Search

Additive manufacturing has emerged as a promising technique in energy device research, owing to its ability to fabricate programmable geometries. Nevertheless, it remains a significant challenge to prepare three-dimensional electrode structures with finely resolved features. Herein, we propose a vat photopolymerization (VP) 3D printing process for Nickel Oxide-Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (NiO-YSZ) anode structure of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). A photosensitive NiO-YSZ slurry was prepared with appropriate curing properties, low viscosity, and stability. Optimal debinding processes, determined through thermo-gravimetric analysis, were employed to prevent green part cracking and deformation. Microstructural analysis demonstrated a uniform and finely distributed pore structure in the anode. Remarkably, cells featuring the VP-printed NiO-YSZ anode demonstrated notable performance with peak power densities of 239 mW·cm−2, 364 mW·cm−2, and 536 mW·cm−2 at 750 °C, 800 °C, and 850 °C, respectively. This novel method opens avenues for enhancing the performance of SOFCs through the optimization of anode structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Taiji program is dedicated to the detection of middle and low-frequency gravitational waves, targeting the 0.1 mHz to 1 Hz frequency band. The project requires an acceleration residual sensitivity of 3 × 10−15 ms−2/Hz1/2, which necessitates a capacitance sensing resolution of 1 aF/Hz1/2 for the capacitive sensing system within the specified frequency range. The noise level of the resonant bridge significantly influences the resolution. Addressing the challenges in enhancing transformer performance parameters in existing resonant capacitance bridges and the constraints on improving the characteristics of resonant capacitance bridges, this study introduces a novel approach to reduce bridge thermal noise without optimizing existing parameters. The simulation results demonstrate that this scheme can reduce the noise to 0.7 times the original level and further reduce bridge thermal noise when other parameters affecting noise are optimized. This not only mitigates the demands for other performance parameters but also increases the range of maximum acceptable resonant frequency deviations and reduces its sensitivity to such variations. Experimental validation confirms that the proposed scheme effectively reduces noise by 0.7 times and improves the resolution of capacitance sensing to 0.6 aF/Hz1/2, thereby advancing the Taiji program gravitational wave detection capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is the presence of an abnormally excessive amount of bacterial colonization in the small bowel. Hydrogen and methane breath test has been widely applied as a non-invasive method for SIBO. However, the positive breath test representative of bacterial overgrowth could also be detected in asymptomatic individuals. Methods: To explore the relationship between clinical symptoms and gut dysbiosis, and find potential fecal biomarkers for SIBO, we compared the microbial profiles between SIBO subjects with positive breath test but without abdominal symptoms (PBT) and healthy controls (HC) using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Results: Fecal samples were collected from 63 SIBO who complained of diarrhea, distension, constipation, or abdominal pain, 36 PBT, and 55 HC. For alpha diversity, the Shannon index of community diversity on the genus level showed a tendency for a slight increase in SIBO, while the Shannon index on the predicted function was significantly decreased in SIBO. On the genus level, significantly decreased Bacteroides, increased Coprococcus_2, and unique Butyrivibrio were observed in SIBO. There was a significant positive correlation between saccharolytic Coprococcus_2 and the severity of abdominal symptoms. Differently, the unique Veillonella in the PBT group was related to amino acid fermentation. Interestingly, the co-occurrence network density of PBT was larger than SIBO, which indicates a complicated interaction of genera. Coprococcus_2 showed one of the largest betweenness centrality in both SIBO and PBT microbiota networks. Pathway analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) database reflected that one carbon pool by folate and multiple amino acid metabolism were significantly down in SIBO. Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into the fecal microbiota composition and predicted metabolic functional changes in patients with SIBO. Butyrivibrio and Coprococcus_2, both renowned for their role in carbohydrate fermenters and gas production, contributed significantly to the symptoms of the patients. Coprococcus's abundance hints at its use as a SIBO marker. Asymptomatic PBT individuals show a different microbiome, rich in Veillonella. PBT's complex microbial interactions might stabilize the intestinal ecosystem, but further study is needed due to the core microbiota similarities with SIBO. Predicted folate and amino acid metabolism reductions in SIBO merit additional validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoresponsive microgels are a kind of soft and wet material exhibiting various potential applications such as smart windows. As a concept of proof, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) based thermoresponsive microgel shows excellent promise in thermochoromic smart windows. While relatively expensive monomers lead to an unacceptable cost when they are used as building materials. In this work, efforts are made to exploration of an alternative for poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) reducing the cost of thermoresponsive microgels. For this purpose, industrial chemicals acrylamide (AM) and diacetone acrylamide (DAAM) are employed to synthesize microgels through free radical precipitation polymerization. Although both homopolymers of acrylamide and diacetone acrylamide are not thermoresponsive. Their copolymers exhibit typical lower solution temperature solution (LCST) behaviors, which confirm the feasibility of the envisaged. Further, the influence of synthetic conditions including monomer ratio, concentration of surfactant, and polymerization temperature, on the size and responsive temperature of microgels is investigated. Ultimately, cost‐effective thermoresponsive microgels are prepared with adjustable diameters from 1.6 to 4.5 µm and responsive temperature from 19.3 to ≈70.0 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inertial sensor is a crucial payload in China's Taiji program for space gravitational wave detection. The performance of the capacitive displacement sensing circuit in the low-frequency band (0.1 mHz to 1 Hz) is extremely important because it directly determines the sensitivity of the space gravitational wave detection missions. Therefore, significant, yet challenging, tasks include decreasing the low-frequency noise in capacitive displacement sensing circuits and improving the capacitive sensing resolution. This study analyzes the noise characteristics of the pre-amplifier circuit within the capacitive sensing circuit, achieves precise tuning of the transformer bridge, and examines how transformer parameters affect noise. In addition, this study introduces a method using a discrete JFET to reduce the operational amplifier current noise and analyzes how feedback resistance and capacitance in TIA circuits affect the overall circuit noise. The proportional relationship between different transformer noises and TIA noise before and after optimization was analyzed and experimentally verified. Finally, an optimized TIA circuit and a superior transformer were utilized to achieve an increase in the capacitive sensing resolution from 1.095 aF/rtHz @ 10 mHz to 0.84 aF/rtHz @ 10 mHz, while improving the performance by 23%. These findings provide valuable insights into further decreasing circuit noise and increasing the capacitive sensing resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium (Li) dendrite formation and poor Li+ transport kinetics under high‐charging current densities and capacities inhibit the capabilities of Li metal batteries (LMBs). This study proposes a 3D conductive multichannel carbon framework (MCF) with homogeneously distributed vertical graphene nanowalls (VGWs@MCF) as a multifunctional host to efficiently regulate Li deposition and accelerate Li+ transport. A novel electrode for both Li|VGWs@MCF anode and LFP|VGWs@MCF (NCM811|VGWs@MCF) cathode is designed and fabricated using a dual vertically aligned architecture. This unique hierarchical structure provides ultrafast, continuous, and smooth electron transport channels; furthermore, it furnishes outstanding mechanical strength to support massive Li deposition at ultrahigh rates. As a result, the Li|VGWs@MCF anode exhibits outstanding cycling stability at ultrahigh currents and capacities (1000 h at 10 mA cm–2 and 10 mAh cm–2, and 1000 h at 30 mA cm–2 and 60 mAh cm–2). Moreover, full cells made of such 3D anodes and freestanding LFP|VGWs@MCF (NCM811|VGWs@MCF) cathodes with conspicuous mass loading (45 mg cm–2 for LFP and 35 mg cm–2 for NCM811) demonstrate excellent areal capacities (6.98 mAh cm–2 for LFP and 5.6 mAh cm–2 for NCM811). This strategy proposes a promising direction for the development of high‐energy‐density practical Li batteries that combine safety, performance, and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the continuous operating of solar energy systems and increase the proportion of renewable energy consumption, solar devices are often integrated with conventional energy systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, a solar-natural gas coupling system is constructed, utilizing solar photovoltaics, thermal collectors, and high-efficiency energy conversion devices. After modelling the energy system, the operating modes are illustrated considering working sequences of water-cooled devices. A modified genetic algorithm, which incorporates reverse learning, controlled elite, and dynamic crowding distance theory, is constructed to optimize the configurations of the proposed energy system, with the aim of minimizing carbon and economic prices of the products. The performance of the energy system is compared with different algorithms and cases, and the results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm addresses the limitations of conventional methods, albeit with increased optimization times. Moreover, the proposed operating mode (Case 1) exhibits a stable performance, leading to a higher environmental and economic performance compared to conventional modes, with carbon and economic prices of 0.242 kg/kWh and 0.067 $/kWh, respectively. This study provides new insights into carbon footprints and economic performance evaluation of high-efficiency energy systems, offering valuable directions for future research in this field. [Display omitted] • A solar-natural gas coupling system to fulfill building multiple demands. • Comparisons of fours cases considering operating sequences of two types of chillers. • Modified genetic algorithm using reverse learning, elite controlled, dynamic crowding distance theory. • Carbon and economic prices of the products are illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analogously to power trading models used by electricity companies, the implementation of an energy retailer can address the trading challenges experienced by end-users with decentralized energy consumption patterns. This research develops an off-grid solar-gas energy system to fulfill the cooling and power needs of buildings. Upon creating thermodynamic models, an innovative energy trading mechanism is introduced through an energy retailer, followed by the application of a master-slave optimization method aimed at maximizing participants' profits while incorporating carbon trading and demand response strategies. Through a case study and comparison of four different scenarios, the findings demonstrate that integrating solar thermal and electrical systems leads to the highest profitability, with the energy system's revenues remaining below 10%. The study determines the maximum selling prices for cooling and electricity as 0.231 $/kWh and 0.232 $/kWh, respectively, and highlights that varying carbon allocation rates have minimal effects on user profits. This work sheds light on the sustainable progression of distributed energy systems and presents motivating implications for a diverse audience interested in such advancements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cascading utilization of solar full-spectrum irradiance. • Solar-wind-gas system to fulfill heat and power demands. • Carbon trading and demand response methods in a system view. • Carbon footprint analysis from an ecological perspective. • Sensitivity analysis among ratios of replaceable/price-type demand and specific carbon cost. The integration of solar full-spectrum and wind devices into district energy systems presents a promising avenue for reducing fuel consumption and advancing renewable energy utilization. To meet the heat and power demands of an industrial park, a solar-wind-gas coupling system is proposed, leveraging an organic Rankine cycle for efficient utilization of renewable and waste heat. Through the optimization of profit maximization via integrated demand response and carbon trading mechanisms, the specific carbon footprint in an ecological perspective considering both direct and indirect emissions is estimated. The findings reveal significant cost savings for users exceeding $400 through the demand response method, alongside a 5% reduction in operating costs for the system through carbon trading, albeit with elevated carbon footprints in energy and exergy domains. Moreover, higher carbon prices are shown to enhance profits due to increased award costs in carbon trading, while concurrently resulting in heightened ecological carbon emissions. This research extends traditional dispatching methods by integrating ecological carbon footprint analysis, offering valuable insights for sustainable energy management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducing renewable and high-efficiency devices into conventional cogeneration systems has the potentials to reduce fossil fuel consumption and mitigate environmental issues. This study aims to incorporate solar power and thermal energy into the power and waste heat generated by the gas turbine, respectively, while utilizing a double-effect absorption heat pump to meet the total heat demands. Following the creation of thermodynamic models, a trading mechanism is introduced involving an operating participant known as the product seller, which is analogous to electricity companies in power trading models. To maximize the interests of the participants with different confidence levels, the master-slave game is employed, using Genetic and Quadratic programming algorithms. The hourly outputs of devices and responded demands are evaluated based on the dynamic purchasing and selling price of products. The results indicate that the optimal interest of the cogeneration system is the lowest among all the participants. The power proportions from gas turbine and power grid exceed 60 %, while the contribution of gas turbine decreases by 11.0 % due to the lower heat demands caused by reduced confidence level. Overall, this study offers valuable insights into the market-oriented development of solar assisted cogeneration systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vesicouterine fistulae (VUF) are uncommonly occurring pathological passages between the bladder and uterus, and usually occur incidental to cesarean sections. This submission presents a case of VUF that was uniquely diagnosed via immunohistochemical analysis, in contrast to traditional methods of diagnosis, including via cystoscopy or via filling the bladder with dye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing the solar and geothermal energy in space heating systems can save fossil fuels and reduce emissions. In this study, compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) photovoltaic/thermal collectors (PV/T), absorption and ground source heat pumps are integrated to a novel space heating system for use in hotel and office buildings. A full simulation model of the system is constructed and validated by using the Engineering Equation Solver software. The heating system is analyzed against its energy, environmental, economic, and flexibility performance using multiple variables including the PV coverage ratio, ambient temperature, solar beam irradiance, and electricity price. The results show that integrating solar and geothermal energy can be effective to supplement the space heating demand. The best integrated performance point of the office building gives a 32% energy saving ratio, 9% annual cost savings ratio, 23% emission reduction ratio, and 67% excess adjustable ratio compared to a pure ground heat pump system. This research provides new directions of integrated performance evaluation of heating systems assisted by renewable energy resources. • Novel space heating system with photovoltaic/thermal collector and geothermal heat pump. • Two building types considered: hotel and office building. • Systematic analysis with multi-criteria against energy, environment, economic and flexible performance. • Integrated performance related to obtained benefits is considered. • Dynamic performance analysis by considering external parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional wind power prediction (WPP) is conducive to achieving scientific dispatch of the power system as well as improving its reliability. Data mining based on a large number of samples is an effective way to improve the accuracy of WPP. A new regional power forecasting method in the context of data mining is proposed in the article. First, a previously described regional WPP method, single feature similarity matching (SFSM) method, is analyzed and a new multifeature similarity matching (MFSM) method is proposed. Second, the optimization and analysis processes of four key parameters in the MFSM method are proposed and the impact of each key parameter on prediction error and the applicability of the method under different regional scales is analyzed. Finally, the new method and the optimization and analysis processes are verified by wind farm clusters, composed of 52 wind farms in northeast China, and the new method is compared with the conventional method, such as additive method, statistical up-scaling method, and the SFSM method. The results show that the improved MFSM method is superior to the conventional prediction method, whereby the root mean square error (RMSE) of 0 to 2 h is reduced by 3.65% and the RMSE of 0 to 4 h is reduced by 1.56%. The new method has been proved to be an effective WPP method for wind farm clusters and has potential industrial application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factors affecting independence in basic and instrumental activities of daily living have been established in older adults, but not centenarians. The purpose of this study was to examine the state and factors affecting activities of daily living independence in centenarians who resided in Guangxi Province, China. A cross‐sectional design was used. Activities of daily living, physical activity, mobility, and physical performance were measured by the Population Study of ChINese Elderly study instruments, and demographics and cognition were assessed. Of the 228 participants, 57% were independent in basic activities of daily living and 5.7% in instrumental activities of daily living. Stepwise regression showed physical activity, cognition, calf circumference, and self‐reported health were associated with basic activities of daily living. Physical activity, mobility, cognition, and physical performance were correlated with instrumental activities of daily living. In conclusion, the Chinese centenarians showed impaired instrumental activities of daily living but mostly maintained basic functioning. Physical activity and cognition were associated with activities of daily living independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to propose and analyze the performance of a novel hybrid combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) system coupled with compound parabolic concentrator-photovoltaic thermal (CPC-PVT) collectors. The electricity and hot water from CPC-PVT are integrated with the electricity and waste heat carried by exhaust gas and jacket water from the internal combustion engine to improve the energy performance. The thermodynamic models were constructed and validated by comparing the simulation results to those from existing studies. The thermodynamic performances were analyzed and the impacts of key parameters on the performances were discussed at the off-design condition. The levelized primary energy saving ratio (PESR) and carbon dioxide emission reduction ratio (CDERR) of the hybrid CCHP system in comparison to the CCHP system without solar energy were employed to evaluate the contribution of solar energy. The results indicated that the energy and exergy efficiencies at the design condition are 63.3% and 21.8% in summer, respectively, and 61.8% and 27.1% in winter, respectively. Compared to the CCHP system without solar energy, the hybrid system has more flexible ability to adjust the heating to electricity ratio and achieves the maximum levelized PESR of 28.6% and CDERR of 36.7%, respectively. • Propose a novel CCHP system integrated with CPC-PVT solar collectors. • Define the levelized primary energy saving ratio of the hybrid system. • Analyze the thermodynamic performances on the design and off-design operation conditions. • Discuss the performances and contributions of CPC-PVT solar collectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, hydroxyapatite (HA) was surface modified with silane coupling agent. The modified HA was named HA-APTES, and its structure was analyzed. Hydroxyapatite modified urea-formaldehyde resin (HUF) were prepared by adding different amounts of HA-APTES in the synthesis process. The properties of the resin were tested to determine the optimal addition amount of HA-APTES, and the thermal curing properties of resins were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The results suggested that HA-APTES has excellent formaldehyde-reducing effect and can significantly improve the wet shear strength of the resin, and the optimal addition amount of HA-APTES is 3%. Notably, compared to UF resin, the peak temperature and activation energy (Eα) of HUF resin are increased, the reaction sites are increased, and the network structure is complicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the prepolymers (TYF) were prepared by formaldehyde and l -tyrosine, different amounts of TYF were added to prepare TYF modified urea-formaldehyde adhesives (LUF), and the gel time of resin, formaldehyde emission and wet shear strength of the plywood were tested. This result indicated that the optimal addition amount was 3 wt%, and the formaldehyde emission of plywood decreased by 23% to 0.57 mg/L, and the wet shear strength increased by 47% to 1.47 MPa. The thermal degradation and curing characteristics of urea-formaldehyde (UF) and LUF resins were characterized by thermogravimetric (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the kinetic parameters were analyzed. The results showed that TYF could reduce the formaldehyde emission and improve the wet shear strength significantly. Moreover, the thermal degradation activation energy (E α) of UF resin was increased, and the thermal stability was enhanced. Although the initial and peak curing temperatures of LUF were higher, but the LUF cured more easily than the UF once the curing temperature was reached. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work is to optimize and minimize the thermo-ecological cost (TEC) of a novel hybrid combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) system integrated with solar energy. A basic natural gas CCHP system based on internal combustion engine (ICE) is coupled with compound parabolic concentrated-photovoltaic thermal (CPC-PVT) collectors to construct a novel hybrid CCHP system. To minimize the TEC, an optimization methodology was proposed to optimize the configurations and installations of ICE and CPC-PVT, as well as the operation strategies. The TECs of multi-products of the CCHP system were assessed and compared in the following electrical load (FEL) and following thermal load (FTL) modes. The impacts of key parameters on TEC were analyzed and discussed. The results of a case study indicated that the system integrated with 100% photovoltaic covered ratio and 400 kW ICE gets the lowest TEC of 2.36 J/J in the FTL mode. The TECs of electricity decline 28.8% and 17.0% in the FEL and FTL modes, respectively when the photovoltaic covered ratio increases from 0 to 1.0. The increasing heat storage ratio leads to the increase of TEC of heat exergy carried by water due to the heat loss. • Propose a novel CCHP system integrated with CPC-PVT solar collectors. • Optimize the system configuration to minimize thermo-ecological cost. • Assess and compare the thermo-ecological costs of multi-products in different operation modes. • Discuss the impact of key parameters on TEC of the hybrid energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The difference in the electricity to cooling/heating ratio between a building and combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system has a significant influence on the system configuration and performance. This paper designs a CCHP system coupled with a ground source heat pump (GSHP) to coordinate the match between system supplies and building demands. The energy flows in the cooling and heating work conditions are analyzed, and the thermodynamic models of components constructed. By means of a case study, the performances of the coupling CCHP system, under design and off-design working conditions, are evaluated and analyzed using energetic indicators, including the primary energy ratio and exergy efficiency, respectively. The adjustable areas expressed by electricity and cooling/heating, as well as the adjustable performance distributions, are obtained and discussed in order to guide operation regulation of the CCHP system integrated with the GSHP. Comparisons between the CCHP system with and without GSHP indicate that the coupling CCHP system in the specific case study can save averagely 40.6% and 39.5% of the primary energy in cooling and heating work conditions, respectively. Highlights • Consider the different forms of waste heat to integrate the coupling energy flows of CCHP-GSHP system. • Analyze adjustable areas of the coupling system without thermal energy storage to match the ratios of electricity to heat. • Obtain the distributions of the energy and exergy efficiencies with the adjustable areas. • Discuss the energy-saving and emission-reduction potentials of the coupling system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the significant effects of curing temperature, solid content, and pH on the pre-curing behavior of the UF resin, the isothermal and non-isothermal thermal behaviors were discussed by differential scanning calorimetry in this work. The results indicated that the temperature and pH showed significant influence on the whole shape of the DSC curves and the conversion at the same time of the UF resin. Meanwhile, the non-isothermal thermal behavior showed that when the UF resin pre-cured for the same time of 30 s, the onset and peak and end temperature of the DSC curves were decreased, and the activation energy and the conversion was also increased with the increasing curing temperature or decreasing pH. Based on the analysis of the contribution rate of the temperature, solid content, and pH on the conversion and heat of pre-curing UF resin, the results indicated that the pH and temperature showed significance effect on the pre-curing action than solid content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soy-based adhesives are considered to be a substitute for toxic petroleum-based adhesives in wood industry because of its environmentally-friendly property. However, their application range is limited by the lack of high wet bond strength and high toughness. While it is possible to impart these properties to soy-based adhesives by adding a variety of corresponding modifiers, it is difficult to do so by adding a single modifier. In this work, a multifunctional cross-linking agent dodecanedioic acid diglycidyl ester (DADE) with high reactivity, toughening, and hydrophobic effects was synthesized and incorporated into soy-based adhesive to ameliorate the bonding performance of the adhesives. The reaction process between DADE and protein was confirmed by instrumental analyses. Results revealed that the introduction of 4% DADE increased the wet bond strength of the soy protein adhesive by 140% to 1.57 MPa, whereas the wet bond strength (1.11 MPa) of soybean meal adhesive containing 4% DADE was comparable to that of MUF resin. The micrographs of the fracture surface and the force-distance curves of the shear strength test showed that the toughness of the adhesives was significantly improved by DADE. These improvements were attributed to the long hydrophobic aliphatic chains and highly reactive groups from DADE. This modification method avoided using large amounts of chemical additives. This work may provide an efficient and low-consumption method for producing bio-based adhesives with excellent bonding properties. [Display omitted] • The resulting soy-based adhesive was an environmentally-friendly wood adhesive. • A multifunctional crosslinker with toughening and hydrophobic effects was developed. • The use of DADE avoided the addition of additional hydrophobic and toughening agents. • The strength of the SPD adhesive was higher than that of formaldehyde-based resin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: This study introduces an innovative 3D-printed electrolyte with vertically aligned ion transport network, which contains well-dispersed nanoscale Ta-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 in a poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate matrix. The 3DSE architecture enables efficient ion transport across the Li/electrolyte and electrolyte/cathode interfaces, which allows for increased active material mass loading and enhanced interfacial adhesion. The p-3DSE Li symmetric cell displays an impressive critical current density value of 1.92 mA cm−2 and stable operation for 2600 h at room temperature. Full cells using p-3DSE achieve notable areal capacities. Improving the long-term cycling stability and energy density of all-solid-state lithium (Li)-metal batteries (ASSLMBs) at room temperature is a severe challenge because of the notorious solid–solid interfacial contact loss and sluggish ion transport. Solid electrolytes are generally studied as two-dimensional (2D) structures with planar interfaces, showing limited interfacial contact and further resulting in unstable Li/electrolyte and cathode/electrolyte interfaces. Herein, three-dimensional (3D) architecturally designed composite solid electrolytes are developed with independently controlled structural factors using 3D printing processing and post-curing treatment. Multiple-type electrolyte films with vertical-aligned micro-pillar (p-3DSE) and spiral (s-3DSE) structures are rationally designed and developed, which can be employed for both Li metal anode and cathode in terms of accelerating the Li+ transport within electrodes and reinforcing the interfacial adhesion. The printed p-3DSE delivers robust long-term cycle life of up to 2600 cycles and a high critical current density of 1.92 mA cm−2. The optimized electrolyte structure could lead to ASSLMBs with a superior full-cell areal capacity of 2.75 mAh cm−2 (LFP) and 3.92 mAh cm−2 (NCM811). This unique design provides enhancements for both anode and cathode electrodes, thereby alleviating interfacial degradation induced by dendrite growth and contact loss. The approach in this study opens a new design strategy for advanced composite solid polymer electrolytes in ASSLMBs operating under high rates/capacities and room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By combining the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method with inverse optimization algorithm can break through the constraints of traditional design experience and realize integrated silicon components with much more compact sizes. In inverse design process of 2 × 2 3 dB optical power splitter, the direct binary search algorithm is very easy to fall into the local optimal solutions due to its off-centered input and initial refractive index distribution, which limits the performances of the device. In order to address this issue, a two-stage inverse design process is proposed to optimize a silicon 2 × 2 3 dB optical power splitter with compact size of 4. 8 × 4. 8 μ m which are greatly reduced in size compared to conventional 3 dB optical power splitter. The excess loss and split ratio at 1550 nm are about 1.15 dB and 0.97, which are greatly improved compared to the traditional single-stage inverse design process. • We use a two-stage inverse design process to optimize a power splitter to avoid falling into the local optimal solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Diabetes poses a significant threat to human health. There is a lack of large-scale cohort studies to explore the association between mortality risk and indicators beyond blood glucose monitoring in diabetic populations. Methods: Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to investigate the association of 13 blood biomarkers with mortality risk in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and biomarker levels were log-transformed and correlated with mortality. Results: During a median follow-up of 7.42 years, 1783 diabetic patients were enrolled. Compared to traditional risk factors, the addition of hs-cTnT, hs-cTnI, NT-proBNP, creatinine, cystatin C, and β-2 microglobulin biomarkers increased the predictive ability for all-cause mortality by 56.4%, 29.5%, 38.1%, 18.8%, 35.7%, and 41.3%, respectively. However, the inclusion of blood glucose monitoring had no impact on the prediction of all-cause mortality. Compared with the 1st quartiles of creatinine and Cystatin C, the risk of diabetes mortality were higher in the highest quartiles (HR: 5.16, 95% CI: 1.87–14.22; HR: 10.06, 95% CI: 4.20-24.13). Conclusions: In the diabetic population, elevated plasma levels of hs-cTnT, hs-cTnI, NT-proBNP, creatinine, cystatin C, and β-2 microglobulin serve as robust and straightforward predictors of long-term mortality compared to blood glucose levels and HbA1c values. Creatinine and cystatin C stand out as more precise markers for predicting diabetes mortality prior to blood glucose monitoring. Key points: Question: Is blood glucose monitoring the most effective predictor of long-term survival in the diabetic population? Findings: Among 1783 diabetic patients, the addition of hs-cTnT, hs-cTnI, NT-proBNP, creatinine, cystatin C, and β-2 microglobulin biomarkers increased the predictive ability for all-cause mortality by 56.4%, 29.5%, 38.1%, 18.8%, 35.7%, and 41.3%, respectively. However, blood glucose monitoring had no impact on the prediction of all-cause mortality. Meaning: Among individuals with diabetes, the utilization of plasma cardiac and renal biomarkers as primary predictors for overall mortality is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rheological behavior, molecular weight distribution (MWD), reactivity, and chemical structures of UF resin during the pre-curing process were elucidated by rheometry, gel permeation chromatograph (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and 13 C NMR, respectively. The unsynchronized increasing processes between viscosity and rigidity during the pre-curing process were closely related to the changes of activation energy, MWD, and chemical structures. The results indicated that, due to the pre-curing behavior showed significant influence on the activation energy, both the occurrence of pre-curing behavior and its degree could be accurately judged, and the change trend of MWD and the chemical structures of the pre-curing resin could be also predicted by the non-isothermal DSC method. Once the value of E a was higher than that of E 0 , the degree of cross-linking was increased and the network structure was formed indicating that the pre-curing behavior of UF resin had taken place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let be the semigroup of all upper triangular matrices over a field whose main diagonal entries are s and/or s. Volkov proved that is nonfinitely based as both a plain semigroup and an involution semigroup under the reflection with respect to the secondary diagonal. In this paper, we shall prove that is finitely based for any field . When , this result partially answers an open question posed by Volkov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zero-valent iron (ZVI, Fe0) enables chemical reduction of environmental pollutants coupled with reactivity loss due to surface oxidation. During ZVI treatment process, however, microbial community stability in terms of resistance and resilience remains largely unclear. Here, we monitored bacterial community succession over a 4 weeks period in soil microcosms with or without 2% (w/w) Fe0 amendment. To simulate soil pollution, 100 μg g−1 chlorinated pesticide lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) was added to the microcosms as a model contaminant. In addition to microbial activity as measured by soil organic carbon mineralization, bacterial abundance, diversity and composition were determined using qPCR and high-throughput sequencing of 16 S rRNA genes. Co-occurrence analysis was performed to reveal the interaction patterns within the bacterial communities. The results indicated that ZVI caused near-complete transformation of lindane, while in the microcosms without Fe0 amendment the pesticide was recalcitrant. ZVI strongly inhibited CO 2 -efflux at the early stage of incubation, but the bacterial community appeared to be less sensitive to Fe0 amendment. The ratios of negative to positive correlations between network nodes suggested that Fe0 had marginal influence on community stability compared to the lindane treatments, which destabilized the bacterial community. Community succession occurred in the presence of ZVI, as exemplified by a dominancy transition from anaerobic to aerobic taxa. Yet, ZVI alleviated the stress of lindane on soil bacteria by improving community structure and increasing network complexity. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the stability of soil bacterial community under Fe0 stress, which might be conducive to functional recovery of soil microorganisms following ZVI remediation. [Display omitted] • Lindane contamination destabilized soil bacterial community. • ZVI resulted in near-complete transformation of lindane in soil microcosms. • Bacterial community rapidly recovered under ZVI stress. • Community stability implicates potential advantage of ZVI remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A weather-based energy system consisting of a tri-generation unit, photovoltaics, and water-cooled chiller is proposed here for improving the energy and environmental performance. Together with capacities of other devices, the cooling ratio, and capacities of different types of chiller are optimized to find the ideal system configuration setting the energy and cost savings and renewable energy use as the objectives. In addition, daily and monthly operating modes with the optimal system composition are analyzed followed by a sensitivity analysis. The results show that increasing energy saving ratio improves the cost saving benefits, but the renewable energy penetration rate would decrease due to lower grid electricity consumption. The ideal system configuration in ratio optimization process has a higher gas turbine and chiller capacity resulting in higher performance than the system with capacity optimization process, or 2.7%, 1.6%, and 0.2%-unit higher of the considered indices. When increasing the specific cost of the chiller, cost saving ratio of the ideal system decreases, while the impacts on the energy savings and renewable energy use are lower. The analysis indicates that the price of grid electricity is the most sensitive factor, while the influence of carbon cost is slight. • Weather-based energy system with PV and water-cooled chiller. • Capacity and ratio optimization processes with three types of chiller. • Ideal energy, cost, and renewable benefits are 51.9%, 55.6% and 25.0%, with a cooling ratio of 69.1%. • The chiller reaches a yearly average COP of 7.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove a sufficient condition under which a semigroup admits no finite identity basis. As an application, it is shown that the identities of the Kauffman monoid $${\mathcal{K}_n}$$ are nonfinitely based for each $${n \geq 3}$$ . This result holds also for the case when $${\mathcal{K}_n}$$ is considered as an involution semigroup under either of its natural involutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deoxyribonucleic acid binding with one finger (Dof) family, a kind of plant-specific transcription factor family, is involved in a variety of biological processes including signal transduction, morphogenesis, and environmental stress responses. In the present study, 46 putative Dof genes were identified from maize ( Zea mays subsp. mays). The predicted ZmDof genes were non-randomly distributed within their chromosomes, and segmental duplication seemed to be the prevalent mechanism for their expansion. Most of these genes lacked introns and some only possessed one intron. Here, we classified 140 Dof proteins from Arabidopsis, rice, sorghum, and maize into seven groups by means of phylogenetic analysis. In addition, many cis-elements responding to light, endosperm specific gene expression, hormone, meristem specific expression, and stress were also found in the 1,000 bps upstream sequences of promoter regions. Selection analysis also identified some significant site-specific constraints acted on most Dof paralogs. Expression profiles based on microarray data provided insights into the functional divergence of different tissues. Results by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that some ZmDofs responded to some abiotic stresses. Taken together, our study will provide some useful information for biological evolution and functional characterization of the maize Dof genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let $$PEI_n (POEI_n)$$ be the monoid of all partial (order-preserving) extensive and injective transformations over a chain of order n. We give a sufficient condition under which a semigroup is nonfinitely based and apply this condition to show that the monoid $$PEI_3 (POEI_3)$$ is nonfinitely based. This together with the results of Edmunds and Goldberg gives a complete answer to the finite basis problem for the monoid $$PEI_n (POEI_n)$$ : the monoid $$PEI_n (POEI_n)$$ is nonfinitely based if and only if $$n\geqslant 3$$ . Furthermore, it is shown that the monoid $$PEI_n (POEI_n)$$ is hereditarily finitely based if and only if $$n\leqslant 2$$ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal behavior of pre-curing urea–formaldehyde (UF) resin with different solid content was investigated by different scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the activation energies (Ea) in different pre-curing stage of UF resin were also analyzed by Kissinger method. The results indicated that with pre-curing degree increasing, the DSC curves of pre-curing UF resin shifted to lower temperature, and both the onset and peak temperature decreased. The pre-curing process of UF resin included two stages: In the first stage, theEaandZvalue decreased obviously due to the activity of component increased with water evaporation, and then, these two values increased in the second stage due to pre-curing degree increased even partial resin was cured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced solar driven tri-generation systems are highly relevant to reduce emissions and increase energy security. Here, solar collectors and photovoltaics are coupled to a tri-generation system to produce multiple final energy forms simultaneously for an office building. The excess solar electricity is employed for cooling/heating through a power-to-heat conversion employing thermal energy storage. Comprehensive optimization is performed to maximize the energy, environmental, and economic benefits, and the carbon tax is included to monetize the emissions. A coupled decision-making method is then used to choose the ideal scheme from the optimized sets of system configuration accompanied with a sensitivity analysis against key parameters. Compared to the conventional system, the proposed system improves the energy performance by 41.4% and the environmental benefits by 41.7% with the highest solar energy utilization rate. The economic performance improves in the best case by 14.4% only, but with the lowest utilization rate of solar energy. The ideal solution covers 30%, 54%, and 62% of the electricity, cooling, and heating loads, respectively, and the corresponded energy, environmental, and economic performance improves by 29.1%, 34.6%, and 7.7%, respectively. The sensitivity analysis shows that the economic performance is more sensitive to the electricity price than to the carbon tax. • A novel solar powered trigeneration system considering excess PV power to heat storage. • Equivalent coal consumption and carbon tax in energy and economic performance. • Coupling decision-making method after multi-objective optimization. • Solar energy covers 30% of electric, 54% of cooling and 62% of heating loads. • Sensitivity analysis against key parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solar thermal and PV driven cooling/heating system with double-effect absorption heat pump is proposed. • Optimization against the specific exergo-environmental costs and cost saving ratio is performed. • Equivalent carbon and sulfur emission costs over the life-cycle chain are considered. • The ideal cost for cooling/heating is 1.10 $/kWh and 2.77 $/kWh with a cost saving ratio of 58.9%. • COP of cooling and heating is 4.5 and 1.04. Solar-driven energy systems can effectively reduce the fossil fuel use and pollutant emissions in the built environment. A solar-based cooling and heating (SCH) system employing solar thermal collectors, photovoltaics, a double-effect absorption heat pump, and an electric boiler/chiller is proposed to meet the energy demand of a community. The system and its components are optimized by simultaneously minimizing the specific exergo-environmental cooling/heating costs over the life-cycle and maximizing the cost saving ratio. Compared to the conventional exergo-economic and exergo-environmental optimization methods without life-cycle equivalent emissions, the results show that the system resulting from the proposed method has higher specific costs, or, 1.10 $/kWh for cooling and 2.77 $/kWh for heating, and the corresponding cost saving ratio is >0.02%-unit lower. The coefficient of performance of the hybrid system in the cooling and heating modes are 4.5 and 1.04, respectively. The specific heating cost shows the highest sensitivity against parameter changes. Increasing the capacity of the heat storage and price of grid power would increase the cost saving benefit, while increasing other parameters such as investment cost would decrease the saving ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Beta-diversity quantitatively measures the difference among microbial communities thus enlightening the association between microbiome composition and environment properties or host phenotypes. The beta-diversity analysis mainly relies on distances among microbiomes that are calculated by all microbial features. However, in some cases, only a small fraction of members in a community plays crucial roles. Such a tiny proportion is insufficient to alter the overall distance, which is always missed by end-to-end comparison. On the other hand, beta-diversity pattern can also be interfered due to the data sparsity when only focusing on nonabundant microbes. Results: Here, we develop Flex Meta-Storms (FMS) distance algorithm that implements the "local alignment" of microbiomes for the first time. Using a flexible extraction that considers the weighted phylogenetic and functional relations of microbes, FMS produces a normalized phylogenetic distance among members of interest for microbiome pairs. We demonstrated the advantage of FMS in detecting the subtle variations of microbiomes among different states using artificial and real datasets, which were neglected by regular distance metrics. Therefore, FMS effectively discriminates microbiomes with higher sensitivity and flexibility, thus contributing to in-depth comprehension of microbe–host interactions, as well as promoting the utilization of microbiome data such as disease screening and prediction. Availability and implementation: FMS is implemented in C++, and the source code is released at https://github.com/qdu-bioinfo/flex-meta-storms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sm proteins are a group of ubiquitous ring-shaped oligomers that function in multiple aspects of RNA metabolism. However, until this study, no comprehensive study incorporating phylogeny, chromosomal location, gene organization, adaptive evolution, expression profiling and functional networks has been reported for rice and maize. In this study, twenty-five and thirty-three Sm genes have been identified in rice and maize, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses identified eighteen gene groups. Results by gene locations indicated that segmental duplication contributes to the expansion of this gene family in rice and maize. Gene organization and motif compositions of the Sm members are highly conserved in each group, indicative of their functional conservation. Expression profiles have provided insights into the possible functional divergence among members of the Sm gene family. Adaptive evolution analyses suggested that purifying selection was the main force driving Sm evolution, but some critical sites might be responsible for functional divergence. In addition, four hundred and seventy-nine interactions were identified by functional network analyses, and most of which were associated with binding, cellular macromolecule biosynthesis, pre-mRNA processing and transferase activity. Overall, the data contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of Sm gene family in rice and maize and will provide a solid foundation for future functional studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Small auxin-up RNAs (SAURs) are the early auxinresponsive genes represented by a large multigene family in plants. Here, we identified 79 SAUR gene family members from maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) by a reiterative database search and manual annotation. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the SAUR proteins from Arabidopsis, rice, sorghum, and maize had divided into 16 groups. These genes were non-randomly distributed across the maize chromosomes, and segmental duplication and tandem duplication contributed to the expansion of the maize SAUR gene family. Synteny analysis established orthology relationships and functional linkages between SAUR genes in maize and sorghum genomes. We also found that the auxin-responsive elements were conserved in the upstream sequences of maize SAUR members. Selection analyses identified some significant site-specific constraints acted on most SAUR paralogs. Expression profiles based on microarray data have provided insights into the possible functional divergence among members of the SAUR gene family. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that some of the 10 randomly selected ZmSAUR genes could be induced at least in maize shoot or root tissue tested. The results reveal a comprehensive overview of the maize SAUR gene family and may pave the way for deciphering their function during plant development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multi-objective optimization and load matching analysis to find ideal solution. • Thermal and electric load following modes with non-grid electricity priority. • The maximal energy, environmental and economic benefits are 47.9%, 60.7%, and 36.4% with FEL mode. • The highest coupled matching performance is 90.6% with thermal and electric matching of 68.7% and 89.1%. Integrating advanced renewable energy into traditional energy systems could be quite beneficial for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. A solar and geothermal energy assisted integrated energy system (IES) is proposed employing a gas turbine, absorption and ground heat pump cycles, and electric and thermal storage units. The multi-objective optimization approach considering the energy, environmental and economic performance is employed to optimize the system using genetic algorithm (NSGA- II) in MATLAB software. The operating strategies of the IES are considered by introducing four operational modes based on following the thermal or electric loads modes (FTL/FEL) and prioritizing the use of non-grid electricity. The coupled weighted thermal and electric matching performance of the hybrid energy system is chosen as the decision-making parameter for finding the ideal system solution from the Pareto frontiers. The results demonstrate that the FEL mode obtains a better coupled matching performance than the FTL mode, but the goodness of the matching is also influenced by the weighting method employed. The best performance improvements obtained over a traditional system is 36.4% for the economic benefits, and the highest energy and environmental benefits found are 47.9% and 60.7%, respectively. The best coupled matching performance found is 90.6% with a thermal and electric matching of 68.7% and 89.1%, which corresponds to an ideal performance with benefits of 35.3% for energy, 51.2% for emissions, 36.3% for costs, respectively. The carbon tax has a major impact on the economic performance of the solutions and could improve the cost saving ratio up to 38.3% when using a higher CO 2 tax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shipboard rotary cranes are widespread used in industrial fields to carry out large-scale cargoes under marine environment, which are a class of representative nonlinear systems. For crane systems, there exist unactuated state variables (e.g., payload swing angles), which hence make them typically underactuated systems, whose degrees of freedom (DOFs) are more than the number of control inputs. Besides, due to the complexity disturbances of the marine environment, there are always inaccuracies in the three-dimensional (3D) dynamics model of shipboard rotary cranes, such as ocean waves, wind waves, ocean currents and so on, which make the control methods hard to achieve the perfect control effect. Most of the existing methods are built on the basis of simplified linear model, which often require precise model parameters or velocity signals. In order to solve the control problems caused by the above uncertainties, this paper proposes two nonlinear anti-swing control methods. First, considering the uncertain parameters, an adaptive controller is designed, which can achieve the control effect of suppressing swing when the model has unknown parameters. Second, considering the unmeasurable velocity signals, an output feedback controller is designed, which can achieve the control effect to suppress the swing angle with no need of velocity signals. On the basis of the above two control methods, we design corresponding different energy storage functions including kinetic energy and potential energy, respectively. Specifically, this paper has achieved an excellent effect of restraining swing without any linear approximation of the dynamic model. Lyapunov theorem and LaSalle invariance principle are utilized to further prove the asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system. Finally, experiments are implemented to further demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control methods. • This paper fully considers the spherical pendulum in 3D shipboard rotary cranes. • Two novel anti-swing control methods regarding the ship roll motion are constructed. • Without velocity signals, asymptotic stability of the closed-loop are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

District energy systems, in particular combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) systems, can provide cost-effective energy products, reduce fossil fuel consumption and emissions. A gas-fired CCHP system is considered here employing an internal combustion engine, whose exhaust gas is split between an organic Rankine cycle unit and absorption heat pump. A simulation model of the system is constructed and validated. An emergy based exergo-environmental cost method is proposed here to optimize the exhaust gas allocation ratio based on specific working conditions considering the equivalent emissions of the whole life-cycle chain from an ecological view. The emergy consumption in each process stage is evaluated accompanied with a sensitivity analysis. The results show that the minimize specific system cost is 310050 seJ/J when 63% of the exhaust gas flows to the ORC-unit. The ICE and AHP are responsible for >98% of the emergy consumption, dominated by the operation of the system. The sensitivity analysis shows that heating is the most sensitive of all products against key parameter variations, while electricity is the least. Increasing the service period and the operating hours, the economic performance could be improved, while the transformity of emission enlarges the cost. • A novel natural gas-fired CCHP system allocating exhaust gas to drive ORC and AHP units. • Emergy based exergo-environmental optimization with ecological boundary. • Equivalent CO 2 and SO x emissions in life-cycle chain. • Sensitivity analysis against crucial parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

District energy systems based on renewable resources help to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and fossil-fuel use. Here, a multi-generation energy system combining cooling, heating, and power is realized by employing organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and absorption heat pump (AHP) technologies, which enable cascading the utilization of solar heat. The AHP can operate steadily providing cooling, heating and hot water from solar thermal and geothermal sources. A modelling approach presented to evaluate the energy, exergy, economic, and exergo-economic performance of the above system. The results show that the AHP could reach a coefficient of performance (COP) between 1.38 and 2.37 depending on the mode of operation. The yearly energy and exergy efficiency of the tri-generation system is 56.5% and 9.6%, respectively. Compared to a separate system, the simple economic payback time of the tri-generation system is 3.5 years. The specific exergo-economic cost of electricity produced is 0.12 $/kWh, whereas the cost of hot water is much higher, or 0.31 $/kWh. The sensitivity analysis performed shows that the inlet and outlet temperatures of the AHP together with the yearly solar irradiance have the highest impact on the performance. This study provides a new direction on cost-effective utilization of renewable sources in district energy systems. • Cascading utilization of solar heat to generate multiple energy products. • Energy, exergy and economic performance assessment in different conditions. • Specific cost estimates of multi-products based on exergy analysis. • COP of absorption heat pump: 1.38 for cooling, 2.16 for heating, 2.37 for hot water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of the renewable resources in district heating systems can reduce the use of fossil fuels, operating costs and protect the environment. In this study, an integrated hybrid system consisting of concentrating photovoltaic/thermal collectors (PV/T), geothermal (GSHP) and absorption (AHP) heat pumps is considered for district heating. The thermodynamic performance of the system at various conditions is explored through detailed simulations. A modified thermo-ecological cost (TEC) method is used to optimize the structure of the PV/T by considering contributions of different flows. The results show that a higher solar irradiance level and a higher PV coverage ratio have a positive impact on the thermal performance of the hybrid system. The TEC-based optimization shows that a 66% PV coverage ratio of PV/T yields a minimum thermo-ecological heating cost of 6.86 J/J, which is slightly lower than cost with a conventional method. Based on the sensitivity analysis, other key parameters except the operating time and the PV coverage ratio have a negative influence on the economic performance of the district heating system, because of the increasing cumulative exergy consumption of the GSHP or PV/T. [Display omitted] • Novel district heating system with photovoltaic/thermal collector and geothermal heat pump. • Thermodynamic performance at various conditions. • Modified thermo-ecological cost method to optimize the heating cost. • Sensitivity analysis against crucial parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo has attracted widespread attention owing to its strong mechanical properties, availability in numerous regions, and green and low-carbon nature. However, the hydrophilic nature and susceptibility to mold growth limit its wide application. Therefore, this study uses green biological enzyme technology to improve the hydrophobic performance of bamboo, grafting hydrophobic monomer octadecylamine (OA) onto bamboo surfaces under the catalysis of laccase. The optimum reaction conditions such as the amounts of OA monomer and laccase, reaction time, and temperature were determined. Under these optimized conditions, the contact angle of treated bamboo reached 121°± 3°, which was six times higher than that of untreated bamboo, and its hydrophobicity is very stable compared to that of OA-bamboo, could withstand soaking and washing with hot water, ethanol and acetone, and the change rate of contact angle during 180s test was ∼1%. Moreover, as the water absorption rate of bamboo decreased, the defects of bamboo susceptible to mildew growth also considerably improved. The hydrophobic modification mechanism was studied using SEM (scanning electron microscopy), 1H-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), this analysis confirmed that OA grafting onto bamboo under laccase catalysis resulted in stable hydrophobicity. Moreover, OA chemically reacted with lignin in bamboo, possibly forming a C–N bond. This study provides valuable insights into the expanding applications of bamboo as sustainable materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Solar-driven adjustable tri-generation system for building heating and cooling. • Energy, exergy, and adjustable performance in variable conditions is explored. • Energy levels and investment recovery are considered in exergo-economic optimization. • Optimal solar heat allocation ratio is 0.86 with a minimum exergy cost of 0.83 $/kWh. Solar-driven trigeneration system producing cooling, heating and power (CCHP) is an effective way to increase the utilization rate of solar energy. Here, a novel adjustable CCHP system is proposed by employing parabolic trough collectors (PTC), Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), absorption chiller (AC) and electrical chiller/heater (EC/H) to meet building cooling and heating demand. A full thermal simulation model of the system is constructed and validated. The thermal and adjustable performance of a hybrid system with variable solar irradiance and solar thermal allocation ratio is explored by carrying out energy, exergy and heat to electricity ratio. Considering the energy levels of products and investment recovery coefficient of units at the end of service life, a modified exergo-economic method is utilized to optimize the thermal allocation ratio among the system components based on a specific working condition converted from yearly building parameters. The thermal analysis shows that except for the energy efficiency with increasing allocation ratio, the irradiance and allocation ratio have positive impacts on energy, and exergy performance, and the proposed system has a higher adjustable performance with a higher heat to electricity ratio than other studies. The exergo-economic optimization shows that 86% of the solar heat is fed to the ORC-unit at optimum point with an unit exergy cost of 0.826 $/kWh. Compared to conventional exergo-economic method, the specific costs of the products are lower owing to the function of cost recovery coefficient. This research illustrates a new way to effectively utilize solar thermal energy for district energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a typical underactuated mechanical system, offshore ship-mounted cranes are widely used to carry out the tasks of transferring cargos from one ship to another in the marine environment. Different from land-fixed cranes as well as traditional harbor cranes, offshore ship-to-ship crane systems work in two noninertial (ship) frames, while the target locations of the cargos are also inevitably influenced by the movements of the target ship. Besides, various external disturbances, which are caused by persistent sea waves, sea winds, or currents, etc., bring much more challenges to the control task of offshore ship-to-ship crane systems. To properly address these practical problems, in this article, we propose an increased adaptive neural network (NN)-based anti-swing tracking control strategy for such coordinated offshore crane systems, with a ship-motion prediction algorithm suggested to generate the target trajectories for cargos, and an adaptive NN proposed to deal with complicated unknown wave-induced disturbances. Bounded tracking performance is also guaranteed through a complete Lyapunov-based stability analysis. To the best of our knowledge, without any simplification of the original nonlinear dynamics, this article provides a high-performance adaptive control approach to deal with the anti-interference tracking control problem for offshore ship-to-ship crane systems, which are subjected to trajectories uncertainties as well as unknown wave motions disturbances. Furthermore, comparative hardware experimental results are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel district heating system with photovoltaic/thermal collector and geothermal heat pump. • Sustainability evaluation model with energy, environment, economic and social indicators. • Comprehensive parametric system analysis with 11 indicators and weight factors. • The ideal solar subsystem is a photovoltaic/thermal collector with 100% photovoltaic coverage ratio. District heating systems assisted by renewable energy harness local energy sources, save fossil fuels, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here, geothermal and solar resources are integrated into district heating through a geothermal heat pump and an absorption heat pump by employing vapor-compressor and absorption cycles, respectively. A quantitative sustainability assessment model was constructed for the resulting hybrid district heating systems. Indicators on energy, environment, economic, and societal aspects were used to evaluate the composite sustainability index of hybrid systems with information entropy method. The results demonstrate that a district heating system coupled to compound parabolic concentrator-photovoltaic/thermal solar collector system with 100% photovoltaic coverage ratio is the ideal system for the case study when the annual cost saving ratio is given the highest impact in the composite sustainability index. A detailed analysis on the annual cost saving ratio shows that a higher ambient temperature, solar beam irradiance and grid electricity price would have a positive impact on the annual cost saving ratio. It can be concluded that the quantitative sustainability evaluation approach proposed helps to select the ideal hybrid system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel combined heat and power system integrated with GSHP. • Multi-criteria optimization methodology for energy, environment, economic, and adjustment analysis. • Allocation ratios of mixed water from ICE were optimized to maximize multi-criteria performance. • The comprehensive parametric system analysis was carried out. Hybrid fossil/renewable energy combined heat and power (CHP) systems harness local energy sources, save fossil fuels, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here geothermal energy is integrated into a natural gas driven CHP system by employing both vapor-compressor and absorption cycles through a geothermal heat pump (GSHP). To increase the performance of the heat pumps, the mixed hot water from the internal combustion engine (ICE) is used to preheat the evaporator. Using a multi-criteria optimization method based on energy, economic, environmental and adjustable factors, the optimal allocation ratio of hot water from the ICE is analyzed to maximize the performance of the hybrid CHP system for a specific case building. The necessary thermodynamic models of the system components needed for the optimization are presented. The results demonstrate that the increasing allocation ratio of mixed water for the heat pumps raised the output and coefficient of performance (COP). At optimal allocation ratio maximizing the performance of the CHP system against a set of criteria, the optimum energy saving ratio (ESR), carbon dioxide emission reduction ratio (CDERR), annual cost saving reduction (ACSR), and adjustable ratio are 30.26%, 53.20%, 40.80% and 6.40%, respectively. The hybrid CHP system also shows much higher flexibility than other relevant systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical principles presented in this paper can be applied to the manufacture of vibration sensors for oil and gas exploration, as well as long-period vibration sensors for the observation of natural earthquakes. To facilitate the manufacture of high-volume electrochemical accelerometer (EAM), this paper presents an AC equivalent circuit model of an EAM in a low-frequency range. A 3D time-dependent numerical simulation based on finite element analysis was designed to combine a complex chemical reaction with electric circuit theory. A sensitive chip channel model was constructed by using partial differential equations and the problem caused by a designed mathematical model was solved by using multi-physics finite element analysis. When the electrochemical properties of an electrochemical vibration sensor and its design parameters as well as the parameters of the AC equivalent circuit model are considered, the abstract processing of the sensor on the equivalent circuit is better accomplished. The effectiveness of the proposed simulation model and the equivalent circuit model were verified by comparing the amplitude-frequency characteristic curve of the equivalent circuit with the amplitude-frequency characteristic curve of the single-channel simulation model of the sensitive chip. These model not only have great significance for the design guidance of an external conditioning circuit but also provide an effective method to decouple the output signal and noise of the sensor reaction cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]