In the early 21st century, the whole society finished the transformation from a panopticon to an electronic super panopticon. With the development of intellectual technology, the view of surveillance ...increases. People in a technological society are monitored in every movement they make. In Starset’s post-apocalyptic society of the future, people are controlled by technology and become docile and prolific labor machines. This essay will analyze three songs by American hard rock band Starset, Breach, Where the skies end and Icarus, using three of Foucault’s theories of discipline and punishment, hierarchical surveillance, normalizing judgment and examination. Under the disciplinary surveillance, people from Starset’s post-apocalyptic society have been tamed by the power of technology and are constantly disciplining themselves and checking themselves, becoming a single efficient producer. It also shows that society is becoming a transparent high-speed panopticon prison.
The development of new or more sustainable, active, efficient, controlled, and selective polymerization reactions or processes continues to be crucial for the synthesis of important polymers or ...materials with specific structures or functions. In this context, the newly emerged polymerization technique enabled by main-group Lewis pairs (LPs), termed as Lewis pair polymerization (LPP), exploits the synergy and cooperativity between the Lewis acid (LA) and Lewis base (LB) sites of LPs, which can be employed as frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs), interacting LPs (ILPs), or classical Lewis adducts (CLAs), to effect cooperative monomer activation as well as chain initiation, propagation, termination, and transfer events. Through balancing the Lewis acidity, Lewis basicity, and steric effects of LPs, LPP has shown several unique advantages or intriguing opportunities compared to other polymerization techniques and demonstrated its broad polar monomer scope, high activity, control or livingness, and complete chemo- or regioselectivity, as well as its unique application in materials chemistry. These advances made in LPP are comprehensively reviewed, with the scope of monomers focusing on heteroatom-containing polar monomers, while the polymerizations mediated by main-group LAs and LBs separately that are most relevant to the LPP are also highlighted or updated. Examples of applying the principles of the LPP and LP chemistry as a new platform for advancing materials chemistry are highlighted, and currently unmet challenges in the field of the LPP, and thus the suggested corresponding future research directions, are also presented.
Magnetic biochar was made from peanut hull biomass using iron chloride in a simplified aqueous phase approach and pyrolysis at alternative peak temperatures (450–650 °C). Magnetic biochar showed an ...extreme capacity for adsorption of hexavalent chromium Cr (VI) from aqueous solution, which was 1–2 orders of magnitude higher compared to standard (non-magnetic) biochar from the same feedstock. Adsorption increased with pyrolysis temperature peaking at 77,542 mg kg−1 in the sample pyrolysed at 650 °C. In contrast to magnetic biochar, the low adsorption capacity of standard biochar decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. The fine particle size of magnetic biochar and low aqueous pH were also important for adsorption. Surfaces of products from batch adsorption experiments were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer. This revealed that γ-Fe2O3 was crucial to the properties (adsorbance and magnetism) of magnetic biochar. The removal mechanism was the Cr (VI) electrostatic attracted on protonated –OH on γ-Fe2O3 surface and it could be desorbed by alkaline solution. Findings suggest that pyrolysis has potential to create effective, magnetically recoverable adsorbents relevant to environmental application.
Simplified method for creating magnetic biochar from peanut hulls and its effect on Cr (VI) removal from aqueous solution. Display omitted
•Magnetic biochar derived peanut hull was simplified created with higher adsorption for Cr(VI) in aqueous.•γ-Fe2O3 loaded on biochar played a key role in Cr(VI) adsorption.•Higher pyrolysis temperature and smaller particle size of magnetic biochar could result in higher adsorption of Cr(VI).
Images obtained in an unfavorable environment may be affected by haze or fog, leading to fuzzy image details, low contrast, and loss of important information. Recently, significant progress has been ...achieved in the realm of image dehazing, largely due to the adoption of deep learning techniques. Owing to the lack of modules specifically designed to learn the unique characteristics of haze, existing deep neural network-based methods are impractical for processing images containing haze. In addition, most networks primarily focus on learning clear image information while disregarding potential features in hazy images. To address these limitations, we propose an innovative method called contrastive multiscale transformer for image dehazing (CMT-Net). This method uses the multiscale transformer to enable the network to learn global hazy features at multiple scales. Furthermore, we introduce feature combination attention and a haze-aware module to enhance the network's ability to handle varying concentrations of haze by assigning more weight to regions containing haze. Finally, we design a multistage contrastive learning loss incorporating different positive and negative samples at various stages to guide the network's learning process to restore real and non-hazy images. The experimental findings demonstrate that CMT-Net provides exceptional performance on established datasets and exhibits superior visual outcomes.
During the laser based manufacturing process such as metal additive manufacturing (AM) and laser cladding, enhancing or inhibiting liquid metal flow within the laser-induced melt pool provides a ...promising approach to tune material microstructure and the resulting mechanical properties. However, the effect of convection flow, specifically the dominant Marangoni convection flow in the melt pool, on the as-solidified material microstructure is still vague. This study aims to reveal convection-modified grain evolution in the laser melting process, e.g., the selective laser melting AM. We use a process-microstructure model and systematically design comparative simulation cases (with and without convection flow) to identify the effects of convection flow on melt pool geometry, solidification conditions, and as-solidified grain structure formation. The model is validated by secondary electron images and electron backscatter diffraction of the laser melted IN625 alloy provided by NIST Additive Manufacturing Benchmark Test Series. It is found that the strong Marangoni convection flow can widen the melt pool and notably affect the solidified microstructure in terms of grain growth directions and bulk nucleation events. This study provides a quantitative basis for controlling the as-solidified microstructure by manipulating the convection flow in the laser-induced melt pool.
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•A process-structure model with four variants is developed by coupling FVM and CA.•The simulation results are validated by Additive Manufacturing Benchmarks.•Convection flow effects on melt pool and grain structure formation are identified.•Convection flow increase the ratio of mushy zone length to liquid melt pool length.•Convection flow increases the nucleation propensity and influences grain morphology.
Solution‐processed CsPbBr3 quantum‐dot light‐emitting diodes with a 50‐fold external quantum efficiency improvement (up to 6.27%) are achieved through balancing surface passivation and carrier ...injection via ligand density control (treating with hexane/ethyl acetate mixed solvent), which induces the coexistence of high levels of ink stability, photoluminescence quantum yields, thin‐film uniformity, and carrier‐injection efficiency.
Variable-speed fixed-pitch (VSFP) wind turbines have good prospects in small-to-medium-scale wind power markets due to their simple structure, low cost, and high reliability. One difficulty with VSFP ...concept wind turbines is to prevent overspeeding and overloading problems at excessive wind velocities, which has rarely been reported in literatures until now. This paper first proposes a sensorless overall power control strategy for a commonly used permanent-magnet-synchronous-generator-based VSFP concept wind power system, with which maximum power point tracking operation, constant speed stalling operation, and constant power soft-stalling operation are all realized. The proposed control scheme has a special advantage of simple structure, i.e., only two regulators are used to realize the three operational modes and also the natural transition between them. An aerodynamic power observer is adopted in the proposed scheme to fasten the MPPT speed. In addition, to enhance system robustness to parameter variations and optimize dynamic and static speed-control performance, an adaptive PI-like fuzzy logic controller is proposed and used as speed regulator in the overall power control scheme. The proposed strategy is verified by simulation and experimental results performed by a 1.2-kW VSFP concept wind turbine prototype.
Carbon neutrality, energy savings, and lighting costs and quality have always led to urgent demand for lighting technology innovation. White light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) based on a single emissive ...layer (SEL) fabricated by the solution method have been continuously researched in recent years; they are advantageous because they have a low cost and are ultrathin and flexible. Here, we reviewed the history and development of SEL-WLEDs over recent years to provide inspiration and promote their progress in lighting applications. We first introduced the emitters and analysed the advantages of these emitters in creating SEL-WLEDs and then reviewed some cases that involve the above emitters, which were formed via vacuum thermal evaporation or solution processes. Some notable developments that deserve attention are highlighted in this review due to their potential use in SEL-WLEDs, such as perovskite materials. Finally, we looked at future development trends of SEL-WLEDs and proposed potential research directions.
Metal halide perovskites have drawn significant interest in the past decade. Superior optoelectronic properties, such as a narrow bandwidth, precise and facile tunable luminance over the entire ...visible spectrum, and high photoluminescence quantum yield of up to ≈100%, render metal halide perovskites suitable for next‐generation high‐definition displays and healthy lighting systems. The external quantum efficiency of perovskite light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) increases from 0.1 to 11.7% in three years; however, the energy conversion efficiency and the long‐term stability of perovskite LEDs are inadequate for practical application. Strategies to optimize the emitting layer and the device structure, with respect to material design, synthesis, surface passivation, and device optimization, are reviewed and highlighted. The long‐term stability of perovskite LEDs is evaluated as well. Meanwhile, several challenges and prospects for future development of perovskite materials and LEDs are identified.
Fascinating metal halide perovskite nanomaterials are revolutionary to the field of displays and lighting. Strategies toward high performance perovskite light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) concerning the optimization of emitting materials and device structures are reviewed. The long‐term stability of perovskite LEDs are discussed as well. Challenges and prospects that are crucial for the development of perovskite materials and LEDs are identified.
The COVID‐19 coronavirus is now spreading worldwide. Its pathogen, SARS‐CoV‐2, has been shown to use angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as its host cell receptor, same as the severe acute ...respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS‐CoV) in 2003. Epidemiology studies found males although only slightly more likely to be infected than females account for the majority of the severely ill and fatality, which also bias for people older than 60 years or with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Here by analyzing GTEx and other public data in 30 tissues across thousands of individuals, we found a significantly higher level in Asian females, an age‐dependent decrease in all ethnic groups, and a highly significant decrease in type II diabetic patients of ACE2 expression. Consistently, the most significant expression quantitative loci (eQTLs) contributing to high ACE2 expression are close to 100% in East Asians, >30% higher than other ethnic groups. A shockingly common enrichment of viral infection pathways was found among ACE2 anti‐expressed genes, and multiple binding sites of virus infection related transcription factors and sex hormone receptors locate at ACE2 regulatory regions. Human and mice data analysis further revealed ACE2 expression is reduced in T2D patients and with inflammatory cytokine treatment and upregulated by estrogen and androgen (both decrease with age). Our findings revealed a negative correlation between ACE2 expression and COVID‐19 fatality at both population and molecular levels. These results will be instrumental when designing potential prevention and treatment strategies for ACE2 binding coronaviruses in general.
This study revealed the negative correlation of high basal ACE2 level with CoVID‐19 severity/fatality at the population level and its anticorrelation with virus infection pathway expression levels, upregulation by sex hormones and suppression by inflammatory cytokine at the molecular level.
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