Conventional alloy design based on a single primary element has reached its limits in terms of performance optimization. An alloy design strategy with multi-principal elements has recently been uncovered to overcome this bottleneck. Multicomponent alloys, generally referred to as high-entropy alloys (HEAs), exhibit many promising properties, especially outstanding mechanical performance at cryogenic, ambient, and elevated temperatures. In this article, we focus on precipitation-hardened HEAs, which are potential candidates for next-generation structural materials, especially at high temperatures. The key issues involved include precipitation behaviors, phase stability, and phase control, all of which provide useful guidelines for further development of high-temperature materials with superior performance. In particular, we address the formation of cellular γ′ precipitates at grain boundaries, which is closely related to the embrittlement of HEAs at intermediate temperatures. Critical issues and design strategies in developing HEAs for high-temperature applications are also discussed.

In response to a series of strikes in south China in 2010, a new model of collective bargaining has emerged, featuring what this article describes as “moderated mobilization.” Distinct from what is typically known as China's quadripartite industrial relations system, whereby workers are separated from the party-state, official trade unions and employers, this model shows workers and enterprise-level trade unions in collaboration with one another. According to our observations from 2012 to 2017, some enterprise unions have successfully mobilized workers throughout the collective bargaining process. These unions are democratically elected by workers and are relatively independent from the official authorities. At the same time, they have “moderated” such mobilization particularly to reduce labour militancy, given the political and institutional constraints within which they must work. The implication of this new model is significant. Although it might be far from solving the quadripartite dilemma, it has signalled an increase in local initiatives among enterprise unions – a previously neglected but pragmatically favourable channel for workers.

The carbon isotope value of ethane in the southern part of the Jingbian gas field is lower than that in the northern part, indicating a carbon isotopic reversal in the southern Jingbian gas field (δ13Cmethane > δ13Cethane). Through comparing the geochemical characteristics of gases in the southern and northern parts of the gas field, the reasons for the carbon isotopic reversal in the southern Jingbian gas field were determined to be high thermal maturity and mixing action. When thermal maturity reaches a critical value, the carbon isotope value of ethane becomes relatively more depleted with thermal maturity. Although the carbon isotope value of methane increases with thermal maturity, the extent is relatively smaller. Finally, the rare phenomenon of δ13Cmethane > δ13Cethane occurs. High thermal maturity leads to the secondary thermal cracking of gases. Mixing of the cracked gases and primary gases also leads to carbon isotopic reversal. Both of the above mechanisms share a common premise, which is high thermal maturity.

In this study, a thermal–elastic–plastic finite element model is proposed to investigate the effect of volume energy density on the temperature field, molten pool size, and residual stress distribution in the selective laser melting (SLM) process of Inconel 718 alloy. A temperature-dependent thermal–mechanical property of materials is considered, as well as the properties conversion between powder layer and solidified alloy. Within the scope of the study parameters, the simulated molten pool size increases with increasing volume energy density and exhibits linear growth relationship, which are validated by the experimental results and show a good agreement. In addition, five scanning strategies are adopted to study the effect of these scanning strategies on the residual stress distribution in this research. The results show that the residual stress distribution of SLM Inconel 718 specimen largely depends on the scanning strategy. Finally, to reveal the mechanism of residual stress formation, the restraint bar model is used to further analyze the formation mechanism of residual stress during the SLM process.

We conducted a 9-d seismic experiment in October 2015 at Laohugou Glacier No. 12. We identified microseismic signals using the short-term/long-term average trigger algorithm at four stations and classified them as long and short-duration events based on waveform, frequency, duration and magnitude characteristics. Both categories show systematical diurnal trends. The long-duration events are low-frequency tremor-like events that mainly occurred during the daytime with only several events per day. These events lasted tens of seconds to tens of minutes and are likely related to resonance of daytime meltwater. The dominant short-duration events mostly occurred during the night time with a peak occurrence frequency of ~360 h−1. Their short-duration (<0.2 s), high frequency (20–100 Hz) and dominance of Rayleigh waves are typical of events for near-surface crack opening. A strong negative correlation between the hourly event number and temperature change rate suggests that the occurrence of night-time events is controlled by the rate of night-time cooling. We estimated the near-surface tensile stress due to thermal contraction at night to be tens of kilopascals, which is enough to induce opening of surface cracks with pre-existing local stress concentrations, although we cannot exclude the effect of refreezing of meltwater produced during the day.

For a multiplier Hopf algebra pairing 〈A,B〉, we construct a class of group-cograded multiplier Hopf algebras D(A,B), generalizing the classical construction of finite dimensional Hopf algebras introduced by Panaite and Staic Mihai [Isr. J. Math. 158 (2007), 349–365]. Furthermore, if the multiplier Hopf algebra pairing admits a canonical multiplier in M(B⊗A) we show the existence of quasitriangular structure on D(A,B). As an application, some special cases and examples are provided.

In this paper, we review the status of the multifunctional experimental platform at the National Laboratory of High Power Laser and Physics (NLHPLP). The platform, including the SG-II laser facility, SG-II 9th beam, SG-II upgrade (SG-II UP) facility, and SG-II 5 PW facility, is operational and available for interested scientists studying inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and a broad range of high-energy-density physics. These facilities can provide important experimental capabilities by combining different pulse widths of nanosecond, picosecond, and femtosecond scales. In addition, the SG-II UP facility, consisting of a single petawatt system and an eight-beam nanosecond system, is introduced including several laser technologies that have been developed to ensure the performance of the facility. Recent developments of the SG-II 5 PW facility are also presented.

Combining density functional theory calculations and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiments, the adsorption behavior of various sulfur containing compounds, including C2H5SH, CH3SCH3, tetrahydrothiophene, thiophene, benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, and their derivatives on the coordinately unsaturated sites of Mo27Sx model nanoparticles, are studied systematically. Sulfur molecules with aromaticity prefer flat adsorption than perpendicular adsorption. The adsorption of nonaromatic molecules is stronger than the perpendicular adsorption of aromatic molecules, but weaker than the flat adsorption of them. With gradual hydrogenation (HYD), the binding affinity in the perpendicular adsorption modes increases, while in flat adsorption modes it increases first, then decreases. Significant steric effects on the adsorption of dimethyldibenzothiophene were revealed in perpendicular adsorption modes. The steric effect, besides weakening adsorption, could also activate the S–C bonds through a compensation effect. Finally, by comparing the theoretical adsorption energies with the TPD results, we suggest that HYD and direct-desulfurization path may happen simultaneously, but on different active sites.

Social exchange theory (SET) is an important foundation of social sciences from which many workplace theories have emerged. Chernyak-Hai and Rabenu (2018) contend that social exchange is at the heart of workplace relationships. Although SET is a complex framework, in essence, it views workplace interactions as exchanges of resources broadly construed, ranging from tangible resources such as money, goods, and services to intangible ones such as information, support, and trust (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005; Foa & Foa, 1980). Governed by the rule of reciprocity, parties involved in social exchanges use rational deliberation to gauge how much they need to repay for others’ actions. Chernyak-Hai and Rabenu posit that workplace theories rooted in SET should be modified to accommodate the new realities in modern organizations. Although we concur with their observations about new characteristics of work, we are not as optimistic as Chernyak-Hai and Rabenu about SET's capacity to guide our understanding and actions to improve workplace relationships. We argue that positive interventions are important complements to the social exchange process, thereby promoting the quality of work relationships.

Direct numerical simulations are performed for the uniform flow around an inclined circular disk. The diameter–thickness aspect ratio ( $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}=D/t_{d}$ ) of the disk is 50 and the inclination angle ( $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ ) is considered over the range of $0^{\circ }\leqslant \unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}\leqslant 80^{\circ }$ , where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=0^{\circ }$ refers to the condition where the flow is normal to the disk. The Reynolds number ( $\mathit{Re}$ ), based on the short axis of projection in the streamwise direction, is defined as $\mathit{Re}=U_{\infty }D\cos \unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ , where $U_{\infty }$ is the velocity of the flow and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ is the kinematic viscosity. $\mathit{Re}$ is investigated over the range of 50 ${\leqslant}\mathit{Re}\leqslant$ 300. In the considered $\mathit{Re}$ – $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ parametric space, five states are observed and denoted as: (I) steady state (SS); (II) periodic state (PS); (III) periodic state with a low frequency modulation (PSL); (IV) quasi-periodic state (QP) and (V) chaotic state (CS). Both $\mathit{Re}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ affect the bifurcation mechanism. The bifurcating sequence occurring at $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=0^{\circ }$ is generally observed over the whole $\mathit{Re}$ – $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ space, although it is advanced at small $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ and delayed at large $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ . The advancement of thresholds for different states is due to the effects introduced by inclination, which tend to select the plane of symmetry for the wake in order to regulate the wake and intensify some flow features. Nevertheless, the bifurcations are still in the dominant position when leading a state without stable symmetry, i.e. the planar symmetry could not be recovered by small $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ . These phenomena are further discussed with respect to the vortex shedding patterns behind the disk. Furthermore, for any fixed disk, the wake behaviour is only associated with that found in the steady vertical state of a freely falling disk. The fully coupled fluid–body system is fundamentally different from the fixed cases.

Advanced alloys with both high strength and ductility are highly desirable for a wide range of engineering applications. Conventional alloy design strategies based on the single-principle element are approaching their limits in further optimization of their performances. Precipitation-hardened high-entropy alloys (HEAs), especially those strengthened by coherent L12-nanoparticles, have received considerable interest in recent years, enabling a new space for the development of advanced structural materials with superior mechanical properties. In this review, we highlight recent important advances of the newly developed L12-strengthened HEAs, including the aspects of computation-aided alloy design, unique properties, atomic-level characterization, phase evolution, and stability. In particular, we focus our attention on elucidating fundamental scientific issues involving the alloying effects, precipitation behaviors, mechanical performances, and the corresponding deformation mechanisms, all of which provide a comprehensive metallurgical understanding and guidance for the design of this new class of HEAs. Finally, future research directions and prospects are also critically assessed.

This study was designed to explore the association between undernutrition in the growth period and cardiovascular risk factors in a middle-aged Chinese population. A total of 1756 subjects, aged 45–60 years, were invited to participate in the Hefei Nutrition and Health Study and divided into three groups according to their self-reported animal food intake in the growth period. Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3 were defined as undernutrition, nutritional improvement and the good nutrition group, respectively. In the three groups, the subjects in Groups 1 and 2 had more oil and salt intake (P<0.001), and less eggs and milk intake (P<0.001), when compared with the subjects in Group 3. After adjusting for age, education, smoking status and other confounding factors, it was found that male participants who experienced nutritional improvement before age 18 had higher risk of hypertension [odds ratio (OR)=1.68; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.05, 2.69] than those with good nutrition, and female participants with undernutrition (OR=1.52; 95% CI: 1.01, 2.29) and nutritional improvement (OR=1.68; 95% CI: 1.04, 2.69) before age 18 had a higher risk of hypertension than those with good nutrition. For diabetes, obesity, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, our results did not found difference among the three groups both in male and female. Our findings indicated that nutritional deficiency in childhood was associated with bad dietary behaviors and a significantly increased risk of hypertension in middle age. Therefore, early adequate nutrition is very important for the prevention of non-communicable diseases later.

The discovery of the first electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave signal has generated follow-up observations by over 50 facilities world-wide, ushering in the new era of multi-messenger astronomy. In this paper, we present follow-up observations of the gravitational wave event GW170817 and its electromagnetic counterpart SSS17a/DLT17ck (IAU label AT2017gfo) by 14 Australian telescopes and partner observatories as part of Australian-based and Australian-led research programs. We report early- to late-time multi-wavelength observations, including optical imaging and spectroscopy, mid-infrared imaging, radio imaging, and searches for fast radio bursts. Our optical spectra reveal that the transient source emission cooled from approximately 6 400 K to 2 100 K over a 7-d period and produced no significant optical emission lines. The spectral profiles, cooling rate, and photometric light curves are consistent with the expected outburst and subsequent processes of a binary neutron star merger. Star formation in the host galaxy probably ceased at least a Gyr ago, although there is evidence for a galaxy merger. Binary pulsars with short (100 Myr) decay times are therefore unlikely progenitors, but pulsars like PSR B1534+12 with its 2.7 Gyr coalescence time could produce such a merger. The displacement (~2.2 kpc) of the binary star system from the centre of the main galaxy is not unusual for stars in the host galaxy or stars originating in the merging galaxy, and therefore any constraints on the kick velocity imparted to the progenitor are poor.

Developing highly efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts with robust stability for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a significant but challenging work for energy conversion and storage in recent years. In the present work, in situ carbon-decorated Cu3P particles (Cu3P@C) were facially synthesized by a one-pot rapid reaction with the precursors of copper acetylacetonate [Cu(acac)2] and triphenylphosphine (PPh3) at 425 °C for 1 h via a vacuum encapsulation technique. Compared with pure Cu3P particles, the Cu3P@C hybrid catalyst exhibits an enhanced electrocatalytic water-splitting performance for hydrogen evolution with excellent stability. The investigation shows that the hybridization with carbon efficiently facilities the charge transport for the electrochemical reaction. Such results of our study make the present Cu3P@C-based hybrid a promising catalyst for practical applications toward energy conversion and pave way for designing and fast fabricating in situ carbon-decorated HER catalysts from the organometallic precursors.