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[Display omitted] • Deep oxidation of toluene is achieved using a plasma −Mn/N–C system. • Mn/N–C catalyst shows good stability and 10.6 g·kwh−1 energy yield is obtained. • The intermediates and degradation mechanism of toluene are proposed. In order to ensure the excellent performance of a nonthermal plasma (NTP)-catalysis system, a highly efficient catalyst is generally required. In this study, nitrogen-enriched hollow hybrid carbon (N-C) catalysts were designed, synthesized through facile pyrolysis of a zeolitic imidazolate framework precursor, and used as a support on which to disperse Mn species. Notably, the coupling of NTP with the Mn/N-C catalysts resulted in strong activity. Mn loading of 6 % was found to remove almost all toluene (98 % efficiency) and to have CO x selectivity (82.1 %) when the specific energy density (SED) value was 252 J·L−1; when the SED value was 102 J·L−1, the energy yield was 10.6 g·kWh−1. The performances of the developed Mn/N-C catalysts were related to their highly dispersed nature and strong ability to activate oxygen and dissociate O 3. Hereafter, the toluene decomposition pathway is described. The present findings demonstrate the potential applications of porous N-C-supported metal oxide catalysts in the removal of volatile organic compounds through a catalyzed NTP process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scoping review aims to document Chinese Patent Medicines (CPMs) for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, explore whether CPMs can improve patients' health outcomes, and set priorities in addressing research gaps in this area. Following the framework of PRISMA-SCr, we proposed the research questions based on PICOS principle, and searched the CPMs for T2DM from three drug lists, followed by a systematic search of the literature in eight databases from their inception to June 22, 2023. Then, we developed the eligibility criteria and systematically reviewed the relevant studies, retained the studies about CPMs for T2DM, extracted the related data, and identified the differences across studies in structured charts. A total of 25 types of CPMs were extracted from the three drug lists. Radix astragali appeared most frequently (19 times) among the herbal medicinal ingredients of CPMs. A total of 449 articles were included in the full-paper analysis ultimately, all of which were about 20 types of CPMs, and there were no related reports on the remaining five CPMs. Except about a quarter (25.39 %, 114/449) using CPMs alone, the remaining studies all involved the combination with oral hypoglycemics for T2DM. Biguanides are the most common drugs used in combination with CPMs (50.14 %, 168/335). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) is the most frequently reported outcomes in efficacy evaluation (82.41 %, 370/449). There are a total of 25 types of CPMs currently available for T2DM patients. However, the volume of related evidence on these CPMs varies. It is necessary to standardize the combined use of CPMs and conventional medicine and select appropriate outcomes in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel ASA- g -(THF 5 - b -PIB) copolymers with pH sensitive drug release were achieved. • Crystallization and hydrophilicity of graft copolymer was mediated by PIB branches. • Copolymer/Ag nanocomposites behave antibacterial property and protein resistance. Sodium alginate (SA) is a marine-derived biocompatible polysaccharide with huge reserves and polyisobutylene (PIB) is a saturated elastomer with gas barrier property, bio-inertness, and biocompatibility. Herein, we developed the biomass-based ASA- g -(THF 5 - b -PIB) graft copolymer/Ag (3–11 nm, 0.7–3.8%) nanocomposites formed in-situ via combination of transition of terminal groups in PIB chains with grafting-onto method. The above graft copolymers exhibit microphase separation by self-assembly for the difference in chemical structure from backbone and branches and annealing process as well. The crystallization morphology from backbone depends on the M n,PIB and G N , changing from thin strip to rod-like crystal. The pH sensitivity happens in drug release behavior of ASA- g -(THF 5 - b -PIB) micelles, which reach 100% of drug-release within 40 h at pH = 7.4. The ASA- g -(THF 5 - b -PIB)/Ag composites behave good antibacterial properties to both E. coli and S. aureus and anti-protein adsorption performance. This novel graft copolymer with comprehensive properties and would have a prospect in biomedical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, 10-year meteorological data observed at Taipei, Taiwan, from 2006 to 2015, are studied to investigate the inherent correlation between renewable resources. The data are investigated in the time-frequency space using wavelet analysis including wind speed, global solar radiation and air temperature. Through the wavelet transform of the time series, the related cross wavelet transform, wavelet coherence and phase angle are obtained. The results show that the wavelet power spectra exhibit prominent oscillations at annual and half-year periods for the three kinds of meteorological data, while some oscillations for other periods do not show a regular pattern. Wind speed spectrum is more irregular than the other two types of data due to climatic and geographic factors, whereas temperature has the most regular form. From the cross wavelet transform of data pairs, it is seen wind speed and solar radiation have an anti-phase correlation, implying that wind and solar energy can be used in complementary roles in electricity generation in this region. The results of wavelet analysis coincide with the variation trend of the monthly mean of the meteorological data over the 10-year period. Wavelet analysis is a robust tool for the oscillation characteristic study on time series data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Deep oxidation of TCE is achieved using a plasma-Ag-Mn-Ce/HZSM-5 system. • Influences of key parameters on the removal of TCE are estimated. • The reaction pathway of plasma-catalytic removal of TCE is proposed. The degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) is of paramount importance due to its harmful effect on human health and the environment. In this study, a remarkable oxidation of the toxic TCE was achieved by using a hybrid system integrating a corona discharge reactor and a series of Ag-Mn-Ce/HZSM-5 catalysts. The combination of plasma and catalysis significantly promoted TCE oxidation compared with the plasma alone system. A maximum TCE removal efficiency (100 %) and an energy yield of 204 g·kWh−1 were obtained in the plasma-catalytic system by using the Ag 4 MnCeO x /HZSM-5 (4 wt% Ag loading) catalyst in dry air with a weight hourly space velocity of 200000 mL·g−1·h−1. In contrast, the plasma alone system showed only a removal efficiency of 34.8 % and an energy yield of 83 g·kWh−1 under the same conditions. By adding Ag, the surface adsorbed oxygen was activated and the reducibility of catalyst was promoted, which enhanced oxygen mobility and improved the oxidation of TCE. Furthermore, relative humidity (RH) had an important effect on TCE oxidation. The highest CO 2 selectivity (71.86 %) and CO selectivity (22.21 %) were obtained at an RH of 20 %. The decomposition pathway of TCE in the post-plasma-catalytic system was proposed. This study is expected to provide a feasible method for the control of chlorine-containing waste gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chinese medicine (CM) has become a popular interventional treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, limited knowledge about general characteristics and long-term clinical outcomes hampers the development of CM for RA.Purpose: The main objectives of the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) were to describe the population of RA patients receiving CM treatment in multiple centers in China using different variables and compare these findings with internationally reported data.Study Design: The CERTAIN is a prospective, multicenter, observational disease registry.Methods: Adult RA patients who fulfilled the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/ European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for RA and received CM treatment were recruited into the CERTAIN by rheumatologists from 145 hospitals across 30 provinces in China. Data on demographics, disease characteristics, comorbidities, treatments, and adverse events, with a 2-year follow-up, were collected and documented using a predefined protocol.Results: In the 2 years since the study began in September 2019, 11,764 patients have been enrolled (enrolment is ongoing), and 13.10% of participants have completed the 6-month follow-up. We present the baseline characteristics of the first 11,764 enrollees.Conclusions: The CERTAIN is the first nationwide registry to document comprehensive data on CM treatment in patients with RA. The development of the CERTAIN resource is a significant step forward for Chinese RA patients, herbal medicine users, and research communities and will deepen our understanding of CM for RA.Registration: The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05219214). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capacity factor is an essential indicator in evaluating a wind turbine's efficiency. In this paper, four kinds of power curve models--linear, quadratic, cubic, and general--are applied to estimate the capacity factor of a pitch-controlled wind turbine based on the Weibull probability distribution of wind speed. The general model is adopted for the first time in this issue. The wire-frame graph of capacity factor is demonstrated for practical Weibull shape and scale parameters representing various wind farms. To analyze the validity of the four empirical models, seven power output curves provided by different manufacturers are selected for different operating speeds. The results show that a turbine generator installed at a wind site with larger scale and shape parameters may show greater performance, but limitations do exist. The capacity factors calculated from manufacturer data are far greater than those from empirical models if the cut-in, rated, and furling speeds of a wind turbine are set as 4, 15, and 25 m/s, respectively. Similar values from empirical models get closer to those from manufacturer data when the cut-in or rated speeds decrease. The quadratic model shows better agreement with manufacturers' power curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooking fumes (CFs) pose a considerable threat to the atmospheric environment and health, thus requiring appropriate mitigation measures. In this study, a nonthermal plasma (NTP) method based on a glass-bead-packed-bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor was used to remove CFs. The results revealed that the introduction of glass beads into the DBD reactor considerably enhanced the electrical field, resulting in the marked improvement of the removal of CFs. At a discharge power of 7.4 W, the removal efficiencies of CFs, nonmethane hydrocarbons, and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤ 10 µm (PM 10) reached 89.5%, 98%, and 79%, respectively. Moreover, a high CO x yield of 25.3% and an energy yield of CO x of 41.19 g·kWh−1 were achieved due to the oxidation of carbon-containing compounds. The use of air as the carrier gas resulted in the more efficient removal of CFs compared with the use of nitrogen because of the oxidation effect of active oxygen-containing species derived from the dissociation of oxygen molecules. The performance of the glass-bead-packed-bed DBD reactor was positively correlated with discharge power. Furthermore, on the basis of the identification of byproducts, a reaction pathway underlying the NTP removal of CFs was proposed. The main carbon-containing compounds identified in CFs were esters, hydrocarbons, aldehydes, ketones, and S/Cl-containing compounds, which underwent destruction through a series of dissociation and oxidation reactions, forming CO 2 and H 2 O in the plasma region. This study provides evidence for the use of NTP as an innovative technology for the highly efficient removal of CFs. [Display omitted] • High removal of cooking fumes was achieved using a glass-bead-packed DBD reactor. • Influences of key parameters on the removal of cooking fumes were estimated. • The reaction pathway of plasma removal of cooking fumes was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The fluctuation of wind speed within a specific time period affects a lot the energy conversion rate of wind turbine. In this paper, the concept of fractal dimension in chaos theory is applied to investigate wind speed characterizations; numerical algorithms for the calculation of the fractal dimension are presented graphically. Wind data selected is observed at three wind farms experiencing different climatic conditions from 2006 to 2008 in Taiwan, where wind speed distribution can be properly classified to high wind season from October to March and low wind season from April to September. The variations of fractal dimensions among different wind farms are analyzed from the viewpoint of climatic conditions. The results show that the wind speeds studied are characterized by medium to high values of fractal dimension; the annual dimension values lie between 1.61 and 1.66. Because of monsoon factor, the fluctuation of wind speed during high wind months is not as significant as that during low wind months; the value of fractal dimension reveals negative correlation with that of mean wind speed, irrespective of wind farm considered. For a location where the wind distribution is well described by Weibull function, its fractal dimension is not necessarily lower. These findings are useful to wind analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In addition to the probability density function (pdf) derived with maximum entropy principle (MEP), several kinds of mixture probability functions have already been applied to estimate wind energy potential in scientific literature, such as the bimodal Weibull function (WW) and truncated Normal Weibull function (NW). In this paper, two other mixture functions are proposed for the first time to wind energy field, i.e. the mixture Gamma–Weibull function (GW) and mixture truncated normal function (NN). These five functions will be reviewed and compared together with conventional Weibull function. Wind speed data measured from 2006 to 2008 at three wind farms experiencing different climatic environments in Taiwan are selected as sample data to test their performance. Judgment criteria include four kinds of statistical errors, i.e. the max error in Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, root mean square error, Chi-square error and relative error of wind potential energy. The results show that all the mixture functions and the maximum entropy function describe wind characterizations better than the conventional Weibull function if wind regime presents two humps on it, irrespective of wind speed and power density. For wind speed distributions, the proposed GW pdf describes best according to the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test followed by the NW and WW pdfs, while the NN pdf performs worst. As for wind power density, the MEP and GW pdfs perform best followed by the WW and NW pdfs. The GW pdf could be a useful alternative to the conventional Weibull function in estimating wind energy potential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, wind energy in Taiwan is assessed according to Weibull function. The heuristic searching technique, particle swarm optimization (PSO), is applied originally to find the Weibull parameters. Wind data used is measured by three wind turbines located at different climate regions, i.e. Dayuan, Hengchun and Penghu. The results show that the PSO is powerful in searching parameters. Three stations experiencing stronger northeastern monsoon have more power density in winter. Yearly wind speed distribution in Hengchun matches best with the Weibull function. Weibull shape parameters lie between 2 and 3; scale parameters reveal similar trends with mean speeds by 12% greater. On the basis of Weibull distribution, the order of magnitude is always in speed carrying maximum energy, scale parameter, mean speed and most probable speed for all the stations. There is much room to enhance turbine’s conversion efficiency especially in Penghu according to the analyses of availability and capacity factors. The wind in inland stations could relatively provide more energy near noon. Wind power density presents inverse change with solar irradiance over the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Knowing about wind speed distribution for a specific site is very essential step in wind resource utilizations. In this paper, a probability density function with the maximum entropy principle is derived using different algorithm from previous studies. Its validity considering various numbers of moment constraints is tested and compared with the conventional Weibull function in terms of computation accuracy. Judgment criterions include the Chi-square error, root mean square error, maximum error in cumulative distribution function as well as the relative error of wind power density between theoretical function and observation data. Wind sample data are observed at four wind farms having different weather conditions in Taiwan. The results show that the entropy quantities reveal a negative correlation with the number of constraints used, regardless of station considered. For a specific site experiencing more stable weather condition where wind regimes are not too dispersive, the conventional Weibull function may accurately describe the distribution. While for wind regimes having two humps on it, the maximum entropy distributions proposed outperform a lot the Weibull function, irrespective of wind speed or power density analyzed. For the consideration of computation burden, using four moment constraints in calculating maximum entropy parameters is recommended in wind analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two-parameter Weibull function has been widely applied to evaluate wind energy potential. In this paper, six kinds of numerical methods commonly used for estimating Weibull parameters are reviewed; i.e. the moment, empirical, graphical, maximum likelihood, modified maximum likelihood and energy pattern factor method. Their performance is compared through Monte Carlo simulation and analysis of actual wind speed according to the criterions such as Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, parameter error, root mean square error, and wind energy error. The results show that, in simulation test of random variables, the graphical method’s performance in estimating Weibull parameters is the worst one, followed by the empirical and energy pattern factor methods, if data number is smaller. The performance for all the six methods is improved while data number becomes larger; the graphical method is even better than the empirical and energy pattern factor methods. The maximum likelihood, modified maximum likelihood and moment methods present relatively more excellent ability throughout the simulation tests. From analysis of actual data, it is found that if wind speed distribution matches well with Weibull function, the six methods are applicable; but if not, the maximum likelihood method performs best followed by the modified maximum likelihood and moment methods, based on double checks including potential energy and cumulative distribution function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, the electric energy from a photovoltaic module was calculated theoretically at different azimuths and tilt angles in Taiwan. The gain of the module mounted on a single-axis tracking panel relative to a traditional fixed panel was analyzed. To simulate different operation environments, both types of radiation will be considered in addition to observed radiation, i.e. the extraterrestrial radiation and the global radiation predicted by an empirical model. The results show that the optimal tilt angle obtained from the observed data is flatter than those from other two radiation types and becomes flatter while the panel deviates from due south. The yearly gains obtained from the extraterrestrial, predicted and observed radiations are 51.4%, 28.5% and 18.7%, respectively, if a single-axis tracked panel is installed with the yearly optimal tilt angle; the similar gains are 45.3%, 25.9% and 17.5%, respectively, while the panel is adjusted to its monthly optimal angle each month. The amount of yearly energy in due west (or east) is less than its maximum in due south by about 11%, 10% and 5% for the extraterrestrial, predicted and observed radiation respectively. The yearly conversion efficiency of a fixed module is 10.2%, 9.2% and 8.3% for the extraterrestrial, predicted and observed radiation, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A theoretical study on the performance of an east–west oriented single-axis tracked panel was originally proposed in this paper. Mathematic expressions applicable for calculating the angle that the tracked panel should rotate by to follow the Sun are derived. The incident angle of sunlight upon the panel as well as the instantaneous increments of solar energy captured by the panel relative to a fixed horizontal surface are then demonstrated graphically. To simulate different operation environments, three kinds of radiation sources will be considered, i.e. the extraterrestrial radiation, global radiation predicted by empirical models under clear sky situation and global radiation observed in Taiwan. Simulation results show that the yearly gains correlate positively with the radiation level, i.e. 21.2%, 13.5% and 7.4% for the extraterrestrial, predicted and observed radiations, respectively, which are far less than those obtained from a north–south oriented single-axis tracked panel. The irradiation increases with the maximum rotation angle of the panel, the benefit of increasing the rotation in overcast environment is not as good as in clear sky, for annual energy collection 45° is recommended. The irradiation received decreases with latitude, but it has a greater gain in higher latitude zone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, the performance of a south facing single-axis tracked panel was analyzed according to global radiation predicted by empirical model. Mathematic expressions appropriate for single-axis tracking system were derived to calculate the radiation on it. Instantaneous increments of solar energy collected by the tracked panel relative to fixed panel are illustrated. The validity of the empirical model to Taiwan area will also be examined with the actual irradiation data observed in Taipei. The results are summarized as follows: the gains made by the tracked panel relative to a fixed panel are between 20.0% and 33.9% for four specified days of year, between 20.9% and 33.2% for the four seasons and 27.6% over the entire year. For latitudes below 65°, the yearly optimal tilt angle of a fixed panel is close to 0.8 times latitude, the irradiation ratio of the tracked panel to the fixed panel is about 1.3, which are smaller than the corresponding values calculated from extraterrestrial radiation, suggesting us that the installation angle should be adjusted toward a flatter angle and that the gain of the tracked panel will reduce while it works in cloudy climate or in air pollution environment. Although the captured radiation increases with the maximal rotation angle of panel, but the benefit on the global radiation case is still not so good as that on extraterrestrial radiation case. The irradiation data observed is much less than the data predicted by the empirical model, however the trend of fitting curve to the observed data is somewhat in agreement with that to the predicted one; the yearly gain is 14.3% when a tracked panel is employed throughout the year. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]