decaying red phosphorescence, with the intensity of the red component increasing as the temperature rises. The interplay of these luminescent centers with distinct decay rates activates fascinating multi‐mode TDPC behavior as the temperature changes, resulting in dynamic afterglow evolutions from red to green at 298 K, orange to green at 273 K, and green to cyan to blue at 77 K. Leveraging the diverse luminescence of CDs@MnAPO‐5, a multi‐dimensional dynamic afterglow color pattern was developed for advanced anti‐counterfeiting applications.

Understanding the concurrent responses of aboveground and belowground biota compartments to global changes is crucial for the maintenance of ecosystem functions and biodiversity conservation. We conduct a comprehensive analysis synthesizing data from 13,209 single observations and 3223 pairwise observations from 1166 publications across the world terrestrial ecosystems to examine the responses of plants and soil organisms and their synchronization. We find that global change factors (GCFs) generally promote plant biomass but decreased plant species diversity. In comparison, the responses of belowground soil biota to GCFs are more variable and harder to predict. The analysis of the paired aboveground and belowground observations demonstrate that responses of plants and soil organisms to GCFs are decoupled among diverse groups of soil organisms for different biomes. Our study highlights the importance of integrative research on the aboveground-belowground system for improving predictions regarding the consequences of global environmental change.

Accurate soil nutrient data are crucial for precise fertilizer recommendations in intelligent agriculture. However, the process of soil testing, which includes collecting samples, determining available nutrients and interpreting results, is expensive. To address this challenge, spatial interpolation methods are commonly used to predict soil fertility. Yet, existing techniques like IDW (Inverse Distance Weighting) and OK (Ordinary Kriging) face limitations, making it difficult to achieve highly accurate estimates. Therefore, this paper introduces NCAMS (Neighbor Cluster Adaptive Model with Spatial Color Block), a novel interpolation approach that automatically identifies nearby points crucial for estimating soil nutrient values at a given location. In our approach, we not only consider spatial correlation but also incorporate the soil variables of sampled points. Delaunay triangulation and hash functions further divide data points into distinct clusters, with our model automatically selecting specific clusters. Moreover, our interpolation method integrates IDW and OK without requiring extensive training on real-world data. Extensive experiments on four real-world datasets, conducted through cross-validation, demonstrate the superior performance of our approach compared to eight state-of-the-art methods.

In recent years, the rise of e‐commerce has led to the dominance of some platforms in the market. Both these platforms and third‐party logistics providers are now offering online logistics services. Under this context, the brand manufacturers face challenges of deciding whether to outsource their logistics needs to third‐party logistics service providers (LSPs), rely on the e‐commerce platform itself, or establish collaborative partnerships with them. The combination between the decision to outsource or cooperate and the choice of service providers yields four typical scenarios: outsourcing to the platform without cooperation (Case PB), outsourcing to the platform with cooperation (Case P), outsourcing to the LSP without cooperation (Case LB), and outsourcing to the LSP with cooperation (Case L). This paper proposes a game‐theoretic model to investigate the manufacturer's optimal selection of logistics mode. We examine the economic and environmental performances of four logistics modes, with a particular emphasis on the mutual benefits and costs shared between manufacturers and their logistics partners. Our results reveal that collaboration in sustainable logistics improvement leads to higher sustainability levels, augmented logistics fees, and increased sales volumes compared to noncollaborative strategies. Additionally, we find that outsourcing to the e‐commerce platform generally results in higher profits and superior environmental performance for manufacturers, contingent upon the sustainability enhancement being sufficiently effective. Empirical evidence from surveys and interviews with industry experts supports our theoretical findings, underscoring the critical role of collaboration in achieving both economic and environmental sustainability within the supply chain. This study contributes to the literature on logistics outsourcing by evaluating manufacturers' strategic decisions in selecting logistics modes and accentuates the importance of cooperation in advancing sustainable logistics practices.

A well‐designed agricultural machinery maintenance service network can facilitate manufacturers to provide prompt and sustainable responses to mechanical failures. This paper addresses a sustainable agricultural machinery maintenance service network design (MMSND) problem, and focuses on selecting the optimal locations for the maintenance centers and districting the area into distinct districts. The aims of this paper are to minimize the total service mileage, balance the service workload, and guarantee the compactness of districts. We adopt goal programming method to model these three conflicting objectives. In addition, we also address the uncertainty of demand to seek the sustainability of the service network. As a result, we first develop a novel globalized robust goal programming model with semi‐infinite constraints. Then the semi‐infinite constraints are reformulated to their computationally tractable robust counterparts via Fenchel duality theory. To effectively solve the obtained mixed‐integer linear goal programming, we design a tailored Benders decomposition algorithm based on the structural characteristics of our model reformulation. Finally, we verify the credibility of the proposed method via a real case about the agricultural MMSND problem from Hunan province in China and a set of randomly generated larger scale instances. The computational results reveal that it is necessary and effective to consider the uncertain demand and our globalized robust optimization method can alleviate the conservatism of robust optimal solutions resulted from uncertain demand.

Developing efficiency and long‐lived room‐temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials through straightforward methods is highly desired. In this work, a stepwise stabilization strategy was proposed by the coordination and in‐situ precipitation reactions among organic precursors, inorganic cation and anions, producing room‐temperature phosphorescence materials with high emission efficiency (phosphorescence quantum yield of 45 %). Structural and photophysical characterizations revealed the coordination reaction reduced the energy gaps between singlet and triplet states and stabilized the excited states of the guest molecules. The in‐situ precipitation reaction produced a solid matrix, which provided isolated environments for protecting the excitons from quenching. The applications of RTP materials in information encryption were demonstrated. The presented results provided a new clue for producing RTP materials, and extended their applications in wide fields.

Hylurgus ligniperda (Fabricius) is an important pest that attacks Pinus species in China. It impacts the vitality of local pine vegetation, reduces the ability to prevent windbreak and sand fixation, and causes ecological loss. MaxEnt and ArcGIS are used to predict and analyze the changes in suitable distribution areas of H. ligniperda under current and future climate scenarios, based on 12 climate factor datasets and 1,001 field distribution data points for this pest. The environmental variables used significantly influence the potential distribution of H. ligniperda. Highly suitable areas of this beetle are located in western Europe, central Asia, and the southeastern regions of Oceania, with sporadic occurrences across North America, South America, and Africa. Highly suitable areas in China occur across the east, central south, and southwest regions. There is a significant increase in the high and medium suitability areas, while the area of low suitability decreases under the 4 future climate scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370, and SSP585). The suitable distribution area for H. ligniperda shows an overall trend of moving northwestward. The purpose of this current study is to provide important theoretical support for the prevention and management of this pest by predicting and analyzing suitable distribution areas under current and future climate scenarios.

As one of the significant objects of remote sensing monitoring, landslides not only lead to huge economic losses, but also result in catastrophic environmental damage and human casualties. In the past few decades, piles are widely accepted and successfully applied in slope stabilization. Through numerical calculation based on limit equilibrium method, pile reinforcement effects on cohesive and cohesionless soil slopes are studied in this paper. The potential influencing factors are systematically analyzed, including cohesion, friction angle, pile truncation length, slope gradient, and soft band. A correlation was developed to predict the safety factor as a quadratic function of pile truncation length. The results show that pile reinforcement effect was related to the slope gradient and not to cohesion or friction angle. As the slope gradient increases, the pile reinforcement effect on the cohesive soil decreases, while that of the cohesionless soil increases. On the whole, the pile reinforcement effect of cohesive soil slope is better than that of cohesionless soil slope. For the slope with a soft band, the pile reinforcement effect gradually increases as the strength of soft band decreases. During the pile truncation process, the change in safety factor for slopes with a soft band can be divided into three phases: pile control phase, pile-soft band control phase, and soft band control phase. Piles are more suitable for reinforcing cohesive soil slopes containing soft bands, which can effectively improve the slope stability. The research results can provide reference for the rational use of piles and the reduction of geotechnical engineering hazards related to landslides.

Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD; EC 1.1.1.195) is considered to be a key enzyme in lignin biosynthesis, which can catalyze cinnamyl aldehyde to produce cinnamyl alcohol. In this study, three putative CADs were characterized from the liverwort Haplomitrium mnioides. The sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed that HmCADs belonged to a multigene family, with three HmCADs belonging to class II, class III, and class IV, respectively. In vitro enzymatic studies demonstrated that HmCAD2 exhibited high affinity and catalytic activity towards five cinnamyl aldehydes, followed by HmCAD3 with poor catalytic activity, and HmCAD1 catalyzed only the reaction of p-coumaryl aldehyde and coniferyl aldehyde with extremely low catalytic capacity. Protein-substrate binding simulations were performed to investigate the differences in catalytic activity exhibited when proteins catalyzed different substrates. Furthermore, distinct expression patterns of three HmCADs were identified in different plant tissues. Subcellular localization tests confirmed that HmCAD1/2/3 was located in the cytoplasm. The simulated responses of HmCADs to different stresses showed that HmCAD1 played a positive role in coping with each stress, while HmCAD2/3 was weak. These findings demonstrate the diversity of CADs in liverwort, highlight the divergent role of HmCAD1/2/3 in substrate catalysis, and also suggest their possible involvement in stress response, thereby providing new insights into CAD evolution while emphasizing their potential distinctive and collaborative contributions to the normal growth of primitive liverworts.