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This study introduces localized surface plasmon resonance (L-SPR) mediated heating filter membrane (HFM) for inactivating universal viral particles by using the photothermal effect of plasmonic metal nanoparticles (NPs). Plasmonic metal NPs were coated onto filter membrane via a conventional spray-coating method. The surface temperature of the HFM could be controlled to approximately 40–60 °C at room temperature, owing to the photothermal effect of the gold (Au) NPs coated on them, under irradiation by visible light-emitting diodes. Due to the photothermal effect of the HFMs, the virus titer of H1Npdm09 was reduced by > 99.9%, the full inactivation time being < 10 min, confirming the 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID50) assay. Crystal violet staining showed that the infectious samples with photothermal inactivation lost their infectivity against Mardin-Darby Canine Kidney cells. Moreover, photothermal inactivation could also be applied to reduce the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, showing reduction rate of 99%. We used quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) techniques to confirm the existence of viral genes on the surface of the HFM. The results of the TCID50 assay, crystal violet staining method, and qRT-PCR showed that the effective and immediate reduction in viral infectivity possibly originated from the denaturation or deformation of membrane proteins and components. This study provides a new, simple, and effective method to inactivate viral infectivity, leading to its potential application in various fields of indoor air quality control and medical science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity demands are steadily increasing every year because of continued improvements to the quality of life and extreme hot and cold weather conditions. Therefore, the electric demand response management (DRM) system was introduced to prevent unstable electricity supply both domestically and globally. Unlike power generation in power plants, DRM regulates the demand and supply by reducing building energy consumption. Demand management is divided into energy efficiency and demand response. Energy efficiency reduces normal energy consumption by replacing older equipment and materials with high-efficiency models, remodeling the building envelope, and efficient system operation. Demand response reduces the electric consumption of pre-contracted electrical consumers at certain times, especially at peak load times. To determine the energy savings of buildings, the customer baseline load (CBL) is used. However, the CBL cannot evaluate the energy savings due to the energy efficiency improvements because it only assesses savings based on normal energy consumption. Therefore, DRM has a high incentive for buildings with high-energy consumption, while buildings with implemented energy efficiencies have low incentives, even though electricity demand is reduced. In this paper, we present the standard energy consumption to reflect both energy efficiency and demand response which can help stabilize power supply in the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The light-emitting diode (LED) market is expected to account for half of lamps worldwide in 2020. Despite the numerous benefits of LED lighting, the heat from LED lights affects indoor thermal conditions in buildings and increases the indoor cooling load in summer. A new method for integrating LED lighting with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are proposed to prevent this heating effect in buildings by exchanging the lighting heat to outdoor and indoor spaces according to a seasonal operating strategy. Field measurements of a mock-up model were used to determine the lighting heat removal and reuse rates of the seasonal strategy. The ratio of lighting heat removal and reuse to LED input power was 70.3% in the summer test and 49.5% in the winter test. An indoor thermal effect analysis was performed using a simulation program with lighting heat input fractions obtained from the measured data. The sensible thermal loads in the mock-up chamber were reduced by 7.5% for cooling and 1.4% for heating using the proposed method, and the annual site energy reductions of reference office buildings were 8.5% for Houston, 8.1% for Atlanta, and 5.9% for Boulder, compared to the base case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We measured the thermal performance of different window systems. [•] We also analyzed their effects on building energy savings in S. Korea. [•] The maximum ratings of the southern region and Jeju Island are Ratings 1. [•] The maximum ratings of the central region is just Ratings 2. [•] We suggest more specific and local criteria of the certification system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Blue light has outstanding transmission characteristics in the sea, and is known to cause the most sensitive visual response in common squid Todarodes pacificus. Application of a light emitting diode (LED) that can efficiently emit monochromatic light is expected to bring enormous energy savings. LED can produce cost-effective low-wattage irradiance at the specific wavelength. This study investigated the retinular responses of common squid T. pacificus to colored LED lights and light adaptation conditions based on the Perkinje effect, which is the tendency for the luminance sensitivity of the human eye to shift depending on the bright and dark adaptation states. The changes of the retinular response to blue, red and white LED were investigated in the bright and dark adaptation conditions in the water tank experiment. The degree of light adaptation was similar between the bright adaptation state and dark adaptation state to blue light, which suggests that squid retina is highly sensitive to blue light as it has been reported to date. On the other hand, the degree of light adaptation to red LED light showed a tendency to increase, albeit slightly, over time. However, the degree of light adaptation to white light with wide wavelength band showed similar tendencies as to the case of red light in the dark adaptation condition, and was actually superior to the case of blue light in the bright adaptation condition. Also, the degree of light adaptation of the retina cells collected from the sea experiment was found to be between the range of 20 and 40%. From these results, blue light may be regarded as an excellent luring source as the retina of squid is highly sensitive to it, but it cannot be determined as the most ideal LED color for the purpose of catching fish. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) has the potential to become a promising power supply for monitoring and sensors in Internet of Things (IoT) systems through wireless networks. In order to further increase the utilization of energy harvesters in an IoT system, we introduce a novel approach that greatly enhances the piezoelectric output performances by employing the layer-by-layer (LbL) method. Poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) polymer film, which has piezoelectric properties and mechanical flexibility, was used for the active layer in PENG. The maximum open-circuit voltage and closed-circuit current of the LbL multilayer PENG reached 34 V and 100 nA, respectively. In particular, the closed-circuit current of the LbL multilayer PENG was dramatically improved to be five times higher than that of the single-layer PENG. Furthermore, a supercapacitor was employed to investigate the energy storage capability of PENGs using different methods. The proposed LbL multilayer PENG is expected to be a candidate for a promising power supply for self-powered systems in the IoT system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We have fabricated carbon nanotube (CNT)-based biosensor with a field-effect transistor structure for detection of hepatitis B. For real-time measurement, a microfluidic channel was mounted on the device and the presence of hepatitis B antigen was detected by measuring the electrical conductance as a function of time. When hepatitis B antigen was exposed to the CNT biosensor with hepatitis B antibody immobilized, the conductance increased and then became nearly constant within 10min. As the antigen concentration increases, the conductance increased further. These results demonstrate that hepatitis B is possibly detected in real-time using the CNT biosensor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Application of heat control strategy reduces total energy consumption of LED lighting. [•] Convective heat from LED lighting should be emitted outdoors during cooling period. [•] Seasonal optimization of convective heat lowers total energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]