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Thermal comfort is critical for ensuring the health and productivity of occupants and knowing their thermal demand could help creat a satisfying environment with the least energy waste. Theory of thermal comfort is built based on experimental studies in uniform and stable environments, while there is still a gap when applying in evaluating human thermal comfort in non-uniform thermal environments. Therefore, an insight into human thermal comfort in non-uniform thermal environments is taken. The fundamental studies of thermal comfort in non-uniform thermal environments are explicated, including thermal comfort theory applied in non-uniform thermal environments, types of non-uniform thermal environments and corresponding studies, physiological and psychological thermal responses in the environments. Besides, the evaluation indices of non-uniform thermal environments are classified according to their definitions and the comfort models are reviewed. Finally, future works in this research field are discussed. In general, the overall thermal comfort and local thermal comfort should be both taken into account in non-uniform thermal environments where skin temperatures and psychological thermal responses of occupants are different among local body segments. Moreover, as studies of local thermal comfort are mainly conducted in thermally neutral condition, the limits considering the state deviating thermal neutrality (slightly warm or cool), which is frequently found in reality, are encouraged to be studied. Finally, a well-defined comprehensive index should be proposed considering heat exchange of human body with their microenvironments and thus the comfort range of the index could be provided for designing of non-uniform thermal environments.

High-geothermal damage is one of the major challenges in high-speed railway tunnel construction. Current studies have shortcomings in the formation mechanism of tunnel environment and the environment evaluation system. This may lead to an over-optimal environmental acceptability evaluation and jeopardize tunnel construction safety. This study established a mathematical model of the tunnel environment formation mechanism, proposed the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) standard (26.49°C) for the tunnel construction, analysed the cooling efficiency of different environmental control measures. The results show that increasing the mechanical air supply volume can reduce tunnel temperature. Fog cannon can reduce the air temperature near the tunnel working face, the cooling range in front of the tunnel working face is 10.8 m. The cooling shield can control the WBGT below the standard. Under the 90°C rock temperature, the environmental acceptability of the tunnel under pure mechanical ventilation is 0%; the single fog cannon and double fog cannon (both cooperate with double-duct ventilation) are 22.85% and 54.29% respectively; the cooling shield with one fog cannon and double duct ventilation is 95.72%. This study improves the tunnel environment evaluation system during the construction stage, and provides design reference for temperature control measures in tunnel construction.Highlights: Tunnel environment under the impact of multi-physical coupling fields was analysed.Thermal radiation is taken into account in the formation of the tunnel environment.A new benchmark based on WBGT for high-geothermal tunnels construction was proposed.A tunnel environment assessment system was proposed.Cooling shield environmental-control measure was proposed for tunnel construction.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). There is currently no effective treatment for JE, and all approved Japanese encephalitis vaccine products originated from the JEV genotype III (GIII). In recent years, JEV genotype I (GI) has gradually replaced GIII as the dominant genotype, and a new symptom of peripheral nerve injury (PNI) caused by JEV NX1889 strain has attracted wide attention, in which JEV envelope (E) protein may be involved in early peripheral nerve injury. Here, the envelope (E) gene of JEV GIb, NX1889 strain was cloned into pET-32a (+) plasmid, and then the E protein was successfully expressed as the high-yield inclusion body form in Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21 (DE3). Subsequently, we successfully developed a simplified approach to generate soluble JEV E protein by solubilization, and a stepwise dialysis refolding approach with the introduction of a redox system. The refolding recombinant E protein was identified by anti-JEV-E polyclonal antibody and the serum anti-E titer of mice immunized with refolded E protein was higher than 1: 409,600, which proves it has highly immunoreactive. Moreover, the recombinant E protein could recognize antibodies in samples of multiple species and types, such as mice, rabbits, and humans. The approach described above is economical and does not require complex eukaryotic expression systems to produce immunoreactive JEV E protein, which may be of great significance for the diagnosis and pathogenesis of JEV GI strain.

Bud dormancy is crucial for woody perennial plants to resist low-temperature stress in winter. However, the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying bud dormancy release are largely unclear. Here, a tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) transcript ARABIDOPSIS TOXICOS EN LEVADURA 33 (PsATL33), encoding a RING-H2 finger protein, was selected from previously generated RNA sequencing data of chilling-treated buds. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of PsATL33 in the regulation of cold-induced bud dormancy release. Subcellular localization assay revealed that PsATL33 was localized to the nucleus and plasma membrane. Reverse transcription–quantitative PCR analysis showed that PsATL33 was dramatically upregulated during cold-triggered bud dormancy release. Exogenous treatments with gibberellin (GA3) increased, but abscisic acid (ABA) inhibited the transcription of PsATL33. Ectopic transformation assay indicated that overexpression of PsATL33 in petunia promoted seed germination, plant growth, and axillary bud break. Silencing of PsATL33 in tree peony through virus-induced gene silencing assay delayed bud dormancy release. tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-PsATL33-infected buds exhibited reduced expression levels of dormancy break-related genes EARLY BUD-BREAK 1 (PsEBB1) and CARBOXYLESTERASE 15 (PsCXE15). Silencing of PsATL33 decreased the accumulation of bioactive GAs, GA1 and GA3, rather than ABA. Transcript levels of several genes involved in GA biosynthesis and signaling, including GA20-OXIDASE 1 (PsGA20ox1), GA3-OXIDASE 1 (PsGA3ox1), PsGA3ox3, GA2-OXIDASE 1 (PsGA2ox1), and GA-INSENSITIVE 1A (PsGAI1A), were changed by PsATL33 silencing. Taken together, our data suggest that PsATL33 functions as a positive regulator of cold-induced bud dormancy release by modulating GA production.

In recent years, countries worldwide have actively advocated electric vehicles for environmental protection. However, restrictions on the driving range and charging have hampered the promotion of electric vehicles. This study proposes a portable, auxiliary photovoltaic power system based on a foldable scissors mechanism for electric vehicles. The system includes a photovoltaic power generation module and an electricity transfer module. The photovoltaic power generation module built based on a foldable scissors mechanism is five times smaller than in its unfolded state, improving its portability in its folded state. The electricity transfer module transfers electricity into the cabin via wireless power transfer units and stores electricity in supercapacitors. Solar simulation experiments were conducted to evaluate the system's performance: maximum output power of 1.736 W is measured when the load is 5 Ω, while maximum wireless power transfer efficiency is up to 57.7% with 10 Ω load. An electric vehicle in Chengdu city was simulated for a case study. The results show that the annual output of a single photovoltaic power system can drive the MINIEV for 423.625 km, indicating that the proposed system would be able to supply power for electric vehicles as an auxiliary power supply system.

Abstract Phase change materials (PCMs) offer great potential for realizing zero-energy thermal management due to superior thermal storage and stable phase-change temperatures. However, liquid leakage and solid rigidity of PCMs are long-standing challenges for PCM-based wearable thermal regulation. Here, we report a facile and cost-effective chemical cross-linking strategy to develop ultraflexible polymer-based phase change composites with a dual 3D crosslinked network of olefin block copolymers (OBC) and styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) in paraffin wax (PW). The C-C bond-enhanced OBC-SEBS networks synergistically improve the mechanical, thermal, and leakage-proof properties of PW@OBC-SEBS. Notably, the proposed peroxide-initiated chemical cross-linking method overcomes the limitations of conventional physical blending methods and thus can be applicable across diverse polymer matrices. We further demonstrate a portable and flexible PW@OBC-SEBS module that maintains a comfortable temperature range of 39–42 °C for personal thermotherapy. Our work provides a promising route to fabricate scalable polymer-based phase change composite for wearable thermal management.

Harvesting and storing energy is a key problem in some applications. Elastic energy storage technology has the advantages of wide-sources, simple structural principle, renewability, high effectiveness and environmental-friendliness. This paper elaborates the operational principles and technical properties and summarizes the applicability of elastic energy storage technology with spiral springs. Elastic energy storage using spiral spring can realize the balance between energy supply and demand in some applications. Continuous input–spontaneous output working style can provide simple energy sources for short-time energy supply, and provide strong moment impact and rapid start, or realize the energy conservation for reciprocating movement. Uniform output working style can realize energy output with uniform speed for timekeeping and load-driving. Random input working style can harvest and store random mechanical energy or convert small torque into a large moment to drive external loads. Finally, this paper proposes new researches and developments of elastic energy storage technology on new materials and structures, mechanical properties and structural dynamics analyses, design and control for new functions.

Fires in the railway trains are prone to cause large numbers of casualties, serious economic losses, and huge negative social impacts. The railway train carriage is a special confined built environment, where the pyrolysis, combustion, and fire spread process are different from those fire accidents in open space. Identifying the fire characteristics of the railway train carriages is the key issue to determine the fire prevention and control strategy. Therefore, this paper attempts to assess and identify the characteristics of pyrolysis, combustion, and fire spread of railway trains based on the exising research. This review documents the pyrolysis and combustion characteristics of single train material and the combustible module, summarizes the heat release rate (HRR) calculation methods and the HRR profile for different types of trains, as well as introduces the research progress in the flame spread and flashover. The main gaps and issues to be solved in terms of the effects of train speed, altitudes, and application of new energy trains are further discussed.

Backgrounds: A contemporary public health challenge is the increase in the prevalence rates of herpes zoster (HZ) worldwide. Methods: In this work, the gE gene structure was analyzed using bioinformatics techniques, and three plasmids of varying lengths, tgE537, tgE200, and tgE350, were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. These proteins were used to immunize BALB/c mice with Al/CpG adjuvant; ELISPOT and FCM were used to evaluate cellular immunity; and ELISA, VZV microneutralization, and FAMA assays were performed to detect antibody titers. Results: Target protein concentrations of 1.8 mg/mL for tgE537, 0.15 mg/mL for tgE200 and 0.65 mg/mL for tgE350 were effectively produced. The ability of the three protein segments to stimulate CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as well as to cause lymphocytes to secrete IFN-γ and IL-4, did not significantly differ from one another. Both tgE537 and tgE350 were capable of generating VZV-specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies, while tgE350 had the highest neutralizing antibody titer (4388). There was no equivalent humoral immune response induced by tgE200. Conclusions: The results of this investigation provide the groundwork for the creation of HZ recombinant vaccines using truncated proteins as antigens.

The effect of Cu content on the high temperature oxidation properties of the phase change material (PCM) Al-Cu-Si alloys was studied. The oxidation kinetics curves at 600℃ were achieved for Al-Cu-Si alloys with 35–55% Cu, which all follow the cubic law. With an increase in the Cu content from 35 to 55%, the weight gain decreases from 5.75 to 3 × 10−4 g/cm2 after 96 h isothermal oxidation. The oxidation rate also decreases with Cu content, the maximum and minimum rates are 1.52 and 0.32×10−5 g/cm2•h, a nearly 4 times difference. Oxidation does not change the phase composition of Al-Cu-Si alloys, but coarsens the microstructure. The latent heat and the starting temperature of phase change after 96 h oxidation at 600℃ have variations of less than 10% and 6℃, respectively, indicating that the Al-Cu-Si alloys have good thermal stability after high temperature oxidation.

Abstract Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute idiopathic polyneuropathy which is related to infection and immune mechanism. The exact pathogenesis of the disease is unknown and treatment is limited. Thus, the purpose of the study is to identify biomarkers of GBS serum and elucidate their involvement in the underlying pathogenesis of GBS that could help to treat GBS more accurately. Antibody array technology was used to detect the expression levels of 440 proteins in serum of 5 GBS group and 5 healthy control group. Sixty-seven differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified by antibody array, among which FoLR1, Legumain, ErbB4, IL-1α, MIP-1α and IGF-2 were down-regulated, while 61 proteins were up-regulated. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that most DEPs were associated with leukocytes, among which IL-1α, SDF-1b, B7-1, CD40, CTLA4, IL-9, MIP-1α and CD40L were in the center of protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. Subsequently, the ability of these DEPs to distinguish GBS from healthy control was further evaluated. CD23 was identified by means of Random Forests Analysis (RFA) and verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The ROC curve result of CD23 respectively displayed that its sensitivity, specificity and AUC were 0.818, 0.800 and 0.824. We speculate that activation of leukocyte proliferation and migration in circulating blood might be associated with inflammatory recruitment of peripheral nerves, leading to the occurrence and development of GBS, but this conclusion still requires deeper confirmation. More importantly, central proteins may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of GBS. In addition, we detected IL-1α, IL-9, and CD23 in the serum of GBS patients for the first time, which may be promising biomarkers for the treatment of GBS.

Drought has serious impacts on agricultural production and ecological environment in China. Study on the causes of drought and drought monitoring technology is crucial for drought mitigation. This study conducts drought monitoring based on temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) and investigates with the impact of anthropogenic pressure in the Poyang Lake basin (PYLB). In the study, the MODIS normalized vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) products from 2000 to 2021 were selected to construct NDVI-LST feature space processed with elevation correction, from which the monthly TVDI data was calculated. The land use data and nighttime light data were used to construct the anthropogenic pressure index (API). The results indicate that the frequency of drought in the PYLB is higher in the south and lower in the north. According to drought influence scope (DIS), the occurrence frequency of basin-wide drought (DIS ≥ 50%) in the PYLB is the highest, followed by regional drought (33%≤DIS

High temperature–humidity environment is one of the severe challenges in constructing Sichuan–Tibet railway tunnels. For enhancing construction efficiency and guaranteeing tunnel worker safety, addressing the high temperature–humidity environment has irreplaceable significance. This study innovatively investigated the distribution law and evolution process of the thermal–humidity coupling field during tunnel construction. Besides, the corresponding ventilation measures were proposed based on the evaluation heat index (HI). If the initial temperature of the surrounding rock is constant, the distance between the ventilation duct outlet and the tunnel working face should not be greater than 30 m. Otherwise, the cooling performance of ventilation will be significantly weakened; If this temperature ranges in 65–85 °C, the recommended ventilation velocity is 10–25 m/s, and the ventilation distance should not exceed 20 m. The conclusions in this study are beneficial to better understand the high temperature–humidity environment in tunnel construction and can be a guideline for practical engineering application.

ABSTRACT The RNA exosome complex is a conserved, multisubunit RNase complex that contributes to the processing and degradation of RNAs in mammalian cells. However, the roles of the RNA exosome in phytopathogenic fungi and how it relates to fungal development and pathogenicity remain unclear. Herein, we identified 12 components of the RNA exosome in the wheat fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum. Live-cell imaging showed that all the components of the RNA exosome complex are localized in the nucleus. FgEXOSC1 and FgEXOSCA were successfully knocked out; they are both involved in the vegetative growth, sexual reproduction, and pathogenicity of F. graminearum. Moreover, deletion of FgEXOSC1 resulted in abnormal toxisomes, decreased deoxynivalenol (DON) production, and downregulation of the expression levels of DON biosynthesis genes. The RNA-binding domain and N-terminal region of FgExosc1 are required for its normal localization and functions. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) showed that the disruption of FgEXOSC1 resulted in differential expression of 3,439 genes. Genes involved in processing of noncoding RNA (ncRNA), rRNA and ncRNA metabolism, ribosome biogenesis, and ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis were significantly upregulated. Furthermore, subcellular localization, green fluorescent protein (GFP) pulldown, and coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) assays demonstrated that FgExosc1 associates with the other components of the RNA exosome to form the RNA exosome complex in F. graminearum. Deletion of FgEXOSC1 and FgEXOSCA reduced the relative expression of some of the other subunits of the RNA exosome. Deletion of FgEXOSC1 affected the localization of FgExosc4, FgExosc6, and FgExosc7. In summary, our study reveals that the RNA exosome is involved in vegetative growth, sexual reproduction, DON production, and pathogenicity of F. graminearum. IMPORTANCE The RNA exosome complex is the most versatile RNA degradation machinery in eukaryotes. However, little is known about how this complex regulates the development and pathogenicity of plant-pathogenic fungi. In this study, we systematically identified 12 components of the RNA exosome complex in Fusarium head blight fungus Fusarium graminearum and first unveiled their subcellular localizations and established their biological functions in relation to the fungal development and pathogenesis. All the RNA exosome components are localized in the nucleus. FgExosc1 and FgExoscA are both required for the vegetative growth, sexual reproduction, DON production and pathogenicity in F. graminearum. FgExosc1 is involved in ncRNA processing, rRNA and ncRNA metabolism process, ribosome biogenesis and ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis. FgExosc1 associates with the other components of RNA exosome complex and form the exosome complex in F. graminearum. Our study provides new insights into the role of the RNA exosome in regulating RNA metabolism, which is associated with fungal development and pathogenicity.

AimsFasting capillary blood glucose (FCG) and postprandial capillary blood glucose (PCG) both contribute to HbA1c in diabetes. Due to the collinearity between FCG and PCG, the HbA1c prediction model could not be developed with both FCG and PCG by linear regression. The study aimed to develop an HbA1c prediction model with both FCG and PCG to estimate HbA1c in type 2 diabetes.MethodsA total of 1,642 patients with type 2 diabetes who had at least three FCG and three PCG measurements in the past 3 months were enrolled in the study. The mean of FCG (MEANFCG) and PCG (MEANPCG) were calculated for each patient. The patients were randomized into exploratory and validation groups. The former was used for developing HbA1c prediction models and the latter for performance evaluation.ResultsThe new HbA1c prediction model using ridge regression expressed as HbA1c (%) = 0.320×MEANFCG (mmol/L) + 0.187×MEANPCG (mmol/L) + 2.979, R2 = 0.668. Compared to linear regression models developed with FCG, PCG, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose (2-h PPG), respectively, the new HbA1c prediction model showed the smallest mean square error, root mean square error, mean absolute error. The concordance correlation coefficient of the new HbA1c prediction model and the linear regression models with MEANFCG, MEANPCG, FPG or 2-h PPG were 0.810,0.773,0.749,0.715,0.672.ConclusionWe have developed a new HbA1c prediction model with both FCG and PCG, which showed better prediction ability and good agreement.

Use of the longitudinal critical velocity in tunnel fires may destroy the stratification of smoke downstream, which is not conducive to the evacuation of downstream tunnel users. Reducing the longitudinal velocity can maintain stratification, but the appropriate longitudinal velocity range is unknown. Stratification of smoke under the longitudinal velocity is studied using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). The aims of this paper are to explore the relationship between the longitudinal velocity and smoke stratification and to obtain a proper velocity range that can maintain clear downstream stratification. Based on Newman`s theory, the “stratification velocity” is proposed, which is the maximum velocity that maintains downstream smoke stratification. A good correspondence between the average Froude number within 200 m downstream and the longitudinal velocity and heat release rate (HRR) is found. The correlation between the temperature stratification and Froude number is obtained. Fr = 0.49 can be used to distinguish whether the stratification is clear. The relationship between the critical velocity and the stratification velocity is also discussed.

RNA silencing is a common antiviral mechanism in eukaryotic organisms. However, the transcriptional regulatory mechanism that controls the RNA silencing process remains elusive. Here, we performed high-depth transcriptome analysis on petunia (Petunia hybrida) leaves infected with tobacco rattle virus (TRV) strain PPK20. A total of 7,402 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Of them, some RNA silencing-related transcripts, such as RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RDRs), Dicer-like RNase III enzymes (DCLs), and Argonautes (AGOs), were induced by viral attack. Furthermore, we performed TRV-based virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) assay on 39 DEGs encoding putative transcription factors (TFs), using green fluorescent protein (GFP) and phytoene desaturase (PhPDS) as reporters. Results showed that the down-regulation of PhbHLH41, PhbHLH93, PhZPT4-3, PhCOL4, PhHSF-B3A, PhNAC90, and PhWRKY75 led to enhanced TRV accumulation and inhibited PhPDS-silenced photobleaching phenotype. In contrast, silencing of PhERF22 repressed virus accumulation and promoted photobleaching development. Thus, these TFs were identified as potential positive and negative regulators of antiviral RNA silencing, respectively. One positive regulator PhCOL4, belonging to the B-box zinc finger family, was selected for further functional characterization. Silencing and transient overexpression of PhCOL4 resulted in decreased and increased expression of several RNA silencing-related genes. DNA affinity purification sequencing analysis revealed that PhCOL4 targeted PhRDR6 and PhAGO4. Dual luciferase and yeast one-hybrid assays determined the binding of PhCOL4 to the PhRDR6 and PhAGO4 promoters. Our findings suggest that TRV-GFP-PhPDS-based VIGS could be helpful to identify transcriptional regulators of antiviral RNA silencing.

In this work, a series of nanoencapsulated phase change materials (NanoPCMs) with paraffin wax (PW) as core and melamine-formaldehyde (MF) as shell were synthesized by the in-situ polymerization method. The morphology, chemical structure and thermal properties of prepared NanoPCMs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimertic analyzer. The results show that the PW is successfully encapsulated in the MF without chemical interaction, and the NanoPCMs present regular spherical shape with the average diameter of 260–450 nm. The encapsulation efficiency of the NanoPCMs increases with the augment of the supplied amount of core material. The maximum encapsulation efficiency of the NanoPCMs can reach up to approximately 75%. The NanoPCMs can maintain excellent thermal reliability and stability after 2000 thermal cycling. The prepared NanoPCMs can be well applied in the latent heat thermal energy storage and thermal management systems due to their remarkable encapsulation efficiency and thermal properties enable them to.

The coupling and complexity of railway train / tunnel system are further aggravated by increasing train speed, which produces a series of aerodynamics problems, such as aerodynamic drag, slipstream, pressure wave and micro pressure wave. Aerodynamic effects of tunnels will result in a significant increase in train energy consumption, shorten life of railway train / tunnel system, and increase maintenance cost. This paper provides a review of aerodynamics of railway train / tunnel system. Challenges in railway train / tunnel system aerodynamics and their related factors are discussed firstly. Aerodynamic performance and flow field characteristics of trains in tunnels are presented. Relationship of aerodynamic effects and parameters of railway train / tunnel system, and the control methods for reducing aerodynamic effects in tunnels are explained. A traffic safety evaluation of the train in tunnels, such as vehicle body structure, passengers’ ear comfort, etc., is introduced and analysed. Finally, future outlooks and research topics are proposed.

Abstract Hemoglobin (Hb) North Manchester [β51(D2) Pro→His; HBB:c.155 C>A] is a rare Hb β‐globin gene variant that affects glycated Hb measurement values, such as ion‐exchange high‐performance liquid chromatography, in patients with diabetes. This variant was first detected in the UK in 1998. Here, we describe the first case involving Hb North Manchester detected incidentally in a patient with type 2 diabetes in Northern China. The Hb variant was discovered by ion‐exchange high‐performance liquid chromatography, yet capillary electrophoresis of both glycated Hb program and Hb program failed to detect it. Subsequently, Sanger sequencing was carried out to help identify the Hb variant.

During the operation of the capillary heat exchange system in the metro tunnel, the pipe length, pipe spacing and air velocity have different effects on the heat transfer effect and show certain rules. Taking Kunming as an example, a single-factor analysis method was used to establish multiple-capillary model, and the variation of different influencing factors in the heat transfer process was obtained. On this basis, a single-capillary model was established to analyze the thermal interference variation of the pipe spacing between the two models. Under the condition of ensuring the capillary outlet water temperature and heat flux, the relevant parameters of the capillary heat exchanger were optimized. The results show that the pipe length of the capillary heat exchanger should be kept within 3–5 m, the pipe spacing is maintained at 20–30 mm, and the capillary heat exchanger of each set can be operated in parallel to ensure that heat exchanger have better heat transfer performance. During the system stop running, the air velocity in winter and summer has different effects on the recovery of surrounding rock.

Renewable paper reusing plays a significant role in the sustainable environment under the background of the shortage in forest resources and the pollution from the paper industry. The conventional reusing stream of waste office paper appears to have low reusing rates while consuming massive amounts of energy in intermediate steps. In this study, we developed a novel portable renewable desktop paper reusing system based on font area detection and greyscale sensor. The proposed system consists of two main parts, namely, a greyscale sensor and font area detection model and a polishing mechanism. Acting as an ink mark detector for waste desktop paper, the greyscale sensor and font area detection model can detect the font in the waste desktop paper using an adaptive dynamic compensation schematic. The polishing mechanism will grind the font area of the wasted desktop paper, and this paper reusing processing is non-chemical, energy saving and environmentally friendly. The proposed system is demonstrated through simulations and experimental results, which show that the proposed renewable desktop paper reusing system is portable and is effective for reusing waste office paper in the office. An accuracy of 99.78% is demonstrated in the greyscale sensor and font area detection model, and the average reuse rate of one piece of paper is 2.52 times, verifying that the proposed portable system is effective and practical in renewable desktop paper reusing applications.

Renewable energy technologies, particularly in electric vehicles (EVs), have received significant attention in recent years. The wasted energy in a vehicle's shock absorber can be converted into an alternative energy source by regenerative shock absorbers. In this paper, a high-efficiency regenerative shock absorber considering twin ball screws transmissions is proposed for application in range-extended electric vehicles. The proposed regenerative shock absorber can convert vibrational kinetic energy, which is traditionally dissipated as heat in suspension systems, into electricity. The proposed system is divided into four modules: suspension vibration input module, transmission module, generator module and power storage module. Induced by road roughness, the irregular linear oscillations of the suspension are transmitted to the suspension vibration input module. The reciprocating vibrations are converted into unidirectional rotation of the generator by a pair of ball screws, gears, and two overrun clutches in the transmission module. The utilisation of different screw pitches leads to different damping coefficients for upward and downward progress, enabling the shock absorber to fully utilise elastic elements to improve vehicle comfort when compressed and quickly absorb vibrations when stretched. The electricity produced by the generator is stored in supercapacitors to charge the battery and extend the range of EVs. The mechanical properties of the full-scaled fabricated prototype were studied by utilising a mechanical testing and sensing fixture. An average power output of 3.701 W in 1Hz-3 mm sinusoidal vibration input and a peak efficiency of 51.1% and average efficiency of 36.4% were achieved in a bench tests. The range can be approximately extended by 1 mile per 100 miles when EV is driving on the road of class B with a speed of 60 km/h, demonstrating that the proposed high-efficiency regenerative shock absorber is beneficial for harvesting renewable energy, and practical and significant for extending the range of EVs.

Here we describe a heat pump system coupled with novel PV/T and thermal panels for space heating in low solar radiation conditions. Existing solar indirect-expansion systems connect the solar panels and evaporator of the heat pump in parallel with the heat storage tank. For our system these three components are instead connected in series, which can stabilize the temperature at the inlet of the evaporator and decrease the inlet temperature of the solar panels, leading to improved energy efficiency and the production of much more thermal energy. The experimental results of this system show that the average electrical, thermal and overall efficiency of the PV/T panels are 15.9%, 33.4% and 49.3%, respectively. The average thermal efficiency of the thermal panels is 60.4%, the COP of heat pump is 4.7 and the room temperature is constantly over 18 °C. Based on the experimental results, some improvements are analyzed. We conclude that this operating model can meet the requirement of space heating in low solar radiation environments.

Methane's contribution to radiative forcing is second only to that of CO2. Though previously neglected, methane is now gaining increasing public attention as a GHG. At the recent COP26 in Glasgow, 105 countries signed “the methane pledge” committing to a 30% reduction in emissions from oil and gas by 2030 compared to 2020 levels. Removal methods are complementary to such reduction, as they can deal with other sources of anthropogenic emissions as well as legacy emissions already accumulated in the troposphere. They can also provide future insurance in case biogenic emissions start rising significantly. This article reviews proposed methods for atmospheric methane removal at a climatically significant scale. These methods include enhancement of natural hydroxyl and chlorine sinks, photocatalysis in solar updraft towers, zeolite catalyst in direct air capture devices, and methanotrophic bacteria. Though these are still at an early stage of development, a comparison is provided with some carbon dioxide removal methods in terms of expected costs. The cheapest method is potentially enhancement of the chlorine natural sink, costing as little as $1.6 per ton CO2-eq, but this should be carried out over remote areas to avoid endangering human health. Complementarity with methane emissions reduction is also discussed.

Delayed detached eddy simulation (DDES) using a shear stress transport (SST) k-ω turbulence model was used to investigate the aerodynamic and temperature characteristics of hyperloop pods with different nose shapes, namely conical, spherical, and ellipsoidal, at transonic speed in a tube with pressure of 0.01 atm. The employed numerical model was validated by the results of a wind tunnel test and grid resolution, and the unsteady aerodynamic behaviours of the different pods in the tubes were analyzed and compared. The pods with the spherical and conical noses were found to generate the lowest aerodynamic pressure and friction drags, respectively. In addition, the effects of the nose shape on the maximum temperature and pressure in the tube were more significant in the deceleration stage than in other stages, and were least pronounced for the pod with the spherical nose. The pod with the ellipsoidal nose generated the lowest minimum temperature and pressure. In addition, the flow field around the pod tail was more sensitive to the nose shape compared with that around the pod head, with a high-temperature and pressure area generated around the tails of the conical- and ellipsoidal-nose pods. The observations indicate that a conical nose affords the best aerodynamic behavior of a transonic hyperloop pod in an evacuated tube.

In many higher plants, seed oil accumulation is governed by complex multilevel regulatory networks including transcriptional regulation, which primarily affects fatty acid biosynthesis. Tree peony (Paeonia rockii), a perennial deciduous shrub endemic to China is notable for its seed oil that is abundant in unsaturated fatty acids. We discovered that a tree peony trihelix transcription factor, PrASIL1, localized in the nucleus, is expressed predominantly in developing seeds during maturation. Ectopic overexpression of PrASIL1 in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf tissue and Arabidopsis thaliana seeds significantly reduced total fatty acids and altered the fatty acid composition. These changes were in turn associated with the decreased expression of multitudinous genes involved in plastidial fatty acid synthesis and oil accumulation. Thus, we inferred that PrASIL1 is a critical transcription factor that represses oil accumulation by down-regulating numerous key genes during seed oil biosynthesis. In contrary, up-regulation of oil biosynthesis genes and a significant increase in total lipids and several major fatty acids were observed in PrASIL1-silenced tree peony leaves. Together, these results provide insights into the role of trihelix transcription factor PrASIL1 in controlling seed oil accumulation. PrASIL1 can be targeted potentially for oil enhancement in tree peony and other crops through gene manipulation.

We demonstrate the feasibility to control the confined electromagnetic field by surface plasmon poloritons (SPPs) excitation and scattering modulation based on the pre-processed Au nanostructures under the irradiation of single-shot femtosecond (fs) laser pulse, and then to control the surface tension-induced molten Si transport due to the directed lateral temperature profile, thus resulting in the formation of Si nanostructures. Annular-shaped fs laser pulse is employed based on nonlinear optical effect of frequency-doubling process to imprint Au planar nanostructures with various morphologies. Because surface plasmon polaritons can be easily excited and controlled on planar nanostructures of noble metals, the localized electromagnetic field can be effectively modulated by controlling the metallic nanostructures. Thus, the quasi-plasmonic Au nanostructures act as precursors for controlling the subsequent electromagnetic field by fs laser irradiation. Upon irradiation of pre-processed Au nanostructures, confined electromagnetic field induces a specific surface tension profile, causing directional transport of molten Si. After solidification, Si nanostructures of controllable morphologies can be fabricated. Simulation results are in agreement with the theoretical mechanism. Moreover, further optimized modulation of nanodome can be achieved by controlling the focus spot control combined with the polarization state control. This paper provides an effective method for enabling a scalable formation of Si nanostructures.

Climate change is a growing global concern, threatening the worldwide environment, health, and economy [...]

Exterior louver blinds are one of the most common shading devices attached to the building façade, which will not only screen solar radiation but also affect the flow around the building and change the convective heat exchange at the façade. To better understand how different wind directions affect the convective heat properties of louvered building façades, this paper conducted a CFD simulation with the validation of previous wind-tunnel experiments. A total of 63 shading cases and 7 unshaded cases were both investigated by simulations. It was found that with the increase in wind attack angle θ, the surface-averaged convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) at the louvered surface will first increase by about 40~50% (θ from 0° to 60°) and then be cut down by 60% (θ from 60° to 90°). In addition, the convective heat exchange rate at the louver slats will gradually decrease with the growth of θ. Finally, modifications for previous correlations were proposed to quantify the effect of wind directions on the CHTCavg at the blinds and façade, of which the maximum deviation for convective heat exchange rate is less than 18%.

Ypt1 is a small Rab GTPase in yeast, Gyp1 functions at the Golgi as a negative regulator of Ypt1. Gyp1 homologs are conserved in filamentous fungi. However, the roles of Gyp1 in phytopathogenic fungi are still unclear. Herein, we investigated the functions of FgGyp1 in the wheat pathogen Fusarium graminearum by live-cell imaging, genetic, and pathological analyses. Targeted gene replacement method was used to delete FgGYP1 in F. graminearum. Phenotypic analyses showed that FgGyp1 is critically important not only for the vegetative growth of F. graminearum but also its conidiation. The mutant’s vegetative growth was significantly reduced by 70% compared to the wild type PH-1. The virulence of FgGYP1 deletion mutant was significantly decreased when compared with the wild type PH-1. We further found that FgGyp1 negatively regulates DON production of the fungus. Live-cell imaging clearly demonstrated that FgGyp1 mainly localizes to the Golgi apparatus. Moreover, the TBC domain, C-terminal, and N-terminal regions of FgGyp1 are found to be indispensable for its biological functions and normal localization. The Arg357 residue of FgGyp1 is essential for its functions but dispensable for the normal localization of the protein, while the Arg284 residue is not required for both the functions and normal localization of the protein. Furthermore, we showed that FgGyp1 essentially hydrolyzes the GTP-bound FgRab1 (activated form) to its corresponding GDP-bound (inactive) form in vitro, suggesting that FgGyp1 is a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for FgRab1. Finally, FgGyp1 was found to be important for FgSnc1-mediated fusion of secretory vesicles from the Golgi with the plasma membrane in F. graminearum. Put together, these data demonstrate that FgGyp1 functions as a GAP for FgRab1 and is important for vegetative growth, conidiation and virulence, and negatively regulates DON biosynthesis in F. graminearum.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common hair loss disorder resulting in seriously abnormal social interaction and psychological disorders. Transplantation with autologous dermal papilla cells represents a prospective therapy. However, the ability of dermal papilla cells to induce hair follicle development is lost upon cell culturing. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are an important class of genes involved in various biological functions, are aberrantly expressed in disease and may play roles in the regulation of Wnt signaling, a critical pathway in maintaining the hair follicle-inducing capability of dermal papilla cells. Examination of dermal papilla cells by lncRNA microarray revealed that H19 was highly expressed in early passage dermal papilla cells compared with late-passage dermal papilla cells. In this study, we constructed H19-overexpressing dermal papilla cells to examine the role of H19 on hair follicle inductivity. Dermal papilla cells infected with lentivirus encoding H19 maintained their cell shape, and continued to display both multiple-layer aggregation and hair follicle-inducing ability upon prolonged culture. H19 exerted these effects through inducing miR-29a to activate Wnt signaling by directly downregulating the expression of Wnt suppressors, including DKK1, Kremen2, and sFRP2, thereby forming a novel regulatory feedback loop between H19 and miR-29a to maintain hair follicle- inducing potential. These results suggest that lncRNA H19 maintains the hair follicle-inducing ability of dermal papilla cells through activation of the Wnt pathway and could be a target for treatment of androgenetic alopecia.

The traditional biogas heating system has the disadvantages of a low energy efficiency ratio and high energy consumption. In this study, a solar-untreated sewage source heat pump system (SUSSHPS) was developed for heating a 12 m3 multiphase flow digester (MFD) in Suining, China. To investigate the operating effects, two modes were defined according to the solar fractions in different regions. On the basis of experimental data, thermodynamic calculations and operating simulation analysis were performed, and the solar collector area (Ac) and the minimum length of the sewage double-pipe heat exchanger (lmin) for the two modes were calculated. The results indicated that the Ac and lmin of mode 2 were larger than those of mode 1 at different solar fractions. Additionally, the results suggested that mode 1 can be used at a solar fraction of 0.5. Moreover, a comprehensive evaluation of different biogas heating systems was performed. Two evaluation methods were used for modeling calculations, and the results of the two methods were consistent. The SUSSHPS had the largest comprehensive evaluation value among the four systems. The proposed SUSSHPS can play a significant role in improving current biogas heating systems and promoting the development of biogas projects.

An implant template with great precision is significantly critical for clinical application. Currently, the application of an immediate implant remains limited by the deviations between the planned and actual achieved positions and long periods required for preparation of implant templates. Material Extrusion (MEX), as one kind of 3D printing method, is well known for its low cost and easy operation. However, the accuracy of the implant template printed by MEX has not been fully researched. To investigate the accuracy and feasibility of in vitro computer-guided surgery assisted with a MEX printed template, unidentified plaster samples missing a maxillary molar are digitalized. Mimics software (Materialise, Leuven, Belgium) is used for preoperative design. Surgical templates are fabricated by a MEX 3D printer (Lingtong III, Beijing SHINO, Beijing, China). Postoperative CBCT data are obtained after surgical template placement. The differences in positions of X, Y, Z, and dXYZ as well as angulations between the placed and the designed template are measured on labiolingual and mesiodistal planes. The deviations of the planned and the actual outcome in each dimension are observed and analyzed. Data from different samples indicate that the mean deviation of the angle measures approximately 3.640°. For position deviation, the maximum deviation is found in the z-direction and the mean deviation is about 0.365 ± 0.136 mm. The mean deviation of space Euclidean distance dXYZ is approximately 0.537 ± 0.123 mm. Implant templates fabricated by MEX present a relatively high accuracy for tooth-supported guide implantation.

Rab GTPases are key regulators of membrane and intracellular vesicle transports. However, the biological functions of FgRab1 are still unclear in the devastating wheat pathogen Fusarium graminearum. In this study, we generated constitutively active (CA) and dominant-negative (DN) forms of FgRAB1 from the wild-type PH-1 background for functional analyses. Phenotypic analyses of these mutants showed that FgRab1 is important for vegetative growth, cell wall integrity and hyphal branching. Compared to the PH-1 strain, the number of spores produced by the Fgrab1DN strain was significantly reduced, with obviously abnormal conidial morphology. The number of septa in the conidia of the Fgrab1DN mutant was fewer than that observed in the PH-1 conidia. Fgrab1DN was dramatically reduced in its ability to cause Fusarium head blight symptoms on wheat heads. GFP-FgRab1 was observed to partly localize to the Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum and Spitzenkörper. Furthermore, we found that FgRab1 inactivation blocks not only the transport of the v-SNARE protein FgSnc1 from the Golgi to the plasma membrane but also the fusion of endocytic vesicles with their target membranes and general autophagy. In summary, our results indicate that FgRab1 plays vital roles in vegetative growth, conidiogenesis, pathogenicity, autophagy, vesicle fusion and trafficking in F. graminearum.

The fabrication of high-precision scaffolds with excellent biocompatibility for tissue engineering has become a research hotspot. Two-photon polymerization (TPP) can break the optical diffraction limit and is used to fabricate high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) microstructures. In this study, the biological properties, and machinability of photosensitive gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel solutions are investigated, and the biocompatibility of 3D scaffolds using a photosensitive GelMA hydrogel solution fabricated by TPP is also evaluated. The biological properties of photosensitive GelMA hydrogel solutions are evaluated by analyzing their cytotoxicity, swelling ratio, and degradation ratio. The experimental results indicate that: (1) photosensitive GelMA hydrogel solutions with remarkable biological properties and processability are suitable for cell attachment. (2) a micro/nano 3D printed scaffold with good biocompatibility is fabricated using a laser scanning speed of 150 μm/s, laser power of 7.8 mW, layer distance of 150 nm and a photosensitive GelMA hydrogel solution with a concentration of 12% (w/v). Micro/nano additive manufacturing will have broad application prospects in the tissue engineering field.

An effective approach is proposed to adjust the surface morphology induced by using a femtosecond laser, including the area and period of rippled structures. The effect of the processing steps and laser polarization on the surface morphology of rippled structures on a titanium surface was experimentally investigated in this study. A processing sequence was designed for two series of femtosecond laser pulses that irradiate a titanium surface, for example, N = 50(0°) + 50(90°). The experimental results show that the area and period of rippled structures can be simultaneously adjusted by following a two-step method. Due to the enhancement of energy absorption and SP-laser coupling of the initial rippled structures, large area surface structures with small periods are fabricated using two series of femtosecond laser pulses with the same polarization direction. By changing the polarization direction of the two series of femtosecond laser pulses, the recording, erasing, and rewriting of subwavelength ripples is achieved. During the rewriting process, material removal and the formation of new ripples simultaneously occur.

Capric acid/expanded perlite form-stable phase change materials were prepared by vacuum adsorption. The phase change cement boards were prepared by adding capric acid/expanded perlite into cement mortar, and their thermal properties were tested. The results show that capric acid/expanded perlite improves the thermal storage capacity of the cement board; the latent heats of melting and freezing were 14.25 and 14.1 J g −1 , respectively, at 20 wt% capric acid/expanded perlite. Capric acid/expanded perlite enhanced the specific heat capacity of the cement board, and the higher the content of the capric acid/expanded perlite in the cement board is, the higher the equivalent specific heat capacity is. Capric acid/expanded perlite also significantly reduced the thermal conductivity and the heat storage coefficient, while at the same time, increased the thermal inertia coefficient of the cement board. Compared with the ordinary cement board, the thermal conductivity of phase change cement board with mass ratios of 10, 15, and 20 wt% of capric acid/expanded perlite decreased by 39.4%, 47.83%, and 52.49% at 20°C and 37.94%, 46.84%, and 50.63% at 50°C, respectively; the heat storage coefficients decreased by 34.07%, 40.62%, and 44.87% at 20°C and 30.25%, 35.59%, and 37.65% at 50°C, respectively; the thermal inertia coefficients increased by 8.75%, 13.78%, and 15.96% at 20°C, and 8.75%, 21.53%, and 26.21% at 50°C, respectively.

This study aimed to investigate the performance of a novel encapsulated phase change material (PCM) photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system. A PCM, which has a high latent heat capacity, can absorb energy from a PV cell and reduce the operating temperature, improving both the electrical and thermal efficiencies of the panel. In this study, a computer model based on a PCM PV/T panel is developed, and its accuracy is verified using experimental data. The effect of the phase change temperature on the performance of the panel was analyzed by numerical simulation. When the phase change temperature was 30.1 °C, the system exhibited a maximum electrical efficiency of 8.2% and a thermal efficiency of 71.8%. When the phase change temperature was 20.24 °C, the system had a maximum exergy efficiency of 33.7%. In general, the temperature of the PCM integrated into the PV/T system should not be too high.

Laser-induced periodic surface structures have been extensively studied for various materials because of their promising applications. For these applications, uniform rippled structures with well-defined large areas are required. However, the efficient fabrication of uniform rippled structures is a challenge. Morphologies of rippled structures of multiple-shot-ablated regions considerably affect the processing efficiency of uniform rippled structures because incubation effects are crucial. In this study, the effects of a pulse number and irradiation modes on surface morphologies of rippled structures on the titanium surface are experimentally studied. The experimental results indicate the following: (1) Samples first irradiated using several shots and then using remaining shots by designing laser pulse irradiation modes exhibit improved surface morphologies, such as larger ablation areas and finer rippled structures. (2) When the pulse number in the first series is less than that in the second series, the rippled structures are characterized using larger areas and periods. (3) The ablated areas with rippled structures increase with the increasing number of pulses. (4) The periods of ripples reduce with the increasing number of pulses. Therefore, according to different requirements, uniform rippled structures can be efficiently fabricated and adjusted using the designed laser pulse modes and pulse number.

Phase change material can be used as heat transfer fluid in the solar water heating system, which is the latest way to improve thermal efficiency. In this paper, graphene composite paraffin emulsion is used as heat transfer fluid in a solar water heating-phase change material (SWH-PCM) system. By comparing with the traditional solar water heating (SWH) system, the thermal performance characteristics of SWH-PCM system have been investigated experimentally. The SWH-PCM system has higher heat storage than the SWH system. The heat storage of SWH-PCM system and SWH system all increase with the increase of solar irradiance, while the thermal efficiency has the opposite trend. The flow rate has a greater influence on the thermal efficiency of SWH-PCM system than that of the SWH system. With the flow rate of 200 L/h, the thermal efficiency of SWH-PCM system is 14.21% higher than that of the SWH system. In summary, the SWH-PCM system is a promising solar water heating system with high heat storage and thermal efficiency.

Flood has an important effect on plant growth by affecting their physiologic and biochemical properties. Soybean is one of the main cultivated crops in the world and the United States is one of the largest soybean producers. However, soybean plant is sensitive to flood stress that may cause slow growth, low yield, small crop production and result in significant economic loss. Therefore, it is critical to develop soybean cultivars that are tolerant to flood. One of the current bottlenecks in developing new crop cultivars is slow and inaccurate plant phenotyping that limits the genetic gain. This study aimed to develop a low-cost 3D imaging system to quantify the variation in the growth and biomass of soybean due to flood at its early growth stages. Two cultivars of soybeans, i.e. flood tolerant and flood sensitive, were planted in plant pots in a controlled greenhouse. A low-cost 3D imaging system was developed to take measurements of plant architecture including plant height, plant canopy width, petiole length, and petiole angle. It was found that the measurement error of the 3D imaging system was 5.8% in length and 5.0% in angle, which was sufficiently accurate and useful in plant phenotyping. Collected data were used to monitor the development of soybean after flood treatment. Dry biomass of soybean plant was measured at the end of the vegetative stage (two months after emergence). Results show that four groups had a significant difference in plant height, plant canopy width, petiole length, and petiole angle. Flood stress at early stages of soybean accelerated the growth of the flood-resistant plants in height and the petiole angle, however, restrained the development in plant canopy width and the petiole length of flood-sensitive plants. The dry biomass of flood-sensitive plants was near two to three times lower than that of resistant plants at the end of the vegetative stage. The results indicate that the developed low-cost 3D imaging system has the potential for accurate measurements in plant architecture and dry biomass that may be used to improve the accuracy of plant phenotyping.

Traditional static anaerobic digestion technology presents the disadvantages of a low gas production rate and long digestion cycle, which is not conducive to the treatment of livestock manure. A 12 m3 multiphase flow anaerobic digester (MFD) was developed in this study to improve the biogas production rate and maintain constant temperature digestion during winters. Full-scale field experiments were conducted on the biogas production rate at different temperatures, the dynamic digestion effects, and the dynamic heating digestion effects of the system at Sichuan, China. A comparison of the dynamic and static digestion results of 50 days indicated that the biogas production for the dynamic digestion (DD) group was 115.22 m3 or 127.1% higher than that of the static digestion (SD) group with the same digestion temperature. The results of the heat transfer performance experiment revealed that the heat transfer rate of the system increased significantly, and the temperature of the biogas slurry increased rapidly. The optimization analysis of the system was based on the experimental results of the relationship between the slurry temperature and biogas production rate, and the economical digestion temperature of the system was proposed and calculated. Different insulation materials or insulation thicknesses have an influence on the economical digestion temperature. Additionally, the economical digestion temperature of the system in which the polystyrene insulation layer with a thickness of 90 mm was used, was found to be 27.2 °C. When digestion temperature was 22.3 °C, the energy efficiency ratio (EER) of dynamic anaerobic digestion system is 1. The advantages of MFD are low biogas production unit cost and high heat and mass transfer rate. However, the disadvantage of high operation energy consumption needs further improvement. And additional energy was required when system digestion temperature below 22.3 °C. The proposed MFD and dynamic anaerobic digestion system can play a significant role in using biomass resources and promoting the development of biogas projects.