Thermoacoustic heat pump utilizing medium/low-grade heat sources for domestic building heating

Thermoacoustic heat pumps are a promising heating technology that utilizes medium/low-grade heat to reduce reliance on electricity. This study proposes a single direct-coupled configuration for a thermoacoustic heat pump, aimed at minimizing system complexity and making it suitable for domestic applications. Numerical investigations were conducted under typical household heating conditions, including performance analysis, exergy loss evaluation, and axial distribution of key parameters. Results show that the proposed thermoacoustic heat pump achieves a heating capacity of 5.7 kW and a coefficient of performance of 1.4, with a heating temperature of 300 °C and a heat-sink temperature of 55 °C. A comparison with existing absorption heat pumps reveals favorable adaptability for large temperature lift applications. A case study conducted in Finland over an annual cycle analyzes the economic and environmental performance of the system, identifying two distinct modes based on the driving heat source: medium temperature (≥250 °C) and low temperature (<250 °C), both of which exhibit favorable heating performance. When the thermoacoustic heat pump is driven by waste heat, energy savings of 20.1 MWh/year, emission reductions of 4143 kgCO$_2$/year, and total environmental cost savings of 1629 €/year are obtained. These results demonstrate the potential of the proposed thermoacoustic heat pump as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option for domestic building heating using medium/low-grade heat sources

Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Glucose Homeostasis in Youth

Background: Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a prevalent class of persistent pollutants, may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. &nbsp; Objective: We examined associations between PFAS exposure and glucose metabolism in youth. &nbsp; Methods: Overweight/obese adolescents from the Study of Latino Adolescents at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes (SOLAR; n=310) participated in annual visits for an average of 3.3&plusmn;2.9y. Generalizability of findings were tested in young adults from the Southern California Children&rsquo;s Health Study (CHS; n=135) who participated in a clinical visit with a similar protocol. At each visit, oral glucose tolerance tests were performed to estimate glucose metabolism and &beta;-cell function via the insulinogenic index. Four PFAS were measured at baseline using liquid chromatography&ndash;high-resolution mass spectrometry; high levels were defined as concentrations &gt;66th percentile. &nbsp; Results: In females from the SOLAR, high perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) levels (&ge;2.0&thinsp;ng/mL) were associated with the development of dysregulated glucose metabolism beginning in late puberty. The magnitude of these associations increased postpuberty and persisted through 18 years of age. For example, postpuberty, females with high PFHxS levels had 25-mg/dL higher 60-min glucose (95% CI: 12,&thinsp;39mg/dL; p&lt;0.0001), 15-mg/dL higher 2-h glucose (95% CI: 1,&thinsp;28mg/dL; p=0.04), and 25% lower &beta;-cell function (p=0.02) compared with females with low levels. Results were largely consistent in the CHS, where females with elevated PFHxS levels had 26-mg/dL higher 60-min glucose (95% CI: 6.0,&thinsp;46mg/dL; p=0.01) and 19-mg/dL higher 2-h glucose, which did not meet statistical significance (95% CI: &ndash;1,&thinsp;39mg/dL; p=0.08). In males, no consistent associations between PFHxS and glucose metabolism were observed. No consistent associations were observed for other PFAS and glucose metabolism. &nbsp; Discussion: Youth exposure to PFHxS was associated with dysregulated glucose metabolism in females, which may be due to changes in &beta;-cell function. These associations appeared during puberty and were most pronounced postpuberty. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9200" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga-action="click_feat_

OsPIE1, the Rice Ortholog of Arabidopsis PHOTOPERIOD-INDEPENDENT EARLY FLOWERING1, Is Essential for Embryo Development

orthologs in monocots remains unknown., respectively).Taken together, our results suggest that OsPIE1 is the rice ortholog of Arabidopsis PIE1 and plays an essential role in rice embryo development

Developing 1D nanostructure arrays for future nanophotonics

There is intense and growing interest in one-dimensional (1-D) nanostructures from the perspective of their synthesis and unique properties, especially with respect to their excellent optical response and an ability to form heterostructures. This review discusses alternative approaches to preparation and organization of such structures, and their potential properties. In particular, molecular-scale printing is highlighted as a method for creating organized pre-cursor structure for locating nanowires, as well as vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) templated growth using nano-channel alumina (NCA), and deposition of 1-D structures with glancing angle deposition (GLAD). As regards novel optical properties, we discuss as an example, finite size photonic crystal cavity structures formed from such nanostructure arrays possessing highQand small mode volume, and being ideal for developing future nanolasers

Author Correction: Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses improve resolution of genes and pathways influencing lung function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk

Correction to: Nature Geneticshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-023-01314-0, published online 13 March 2023. In the version of the article initially published, the sample sizes in the main text and Supplementary Tables 1 and 2 were incorrect. In the abstract, the last paragraph of the Introduction, the first paragraph of the Results, the top box in Figure 1a and the Supplementary Information, the total sample size has been corrected from 580,869 to 588,452 participants and the size of the European cohort from 468,062 to 475,645. Some of the effect sizes in Supplementary Table 14 (columns W, Z, AC, AF) had the wrong sign. There was also an error in Supplementary Table 3 where the sample size instead of the variant count was shown for EXCEED. The errors do not affect the conclusions of the study. Additionally, two acknowledgments for use of INTERVAL pQTL and Lung eQTL consortium data were omitted from the Supplementary Information. These errors have been corrected in the Supplementary Information and HTML and PDF versions of the article

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses improve resolution of genes and pathways influencing lung function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk

Lung-function impairment underlies chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and predicts mortality. In the largest multi-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of lung function to date, comprising 580,869 participants, we identified 1,020 independent association signals implicating 559 genes supported by ≥2 criteria from a systematic variant-to-gene mapping framework. These genes were enriched in 29 pathways. Individual variants showed heterogeneity across ancestries, age and smoking groups, and collectively as a genetic risk score showed strong association with COPD across ancestry groups. We undertook phenome-wide association studies for selected associated variants as well as trait and pathway-specific genetic risk scores to infer possible consequences of intervening in pathways underlying lung function. We highlight new putative causal variants, genes, proteins and pathways, including those targeted by existing drugs. These findings bring us closer to understanding the mechanisms underlying lung function and COPD, and should inform functional genomics experiments and potentially future COPD therapies

Prediction of the Maximum Erosion Rate of Gas–Solid Two-Phase Flow Pipelines

Erosion is one of the important reasons for the thickness decrease and perforation of the pipe walls. Understanding the gas&ndash;solid two-phase flow pipe erosion mechanism is the basis for monitoring pipe erosion. According to the structural characteristics and working conditions of the gas&ndash;solid two-phase flow pipeline in a gas transmission station, a gas&ndash;solid two-phase flow pipe erosion finite element model was established and validated by combining it with field test data. Then, the gas&ndash;solid two-phase flow pipeline erosion characteristics under different pressures, solid contents, throttle valve openings, and pipe diameters were studied. On this basis, a maximum erosion rate prediction equation was put forward after verification by using actual wall thickness detection data. Results show the following: (1) The absolute error of the maximum erosion rate between the model results and the test datum is &le;10.75%. (2) The outer cambered surface of the bend after the throttle valve is the most seriously eroded areas. (3) The maximum erosion rate increases with pressure, solid content and throttle valve opening increasing, but, along with the change of the pipe diameter, the maximum erosion rate increases at first and then decreases with pipe diameter increasing for throttle valve openings of 20% and 30%, and it decreases with pipe diameter increasing for a throttle valve opening of 50%. (4) A maximum erosion rate prediction equation, involving pressure, solid content, opening of the throttle valve, and pipe diameter, is proposed and is verified that the absolute percentage error between the prediction equation calculation results and the field test datum is &le;11.11%. It would seem that this maximum erosion rate prediction equation effectively improves the accuracy of predicting the gas&ndash;solid two-phase flow pipe erosion rate in a gas transmission station

Aptamer Technology and Its Applications in Bone Diseases

Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids (DNA, short RNA, or other artificial molecules) produced by the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) technology, which can be tightly and specifically combined with desired targets. As a comparable alternative to antibodies, aptamers have many advantages over traditional antibodies such as a strong chemical stability and rapid bulk production. In addition, aptamers can bind targets in various ways, and are not limited like the antigen–antibody combination. Studies have shown that aptamers have tremendous potential to diagnose and treat clinical diseases. However, only a few aptamer-based drugs have been used because of limitations of the aptamers and SELEX technology. To promote the development and applications of aptamers, we present a review of the methods optimizing the SELEX technology and modifying aptamers to boost the selection success rate and improve aptamer characteristics. In addition, we review the application of aptamers to treat bone diseases