This cross-sectional study explored the prevalence of sarcopenia in older adults with type 2 diabetes and investigated the effects of diet and physical activity on sarcopenia. In total, 577 older ...adults with diabetes were recruited from a teaching hospital in Taiwan. Diet and physical activity were assessed using self-rated questionnaires, including the Healthy Diet Inventory, the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form. Sarcopenia was defined in accordance with the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 guidelines. In total, 51.12% of participants had either possible sarcopenia, sarcopenia, or severe sarcopenia. Participants who were female, old age, prolonged sedentary times, poor nutritional status, and lower level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were identified as risk factors for possible to severe sarcopenia. Older adults with diabetes and possible to severe sarcopenia had poor nutrition status and engaged in inadequate physical activity. The findings indicate that sarcopenia may be related to nutrition status and physical activity, especially in older adults with diabetes.
The design of an ultrathin, conformal electronic device that integrates electrotactile stimulation with electromyography, temperature, and strain sensing in a single, simple platform is reported. ...Experiments demonstrate simultaneous use of multiple modes of operation of this type of device in the sensorimotor control of robotic systems, in the monitoring of lower back exertion and in muscle stimulation.
Context
This study primarily investigates the changes in carbon adsorption capacity and hydrogen adsorption capacity on the anode catalyst surface when using methane fuel and mixed gas fuel as the ...anode fuel for SOFC systems. To reduce the carbon adsorption capacity of the commonly used anode catalyst—nickel-based catalysts—towards hydrocarbon fuels, copper and gold are doped into the nickel-based catalysts to compare the effects on carbon and hydrogen adsorption capacities. Moreover, aside from calculating the carbon and hydrogen adsorption capacities, this project also evaluates the impact of mixed gas effects and doping effects on SOFC performance through the analysis of hydrogen diffusion coefficients and performance polarization curves. The findings reveal a noteworthy enhancement in the diffusion coefficient of syngas within the Au-doped Ni catalyst, showing an improvement of up to 45.46% at 973 K. Furthermore, the electrical power generated by syngas in the Au-doped Ni catalyst at 973 K demonstrates an increase of up to 12.06%.
Methods
This study primarily employs DFT to calculate the carbon and hydrogen adsorption energies on methane, utilizing CASTEP for the calculations. During these calculations, the adsorption energy is determined through a three-layer surface approach, in conjunction with the Kohn–Sham equations, combining the Generalized Gradient Approximation and ultrasoft pseudopotentials for TS-search calculations. On the other hand, this project will analyze the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen on the anode catalyst using MD methods combined with the ReaxFF potential field, with GULP being utilized to complete all dynamics calculation theories. Finally, the project will analyze the performance of SOFC cells, incorporating relevant numerical equations with Matlab for numerical analysis.
This paper presents the work for efficiency enhancement on a hybrid power system with an irreversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) and Stirling Engine (SE) for various system design using the ...approach of finite-time thermodynamics. The SOFC-based cogeneration system was integrated with an SE and several heat components. The effects of design configurations using various interface components on system performance were investigated. By analyzing the SE with finite-time thermodynamics and considering multiple irreversible factors of output power given by the SOFC, the efficiency of the calculation can be more practical and accurate. In this study, the working efficiency of the proposed hybrid system was enhanced by 16.37% compared to that of the conventional system at an intermediate temperature of 873 K. The design approach proposed herein is considered an essential package for building highly efficient power systems working in the intermediate temperature range.
This study focused on the erosion development and dynamics of gravelly debris flow at the Houyenshan watershed through geomorphology interpretation, field investigation, and discrete-element method. ...The study constructed a discrete-element method to simulate the process of gravelly debris flow and determine the scope of influence with regard to deposition. Then, the study integration of the interpretation, field investigation, and simulation results to evaluate erosion and landslide hazard in study area. The results of the integrated study show that of the five major pits, pit No. 3 has the most active erosion development, and a large number of debris flow alluvial fans are accumulated downstream, causing the main road to be interrupted and the main river to change the flow direction. At present, there are still have many tension cracks and local seepage can be seen on the slope surface, causing the gravel slope in the source area to appear unstable. Finally, the results can serve as a reference for disaster prevention, mapping and zoning of the areas susceptible to geological hazards, and associated mitigation project planning.
Fe2O3 as an economic dopant for 8YSZ electrolytes can indeed improve the oxygen ion transport ability in the middle working temperature. Based upon this research, using 4% Fe2O3 to be a dopant for ...8YSZ has the highest oxygen ion conductivity. Also, no matter doping Fe2O3 into 8YSZ or not, temperature effect can truly influence electrolyte’s oxygen transport.
Display omitted
The present work investigates Fe2O3 doping as a method of improving the oxygen ion conductivity (OIC) of electrolytes in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) working in a temperature range between 773 K and 973 K. Yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ), which alone does not have an OIC sufficiently high for working in the specified temperature range, is used as the electrolyte in the present work. A molecular dynamics (MD) modelling approach is employed to simulate the electrolyte, and the oxygen ion conductivity is characterised and examined for a range of doping proportions and working temperatures. Modelling results indicate that there exists an upper limit of oxygen vacancy concentration for doped 8YSZ electrolytes, and that the optimum OIC is achieved by an 8YSZ electrolyte doped with approximately 4% Fe2O3. Also reported are several other findings that might be of interest to future studies on the performance of electrolytes.
Several studies have suggested that physical activity and sedentary behavior are strongly and independently associated with body composition and obesity. However, few studies have investigated ...whether substituting sedentary time with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is associated with body composition in older adults, especially among those older than 75 years.
This study examined the associations between replacing sedentary time with physical activity and obesity indices in a sample of 199 community-dwelling older Taiwanese adults (52.3% women; 80.6 ± 7.0 years). Physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured using the triaxial accelerometer (GT3X+, ActiGraph). Body composition indices were computed through a bioelectrical impedance analysis of body fat percentage and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index. Waist circumference and body mass index were measured by trained personnel. Isotemporal substitution analyses estimated these associations after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and nutritional status.
The study showed that substituting 30 min of sedentary behavior per day with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with lower body fat percentage (B = -1.408, 95% CI = -2.55, -0.264), body mass index (B = -0.681, 95% CI = -1.300, -0.061), and waist circumference (B = -2.301, 95% CI = -4.062, -0.539) after adjusting for covariates. Substituting 30 min of light physical activity per day with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with lower waist circumference (B = -2.230, 95% CI = -4.173, -0.287) after adjusting for covariates. Stratified analyses indicated that associations were stronger in youngest-old older adults, and in older adults with a normal nutritional status (vs. underweight status).
These findings confirm the importance of reducing sedentary behavior and increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among older adults to improve their physical health, as well as highlighting the importance of taking into account nutritional status and age group.
This paper investigates the oxygen ion conductivity (OIC) of cathodic materials in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) by molecular dynamics simulation. Although the oxygen diffusion coefficient (ODC) is ...known to be one of the major factors associated with the ion conductivity of cathodic materials in the SOFC, other major process factors are remained to be further investigated so that the related oxygen ion conductivity can be fully characterized and enhanced. In order to search for significant factors that affect the OIC in cathode, the characteristics of doping effect and temperature change are simulated via Molecular Dynamics approach and the results are presented in details in this study. Based upon the modeling results, it is realized that the OIC at 773 K can be greatly improved by using the catalyst of Gd1-xBaxCoyFe1-y (GBCF). And also, the highest OIC at 973 K can be greatly enhanced by using the catalyst of La1-xSrxCoyFe1-y (LSCF).
In addition, the modeling results also indicate that both the doping ratio and operating temperature are of significant factors for both ODC and OIC. Although ODC is a metrics that can be used to evaluate the mobility of oxygen ions inside the catalyst for cathode materials, it does not comprehend the characters of materials. In order to be able to fully characterize the conductivity of cathodic materials in SOFC, significant factors of OIC including the lattice structure of materials, the concentration of oxygen vacancy, and the operating temperature are fully explored in this paper for detailed system characterization.
The modeling results clearly indicate that as the working temperature increasing from 773K to 973K, the largest OIC change is given by LSCF, and the smallest OIC change is provided by GBCF. Also, the ODC curve of the GBCF possesses highest ODC values in medium working temperature range due to large numbers of oxygen vacancy generated by the cathode.
The modeling results also indicate that the doping ratio and molecular structure of cathodic materials are of significant factors that can change the concentration of oxygen vacancy, and thus influences on the OIC. The OIC is also significantly influenced by temperature change as well for different cathodic materials. As for the effective working temperature increasing from 773K to 973K, La0.7Sr0.3Co0.7Fe0.3 gives the largest OIC change, and Gd0.7Ba0.3CO0.5Fe0.5 gives the smallest change. Display omitted
The objective of this paper is to search for new electrolyte materials with high conductivity to work in a middle working temperature range between 673 K and 1073 K for SOFC in order to lower down ...industrials manufacturing cost (Tucker, 2010). Since Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is known as an electrolyte material for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) at high temperature and is relatively low in the middle temperature range, in view of the circumstance, there is a need to search for new electrolyte materials for doping to enhance the Oxygen Ion Conductivity (OIC). In this study Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation is employed as a tool to search for great doped electrolytes that can enhance the OIC for higher performance numerically. Several new findings are obtained and reported in the context that can be used as standards to be concurrently used for YSZ electrolytes efficiency enhancement. By employing different dopants in combination of Fe2O3, ZnO, MgO, CuO and BaO with YSZ to enhance the ion conductivity of YSZ electrolytes for the middle as well as full-range working temperature for the SOFC. Subsequently, this study is able to conclude with some suitable dopants of Fe2O3 with 8YSZ in the middle working temperature range, which the best OIC is also pointed out.
PDF
