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This paper is devoted to the analytical study of traveling wave solutions to a generalized Boussinesq equation with nonlinear dispersion. Utilizing the bifurcation method of dynamical systems, the existence of compacton and peakon solutions are established. Under certain parameter conditions, the compacton and peakon solutions can be bifurcated by smooth periodic wave solutions, smooth solitary wave solutions, and singular cusp solutions. Numerical simulations are supplied to corroborate the analytical results. Some previous results are extended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying clean energy is one of the feasible paths to achieve the "dual carbon target". Hydrogen energy, as an efficient and clean energy, is a new growth point for creating industrial transformation and upgrading. Ammonia is recognized as a zero-carbon hydrogen energy carrier, and utilizing hydrogen through hydrogen production from ammonia decomposition is one of the effective ways to safely store, transport and utilize hydrogen energy. In addition, there are many methods to realize the hydrogen production from ammonia, among which the method based on the combination of non-thermal plasma (NTP) and catalyst can reduce the reaction temperature, significantly improve ammonia (NH 3) conversion efficiency and hydrogen energy yield. As one of the methods with good application prospects, the interaction between NTP and catalyst in this method is complicated, and the efficiency of hydrogen production from ammonia is also affected by various factors, which restricts application of the method. In order to provide new ideas for the development and commercial application of NTP-catalytic technology for ammonia decomposition, this paper reviews the progress of NTP-catalytic hydrogen production from ammonia based on a systematic and integrated literature review methodology, analyses the effects of process parameters, temperature, catalyst, and other factors on the efficiency of plasma-catalytic ammonia decomposition, and discusses the plasma source and the mechanism of plasma-catalytic ammonia decomposition reaction. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of this plasma catalysis method are described. • The progress of low-temperature plasma-catalytic NH 3 decomposition was summarized. • Three factors affecting plasma-catalytic NH 3 decomposition reaction were analyzed. • The mechanism of plasma-catalytic NH 3 decomposition were presented. • Opportunities and challenges for plasma-catalytic NH 3 decomposition were outlined. • Low-temperature plasma catalysis can significantly improve the NH 3 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to diesel, liquefied natural gas (LNG), often used as an alternative fuel for marine engines, comes with significant advantages in reducing emissions of particulate matter (PM), SOx, CO2, and other pollutants. Promoting the use of LNG is of great significance for achieving carbon peaking and neutrality worldwide, as well as improving the energy structure. However, compared to diesel engines, medium- and high-speed marine LNG engines may produce higher methane (CH4) emissions and also have nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission issues. For the removal of CH4 and NOx from the exhaust of marine LNG engines, the traditional technical route of combining a methane oxidation catalyst (MOC) and an HN3 selective catalytic reduction system (NH3-SCR) will face problems, such as low conversion efficiency and high operation cost. In view of this, the technology of non-thermal plasma (NTP) combined with CH4-SCR is proposed. However, the synergistic mechanism between NTP and catalysts is still unclear, which limits the optimization of an NTP-CH4-SCR system. This article summarizes the synergistic mechanism of NTP and catalysts in the integrated treatment process of CH4 and NOx, including experimental analysis and numerical simulation. And the relevant impact parameters (such as electrode diameter, electrode shape, electrode material, and barrier material, etc.) of NTP reactor energy optimization are discussed. The work of this paper is of great significance for guiding the high-efficiency removal of CH4 and NOx for an NTP-CH4-SCR system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the use of solar energy resources has always involved the challenges of instability and supply–demand mismatch. The key to solving these issues is to efficiently store and utilize solar energy resources using high-performance heat storage devices. This study designed a high-performance shell-and-tube phase-change thermal storage device and established a numerical model using ANSYS software to summarize the device's dynamic melting law. To verify the accuracy of the numerical simulation, a performance testing platform for the phase-change thermal storage device was built to investigate the impact of various factors, such as the inlet water temperature, inlet water flow rate, type of heat storage, and initial temperature of the device, and to reveal the change law of the device's performance. The results show that the inlet water temperature has the most significant impact on the device's heat storage and release performance. When the device's heat storage or release is used for heating, changing the inlet water flow rate has a weak and limited effect on the device's performance. However, when the device's heat release is used to provide domestic hot water, increasing the make-up water temperature and reducing the inlet water flow rate can significantly improve the device's effective heat release. Furthermore, based on the experimental validation of the model's correctness, this study further simulated and studied the impact of different factors on the device's heat storage process to optimize its structural design and provide technical references for the device's actual operation and installation. The results show that the placement of fins has a negligible effect on the performance of the heat storage device while reducing the fin spacing and increasing the fin thickness can significantly improve the melting efficiency of the phase-change material (PCM). Additionally, the heat storage characteristics of the device are significantly better in the vertical installation mode than in the horizontal installation mode. This study provides theoretical guidance and technical references for the design and use of phase-change thermal storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal analysis kinetic method was employed to solve the activation energies of the thermal decomposition reactions of urea and cyanuric acid, with the purpose of understanding the formation of deposits in the diesel engine SCR system. The deposit reaction kinetic model was established by optimizing the reaction paths and reaction kinetic parameters based on the thermal analysis test data of the key components in the deposit. The result shows that the established deposit reaction kinetic model can accurately describe the decomposition process of the key components in the deposit. Compared to the Ebrahimian model, the simulation precision of the established deposit reaction kinetic model is significantly improved above 600 K. The activation energies of the urea and cyanuric acid decomposition reactions are 84 kJ/mol and 152 kJ/mol, respectively, after model parameters identification. The identified activation energies were closest to those of the Friedman one-interval method indicating that the Friedman one-interval method is reasonable to solve the activation energies of deposit reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistin-like molecules (RELMs) are highly cysteine-rich proteins, including RELMα, RELMβ, Resistin, and RELMγ. However, RELMs exhibit significant differences in structure, distribution, and function. The expression of RELMs is regulated by various signaling molecules, such as IL-4, IL-13, and their receptors. In addition, RELMs can mediate numerous signaling pathways, including HMGB1/RAGE, IL-4/IL-4Rα, PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways, and so on. RELMs proteins are involved in wide range of physiological and pathological processes, including inflammatory response, cell proliferation, glucose metabolism, barrier defense, etc., and participate in the progression of numerous diseases such as lung diseases, intestinal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. Meanwhile, RELMs can serve as biomarkers, risk predictors, and therapeutic targets for these diseases. An in-depth understanding of the role of RELMs may provide novel targets or strategies for the treatment and prevention of related diseases. 81_RffzerTWwVqeCYH81tP Video abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disturbance of cholesterol homeostasis is considered as one of the manifestations of cancer. Cholesterol plays an essential role in the pleiotropic functions of cancer cells, including mediating membrane trafficking, intracellular signal transduction, and production of hormones and steroids. As a single transmembrane receptor, the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) can participate in intracellular cholesterol uptake and regulate cholesterol homeostasis. It has recently been found that LDLR is aberrantly expressed in a broad range of cancers, including colon cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and liver cancer. LDLR has also been found to be involved in various signaling pathways, such as the MAPK, NF-κB and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways, which affect cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironment. Moreover, LDLR may serve as an independent prognostic factor for lung cancer, breast cancer and pancreatic cancer, and is closely related to the survival of cancer patients. However, the role of LDLR in some cancers, such as prostate cancer, remains controversial. This may be due to the lack of normal feedback regulation of LDLR expression in cancer cells and the severe imbalance between LDLR-mediated cholesterol uptake and de novo biosynthesis of cholesterol. Conclusions: The imbalance of cholesterol homeostasis caused by abnormal LDLR expression provides new therapeutic opportunities for cancer. LDLR interferes with the occurrence and development of cancer by modulating cholesterol homeostasis and may become a novel target for the development of anti-cancer drugs. Herein, we systematically review the contribution of LDLR to cancer progression, especially its dysregulation and underlying mechanism in various malignancies. Besides, potential targeting and immunotherapeutic options are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells with stem cell properties that sustain cancers, which may be responsible for cancer metastasis or recurrence. Lipid rafts are cholesterol- and sphingolipid-enriched microdomains in the plasma membrane that mediate various intracellular signaling. The occurrence and progression of cancer are closely related to lipid rafts. Emerging evidence indicates that lipid raft levels are significantly enriched in CSCs compared to cancer cells and that most CSC markers such as CD24, CD44, and CD133 are located in lipid rafts. Furthermore, lipid rafts play an essential role in CSCs, specifically in CSC self-renewal, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, drug resistance, and CSC niche. Therefore, lipid rafts are critical regulatory platforms for CSCs and promising therapeutic targets for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The indoor air quality is of prime importance for human daily life and health, for which the adsorbents like zeolites and silica‐gels are widely used for air dehumidification and harmful gases capture. Herein, we develop a pore‐nanospace post‐engineering strategy to optimize the hydrophilicity, water‐uptake capacity and air‐purifying ability of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) with long‐term stability, offering an ideal candidate with autonomous multi‐functionality of moisture control and pollutants sequestration. Through variant tuning of organic‐linkers carrying hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups in the pore‐nanospaces of prototypical UiO‐67, a moderately hydrophilic MOF (UiO‐67‐4Me‐NH2‐38 %) with high thermal, hydrolytic and acid‐base stability is screened out, featuring S‐shaped water sorption isotherms exactly located in the recommended comfortable and healthy ranges of relative humidity for indoor ventilation (45 %–65 % RH) and adverse health effects minimization (40–60 % RH). Its exceptional attributes of water‐uptake working capacity/efficiency, contaminants removal, recyclability and regeneration promise a great potential in confined indoor environment application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The indoor air quality is of prime importance for human daily life and health, for which the adsorbents like zeolites and silica‐gels are widely used for air dehumidification and harmful gases capture. Herein, we develop a pore‐nanospace post‐engineering strategy to optimize the hydrophilicity, water‐uptake capacity and air‐purifying ability of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) with long‐term stability, offering an ideal candidate with autonomous multi‐functionality of moisture control and pollutants sequestration. Through variant tuning of organic‐linkers carrying hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups in the pore‐nanospaces of prototypical UiO‐67, a moderately hydrophilic MOF (UiO‐67‐4Me‐NH2‐38 %) with high thermal, hydrolytic and acid‐base stability is screened out, featuring S‐shaped water sorption isotherms exactly located in the recommended comfortable and healthy ranges of relative humidity for indoor ventilation (45 %–65 % RH) and adverse health effects minimization (40–60 % RH). Its exceptional attributes of water‐uptake working capacity/efficiency, contaminants removal, recyclability and regeneration promise a great potential in confined indoor environment application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies have shown that plasma HDL‐C levels are closely related to the risk of prostate cancer, breast cancer, and other malignancies. As one of the key carriers of cholesterol regulation, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) plays an important role in tumorigenesis and cancer development through anti‐inflammation, antioxidation, immune‐modulation, and mediating cholesterol transportation in cancer cells and noncancer cells. In addition, the occurrence and progression of cancer are closely related to the alteration of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Cancer cells synthesize and secrete a variety of cytokines and other factors to promote the reprogramming of surrounding cells and shape the microenvironment suitable for cancer survival. By analyzing the effect of HDL on the infiltrating immune cells in the TME, as well as the relationship between HDL and tumor‐associated angiogenesis, it is suggested that a moderate increase in the level of HDL in vivo with consequent improvement of the function of HDL in the TME and induction of intracellular cholesterol efflux may be a promising strategy for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a two-dimensional mathematical model of a phase change material (PCM) melting in a triplex tube heat exchanger (TTHX) unit was developed. Based on two parameters, exergy efficiency and heat storage rate, the effects of the operating conditions and unit configurations on the thermal storage performance of the investigated TTHX unit were numerically studied. The results indicate that the increase in heat transfer fluid (HTF) inlet temperature improves the heat storage rate but reduces the exergy efficiency. The HTF mass flow rate in the inner and outer tubes should be minimized under the premise that the flow states in both tubes are turbulent. If the flow states in both tubes are turbulent and the HTF mass flow rate remains unchanged, then the HTF mass flow rate in the inner tube should be decreased for higher exergy efficiency. When the PCM radius varies from 30 mm to 70 mm under the same operating conditions, the exergy efficiency increased by 15.6%, while the heat storage rate decreased by 36.8%. If the HTF mass flow rate is large, the variation in TTHX length has a slight influence on the exergy efficiency, but it significantly affects the heat storage rate. • PCM melting in a TTHX unit is physically and mathematically modeled. • The governing equations are nondimensionalized and the numerical simulation is performed in a self-developed Fortran code. • The effects of the operation conditions and unit configurations on the melting performance are evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes have been considered as novel and potent vehicles of intercellular communication, instead of "cell dust". Exosomes are consistent with anucleate cells, and organelles with lipid bilayer consisting of the proteins and abundant lipid, enhancing their "rigidity" and "flexibility". Neighboring cells or distant cells are capable of exchanging genetic or metabolic information via exosomes binding to recipient cell and releasing bioactive molecules, such as lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Of note, exosomes exert the remarkable effects on lipid metabolism, including the synthesis, transportation and degradation of the lipid. The disorder of lipid metabolism mediated by exosomes leads to the occurrence and progression of diseases, such as atherosclerosis, cancer, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), obesity and Alzheimer's diseases and so on. More importantly, lipid metabolism can also affect the production and secretion of exosomes, as well as interactions with the recipient cells. Therefore, exosomes may be applied as effective targets for diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Video abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems have gained significant attention recently owing to their high energy-storage-density per unit volume and nearly isothermal behavior during the phase-change process. This study numerically investigates the melting performance of a phase-change material (PCM: Ba(OH) 2 ·8H 2 O) in a triplex tube heat exchanger (TTHX). First, the physical and mathematical models of the TTHX are established. Then, the governing equations are discretized by the finite volume method (FVM). Finally, numerical calculations are carried out by implementing the developed numerical algorithm in FORTRAN computer code. The results reveal that the inlet temperature and flow state of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) significantly influences the PCM melting performance and exergy efficiency ratio of the investigated TTHX. A higher inlet temperature and turbulent state of the HTF can accelerate the phase-change process. However, increasing the mass flow rate of the HTF decreases the exergy efficiency ratio of the investigated TTHX. In conclusion, considering both the melting time and exergy efficiency ratio, increasing the HTF inlet temperature to a certain extent and reducing the mass flow rate of the HTF in the turbulent state can improve the thermal performance of the investigated TTHX. • The melting of the PCM within a triplex tube heat exchanger is modelled. • A two-dimensional finite volume numerical method is used for simulations. • The effects of the operation parameters on the melting performance of the PCM within a TTHX are analyzed. • The exergy efficiency ratio is defined and employed to evaluate the investigated TTHX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is well‐known as the second factor for tumorigenesis after smoking and is bound up with the malignant progression of several kinds of cancers, including esophageal cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, kidney cancer, and ovarian cancer. The increased morbidity and mortality of obesity‐related cancer are mostly attributed to dysfunctional adipose tissue. The possible mechanisms connecting dysfunctional adipose tissue to high cancer risk mainly focus on chronic inflammation, obesity‐related microenvironment, adipokine secretion disorder, and browning of adipose tissue, and so forth. The stromal vascular cells in adipose tissue trigger chronic inflammation through secreting inflammatory factors and promote cancer cell proliferation. Hypertrophic adipose tissues lead to metabolic disorders of adipocytes, such as abnormal levels of adipokines that mediate cancer progression and metastasis. Cancer patients often show adipose tissue browning and cancerous cachexia in an advanced stage, which lead to unsatisfied chemotherapy effect and poor prognosis. However, increasing evidence has shown that adipose tissue may display quite opposite effects in cancer development. Therefore, the interaction between cancers and adipose tissue exert a vital role in mediates adipose tissue dysfunction and further leads to cancer progression. In conclusion, targeting the dysfunction of adipose tissue provides a promising strategy for cancer prevention and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We transformed the hydrophilic metal–organic framework (MOF) UiO‐67 into hydrophobic UiO‐67‐Rs (R=alkyl) by introducing alkyl chains into organic linkers, which not only protected hydrophilic Zr6O8 clusters to make the MOF interspace superoleophilic, but also led to a rough crystal surface beneficial for superhydrophobicity. The UiO‐67‐Rs displayed high acid, base, and water stability, and long alkyl chains offered better hydrophobicity. Good hydrophobicity/oleophilicity were also possible with mixed‐ligand MOFs containing metal‐binding ligands. Thus, a (super)hydrophobic MOF catalyst loaded with Pd centers efficiently catalyzed Sonogashira reactions in water at ambient temperature. Studies of the hydrophobic effects of the coordination interspace and the outer surface suggest a simple de novo strategy for the synthesis of superhydrophobic MOFs that combine surface roughness and low surface energy. Such MOFs have potential for environmentally friendly catalysis and water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We transformed the hydrophilic metal–organic framework (MOF) UiO‐67 into hydrophobic UiO‐67‐Rs (R=alkyl) by introducing alkyl chains into organic linkers, which not only protected hydrophilic Zr6O8 clusters to make the MOF interspace superoleophilic, but also led to a rough crystal surface beneficial for superhydrophobicity. The UiO‐67‐Rs displayed high acid, base, and water stability, and long alkyl chains offered better hydrophobicity. Good hydrophobicity/oleophilicity were also possible with mixed‐ligand MOFs containing metal‐binding ligands. Thus, a (super)hydrophobic MOF catalyst loaded with Pd centers efficiently catalyzed Sonogashira reactions in water at ambient temperature. Studies of the hydrophobic effects of the coordination interspace and the outer surface suggest a simple de novo strategy for the synthesis of superhydrophobic MOFs that combine surface roughness and low surface energy. Such MOFs have potential for environmentally friendly catalysis and water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevating indoor temperature set-points can reduce cooling energy use. Short-term heat acclimation (HA), the artificially induced adaptation developed in three consecutive days, is an effective method to increase the occupants' acceptance to hot environments. However, the quantitative study on the effects of short-term HA on thermal comfort is lacking. To this end, simulated experiments were conducted in a climate chamber to test the difference of subjects' thermal comfort before and after short-term HA. The subjects were instructed to do intermittent treadmill exercise under hot conditions to reach a HA state. During the trials, core temperature, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and ratings of thermal sensation (RTS) were measured. Perceptual strain index (PeSI) was used to assess the effect of short-term HA. The results showed that short-term HA could improve subjects' adaptability to warmer environments without sacrificing thermal comfort. Furthermore, a HA zone was defined based on the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) of 10%. The upper limit of the HA zone was 2.1 °C higher than that of the summer thermal comfort zone in ASHRAE Standard 55–2017. This finding suggests that a higher temperature set-point could be considered into the control of air-conditioning systems, contributing to building energy conservation. • Short-term HA can acclimatize occupants to a warmer indoor environment. • Perceptual strain index (PeSI) was used to assess the effect of short-term HA. • The HA zone was defined, which is broader than the summer thermal comfort zone. • The HA zone's boundary is 2.1 °C higher than that of the thermal comfort zone. • It is feasible to appropriately elevate indoor temperature set-points in summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We study the qualitative behavior of classical solutions to the Cauchy problem of a generalized Boussinesq–Burgers system in one space dimension. Assuming initial data belong to H 2 (R) and utilizing energy methods, we show that there exist unique global-in-time classical solutions to the Cauchy problem of the model, and the solutions converge to constant equilibrium states as time goes to infinity, regardless of the magnitude of the initial data. Moreover, it is shown that the viscous and inviscid models are consistent in the process of vanishing viscosity limit. Highlights • Model under consideration consists of a power-like dispersion relation. • Classical solutions exist globally for initial data with finite energy. • Constant equilibrium states are globally asymptotically stable. • Viscous system is consistent with inviscid system in vanishing viscosity limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Dual fuel of biomass and natural gas can provide a cost effective and reliable method of simultaneously using renewable energy and fossil energy, and it offers advantages such as flexibility and environmental friendliness. In this paper, a dual fuel combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system primarily composed of a gasifier, gas conditioning unit, gas storage tank, internal combustion engine (ICE), absorption chiller/heater, and heat exchanger is proposed as an energy supply system for a hypothetical hotel. The system is analyzed and evaluated from the viewpoint of thermodynamics and exergoeconomics under design conditions in summer and winter seasons. The exergy efficiencies, exergy losses, and exergoeconomic behaviors of each component in the system are calculated and analyzed; then, the exergoeconomic costs of chilled water, heating water, electricity, and domestic hot water are calculated. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the impact of fuel prices on the unit exergy cost of the products. The results indicate that the exergy efficiencies of the system in summer and winter are 8.06% and 12.23%, respectively. Exergy loss analyses indicate that the largest loss occurs in the gasifier and accounts for more than 60% of the total exergy losses. Exergoeconomic analysis shows that the unit exergoeconomic cost of the products is higher in winter than in summer. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the products are more sensitive to the price of natural gas than biomass. Highlights • Proposed a dual-fuel CCHP system based on biomass and natural gas. • Presented the exergy and exergoeconomic analysis of the dual-fuel CCHP system. • Discussed multiproducts' cost influenced by the fuel price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Phase change material (PCM) have been explored for different applications to increase the energy efficiency and economy. However, the proper PCM selection to meet given requirements generally requires that a compromise is struck between conflicting criteria. This paper attempts to extend multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method to solve the PCM selection problem. Firstly, the comprehensive appraisal indexes model is established and the subjective and objective weight of the criteria are obtained based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy information method, respectively. Secondly, the optimized combination weight method is adopted to obtain the combination weight. Then, the pre-screened PCMs are ranked using technique for order performance by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS). Finally, the information retrieval is employed to justify the rankings. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method, a problem to select the optimal PCM for ground source heat pump (GSHP) integrated with phase change thermal storage (PCTS) system is considered. The result showed that Ba(OH) 2 ·8H 2 O is the best material for the given case and the GSHP integrated with PCTS system has better economic performance compared to the GSHP system, meanwhile, the proposed method is a simple and practical approach in solving the PCM selection problem. Highlights • Establish the comprehensive appraisal indexes model for PCM selection. • Apply the optimized combination weight method to PCM selection. • Examine the ranking goal by information retrieval. • A case study is provided to show the applicability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) system with biomass gasification is a sustainable distributed energy system to effectively utilize biomass resource and improve energy efficiency. In order to achieve a higher energy efficiency and more cost-effective operation, a thermoeconomic cost analysis method based on the exergetic cost theory is applied to the CCHP system based on biomass gasification. Firstly, the exergetic cost and thermoeconomic cost of all flows in the system are calculated in different operation modes. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is presented to obtain the thermoeconomic cost variations of the products along with the influence factors, such as service life, interest rate, operation hours and biomass cost. The results indicate that the unit exergetic cost of electricity is 4.447, 4.445 and 4.447 for the summer, winter and transition season operation conditions, whereas the thermoeconomic cost is 240.004RMB/h, 257.905RMB/h and 270.811RMB/h, respectively, while for domestic hot water, these values are 14.822, 14.817, 27.086 and 33.361RMB/h, 35.769RMB/h, 166.284RMB/h, respectively. The unit exergetic cost of water for cooling and heating is 8.804 and 7.465, the thermoeconomic cost is 138.807RMB/h and 147.454RMB/h, respectively. From the sensitive analysis, the biomass cost is the most sensitive factor to the thermoeconomic cost of the products. The results also reflect that a combination of the thermoeconomic cost based on exergetic cost and sensitivity analysis method is a powerful and efficient tool for evaluating the performance of multi-product energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building energy conservation has been a globally important issue not only because of the greenhouse gas emissions that occur during the construction and operation of a building, but also due to the increasing emphasis on indoor thermal quality, which is directly related to the quality of life, especially in northern China. The behaviors of heating companies and building users are considered to play important roles in the reduction of building energy consumption. However, it is necessary to understand the relationship between the heating fee, which represents the heating policy, and the energy performance, which considers both the actual energy consumption and thermal ability of a building. With this goal in sight, this study focuses on residential buildings in a climate zone that experiences quite low temperatures, and the heating energy consumption of 40 residential buildings from five typical regions in Inner Mongolia were monitored and analyzed. The thermal comfort, occupant behavior, and heating energy consumption of typical households and buildings in these regions were quantified. In view of the monitored results, building models were built and validated, with the results treated as training samples in clustering and classification procedures. For the sake of the further formulation of a heating energy cost allocation policy, the K-means clustering algorithm and discriminant analysis (DA) were used in this work to evaluate and group residential buildings according to their heating energy consumption and thermal-physical properties of the envelopes. The results of this study indicated the existence of regional heating energy consumption differences. Moreover, the main influential factors for grouping residential buildings and the number of clusters were suggested based on the K-means clustering algorithm and DA method. Meanwhile, the classification accuracy rate obtained from the DA method not only verified the clustering results, but also confirmed the further applicability of the combination of these two methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zerovalent iron (ZVI) is an environmental-friendly reactive reagent for recovering heavy metals. However, the detailed recovery mechanism remains unclear due to a lack of quantitative analysis of recovery products. Herein, microscale ZVI, nanoscale ZVI and Ni/Fe nanoparticles were used to recover Pb(II) in aqueous solution and a sequential extraction procedure (SEP) was applied to determine the formed lead species quantitatively. At high initial Pb(II) concentration (500 mg L −1 ), more than 99.5% of Pb(II) was immobilized by Ni/Fe and n-ZVI, whereas m-ZVI caused inferior recovery efficiency (<25%). XRD and XPS results revealed that Pb(II) was reduced to Pb 0 prior to the formation of metal hydroxides as the external shell of ZVI. SEP results showed that the fraction bound to carbonates (PbO), fraction bound to iron oxides and exchangeable fraction were the main lead species conducted by Ni/Fe, n-ZVI and m-ZVI, respectively. Consequently, (co-)precipitation and specific adsorption dominated Pb(II) recovery by Ni/Fe and n-ZVI, whereas m-ZVI conducted Pb(II) recovery mainly via weak adsorption. The reactivity of ZVI toward Pb(II) followed the increasing order of m-ZVI << n-ZVI ≤ Ni/Fe. The detailed mechanisms of Pb(II) recovery conducted by different ZVI were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the qualitative behavior of the Boussinesq–Burgers equations on a finite interval subject to the Dirichlet type dynamic boundary conditions. Assuming H 1 × H 2 initial data which are compatible with boundary conditions and utilizing energy methods, we show that under appropriate conditions on the dynamic boundary data, there exist unique global-in-time solutions to the initial-boundary value problem, and the solutions converge to the boundary data as time goes to infinity, regardless of the magnitude of the initial data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Back propagation neural network (BPNN) models and multiple linear regression (MLR) models are widely used to predict heating energy consumption. To improve the prediction accuracies for the BPNN and MLR models, we propose a novel sample data selection method (SDSM) combining the similar days selection with the virtual samples generation. First, a grey correlation method integrated with an entropy weight method is given to optimize the similar days selection. Then virtual samples are generated by Gaussian distribution function based on the similar samples. Finally, a new sample set (including similar and virtual samples) is obtained, and then, it is regarded as the input variable for the BPNN and MLR models. The results show that training errors and prediction errors are obviously reduced in the developed BPNN model. Although the prediction accuracy of the developed MLR model is improved by different degrees, the coefficient of determination obtained in the regression fitting process is poor. It is proved that the novel SDSM is applicable only for the BPNN model, but not for the MLR model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wnt5a, a secreted glycoprotein, belongs to the noncanonical Wnt family involved in a wide range of organism development and tissue homeostasis. Wnt5a and its signaling pathway can regulate fundamental cellular processes, including specification of cell fate, proliferation, and survival. Accumulating evidence indicates that Wnt5a exhibits dual effects on angiogenesis. The formation of new blood vessels derives from pre-existing vessels via canonical and non-canonical Wnt pathways, depending on cell types, receptors, downstream effectors, and microenvironment. Given that the regulation of angiogenesis has been implicated in many diseases, such as cancer, neovascular eye diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, these findings suggest that Wnt5a may be a potential target for the treatment of angiogenesis-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical Modal Decomposition (EMD), and improved or modified techniques derived from EMD, collectively referred to as Empirical Modal Decomposition class (EMDC) techniques. EMDC techniques have a wide range of applications in building energy analysis, especially time–frequency analysis based noise cancellation in data-driven building energy prediction. However, there is a gap in the literature related to the choice of EMDC techniques in data-driven models. This paper provides a framework for a comprehensive comparison of EMD, Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD), Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) and Empirical Wavelet Transform (EWT) techniques for building heat consumption prediction modeling. A real building is used as an example to compare the noise cancellation potential of these techniques and the prediction accuracy under various data-driven models. The results demonstrated that noise cancellation using the EMDC techniques significantly improves Signal-Noise Ratio, regularity, and consistency with the original signal trend. The prediction models trained using the noise-cancelled data have the Root Mean Squared Error and the Mean Absolute Error reductions of 22.5 % and 31.3 % on average, respectively. Meanwhile, the predicted signals of the models inherit the noise cancellation benefits of the noise-cancelled training data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a convenient approach, the first of its kind, to construct a microscale non-metal@MOF composite catalytic host–guest system for an organic tandem reaction. The reported porous Cu4I4-MOF is able to reversibly adsorb molecular iodine at room temperature. The obtained I2@Cu4I4-MOF host–guest system can be a highly heterogeneous catalyst to promote the Friedel–Crafts alkylation of indoles with acetals in a one-pot two-step fashion under solvent-free conditions at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the global existence and the long-time asymptotic behavior of classical solutions to the Cauchy problem for the Boussinesq–Burgers system with large initial data. More precisely, we first show that the classical solutions exist globally in time with large initial data by using the L p ( p > 2 ) estimates other than the conventional L 2 estimate. Then we prove that the global classical solutions converge to constant equilibrium states with an algebraic decay rate as time approaches infinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although GSHPs (ground-source heat pump system) have already drawn a fair amount of attention in China because of its high energy efficiency and low environmental impact characteristics, some practical problems appeared much more than the expected. COP (Coefficient of Performance) of the GSHPs decreased gradually year after year caused by imbalance energy loads especially in heating-dominated climate zones. So an experiment of solar seasonal storage coupling with GSHP was designed and implemented. In this thermal storage experiment process, a system with 1500 m solar thermal collectors and 580 sets of 120 m deep ground thermal exchangers were taken into research. Thermal equilibrium of soil was studied; relationship between solar energy radiation quantity and thermal storage quantity was discussed. Results showed that solar energy utilization efficiency achieved 50.2% and soil temperature raised by 0.21 °C. TRNSYS 16 was used to simulate thermal storage experiment, and simulation results were well matched with the measured data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COP (Coefficient of Performance) of the ground-source heat pump (GSHP) system decreased gradually year after year mainly caused by imbalance of thermal energy inputting, especially in heating-dominated climate zones. An experimental system of solar seasonal storage coupling with ground-source heat pump was designed and implemented. This system was installed in a group of new buildings of the new campus in Tianjin, China, which is located in cold climate zone and heat demand is dominated. To make evaluation to this system, a mathematical method was developed to calculate the COP of GSHP system and the coupled system. In this thermal storage experiment process, a system with 1500 m 2 solar thermal collectors and 580 sets of 120 m deep ground thermal exchangers was involved in this research. Results show that the soil temperature has not descended but increased by 0.21 °C, and the COP of system and heat pump unit increased 3.4% and 2.4% respectively compared to the operation data without solar seasonal storage process during last year. Although the effectiveness of solar seasonal storage coupled is not conspicuous as expected during the testing period, it indicates that the tendency of COP declination is prevented, and further illustrating that improving the COP of the system is a long-term work, the application of solar seasonal storage coupled with GSHP system should be encouraged for long-term operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, a potential controversy has arisen that whether the metal speciation in solid matrix determined its electrokinetic (EK) removal efficiency or by contrast. In present study, Cu and Zn in anaerobic digestate were selected as candidates to investigate the relation between the species of metal and EK treatment. The obtained results show that the removal efficiency for each fraction decreased in the order as follows: exchangeable ≥ bound to carbonates > bound to Fe–Mn oxides > bound to organic matters >> residual. For both Cu and Zn, their total removal performance was dependent on their dominant fraction in the digestate. A constant pH maintenance around the digestate via circulation of acid electrolyte is an optional operation because a strong acid atmosphere (pH < 2) around the digestate can be formed automatically as EK time elapses. Despite that many reactions occurred during EK process, the species distribution of Cu and Zn in the digestate determined their total EK removal efficiency essentially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Carbonization and crystallization of feedstock can be achieved by one step in Sc-CO 2. • Iron salt enhanced depolymerization of plastics significantly via catalytic effect. • Sc-CO 2 favored formation of oxygen-rich functional groups on magnetic hybrid surface. • Magnetic Fe 3 O 4 was in-situ anchored in formed carbonaceous pore of bulk char. • Halogen-free magnetic hybrid exhibited excellent capacity for Cr(VI) immobilization. A huge amount of waste halogenated plastics is a considerable resource pool but how to transform these wastes into functional products is always a great technical challenge due to potential release of halogenated dioxin during process. In this study, one type of benign reaction medium-sub/supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc-CO 2) was used for converting halogenated plastics into magnetic carbon-based hybrid along with simultaneous dehalogenation. It was found that Sc-CO 2 treatment coupled with subsistent iron salt adjuvant advantageously inhibited the generation of benzene derivatives with high molecular weight and facilitated growth of pore structure of carbon skeleton with limited production of coke tars. Meanwhile, magnetic Fe 3 O 4 particles were gradually crystallized and eventually encapsulated in ordered mesoporous carbonaceous product to enhance the further carbonization of plastics without any halide residues. Cr(Ⅵ) immobilization tests indicated that as-obtained magnetic hybrid exhibited great adsorption capacity above 157 mg g−1 and the immobilization process was well fit for Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. This study provides a new insight into a cost-effective process for fabrication of magnetic functional hybrid using waste halogenated plastics without release of second pollutants and its versatile application as adsorbents or catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A net zero energy wooden structure building in severe cold zone was designed in severe cold zone. • A new type of water-passing wall was designed and applied in the wooden structure building. • Renewable energy systems are adopted to pursue net zero energy consumption for wooden structured buildings in severe cold areas. • Study on the operational performance of wooden structure building. • Evaluated the energy criteria and economy of the wooden structure building. At present, there is no lack of research on net zero energy buildings (nZEB) in China, and most of the research on "nZEB" focuses on buildings using traditional building materials like rebar concrete, brick, etc. In this paper, we take a wooden structure residential building in the severe cold zone as the research object, design a new type of water-passing wooden structure wall, and explore how to achieve net zero energy consumption through appropriate methods in the design stage. During the operation of the wooden structure building throughout the year, the solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides electricity to the building. In the heating season, we will supply groundwater or shallow geothermal water into the water pipes in the wall, and the solar thermal system provides hot water for heating. According to the whole year operation of the wooden structure building, the indoor environment meets the requirements of comfort standards, and the designed envelope structure of the wooden structure building has an excellent thermal performance. The energy consumption was reduced by 62.9% compared with energy-saving buildings without water-passing walls. The electricity generation capacity of the solar PV system is more than the actual electricity consumption of the building, the energy criteria are met the relevant requirements of the net zero energy building, and its economy is also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some studies revealed that steady-uniform thermal environments are not the optimal environmental state to ensure thermal comfort, and temperature ramps offer potential advantages over traditional air conditioning methods. Moreover, when exposed to the same environmental conditions, gender differences in thermal responses were often observed, but the gender differences in the ramped conditions and causal relationships remain unclear. Therefore, an experimental research was conducted in a chamber by controlling the rates and directions to study the gender differences in thermal responses to temperature ramps. Three temperature ramps conditions (A: 26 °C−24 °C−26 °C; B: 26 °C−28 °C−26 °C; C: 26 °C−30 °C−26 °C) were investigated with 60 healthy participants (30 females and 30 males) recruited. The main conclusions indicated that women are more sensitive to temperature ramp-down environments than those of their male counterparts. Direction of temperature ramps had a significant effect on human responses in cool environments but no effect was observed in warm environments. Moreover, there was no significant differences in subjective responses between genders in a 2 °C ramp-up environment from 26 °C to 28 °C. Due to psychological differences, men have a wider range of temperature acceptability than women. Furthermore, the relationships between thermal sensation and thermal comfort, thermal sensation and thermal acceptability were also established, indicating that thermal sensation had significant impacts on other psychological responses. This paper has reference value for related researchers and designers to take temperature ramps and gender differences account in the design of indoor thermal environments, which benefits to improve thermal comfort, health and energy efficiency. • Thermal experience, rates and directions of temperature ramps have different effects on subjective perception. • Women are more sensitive to temperature ramp-down thermal environments than men. • Significant differences are only observed in thermal responses between genders in the ramp-down environments. • The acceptable temperature ramps ranges of women are smaller than those of men. • Relationships between some thermal responses are observed after temperature ramping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid increase in demand for the construction and development of island cities in the South China Sea, the urban heat island phenomenon in such cities should become a key factor to be considered in future urban planning. This paper took Sanya, China as a typical case, and long-term field experiments were conducted in the Mangrove Bay Area in summer and winter. An innovative urban green space cooling model was proposed, using the "green space cooling index" to quantitatively characterize the green space cooling effect, and aiming to minimize the intensity of urban heat islands. This paper studied the optimization method of green space planning and layout under the constraint of a centralized green space total area. Moreover, a genetic algorithm was adopted to optimize the calculation and the layout of the urban green space. The experimental results showed that the urban heat island intensity was more significant at night and was less effective in the daytime during summer. In winter, the urban heat island intensity had a greater effect in the daytime and was less influential at night. Finally, optimization results indicated that the average urban heat island intensity in summer was reduced by 8.8% under the optimal layout urban green space of 0.025 km2. The maximum reduction in heat island intensity occurred at 7:00 am (0.48 °C). When 0.0625 km2 urban green space was planned, the average urban heat island intensity index in summer was reduced to 0.27 °C, with a decrease of 20.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, a novel two-stage process, i.e. first stage for hydrogen species generation at 150°C and second stage for PCB dechlorination at 330°C, was developed for efficient PCB degradation in subcritical water with nanoscale Ni/Fe particles. The obtained results showed that over 92% of PCBs was completely converted into 1-alkyl-benzenes during this process. The addition of hydrogen donors could greatly enhance PCB dechlorination in descending order: oxalic acid≈HAc>NaH2PO4 ≈KH2PO4. The anion introduced along with H+ played the crucial role in overall dechlorination process due to the undesired reaction between anion and reactive nanoscale Ni/Fe. Oxalic acid was quite effective for the generation of hydrogen species by supply more available H+ without undesired side reaction. In contrast, phosphate could react with Ni/Fe rapidly to form complex precipitates on particle surface and thereby block the reactive sites of particle following suspension of dechlorination. In addition, low 150°C at first stage as compared to 330°C at second stage favored the dissolution and adsorption of hydrogen on Ni surface for catalyzing to form more reactive hydrogen species used for rapid dechlorination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Hot and humid environments are prevalent in many industries. People working in hot and humid environments are at great risk of specific heat-related disorders, the productivity decrease and safety problems. In order to guarantee workers’ health and safety, safety evaluation and early warning rating of the hot and humid environments are studied in this paper. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method is proposed to evaluate the work safety in hot and humid environments. Trapezoidal fuzzy numbers are adopted to handle inherent uncertainty and imprecision of the data involved in decision process. Within the proposed methodology, a decision group is firstly established. A safety evaluation framework containing three factors (work, environment, and workers) and ten sub-factors are established. The fuzzy weights of the factors and sub-factors are calculated based on the pair-wise comparisons. Then the fuzzy evaluating vectors of the sub-factors and factors can be calculated according to the initial evaluation data. Therefore, the comprehensive safety index, safety grade and early warning grade can be determined. An example is given to demonstrate the proposed method. The results demonstrate the engineering practicability and effectiveness of this method in extreme environment evaluation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmentally persistent, toxic, bioaccumulative and recalcitrant. In this study, aged PCBs from e-waste contaminated site were respectively subjected to Soxhlet and solvothermal treatments. The results indicated that solvothermal method was much more predominant for PCBs removal than traditional Soxhlet method. Sequential Soxhlet–solvothermal experiment demonstrated that Soxhlet unextractable (bound) PCBs were efficiently removed by solvothermal procedure due to enhanced solvating effects of organic solvents. The key point was that bound PCBs in the aged soil were partitioned in different components of soil organic matter, e.g., the solvothermal removal amounts of ∑I-VPCBs (sum of PCB8, PCB18, PCB28, PCB44, PCB66) from fulvic acid (FA), humic acid (HA), bound humic acid (bound HA), bound lipids and mineral fraction were 0.4, 40.8, 28.4, 19.8, and 10.6%, respectively. It was found that isopropanol was the most effective solvent for PCBs removal. The optimum performing temperature, time and liquid to solid ratio for PCB8, PCB18, PCB28, PCB44, and PCB66 were 170°C, 8h and 10:1, respectively. As for higher molecular weight PCB congeners, these conditions were 150°C, 10h and 15:1. Soil organic matter content was unchanged after solvothermal treatment indicating that soil fertility remained after the removal process. This work provides a more clean process for effective treatment of soils contaminated by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in comparison to traditional methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons for ever growing energy consumption in buildings and to give enhanced supervision strategies for reduction of building energy consumption compared to regular ones. A case study of Ningbo city was used to make a detail analysis. Several factors were determined as the reasons for ever growing building energy consumption including climate change, household electricity load increase, the growth of real estate, fast-growing household electrical appliances, high energy consumption in existing buildings, changes in industrial structure and the lack of enhanced government supervision. Then the discussion of suitable countermeasures shows that only enhanced supervision strategies are currently applicable. Finally, it is concluded that enhanced government supervision strategies, including the establishment of a strict control system for new built buildings through information integration and encryption, establishing an energy efficiency supervision system of large-scale public building and a carrot-and-stick approach with added expert checklist for the building application of renewable energy, showed great advantages in promoting building energy efficiency in Ningbo, compared with other cities. These supervision strategies are applicable in other cities as they are in the similar situations in the enforcement of building energy efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The present study was carried out to better understand the reactivity of nanoscale Ni/Fe particles towards the dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contained in waste capacitor oil and the corresponding dechlorination mechanism in subcritical water. Batch experiments showed that nanoscale Ni/Fe particles could more quickly and effectively dechlorinate PCBs stepwise as compared to nanoscale zerovalent iron (n-ZVI) and nano-Ni0. The dechlorination products were much more centralized in the presence of Ni/Fe than other particles, and biphenyl, cyclohexyl-benzene and 1-alkyl-benzenes were the main products which can be used as raw chemicals. Moreover, catalytic hydrogenation by virtue of introduction of Ni0 as catalyst can not only result in rapid dechlorination but also avoid formation of toxic chlorinated hydrocarbons. The reactivity of nanoscale Ni/Fe can retain in subcritical water for rapid catalytic hydrodechlorination. This process poses the prospect of recovery of valuable chemicals in the course of disposal of hazardous PCB-containing capacitor oil or transformer oil. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There are still many unsolved mysteries in the thermal decomposition process of urea. This paper studied the thermal decomposition process of urea at constant temperatures by the thermal gravimetric–mass spectrometry analysis method. The results show that there are three obvious stages of mass loss during the thermal decomposition process of urea, which is closely related to the temperature. When the temperature was below 160 °C, urea decomposition almost did not occur, and molten urea evaporated slowly. When the temperature was between 180 and 200 °C, the content of biuret, one of the by-products in the thermal decomposition of urea, reached a maximum. When the temperature was higher than 200 °C, the first stage of mass loss was completed quickly, and urea and biuret rapidly broke down. When the temperature was about 240 °C, there were rarely urea and biuret in residual substance; however, the content of cyanuric acid was still rising. When the temperature was higher than 280°C, there was a second stage of mass loss. In the second stage of mass loss, when the temperature was higher than 330 °C, mass decreased rapidly, which was mainly due to the decomposition of cyanuric acid. When the temperature was higher than 380 °C, the third stage of mass loss occurred. However, when the temperature was higher than 400 °C, and after continuous heating was applied for a sufficiently long time, the residual mass was reduced to almost zero eventually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat acclimation (HA) is a widely recognized physiological phenomenon of human body in hot environments. HA has many benefits, such aspreventing hyperthermia responses, and is an efficient way to improve human responses to hyperthermal environments. However, it is not known whether HA is dependent on the environmental conditions. Moreover, its mechanism and effect on the safety performance remain unexplored. In this study, we created a climate chamber to simulate a hyperthermal environment. Thirty healthy males were recruited for this study, who were then trained under the same ambient conditions (temperature of 38 °C and relative humidity (RH) of 40%). The training involved running on treadmills (at 5 km/h) to simulate heavy manual labor, and performing heat stress tests (HST) under six different conditions (32 °C/40% RH, 35 °C/40%, 38 °C/40%, 32 °C/70%, 35 °C/70%, and 38 °C/70%). Their physiological indices (rectal temperature, heart rate, sweat loss and skin temperature) and one psychological index (thermal sensation) were measured. Furthermore, a hazard avoidance test device (HATD) was designed to evaluate the individual safety performance by detecting human errors. The results show that training and environmental conditions have different effects on HA. After HA, the physiological and psychological strain were significantly improved. More importantly, HA also helped improve the participants' awareness of the dangers and required emergency responses to face potential hazards. Overall, a reasonable HA training under proper conditions is helpful to ensure the safety of human beings. More research is needed to study the role of HA on safety performance. • Designed a set of hazard avoidance test device to test safety performance during heat acclimation. • Investigated the effect of heat acclimation (HA) on human body responses at different ET*. • HA training have significant impact on physical and psychological parameters. • HA training can improve safety performance and reduce the probability of risk in manual work. • It is very beneficial for proper HA training under reasonable conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the energy performance of a central air-conditioning system, an effective control method for the chilled water system is always essential. However, it is a real challenge to distribute exact cooling energy to multiple terminal units in different floors via a complex chilled water network. To mitigate hydraulic imbalance in a complex chilled water system, many throttle valves and variable-speed pumps are installed, which are usually regulated by PID-based controllers. Due to the severe hydraulic coupling among the valves and pumps, the hydraulic oscillation phenomena often occur while using those feedback-based controllers. Based on a data-calibrated water distribution model which can accurately predict the hydraulic behaviors of a chilled water system, a new Model Predictive Control (MPC) method is proposed in this study. The proposed method is validated by a real-life chilled water system in a 22-floor hotel. By the proposed method, the valves and pumps can be regulated safely without any hydraulic oscillations. Simultaneously, the hydraulic imbalance among different floors is also eliminated, which can save 23.3% electricity consumption of the pumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular senescence is a kind of cellular state triggered by endogenous or exogenous stimuli, which is mainly characterized by stable cell cycle arrest and complex senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Once senescent cells accumulate in tissues, they may eventually accelerate the progression of age-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis, chronic lung diseases, cancers, etc. Recent studies have shown that the disorders of lipid metabolism are not only related to age-related diseases, but also regulate the cellular senescence process. Based on existing research evidences, the changes in lipid metabolism in senescent cells are mainly concentrated in the metabolic processes of phospholipids, fatty acids and cholesterol. Obviously, the changes in lipid-metabolizing enzymes and proteins involved in these pathways play a critical role in senescence. However, the link between cellular senescence, changes in lipid metabolism and age-related disease remains to be elucidated. Herein, we summarize the lipid metabolism changes in senescent cells, especially the senescent cells that promote age-related diseases, as well as focusing on the role of lipid-related enzymes or proteins in senescence. Finally, we explore the prospect of lipids in cellular senescence and their potential as drug targets for preventing and delaying age-related diseases. • Elucidate the lipids landscape of senescent cells and their critical role in cellular senescence. • Lipid metabolism disorders in cellular senescence promote the progression of aging and age-related diseases. • Intervention of lipid metabolism processes and related enzymes or proteins are novel targets to modulate senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and creation of soft porous crystals combining regularity and flexibility may promote potential applications for gas storage and separation due to their deformable framework's responsiveness to external stimuli. The flexibility of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) relies on alterable degrees of freedom that are mainly provided by organic linkers or the junctions linking organic and inorganic building units. Herein, we report a new dynamic MOF whose flexibility originates from an unprecedented tailorable Mn8O38‐cluster and shows simultaneous coordination geometry changes and ligand migration that are reversibly driven by guest exchange. This provides an extra degree of freedom to the framework's deformation, resulting in three‐dimensional variations in the framework that subtly respond to varied aromatic molecules. The gas adsorption behavior of this flexible MOF was evaluated, and the selective separation of light hydrocarbons and Freon gases is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and creation of soft porous crystals combining regularity and flexibility may promote potential applications for gas storage and separation due to their deformable framework's responsiveness to external stimuli. The flexibility of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) relies on alterable degrees of freedom that are mainly provided by organic linkers or the junctions linking organic and inorganic building units. Herein, we report a new dynamic MOF whose flexibility originates from an unprecedented tailorable Mn8O38‐cluster and shows simultaneous coordination geometry changes and ligand migration that are reversibly driven by guest exchange. This provides an extra degree of freedom to the framework's deformation, resulting in three‐dimensional variations in the framework that subtly respond to varied aromatic molecules. The gas adsorption behavior of this flexible MOF was evaluated, and the selective separation of light hydrocarbons and Freon gases is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Interactions among metal species and particulates during HTP of SM were investigated. • Overwhelming changes were observed in terms of K, Ca, Mg and Fe species. • Mg and K dominated in liquid phase to cause release of F2 via ion exchange. • Crystallization of SM resulted in the obvious increase of residual Cu, Zn and Pb. • In contrast to K and Mg, Cu, Zn and Pb were inclined to be immobilized during HTP. Whether the heavy metals in solid biomass is activated or sequestrated during hydrothermal process (HTP) is still debated. Herein, the speciation of light and heavy metals during HTP of swine manure (SM) was investigated to reveal the interactions among these metal species and specific particulates. With increasing temperature, most of exchangeable species and that bound to carbonates were released to liquid phase via ion exchange and acid dissolution. Dissociation of Fe-Mn oxides rarely happened in spite of anoxic atmosphere formed during HTP. Substantial decomposition of lignocelluloses hardly caused significant liberation of fraction bound to organics. Instead, a part of fraction in liquid phase was re-captured by new oxygen-containing functional groups on solid product surface to form fraction bound to organics. Donpeacorite, butschliite and iwakiite were formed as primary minerals, resulting in increase of residual fraction of all metals except for K and Mg at 250 °C. In summary, Cu, Zn and Pb species evolution was affected by speciation of K, Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn significantly. Cu, Zn, Pb, Fe, Mn and Ca were sequestrated whereas K and Mg were activated with enhancing temperature during HTP in terms of their mobility factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis (AS) is characterized by lipids metabolism disorder and inflammatory response. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that Wingless type 5a (Wnt5a) is implicated in cardiovascular diseases through non-canonical Wnt cascades. However, its precise role during the pathogenesis of AS is still unclear. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the role and the underlying mechanism of Wnt5a/receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 2 (Ror2) pathways in the promotion of AS process through affecting lipid accumulation and inflammation. In atherosclerotic clinical samples, Wnt5a levels were measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. In vivo experiments were conducted by using apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE−/−) mice model. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were applied for in vitro studies. Wnt5a was highly expressed in both of atherosclerotic clinical samples and apoE−/− mice. The knockdown of Wnt5a significantly inhibited cholesterol accumulation and inflammatory response. Additionally, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation aggravated the cholesterol accumulation and decreased adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) expression in VSMCs. Depletion of intracellular cholesterol by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) led to the upregulation of ABCA1 and the inhibition of inflammation. Conversely, the overexpression of Wnt5a inhibited ABCA1 expression, facilitated cholesterol accumulation, impared cholesterol efflux, promoted NF-κB nuclear translocation and the inflammatory cytokines secretion. Moreover, the knockdown of Ror2 increased ABCA1 expression and reduced Wnt5a-induced cholesterol accumulation and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, the knockdown of ABCA1 enhanced cholesterol accumulation and inflammatory response. Therefore, Wnt5a/Ror2 pathway was critical in regulating cholesterol homeostasis and inflammatory response, which might be a promising therapeutic target for AS therapy. Unlabelled Image • A close correlation between the cholesterol disorder and inflammatory response. • Wnt5a/Ror2 pathway is critical in cholesterol homeostasis and inflammatory response. • ABCA1 involved in Wnt5a/Ror2 axis-mediated cholesterol homeostasis and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]