Biomineralization, a bio-organism controlled mineral formation process, plays an important role in linking biological organisms and mineral materials in nature. Inspired by biomineralization, ...biomimetic mineralization is used as a bridge tool to integrate biological organisms and functional materials together, which can be beneficial for the development of diversified functional organism-material hybrids. In this review, recent progresses on the techniques of biomimetic mineralization for organism-material combinations are summarized and discussed. Based upon these techniques, the preparations and applications of virus-, prokaryotes-, and eukaryotes-material hybrids have been presented and they demonstrate the great potentials in the fields of vaccine improvement, cell protection, energy production, environmental and biomedical treatments, etc. We suggest that more researches about functional organism and material combination with more biocompatible techniques should be developed to improve the design and applications of specific organism-material hybrids. These rationally designed organism-material hybrids will shed light on the production of “live materials” with more advanced functions in future.
This review summaries the recent attempts on improving biological organisms by their integrations with functional materials, which can be achieved by biomimetic mineralization as the combination tool. The integrated materials, as the artificial shells or organelles, confer diversified functions on the enclosed organisms. The successful constructions of various virus-, prokaryotes-, and eukaryotes-material hybrids have demonstrated the great potentials of the material incorporation strategy in vaccine development, cancer treatment, biological photosynthesis and environment protection etc. The suggested challenges and perspectives indicate more inspirations for the future development of organism-material hybrids.
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Thermal energy storage (TES) transfers heat to storage media during the charging period, and releases it at a later stage during the discharging step. It can be usefully applied in solar plants, or ...in industrial processes, such as metallurgical transformations. Sensible, latent and thermo-chemical media store heat in materials which change temperature, phase or chemical composition, respectively. Sensible heat storage is well-documented. Latent heat storage, using phase change materials (PCMs), mainly using liquid–solid transition to store latent heat, allows a more compact, efficient and therefore economical system to operate. Thermo-chemical heat storage (TCS) is still at an early stage of laboratory and pilot research despite its attractive application for long term energy storage.
The present review will assess previous research, while also adding novel treatments of the subject. TES systems are of growing importance within the energy awareness: TES can reduce the LCOE (levelized cost of electricity) of renewable energy processes, with the temperature of the storage medium being the most important parameter. Sensible heat storage is well-documented in literature and applied at large scale, hence limited in the content of the present review paper. Latent heat storage using PCMs is dealt with, specifically towards high temperature applications, where inorganic substances offer a high potential. Finally, the use of energy storage through reversible chemical reactions (thermo-chemical storage, TCS) is assessed. Since PCM and TCS storage media need to be contained in a capsule (sphere, tube, sandwich plates) of appropriate materials, potential containment materials are examined. A heat transfer fluid (HTF) is required to convey the heat from capture, to storage and ultimate re-use. Particle suspensions offer a valid alternative to common HTF, and a preliminary assessment confirms the advantages of the upflow bubbling fluidized bed and demonstrates that particulate suspensions enable major savings in investment and operating costs.
Novel treatments of the TES subject in the review involve the required encapsulation of the latent and chemical storage media, the novel development of powder circulation loops as heat transfer media, the conductivity enhancement of PCMs, the use of lithium salts, among others.
From 2013 to 2017, with the implementation of the toughest-ever clean air policy in China, significant declines in fine particle (PM2.5) concentrations occurred nationwide. Here we estimate the ...drivers of the improved PM2.5 air quality and the associated health benefits in China from 2013 to 2017 based on a measure-specific integrated evaluation approach, which combines a bottom-up emission inventory, a chemical transport model, and epidemiological exposure-response functions. The estimated national population–weighted annual mean PM2.5 concentrations decreased from 61.8 (95%CI: 53.3–70.0) to 42.0 μg/m³ (95% CI: 35.7–48.6) in 5 y, with dominant contributions from anthropogenic emission abatements. Although interannual meteorological variations could significantly alter PM2.5 concentrations, the corresponding effects on the 5-y trends were relatively small. The measure-by-measure evaluation indicated that strengthening industrial emission standards (power plants and emission-intensive industrial sectors), upgrades on industrial boilers, phasing out outdated industrial capacities, and promoting clean fuels in the residential sector were major effective measures in reducing PM2.5 pollution and health burdens. These measures were estimated to contribute to 6.6- (95% CI: 5.9–7.1), 4.4- (95% CI: 3.8–4.9), 2.8- (95% CI: 2.5–3.0), and 2.2- (95% CI: 2.0–2.5) μg/m³ declines in the national PM2.5 concentration in 2017, respectively, and further reduced PM2.5-attributable excess deaths by 0.37 million (95% CI: 0.35–0.39), or 92% of the total avoided deaths. Our study confirms the effectiveness of China’s recent clean air actions, and the measure-by-measure evaluation provides insights into future clean air policy making in China and in other developing and polluting countries.
Tuberculosis is a global health problem. Sunlight can trigger vitamin Dproduction, so it increases the immunity system. This study analysesNightingale's environmental theory through the effect of ...heliotherapy on theclinical improvements in individuals with tuberculosis. It was a quantitativestudy using a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest approach and acontrol group. In addition, the population was 59 individuals with tuberculosisin Depok Sleman District, Yogyakarta. Meanwhile, there were 24 respondentsby purposive sampling method. The intervention group at Depok 3 Public
Health Centre (PHC) was 17 respondents with heliotherapy and anti-tuberculosis drugs, while the control group at Depok 2 PHC was 17
respondents with anti-tuberculosis drugs. The independent variable washeliotherapy, while the dependent variable was the clinical improvementsconsisting of weight, cough, and shortness of breath. Heliotherapy wasconducted for four weeks with an intensity of four times a week for 25minutes a day. Instruments used weigh scale, Borg Scale, and Leicester cough
questionnaire. In addition, data analysis used the Wilcoxon Test and paired T-Test with a significance of 0.05. The results showed that there were clinical
improvements in the intervention group (p=0.000). In addition, there wereincreased clinical improvements in weight and cough scores in the controlgroup (p=0.000). However, there was no significant difference in the shortnessof breath score in the control group (p=0.06). In conclusion, the application ofNightingale's environmental theory through heliotherapy affects clinicalimprovements in individuals with tuberculosis.
The Lead (Pb) - Antimony (Sb) alloy derived from Jamesonite (Pb4FeSb6S14) using the "Roasting - Reduction Smelting" method is typically isolated through a separation method known as "High Temperature ...Ash Blowing - Low Temperature Ash Blowing - Electrolytic Refining". However, the "Low Temperature Ash Blowing" separation method encounters several challenges, including elevated production pressure of refined Pb, significant emissions of smoke and dust, and suboptimal separation efficiency. This study utilizes the "Vacuum Gasification - Fractional Condensation" method as an alternative to the "Low Temperature Ash Blowing" method. The experimental findings demonstrate that by implementing specific optimal experimental conditions, such as a condensation temperature range of 904–1054K, a vacuum degree of 5Pa, a gasification temperature of 1173K, a holding time of 7h, and a height-diameter ratio of 0.27, condensates with Sb content exceeding 99.5 wt% can be procured, resulting in a direct Sb yield of 33 %. The remaining residues, with an Sb content ranging from 14 to 15 wt%, serves as a valuable input for the "Electrolytic Refining" process. This utilization significantly alleviates the burden on refined Pb production during the "Electrolytic Refining" process. The treatment procedure does not require the utilization of chemical reagents, and it generates no wastewater or exhaust gas.
•A new method of "Vacuum Gasification - Fractional Condensation" for the separation of Pb-Sb alloy is proposed.•The migration patterns of Pb and Sb metal vapors were explored through the calculation of condensation rates.•The Sb's purity is greater than 99.5 wt%, and both intermediate products and residues can be effectively recovered.
The paper presents a confirmed case of a factory in the west of the country, where the stochastic modeling generated by the software was implemented into SAP. This project was born out of necessity. ...Thus, to keep the processes under control and contribute to their improvement, they must be monitored, measured and analyzed regularly. As long as the main process indicators are monitored, the need to take corrective or improvement actions (whether reorganization or additional investment is needed) can be detected in time so that the company’s performance does not decrease to the level where the customer is no longer satisfied of the quality of the delivered products or too high non-quality costs appear that will no longer allow the achievement of the established objectives (Besterfield, D. H. et al., 2011). The program is presented in detail, starting with the introduction of collected data, the processing and generation of indicator graphs. The indicators have high accuracy and greatly help in making decisions. Finally, an improvement in production can be observed following the use of this software (Bourne, M., & Bourne, P., 2012). The purpose of our study is to create a stochastic mathematical model. Starting from a specific condition in SMEs from Romania, this study presents possibilities of innovation in operational structures specialized in quality monitoring, traceability and statistical control based on integrated modules in general software. The innovation process is based on data collected and monitored in real-time from the manufacturing process in conditions where the system ensures quality compliance at all stages of production. Through its modern functionalities, blockages are eliminated, waste of time is avoided, materials and money are saved, and it strengthens the business partnerships and the company’s position in the market. Results regarding particular implementations are preserved. Data is collected and monitored in real-time and the system ensures quality compliance at all stages of production.
Adding mesopore networks in microporous materials using the principles of hierarchical structure design is recognized as a promising route for eliminating their transport limitations and, therefore, ...for improving their value in technological applications. Depending on the routes of physico-chemical procedures or post-synthesis treatments used, very different geometries of the intentionally-added transport mesopores can be obtained. Understanding the structure-dynamics relationships in these complex materials with multiple porosities under different thermodynamical conditions remains a challenging task. In this review, we summarize the results obtained so far on experimental and theoretical studies of diffusion in micro-mesoporous materials. By considering four common classes of bi-porous materials, which are differing by the inter-connectivities of their sup-spaces as one of the most important parameter determining the transport rates, we discuss their generic transport properties and correlate the results delivered by the equilibrium and non-equilibrium techniques of diffusion measurements.
Lithium solid electrolytes can potentially address two key limitations of the organic electrolytes used in today's lithium-ion batteries, namely, their flammability and limited electrochemical ...stability. However, achieving a Li(+) conductivity in the solid state comparable to existing liquid electrolytes (>1 mS cm(-1)) is particularly challenging. In this work, we reveal a fundamental relationship between anion packing and ionic transport in fast Li-conducting materials and expose the desirable structural attributes of good Li-ion conductors. We find that an underlying body-centred cubic-like anion framework, which allows direct Li hops between adjacent tetrahedral sites, is most desirable for achieving high ionic conductivity, and that indeed this anion arrangement is present in several known fast Li-conducting materials and other fast ion conductors. These findings provide important insight towards the understanding of ionic transport in Li-ion conductors and serve as design principles for future discovery and design of improved electrolytes for Li-ion batteries.
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