Heat Retention Research Articles

Realgar Alleviated Neuroinflammation Induced by High Protein and High Calorie Diet in Rats via the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis.

Purpose: Gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome (GHRS) often occurs in adolescents, resulting into nervous system injury. Realgar, an arsenic mineral with neuroprotective effect, has been widely used to treat GHRS. However, its mechanism of action remains unknown. Methods: A GHRS rat model was established using a high protein and high calorie diet. We performed macroscopic characterization by assessing bowel sounds, hot/cold preference, anal temperature, and fecal features. Atomic fluorescence spectroscopy was employed to evaluate brain arsenic level while hippocampal ultrastructural changes were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy. In addition, inflammatory cytokines and BBB breakdown were analyzed by western blotting, immunofluorescence assays, and immunohistochemistry staining. We also evaluated hippocampal metabolites by LC-MS while fecal microorganisms were assessed by 16S rDNA sequencing. Results: Our data showed that the high protein and high calorie diet induced GHRS. The rat model depicted decreased bowel sounds, increased fecal characteristics score, preference for low temperature zone, and increased anal temperature. In addition, there was increase in inflammatory factors IL-6, Iba-1, and NF-κB p65 as well as reduced BBB structural protein Claudin-5 and Occludin. The data also showed appearance of hippocampus metabolites disorder and fecal microbial imbalance. Realgar treatment conferred a neuroprotective effect by inhibiting GHRS-specific characteristics, neuroinflammatory response, BBB impairment, metabolites disorder, and microbial imbalance in the GHRS rat model. Conclusion: Taken together, our analysis demonstrated that realgar confers a neuroprotective effect in GHRS rats through modulation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Assessment of graphene oxide clay wall performance as an efficient active heating system

In this study, the potential of using a wall made of Graphene Oxide Bricks (GOB) as a heating system is analyzed. This study explains the properties of these bricks considering the concentration of graphene oxide based on a study conducted by Wuhan Polytechnic university. The simulation in Designbuilder software shows that the heat gains in the coldest day in Ifrane from using the wall as a heating system are about 29.91 kwh; furthermore, the temperature inside the house has increased from 11.07 °C to a comfortable temperature of 21.61 °C in 13 min. From the design analysis it was concluded that the wall made of GOB should be used as a separation wall to reduce the heat exchange with the outside. The length of the wall was optimized based on the targeted power density and the concentration of graphene oxide in the bricks. It was also concluded that covering this heating system with a layer of clay bricks will increase the heat retention inside the building. The comparison study between heating systems shows that graphene clay breaks have a higher specific heat capacity and heat retention than the heating elements usually used in resistive heating: in other words, the GO wall retains heat for longer periods of time than the other resistive heating systems. The second simulation conducted analysed the thermal mass of the building and the effect of the heat retention of the GO wall; it was concluded that no heating is needed for 13.5 h when the GO wall is used, on the other hand, no heating is need for 7 h when another heating system is used. The 6.5 h difference between these two scenarios is the thermal lag of the GO wall.

Thermal-Stress Characteristics of a Large Area Additive Manufacturing

This study investigates the thermal-stress characteristics of a large area additive manufacturing to determine a failed additively manufactured build’s temperature profile history and distortion. A thermal-stress simulation model was constructed to recreate the printing process and overall geometry of an experimental build made by material extrusion additive manufacturing. Each layer in the model was created independently, which allows for element birth/death commands and individual layer mesh parameters. The model was developed to use the temperature-dependent heat transfer and mechanical material properties of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. The temperature profile of the transient thermal-stress model agrees with the experimental thermal profile within a 5% error. The temperature profile results show exponential cooling taking place in the build. Additionally, as the layer print time decreases the heat retention increases the number of layers where the layer temperature is above the glass transition temperature. The stress profile and distortion results from the simulation show that the slumping failure mechanism is caused by a combination of the geometry distortion, heat retention, and material properties.

Fabric-based superhydrophobic MXene@ polypyrrole heater with superior dual-driving energy conversion

Superhydrophobic conductive materials have gained more attention due to their broad applications in oil–water separation, electromagnetic shielding, and wearable heaters. With their inherent softness and breathability, fabrics are an excellent choice for wearable heater substrates. In this work, we decorate MXene(Ti3C2Tx) and Polypyrrole (PPy) on the surface of the fabric fibers by adopting a simple method of dip-coating and in situ growth. The surface is modified with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to obtain a superhydrophobic conductive fabric (MXene@PPy/PDMS fabric). The MXene@PPy/ PDMS fabric retains the original softness and breathability of the fabric and has excellent electrical conductivity, outstanding superhydrophobicity, good chemical stability, and mechanical durability. In addition, it also exhibits excellent electrical and photothermal heating performance. Impressively, arising from the superior Joule heating capacity and photothermal conversion performance, the Mxene@PPy/PDMS fabric also proves excellent dewatering and deicing capacity. As one of the promising applications, the Mxene@PPy/PDMS fabric exhibits the effectiveness and feasibility of hyperthermia, heat retention, and deicing.

Pyomyositis after COVID-19 vaccine and Why Does This Infection Not Respond to Antibiotics Treatment?

Introduction: Pyomyositis is a bacterial infection caused mainly by gram-positive bacteria of the skeletal muscle and can lead to abscess formation. In this article, I will show one case of pyomyositis after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine that does not improve with the use of antibiotics. Purpose: the purpose of this study is to show another type of pyomyositis induced by the injection of the COVID-19 vaccine in a patient with energy deficiency in the internal five massive organs, responsible for the production of Yin, Yang, Qi, and Blood, important to maintaining our health and the reduction of these energies caused by the injected vaccine caused the formation of internal Heat or Fire, leading to clinical manifestation of infectious symptoms, in this case, pyomyositis. Methods: one case report of 72 years-old female patients with chronic pyomyositis formation in the left coxofemoral region since 2020, that began after the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. She was submitted to antibiotics and drainage of the infection and abscess formation since the beginning of this infection without any improvement of her infection symptoms (the last antibiotics used was vancomycin for 4 weeks). The infectious disease doctor told her that he does not have any other kind of treatment to do in her case. It was measured her internal five massive organs’ energy (Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lungs, and Kidney) using a crystal pendulum when she went to my clinic. Results: all her internal massive organs were in the lowest level of energy, rated one out of eight. The treatment of her condition consisted of Chinese dietary counseling, auricular acupuncture with apex ear bloodletting, systemic acupuncture, and homeopathy medications called Sulphur 6CH 5 globules three times per day. It also used homeopathy medications according to the theory Constitutional Homeopathy of the Five Elements Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and crystal-based medications. It was suspended all antibiotics medications that were worsening her clinical condition. All tools used were important to complete recovery of her infection without using any kind of antibiotics. Conclusion: the conclusion of this study is that patients with pyomyositis after the COVID-19 vaccine were caused due to energy deficiency in the five massive organs that the patient had prior to the COVID-19 vaccine and the use of this type of vaccine caused a drop even more of the internal energy, that was already very low, leading to the formation of Heat retention or Fire and formation of infectious process symptoms, in this case, pyomyositis. The treatment of this condition, rebalancing these energies and taking out the Heat (using an appropriate diet and apex ear bloodletting), and replenishing the internal five massive organs using homeopathy medications according to the theory Constitutional Homeopathy of the Five Elements Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and crystal-based medications are very important tools used in this patient and also, the suspension of all antibiotics use to the treatment of this infection at the beginning of her clinical manifestation was important to do not reduce even more the internal energy, that was already very low, leading to worsening of production of internal Fire, causing the manifestation of pain and infection inside the muscle.

Optimization of the Construction System of Relief Tents Used in Emergency Accommodation

INTRODUCTION: The frequency of natural disasters is high in Iran due to its special climatic and geophysical conditions. However, the provision of better services to trauma victims requires further research. Decisions on emergency accommodation and meeting the needs of the victims are often made in conditions of uncertainty, and the lack of appropriate studies leads to the provision of low-quality and intermittent services. METHODS: This applied and descriptive-analytical study was conducted to determine the advantages and disadvantages of relief tents using documentary and library resources, observation, and interviews with officials and experts, and the effective standards for the construction system of emergency accommodation. The thermal comfort of the victims was then investigated using the guidelines of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), interviews with the victims, and field tests. Moreover, solutions are introduced for the improvement and optimization of relief tents, and a new building system is introduced for the emergency accommodation of victims in incidents by removing the disadvantages of the systems previously used in emergency accommodation. FINDINGS: According to the observations and investigations, the previously used emergency shelters do not meet the needs of the accident survivors properly and their design does not correspond to the users’ culture and needs. The problems with the current accommodating methods include lack of privacy, lack of protection against disturbing cold and heat, and inappropriate and non-standard dimensions of the existing tents. Solutions have been presented to solve the existing problems and a new system for emergency accommodation has been introduced based on field observations and interviews with experts. CONCLUSION: It is noteworthy that the votes of 22 percent of people are in the range of slightly warm to slightly cold; which shows that these people are satisfied with their accommodation regarding thermal comfort. 78 percent of the people's votes were outside the satisfaction range. Due to the chambered structure of the tent, direct sunlight in the summer, the lack of proper air exchange, the weakness of the structural components of the tent and the lack of heat retention in the winter, proper mechanical systems should be used to provide thermal comfort, which is not feasible in practice due to the extent of the incidents and large amounts of equipment and resources needed which bolds the importance of the proposed construction system.

Blown Composite Films of Low-Density/Linear-Low-Density Polyethylene and Silica Aerogel for Transparent Heat Retention Films and Influence of Silica Aerogel on Biaxial Properties.

Blown films based on low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and silica aerogel (SA; 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 wt.%) were obtained at the pilot scale. Good particle dispersion and distribution were achieved without thermo oxidative degradation. The effects of different SA contents (0.5–1.5 wt.%) were studied to prepare transparent-heat-retention LDPE/LLDPE films with improved material properties, while maintaining the optical performance. The optical characteristics of the composite films were analyzed using methods such as ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Their mechanical characteristics were examined along the machine and transverse directions (MD and TD, respectively). The MD film performance was better, and the 0.5% composition exhibited the highest stress at break. The crystallization kinetics of the LDPE/LLDPE blends and their composites containing different SA loadings were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, which revealed that the crystallinity of LDPE/LLDPE was increased by 0.5 wt.% of well-dispersed SA acting as a nucleating agent and decreased by agglomerated SA (1–1.5 wt.%). The LDPE/LLDPE/SA (0.5–1.5 wt.%) films exhibited improved infrared retention without compromising the visible light transmission, proving the potential of this method for producing next-generation heat retention films. Moreover, these films were biaxially drawn at 13.72 MPa, and the introduction of SA resulted in lower draw ratios in both the MD and TD. Most of the results were explained in terms of changes in the biaxial crystallization caused by the process or the influence of particles on the process after a systematic experimental investigation. The issues were strongly related to the development of blown nanocomposites films as materials for the packaging industry.

Investigation of moisture vapor permeability and thermal comfort properties of ceramic embedded fabrics for protective clothing

This study examined the water and moisture vapor permeable and thermal wear comfort of different ceramic imbedded fabrics for workwear protective clothing, and the results are discussed in terms of the thermal radiation and the emissivity characteristics of these fabrics. The water and moisture vapor permeable and thermal wear comfort properties of the ceramic-imbedded fabrics incorporating aluminum oxide (Al2O3)/graphite, zinc oxide (ZnO)/zirconium carbide (ZrC) and ZnO/antimony tin oxide (ATO) were superior to those of the regular polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics due to the greater heat emission of the ceramic-imbedded fabrics. Of three ceramic imbedded fabrics, ZnO/ATO-imbedded fabric exhibited poorer water absorbing and drying properties than those of the Al2O3/graphite and ZnO/ZrC ceramic-imbedded fabrics. The heat retention rate and breathability were also inferior to those of the Al2O3/graphite and ZnO/ZrC ceramic-imbedded fabrics, which were due to the lower far-infrared (FIR) emissivity of the ZnO/ATO-imbedded fabrics. Summarizing the water and moisture vapor permeable and thermal wear comfort properties with heat release characteristics of the different ceramic imbedded PET fabrics, Al2O3 and ZrC ceramic particles imparted a good wear comfort characteristics with superior heat release property, whereas, the ZnO and ATO ceramic particles imbedded fabrics exhibited inferior water and moisture vapor permeable and thermal wear comfort due to the lower heat release of ZnO particles and the heat shielding effect of ATO particles, which is supposed to impart an uncomfortable feeling while wearing workwear protective clothing in cold/dry environments in cold weather regions. These findings suggest that ZnO and ATO particles need to be mixed with ZrC and Al2O3 particles in the yarns to enhance wear comfort of workwear protective clothing.

Energy Alterations in Patient with Malignant Thyroid Tumor and How Can We Treat It without Doing Surgery, Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy

Introduction:Malignant thyroid tumor is considered a cancer in the parenquima cell of the gland. There are two major types of cells consisted in follicular cells (that represents 90-95% of all thyroid malignancies) and perifollicular cells. Purpose:the purpose of this study is to show that it is possible to treat malignant thyroid tumor without using surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy only rebalancing the internal energy of Yin, Yang, Qi, Blood and taking out Heat retention through Chinese medicine’s tools (Chinese dietary counseling, auricular acupuncture with apex ear bloodletting and systemic acupuncture, and replenishment of internal massive organs using homeopathy medications according to the theory Constitutional Homeopathy of the Five Elements Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and crystal-based medications. Methods:Through one case report of 70-year-old female patient with malignant thyroid tumor diagnosed in the gynecology routine exam (2018), and she was referred to head and each surgeon. He marked to do the surgery two months after the diagnosis. During the interval between the diagnosis and the surgery (two months), she went to do some acupuncture sessions associating with Chinese dietary counseling and radiesthesia procedure, that showed that all her internal massive organs were in the lowest level of energy, rated one out eight, with exception of the seventh chakra, that was normal, rated in eight. Results: The results of the treatment were that after two months of treatment, she was submitted to the surgery that revealed that the malignant tumor become begin and she did not need to take out the thyroid any more. Conclusion:the conclusion of the study was that malignant thyroid tumor could be treated without using surgery or chemotherapy or radiotherapy only using Chinese tools to rebalance of energy of Yin, Yang, Qi and Blood and take out the internal Heat using apex ear bloodletting. The replenishment of the internal massive organs’ energy using homeopathy medications also are very important tools used by these patients because they can increase the vital energy, contrary when you use highly concentrated medications, that can induce the reduction in this energy worsening in this case the energy deficient state, predisposing the patient to have metastasis or other complications due to this reduction in the energy.

Effect of tube-in-tube configuration on thermal performance of coaxial-type ground heat exchanger

Among various types of ground heat exchangers (GHEXs or GHEs), a coaxial-type GHEX exhibits outstanding thermal performance owing to the geometric characteristics of the concentric tube-in-tube configuration. In this study, the unique configuration of the coaxial-type GHEX was investigated through parametric studies, which provided the energy efficient configuration. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed and verified by using the field test results for the coaxial-type GHEX constructed in a test bed. Then, the parametric studies were conducted using the developed CFD model for various influential factors (i.e., flow rate of a circulating fluid, hydraulic diameter, and thermal conductivities of inner pipe and bentonite grout), which were selected considering the tube-in-tube configuration. The thermal performance of the coaxial-type GHEX increased with an increase in the flow rate of a circulating fluid and the thermal conductivity of bentonite grout. In addition, the inner pipes of the coaxial-type GHEX should be composed of materials with a thermal conductivity lower than 0.025 W/(m⋅K) to relieve thermal interference between the outer and inner pipes. Notably, it was concluded that the coaxial-type GHEX should be designed to secure the sufficient heat exchangeable area and retention capacity of the circulating fluid.

Relative Heating Effectiveness and the Decline of the Soapstone Cooking Vessel in Eastern North America

ABSTRACT During the North American Late Archaic Period, people produced ceramic vessels from clay and stone vessels from soapstone. While both ceramic and soapstone vessels proliferated across eastern North America, the former evolved and endured into the subsequent periods, while the latter declined. Here, we conducted an experiment to assess heating effectiveness between soapstone and ceramic vessels. We examined heating rate, ability to boil, heat retention, and thermal shock resistance. We predicted that if cooking performance contributed to the decline of soapstone vessels, then they would perform poorly relative to ceramic vessels. Our results did not support that hypothesis and revealed soapstone vessels were significantly more likely to reach a boil. We consider three other related factors: (1) sourcing and production costs; (2) subsistence change; and (3) exchange and mobility, which may have contributed to the decline of the soapstone cooking vessel and the continued investment in ceramic technology.

Structural and functional characteristics of microbiota in oropharynx of sub-healthy children with gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome differentiated by traditional Chinese medicine

To explore the structural and functional characteristics of microbiota in oropharynx of sub-healthy children with gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome (GHRS) differentiated by traditional Chinese medicine, and screen the biometric operational taxonomic units (OTUs) to assist the clinical diagnosis. We recruited children according to the “GHRS diagnostic scale”, collected their oropharyngeal swabs, and sequenced the 16S rDNA V4 region. We described the bacterial structure with alpha-indexes, beta-distances, and relative abundances; moreover, we screened the differential genera/OTUs with Wilcoxon rank-sum test, MetagenomeSeq analysis, and linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis, in which biometric OTUs were selected to construct the receiver operating characteristic curve to verify the diagnostic value. The bacterial function was predicted with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways according to 16S rDNA gene by using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States. The study population was composed of 10 children with GHRS and 10 healthy control children. GHRS children were more likely to overeat (gluttony, P = .033). Alpha-indexes, such as Sobs, abundance-based coverage estimator, Bootstrap, and Qstat, were significantly higher in the GHRS group, while beta-distances did not exhibit any significant intergroup differences. There were 9 differently distributed non-predominant genera between the groups in Wilcoxon rank-sum test, as well as 13 non-predominant genera in MetagenomeSeq analysis and 3 non-predominant OTUs in LEfSe analysis. OTU44 and OTU196 were used to construct the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the area under curve was 0.92. Predicted functions showed that pathways related to oxidative phosphorylation and carbon metabolism were enriched in healthy control samples, while the pathway related to renin secretion was remarkably enriched in GHRS samples. Unique oropharyngeal microbial structure and function were identified in GHRS children. OTU44 and OTU196 were specific OTUs, which could be used as biomarkers of GHRS to assist clinical diagnosis.

Performance Characterization of Form-Stable Carbon-based Network Microcapsules for Thermal Energy Storage

In order to solve the problems of easy leakage and low thermal conductivity of paraffin in molten state. In this study, modified phase-change microcapsules with paraffin as the core material, melamine-formaldehyde resin as the wall material, flake graphite (FG), multilayer graphene (GNP) and expanded graphite (EG) as heat conduction additives were prepared by in-situ polymerization. The results show that the thermal conductivity of the composite phase change material gradually increases with the increase of the mass fraction of carbon additives, and the heat transfer enhancement effect of EG/MPCMs composite phase change material is the most obvious, with a thermal conductivity of 1.9 W/(m⋅K), which is 9.5 times that of pure paraffin. The addition of FG/MPCMs, GNP/MPCMs and EG/MPCMs carbon-based materials have little effect on the latent heat of phase change microcapsules, and the latent heat retention rates are 83.8%, 78.8% and 86.4% respectively. Microcapsules with phase change have good leakage prevention performance, and there are two obvious temperature buffering stages in the process of melting and condensation, so which have good thermal regulation ability. Compared with the previous studies, the prepared composite phase change microcapsules have high thermal storage capacity while ensuring high thermal conductivity, and have potential applications in industry.

Toward energy saving and food safety in Central Mozambique: the role of improved cook stoves and heat retention boxes

BackgroundAlmost 80% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa relies on traditional biomass for cooking, which is typically associated with negative environmental, health, economic, and social impacts. Thus, many stakeholders, including development agencies and national governments in the Global South are promoting the use of the improved cookstove in order to save cooking time, save financial assets, maximize fuel efficiency, and reduce indoor air pollution. However, little attention is paid to the heating practices among households, which can determine food safety levels. Specifically, cooked food should be kept at temperatures above the danger zone (from 5 to 57 °C) prior to its consumption to prevent its contamination by bacteria and other unhealthy contaminants. In general, many studies address food preparation and storage separately, despite being complementary. In this study, we attempt to understand whether, the use of improved cookstove combined with heat retention box would result in improvements with regard to fuel and time saving, and adequate food storage temperatures. Furthermore, we examine the acceptability of food prepared with these two systems based on consumers’ preference analysis. Involving 122 participants, the study was conducted in Gurué district, central Mozambique.ResultsThe use of improved cookstove resulted in energy savings of 9% and 17% for cooking maize porridge and beans curry, respectively. The overall time consumption for cooking decreased by 14% (beans curry) and 24% (maize porridge). The use of heat retention boxes shows a better heat retention ability as compared to the locally used heat retention systems (leftovers, banana leaves).ConclusionsThe study concludes that improved cookstove is a sustainable mean for saving cooking time and fuel. Heat retention box has a potential to maintain adequate food storage temperatures. Both improved cookstove and heat retention box present a superior performance compared to traditional technologies; thus, can easily be diffused for not affecting the quality of food.

Improving High-Temperature Cycle Stability and Rate Performance of LiNi0.82Co0.11Mn0.07O2 Cathode Materials Using Hydrogen Peroxide Solution Washing System

In this study, for the removal of residual lithium (Li2CO3,LiOH) from a nickel-rich cathode material surface, LiNi0.82Co0.11Mn0.07O2 cathode materials were washed with an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).H2O2 ( pH6.04), a weak acid, can easily decompose Li2CO3 and LiOH as an oxidizing agent. On titration of residual lithium, the amounts of LiOH and Li2CO3 are 390 and 605ppm,25 - and 47 -times lower, after H2O2 washing compared to 10,296 and 28,440ppm, respectively, in case of cathode materials before washing. On DSC thermal analysis, the peak temperature and calorific value of the cathode material washed with H2O2 were 245.5∘C and 602.0 J/g, respectively, whereas the bare case was 208.6∘C and 1,071 J/g, respectively. Therefore, H2O2-washed LiNi0.82Co0.11Mn0.07O2 cathode materials had higher capacity heat retention after 100 cycles at 55∘C(85.6% at 0.5C) than the bare LiNi0.82Co0.11Mn0.07O2 cathode materials (78.6% at 0.5C).

ArcUHI: A GIS add-in for automated modelling of the Urban Heat Island effect through machine learning

Increased urbanisation is boosting the intensity and frequency of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in highly developed cities. The advances in satellite measurement are facilitating the analysis of this phenomenon using Land Surface Temperature (LST) as an indicator of the Surface UHI (SUHI). Due to the spatial implications of using remote sensing data, this research developed ArcUHI, a Geographic Information System (GIS) add-in for modelling SUHI. The tool was designed in ArcGIS, which was bound with R to run machine learning algorithms in the background. ArcUHI was tested using the metropolitan area of Madrid (Spain) in 2006, 2012 and 2018 as a case study. The add-in was found to predict observed LST with high accuracy, especially when using Random Forest Regression (RFR). Building height and albedo were identified as the main drivers of SUHI, whose magnitude and extension increased with time. In view of these results, strategic roof and wall greening was suggested as a measure to mitigate the street canyon effect entailed by buildings and offset the heat retention capacity of built-up surfaces.

Micro/nano particles reinforced polymer composites as greenhouse films for heat retention purposes

AbstractThe aim and objective of this review is to intensively summarize composite film materials that can achieve thermal radiation insulation without affecting visible light transmittance, in order to reduce the heat loss in greenhouses and thus save energy. Eight kinds of composite films, which could be used for radiation insulation, were finally determined and intensively reviewed by searching the key words including insulation film, insulation agent, and infrared insulation. These materials can be divided into two categories: silica/poly and zinc oxide/poly composites. The radiation thermal insulation property and light transmission property of these materials were experimentally tested by spectrometry. The key finding of this article includes that phonon resonance and Anderson localization could be used to block thermal infrared radiation by generalizing material properties. The conclusion of this review is that those materials have at least a 10% increase in infrared thermal radiation blocking, but only a small decrease in visible light transmittance.

How thermal challenges change gene regulation in the songbird brain and gonad: Implications for sexual selection in our changing world.

In a rapidly warming world, exposure to high temperatures may impact fitness, but the gene regulatory mechanisms that link sublethal heat to sexually selected traits are not well understood, particularly in endothermic animals. Our experiment used zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), songbirds that experience extreme temperature fluctuations in their native Australia. We exposed captive males to an acute thermal challenge (43°C) compared with thermoneutral (35°C) and lower (27°C) temperatures. We found significantly more heat dissipation behaviours at 43°C, a temperature previously shown to reduce song production and fertility, and more heat retention behaviours at 27°C. Next, we characterized transcriptomic responses in tissues important for mating effort-the posterior telencephalon, for its role in song production, and the testis, for its role in fertility and hormone production. Differential expression of hundreds of genes in the testes, but few in the brain, suggests the brain is less responsive to extreme temperatures. Nevertheless, gene network analyses revealed that expression related to dopaminergic signalling in the brain covaried with heat dissipation behaviours, providing a mechanism by which temporary thermal challenges may alter motivational circuits for song production. In both brain and testis, we observed correlations between thermally sensitive gene networks and individual differences in thermoregulatory behaviour. Although we cannot directly relate these gene regulatory changes to mating success, our results suggest that individual variation in response to thermal challenges could impact sexually selected traits in a warming world.

Intracellular Aβ42 Aggregation Leads to Cellular Thermogenesis.

The aggregation of Aβ42 is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. It is still not known what the biochemical changes are inside a cell which will eventually lead to Aβ42 aggregation. Thermogenesis has been associated with cellular stress, the latter of which may promote aggregation. We perform intracellular thermometry measurements using fluorescent polymeric thermometers to show that Aβ42 aggregation in live cells leads to an increase in cell-averaged temperatures. This rise in temperature is mitigated upon treatment with an aggregation inhibitor of Aβ42 and is independent of mitochondrial damage that can otherwise lead to thermogenesis. With this, we present a diagnostic assay which could be used to screen small-molecule inhibitors to amyloid proteins in physiologically relevant settings. To interpret our experimental observations and motivate the development of future models, we perform classical molecular dynamics of model Aβ peptides to examine the factors that hinder thermal dissipation. We observe that this is controlled by the presence of ions in its surrounding environment, the morphology of the amyloid peptides, and the extent of its hydrogen-bonding interactions with water. We show that aggregation and heat retention by Aβ peptides are favored under intracellular-mimicking ionic conditions, which could potentially promote thermogenesis. The latter will, in turn, trigger further nucleation events that accelerate disease progression.

Use of biochar co-mediated chitosan mesopores to encapsulate alkane and improve thermal properties

Phase-change materials (PCMs) plays a significant role in energy conservation and thermal management systems. However, excessive seepage and insufficient thermal conductivity of pristine PCMs are restricting its real-world applications. Herein, “anisotropic-like” biochar with favorable pore characteristics is designed by combining it with chitosan for dodecane encapsulation. The use of biochar could overcome high manufacturing costs and associated environmental issues of PCM supporting materials. Biochar co-mediated chitosan enrich the mesopore proportion (96.5%) and provide interactive synergistic architecture. The prepared composite PCM exhibited outstanding latent heat retention of 95.9% after repeated cycling, high loading ratio, enhanced thermal conductivity (0.373 W/(m·K)), leakage-free, and repeatable utilization properties above the melting point of pristine dodecane. A figure of merit of 33.94 × 106 W2 S/(m4oC) was achieved, far surpassing that measure among reported biochar-based composite PCMs. This study provides insights into next-generation sustainable energy storage development for a key global sustainability goal.