Ionogels are compelling materials for technological devices due to their excellent ionic conductivity, thermal and electrochemical stability, and non-volatility. However, most existing ionogels ...suffer from low strength and toughness. Here, we report a simple one-step method to achieve ultra-tough and stretchable ionogels by randomly copolymerizing two common monomers with distinct solubility of the corresponding polymers in an ionic liquid. Copolymerization of acrylamide and acrylic acid in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate results in a macroscopically homogeneous covalent network with in situ phase separation: a polymer-rich phase with hydrogen bonds that dissipate energy and toughen the ionogel; and an elastic solvent-rich phase that enables for large strain. These ionogels have high fracture strength (12.6 MPa), fracture energy (~24 kJ m
) and Young's modulus (46.5 MPa), while being highly stretchable (~600% strain) and having self-healing and shape-memory properties. This concept can be applied to other monomers and ionic liquids, offering a promising way to tune ionogel microstructure and properties in situ during one-step polymerization.
This paper studied the heat transfer characteristics of the upward vertical two-phase flow of air and water/SiO
2
nanofluid under constant heat flux conditions with a slug flow regime. An ...experimental setup has been erected. The test section included a vertical copper pipe with an 11 mm inner diameter and a 1.6 m length. The concentration range of nano-SiO
2
in the nanofluids was reported as 0.1–0.5 mass%. Also, 0.5 mass% of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was added to the base fluid as a surfactant in all of the tests. In order to control the slug flow regime according to the Beggs and Brill flow pattern map in the vertical pipe, liquid Reynolds numbers were controlled from 2100 to 9600 and gas Reynolds numbers were 820 to 1650. The results indicated higher heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and Nusselt numbers of air/aqueous nanosilica nanofluids relative to the two-phase flow of air/water with the same regime. In two-phase flows with maximum Reynolds numbers, the upmost HTC was obtained at 0.5 mass% of nanosilica. The simulation results presented an average relative error less than 10%, which indicates that the experimental and simulation results are in good agreement.
Graphical abstract
Despite the fact that fossil fuel resources can produce a substantial amount of hydrogen, their pollution level is concerning, and their reserves are depleting. Consequently, the use of renewable ...resources like biogas in the production of chemicals could benefit from the high potential of these sources alone or in combination with fossil fuels. Both carbon dioxide and methane are present in biogas, making it an excellent renewable energy source. In this study, three models of hydrogen production from fossil sources (natural gas), renewable energy sources (biogas), and a combination of fossil and renewable sources were evaluated using a multicriteria decision-making technique. The calculated and compared parameters included the net energy efficiency of the process, the total carbon dioxide emission flow rate, the carbon dioxide emission intensity, the hydrogen production intensity, and the annual total cost. According to the results, the production of hydrogen from natural gas results in the highest amount of carbon dioxide emissions (8.76
m
˙
CO
2
m
˙
H
2
) for (3.31
t
H
2
t
feed
) of hydrogen production. Biogas combination with natural gas (combined feedstock) has the highest exergy (80.84%) and energy (81.62%) efficiency compared to the other two methods. In addition, the TAC for the combined process is the lowest of the three scenarios (TAC = $31.35 M). Due to the limitation of fossil fuel resources, combining renewable energy sources with fossil fuels enhances the thermodynamic performance of the system while reducing the required capital.
Urban planners, local authorities, and energy policymakers often develop strategic sustainable energy plans for the urban building stock in order to minimize overall energy consumption and emissions. ...Planning at such scales could be informed by building stock modeling using existing building data and Geographic Information System-based mapping. However, implementing these processes involves several issues, namely, data availability, data inconsistency, data scalability, data integration, geocoding, and data privacy. This research addresses the aforementioned information challenges by proposing a generalized integrated methodology that implements bottom-up, data-driven, and spatial modeling approaches for multi-scale Geographic Information System mapping of building energy modeling. This study uses the Irish building stock to map building energy performance at multiple scales. The generalized data-driven methodology uses approximately 650,000 Irish Energy Performance Certificates buildings data to predict more than 2 million buildings’ energy performance. In this case, the approach delivers a prediction accuracy of 88% using deep learning algorithms. These prediction results are then used for spatial modeling at multiple scales from the individual building level to a national level. Furthermore, these maps are coupled with available spatial resources (social, economic, or environmental data) for energy planning, analysis, and support decision-making. The modeling results identify clusters of buildings that have a significant potential for energy savings within any specific region. Geographic Information System-based modeling aids stakeholders in identifying priority areas for implementing energy efficiency measures. Furthermore, the stakeholders could target local communities for retrofit campaigns, which would enhance the implementation of sustainable energy policy decisions.
•Evaluation of existing approaches for GIS-based building energy and data modeling.•Generalized methodology to predict building energy performance on a large scale.•Data-driven approaches for GIS-based building energy modeling.•Formulated GIS maps identify areas with energy savings potential.•The study facilitates energy planning, analysis, and supports decision-making.
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is associated with peripheral and central nervous system tumors. It is noteworthy that the regions in which these tumors frequently arise are the optic pathways (OPs) ...and the brainstem. Thus, we decided to trace the procedure of diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) alterations along with Short-Wavelength Automated Perimetry (SWAP) examinations of the OPs after surgery and chemotherapy over 1 year, which enabled us to evaluate chemotherapy's efficacy in an NF1 patient with an OP tumor. In this study, a 25-year-old woman with NF1 and left optic radiation (OR) glioma underwent surgery to remove the glioma. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed a Pilocytic Astrocytoma (PA) WHO grade I. Post-operation chemotherapy done using nine treatment cycles of administering Temozolomide (TMZ) for 5 days every 4 weeks. Applying the region of interest (ROI) differential tractography method and SWAP four times every 3 months allowed us to follow the patient's visual acuity alterations longitudinally. The differential deterministic tractography method and statistical analyses enabled us to discover the white matter (WM) tracts anisotropy alterations over time. Furthermore, statistical analyses on the SWAP results along time illustrated possible alterations in visual acuity. Then, we could compare and associate the findings with the SWAP examinations and patient symptoms longitudinally. Statistical analyses of SWAP tests revealed a significant improvement in visual fields, and longitudinal differential tractography showed myelination and dense axonal packing in the left OR after 1 year of treatment. In this study, we examined an old hypothesis suggesting that chemotherapy is more effective than radiotherapy for NF1 patients with OP gliomas (OPGs) because of the radiation side effects on the visual field, cognition, and cerebrovascular complications. Our longitudinal clinical case study involving dMRI and SWAP on a single NF1-OPG patient showed that chemotherapy did not suppress the OP myelination over time. However, it should be noted that this is a clinical case study, and, therefore, the generalization of results is limited. Future investigations might focus on genetic-based imaging, particularly in more cases. Further, meta-analyses are recommended for giving a proper Field Of View (FOV) to researchers as a subtle clue regarding precision medicine.
Quantitative estimation of mechanical characteristics of soils and determination of their behavior using in-situ experiments have always been one of the main concerns of geotechnical engineers. So ...far, various methods have been introduced to achieve this goal, among which the Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) test has become more popular as one of the most accurate and efficient methods. Therefore, in this study, an attempt was made to examine the correlation between different soil parameters by performing DCP test along with a series of conventional tests including Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) tests on marl soil samples containing 2, 5, 8% lime at 1, 7 and 15 curing days. Furthermore, since the subgrade reaction coefficient (Ks) is needed in the design of pavements and their underlying materials, Plate Load Test (PLT) was performed to determine Ks. The results showed that the addition of lime up to 5% increased UCS, CBR and Ks and decreased dynamic penetrometer index (DPI) of marl soil samples. Further addition of lime had a negative effect on the mechanical characteristics of the samples. Moreover, using the equations obtained from the correlations in this study, strength characteristics and subgrade reaction coefficient of the stabilized marl soil can be estimated by knowing the DPI of the samples. The results of this study showed that the use of the DCP test as a cheap and easy-to-use method can provide a comprehensive view of soil behavior in civil engineering projects with an acceptable coefficient of determination to geotechnical engineers.
Marl soil; Lime; DCP; CBR; PLT.
In this study, a new method for the LNG has been proposed based on the SMR process. In the proposed process, an ORC is added to the conventional SMR process and the BOG is used as a coolant in the ...main heat exchanger. ASPEN HYSYS software utilizing the Peng–Robinson equation of state is used to simulate the SMR and SMR-ORC. The specific energy consumption, total exergy efficiency, and carbon dioxide emissions of the proposed method are compared with the conventional SMR process. Finally, an economic evaluation was performed on both processes. The simulation results showed that in the conventional process the total exergy efficiency and specific energy consumption are 34% and 647 kWhton, respectively, while in the proposed process the total exergy efficiency has reached 39% and the energy consumption is reduced to 472 kWhton. Also, the environmental assessment of carbon dioxide emissions from the production of electrical energy required by pumps and compressors showed that the proposed process has 28.51% less carbon dioxide emissions than the conventional SMR method.
In this study, we developed a model based on a SAH. We can enhance air turbulence by creating a non-flat plate on a SAH absorber using a ratio of (e/H = 6), thereby increasing the solar collector’s ...convective heat transfer coefficient, Nusselt number, and thermal performance. A validation experiment was conducted to determine the accuracy of the developed model. Ray tracing and FEM simulation techniques were used to analyze the optical and thermal properties of the system simultaneously. Various operational and structural conditions were applied to analyze the system’s thermal performance under inhomogeneous heat flux on the absorber’s surface. The data demonstrate that non-flat plate surfaces contribute to wall-induced turbulence, which affects air temperatures. Outcomes demonstrate that mass flow rate excessively affects thermal efficiency, useful energy, and outlet temperatures. Thus, when the inlet air flow rate increases from 0.02 to 0.06 kg/s, the average hot air temperature at the SAC outlet during the daytime reduces from 55.6 to 47.82 °C, applicable heat energy increase from 646.5 to 970 W, and the average thermal efficiency increased from 28.8 to 54.7 %. Instantaneous non-flat absorber plates increased average thermal efficiency and heat transfer coefficient (h) to 9.10 and 27.24 % compared with flat plate absorbers (e/H = 1) at the same mass flow rate (0.05 kg/s). The highest Nusselt number increase observed during the day is 141.5% for non-flat plate compared to flat plates.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most important comorbid condition in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Dysregulated expression of non-coding RNA families has a critical role in RA-associated ...inflammatory events, including cardiovascular manifestations. The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)- HIX003209 has a role in RA associated inflammation. In the current study, we investigated the association of HIX003209 and its downstream microRNA, miR-6089, with various cardiovascular and inflammatory biomarkers in RA patients.
60 RA patients, including 30 newly diagnosed and 30 on-treatment patients were recruited in this study, and 30 healthy people were selected as a control group. The gene expression of HIX003209, miR-6089, and CXCR3 were measured using Real-time PCR. The CVD risk was measured using Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) and Framingham Risk Score (FRS).
The gene expression of LncRNA-HIX003209 was elevated significantly in newly-diagnosed compared to under-treatment and control groups (p < 0.05). The miR-6089 gene expression was elevated significantly in under-treatment RA patients group compared to control group (p < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between LncRNA-HIX003209 with CXCR3 gene expression (p < 0.01, r = 0.341). There was a significantly negative correlation between the gene expression of miR-6089 with DAS-28 (p < 0.05, r = −0.309), NT-proBNP plasma level (p = 0.039, r = −0.268), and CXCL9 plasma level (p < 0.001, r = −0.421).
Regarding its anti-inflammatory effects, miR-6089 may play an important role in preventing the pathological events of cardiovascular disorders in RA patients, through its inhibitory effects on inflammatory chemokines, such as CXCL9, and NT-ProBNP. Higher expression of LncRNA-HIX003209 may disrupt the anti-inflammatory effect of miR-6089 in RA patients.
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