A comparative prospective life cycle assessment of coal-fired power plants in the US with MEA/MOF-based carbon capture

The adoption of carbon capture technology in coal-fired power plants is expected to play a pivotal role in the energy transition. This study conducted consequential life cycle assessments (CLCAs) of coal-fired power generation in the United States using policy-level accounting. Monoethanolamine (MEA)-based and Mg-MOF-74-based carbon capture have been introduced, with a comparative analysis conducted on the emissions reduction potential of these two materials through their respective mechanisms of absorption and adsorption. The results indicate that carbon capture based on MEA or Mg-MOF-74 can significantly reduce emissions from coal-fired power generation, decreasing from 779.5 Mt CO2e to 50.1 Mt CO2e and 61.1 Mt CO2e in 2050, respectively. The introduction of ultra-supercritical power plants and carbon capture reduced direct emissions from 92% to 51%. MEA outperforms Mg-MOF-74 slightly, with lower emissions due to solvents and cleaning processes. Deviations in Mg-MOF-74's adsorption capacity and degradation rate could lead to 4%-6% model outcome variations. It is also concluded that the stability of MEA's marginal emissions depends on a steady expansion of existing production capacity, while the marginal emissions of Mg-MOF-74 are anticipated to remain unchanged. This study emphasizes carbon capture's potential but stresses the need for prompt implementation and comprehensive assessments before deployment decisions

Magnetoelectric induced switching of perpendicular exchange bias using 30-nm-thick Cr₂O₃ thin film

Magnetoelectric (ME) effect is a result of the interplay between magnetism and electric field and now, it is regarded as a principle that can be applied to the technique of controlling the antiferromagnetic (AFM) domain state. The ME-controlled AFM domain state can be read out by the magnetization of the adjacent ferromagnetic layer coupled with the ME AFM layer via exchange bias. In this technique, the reduction in the ME layer thickness is an ongoing challenge. In this paper, we demonstrate the ME-induced switching of exchange bias polarity using the 30-nm thick ME Cr₂O₃ thin film. Two typical switching processes, the ME field cooling (MEFC) and isothermal modes, are both explored. The required ME field for the switching in the MEFC mode suggests that the ME susceptibility (α₃₃) is not deteriorated at 30 nm thickness regime. The isothermal change of the exchange bias shows the hysteresis with respect to the electric field, and there is an asymmetry of the switching field depending on the switching direction. The quantitative analysis of this asymmetry yields α₃₃ at 273 K of 3.7 ± 0.5 ps/m, which is comparable to the reported value for the bulk Cr₂O₃.Y.Shiratsuchi, Y.Tao, K.Toyoki, R.Nakatani, Magnetoelectric induced switching of perpendicular exchange bias using 30-nm-thick Cr₂O₃ thin film. Magnetochemistry 7, 36 (2021); https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry7030036

Temperature lag with the onset of exchange bias, superparamagnetic blocking, and antiferromagnetic ordering in ultrathin ferromagnet/antiferromagnet thin film

The magnetization of a nanosized magnet, such as an ultrathin film, thermally fluctuates and can become superparamagnetic. In ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic thin films, superparamagnetism can be suppressed in accordance with antiferromagnetic ordering. The exchange bias can also be induced at the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interface, and it is nontrivial whether the superparamagnetic blocking temperature (TB_SPM) can match either the onset temperature of the exchange bias (TB_EB) or the Néel temperature (TN). In this study, we investigated the temperature dependence of parameters such as coercivity, exchange bias field, magneto-optic Kerr rotation (θK), and AC magnetization (MAC) to elucidate the matching of TB_EB, TB_SPM, and TN in a Pt/Co/Au/Cr₂O₃/Pt thin film. Based on the temperature dependences of MAC, TB_SPM was yielded as about 283 K. TB_EB and TN, which were determined based on the temperature dependence of θK, were 278 and 282 K, respectively. TB_SPM was almost equal to TN but TB_EB was smaller. This temperature lag was caused by the difference in the magnetic anisotropy energy required to induce the exchange bias and suppress superparamagnetism.Yu Shiratsuchi, Yiran Tao, Rou Tsutsumi, Kentaro Toyoki, and Ryoichi Nakatani, Journal of Applied Physics 130, 193902 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0060606

A cross-species alignment tool (CAT)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The main two sorts of automatic gene annotation frameworks are <it>ab initio </it>and alignment-based, the latter splitting into two sub-groups. The first group is used for intra-species alignments, among which are successful ones with high specificity and speed. The other group contains more sensitive methods which are usually applied in aligning inter-species sequences.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we present a new algorithm called <it>CAT </it>(for Cross-species Alignment Tool). It is designed to align mRNA sequences to mammalian-sized genomes. <it>CAT </it>is implemented using C scripts and is freely available on the web at <url>http://xat.sourceforge.net/</url>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Examined from different angles, <it>CAT </it>outperforms other extant alignment tools. Tested against all available mouse-human and zebrafish-human orthologs, we demonstrate that <it>CAT </it>combines the specificity and speed of the best intra-species algorithms, like <it>BLAT </it>and <it>sim4</it>, with the sensitivity of the best inter-species tools, like <it>GeneWise</it>.</p

The impact of basketball on the social adjustment of Chinese middle school students: the chain mediating role of interpersonal relationships and self-identity

BackgroundThis study examines the effects of 12 weeks of basketball on interpersonal relationships, self-identity and social adjustment of middle school students, as well as exploring the mediating role of interpersonal relationships and self-identity in basketball’s influence on social adjustment.MethodsA total of 87 students from a middle school in Jiangsu Province, China, were selected to participate in this study. A 12-week basketball intervention experiment was conducted, and questionnaires were administered to measure the study variables. Common method bias test, normality test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze the study variables. The theoretical model of this study was also validated using the Process plug-in developed by Hayes, setting p &lt; 0.05 (two-tail) as statistically significant.ResultsAfter a 12-week basketball intervention experiment, the interpersonal relationships, self-identity and social adjustment of the middle school students in the experimental and control groups showed improvement, with the experimental group showing significantly more significant improvement than the control group. A 12-week basketball intervention can positively impact the social adjustment of middle school students, with interpersonal relationships and self-identity acting as a chain mediator in the impact process

Selective Neural Deletion of the Atg7 Gene Reduces Irradiation-Induced Cerebellar White Matter Injury in the Juvenile Mouse Brain by Ameliorating Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cell Loss

Radiotherapy is an effective tool for treating brain tumors, but irradiation-induced toxicity to the normal brain tissue remains a major problem. Here, we investigated if selective neural autophagy related gene 7 (Atg7) deletion has a persistent effect on irradiation-induced juvenile mouse brain injury. Ten-day-old Atg7 knockout under a nestin promoter (KO) mice and wild-type (WT) littermates were subjected to a single dose of 6 Gy whole-brain irradiation. Cerebellar volume, cell proliferation, microglia activation, inflammation, and myelination were evaluated in the cerebellum at 5 days after irradiation. We found that neural Atg7 deficiency partially prevented myelin disruption compared to the WT mice after irradiation, as indicated by myelin basic protein staining. Irradiation induced oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) loss in the white matter of the cerebellum, and Atg7 deficiency partly prevented this. The mRNA expression of oligodendrocyte and myelination-related genes (Olig2, Cldn11, CNP, and MBP) was higher in the cerebellum in Atg7 KO mice compared with WT littermates. The total cerebellar volume was significantly reduced after irradiation in both Atg7 KO and WT mice. Atg7-deficient cerebellums were in a regenerative state before irradiation, as judged by the increased OPC-related and neurogenesis-related transcripts and the increased numbers of microglia; however, except for the OPC parameters these were the same in both genotypes after irradiation. Finally, there was no significant change in the number of astrocytes in the cerebellum after irradiation. These results suggest that selective neural Atg7 deficiency reduces irradiation-induced cerebellar white matter injury in the juvenile mouse brain, secondary to prevention of OPC loss

Creating two-dimensional solid helium via diamond lattice confinement

The universe abounds with solid helium in polymorphic forms. Therefore, exploring the allotropes of helium remains vital to our understanding of nature. However, it is challenging to produce, observe and utilize solid helium on the earth because high-pressure techniques are required to solidify helium. Here we report the discovery of room-temperature two-dimensional solid helium through the diamond lattice confinement effect. Controllable ion implantation enables the self-assembly of monolayer helium atoms between {100} diamond lattice planes. Using state-of-the-art integrated differential phase contrast microscopy, we decipher the buckled tetragonal arrangement of solid helium monolayers with an anisotropic nature compressed by the robust diamond lattice. These distinctive helium monolayers, in turn, produce substantial compressive strains to the surrounded diamond lattice, resulting in a large-scale bandgap narrowing up to ~2.2 electron volts. This approach opens up new avenues for steerable manipulation of solid helium for achieving intrinsic strain doping with profound applications

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals cellular heterogeneity from deep fascia in patients with acute compartment syndrome

IntroductionHigh stress in the compartment surrounded by the deep fascia can cause acute compartment syndrome (ACS) that may result in necrosis of the limbs. The study aims to investigate the cellular heterogeneity of the deep fascia in ACS patients by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq).MethodsWe collected deep fascia samples from patients with ACS (high-stress group, HG, n=3) and patients receiving thigh amputation due to osteosarcoma (normal-stress group, NG, n=3). We utilized ultrasound and scanning electron microscopy to observe the morphologic change of the deep fascia, used multiplex staining and multispectral imaging to explore immune cell infiltration, and applied scRNA-seq to investigate the cellular heterogeneity of the deep fascia and to identify differentially expressed genes.ResultsNotably, we identified GZMK+interferon-act CD4 central memory T cells as a specific high-stress compartment subcluster expressing interferon-related genes. Additionally, the changes in the proportions of inflammation-related subclusters, such as the increased proportion of M2 macrophages and decreased proportion of M1 macrophages, may play crucial roles in the balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory in the development of ACS. Furthermore, we found that heat shock protein genes were highly expressed but metal ion-related genes (S100 family and metallothionein family) were down-regulated in various subpopulations under high stress.ConclusionsWe identified a high stress-specific subcluster and variations in immune cells and fibroblast subclusters, as well as their differentially expressed genes, in ACS patients. Our findings reveal the functions of the deep fascia in the pathophysiology of ACS, providing new approaches for its treatment and prevention