A Skin-Inspired Triboelectric Nanogenerator with an Interpenetrating Structure for Motion Sensing and Energy Harvesting

Rapid advancements in wearable electronics impose the challenge on power supply devices. Herein, a flexible single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator (SE-TENG) that enables both human motion sensing and biomechanical energy harvesting is reported. The SE-TENG is fabricated by interpenetrating Ag-coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanofibers within a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer. The Ag coating and PDMS are performed as the electrode and dielectric material for the SE-TENG, respectively. The Ag-coated PET nanofibers enlarge the electrode surface area, which is beneficial to increase sensing sensitivity. The flexible SE-TENG sensor shows the capability of outputting alternating electrical signals with an open-circuit voltage up to 50 V and a short-circuit current up to 200 nA in response to externally applied pressure. It is used to sense various types of human motions and harvest electric energy from body motion. The harvested energy can successfully power wearable electronics, such as an electronic watch and light-emitting diode. Therefore, the as-prepared SE-TENG sensor with a pressure response and self-powered capability provides potential applications in wearable sensors or flexible electronics for personal healthcare and human–machine interfaces.     

直饮水处理技术WBS模型分析及应用启示

文中介绍了美国环境保护署(EPA)的新成本建模方法,并应用于开发直饮水处理技术的单位成本.该技术使用工作分解结构(WBS)方法,将不同工艺拆分为分散的处理单元,以估计单位成本.演示了该模型在颗粒活性炭处理技术中的应用,并提供输出的示例,用于说明去除三氯乙烯活性炭处理技术的WBS技术模型.进一步以工程为例,应用WBS模型输出不同处理单元的成本分析,从经济角度分析优化工艺选择.最后提出对于该模型在我国工程领域的应用可能性及展望.     

Engineering Silver-Enriched Copper Core-Shell Electrocatalysts to Enhance the Production of Ethylene and C2+ Chemicals from Carbon Dioxide at Low Cell Potentials

Copper catalysts are widely studied for the electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to value-added hydrocarbon products. Controlling the surface composition of copper nanomaterials may provide the electronic and structural properties necessary for carbon-carbon coupling, thus increasing the Faradaic efficiency (FE) towards ethylene and other multi-carbon (C₂₊) products. Synthesis and catalytic study of silver-coated copper nanoparticles (Cu@Ag NPs) for the reduction of CO₂ are presented. Bimetallic CuAg NPs are typically difficult to produce due to the bulk immiscibility between these two metals. Slow injection of the silver precursor, concentrations of organic capping agents, and gas environment proved critical to control the size and metal distribution of the Cu@Ag NPs. The optimized Cu@Ag electrocatalyst exhibited a very low onset cell potential of −2.25 V for ethylene formation, reaching a FE towards C₂₊ products (FE_C2+) of 43% at −2.50 V, which is 1.0 V lower than a reference Cu catalyst to reach a similar FE_C2+. The high ethylene formation at low potentials is attributed to enhanced C C coupling on the Ag enriched shell of the Cu@Ag electrocatalysts. This study offers a new catalyst design towards increasing the efficiency for the electroreduction of CO₂ to value-added chemicals.     

Effect of malondialdehyde oxidation on structure and physicochemical properties of amandin

Oil, accounting for 45% of almonds, is easily oxidised and can further induce the protein oxidation to reduce their quality. Structure and physicochemical properties of amandin, the main water-soluble protein in almonds, inducing oxidation by malondialdehyde (MDA) were investigated. The results showed that the content of carbonyl group increased from 5.23 to 33.25 nmol mg⁻¹ of protein with the increase in MDA concentration (P < 0.05). However, the sulphydryl content, surface hydrophobicity, particle size and the absolute value of ζ-potential first increased and then decreased. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) confirmed that the structure of amandin changed from order to disorder. Fluorescence spectroscopic analysis revealed that mild oxidation (0–0.1 mmol L⁻¹ MDA) exposed hydrophobic groups of the protein. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) suggested that protein oxidation promoted crosslinking between protein molecules. Furthermore, protein oxidation markedly declined the total amino acid content of amandin (P < 0.05). In conclusion, MDA oxidation changed the structure and amino acid content of amandin, and caused the protein aggregate and crosslink through hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction.     

Effects of Solution Treatment Temperatures on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TIG–MIG Hybrid Arc Additive Manufactured 5356 Aluminum Alloy

A novel additive manufacturing method with TIG–MIG hybrid heat source was applied for fabricating 5356 aluminum alloy component. In this paper the microstructure evolution, mechanical properties and fracture morphologies of both as-deposited and heat-treated component were investigated, and how these were affected by different heat-treated temperature. The as-deposited microstructure showed dominant equiaxed grains with second phase, and the size of them is coarse in the bottom region, medium in the middle region and fine in the top region owing to different thermal cycling conditions. Compared with as-deposited microstructure, the size of grain becomes large and second phases gradually dissolve in the matrix as heat-treated temperature increase. Different microstructures determine the mechanical properties of component. Results show that average ultimate tensile strength enhances from 226 to 270 MPa and average microhardness increases from 64.2 to 75.3 HV0.1 but ductility decreases from 33 to 6.5% with heat-treated temperature increasing. For all components, the tensile properties are almost the same in the vertical direction (Z) and horizontal direction (Y) due to equiaxed grains, which exhibits isotropy, and the mechanisms of these are analyzed in detailed. In general, the results demonstrate that hybrid arc heat source has the potential to fabricate aluminum alloy component.     

Chia Seed Oil Prevents High Fat Diet Induced Hyperlipidemia and Oxidative Stress in Mice

Hyperlipidemia is a common cardiovascular disease. At present, the influence of high fat diet (HFD) on this is being explored. Recently, vegetable oils rich in omega‐3 have been reported that can treat hyperlipidemia caused by HFD. However, the effects of chia seed oil (CSO) on HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress are poorly studied. Hence, in this study, the effects of CSO on hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress induced by HFD in mice are analyzed by various commercial kits, section staining, and protein expression. The results show that CSO decreases body weight and organ index. Meanwhile, CSO reduces serum lipid levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. It can also elevate superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities and reduce malondialdehyde content in serum and liver. The results of histopathological analysis prove that CSO improves hepatic steatosis and reduces lipid deposition. Further, the results of western blot demonstrate that CSO upregulates the expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor alpha and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a in the liver. As a result, CSO may be a potential lipid‐lowering oil to prevent and treat HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress. Practical Applications CSO, as a byproduct of chia seed processing, is a rich source of α‐linolenic acid. This study investigates the effects of CSO on HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress in mice. It is concluded that dietary CSO can improve the hyperlipidemia in HFD‐induced mice via analysis of lipid parameters, histopathology study of the liver, and lipid metabolism related genes. In addition, supplementation of CSO also can improve the oxidative stress in mice. Therefore, CSO can be used for the prevention of hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress. This research provides a theoretical basis for the comprehensive development and utilization of functional chia seed oil.     

A review-driven customer preference measurement model for product improvement: sentiment-based importance–performance analysis

Information Systems and e-Business Management - An increasing number of people use social media to share their consumption experiences. Publicly available online reviews have become a significant...