Search

The need for energy is growing as civilization develops. Superconductors have various benefits over regular conductors, including a high current-carrying density and nearly no resistance. Therefore, the objective that scientists continue to seek is the use of superconductors to replace traditional conductors in order to satisfy the demand for energy. As a key part of the superconducting electrical system, the critical current is one of the key properties of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils. Scholars have created a variety of numerical simulation models to estimate the performance of HTS coils. However, the extremely nonlinear E–J power law relationship that characterizes the voltage–current relationship in superconducting materials necessitates numerous iterative refinements during the coil design stage, which is time-consuming from the perspective of computing efficiency. Consequently, it is essential to increase computational efficiency. In this study, the critical current of HTS coils was calculated using the J model (integral method with the current density J as the state solution variable), and it was proved to be an efficient research method. The accuracy of the method is verified by comparing with the H model and the experimental measurement results of the critical current of the HTS coil. Moreover, compared with the reference finite element simulation model, this model has a speed advantage of at least four times, which is a good choice, especially, for HTS circular coils with large turns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational design of hierarchical photocatalysts for dye degradation and hydrogen production has been believed as a wise selection for pollution control and energy solution. Herein, we present the design and synthesis of Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO–Ag core shell microstructures with different ZnO loading amounts. The structure, morphology, composition, optical and magnetic properties of the as-synthesized samples were investigated by several characterization techniques. Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and hydrogen evolution under UV light were selected to assess the impact of ZnO loading amount on photocatalytic activities. Photocatalytic results reveal that Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO–Ag with 15.14 wt% ZnO loading amount shows the best photocatalytic property. The RhB degradation efficiency of this sample was 98.1% after 100 min of UV light exposure. Additionally, the hydrogen evolution rate of this sample was 183 μmol h−1 under UV light illumination. It is also worth noting that these core shell microspheres were endowed with outstanding magnetic response, excellent photocatalytic reusability and chemical stability. The core shell photocatalysts can maintain high efficiency after five-cycles of RhB photocatalytic degradation run. Such features mentioned above made heterostructure Fe3O4@SiO2@ZnO–Ag photocatalysts promising candidates in practical use for environmental and energy challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Deposition of adipose tissue may have a promoting role in the development of diabetic complications. This study is aimed at investigating the relationship between adipose tissue thickness and risk of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 603 T2DM patients undergoing percutaneous coronary angiography or angioplasty with suspicious or confirmed stable coronary artery disease were enrolled in this study. The thicknesses of perirenal fat (PRF), subcutaneous fat (SCF), intraperitoneal fat (IPF), and epicardial fat (ECF) were measured by color Doppler ultrasound, respectively. The association of various adipose tissues with CIN was analyzed. Results: Seventy-seven patients (12.8%) developed CIN in this cohort. Patients who developed CIN had significantly thicker PRF (13.7 ± 4.0 mm vs. 8.9 ± 3.6 mm, p < 0.001), slightly thicker IPF ( p = 0.046), and similar thicknesses of SCF ( p = 0.782) and ECF ( p = 0.749) compared to those who did not develop CIN. Correlation analysis showed that only PRF was positively associated with postoperation maximal serum creatinine (sCr) ( r = 0.18, p = 0.012), maximal absolute change in sCr ( r = 0.33, p < 0.001), and maximal percentage of change in sCr ( r = 0.36, p < 0.001). In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) of PRF (0.809) for CIN was significantly higher than those of SCF (0.490), IPF (0.594), and ECF (0.512). Multivariate logistic regression analysis further confirmed that thickness of PRF, rather than other adipose tissues, was independently associated with the development of CIN after adjusted for confounding factors (odds ratio (OR) = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.38-1.71, p < 0.001). Conclusions: PRF is independently associated with the development of CIN in T2DM patients undergoing coronary catheterization., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Xixiang Tang et al.)

Chronic inflammation is involved in the development of heart failure (HF) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, reliable and easily accessible biomarker of subclinical left cardiac remodeling and dysfunction remains a challenge.Overall, 1020 patients with T2DM without overt HF were enrolled from May 2019 to April 2020. Monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) was calculated by blood monocyte count divided by high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Left cardiac structure and function were assessed using transthoracic echocardiography. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to estimate the association of MHR (Lg transferred) with echocardiographic parameters. We found that septal wall thickness (SWT), left ventricular internal end-diastole dimension (LVIDd), and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) raised with increasing MHR (P = 0.002 for SWT, P < 0.001 for LVIDd, and P = 0.001 for LVMI). Declined trends were shown in ejection fraction (EF) (P = 0.016), E velocity (P = 0.037), E/A ratio (P = 0.009), and tissue Doppler e' (P < 0.001), and elevating trend was observed in E/e' (P < 0.001). In multivariate regression analysis, MHR (Lg transferred) was positively associated with LVIDd (β = 0.031; P = 0.016), LVMI (β = 0.073; P = 0.014), and E/e' (β = 0.331; P < 0.001), whereas it was negatively associated with EF (β = -0.086; P = 0.007), E/A (β = -0.072; P = 0.009), and e' (β = -0.332; P < 0.001).MHR could be a practical biomarker for indicating subclinical cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in T2DM, due to low cost and easy availability.