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Abstract Passive solar membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging technology to alleviate water scarcity. Recently, its performance has been enhanced by multistage design, though the gains are marginal due to constrained temperature and vapor pressure gradients across the device. This makes condenser cooling enhancement a questionable choice. We argue that condenser heating could suppress the marginal effect of multistage solar MD by unlocking the moisture transport limit in all distillation stages. Here, we propose a stage temperature boosting (STB) concept that directs low-temperature heat to the condensers in the last stages, enhancing moisture transport across all stages. Through STB in the last two stages with a heat flux of 250 W m−2, a stage-averaged distillation flux of 1.13 L m−2 h−1 S−1 was demonstrated using an 8-stage MD device under one-sun illumination. This represents an 88% enhancement over the state-of-the-art 10-stage solar MD devices. More notably, our analysis indicates that 16-stage STB-MD devices driven by solar energy and waste heat can effectively compete with existing photovoltaic reverse osmosis (PV-RO) systems, potentially elevating freshwater production with low-temperature heat sources.

Abstract The “hologenome” concept is an increasingly popular way of thinking about microbiome-host for marine organisms. However, it is challenging to track hologenome dynamics because of the large amount of material, with tracking itself usually resulting in damage or death of the research object. Here we show the simple and efficient holo-2bRAD approach for the tracking of hologenome dynamics in marine invertebrates (i.e., scallop and shrimp) from one holo-2bRAD library. The stable performance of our approach was shown with high genotyping accuracy of 99.91% and a high correlation of r > 0.99 for the species-level profiling of microorganisms. To explore the host-microbe association underlying mass mortality events of bivalve larvae, core microbial species changed with the stages were found, and two potentially associated host SNPs were identified. Overall, our research provides a powerful tool with various advantages (e.g., cost-effective, simple, and applicable for challenging samples) in genetic, ecological, and evolutionary studies.

Abstract The precise, simultaneous, and rapid detection of essential biomarkers in human tears is imperative for monitoring both ocular and systemic health. The utilization of a wearable colorimetric biochemical sensor exhibits potential in achieving swift and concurrent detection of pivotal biomarkers in tears. Nevertheless, challenges arise in the collection, interpretation, and sharing of data from the colorimetric sensor, thereby restricting the practical implementation of this technology. To overcome these challenges, this research introduces an artificial intelligence-assisted wearable microfluidic colorimetric sensor system (AI-WMCS) for rapid, non-invasive, and simultaneous detection of key biomarkers in human tears, including vitamin C, H+(pH), Ca2+, and proteins. The sensor consists of a flexible microfluidic epidermal patch that collects tears and facilitates the colorimetric reaction, and a deep-learning neural network-based cloud server data analysis system (CSDAS) embedded in a smartphone enabling color data acquisition, interpretation, auto-correction, and display. To enhance accuracy, a well-trained multichannel convolutional recurrent neural network (CNN-GRU) corrects errors in the interpreted concentration data caused by varying pH and color temperature in different measurements. The test set determination coefficients (R2) of 1D-CNN-GRU for predicting pH and 3D-CNN-GRU for predicting the other three biomarkers were as high as 0.998 and 0.994, respectively. This correction significantly improves the accuracy of the predicted concentration, enabling accurate, simultaneous, and quick detection of four critical tear biomarkers using only minute amounts of tears ( ~ 20 μL). This research demonstrates the powerful integration of a flexible microfluidic colorimetric biosensor and deep-learning algorithm, which holds immense potential to revolutionize the fields of health monitoring.

Optically pumped magnetometers can provide functionality for bio-magnetic field detection and mapping. This has attracted widespread attention from researchers in the biomedical science field. Magnetocardiography has been proven to be an effective method for examining heart disease. Notably, vector magnetocardiography obtains more spatial information than the conventional method by only taking a component that is perpendicular to the chest surface. In this work, a spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) magnetometer with a compact size of 14 mm × 25 mm × 90 mm was developed. The device has a high sensitivity of 25 fT/ Hz. Meanwhile, in the multichannel working mode, synchronous sensor manipulation and data acquisition can be achieved through our control software without additional data acquisition boards. Since a typical SERF magnetometer only responds to dual-axis magnetic fields, two sensors are orthogonally arranged to form a vector detection channel. Our system consists of seven channels and allows 7 × 9 vector MCG mapping by scanning. High-quality heart vector signals are measured, and P peak, QRS peak, and T peak can be distinguished clearly. To better demonstrate the vectorial information, a vector scatter plot form is also provided. Through a basic bio-electric current model, it demonstrates that triaxial MCG measurements capture a richer spatial current information than traditional uniaxial MCG, offering substantial diagnostic potential for heart diseases and shedding more light on the inversion of cardiac issues.

Efficient thermal energy storage and transmission are considered as two of the most significant challenges for decarbonisation in thermal energy utilization. The liquid-gas absorption thermal energy storage/transmission system is promising approach to tackle these challenges, owing to the long-term stability, flexibility in heat/cooling output, and liquid medium. At present, the shortcomings of conventional absorption working fluids have triggered considerable interest in searching for novel working pairs, such as ionic liquids (ILs). However, it is still unknown whether ILs can work effectively in thermal energy transmission with long distance. In this study, the absorption thermal energy storage/transmission systems using IL absorbents are theoretically investigated. modeling frameworks for working pairs screening and performance evaluation are proposed. Results show that the IL-based working pairs present better or comparable performance than conventional working pairs (including H2O/Salts and NH3/Salts). Among the investigated IL-based working pairs, H2O/[EMIM][EtSO4] presents highest COP (around 0.62) and exergy efficiency (around 0.32), and is relatively close to H2O/LiBr. As for energy storage density, H2O/[EMIM][Ac] performs better than H2O/LiBr, presenting 137.4 kWh/m3 with a desorption temperature of 115 °C. The present work provides a straightforward screening of IL absorbents for thermal energy storage and transmission purposes.

Abstract Heating decarbonization is a major challenge for China to meet its 2060 carbon neutral commitment, yet most existing studies on China’s carbon neutrality focus on supply side (e.g., grid decarbonization, zero-carbon fuel) rather than demand side (e.g., heating and cooling in buildings and industry). In terms of end use energy consumption, heating and cooling accounts for 50% of the total energy consumption, and heat pumps would be an effective driver for heating decarbonization along with the decarbonization on power generation side. Previous study has discussed the underestimated role of the heat pump in achieving China’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. In this paper, various investigation and assessments on heat pumps from research to applications are presented. The maximum decarbonization potential from heat pump in a carbon neutral China future could reach around 1532Mton and 670Mton for buildings and industrial heating respectively, which show nearly 2 billion tons CO2 emission reduction, 20% current CO2 emission in China. Moreover, a region-specific technology roadmap for heat pump development in China is suggested. With collaborated efforts from government incentive, technology R&D, and market regulation, heat pump could play a significant role in China’s 2060 carbon neutrality.

BackgroundSutureless and rapid-deployment valves are bioprostheses anchoring within the aortic annulus with few sutures, and they act as a hybrid of conventional surgical and transcatheter valves under aortic valve replacement. Considering that the 3F Enable valve is now off-market, the only two sutureless and rapid-deployment valves available on the world marketplace are the Perceval and Intuity valves. However, a direct comparison of the function of these two valves eludes researchers.PurposeAgainst this background, we performed this systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the intraoperative performance and early clinical outcomes between the Perceval valve and the Intuity valve under sutureless and rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement.MethodsWe systematically searched electronic databases through PubMed/MEDLINE, OvidWeb, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (from the establishment of the database to November 17, 2022, without language restriction) for studies comparing the sutureless valve (the Perceval) and the rapid-deployment valve (the Intuity) under aortic valve replacement. Our primary outcomes were early mortality and postoperative transvalvular pressure gradients. The secondary outcomes were defined to include aortic cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass time, paravalvular leak (any paravalvular leak, moderate-to-severe paravalvular leak) after aortic valve replacement, need for pacemaker implantation, postoperative neurological events (stroke), and intensive care unit stay.ResultsThis meta-analysis included ten non-randomized trials with 3,526 patients enrolled (sutureless group = 1,772 and rapid-deployment group = 1,754). Quality assessments were performed, with the mean scores of the studies reading 6.90 (SD = 0.99) out of 9 according to the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Compared with rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement, sutureless aortic valve replacement was associated with higher mean and peak transvalvular pressure gradients postoperatively. In contrast, aortic cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary time were needed less in sutureless aortic valve replacement vs. rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement. There was no evidence of significant publication bias observed by the funnel plot and Egger's test.ConclusionsFor postoperative hemodynamics, sutureless aortic valve replacement was associated with increased mean and peak transvalvular pressure gradients compared with rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement. In sharp contrast, sutureless aortic valve replacement significantly reduced the amount of time needed for fixing the aortic cross-clamp and the cardiopulmonary bypass procedure.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022343884.

Background Thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD) are devastating cardiovascular diseases with a high rate of disability and mortality. Lysine succinylation, a newly found post-translational modification, has been reported to play an important role in cardiovascular diseases. However, how succinylation modification influences TAAD remains obscure. Methods Ascending aortic tissues were obtained from patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA, n = 6), thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) with pre-existing aortic aneurysm (n = 6), and healthy subjects (n = 6). Global lysine succinylation level was analyzed by Western blotting. The differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were analyzed by tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling and mass spectrometry. Succinylation-related proteins selected from the literature review and AmiGO database were set as a reference inventory for further analysis. Then, the pathological aortic sections were chosen to verify the proteomic results by Western blotting and qRT-PCR. Results The level of global lysine succinylation significantly increased in TAA and TAD patients compared with healthy subjects. Of all proteins identified by proteomic analysis, 197 common DEPs were screened both in TAA and TAD group compared with the control group, of which 93 proteins were significantly upregulated while 104 were downregulated. Among these 197 DEPs, OXCT1 overlapped with the succinylation-related proteins and was selected as the target protein involved in thoracic aortic pathogenesis. OXCT1 was further verified by Western blotting and qRT-PCR, and the results showed that OXCT1 in TAA and TAD patients was significantly lower than that in healthy donors (p < 0.001), which was consistent with the proteomic results. Conclusions OXCT1 represents novel biomarkers for lysine succinylation of TAAD and might be a therapeutic target in the future.

Solar evaporation is promising for sustainable freshwater production but typically limited by salt accumulation. Here, by manipulating natural convection, authors develop a wick-free confined water layer that enables highly efficient and salt rejecting solar evaporation.

Peripheral nervous system (PNS) injuries are an ongoing health care concern. While autografts and allografts are regarded as the current clinical standard for traumatic injury, there are inherent limitations that suggest alternative remedies should be considered for therapeutic purposes. In recent years, nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) have become increasingly popular as surgical repair devices, with a multitude of various natural and synthetic biomaterials offering potential to enhance the design of conduits or supplant existing technologies entirely. From a cellular perspective, it has become increasingly evident that Schwann cells (SCs), the primary glia of the PNS, are a predominant factor mediating nerve regeneration. Thus, the development of severe nerve trauma therapies requires a deep understanding of how SCs interact with their environment, and how SC microenvironmental cues may be engineered to enhance regeneration. Here we review the most recent advancements in biomaterials development and cell stimulation strategies, with a specific focus on how the microenvironment influences the behavior of SCs and can potentially lead to functional repair. We focus on microenvironmental cues that modulate SC morphology, proliferation, migration, and differentiation to alternative phenotypes. Promotion of regenerative phenotypic responses in SCs and other non-neuronal cells that can augment the regenerative capacity of multiple biomaterials is considered along with innovations and technologies for traumatic injury.

Zero-liquid discharge wastewater treatment driven by sunlight shows potential to minimize its environmental impact by producing solid-only waste from solar energy. To overcome the key barrier of solar absorber contamination, solar-driven contactless evaporation (SCE) has been proposed. However, only a small-scale laboratory device has been studied, which cannot support its scalable application. To analyze the potential of SCE, it is essential to understand the conjugated heat and mass transfer under a scalable application scenario. In this study, a comprehensive model of SCE is developed, which is validated by the laboratory evaporation test and applied to scalable evaporation scenario. Results showed that the scalable evaporation (0.313 kg·m−2·h−1) could obtain higher evaporation rate than the laboratory evaporation (0.139 kg·m−2·h−1) due to suppressed heat losses from the sidewalls. If the design parameters are finely tuned and thermal insulation are properly applied, the evaporation rate could be further enhanced to 0.797 kg·m−2·h−1, indicating a 473.3% performance enhancement than the laboratory SCE. The modelling framework and understanding are expected to pave a way for the further improvement and scalable application of SCE.

Three-axis atomic magnetometers have great advantages for interpreting information conveyed by magnetic fields. Here, we demonstrate a compact construction of a three-axis vector atomic magnetometer. The magnetometer is operated with a single laser beam and with a specially designed triangular 87Rb vapor cell (side length is 5 mm). The ability of three-axis measurement is realized by reflecting the light beam in the cell chamber under high pressure, so that the atoms before and after reflection are polarized along two different directions. It achieves a sensitivity of 40 fT/Hz in x-axis, 20 fT/Hz in y-axis, and 30 fT/Hz in z-axis under spin-exchange relaxation-free regime. The crosstalk effect between different axes is proven to be little in this configuration. The sensor configuration here is expected to form further values, especially for vector biomagnetism measurement, clinical diagnosis, and field source reconstruction.

An atomic magnetometer (AM) was used to non-invasively detect the tiny magnetic field generated by the brain of a single Drosophila. Combined with a visual stimulus system, the AM was used to study the relationship between visual salience and oscillatory activity of the Drosophila brain by analyzing changes in the magnetic field. Oscillatory activity of Drosophila in the 1–20 Hz frequency band was measured with a sensitivity of 20 fT/Hz. The field in the 20–30 Hz band under periodic light stimulation was used to explore the correlation between short-term memory and visual salience. Our method opens a new path to a more flexible method for the investigation of brain activity in Drosophila and other small insects.

Abstract Background The side reactions of dehalogenation or C–N coupling tend to occur when halogenated aromatic amines are prepared by catalytic hydrogenation reduction of halogenated aromatic nitro compounds. In this paper, we prepared the sub-microspherical Fe3O4@PDA-Pd NPs catalyst apply it efficiently in the hydrogenation reduction of halogenated aromatic nitro compounds to prepare the halogenated aromatic amines under atmospheric pressure. The catalyst shows a high selectivity of greater than 96% and can effectively inhibit the occurrence of the side reactions of dehalogenation and C–N coupling. Results The optimum condition of the hydroreduction reaction is when tetrahydrofuran is used as solvent and the reaction happens at 50 °C for 5 h. The selectivity of the chlorinated aromatic amine and the fluorinated aromatic amine products exceed 99% and the yield exceeds 90%. Only a small amount of dehalogenated products and C–N coupling by-products were produced in the brominated aromatic compound and the iodinated aromatic compound. Conclusion We developed a promising method for preparing the superparamagnetic and strongly magnetic Fe3O4@PDA core–shell sub-microsphere-supported nano-palladium catalyst for catalyzing the hydrogenation reduction of halogenated aromatic nitro compounds. The halogenated aromatic amines were efficiently and highly selectively prepared under atmospheric pressure, with the side reactions of dehalogenation and C–N coupling effectively inhabited simultaneously.

Steam generation process is closely related to energy conversion and cleaner energy utilization, and the industrial steam is even regarded as the currency of heat with significant social and economic value. Herein, the possible industrial steam generation paths are analyzed based upon thermodynamics analysis, in which fossil fuel, electric, and heat‐pump heating are considered. The large‐temperature‐lift heat‐pump heating for steam generation is proved to be a most reasonable way with high‐efficiency and wide adaptability. Furthermore, a possible system sketch is proposed, in which the heat pump is used for preheating for low‐temperature evaporation and the generated steam can be thus compressed with a steam compressor to the expected high‐temperature (pressure) steam. The key parameters of the heat pump for steam generation are ascertained and the subsequent optimization space is discussed. The results show that the proposed steam‐generation path has clear performance advantages and potential for industrial steam generation, which could be a sustainable heating system for industry.

Large-size, superparamagnetic, and highly magnetic Fe3O4@PDA core−shell submicrosphere-supported nano-palladium catalysts were prepared in this study. Dopamine was encapsulated on the surface of Fe3O4 particles via self-polymerization and then protonated to positively charge the microspheres. PdCl42− was dispersed on the surface of the microspheres by positive and negative charge attraction and then reduced to nano-palladium. With air as oxidant, the catalyst can successfully catalyze the dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohols to produce the corresponding aldehydes at 120 °C.