Single-Cell Microgels for Diagnostics and Therapeutics

Cell encapsulation within hydrogel droplets is transforming what is feasible in multiple fields of biomedical science such as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, in vitro modeling, and cell-based therapies. Recent advances have allowed researchers to miniaturize material encapsulation complexes down to single-cell scales, where each complex, termed a single-cell microgel, contains only one cell surrounded by a hydrogel matrix while remaining <100 μm in size. With this achievement, studies requiring single-cell resolution are now possible, similar to those done using liquid droplet encapsulation. Of particular note, applications involving long-term in vitro cultures, modular bioinks, high-throughput screenings, and formation of 3D cellular microenvironments can be tuned independently to suit the needs of individual cells and experimental goals. In this progress report, an overview of established materials and techniques used to fabricate single-cell microgels, as well as insight into potential alternatives is provided. This focused review is concluded by discussing applications that have already benefited from single-cell microgel technologies, as well as prospective applications on the cusp of achieving important new capabilities.     

A numerical study of dynamic behaviors of a unitized regenerative fuel cell during gas purging

The gas purging states affect electricity output and energy storage capacity of unitized regenerative fuel cells. In this study, a model of unitized regenerative fuel cell is established. Cell voltages and operating temperatures influences on the dynamic distribution of thermal fluid during purging process and the discharge of residual liquid water in electrolytic cell mode are investigated. The motivation of the present study is better understanding the gas purging characteristics and its effect on reaction behaviors of unitized regenerative fuel cells. Simulation results reveal a significant influence of purging gas temperature on the water flooding and a great effect of operating voltage on the water diffusion. The operating temperature of electrolytic cell model almost has little effect on purging results at different cell temperature and the same purging gas temperature. When the purging gas temperature is changed, higher temperatures of cell and purging gas facilitate liquid water discharging out from the cell regions. In cell water flooding situation, when having large liquid content, the purging gas has little effects on the water expelling process.     

Robust optimal operation of continuous catalytic reforming process under feedstock uncertainty

The continuous catalytic regenerative (CCR) reforming process is one of the most significant sources of hydrogen production in the petroleum refining process. However, the fluctuations in feedstock composition and flow rate could significantly affect both product distribution and energy consumption. In this study, a robust deviation criterion based multi-objective optimization approach is proposed to perform the optimal operation of CCR reformer under feedstock uncertainty, with simultaneous maximization of product yields and minimization of energy consumption. Minimax approach is adopted to handle these uncertain objectives, and the Latin hypercube sampling method is then used to calculate these robust deviation criteria. Multi-objective surrogate-based optimization methods are next introduced to effectively solve the robust operational problem with high computational cost. The level diagram method is finally utilized to assist in multi-criteria decision-making. Two robust operational optimization problems with different objectives are solved to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for robust optimal operation of the CCR reforming process under feedstock uncertainty.     

Systematic Review: Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells,Platelet-Rich Plasma and Biomaterials as New Regenerative Strategies in Chronic Skin Wounds and Soft Tissue Defects

The number of clinical trials evaluating adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and biomaterials efficacy in regenerative plastic surgery has exponentially increased during the last ten years. AD-MSCs are easily accessible from various fat depots and show intrinsic plasticity in giving rise to cell types involved in wound healing and angiogenesis. AD-MSCs have been used in the treatment of soft tissue defects and chronic wounds, employed in conjunction with a fat grafting technique or with dermal substitute scaffolds and platelet-rich plasma. In this systematic review, an overview of the current knowledge on this topic has been provided, based on existing studies and the authors’ experience. A multistep search of the PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, PreMEDLINE, Ebase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Clinicaltrials.gov, Scopus database, and Cochrane databases has been performed to identify papers on AD-MSCs, PRP, and biomaterials used in soft tissue defects and chronic wounds. Of the 2136 articles initially identified, 422 articles focusing on regenerative strategies in wound healing were selected and, consequently, only 278 articles apparently related to AD-MSC, PRP, and biomaterials were initially assessed for eligibility. Of these, 85 articles were excluded as pre-clinical, experimental, and in vitro studies. For the above-mentioned reasons, 193 articles were selected; of this amount, 121 letters, expert opinions, commentary, and editorials were removed. The remaining 72 articles, strictly regarding the use of AD-MSCs, PRP, and biomaterials in chronic skin wounds and soft tissue defects, were analyzed. The studies included had to match predetermined criteria according to the patients, intervention, comparator, outcomes, and study design (PICOS) approach. The information analyzed highlights the safety and efficacy of AD-MSCs, PRP, and biomaterials on soft tissue defects and chronic wounds, without major side effects.     

连续蓄热式生物质气化/燃烧供热系统

生物质能源是一种环境友好的可再生能源,但也存在能量密度低、含水率高、碱金属含量高等缺点,导致其在热利用的过程中存在易结渣、堵灰及腐蚀、热效率不高等问题。本文结合生物质气化、炉内碱金属/硫固定、两级焦油裂解、蓄热式燃烧,以及冷凝热回收等多项先进技术,设计并搭建了连续蓄热式生物质气化/燃烧供热系统。以海洋贝壳类废弃物作为生物质成型燃料的添加剂和生物质焦油裂解过程的催化剂,在实现海洋废弃资源高值化利用的同时,克服了生物质热利用过程中的多项障碍,能够显著提高生物质能热利用效率,同时大幅度降低当前工业及民用供热过程中CO₂、SO_x、NO_x及烟尘的排放,具有良好的经济性与环保性。     

采用泡沫铜电极的热再生氨电池性能数值模拟

以采用泡沫铜电极的热再生氨电池（thermally regenerative ammonia-based battery，TRAB）为研究对象，建立了多孔介质内物质传输与电化学反应耦合的稳态模型，计算获得了电池性能及多孔电极内物质传输特性，并研究了电解质浓度和电极孔隙率对电池性能的影响。研究结果表明，从主流区界面到多孔电极内部，阳极氨和阴极铜离子浓度逐渐降低，存在一定的浓度梯度，而且随着反应电流的增大，浓度梯度明显增大。在一定的范围内分别增大阳极氨浓度和阴极铜离子浓度，从主流区向多孔电极内物质传输增强，电池性能均能不断提升；随着硫酸铵浓度的增大，电解质电导率增大，电池性能逐渐提升，但增幅逐渐减小。此外，多孔电极孔隙率也会影响电池性能，本研究中TRAB在电极孔隙率为0.6时获得最高的最大功率(15.3 mW)。     

Cell-free Stem Cell-Derived Extract Formulation for Regenerative Medicine Applications

Stem cells for regenerative medicine purposes offer therapeutic benefits, but disadvantages are still ill defined. The benefit of stem cells may be attributed to their secretion of growth factors (GFs), cytokines (CKs), and extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes. We present a novel cell-free stem cell-derived extract (CCM), formulated from human progenitor endothelial stem cells (hPESCs), characterized for biologically active factors using ELISA, nanoparticle tracking analysis and single particle interferometric reflectance imaging sensing. The effect on fibroblast proliferation and ability to induce stem cell migration was analyzed using Alamar Blue proliferation and Transwell migration assays, respectively. GFs including IGFBP 1, 2, 3, and 6, insulin, growth hormone, PDGF-AA, TGF-α, TGF-β1, VEGF, and the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-1RA were detected. Membrane enclosed particles within exosome size range and expressing exosome tetraspanins CD81 and CD9 were identified. CCM significantly increased cell proliferation and induced stem cell migration. Analysis of CCM revealed presence of GFs, CKs, and EVs, including exosomes. The presence of multiple factors including exosomes within one formulation, the ability to promote cell proliferation and induce stem cell migration may reduce inflammation and pain, and augment tissue repair.     

小型蓄热式烧嘴的改进与应用

介绍了两种小型蓄热式烧嘴的改进过程、结构特点、工作原理以及在中小型加热炉、热处理炉上应用取得的显著效益。     

Hybrid solar parabolic dish power plant and high‐temperature phase change material energy storage system

In this study, a conventional steam power plant with two regenerative boilers is considered, and one of its boilers is replaced with parabolic solar dish collectors and storing the produced thermal energy by the phase change material (PCM) in a storage tank. The results show the necessity of the existence of an auxiliary fired‐gas boiler to provide constant load during the whole 24 hours. The performance of the proposed hybridized system is evaluated through energy and exergy analyses. It was demonstrated that substituting solar collectors with one of the boilers marginally lowers the energy efficiency but increases the exergy efficiency of the whole power plant up to 41.76%. Moreover, it is found out that this hybridization decreases the total irreversibility of the power plant in comparison with the base case, from 51.1 to 47.2 MW. The parametric analysis states that raising the mass flow rate of the heat transfer fluid in the solar collectors not only enhances the system performance but also increases the volume of the PCM tank.