Engineering

A research team, led by Prof. Xiaoyong Tian in the State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering at Xi’an Jiaotong University, has successfully manufactured a thermo-tunable broadband metamaterial (T-TBM) by 3D printing. The electromagnetic (EM) response of the T-TBM can be adjusted by controlling the solid–liquid phase state of different metamaterial units. Unlike previously reported active control metamaterials, the absorption response of the T-TBM can be controlled by the change of temperature; furthermore, its performance of ultra-wideband absorbing does not change with the temperature. The T-TBM can further promote the development of intelligent metamaterials and thermally controlled absorbers, according to the research team. In this study, the research team first prepared RGO@Fe 3 O 4  nanocomposites by mechanical method. The characterization results of the RGO@Fe 3 O 4  nanocomposites confirmed that the RGO@Fe 3 O 4  nanocomposites with sandwich struct...

  In a review published in   Engineering , scientists explore the burgeoning field of machine learning (ML) and its applications in chemistry. Titled “Machine Learning for Chemistry: Basics and Applications,” this comprehensive review aims to bridge the gap between chemists and modern ML algorithms, providing insights into the potential of ML in revolutionizing chemical research. Over the past decade, ML and artificial intelligence (AI) have made remarkable strides, bringing us closer to the realization of intelligent machines. The advent of deep learning methods and enhanced data storage capabilities has played a pivotal role in this progress. ML has already demonstrated success in domains such as image and speech recognition, and now it is gaining significant attention in the field of chemistry, which is characterized by complex data and diverse organic molecules. However, chemists often face challenges in adopting ML applications due to a lack of familiarity with modern ML ...

  Engineering   has released a study on the sixth generation (6G) of mobile networks. The study, titled "The Dual Iconic Features and Key Enabling Technologies of 6G," presents an in-depth analysis of the future of mobile communications and highlights the key features and technologies that will define 6G. Since the advent of the first generation (1G) of mobile networks in the 1980s, the industry has witnessed a generational upgrade every decade. Currently, the fifth generation (5G) is in the commercial stage, while the sixth generation (6G) is in the research stage. The standardization for 6G is expected to debut in 2025, with the first commercial version set to launch in 2030. In order to provide a comprehensive understanding of 6G, the study proposes two iconic features and enabling technologies based on an analysis of the 6G vision. The first iconic feature of 6G is its ability to create a virtualized world with digital twins, enabling the perception of everything in the p...

Myocardial ischemia, a condition characterized by inadequate blood supply to the heart muscle, affects millions of people worldwide. While the focus of treatment has traditionally been on opening blocked arteries, recent research has shed light on the role of abnormalities in coronary microvessels and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in myocardial ischemia. A new study investigating the pharmacological effects of Buxu Tongyu (BXTY) granule, a traditional Chinese medicine, has shown promising results in alleviating myocardial ischemia by activating the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC)–3′,5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)–protein kinase G (PKG) signaling pathway in VSMCs. Myocardial ischemia occurs when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen due to inadequate blood supply from the coronary arteries. This condition is primarily caused by coronary artery spasm, atherosclerosis, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and cardiomyopathy. BXTY has long been used in traditional Chinese ...

  A breakthrough in satellite observations has allowed scientists to obtain high spatial resolution ozone profiles, enhancing our understanding of ozone distribution and its impact on the atmosphere. The research, conducted by the research team led by Cheng Liu and Fei Zhao at the University of Science and Technology of China, utilized data from the Environmental Trace Gases Monitoring Instrument (EMI) on the Gaofen-5 satellite, the first Chinese ultraviolet-visible hyperspectral spectrometer. Ozone plays a crucial role in the atmosphere, and understanding its vertical distribution is key to comprehending its horizontal and vertical transport, as well as its physical and chemical properties. Satellite observations have emerged as one of the most effective methods for obtaining high-resolution ozone profiles. However, retrieving accurate ozone profiles using the EMI instrument poses unique challenges due to unavailable measurement errors and a low signal-to-noise ratio. The team dev...

  We have witnessed the global spread of COVID-19 in the past years and fully recognized the importance of rapid, accurate, and easy sensing of viruses and diseases. It is highly desired to have a personalized sensing device that can be implemented in our daily life to improve the life quality.  Recently, researchers have been exploring on-chip sensing technologies to tackle these emerging challenges. More and more healthcare monitoring functionalities were integrated with wearable devices.  New research led by engineers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST of Saudi Arabia) and the State University of New York at Buffalo (University at Buffalo, USA) makes significant progress along this direction. The system is constructed by a graded surface nanograting with the period changing from 300 nm to 500 nm. Under the illumination of LEDs or lasers, one can see a dark bar in the reflection image (as illustrated in the image). The spatial location of the d...

The growth of ecological restoration programs worldwide has made the planet greener. Meanwhile, the failure of large-scale restoration has also been witnessed, due to conflicts between stakeholders during the implementation process. For effective ecological restoration, a comprehensive understanding of social-ecological interactions during the land conversion process and the integration of social dimension into large-scale ecological restoration planning play key roles. However, large-scale ecological restoration planning tends to pay more attention to ecological attributes (e.g., slope), with social attributes often neglected. Furthermore, how social dimensions should be considered remains a challenge.  Recently, many researchers have attempted to analyze the responses and feedbacks of human behavior at the household scale during large-scale ecological restoration implementation. A new study led by the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Scienc...

Recent, the rapid development of optoelectronic devices has made human life more convenient. However, these devices emit large amounts of electromagnetic radiation, which not only endanger human health, but also cause unacceptable malfunction of electronic systems. Therefore, electromagnetic shielding technology that eliminates the adverse electromagnetic waves is of vital importance to protect sensitive circuits from interference and preserve a healthy living environment. The absorption-based electromagnetic shielding technology is the most ideal method of electromagnetic shielding at present due to the electromagnetic waves cannot return to space and are completely eliminated. In particular, the optical transparent and tunable microwave absorption technology, which can be tuned in real time and applied in visual observation occasions, has attracted great attention for its scientific and application values. Vanadium dioxide is a promising candidate material for tunable absorbers owing...

Background Phosphorus (P) eutrophication and P mineral resource depletion are increasingly serious global problems. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are both the sink and source for P. The bioprocess known as enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) can effectively promote P removal and recovery in WWTPs. It relies on a specific microbial functional guild called polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs). Recently,  Tetrasphaera  PAOs have gained increasing attention due to their prevalence in global WWTPs as both important contributors to P removal and potential reservoirs for P recovery. However, only a few studies have reported  Tetrasphaera -enriched microbiomes that were fed amino acids as a sole carbon source. The enrichment strategy, process, and key biotic and abiotic factors are unclear, hindering the in-depth study of  Tetrasphaera  PAOs for optimizing the P removal and recovery in WWTPs. To fill above knowledge gaps, this study proposed and a...

Scientists have long been challenged by the complex process of drug discovery and development, with investments that often go unrewarded. However, with the advancement of experimental technology and computer hardware, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a leading tool in analyzing abundant and high-dimensional data. In a new academic paper published in the journal   Engineering   titled “Artificial Intelligence in Pharmaceutical Sciences,” researchers detail the advantages of AI technology in all aspects of new drug research and development (R&D). AI is capable of discovering new drugs more efficiently and at a lower cost. Through the explosive growth of biomedical data, AI has led to a revolution in drug R&D, from target discovery to preclinical research, automated drug synthesis, and influences on the pharmaceutical market. In the review, the authors provide a brief overview of common AI models in the field of drug discovery, then summarize and discuss in dep...

A groundbreaking research project aimed at revolutionizing the field of life sciences and providing unprecedented insights into the human body had been announced. The significant research program, titled "digital life and holographic human body" brought together leading scientists, researchers, and experts from all around the world to develop a pioneering digital model that represents the physiological and pathological processes of human life system activities in real time. The concept of a “holographic digital mannequin” involves reconstructing the micro-, meso-, and macro-networked dynamic life information dataset of the human body using advanced technologies such as digital twin and computer simulation. By categorizing, integrating, and digitizing existing theoretical models, the research aims to decode the complex life activity processes and uncover the exact causes of accurate and effective intervention and rehabilitation measures for improved initiative for this researc...

  Deep learning modeling that incorporates physical knowledge is currently a hot topic, and a number of excellent techniques have emerged. The most well-known one is the physics-informed neural networks (PINNs). PINN integrates the residuals of the system’s governing partial differential equations (PDEs) and the initial value/boundary conditions into the loss function, thus the resulting model satisfies the constraints of the physical laws represented by the PDEs. However, PINN cannot work if equations among the key physical quantities of the system have not been established. To model such systems, novel methods must be developed. MGDL (mesoscience-guided deep learning, a deep learning modeling approach guided by mesoscience, was proposed by Li Guo et al. from Institute of Process Engineering (IPE), Chinese of Academy Sciences (CAS). Mesoscience is a methodology for tackling multilevel complexities. It focuses on the study of mesoscale problems at different levels and correlates t...

BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Scientists have recently introduced a new algorithm that combines deep learning and transfer learning to improve aerosol monitoring on China's FY-4A satellite. The study, published in the journal Engineering, was conducted through a collaborative effort by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Satellite Meteorological Center, the Harbin Institute of Technology, and other institutes. Scientists believe that accurate measurements of atmospheric aerosols are pivotal in understanding Earth's radiation balance, climate change, and air quality. Aboard China's geostationary meteorological satellite FY-4A, the Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI) scans China every five minutes, providing crucial data for monitoring aerosol spatiotemporal variations. However, the inflexibility of traditional physical retrieval algorithms, coupled with the insufficient number of ground-based sunphotometer sites, ...

In a groundbreaking development, researchers have introduced a cutting-edge method for real-time structural response prediction, poised to redefine the landscape of disaster prevention and building resilience. The innovative approach combines physics-informed deep learning with a data-driven training strategy, revolutionizing the accuracy and efficiency of structural response prediction. Detailed structural diagram of the Phy-Seisformer model. This novel method, known as the Phy-Seisformer model, incorporates the physical information of a structure into its predictive capabilities, enabling higher-precision forecasts. Through extensive experimentation on various building structures, including masonry and reinforced concrete, the method has demonstrated unparalleled accuracy and exceptional computational speed, outperforming traditional finite element calculations by at least 5000 times. The implications of this research are far-reaching, offering a potential paradigm shift in post-eart...

Engineering journal reveals Global Top 10 Engineering Achievements 2023 On December 20, 2023. The Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements 2023 are presented below: 1. ChatGPT; 2. China's space station; 3. The exascale supercomputer; 4. Baihetan Hydropower Station; 5. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART); 6. The RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine; 7. The Harmony operating system (OS); 8. The Spot and Atlas robots; 9. The lithium-ion power battery; 10. Unmanned aircraft. Read more: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2023.11.008