A chromosome-level reference genome assembly of the Reeve's moray eel (Gymnothorax reevesii).

Due to potentially hostile behaviors and elusive habitats, moray eels (Muraenidae) as one group of apex predators in coral reefs all across the globe have not been well investigated. Here, we constructed a chromosome-level genome assembly for the representative Reeve's moray eel (Gymnothorax reevesii). This haplotype genome assembly is 2.17 Gb in length, and 97.87% of the sequences are anchored into 21 chromosomes. It contains 56.34% repetitive sequences and 23,812 protein-coding genes, of which 96.77% are functionally annotated. This sequenced marine species in Anguilliformes makes a good complement to the genetic resource of eel genomes. It not only provides a genetic resource for in-depth studies of the Reeve's moray eel, but also enables deep-going genomic comparisons among various eels.

Optimisation Models for Pathway Activity Inference in Cancer.

BACKGROUND: With advances in high-throughput technologies, there has been an enormous increase in data related to profiling the activity of molecules in disease. While such data provide more comprehensive information on cellular actions, their large volume and complexity pose difficulty in accurate classification of disease phenotypes. Therefore, novel modelling methods that can improve accuracy while offering interpretable means of analysis are required. Biological pathways can be used to incorporate a priori knowledge of biological interactions to decrease data dimensionality and increase the biological interpretability of machine learning models. METHODOLOGY: A mathematical optimisation model is proposed for pathway activity inference towards precise disease phenotype prediction and is applied to RNA-Seq datasets. The model is based on mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) mathematical optimisation principles and infers pathway activity as the linear combination of pathway member gene expression, multiplying expression values with model-determined gene weights that are optimised to maximise discrimination of phenotype classes and minimise incorrect sample allocation. RESULTS: The model is evaluated on the transcriptome of breast and colorectal cancer, and exhibits solution results of good optimality as well as good prediction performance on related cancer subtypes. Two baseline pathway activity inference methods and three advanced methods are used for comparison. Sample prediction accuracy, robustness against noise expression data, and survival analysis suggest competitive prediction performance of our model while providing interpretability and insight on key pathways and genes. Overall, our work demonstrates that the flexible nature of mathematical programming lends itself well to developing efficient computational strategies for pathway activity inference and disease subtype prediction.

Study on Microstructure and Properties of Black Micro-Arc Oxidation Coating on AZ31 Magnesium Alloy by Orthogonal Experiment.

The effects of CuSO4 concentration, voltage and treating time on the hemisphere emissivity and corrosion resistance of AZ31B magnesium-alloy black micro-arc oxidation coatings were studied by orthogonal experiment. The microstructure, phase composition, corrosion resistance and hemisphere emissivity of the coating were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electrochemical test and infrared emissivity spectrometer, respectively. The results showed that the influences of each factor on corrosion current density and the hemisphere emissivity are as follows: voltage > treating time > CuSO4 concentration. The black MAO coatings are mainly composed of WO3, MgAl2O4, CuAl2O4, MgO, CuO and MgF2. The CuO and CuAl2O4 phases are the main reasons for blackness of the coatings. The coating exhibits the best corrosion resistance under the conditions of CuSO4 concentration 1.5 g/L, oxidation voltage 500 V and treating time 10 min. Additionally, the variation trends of hemispherical emissivity and roughness of the black MAO coating are the same when the composition of the coatings is similar. When the concentration of CuSO4 is 1.5 g/L, the oxidation voltage is 450 V and the treatment time is 10 min, the coating with the highest hemispherical emissivity of 0.84 can be obtained.

Effect of (NH4)2ZrF6, Voltage and Treating Time on Corrosion Resistance of Micro-Arc Oxidation Coatings Applied on ZK61M Magnesium Alloys.

The effects of (NH4)2ZrF6 concentration, voltage and treating time on the corrosion resistance of ZK61M magnesium alloy micro-arc oxidation coatings were studied by orthogonal experiments. The SEM result shows that the surface roughness and porosity of MAO coatings increased with (NH4)2ZrF6 concentration, voltage and treating time as a whole, except the porosity decreased with treating time. EDS, XRD and XPS analysis show that (NH4)2ZrF6 was successfully incorporated into coatings by reactive incorporation, coatings are dominantly composed of ZrO2, MgO, MgF2 and amorphous phase Mg phosphate. Potentiodynamic polarization was used to evaluate the corrosion property of coatings. When the concentration of (NH4)2ZrF6 is 6 g/L, the voltage is 450 V, and the treating time is 15 min, the coating exhibits the best corrosion resistance which corrosion current density is four magnitudes lower than substrate attributed to the incorporation of ZrO2 and the deposition of MgF2 in the micropores.

Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of FeCoCrNiCuTi0.8 High-Entropy Alloy Prepared by Directional Solidification.

A CoCrCuFeNiTi0.8 high-entropy alloy was prepared using directional solidification techniques at different withdrawal rates (50 µm/s, 100 µm/s, 500 µm/s). The results showed that the microstructure was dendritic at all withdrawal rates. As the withdrawal rate increased, the dendrite orientation become uniform. Additionally, the accumulation of Cr and Ti elements at the solid/liquid interface caused the formation of dendrites. Through the measurement of the primary dendrite spacing (λ1) and the secondary dendrite spacing (λ2), it was concluded that the dendrite structure was obviously refined with the increase in the withdrawal rate to 500 µm/s. The maximum compressive strength reached 1449.8 MPa, and the maximum hardness was 520 HV. Moreover, the plastic strain of the alloy without directional solidification was 2.11%, while the plastic strain of directional solidification was 12.57% at 500 µm/s. It has been proved that directional solidification technology can effectively improve the mechanical properties of the CoCrCuFeNiTi0.8 high-entropy alloy.

The Effect of Copper Content on the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Hypo-, Hyper- and Eutectoid Ti-Cu Alloys.

Titanium alloys are widely used in aerospace, chemical, biomedical and other important fields due to outstanding properties. The mechanical behavior of Ti alloys depends on microstructural characteristics and type of alloying elements. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different Cu contents (2.5 wt.%, 7 wt.% and 14 wt.%) on mechanical and frictional properties of titanium alloys. The properties of titanium alloy were characterized by tensile test, electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, reciprocating friction and wear test. The results show that the intermediate phase that forms the eutectoid structure with α-Ti was identified as FCC Ti2Cu, and no primary ß phase was formed. With the increase of Cu content, the Ti2Cu phase precipitation in the alloy increases. Ti2Cu particles with needle structure increase the dislocation pinning effect on grain boundary and improve the strength and hardness of titanium alloy. Thus, Ti-14Cu shows the lowest elongation, the best friction and wear resistance, which is caused by the existence of Ti2Cu phases. It has been proved that the mechanical and frictional properties of Ti-Cu alloys can be adjusted by changing the Cu content, so as to better meet its application in the medical field.

Investigation of Microstructure Evolution and Phase Selection of Peritectic Cuce Alloy During High-Temperature Gradient Directional Solidification.

In this work, a CuCe alloy was prepared using a directional solidification method at a series of withdrawal rates of 100, 25, 10, 8, and 5 µm/s. We found that the primary phase microstructure transforms from cellular crystals to cellular peritectic coupled growth and eventually, changes into dendrites as the withdrawal rate increases. The phase constituents in the directionally solidified samples were confirmed to be Cu2Ce, CuCe, and CuCe + Ce eutectics. The primary dendrite spacing was significantly refined with an increasing withdrawal rate, resulting in higher compressive strength and strain. Moreover, the cellular peritectic coupled growth at 10 µm/s further strengthened the alloy, with its compressive property reaching the maximum value of 266 MPa. Directional solidification was proven to be an impactful method to enhance the mechanical properties and produce well-aligned in situ composites in peritectic systems.

Tribological Properties of Ni/Cu/Ni Coating on the Ti-6Al-4V Alloy after Annealing at Various Temperatures.

Diffusion reaction was a crucial route to enhance the wear resistance of Ti-6Al-4V alloys surface. In this work, the Ni/Cu/Ni composite layers were fabricated on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by electroplate craft, and then different annealing temperatures were applied to further optimize its tribological properties. The diffusion behaviors at various temperatures were systematically analyzed to reveal the physical mechanism of the enhanced tribological properties of the coatings. It was demonstrated that CuxTiy and NixTiy intermetallic compounds with high hardness and strength were produced in the Ni/Cu/Ni coating, which acted as the reinforcing phases and improved the microhardness, reduced the friction coefficient, and lessened the wear rate. Specially, this effect reached the maximum when the annealing temperature was 800 °C, showing excellent wear resistance. This work revealed the relationship between annealing temperatures and tribological properties of the Ni/Cu/Ni coating, and proposed wear mechanism, aiming to improve the surface performance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by appropriate diffusion behavior.

Isothermal Diffusion Behavior and Surface Performance of Cu/Ni Coating on TC4 Alloy.

The poor surface performance of titanium alloys substantially limits their application in many fields, such as the petrochemical industry. To overcome this weakness, the Cu and Ni double layers were deposited on the surface of TC4 alloy by the electroplating method, and the isothermal diffusion process was performed at 700 °C to enhance the binding ability between Cu and Ni layers. The isothermal diffusion behavior and microstructure of the coating were systematically analyzed, and tribological property and corrosion resistance of the coating were also evaluated to reveal the influence of isothermal diffusion on the surface performance. It was shown that multiple diffusion layers appeared on the Cu/Ni and Ni/Ti interface, and that NixTiy and CuxTiy phases were formed in the coating with the increase of diffusion time. More importantly, Kirkendall diffusion occurred when the diffusion time increased, which led to the formation of continuous microvoids and cracks in the diffusion layer, weakening the surface performance of the Cu/Ni coatings. This paper unveils the relationship between the microstructure of the Cu/Ni coatings and isothermal diffusion behavior, providing guidelines in preparing high performance surface coatings.

Mechanical and Corrosion Resistance Enhancement of Closed-Cell Aluminum Foams through Nano-Electrodeposited Composite Coatings.

This work aims to improve the properties of aluminum foams including the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance by electrodepositing a SiC/TiN nanoparticles reinforced Ni-Mo coating on the substrate. The coatings were electrodeposited at different voltages, and the morphologies of the coating were detected by SEM (scanning electron microscope) to determine the most suitable voltage. We used XRD (x-ray diffraction) and TEM (transmission electron microscope) to analyze the structure of the coatings. The aluminum foams and the substrates on which the coatings were electrodeposited at a voltage of 6.0 V for different electrodeposition times were compressed on an MTS (an Electro-mechanical Universal Testing Machine) to detect the mechanical properties. The corrosion resistance before and after the electrodeposition experiment was also examined. The results showed that the coating effectively improved the mechanical properties. When the electrodeposition time was changed from 10 min to 40 min, the Wv of the aluminum foams increased from 0.852 J to 2.520 J and the σs increased from 1.06 MPa to 2.99 MPa. The corrosion resistance of the aluminum foams was significantly improved after being coated with the Ni-Mo-SiC-TiN nanocomposite coating. The self-corrosion potential, pitting potential, and potential for primary passivation were positively shifted by 294 mV, 99 mV, and 301 mV, respectively. The effect of nanoparticles on the corrosion resistance of the coatings is significant.

Fabrication of Self-Powered Fast-Response Ultraviolet Photodetectors Based on Graphene/ZnO:Al Nanorod-Array-Film Structure with Stable Schottky Barrier.

A Schottky UV photodetector based on graphene/ZnO:Al nanorod-array-film (AZNF) structure has been fabricated. Different from the previously reported graphene/ZnO photodetectors, this photodetector has a stable Schottky barrier which does not disappear under UV light. Thus, the UV photodetector can work as a high-performance self-powered device. The key to improve the stability of the Schottky barrier is a two-step surface treatment process. As a result, the self-powered photodetector exhibits a UV-to-visible rejection ratio of about 1 × 102, a responsivity of 0.039 A W1-, a short rise time of 37 µs, and a decay time of 330 µs. Furthermore, the photodetector is able to keep the responsivity under low light conditions. In comparison with the previously reported graphene/ZnO UV photodetectors, the photodetector exhibits a higher responsivity at zero bias and a faster response speed. This study provides a potential way to fabricate high-performance self-powered UV photodetectors.

Tailorable Burning Behavior of Ti14 Alloy by Controlling Semi-Solid Forging Temperature.

Semi-solid processing (SSP) is a popular near-net-shape forming technology for metals, while its application is still limited in titanium alloy mainly due to its low formability. Recent works showed that SSP could effectively enhance the formability and mechanical properties of titanium alloys. The processing parameters such as temperature and forging rate/ratio, are directly correlated with the microstructure, which endow the alloy with different chemical and physical properties. Specifically, as a key structural material for the advanced aero-engine, the burn resistant performance is a crucial requirement for the burn resistant titanium alloy. Thus, this work aims to assess the burning behavior of Ti14, a kind of burn resistant alloy, as forged at different semi-solid forging temperatures. The burning characteristics of the alloy are analyzed by a series of burning tests with different burning durations, velocities, and microstructures of burned sample. The results showed that the burning process is highly dependent on the forging temperature, due to the fact that higher temperatures would result in more Ti2Cu precipitate within grain and along grain boundaries. Such a microstructure hinders the transport of oxygen in the stable burning stage through the formation of a kind of oxygen isolation Cu-enriched layer under the burn product zone. This work suggests that the burning resistance of the alloy can be effectively tuned by controlling the temperature during the semi-solid forging process.

The synthesis and characterization of Ag-N dual-doped p-type ZnO: experiment and theory.

Ag-N dual-doped ZnO films have been fabricated by a chemical bath deposition method. The p-type conductivity of the dual-doped ZnO:(Ag, N) is stable over a long period of time, and the hole concentration in the ZnO:(Ag, N) is much higher than that in mono-doped ZnO:Ag or ZnO:N. We found that this is because AgZn-NO complex acceptors can be formed in ZnO:(Ag, N). First-principles calculations show that the complex acceptors generate a fully occupied band above the valance band maximum, so the acceptor levels become shallower and the hole concentration is increased. Furthermore, the binding energy of the Ag-N complex in ZnO is negative, so ZnO:(Ag, N) can be stable. These results indicate that the Ag-N dual-doping may be expected to be a potential route to achieving high-quality p-type ZnO for use in a variety of devices.