The increasing demand for higher power in rocket launchers is driving the development of higher power nozzles, achieved essentially by increasing the expansion ratio. However, this can lead to flow separation and resulting unsteady, asymmetrical forces, called side loads, which can limit the life of both the nozzle itself and other engine components. If this problem can be overcome, engine performance can be significantly increased. Therefore, various separation control methods have been proposed, but none have been fully implemented to date due to the uncertainties associated with modeling and predicting the flow phenomena. A numerical study of high area ratio rocket engine is presented to analyze the aeroelastic performance of the structure under the condition of flow separation. The finite volume method, the 2nd order upwind scheme and the extended wall function are used to analyze the flow inside the rocket nozzle and the transition of the Free Shock Separation (FSS) to Restricted Shock Separation (RSS) separation pattern ) to be discussed in detail. Since the location of the flow separation point depends heavily on the flow.

The liquid droplet cooling technique for fast scanning chip calorimetry (FSC) is introduced, increasing the cooling rate for large samples on a given sensor. Reaching higher cooling rates and using a gas as the cooling medium, the common standard for ultra-fast temperature control in cooling, requires reducing the lateral dimensions of the sample and sensor. The maximum cooling rate is limited by the heat capacity of the sample and the heat exchange between the gas and the sample. The enhanced cooling performance of the new liquid droplet cooling technique is demonstrated for both metals and polymers, on examples of solidification of large samples of indium, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and poly (butylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PBN). It was found that the maximum cooling rate can be increased up to 5 MK/s in room temperature environment, that is, by 2 orders of magnitude, compared to standard gas cooling. Furthermore, modifying the droplet size and using coolants at different temperatures provide options to adjust the cooling rate in the temperature ranges of interest.

Keywords: liquid alloys, microstratification, dispersed particles, spontaneous dispersion, criteria for true (entropic) spontaneous dispersion, mechanisms of quasi-spontaneous dispersion, methods and results for assessing size of dispersed particles.

The objective of this work was to investigate the deacidification of bio-oils (BOs) from triglyceride-based biomass through the application of liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) in a simple stage, using methanol and water as a binary solvent and feed/solvent ratio of 1/1. For this, the effects of process parameters such as the water content present in the solvent, the content of carboxylic acids present in the bio-oil, and the extraction temperature on the deacidification process through the efficiency and distribution coefficient were evaluated, as well as the effects of such parameters on the quality of deacidified bio-oils through physical-chemical analyzes and GC-MS analysis. The results show that such process parameters significantly affect the quality of deacidified bio-oils. The ideal condition to have the highest acid removal, i.e., the highest deacidification efficiency (72.65%), is the one in which the deacidification process is performed with aqueous methanol (5% water) at 35 °C and for BOs that have a total acid number (TAN) equal to 24.38 mg KOH/g. Therefore, the process of deacidification by LLE using aqueous methanol is a promising alternative for removing carboxylic acids and other oxygenated compounds, contributing significantly to the upgrading or improving biofuels produced by catalytic thermal cracking.

A new longitudinal flow heat dissipation theory for cylindrical batteries is proposed in order to increase the energy density and uniform temperature performance of cylindrical lithium-ion battery packs while also shrinking their size by roughly 10%. First, a genetic algorithm is used to identify the single cell's thermal properties. Based on this, modeling and simulation are used to examine the thermal properties of the longitudinal flow-cooled battery pack. It is found that the best coolant flow scheme has one inlet and one outlet from the end face, taking into account the cooling effect of the battery pack and engineering viability. Lastly, Thermal Dummy Cells (TDC) is used to conduct a validation test of the liquid cooling strategy. Additionally, the simulation and test results demonstrated that the liquid cooling solution can keep the battery pack's maximum temperature rise under the static conditions of a continuous, high-current discharge at a rate of 3C to 20 °C and under the dynamic conditions of the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) to 2 °C. In applications where the space requirements for the battery pack are quite severe, the longitudinal flow cooling method has some advantages.

Nanostructured polymer dispersed liquid crystals (nano-PDLCs) are transparent and optically isotropic materials, in which submicron-sized liquid crystal (LC) domains are dispersed within a polymer matrix. Nano-PDLCs can induce their birefringence by applying an electric field (E-field) based on reorientation of LC molecules. If nano-PDLCs are utilized as light scattering-less birefringence memory materials, it is necessary to suppress the relaxation of LC molecules orientation after removal of the E-field. We focused on a ferroelectric smectic A (SmA) to suppress the relaxation of LC molecules due to their layered structure and high viscosity. Although nano-PDLCs require a strong E-field to reorient LC molecules due to the anchoring effect on the LC/polymer interface, the required field strength can be reduced by using a ferroelectric smectic A (SmAF) LC with a large dielectric constant. In this study, we fabricated a nano-PDLC by irradiating an ultraviolet light to a mixture comprising of a SmAF LC, photocurable monomers and a photo-initiator and its electro-birefringence effect was evaluated using a polarizing optical microscopy. After removal of an E-field, enhanced memory effect was observed on the sample using SmAFLC comparing to nematic LC based nano-PDLCs. (193 words/ 200 words)

As the demand of heating and air conditioning is increasing day by day due to getting a comfortable life, for that reason, the market for heat pump and air conditioning systems or both, is seeing a steady increase in low global warming potential. All researchers on heat pump and air conditioning systems are searching for environmentally friendly refrigerants. However, a significant number of contemporary refrigerants (HCFCs) have the potential to cause global warming and ozone depletion, such as those found in heat pump air conditioning systems. Using more environmentally friendly refrigerants, including hydrocarbon and blend refrigerant mixtures, is one way to lower GWP and Ozone depletion potential. This study examines the performance of several alternative refrigerants, including R32, R134A, R410A, R22, and R290. In order to examine the performance of R290, theoretical and simulation results are compared on various refrigerants while taking into account a number of performance parameters, including the refrigerant energy efficiency ratio, mass flow rate, coefficient of performance, cooling capacity, and compressor work for one ton of refrigeration (1TR) air conditioners. One player with a very low GWP is R290. However, the only drawback is that it can catch fire and is hazardous to use in split-type commercial heat pump air conditioning applications. The environmental and thermo physical properties of HC-290 are significantly better than those of other materials, according to theoretical and simulation studies utilizing Cool Pack software, hence it is a viable replacement.

The cooling of server components has been continuously developed over the past few years in order to meet the increasing cooling requirements of server component manufacturers such as for the processor chips. The growth in performance and power density increases the cooling demand. These requirements directly influence the energy consumption and performance of the hardware. To gain a better understanding of the historical evolution and possible future technology development paths in the field of data center cooling, a patent analysis method was used. The focus is on previous and current development priorities and possible research gaps within the server and computer room levels. The European patent database was selected as data source. To determine relevant patents, the search terms for various cooling technologies were developed iteratively. After the patent extraction for the period 2000 - 2023 (earliest priority year), the search results were classified and analysed. Most of the patents deal with air or liquid cooling. In the area of liquid cooling, the focus was on direct liquid cooling, followed by total liquid cooling. Since 2015 a technological shift from air to liquid cooling can be identified on the level of patent activities. In this context, the patent groups with focus on “constructional details for different types of electric apparatus” and “electrical digital data processing” have the largest share of patents. In addition, the technology focus of the TOP 10 patent applicants was in the field of liquid cooling. In conclusion from the patent analysis, it can be derived that liquid cooling will continue to gain in importance in the future and could also be combined with other approaches in the form of hybrid cooling. However air cooling may still be relevant, even if the main cooling load is handled by liquid-based approaches. At the same time, the optimisation potential for air cooling seems to have been largely exploited in comparison to liquid cooling, as can be seen from the falling number of the patent applications.

Background/Objectives: This review examines the evolution of lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) in ocular drug delivery, focusing on their ability to address the challenges associated with traditional ophthalmic formulations. The study aims to underscore the enhanced bioavailability, prolonged retention, and controlled release properties of LLCs that significantly improve therapeutic outcomes; Methods: The review synthesizes data from various studies on both bulk-forming LLCs and liquid crystal nanoparticles (LCNPs). It also considers advanced analytical techniques, including the use of machine learning and AI-driven predictive modeling, to forecast the phase behavior and molecular structuring of LLC systems. Emerging technologies in biosensing and real-time diagnostics are discussed to illustrate the broader applicability of LLCs in ocular health; Results: LLCs are identified as pivotal in promoting targeted drug delivery across different regions of the eye, with specific emphasis on the tailored optimization of LCNPs. The review highlights principal categories of LLCs used in ocular applications, each facilitating unique interactions with physiological systems to enhance drug efficacy and safety. Additionally, novel applications in biosensing demonstrate LLCs' capacity to improve diagnostic processes; Conclusions: Lyotropic liquid crystals offer transformative potential in ocular drug delivery by overcoming significant limitations of conventional delivery methods. The integration of predictive technologies and biosensing applications further enriches the utility of LLCs, indicating a promising future for their use in clinical settings. This review points to continued advancements and encourages further research in LLC technology to maximize its therapeutic benefits.

In this study, a basic study was performed to analyze the seasonal temperature status of a research room in the Global Environment Research Building where ceiling-embedded indoor units are installed to study the room temperature status of the building as well as to improve its thermal environment. In addition, a direction for improvement of the indoor thermal environment in the winter was proposed through a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation and was proven by an additional experiment. Through the results of this study, it appeared that if the ceiling-embedded indoor unit was installed in the small indoor space without considering the thermal vulnerability of its perimeter boundary, the air temperature of the upper part was greatly different from that of the bottom part in the winter. Hence, in this study, as a means to improve it, convectors were installed to minimize the effect of the external thermal environment and angle-controllable air flowing fans were installed to mitigate the stratification distribution. With such result, it was intended to present the essential data for improvement of the thermal environment as well as conservation of heating energy in the winter for buildings by reviewing the use of the ceiling-embedded indoor unit in the future.

Molecular-scale density fluctuations at equilibrium produce cavities in a liquid and can be analyzed to shed light on the statistics of the number of molecules occupying observation volumes of increasing radius. An information theory approach led to the conclusion that these probabilities should follow a Gaussian distribution function. This prediction has been confirmed by computer simulations in different liquid models if the size of the observation volume is not large. The reversible work of cavity creation is exactly linked to the probability of finding zero molecules in a given observation volume. The Gaussian formula for the latter probability is scrutinized to arrive at the enthalpy and entropy changes associated with cavity creation. The reversible work of cavity creation has a purely entropic origin due to the solvent-excluded volume effect produced by the inaccessibility of a given region of the configurational space. The consequent structural reorganization of liquid molecules leads to exactly compensating enthalpy and entropy changes. These results are in line with those obtained in a direct statistical mechanical study by Lee.

Firefighters Protective Clothing consist of several layers of different properties and functions. The layers create barriers against dangerous outer factor. However, they are also barriers to transport of sweat produced by human organism. It causes that very often sweat in the form of vapor is not transferred effectively from the human organism through the FPC to environment. This leads to sweat condensation on the skin of the FPC user causing his discomfort. In order to ensure as good as possible physiological comfort of firefighter while firefighting and other rescue actions it is necessary to take into consideration the transport of condensed sweat in the multilayer textile set creating the FPC. In the presented work four variants of multilayer textile sets for the FPC have been tested in the aspect of liquid moisture transport. Measurement was performed by means of the Moisture Management Tester (MMT290) – innovative instrument manufactured by the SDL Atlas. Obtained results showed that the transfer of sweat in liquid form occurs only in the inner, next to skin layer of the multilayer sets for the FPC.

Numerous studies on evaporative cooling systems have been conducted globally, but there is a scarcity of investigations in eastern Africa. The few studies undertaken in this region have primarily focused on their application in food storage and preservation, rather than for building purpose. The goal of this study is to review the most recent advancements in evaporative cooling technology, which would be relevant in eastern Ethiopia and could provide adequate cooling, give adequate thermal comfort, use less energy, and minimize environmental effect in hot and dry areas. There aren't many studies on evaporative cooling systems for building applications in Eastern Africa as a whole, thus this review has taken into account studies conducted in regions with climates similar to eastern Ethiopia. This study covers the classification, operation, and performance of evaporative cooling systems in hot and dry climate. Evaporative cooling systems work well in hot and dry climates, as revealed by this review study.

The ionic liquid A327H+Cl- is generated by reaction of the tertiary amine A327 (industrial mixture of tri-octil and tri-decyl amines) and hydrochloric acid solutions. Further, the extraction of Au(III) by A327H+Cl- ionic liquid under various variables, including metal and ionic liquid concentrations, has been investigated. Results indicate that A327H+AuCl4- is formed, by an exothermic (ΔHº= -3 kJ/mol) reaction, in the organic solution. Aqueous ionic strength influences the formation constants values and the specific interaction theory (SIT) is used to estimate the interaction coefficient between AuCl4- and H+. Gold (III) is stripped using thiocyanate media, and from the strip solutions, gold is precipitated as gold nanoparticles.

Glioblastoma is the most common and malignant primary brain tumor. Despite a century of research efforts, the survival of patients has not significantly improved. Currently, diagnosis is based on neuroimaging techniques followed by histopathological and molecular analysis of resected or biopsied tissue. A recent paradigm shift in diagnostics ranks the molecular analysis of tissue samples as the new gold standard over classical histopathology, thus correlating better with the biological behavior of glioblastoma and clinical prediction, especially when a tumor lacks the typical hallmarks for glioblastoma. Liquid biopsy aims to detect and quantify tumor-derived content, such as nucleic acids (DNA/RNA), circulating tumor cells (CTC), or extracellular vesicles (EV) in biofluids, mainly blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), or urine. Liquid biopsy has the potential to overcome the limitations of both neuroimaging and tissue-based methods to identify early recurrence and to differentiate tumor progression from pseudoprogression, without the risks of repeated surgical biopsies. This review highlights the origins and time-frame of liquid biopsy in glioblastoma and points to recent developments, limitations and challenges of adding liquid biopsy to support the clinical management of glioblastoma patients.

Temperature Cycle Induced Deracemization (TCID) offers a promising approach to obtain enantiopure solids from racemic mixtures. By combining rapid racemization in solution and temperature swings, homochirality is theoretically achieved. Despite theoretical expectations of doubled yields compared to traditional chiral separation methods, such as in Preferential Crystallization, experimental validation remains lacking. We applied TCID to (1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl) pentan-3-one) (Cl-TAK), introducing a post-TCID cooling step to enhance yield and a washing step to augment enantiopurity. This refinement yielded an 89.8% mass yield with 99.1% enantiomeric excess in the crystal phase (c.e.e.) within 24 hours on an 8.75g scale, showcasing improved performance with insignificant process duration extension. Additionally, we explored the stochasticity of deracemization, observing the development from low initial crystal enantiomeric excesses(1-6% c.e.e0) at a 2.5 g scale. Kinetic analysis revealed that a 2% c.e.e0 effectively mitigates chiral flipping risks and induction time in our system. Our study underscores the potential for reduced initial c.e.e. to expedite deracemization and presents a straightforward method to optimize yield and purity, facilitating industrial application.

Waste glycerol can be subjected to various processing operations, including purification and re-fining, to obtain glycerol of appropriate purity. In addition, alternative methods of utilising waste glycerol are also being sought, e.g. by converting it into other valuable chemical products or biofuels. Therefore, various technologies are being developed to utilise this type of waste effectively and sustainably. The production of value-added products from waste glycerol is an important issue that determines the improvement of the economic viability of biofuel production and corresponds to the model of a waste-free and emission-free circular economy. This paper characterised the mechanisms and evaluated the efficiency of existing methods of microbiological utilisation of waste glycerol into liquid biofuels, including biodiesel, bioethanol and biobutanol, and identified further directions for the production of value-added products. In addition, a bibliographical analysis of publications re-lated to the production of liquid fuels and economically valuable products from glycerol was carried out, the progress of research and application work was assessed and directions for future research were identified.

The hybrid personal cooling system (HPCS) consisted of ventilation fans and phase change materials (PCMs) covered with insulation pads is a promising wearable cooling system to mitigate heat strain and heat-related illnesses of occupational workers with heavy labor in hot environments. Effects of clothing characteristics (e.g., thermal resistance of insulation pads, latent heat and melting temperature of PCMs) on the thermal performance of the HPCS have been investigated in detail in our previous study. Apart from the aforementioned factors, environmental conditions, i.e., environmental temperature and relative humidity, also significantly affect the thermal performance of the HPCS. In this paper, a numerical parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of the environmental temperature and relative humidity (RH) on the thermal management of the HPCS. Five levels of air temperature under environmental RH=50% were chosen (i.e., 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 ºC) to study the impact of environmental temperature on the HPCS’s cooling performance. In addition, four levels of environmental RH at ambient temperatures of 36 and 40 ºC were selected (i.e., 30, 50, 70 and 90%) to examine the effect of RH on cooling performance of the HPCS. Results show that high environmental temperatures could accelerate the PCM melting process and thereby weaken the cooling performance of HPCS. In the moderately hot environment (36 °C), the HPCS presented good cooling performance with the maximum core temperature at around 37.5 °C during excise when the ambient RH≤70%, whereas good cooling performance could be only seen under RH≤50% in the extremely hot environment (40 °C). Thus, it may be concluded that the maximum environmental RH for the HPCS exhibiting good cooling performance decreases with the increase in the environmental temperature.

To better understand the shape memory materials and self-healing materials, a new series of liquid-crystalline shape memory polyurethane (LC-SMPU) composites, named SMPU-OOBAm, were successfully prepared by incorporating 4-octyldecyloxybenzoic acid (OOBA) into the PEG-based SMPU. The effect of OOBA on the structure, morphology and properties has been carefully investigated. The results demonstrate that SMPU-OOBAm have liquid crystalline properties, triple-shape memory properties and self-healing properties. The incorporated OOBA promotes the crystallizability of both soft and hard segments of SMPU, and the crystallization rate of the hard segment of SMPU decreases when the OOBA-content increases. Additionally, the SMPU-OOBAm forms a two-phase separated structure (SMPU phase and OOBA phase), and it shows two-step modulus changes upon heating. Therefore, the SMPU-OOBAm shows triple-shape memory behavior, and the shape recovery ratio decreases with an increase in the OOBA content. Finally, SMPU-OOBAm shows self-healing properties. The new mechanism can be ascribed to the heating-induced “bleeding” of OOBA in the liquid crystalline state and the subsequent re-crystallization upon cooling. This successful combination of liquid crystalline properties, triple-shape memory properties and self-healing properties make the SMPU-OOBAm composites with many promise applications in smart optical devices, smart electronic devices and smart sensors.

Materials based on platinum metals with very good catalytic activity were tested in the reduction of p–nitrophenol (pNP) to p–aminophenol (pAP). The majority of presented catalytic materials are based on the adsorption of p–nitrophenol on the surface of the catalyst simultaneously with molecular hydrogen, coming from sodium borohydride in an aqueous medium, which reduces it. In the present paper, a catalytic material based on osmium dispersed in n–decanol or n–dodecanol is presented, which also works as an emulsion membrane, for the absorption of p–nitrophenol and molecular hydrogen at the n–alcohol aqueous solution interface. The hydrogenation of p–nitrophenol is carried out in a reaction and separation column in which the acid receiving phase emulsion is dispersed in the osmium nanodispersion, in n–alcohols. This emulsion circulates from the base of the column to its upper part in co-current or counter-current with the source phase consisting of p–nitrophenol and sodium borohydride. Experiments show that the circulation of counter-current phases is superior to that in co-current, and the emulsion based on n–decanol is more efficient than the one based on n–dodecanol. The increase in the pH difference between the source and receiving phases leads to the increase in the conversion of p–nitrophenol to p–aminophenol. The efficiency of separation of the reaction product in the receiving phase is lower than the conversion at the same operating time. The apparent catalytic rate constant (kapp) of the new catalytic material based on the emulsion membrane with nanodispersion of osmium nanoparticles (0.1×10−3 for n–dodecanol and 0.9×10−3 for n-decanol) is lower by an order of magnitude compared to those based on adsorption on catalysts from platinum metal group. The advantage of the tested membrane catalytic material is that it extracts p–aminophenol in the acid receiving phase. The paper proposes a mechanism of the studied reduction system.

The absorption of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) depends on the solubility of these components in the gastric fluid. Parameters such as the total MCFA concentration, carboxyl ionization level, and carbon chain length affect the solubility of these molecules. Moreover, the enzymatic lipolysis of solubilized triacylglycerol (TAG) molecules may depend on the carbon chain length of the fatty acids (FAs) components and their positions on the glycerol backbone. This present study aimed at investigating the effect of electrolyte usually formed during the gastric digestion phase on the solubility of MCFA, and evaluating the influence of the FA carbon chain length on the lipolysis rate during the in vitro digestion simulation. The results obtained here showed that the increasing of electrolyte concentrations tend to decrease the mutual solubility of systems composed by the caproic and caprylic fatty acids + sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and potassium chloride solutions. We also observed that a conventional version of the thermodynamic UNIQUAC model was able to correlate the liquid-liquid phase behavior of the electrolyte solutions. Regarding the in vitro digestion simulation, the experimental data indicated that the action of the pancreatic enzyme occurred preferentially in TAG molecules comprised of short and medium-chain fatty acids.

The paper presents a proposal for an in-house mathematical model of a liquid flat-plate solar collector. The proposed model is a one-dimensional distributed parameter model enabling simulations of the collector operation under arbitrarily variable boundary conditions. The model is based on the solution of energy balance equations for all components of the collector. The formulated differential equations are solved iteratively using an implicit difference scheme. In order to obtain a stable numerical solution, it is necessary to use appropriate steps of the time and spatial division. These were found by comparing the results obtained from the model with the results of the analytical solution available in the literature for the transient state, which constitutes the novelty of the present study. The accuracy of the results obtained from the model was verified experimentally by comparing the measured and the calculated history of the fluid temperature at the outlet of the collector. The calculation of the collector time constant is proposed in the paper as an example of the model practical application. The results of the time constant calculation were compared with the values obtained experimentally on the test stand. This is another novelty of the presented research. The analysed collector instantaneous efficiency was then calculated for selected outdoor conditions. The presented mathematical model can also be used to verify the correctness of the collector operation. Comparing, on an ongoing basis, the measured and the calculated values of the fluid temperature at the collector outlet, conclusions can be drawn about the process of solar glass fouling or glycol gelling. The model's simplicity and the low computational demands enable such comparisons in an online mode.

Climate change is expected to influence cooling and heating energy demand of residential buildings and affect overall thermal comfort. Towards this end, the heating degree-day (HDD), the cooling degree-day (CDD) and the HDD+CDD were computed from an ensemble of 7 high-resolution bias-corrected simulations attained from EURO-CORDEX under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. These three indicators were analyzed for 1971-2000 (from E-OBS) and 2011-2040 and 2041-2070, under both RCPs. Results show that the overall spatial distribution of HDD trends for the 3 time-periods points out an increase of energy demand to heat internal environments in Portugal's northern-eastern regions, most significant under RCP8.5. It is projected an increase of CDD values for both scenarios; however, statistically significant linear trends were only found for 2041-2070 under RCP4.5. The need for cooling is almost negligible for the remaining periods, though linear trend values are still considerably higher for 2041-2070 under RCP8.5. By the end of 2070, higher amplitudes for all indicators are depicted for southern Algarve and Alentejo regions, mainly under RCP8.5. For 2041-2070 the Centre and Alentejo (North and Centre) regions present major positive differences for HDD(CDD) under RCP4.5(RCP8.5), within the 5 NUTS II regions predicting higher heating(cooling) requirements for some locations.

The high environmental impact of conventional methods of cooling and heating has increased the need for renewable energy deployment for covering thermal loads. Towards that direction, the proposed system aims at offering an efficient solar powered alternative, coupling a zeolite-water adsorption chiller with a conventional vapor compression cycle. The system is designed to operate under intermittent heat supply of low-temperature solar thermal energy (<90 °C) provided by evacuated tube collectors. A prototype was developed and tested in cooling mode operation. The results of separate components testing showed that the adsorption chiller was operating efficiently, achieving a maximum coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.65. With respect to the combined performance of the system, evaluated on a typical week of summer in Athens, the maximum reported COP was approximately 0.575, mainly due to the lower driving temperatures at a range of 75 °C. The corresponding mean energy efficiency ratio (EER) obtained was 5.8.

(200 words) Imidazolium ionic liquids containing acetylacetone, thenoyltrifluoroacetone, or 8-hydroxyquinoline, respectively, were used as the extracting agents for the separation of traces of iron (III) from its aqueous solutions with or without citric and oxalic acids. The results show that 8-hydroxyquinoline in imidazolium ionic liquids extract iron quantitatively from all the tested solutions including complexing ones, regardless indications of unexpected iron behavior/speciation.

(Background) Canine mammary tumors (CMT) have emerged as an important model for understanding pathophysiological aspects of human disease. Liquid biopsy (LB), which relies on blood-borne biomarkers and offers minimal invasiveness, holds promise for reflecting the disease status of patients. Small extracellular vesicles (SEVs) and their protein cargo have recently gained attention as potential tools for disease screening and monitoring. (Objectives) This study aimed to isolate SEVs from canine patients and analyze their proteomic profile to assess their diagnostic and prognostic potential. (Methods) Plasma samples were collected from female dogs grouped into CMT (malignant and benign), healthy controls, relapse, and remission groups. SEVs were isolated and characterized using ultracentrifugation (UC), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Proteomic analysis of circulating SEVs was conducted using Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (LC–MS). (Results) While no significant differences were observed in the concentration and size of exosomes among the studied groups, proteomic profiling revealed important variations. Mass spectrometry identified exclusive proteins that could serve as potential biomarkers for mammary cancer. These included Inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain (ITIH2 and ITI4), phosphopyruvate hydratase or alpha enolase (ENO1), eukaryotic translation elongation factor 2 (eEF2), actin (ACTB), transthyretin (TTR), beta-2-glycoprotein 1 (APOH) and gelsolin (GSN) found in female dogs with malignant tumors. Additionally, Vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP), also known as group-specific component (GC), was identified as a protein present during remission. (Conclusion) The results underscore the potential of proteins found in SEVs as valuable biomarkers in CMT. Despite the lack of differences in vesicle concentration and size between the groups, the analysis of protein content revealed promising markers with potential applications in CMT diagnosis and monitoring. These findings suggest a novel approach in the development of more precise and effective diagnostic tools for this challenging clinical condition.

Many natural and artificial liquid environments such as rivers, oceans, lakes, water storage tanks, aquariums, and urban water distribution systems, are difficult to access. As a result, technology is needed to enable autonomous liquid sampling to monitor water quality and ecosystems. The existing in-situ sample acquisition and handling systems for liquid environments are currently limited to a single use and are semi-autonomous, relying on an operator. Liquid sampling systems should be robust and light and withstand long-term operation in remote locations. The system components involved in liquid sampling should be sterilisable to ensure reusability. Here, we introduce a prototype of a liquid sampler that can be used in various liquid environments and may be valuable for the scientific characterisation of different natural, remote, and planetary settings. The Autonomous Planetary Liquid Sampler (APLS) is equipped with pre-programmed fully autonomous extraction, cleaning, and sterilisation functionalities. It can operate in temperatures between -10 ℃ and 60 ℃ and pressure of up to 0.24 MPa (~24 m depth below mean sea level on Earth). As part of the control experiment, we demonstrate its safe and robust autonomous opera-tion in a laboratory environment using a liquid media with Bacillus subtilis. A typical sampling procedure required 28 s to extract 250 mL of liquid, 5 s to fill the MilliQ water, 25 s for circulation within the system for cleaning and disposal, and 200 s to raise the system temperature from ~30 °C ambient laboratory temperature to 150 °C. The temperature is then maintained for another 3.2 hours to sterilise the critical parts, allowing a setup reset for a new experiment. In the future, the liquid sampler will be combined with various existing analytical instruments to characterise the liquid solution and enable the autonomous, systematic monitoring of liquid environments on Earth.

Interest grows in designing silicon-on-insulator slot waveguides to trap optical fields in subwavelength-scale slots and developing their optofluidic devices. However, it is worth noting that the inherent limitations of the waveguide structures may result in high optical losses and short optical paths, which challenge the device performance in optofluidics. Incorporating the planar silicon-based slot waveguide concept into a silica-based hollow-core fiber can provide a perfect solution to realize an efficient optofluidic waveguide. Here we propose a subwavelength-scale liquid-core hybrid fiber (LCHF), where the core is filled with carbon disulfide and surrounded by a silicon ring in a silica background. The waveguide properties and the Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) effect in the LCHF are investigated. The fraction of power inside the core of 56.3% allows an improved sensitivity in optical sensing; while the modal Raman gain of 23.60 m-1·W-1 is 2 times larger than that generated around a nano fiber with the interaction between the evanescent optical field and the surrounding Raman media benzene-methanol, which enables a significant low-threshold SRS effect. Besides, this in-fiber structure features compactness, robustness, flexibility, ease of implementation in both trace sample consumption and reasonable liquid filling duration, as well as compatibility with optical fiber systems. The detailed analyses of the properties and utilizations of the LCHF suggest a promising in-fiber optofluidic platform, which provides a novel insight into optofluidic devices, optical sensing, nonlinear optics, etc.

Considering the high potential of hydrogen (H₂) as a clean energy carrier, the implementation of high performance and cost-effective biohydrogen (bioH₂) purification techniques is of vital importance, particularly in fuel cell applications. In this context, membrane technology is a potentially energy-saving solution to obtain high-quality biohydrogen. The most promising poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) - ionic liquid (IL) composite membranes previously studied by our group for CO₂/N₂ separation, containing pyrrolidinium-based PILs with fluorinated or cyano-functionalized anions, were chosen as starting point to explore the potential of PIL–IL membranes for CO₂/H₂ separation. The CO₂ and H₂ permeation properties at the typical conditions of biohydrogen production (T =308 K and 100 kPa of feed pressure) were measured and discussed. PIL–IL composites prepared with [C(CN)₃]^– anion showed higher CO₂/H₂ selectivities and H₂ diffusivities compared to those containing [NTf₂]^– anion. All the membranes revealed CO₂/H₂ separation performances above the upper bound for this specific separation, highlighting the composite incorporating 60 wt% of [C₂mim][C(CN)₃] IL.

Many research work has demonstrated that taken the Combined Cooling Heating and Power system (CCHP) as the core equipment, the integrated energy system (IES) can bring obvious benefit to energy efficiency, CO2 emission reduction and operation economy in urban areas. Compared with isolated IES, integrated energy micro-grid (IEMG) which is formed by connecting multiple regions IES together, through distribution and thermal network, can further improve the reliability, flexibility, cleanliness and economy of regional energy supply. Based on the existing IES model, this paper describes the basic structure of IEMG and built a IEMG planning model. The planning based on the mixed integer linear programming, and economically construction planning scheme are calculated by using known electricity, heating and cooling loads information and the given multiple equipment selection schemes. At last, the model is validated by a case study. The results show that the application of IEMG can effectively improve the economy of regional energy supply.

The results of the study of the influence of the size of cylindrical samples of A5N aluminum on the time and rate of their cooling are presented. According to experimental data, the temperature dependence of the heat transfer coefficient for pure metals is calculated. It revealed that the process of cooling of the aluminium and its alloys has a relaxation behavior. It has found that the main mechanisms of natural air cooling are convection heat transfer and radiation. The characteristic cooling time due to radiation is less than due to convection. The contribution of thermal radiation is noticeable at high temperatures. It was found that the characteristic times of cooling due to radiation and convection increase with increase in volume to area ratio of the sample.

Owing to the growing concerns due to dwindling fossil fuel reserves, increasing energy demand and climate emergency, it is imperative to develop and deploy sustainable energy technologies to ensure future energy supply as well as transition to the net zero world. In this context, there is great potential in the biorefinery concept for supplying drop in biofuels in the form of biodiesel. Biodiesel as a fuel can certainly bridge the gap where electrification or the use of hydrogen is not feasible, for instance heavy vehicles, farm and marine transportation sector. However, biodiesel industry also leads to formation of large amount of crude glycerol as the byproduct. Crude glycerol due to presence of several impurities may not be a suitable feedstock for all high value products derived from glycerol but fits well with glycerol esterification for producing glycerol acetins, which have numerous applications. This review critically looks at the processes using nanostructured solid/liquid acid catalysts for glycerol esterification including the economic viability of the scale up.

Redox mediators comprising I–, Co3+, and Ti3C2Tx MXene were applied to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). In the as-prepared DSCs (I-DSCs), wherein hole conduction occurred via the redox reaction of I−/I3− ions, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) was not altered by the addition of Ti3C2Tx MXene. The I-DSCs were exposed to light to produce Co2+/Co3+-based cells (Co-DSCs), wherein the holes were transferred via the redox reaction of Co2+/Co3+ ions. A PCE of 9.01% was achieved in a Co-DSC with Ti3C2Tx MXene (Ti3C2Tx-Co-DSC), which indicated an improvement from the PCE of a bare Co-DSC without Ti3C2Tx MXene (7.27%). It was also found that the presence of Ti3C2Tx MXene in the redox mediator increased the hole collection, dye regeneration, and electron injection efficiencies of the Ti3C2Tx-Co-DSC, leading to an improvement in both the short-circuit current and the PCE when compared with those of the bare Co-DSC without MXene.

The formation and functioning of membrane-less organelles (MLOs) is one of the main driving forces in the molecular life of the cell. These processes are based on the separation of biopolymers into phases regulated by multiple specific and nonspecific inter- and intramolecular interactions. Among the realm of MLOs, a special place is taken by the promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies (PML-NBs or PML bodies), which are the intranuclear compartments involved in the regulation of cellular metabolism, transcription, maintenance of genome stability, response to viral infection, apoptosis, and tumor suppression. According to the accepted models, specific interactions, such as SUMO/SIM, formation of disulfide bonds, etc., play a decisive role in the biogenesis of PML bodies. In this work, a number of bioinformatics approaches were used to study proteins found in the proteome of PML-bodies for their tendency to spontaneous liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), which is usually caused by weak nonspecific interactions. 205 proteins found in PML bodies have been identified. It has been suggested that UBC9, P53, HIPK2, and SUMO1 can be considered as the scaffold proteins of PML bodies. It was shown that more than half of the proteins in the analyzed proteome are capable of spontaneous LLPS, with 85% of the analyzed proteins being intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), and remaining 15% being proteins with intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDPRs). About 44% of all proteins analyzed in this study contain SUMO binding sites and can potentially be SOMYylated. These data suggest that weak nonspecific interactions play a significantly larger role in the formation and biogenesis of PML bodies than previously expected.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins has been found ubiquitously in eukaryotic cells, critical in the controlling of many biological processes through forming a temporary condensed phase with different bimolecular components. TDP-43 is recruited to stress granules in cells and is the main component of TDP-43 granules and proteinaceous amyloid inclusions in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). TDP-43 low complexity domain (LCD) is able to demix in solution forming the protein condensed droplets. The molecular interactions regulating its LLPS were investigated at the protein fusion equilibrium stage, where the droplets stopped growing. We found the molecules in the droplet were still liquid-like but with enhanced intermolecular helix-helix interaction in the LCD. The protein would start to aggregate after about 200 minutes of lag time and aggregate slower than at the condition when the protein does not phase separate or the molecules have a reduced intermolecular helical interaction. A structural transition intermediate towards protein aggregation was also discovered involving a decrease of the intermolecular helix-helix interaction and a reduction in the helicity. Therefore, LLPS and the intermolecular helical interaction could help maintain the stability of TDP-43 LCD.

The aim of this research work is to study the influence of temperature, solar irradiation and wind dust on the production of solar energy. In addition, it aims to study the assessment of water quality, in particular groundwater used for cooling and cleaning photovoltaic panels (quality analysis). it's an important source, stable and sustainable can be used entirely for cooling and cleaning PV modules from the sales dust, in order to improve their performance. To date, all research studies carried out in this context of cooling and cleaning using water have not taken account of the nature of this water. We have taken a sample of water from a well in a rural area in the Darra Tafilalet region of Morocco. This region has an arid and semi-arid climate, with very high temperatures and dust-laden winds, particularly in summer. These meteorological characteristics influence the efficiency of cells, particularly photovoltaic (PV) panels, reducing their performance. Next, the water sample was analysed in the laboratory. The results obtained show that the groundwater in this area is very sensitive to cooling and cleaning photovoltaic panels. Moreover, these results indicate that the temperature, solar irradiation and wind-blown dust have a significant influence on energy production.

An optimal scheduling strategy for cooling, heating and power (CCHP) joint-power-supply system is proposed to improve energy utilization and minimize costs in this paper. Firstly, the mathematical model of CCHP system is established. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to optimize the regularization coefficient C and the kernel parameter λ which can affect the prediction accuracy of KELM(PSO-KELM). Then PV generation and load prediction model are established by PSO-KELM. In order to jump out of local optimal solution, Cauchy variation is introduced in SFLA local update, and adaptive mutation operation is carried out on SFLA individuals. The predictions of PV generation and load power by PSO-KELM are imported into the objective function, and the microgrid dispatching model is solved by the improved SFLA algorithm. Compared with the traditional GA-KELM and KELM, PSO-KELM has faster convergence and prediction accuracy. Compared with the power supply division, the operation cost of the power grid is reduced by the proposed optimization dispatching strategy of CCHP micro-grid.

On the system Au(III)-HCl-A324H⁺Cl^-, liquid-liquid extraction experiments were used to define the extraction equilibrium and the corresponding extraction constant, and the facilitated transport of this precious metal, from HCl solutions, across a flat-sheet supported liquid membrane was investigated, using the ionic liquid as carrier, as a function of hydrodynamic conditions, concentration of gold(III) (0.01-0.1 g/L), and HCl (0.5-6 M) in the feed phase, and carrier concentration (0.023-0.92 M) in the membrane. An uphill transport equation was derived considering aqueous feed boundary layer diffusion and membrane diffusion as controlling steps. The aqueous diffusional resistance (Δf) and the membrane diffusional resistance (Δm) were estimated from the proposed equation, being their values 241 s/cm an 9730 s/cm, respectively. The performance of the present carrier was compared against results yielded by other ionic liquids, and also it was investigated the influence that other metals had on gold(III) transport both from binary or quaternary solutions. Gold was finally recovered from receiving solutions as zero valent gold nanoparticles.

BReast CAncer gene 1 (BRCA1) and BReast CAncer gene 2 (BRCA2) encode for tumor suppressor proteins which are critical regulators of the homologous recombination (HR) pathway, the most precise and important DNA damage response mechanism. Dysfunctional HR proteins cannot repair double-stranded DNA breaks in mammalian cells, a situation called HR deficiency. Since their identification, pathogenic variants and other alterations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have been associated with an increased risk of developing mainly breast and ovarian cancer. Interestingly, HR deficiency is also detected in tumors not carrying BRCA1/2 mutations, a condition termed “BRCAness”. One of the main mechanisms causing the BRCAness phenotype is the methylation of the BRCA1/2 promoters and this epigenetic modification is associated with carcinogenesis and poor prognosis mainly among patients with breast and ovarian cancer. BRCA1 promoter methylation has been suggested as an emerging biomarker of great predictive significance, especially concerning Poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase inhibitors (PARP inhibitor-PARPi) responsiveness, along with or beyond BRCA1/2 mutations. However, as its clinical exploitation is still insufficient, the impact of BRCA1/2 promoter methylation status needs to be further evaluated. The current review aims to gather the latest findings about the mechanisms that underline BRCA1/2 function as well as the molecular characteristics of tumors associated with BRCA1/2 defects, by focusing on DNA methylation. Furthermore, we critically analyze their translational meaning and the validity of BRCA methylation biomarkers in predicting treatment response and we suggest a diagnostic pipeline that could be implemented in liquid biopsy to aid precision pharmacotherapy in BRCA-associated tumors.

: To improve the efficiency of rhizobial inoculation operations and address the current situation of rhizobial inoculation being labor-intensive, a spraying and control system for variable rate application (VRA) of liquid rhizobia was developed. The system can accurately regulate the spraying rate of liquid rhizobia according to the desired rate of rhizobia by incremental Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) closed-loop control algorithm, making it particularly suitable for precise spraying with small amounts. In the laboratory experiment of precise flow control, variation coefficient of spraying nozzle from 0.10 MP to 0.20 MP pressure were no more than 1.2%. A clear linear relationship was observed between the spraying rate and pressure. The maximum response time was 1.93 seconds, while the average response time was 1.62 seconds when controlling the spraying system for small amounts. Field trial was conducted in Heilongjiang Agricultural Xianghe Farm of China. Average seeds number and 100-seed weight of soybean plant with rhizobia inoculation treatment were better than control group, and average yield of spraying liquid rhizobia agent with full base fertilizer increased by 232.5 kg/hm2, representing a significant 7.4% improvement over the control group. The results of these trails clearly showed the positive effect of the spraying and control system for liquid rhizobial inoculation, which has superior to existing inoculation manners, and provides an important technical support for the widespread adoption of rhizobia technology.

With the increasing demand for energy worldwide, researchers from different fields have been striving to improve the sustainability and proper utilization of energy resources. Passive radiative cooling, as a natural energy transport method, can achieve cooling without additional external energy input. This review provides a comprehensive examination of passive radiative cooling, including its fundamental theories and latest development. A particular emphasis is placed on the diverse range of fields where passive radiative cooling has been applied, notably including but not limited to construction and architecture. The current state of applications, potential challenges that may arise with wider adaption and promising research directions for each field are thoroughly discussed. This review underscores the universal applicability and feasibility of passive radiative cooling and contributes to its future development by identifying promising areas for further exploration.

Film cooling technology is of great significance to enhance the performance of aero-engines and extend service life. With the increasing requirements for film cooling efficiency, researchers and engineers have carried out a lot of work on the precision and digital measurement of cooling holes. Based on the above, this paper outlines the importance and principles of film cooling technology, reviews the evolution of cooling holes. Also, this paper details the traditional measurement methods of the cooling hole used in current engineering scenarios with their limitations and categorizes digital measurement methods into five main types, including probing measurement technology, optical measurement technology, infrared imaging technology, computer tomography(CT) scanning technology, and composite measurement technology. The five types of methods and integrated automated measurement platforms are also analyzed. Finally, through a generalize and analysis of cooling hole measurement methods, this paper points out technical challenges and future trends, providing a reference and guidance for forward researches.

Solar energy is a renewable and sustainable source of energy, and it has been used in addition of specified technologies, such as solar cooling. The demand for cooling continues to increase in line with environmental changes and a greater desire for human comfort. This study primarily aimed to analyze the performance of an evaporative cooling system powered by solar energy and assess the economic and environmental impact of this system. In this system, hot, dry incoming air is used to evaporate water, thus transforming part of its sensitive heat into latent heat without any variation in enthalpy or total heat. The outputted air then has a lower temperature and a greater humidity, thus providing a more comfortable, healthier environment for its users. To achieve this study’s objectives, numerical code was developed and implemented in MATLAB. The obtained results reveal that the efficiency of the evaporative cooler exceeds 90%, with maximum efficiency being reached at a high wet-bulb depression, while minimum efficiency was observed when the dry air has a high relative humidity and a low dry-bulb temperature.

Finding the proper entropy functional associated with the inelastic Boltzmann equation for a granular gas is a yet unsolved challenge. The original H-theorem hypotheses do not fit here and the H-functional presents some additional measure problems that are solved by the Kullback–Leibler divergence (KLD) of a reference velocity distribution function from the actual distribution. The right choice of the reference distribution in the KLD is crucial for the latter to qualify or not as a Lyapunov functional, the “homogeneous cooling state” (HCS) distribution of the freely cooling system being a potential candidate. Due to the lack of a formal proof, the aim of this work is to support this conjecture aided by molecular dynamics simulations of inelastic hard disks and spheres in a wide range of values for the coefficient of restitution (α). Our results reject the Maxwellian distribution as a possible reference, whereas reinforce the HCS one. Moreover, the KLD is used to measure the amount of information lost on using the former rather than the latter, and reveals a nonmonotonic dependence with α. Additionally, a Maxwell-demon-like velocity-inversion experiment highlights the microscopic irreversibility of the granular gas dynamics.

In recent years, the chiral biological effects of nanomedicines have become a subject of widespread interest. The research focus has been on understanding the influence of material chirality on cellular transcription and metabolism. Stress granules are membraneless organelles formed through liquid-liquid phase separation of G3BP1 proteins and related compartments. They have been extensively studied and proven to be closely associated with cellular damage repair and metabolism. However, the role and mechanism of chiral nanomaterials in modulating stress granules remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and structural characteristics of stress granules under the individual influence of chiral nanomaterials and in combination with chemotherapy. To achieve this, we constructed a library of chiral ligand-modified materials and employed immunofluorescence, live-cell imaging, and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching assays. We also used proximity labeling techniques combined with proteomics analysis to identify the protein corona adsorbed on the surface of the nanomaterials and explore their relationship with nanomaterial chirality. Our results demonstrate that the assembly of stress granules is chiral-dependent and can be regulated by chiral nanomaterials. Furthermore, we achieved enhanced chemotherapy sensitivity in cancer cells and protected normal cells by exploiting the chiral-dependent modulation of material assembly in stress granules. This study provides important insights into the regulation of membraneless cellular structures based on chiral biological effects.

The presence of antibiotic residues in honey has recently become a growing public health concern due to the overuse of these products in beekeeping and their transfer to the food industry. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a simple, selective and sensitive method for the simultaneous identification and quantification of residues of twenty-two sulfonamides, trimethoprim and dapsone in honey using a rapid and reliable liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method. The developed method showed good linearity, specificity, precision (repeatability and intra-laboratory reproducibility) and recovery. The decision limit (CCalpha) ranged between 2.16-22.12 µg/kg for CCα, while the detection capability (CCbeta) was between 2.16- 2.67-27.36 µg/kg. The method proved to be rapid, reliable and effective for the determination of sulfonamides, trimethoprim and dapsone from honey samples. The average recoveries were estimated to be between 70 and 106%. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) were between 6-18%. In practice, the method is essential to check the honey sold on the market and ensure its safety before it reaches the consumer.

This study investigates the cooling effects of water facilities installed in urban parks, focusing on Sangju Namsan Park. The park features a water path and a cooling fog system, introduced as part of an environmental adaptation project to mitigate urban heat. Microclimate data were collected during the hot summer months of 2023 to assess the impact of these facilities on air temperature, humidity, and perceived thermal comfort. Results indicate that the water path and fog system reduced surface temperatures by up to 1.08°C, with additional benefits in reducing fine particulate matter and CO2 levels. The findings suggest that strategically placed water features can enhance thermal comfort and air quality in urban parks, offering a practical approach to climate change adaptation in urban planning. These insights are crucial for urban planners and policymakers aiming to improve public health and quality of life in the face of climate change.

Solid polymer electrolytes and composite polymer electrolytes serve as crucial components in all-solid-state energy storage devices. Structural batteries and supercapacitors present a promising alternative for electric vehicles, integrating structural functionality with energy storage capability. However, despite their potential, these applications are hampered by various challenges, particularly in the realm of developing new solid polymer electrolytes that require more investigations. In this study, novel solid polymer electrolytes and composite polymer electrolytes were synthesized using epoxy resin blends, ionic liquid, lithium salt, and alumina nanoparticles, and subsequently characterized. Among the formulations tested, the optimal system, designated as L70P30ILE40Li1MAl2 and containing 40 wt.% of ionic liquid and 5.7 wt.% of lithium salt, exhibited exceptional mechanical properties. It displayed a remarkable storage modulus of 1.2 GPa and reached ionic conductivities of 0.085 mS/cm at 60°C. Furthermore, a proof-of-concept supercapacitor was fabricated, demonstrating the practical application of the developed electrolyte system.

The microstructure evolution of SCM435 cold heading steel at different cooling rates was investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, TEM, XRD, and electron backscatter diffraction. The results show that the cooling rate has a significant effect on the microstructure of the experimental steel. With an acceleration of the cooling, the microstructure of the steel gradually changed from ferrite and pearlite to ferrite, pearlite, and granular bainite; finally, the pearlite disappeared, and the microstructure changed to acicular ferrite, bainite, and martensite. With an increase in the cooling rate, the morphology of the carbide underwent an evolution from sheet carbide to short-rod carbide, granular carbide, and ultimately thin-strip carbide. With the acceleration of cooling, the proportion of large-angle grain boundaries gradually decreased, and the area of small-angle grain boundaries gradually increased. When the cooling rate was 0.1℃/s, the proportion of large-angle grain boundaries was as high as 52.8%, and the dislocation density was only 1.91 × 1012 cm−2. When the cooling rate was 2.0℃/s, the proportion of large-angle grain boundaries was only 27.1%, and dislocation density increased to 5.38 × 1012 cm−2. With the increase in the cooling rate, the depth of the decarbonization layer and the thickness of the scale oxide gradually decreased, the proportion of FeO phase in the scale phase gradually decreased, and the proportion of Fe3O4 phase and Fe2O3 phase gradually increased. The tensile strength increased monotonously with the increase in cooling rate, whereas the elongation and shrinkage first decreased, then increased, and then decreased. When the cooling rate was 1.0 m/s, the short rod and granular bainite in the material structure endowed the SCM435 steel with excellent strength and toughness matching, and the tensile strength and elongation of the steel reached 895 MPa and 24%, respectively.

The most recent and non-invasive approach for studying early-stage biomarkers is liquid biopsy. It implies the extraction and analysis of non-solid biological tissues (serum, plasma, saliva, urine and cerebrospinal fluid) without undergoing invasive procedures to determine disease prognosis. Liquid biopsy can be used for the screening of several components such as extracellular vesicles, microRNAs, cell-free DNA, cell-free mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA, transfer RNA and circular DNA or RNA derived from body fluids. Its application includes early disease diagnosis, surveillance of disease activity, and treatment response monitoring, with growing evidence for validating this methodology in cancer, liver disease, and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. This review will provide an overview of mentioned liquid biopsy components, which could serve as valuable biomarkers for the evaluation of complex neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, CNS tumors, and neuroinfectious diseases. Furthermore, this review highlights the future directions and potential limitations associated with liquid biopsy.

We report interfacial crystallization in droplets of saline solutions placed on superhydrophobic surfaces and liquid marbles filled with the saline. Evaporation of saline droplets deposited on superhydrophobic surface resulted in the formation of cup-shaped millimeter-scaled residues. The formation of the cup-like deposit is reasonably explained within the framework of the theory of the coffee-stain effect, namely, the rate of heterogeneous crystallization along the contact line of the droplet is many times higher than in the droplet bulk. Crystallization within evaporated saline marbles, coated with lycopodium particles, depends strongly on the evaporation rate. Rapidly evaporated saline marbles yielded dented shells built of a mixture of colloidal particles and NaCl crystals. We relate the formation of these shells to the interfacial crystallization promoted by hydrophobic particles coating the marbles, accompanied with the upward convection flows supplying the saline to the particles, serving as the centers of interfacial crystallization. Convective flows prevail over the diffusion mass transport for the saline marbles heated from below.

A novel determination method using flow-through cartridge purification and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the identification and quantification of 30 mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, sterigmatocysin, T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, roquefortine C, methylergonovine, ergocornine, lysergol, enniatin A, enniatin A1, enniatin B, enniatin B1, beauvericin, deoxynivalenol, 3-acetylDeoxynivalenol, 15-acetylDeoxynivalenol, patulin, verruculogen, neosolaniol, gliotoxin, HT-2 toxin, wortmannin, zearalenone, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, α-zearalanol, and β-zearalanol) in feedstuffs. Mycotoxins were extracted from sample by 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution/acetonitrile (16/84 v/v), then purified by a Cleanert® MC clean-up column. As a result, the pigments and other matrices were efficient removed from the sample extract solution. The purified eluate was collected, then evaporated and redissolved by 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution/acetonitrile (70:30 v/v) for UPLC-MS/MS detection. A BEH Shield RP18 chromatographic column was employed for separation of 30 mycotoxins in a total of 14 min. Multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was applied for qualitative and quantitative analysis, and matrix calibration curves obtained with the external-standard method was used for quantitation of target analytes. Under optimized conditions, the linearity range was from 2 to 1000 ng/g, and the limit of quantification of the developed method was from 2 to 50 ng/g. The recoveries of 30 mycotoxins spiked in urine samples were from 72.0% to 118.5%, and the relative standard deviation was below 20%. The method was also well approved by certified reference sample, and applied on the real feedstuff samples testing successfully.

This review is dedicated to sustainable practices in liquid chromatography. HPLC and UHPLC methods contribute significantly to routine analytical techniques. Therefore, the transfer of classical liquid chromatographic methods into sustainable ones is of utmost importance in moving toward sustainable development goals. Among other principles to render a liquid chromatographic method green, substitution of the organic solvent component in the mobile phase with a greener one received great attention. This review concentrates on choosing the best alternative green organic solvent to replace the classical solvent in the mobile phase for easy rapid transfer to a more sustainable normal phase or reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The main focus of this review will be on describing the transfer of non-green to green and white chromatographic methods in an effort to elevate the sustainability best practice in analytical chemistry. The greenness properties and greenness ranking in addition to the chromatographic suitability of seventeen organic solvents for liquid chromatography are mentioned to have a clear insight into the issue of rapidly choosing the appropriate solvent to transfer a classical HPLC or UHPLC method into a more sustainable one. A simple guide is proposed for making the liquid chromatographic method more sustainable.

Colombia is the world's leading producer of mild washed arabica coffee and produces 12.6 million bags of green coffee, but at the same time 784,000 tons of waste biomass are dumped in open fields, of which only 5% is recovered or used. The objective of this project was to evaluate the production of platform chemicals from these coffee wastes. To achieve this, biomass characterization was carried out using proximate analysis, ultimate analysis and structural analysis. Hydrothermal valorization was carried out at a temperature range of 120-180 °C (LHW) and 180-260 °C (HTC) for one hour, the platform chemicals obtained were quantified by HPLC-IR, monitored by pH and conductivity, and the solid fraction was characterized by monitoring the functional groups in IR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Hydrolysis processes were obtained from 150 °C, production of platform chemicals from 180 °C and maximum concentration at 180 °C-4h, over 200 °C degradation of the products in the liquid fraction starts to take place. Homogeneous basic and acid catalysts were used to improve the yields of the reaction. The kinetics of the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic structures to sugars were also analyzed and described, and reaction orders of 1 (LHW), 3 (HTC) and their respective reaction rate equations were reported.

Based on the goals of "high reliability, high frequency, rapid launch, and low cost" for space launch site, and drawing inspiration from the design principles of SpaceX's Starship launch test facility, an integrated dual-sided deflector system for convective cooling and thermal protection is presented. The interaction process between the gas jet and liquid water jet and its effect on the flow field environment are thoroughly studied using numerical calculation methods. Furthermore, Regarding the phase-change heat transfer issue in a compressible gas-liquid two-phase flow and the varying distribution of different bubble shapes and sizes at the gas-liquid interface, a modified Lee model is derived. The rationality and accuracy of the phase-change mass-transfer coefficient values can be improved by adjusting the equivalent diameter and shape factor of the bubbles. The research results demonstrate that compared to the classical Lee model, the modified Lee model can achieve a higher numerical accuracy in predicting the heat and mass transfer processes in gas-liquid two-phase flows. Through comparative analysis with traditional dual-sided deflector and conventional cooling system, the integrated dual-sided deflector system for convective cooling and thermal protection exhibits significant performance advantages in gas flow regulation, flow field environment improvement and erosion protection in the near-ground region of the launch site. Particularly, regarding the thermal environment of the dual-sided deflector, it not only achieves effective flow deflection, but also mitigates the degree of erosion caused by the gas jet on the deflector. This conclusion can provide theoretical references for the thermal protection design of commercial launch vehicle system at space launch site.

The dilatometer curves of continuous cooling transformation of 12Mn steel were measured with Formastor-FⅡthermal mechanical simulator．The steel's undercooled austenite phase continuous cooling transformation curves ( CCT curves) were established by means of the dilatometer method and the metallographic-hardness measurement method． The effect of cooling rate on microstructure and hardness of the steel was studied． CCT curve of test steel was simulated by JMatPro. The results show that the Ac1 and Ac3 of the experimental steel are 692 ℃ and 855 ℃ ; the microstructure obtained is made of ferrite，pearlite and bainite．The ferrite transformation and pearlite transformation occur at a slower cooling rate，in which the ferrite is dominant. When the cooling rate is greater than 4.25 ℃ / s bainite transformation happens．As the cooling rate increases，microstructure or grains become finer．The hardness of the tested steel with increasing cooling rate shows a trend of first fast increase and soon decrease．The simulation results are consistent with the measured CCT law. The high temperature mechanical properties of 12mn steel round billet were tested by gleeble-1500d thermal / mechanical simulator. The tensile strength, reduction of area and stress-strain curves of the billet were obtained in the range of 600-1300 ℃.

The concept of smart morphing blades, which can control themselves to reduce or eliminate the need for active control systems, is a highly attractive solution in blade technology. In this paper an innovative passive control system based on Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) is proposed. On the basis of previous thermal and shape characterization of a single morphing blade for a heavy-duty automotive cooling axial fan, this study deals with the numerical analysis of the aerodynamic loads acting on the fan. By coupling CFD and FEM approaches it is possible to analyze the actual blade shape resulting from both the aerodynamic and centrifugal loads. The numerical results indicate that the polymeric blade structure ensures proper resistance and enables shape variation due to the action of the SMA strips.

Radical changes in the idea of the organization of the intracellular space that occurred in the early 2010-s made it possible to consider the formation and functioning of the so-called membrane-less organelles (MLOs) based on a single physical principle: the liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of biopolymers. Weak nonspecific inter- and intramolecular interactions of disordered polymers, primarily of intrinsically disordered proteins and RNA, play a central role in the initiation and regulation of these processes. On the other hand, in some cases, the "maturation" of MLOs can be accompanied by the "liquid-gel” phase transition, where other types of interactions can play a significant role in reorganization of their structure. In this work, we conducted a bioinformatics analysis of the propensity of the proteomes of two membrane-less organelles formed in response to stress in the same compartment, nucleolus, for spontaneous phase separation and looked at their intrinsic disorder predispositions. These nucleolar MLOs, amyloid bodies (A-bodies) formed in the response to acidosis and heat shock and nuclear stress bodies (nSBs), are characterized by the partially overlapping composition, but show different functional activities and morphologies. We show that the proteomes of these nucleolar biocondensates are differently enriched in proteins, many of with high potential for spontaneous LLPS that correlates with different morphology and function of these organelles. The results of these analyses allowed us to evaluate the role of weak interactions in the formation and functioning of these important organelles.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has, in the last decade, being an essential problem solving tool in industries such as pharmaceutical, pulp, petrochemical as well as Oil and Gas processing. The use of CFD for mixer design is unpopular in many countries in Africa. Therefore, this study investigates the characteristics of Brine-Surfactant mixing in a horizontal pipeline using CFD. The CFD is conducted by AnsysFluent software (licensed). A T-junction pipe is created and meshed with unstructured tetrahedral elements using design modeler. Discretization is done by Finite Volume Method (FVM), cell-centered scheme with Second-Order Upwind Scheme. The pressure term is introduced into the continuity equation by SIMPLE (Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure Linked Equations) algorithm. The kinetic epsilon model, also known as k-e model is administered to define the properties of the fluid and geometry, such as velocity, species mole fraction, pipe diameter. The boundary conditions is selected based on filed data. The rate of fluid flow in the primary region is 650 bbl/day at 400psi in 4in diameter pipeline, which is 100m long. The numerical simulation was based upon the governing equations such s continuity, Navier’s stoke, energy as well as specie transport equations. The findings shows that higher concentration results in increased mixing time, while 2% conc. of surfactant reaches homogeneity in 20 minutes at 72 meters of the pipe length. The result validated with field detail and the empirical result from literature, and is consistent. This study provide insight on industrial mixer design, chemical injection system, as well as gas pipeline design and optimization, especially in multiphase scale transport.

In this work, we proposed a novel design of microfluidic mixer utilizing the amplified Marangoni chaotic advection induced by AC continuous electrowetting of a metal droplet situated in electrolyte solution, due to the linear and quadratic voltage-dependence of flow velocity at small or large voltages, respectively. Unlike previous researchers exploiting the unidirectional surface stress with DC bias at droplet/medium interface for pumping of electrolyte where the resulting flow rate is linearly proportional to the field intensity, dominance of another kind of dipolar flow pattern caused by local Marangoni stress at the drop surface in sufficiently intense AC electric field is demonstrated by both theoretical analysis and experimental observation, which exhibits a quadratic growth trend as a function of the applied voltage. The dipolar shear stress merely appears at larger voltages and greatly enhances the mixing performance by inducing chaotic advection between the neighboring laminar flow. The mixer design developed herein, on the basis of amplified Marangoni chaotic advection around a liquid metal droplet at larger AC voltages, has great potential for chemical reaction and MEMS actuator applications, because of generating high-throughput and excellent mixing performance at the same time.

Background: The incidence of various types of cancer, for example papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), is on the rise. Since therapeutic success depends greatly on early diagnosis, reliable diag-nostic biomarkers must be identified and easy-to-apply tools for detecting them must urgently be standardized. Here, we contribute to solving this medical challenge by assessing miRNAs sus-pected of promoting carcinogenesis in extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can be routinely obtained via liquid biopsy. We profit from current progress in cancerology that provides innovations in liquid biopsy and EVs analysis along with identification of miRNAs and chaperone system (CS) components implicated in carcinogenesis. Methods: We measured in EVs obtained from circulat-ing blood plasma from PTC patients the levels of three miRNAs implicated in thyroid cancer, miR-1, miR-206, and miR-221, and most likely involved in the regulation of two members of the CS, Hsp60 and CCT. EVs were isolated from the plasma of patients with PTC and controls with benign goiter (BG), and from the culture medium of a PTC cell line (MDAT32) and were duly characterized. Results: The levels of miRNAs determined by RT-qPCR were consistently higher in PTC patients and decreased down to control levels after thyroidectomy. Bioinformatics showed that the miRNAs target genes were associated to the molecular pathogenesis of PTC. Conclusions: Thus, our exploratory study reaffirms the potential in clinics of the selected miRNAs in EVs as useful biomarkers of PTC easily accessible via liquid biopsy, which is minimally invasive and amenable to periodic repetition, an improvement compared to the established fine-needle aspirate biopsy.

The effect of cooling rate on the magnetorheological response was investigated for magnetic hydrogels consisting of carrageenan and carbonyl iron particles with a concentration of 50 wt.%. For magnetic gels prepared by natural cooling, the storage moduli at 0 and 50 mT were 3.7×104 Pa and 5.6×104 Pa, respectively, and the change in the modulus was 1.9×104 Pa. For magnetic gels prepared by rapid cooling, the storage moduli at 0 and 50 mT were 1.2×104 Pa and 1.8×104 Pa, respectively, and the change in the modulus was 6.2×103 Pa, which was 3.1 times higher than that for the magnetic gel of rapid cooling. The critical strains, where G‘=G“ on the strain dependence of the storage modulus, for magnetic gels of natural cooling and rapid cooling were 0.023 and 0.034, respectively, indicating that the magnetic gel of rapid cooling has a hard structure compared to that of natural cooling. Oppositely to this, the change in the storage modulus at 500 mT for the magnetic gel of rapid cooling was 1.6×105 Pa, which was 2.5 times higher than that of natural cooling. SEM images revealed that many small aggregations of carrageenan network were found in the magnetic gel of natural cooling and continuous phases of carrageenan network with large sizes were found in the magnetic gel of rapid cooling. It was revealed that, magnetic particles in the magnetic gel of rapid cooling can move and form a chain structure at high magnetic fields by breaking the restriction from the continuous phases of carrageenan.

Abstract: The paper defines the characteristics of two proto-quark stars (M_b=1.22M_? and M_b=1.62M_(?"\ " )) that were formed after the explosion of the supernova. It is assumed that the changes in the energy and lepton charge of the central regions of the pre-supernova star can be neglected during the implosion. The equation of state for hot quark matter is determined based on the MIT bag theory taking into account the presence of neutrinos. The possible maximum values of the central temperatures of these stars are determined. The energy of neutrinos in the studied proto-quark stars is of the order of 250-300 MeV. The decrease in the mass of these stars during cooling is about 0.16 for M_b=1.22M_? and 0.25 for M_b=1.62M_(?"\ " ).

A ducted photovoltaic façade (DPV) unit Studied using experimental Prototype and simulated in a full scale Computational Fluid Dynamics CFD Model. The Study comes in two parts; This is Part I with the title detailed above and Part II titled ‘A Ducted Photovoltaic Façade Unit with Buoyancy Cooling: Part II CFD Simulation’.. The process adopted in the experimental study is replicated in the simulation Part. The aim was to optimize the duct width behind the solar cells to allow for maximum buoyancy-driven cooling for the cells during operation. Duct widths from 5 to 50 cm were tested in a Proto-type. A duct width of 45 cm had the maximum calculated heat removed from the duct; however, the lowest cell-operating temperature was reported for duct width of 50 cm. It was found that the DT between ducts' inlets and outlets range from 5.47 °C to 12.32 °C for duct widths of 5–50 cm, respectively. The ducted system enhanced module efficiency by 12.69% by reducing PV temperature by 27 °C from 100°C to 73 °C. The maximum calculated heat recovered from the ducted PV system is 422 W. This is 47.98% from the incident radiation in the test. Total summation of heat recovered and power enhanced by the ducted system is 61.67%.

This study introduces numerical advancements in an alternative design for the SPS Beam Dump Facility (BDF) at CERN. The design envisions a high-power operation target made of flowing liquid lead. The BDF is a proposed versatile facility at CERN, intended for both beam-dump-like and fixed-target experiments. The target behavior is assessed, assuming a proton beam with a momentum of 400 GeV/c, a pulse frequency of 1/7.2 Hz, and an average beam power of 355 kW. An evaluation is conducted using various Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes to analyze the behavior of liquid lead and to predict the thermal stress on the target vessel induced by the pulsed heat source generated by the charged particle beam. The comparison increases the reliability of the results, investigating the dependencies on the CFD modeling approach. The beam is modeled as a volumetric heat source with data coming from beam-lead interaction simulations provided by CERN and obtained with the Monte-Carlo code FLUKA. The velocity field and stress profiles are utilized to enhance the design of the lead loop and verify its viability and safety when operated with a liquid metal target.

Under the action of cement hydration heat, construction environment, thermal insulation measures, and pipe cooling system, the mass concrete pile cap produces a complex temperature field inside the structure, which makes it difficult to control the internal surface temperature difference, the maximum adiabatic temperature rise and the surface temperature of the structure. In this paper, the mass concrete pile cap of a super large bridge (the length, width, and height are 26.40m，20.90m, and 5.00m, respectively, and the central pier pile cap is constructed with concrete with a strength of C40) is taken as the research support project. The controlling factors affecting the temperature field of the mass concrete pile cap are found by comparing the temperature monitoring of the pile cap with the calculated value of finite element software simulation analysis. Through the finite element software Midas Civil and Midas FEA, the control factors affecting the temperature field of the main pier cap (concrete mold temperature, concrete surface convection coefficient, ambient temperature, and pipe cooling system parameters, etc.) are numerically analyzed, and the influence law and influence degree of the control factors are found out.

This work explored and contrasted the effect of microstructure on the tensile properties of AlSi10Mg alloys generated by transient directional solidification depending on variations in cooling rate and Magnesium (Mg) content (i.e., 0.45 and 1wt.% Mg), with a focus on understanding the dendritic growth and phases constitution. Optical and Scanning electron (SEM) microscopies, CALPHAD and thermal analysis were used to describe the microstructure, forming phases and resulting tensile properties. The findings showed that the experimental evolution of the primary dendritic spacing is very similar when both directionally solidified (DS) Al-10wt.% Si-0.45wt.% Mg and Al-10wt.% Si-1wt.% Mg alloys samples are compared. The secondary dendritic spacing was lower for the alloy with more Mg, especially considering the range of high growth velocities. Moreover, a greater fraction of (Al+Si+Mg2Si) ternary eutectic islands surrounding the -Al dendritic matrix was noted for the alloy with 1wt.% Mg. As a result of primary dendritic spacings greater than 180 m related to lower cooling rates, slightly higher tensile properties were attained for the Al-10wt.% Si-0.45wt.% Mg alloy. In contrast, combining dendritic refining (< 150 m) and larger Mg2Si fraction, fast solidified DS Al-10wt.% Si-1wt.% Mg samples exhibited higher tensile strength and elongation. The control of cooling rate and fineness of the dendritic array provided a new insight related to the addition of Mg in slightly higher levels than conventional ones, capable of achieving a better balance of tensile properties in AlSi10Mg alloys.

The study carried out by simulation, concerns the thermal behavior of an office building’s solar fresh air cooling system, based on a LiBr-H₂O absorption chiller in different climatic conditions. The coefficient of performance (COP) and the solar fraction were considered performance parameters and were analyzed with respect to the operating limits: risk of crystallization and maintaining at least a minimum degassing zone. A new correlation between the required solar hot temperature and the cooling water temperature was established and then embedded in another new correlation between the COP and the cooling water temperature that was used in simulations during the whole cooling season corresponding to each location. It was found that: the solar hot water should be maintained in the range of (80-100) °C depending on the cooling water temperature, the COP of the solar LiBr-H₂O absorption chiller with or without cold storage tank can reach (76.5-82.4) % depending on the location, and the solar fraction can reach (29.5-62.0) % without cold storage tank and can exceed 100 % with cold storage tank, the excess cooling power being available to cover other types of cooling loads: through the building envelope, from lighting, from occupants, etc.

The objective of this research is to develop an experimental-theoretical analysis about the influence of the cooling medium and the geometry of the welding bead profile in fatigue life and associated parameters with structural integrity of welded joints. A welded joint with cruciform geometry is considered using SMAW, plates in structural steel ASTM A36 HR of 8 mm of thickness and E6013 electrode input. A three-dimensional computational model of the cruciform joint was created using the finite element method. For this model, the surface undulation of the cord and differentiation in the mechanical properties of the fusion zone were considered, the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and base material, respectively. In addition, an initial residual stress field which was established experimentally was considered. The results were a set of analytical expressions for the weld magnification factor Mk. It was found that values for the latter decrease markedly in function of the intensity of the cooling medium used in the post welding cooling phase, mainly due to the effect of the residual compressive stresses. The obtained models of behavior of the weld magnification factor are compared with the results from other researchers with some small differences, mainly due to the inclusion of the cooling effect of the post weld and the variation of the leg of the weld bead. The obtained analytical equations in the present research for Mk can be used in management models of life and structural integrity for this type of welded joint.

Application of toxic antibacterial agents is considered necessary to control prevalent fresh water microorganisms in evaporative cooling water systems, but these agents can adversely affect the environment and human health. Alternatively, natural antibacterial water chemistry has been applied in industrial cooling water systems for over 10 years with excellent results. The tower water chemistry method concentrates natural salts in highly-softened water to produce elevated pH and dissolved solids, with low calcium and magnesium. This practice conserves water while generating only a small volume of non-toxic natural salt concentrate for cost efficient separation and disposal if required. This review presents a novel perspective of natural antimicrobial chemistry for inhibiting parasitic microbiome functional relationships within the bio-triad of Legionella outbreaks, "Trojan Protozoans" and biofilms. The review further examines practical application and function of polyvalent metal ions in the inhibition of biofilms. Reducing global dependence on toxic antibacterial agents discharged to the environment is an emerging concern due to their impact on the natural microbiome, plants, animals and humans. Discharge of antibacterial agents also contributes to development of pathogen resistance. Use of natural antibacterial chemistry can play a key role in managing the cooling water environment in a more ecologically sustainable manner.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by widespread inflammation and multi-organ damage. Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR-7) and autophagy have been implicated in SLE pathogenesis. Rice husk silica liquid (RHSL) has shown potential for modulating inflammatory responses, but its effects on SLE have not been thoroughly investigated. This study aims to evaluate the impact of RHSL on immune responses and autophagy in an in vitro model of SLE, focusing on its effects on TLR-7 signaling, cytokine production, and autophagy modulation. RAW264.7 cells and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors and SLE patients were used. Cells were stimulated with LPS or TLR-7 agonists and treated with RHSL. Cell viability was assessed, and cytokine levels (TNF-α and IL-6) were measured by ELISA. Autophagy-related proteins (LC3II, ATG5-ATG12) were analyzed by Western blotting. The effect of autophagy inhibition was studied using 3-methyladenine (3-MA). RHSL did not affect cell viability but significantly reduced TNF-α production in LPS- and TLR-7 agonist-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and PBMCs. RHSL enhanced autophagy, as evidenced by increased LC3II and ATG5-ATG12 conjugation in both RAW264.7 cells and SLE patient-derived PBMCs. The reduction in TNF-α production by RHSL was attenuated by 3-MA, indicating that autophagy plays a role in this process. RHSL also inhibited the translocation of phosphorylated NF-κB into the nucleus, suggesting a mechanism for its anti-inflammatory effects. RHSL exhibits potential as an immunomodulatory agent in SLE by enhancing autophagy and modulating TLR-7 signaling pathways. These findings suggest that RHSL could offer therapeutic benefits for managing inflammatory responses in SLE and warrant further investigation into its clinical applications.

A recent paradigm shift in diagnostics of medulloblastoma allows the distinction of four major groups defined by genetic data rather than histology. This new molecular classification correlates better with prognosis and will allow better clinical management for therapies targeting druggable mutations, but also offers a new combination of monitoring tumor development in real-time and treatment response by sequential liquid biopsy. This review highlights recent developments after a century of milestones in neurosurgery, radio- and chemotherapy, but also controversial theories on the cell of origin, animal models and the use of liquid biopsy.

Turbulence is a fluid dynamic problem refractory to mathematical treatment. Examining a theoretical model of liquid water flowing in a cylinder at different Raleigh numbers, we propose a novel approach to elucidate the first stages of turbulent flows. The weakly bonded molecular assemblies of liquid water form a fluctuating branched polymer in which every micro-cluster displays different density. Against the common view of liquid water as an incompressible and continuous fluid, we suggest that the occurrence of transient local aggregates could be able to generate the vortices and eddies that are the hallmarks of turbulence. We quantify the local changes in velocity, diameter and density required to engender “obstacles” to the average flow. Then, we show how these microstructures, equipped with different Raleigh numbers and characterized by high percolation index, could generate boundary layers that contribute to micro-vortices production. We conclude that the genesis of turbulence cannot be assessed in terms of collective phenomena, rather is sustained, among many other factors, by the underrated microscopic inhomogeneities of fluids like liquid water.

Advances in reconfigurable liquid-based reconfigurable antennas are enabling new possibilities to fulfil the requirements of more advanced wireless communication systems. In this review, a comparative analysis of various state-of-the-art concepts and techniques for designing reconfigurable antennas using liquid is presented. First, the electrical properties of different liquids at room temperature commonly used in reconfigurable antennas are identified. This is followed by a discussion of various liquid actuation techniques in enabling high frequency reconfigurability. Next, liquid-based reconfigurable antennas in literature used to achieve the different types of reconfiguration will be critically reviewed. These include frequency-, polarization-, radiation pattern- and compound reconfigurability. The current concepts of liquid-based reconfigurable antennas can be classified broadly into three basic approaches: altering the physical (and electrical) dimensions of antennas using liquid, applying liquid-based sections as reactive loads; and implementation of liquids as dielectric resonators. Each concept and their design approaches will be examined, outlining their benefits, limitations, and possible future improvements.

We review a modern differential geometric description of the fluid isotropic motion and featuring it the diffeomorphism group structure, modelling the related dynamics, as well as its compatibility with the quasi-stationary thermodynamical constraints. There is analyzed the adiabatic liquid dynamics, within which, following the general approach, there is explained in detail, the nature of the related Poissonian structure on the fluid motion phase space, as a semidirect Banach groups product, and a natural reduction of the canonical symplectic structure on its cotangent space to the classical Lie-Poisson bracket on the adjoint space to the corresponding semidirect Lie algebras product. We also present a modification of the Hamiltonian analysis in case of the isotermal liquid dynamics. We study the differential-geometric structure of the adiabatic magneto-hydrodynamic superfluid phase space and its related motion within the Hamiltonian analysis and invariant theory. In particular, we construct an infinite hierarchies of different kinds of integral magneto-hydrodynamic invariants, generalizing those before constructed in the literature, and analyze their differential-geometric origins. A charged liquid dynamics on the phase space invariant with respect to an abelian gauge group transformation is also investigated, some generalization of the canonical Lie-Poisson type bracket is obtained.

The transport of indium(III), from HCl solutions, across a supported liquid membrane in flat-sheet configuration was investigated, being the carrier the ionic liquid HA324H⁺Cl^- (derived from the tertiary amine Hostarex A324 and hydrochloric acid). Different variables affecting the metal transport: hydrodynamic conditions in the source and receiving phases, metal and HCl concentrations in the source phase, and carrier concentration in the membrane phase, were investigated. Also the transport of indium(III) using carriers of various nature: ionic liquids, alcohol, ketone, phosphine oxide, etc., was compared. The metal transport was modelled describing the transport mechanism as: diffusion across the source diffusion layer, a fast interfacial chemical reaction, and diffusion of the InCl₄^--carrier complex through the membrane support. Diffusional parameters for the transport of indium(III), from the experimental data and the model, were estimated.

Multi-board electronic cases with high density and high power modules are widely used in industrial power supply management. With the improvement of case performance and miniaturization requirements, heat dissipation becomes one of the important factors to be considered in the design process. First,The existing small electronic thermal design methods focus on heat dissipation structure or heat source layout optimization,and ignores on-load test for modeling analysis. Second,The selected power module has on-load power consumption, resulting in relatively low calorific value and the effectiveness of thermal design cannot be verified. Third, The thermal lacks Intelligent monitoring and feedback control mechanism. In order to solve these problems, this paper designs a kind of heat dissipation case with intelligent temperature control based on high-power and high-density power supply array. Based on the extremely miniaturization design principle, we adopt the composite heat dissipation mode based on conduction and supplemented by forced air cooling . The case is made of magnesium and aluminum alloy with a perforated design. Finally, we compare and analyze with the existing cooling design. The results show that the case is smaller in volume, and the cooling performance parameters are slightly better than the existing case. Under the condition of high-density and high-power design, The output power of the whole system is not less than 10kw and the lowest packing-level density is not less than 47w/cm2 with high reliability, portability and practicability. It also provides technical support and prototype support for the standardized design of similar power arrays.

The effects of heating rate before solution treatment and cooling rate after solution treatment on the morphological distribution and evolution of precipitation phase of nickel-based single crystal superalloy were studied. The dissolution, precipitation and growth of precipitation phase and matrix phase during heat treatment were analyzed by means of high power scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the morphology of precipitated phase has nothing to do with the distribution of precipitated phase and the heating rate in the heating process, but the cooling rate in the cooling process affects the shape, size and distribution of precipitated phase. The faster the cooling rate, the smaller the precipitated phase is, the more irregular the shape is, the smaller the equivalent edge length is, and the smaller the channel width of matrix phase is.

In machining, there is a constant effort to achieve the expected roughness of the machined surface while maintaining the life of the cutting tool during its operation. The methods used for extending machinability characteristics can be applied due to cooling and lubrication. One of the latest, but not new, targeted cooling techniques have become cryogenic treatment, which uses substances that exhibit extremely low-temperature values of about 123 K. This is a very environmentally friendly technique compared to the current standardized cooling and lubricating fluids. The main task of such cooling is to change the properties of the workpiece so that it exhibits the properties of a brittle material. Bringing the workpiece structure in this way can result in easier material separation through the chip. In the article, the obtained test results can approximate the behavior of various materials during cryogenic cooling.

Temper embrittlement is a major challenge encountered during the heat treatment of high-performance steels for large forgings. This study investigates the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of Cr-Ni-Mo-V thick-walled steel, designed for new large forgings with a tensile strength of 1500 MPa, under different tempering cooling rates. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) were employed to analyze the microstructural features. The results demonstrate that the embrittlement occurring during air cooling after tempering is attributed to the concentration of impurities near Fe3C at the grain boundaries. The low-temperature impact toughness at -40°C after water quenching reaches 29 J due to the accelerated cooling rate during tempering, which slows down the diffusion of impurity elements towards the grain boundaries, resulting in reduced concentration and dislocation density, and increased stability of the grain boundaries, thereby enhancing toughness. the bainite content decreases and the interface between martensite and bainite undergoes changes after water quenching during tempering. These alterations influence the crack propagation direction within the two-phase microstructure, further modifying the toughness. These findings contribute to the understanding of temper embrittlement and provide valuable guidance for optimizing heat treatment processes to enhance the performance of high-performance steels in large forgings.

Due to urban warming, energy demand for cooling buildings is rising. The current study used CitySim to estimate the cooling energy requirements for 40 buildings in Downtown, Dubai using high-resolution climate data from weather research and forecasting (WRF) coupled with single layer urban canopy model (SLUCM). Simulating the four mitigation scenarios allowed for the examination of the reduction in cooling load caused by the addition of greenery at a rate ranging from 25% to 100%. The insulated building's cooling demand reduced by a maximum of 13.89% under 100% GI (M4). Scenario M4 resulted in a reduction of 4.6 kWh/m2 and 3.1 kWh/m2 for the non-insulated and insulated low-rise residential buildings, respectively, while the high-rise buildings saw a reduction of 3.09-4.91 kWh/m2 for the non-insulated and 2.07-3.09 kWh/m2 for insulated buildings. This study offered a potential remedy to deal with the problem of urban heating in subtropical environments.

Air conditioners are indispensable necessities in daily life and industrial production. However, the heat generation of their internal core power components can limit their performance release. In this work, we explore the application of thermoelectric coolers (TECs) in the field of power device heat dissipation through finite element simulation. First, we geometrically modeled the structure and typical operating conditions of core power devices in air conditioners. We compared the temperature fields in air cooling and TEC active cooling modes for high power consumption power devices in a 319 K operating environment. The simulation results show that in the single air cooling mode, the maximum temperature of the 173.8 W power device reaches 394.4 K and the average temperature reaches 373.9 K, which exceeds its rated operating temperature of 368.1 K. However, after adding TEC, the maximum temperature of the power device drops to 331.8 K at an operating current of 7.5 A and the average temperature of the device is 326.5 K. It indicates that TEC active cooling has a significant effect on the temperature control of the power device. At the same time, we also studied the effect of TEC working current on the temperature control effect of power devices. For TEC, there is a minimum working current of 5 A; when it is less than 5 A, TEC has no cooling effect; the cooling effect of TEC increases with an increase in working current. When the TEC working current is 10 A, the average temperature of the power device can be reduced to 292.9 K. This study has made a meaningful exploration of the application of TEC in chip temperature control and heat dissipation, providing a new solution for chip thermal management and accurate temperature control.

The spring-in phenomenon of the composite parts can affect the assembly process. This study aims to predict the spring-in phenomenon of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) part. Here, we predict the spring-in of the CFRP part using a coupled analysis of the forming and cooling processes during the stamping process. First, a simulation of the entire forming process, such as the transfer of the composite laminate, gravity analysis, and forming was performed to obtain the temperature distribution of the CFRP part. Subsequently, a finite-element (FE) simulation of the cooling process was conducted to predict the spring-in phenomenon of the shaped CFRP part using the temperature data obtained in the forming simulation. Finally, a CFRP part was manufactured and compared with the results of the FE simulation.

To study the heat and mass transfer characteristics of an evaporative cooler for cooling high-temperature working fluids such as supercritical carbon dioxide, an experimental device of the evaporative cooler was built, and a corresponding test system was constructed. Then, the experimental study was carried out based on the orthogonal test method, and the law and extent of the influence of water flow in the tube, spray water flow rate, inlet water temperature in the tube, and air flow rate on heat dissipation, cooling efficiency, and heat and mass transfer coefficients have been obtained. The correlation equations of the heat and mass transfer coefficients were obtained by fitting the orthogonal experimental data, and the validity of the correlation equations was confirmed by the verification experiment.

The basic oxygen furnace slag (BOF) was wide used in road construction, but there was a lack of characteristics in different asphalt mixtures. This study investigates the properties of hot-mixed asphalt (HMA) containing stone mastic asphalt (SMA), porous asphalt (PA) and dense-graded BOF as a partial substitution for natural aggregates. The purpose of this study is to evaluate various BOF slag contents in the asphalt mixtures would affect the cooling behavior after compaction. Asphalt mixture specimens contained 0%, 20%, 40% and 60% BOF slag, respectively, as coarse aggregate. Test results showed that BOF slag has a lipophilic property, so it can be adsorbed by asphalt cement, thereby reducing the cost of asphalt. The stability value of all asphalt mixtures increases with the proportion of BOF slag replacement. In addition, the voids in the mineral aggregate (VMA) value variable exhibited significant differences among asphalt mixtures, and could determine the deviation of the cooling trend of asphalt mixtures. Furthermore; it was found that the cooling procedure of the BOF slag used in dense-graded asphalt mixture takes about 100 min, and that the temperature tends to be moderate; however, it took about 120 min of cooling the SMA and PA mixture with BOF slag. In addition, the voids distribution of dense asphalt mixture was not uniform. It would result in various locations of thermal energy temperature on asphalt mixtures that were inconsistent.

Organic wastes and by-products from several activities, including food industries, farming, and animal husbandry, are a hygiene threat when aerobically decomposed. Therefore, their manage-ment is crucial for public health. In this direction, anaerobic digestion (AD) systems may be the solution by transforming waste into energy, which may decrease the environmental impact. However, their efficacy should be carefully examined. In this innovative study, we evaluated the physicochemical and microbial characteristics of liquid digestate (LD) retrieved from organic animal wastes in northern Greece using nanofiltration. Using treatment technologies including physical (solid-liquid separation, microfiltration and nanofiltration) and biological (anaerobic digestion), heavy metals and microbial (i.e., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis) concentrations reduced and nutrients were recovered. This work sets the basis for the efficient management of liquid digestate. Our method may enable the use of treated liquid digestate for unlimited irrigation water and other industrial applications of water. Apart from the sanitation process, the recovery of nutrients for soil fertilization seems to be a more sustainable way for fu-ture agricultural practices.

The phenomena of electrical conductivity and electromigration in metallic systems are related, since in both cases the basic physical process is the scattering of conduction electrons by metal ions. Numerous searches have been made for equations connecting the conductivity with electromigration. In the case of a liquid metal, when using the Drude-Sommerfeld (DS) conduc-tivity equation, it was not possible to obtain a quantitative relationship between these phenomena, which would be correct. Attempts to find such a relationship when taking into ac-count the N. Mott correction (g - factor) in the DS equation were unsuccessful. This article proposes a different correction (b - factor) to the DS equation, which takes into account the pos-sibility of varying the momentum transferred by the conduction electron to a metal ion during the scattering. This correction allows to establish a quantitative relationship between conductivity and electromigration, as well as between electromigration in various binary systems with common components, in agreement with experiment. The proposed theory describes well, in particular, two- and multi-component metal systems of any concentration (the consistency rule for triangles A-B, B-C, C-A). The value of b - factor smoothly changes depending on the heat of vaporization of the metal, per unit volume.

Epilepsy is one of the most common disorders of the central nervous system, impacting nearly 50 million people around the world. Heterogeneous in nature, epilepsy presents in children and adults alike. Currently, surgery is the only treatment that can cure epilepsy. However, not all individuals are eligible or have successful outcomes. Difficulty in accessing samples of human brain tissue along with advances in sequencing technology have driven researchers to investigate sampling liquid biopsies in blood, serum, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid within the context of epilepsy. Liquid biopsies provide minimal or non-invasive sample collection approaches and can be assayed relatively easily across multiple time points, unlike tissue-based sampling. Various efforts have investigated circulating nucleic acids from these samples including microRNAs, cell-free DNA, transfer RNAs, and long non-coding RNAs. Here, we review nucleic acid-based liquid biopsies in epilepsy to improve understanding of etiology, diagnosis, prediction, and therapeutic monitoring.

Internal and mesoscopic variables differ from each other fundamentally: both are state space variables, but mesoscopic variables are additional equipped with a distribution function introducing a statistical item into consideration which is missing in connection with internal variables. Thus, the alignment tensor of liquid crystal theory can be introduced as an internal variable or as one generated by a mesoscopic background using the microscopic director as mesoscopic variable. Because the mesoscopic variable is part of the state space, the corresponding balance equations change into mesoscopic balances, and additionally an evolution equation of the mesoscopic distribution function appears. The flexibility of the mesoscopic concept is not only demonstrated for liquid crystals, but is also discussed for dipolar media and flexible fibers.

A simple model has been used to investigate the nature of chemical order in Na-Pb and Na-Hg liquid binary alloy at 700K and 673K respectively. The energy parameter obtained from the model was used to calculate the concentration dependent mixing properties such as Gibb’s free energy of mixing, Concentration fluctuations in the long wavelength limit and the Warren-Cowley chemical short range order parameter. Results obtained showed that both alloys are hetero-coordinated throughout the entire concentration and there is tendency for segregation and demixing to take place in the liquid alloys. We observed that Na-Hg liquid alloy is more strongly interacting binary alloy and chemically ordered than Na-Pb liquid alloy.

The effects of the coolant pulsation and the film cooling with the plasma aerodynamic actuation (PAA) could be herein explored via large eddy simulations. The electrohydrodynamic force derived from the PAA was solved through the phenomenological plasma model. The Strouhal number of the sinusoidal coolant pulsation and the averaged pulsation blowing ratio were 0.25 and 1.0, respectively. Comprehensive analyses were carried out on the time-averaged flow fields, and the results revealed that the pulsed cooling jet might cause a deeper penetration into the crossflow, and this phenomenon could be remarkably mitigated by the downward force of the PAA. Furthermore, because of the coolant pulsation, the counter rotating vortex pair (CRVP) expanded to lifted off the wall less well, and the PAA lessened the negative lift-off impact and entrapment from the CRVP. Then, the spatial-temporal development of the coherent structures was figured out by the alterations of the centerline temperature, reflecting formation of the intermittent coherent structures rather than hairpin vortices due to the coolant pulsation, and their size and upcast behaviors were reduced by the PAA. Consequently, there was a basic suppression of the turbulent mixing of the cooling fluid with the crossflow. Finally, the three-dimensional streamlines confirmed that the coherent structure dynamic behaviors were significantly regulated by the PAA for alleviating the adverse influences of the coolant pulsation. In summary, through controlling how the dominating coherent structures evolve throughout time and space, the PAA can effectively increase the pulsed film cooling efficiency.

We propose a method of cooling nuclear spin systems of solid-state nanostructures by application of a time-dependent magnetic field synchronized with spin fluctuations. Optical spin noise spectroscopy is considered as the method of fluctuation control. Depending on the mutual orientation of the oscillating magnetic field and the probe light beam, cooling might be either provided by dynamic spin polarization in an external static field or result from population transfer between spin levels without build-up of a net magnetic moment (“true cooling”).

This empirical study investigates large urban park cooling effects on the thermal comfort of occupants in the vicinity of the main central park, located in Madrid, Spain. Data were gathered during hot summer days, using mobile observations and a questionnaire. The results showed that the cooling effect of this urban park of 140 ha area at a distance of 150 m is able to reduce temperature by an average of 0.63°C and 1.28°C for distances of 380 m and of 665 meters from the park. Moreover, the degree of the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) index at a distance of 150 meters from the park is on average 2°C PET and 2.3°C PET less compared to distances of 380 m and 665 m, respectively. Considering distance from the park, the correlation between occupant Perceived Thermal Comfort (PTC) and PET is inverse. That is, augmenting the distance from park increases PET, while the extent of PTC reduces accordingly. The correlation between these two factors at the nearest and furthest distances from the park is meaningful (P-value <0/05). The results also showed that large-scale urban parks generally play a significant part in creating a cognitive state of high-perceived thermal comfort spaces for residents.

The microstructure and solidification behavior of nickel based GTD222 superalloy at different cooling rates are studied. The solidification of the GTD222 superalloy proceeds as follows: L→L+γ, L→L+γ+MC, L→L+(γ/γ ′)-Eutectic and L→η phase. The temperature of liquidus of GTD222 superalloy is 1360 °C while the solidus is slightly lower at 1310 °C, which due to the alloying elements redistribution. It was found that the dendrite arm spacing of the alloy decreased with the increase of cooling rate (From 200 μm at 2.5 K/min to 100 μm at 20 K/min).

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is significantly dependent on desalinated water and groundwater resource, which is expensive and highly energy intensive. Despite the scarce water resource, only 54% of the recycled water was reused in 2015. In this study, an “Oasis” complex comprised of Sustainable Farming Compartments (SFCs) was proposed for reusing treated wastewater to decrease the ambient temperature of the SFC via an evaporative cooling system. A prototype SFC with half the original scale (width = 1.8 m, depth = 1.5 m, front height = 1.2 m back height = 0.9 m) was designed, built, and tested in an environmentally controlled laboratory and field site to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the SFC under the climatic conditions in Abu Dhabi. Based on the experimental results, the temperature drops obtained from the SFC in the laboratory and field site were 5 ̊C at initial relative humidity of 60% and 7- 15 ̊C at initial relative humidity of 50%, respectively. An energy simulation using dynamic numerical simulations was performed in comparison to the results of the experiment. The energy-based dynamic simulation shows good agreement with the experimental results. The total power consumption of the SFC system was approximately three and a half times lower than that of an electrical air conditioner.

In this work, we focus on investigating electrothermal flow in a rotating electric field (ROT-ETF), with primary attention paid to the horizontal traveling-wave electrothermal (TWET) vortex induced at the center of the electric field. The frequency-dependent flow profiles in the microdevice are analyzed using different heat transfer models. Accordingly, we address in particular the importance of electrode cooling in ROT-ETF as metal electrodes of high thermal conductivity while substrate material of low heat dissipation capability are employed to develop such microfluidic chips. Under this circumstance, cooling of electrode array due to external natural convection on millimeter-scale electrode pads for external wire connection occurs and makes the internal temperature maxima shift from the electrode plane to a bit of distance right above the cross-shaped interelectrode gaps, giving rise to reversal of flow rotation from a typical repulsion-type to attraction-type induction vortex, which is in good accordance with our experimental observations of co-field TWET streaming at frequencies on the order of reciprocal charge relaxation time of the bulk fluid. These results point out a way to make a correct interpretation of out-of-phase electrothermal streaming behavior, which holds great potential for handing high-conductivity analytes in modern microfluidic systems.

In the theoretical treatment of crystallization it is commonly assumed that relaxation processes of the liquid proceed fast as compared to crystal nucleation and growth processes. Actually, it is supposed that the liquid is located always in the metastable state corresponding to the current values of pressure and temperature. However, near and below the glass transition temperature, Tg, this condition is commonly not fulfilled. In such cases, in the treatment of crystallization, deviations of the state of the liquid from the respective metastable equilibrium state have to be accounted for in determining the kinetic coefficients governing the crystallization kinetics, the thermodynamic driving force of crystallization, and the surface tension of the aggregates of the newly evolving crystal phase including the surface tension of critical clusters affecting considerably the crystal nucleation rate. These factors may considerably influence the course of the overall crystallization process. A theoretical analysis of the resulting effects is given in the present paper by numerical solutions of the J(ohnson)–M(ehl)–A(vrami)–K(olmogorov)–equation employed as the tool to model the overall crystallization kinetics and by analytical estimates of the crystallization peak temperatures in dependence on cooling and heating rates. The results are shown to be in good agreement with experimental data. Possible extensions of the theory to be explored in future analysis are anticipated.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are opportunistic pathogens that cause illness primarily in the elderly, in the immunocompromised or in patients with underlying lung disease. Mycobacterium chimaera is a NTM species belonging to the M. avium Complex (MAC) group of species. Since 2013, a global outbreak of M. chimaera infection related to heater-cooler units (HCU) used in cardio-thoracic surgery has been identified. This outbreak was caused by a single strain of M. chimaera. In order to estimate the prevalence of this outbreak strain in Israel, we sampled M. chimaera from several HCU machines in Israel, as well as from patients, sequenced their genomes and compared them to the outbreak strain. The presence of mixed mycobacteria species in the samples complicated the analysis of obtained sequences. By applying a metagenomic binning strategy, we were able to obtain genomes of single strains from the mixed samples, and characterized them. M. chimaera strains were compared to each other and to previously reported genomes from other countries. The strain causing the outbreak related to the HCU machines was identified in several such machines in Israel but not in any of the clinical samples.

Liquid biopsy, a non-invasive diagnosis that examines circulating tumor components in body fluids, is increasingly used in cancer management. An overview of relevant literature emphasizes the current state of liquid biopsy applications in cancer care. Liquid biopsy, particularly circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor RNAs (ctRNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), extracellular vesicles, and other cell-free nucleic acids, offers promising opportunities for early cancer diagnosis, treatment selection, monitoring, and disease assessment. The implementation of liquid biopsy in precision medicine has shown significant potential in various cancer types, including lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Advances in genomic and molecular technologies, such as next generation sequencing (NGS) and digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) have expanded the utility of liquid biopsy, enabling the detection of somatic variants and actionable genomic alterations in tumors. Liquid biopsy has also demonstrated utility in predicting treatment responses, monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD), and assessing tumor heterogeneity. Nevertheless, standardizing liquid biopsy techniques, interpreting results, and integrating them into clinical routine remain challenges. Despite these challenges, liquid biopsy has significant clinical implications in cancer management, offering a dynamic and non-invasive approach to understanding tumor biology and guiding personalized treatment strategies.

Solid porous materials, like zeolites, have been widely used in a variety of fields such as size and shape-selective absorption/separation and catalysis because of their porosity. But there are few liquid materials exhibit permanent porosity. Porous liquids are a novel material that combine the properties of fluidity and permanent porosity. It has potential applications in many fields such as gas separation, storage and transport. Herein, we report a novel Type 1 porous liquid prepared based on Silicalite-1. The pore size of this porous liquid was determined by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS), and the CO2 capacities was determined by the intelligent gravimetric analyser (IGA). The unique properties of this porous liquid can promote its application in many fields such as gas storage and transport.