Nuclear power plant waste heat opens a window of next-generation desalination hybridization: a SOAR-based review.

This review examines the potential for utilizing nuclear power plant (NPP) waste heat in hybrid desalination systems, focusing on Reverse Osmosis-Low-Temperature Evaporation (RO-LTE) driven by renewable energy sources and atomic waste heat. By employing a SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) analysis, the study evaluates the integration of NPP waste heat into various desalination technologies, emphasizing the environmental benefits and energy efficiency improvements. Fundamental aspirations include advancements in material science and heat exchanger designs, which enhance heat transfer and evaporation processes.

Bifunctional NiCo-CuO Nanostructures: A Promising Catalyst for Energy Conversion and Storage.

This investigation explores the potential of co-incorporating nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) into copper oxide (CuO) nanostructures for bifunctional electrochemical charge storage and oxygen evolution reactions (OER). A facile wet chemical synthesis method is employed to co-incorporate Ni and Co into CuO, yielding diverse nanostructured morphologies, including rods, spheres, and flake. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman analyses confirmed the formation of NiCo-CuO nanostructure, with minor phases of nickel oxide (NiO) and cobalt tetraoxide (CoO).

Effect of tire pyrolysis oil and graphene oxide nanoparticles as an additive in the diesel engine.

The majority of industries throughout the world rely largely on fossil fuels as their primary energy source. However, these resources are finite and become scarcer by the day. Therefore, exploring alternative fuels and additives for diesel fuel is imperative to mitigate fuel consumption.

Anomaly detection in multidimensional time series for water injection pump operations based on LSTMA-AE and mechanism constraints.

Addressing the issues of inadequate information exchange among subsequences in the operational time series of water injection pumps, leading to low accuracy and high false alarm rates in anomaly detection, this paper proposes a multidimensional time series anomaly detection method for water injection pump operations, leveraging Long Short-Term Memory Autoencoder augmented with Attention Mechanism (LSTMA-AE) and mechanistic constraints. The LSTMA-AE framework encompasses three primary modules: a Time Feature Extraction Module (Encoder), an Attention Layer, and a Data Reconstruction Module (Decoder). The Encoder captures temporal dependencies and features within the input sequences, mapping the input data into a higher-dimensional space.

Machine learning analysis of cervical balance in early-onset scoliosis post-growing rod surgery: a case-control study.

We aimed to analyze the cervical sagittal alignment change following the growing rod treatment in early-onset scoliosis (EOS) and identify the risk factors of sagittal cervical imbalance after growing-rod surgery of machine learning. EOS patients from our centre between 2007 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Radiographic parameters include the cervical lordosis (CL), T1 slope, C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis (C2-7 SVA), primary curve Cobb angle, thoracic kyphosis (TK), C7-S1 sagittal vertical axis (C7-S1 SVA) and proximal junctional angle (PJA) were evaluated preoperatively, postoperatively and at the final follow-up.

Revealing the reaction path of UVC bond rupture in cyclic disulfides with ultrafast x-ray scattering.

Disulfide bonds are ubiquitous molecular motifs that influence the tertiary structure and biological functions of many proteins. Yet, it is well known that the disulfide bond is photolabile when exposed to ultraviolet C (UVC) radiation. The deep-UV-induced S─S bond fragmentation kinetics on very fast timescales are especially pivotal to fully understand the photostability and photodamage repair mechanisms in proteins.

Degradation of 15 halogenated hydrocarbons by 5 unactivated chemical oxidation oxidants.

Oxidants used in the ISCO technology usually require activation by activators to degrade contaminants. However, this study investigated degradation of 15 typical halogenated hydrocarbons by five common ISCO oxidants (PS, PMS, HO, KMnO, SPC) without activation in both pure water and real groundwater. Unactivated PS could degrade 14 halogenated hydrocarbons, excluding tetrachloromethane.

Energy-exergy and environ-economic (4E) analysis of heat storage-based single-slope solar stills integrated with solar air heater.

The energy-exergy and environ-economic (4E) analysis was conducted on a solar still with and without a hybrid thermal energy storage system (TESS) and a solar air heater. The proposed solar still was modified by integrating a rectangular aluminium box filled with paraffin wax and black gravel as the TESS and coupled with a solar air heater. Paraffin wax was selected due to its widespread availability and proven effectiveness in accelerating desalination, improving process uniformity, and maintaining optimal temperature levels.

Utilization of refuse-derived fuel in industrial applications: Insights from Uttar Pradesh, India.

Urbanization and population growth in India have quickened, leading to an annual generation of around 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW). Improper management of organic waste presents a major environmental problem due to air and water pollution, soil contamination and greenhouse gas production. This research aims to develop refuse-derived fuel (RDF) as a viable option, converting waste into a high-calorific energy carrier for industrial use.

Correction: The peak viscosity of decaying foam with natural drainage and coarsening.

Correction for 'The peak viscosity of decaying foam with natural drainage and coarsening' by Wei Yu and Jack H. Y. Lo, , 2024, , 4964-4971, https://doi.

A Wide-Spectrum Oil/Water Separation Scenario Enhanced by a Chitosan-Based Superwetting Membrane with a Tunable Microstructure and Powerful Photocatalytic Self-Cleaning Capability.

Oil spills and industrial oily wastewater pose serious threats to the environment. A series of modified membranes with special wettability have been widely used for separating oil/water mixtures and emulsions. However, these membranes still face challenges such as the detachment of the modified coatings and membrane fouling.

Premelted-Substrate-Promoted Selective Etching Strategy Realizing CVD Growth of High-Quality Graphene on Dielectric Substrates.

Direct chemical vapor deposition growth of high-quality graphene on dielectric substrates is a great challenge. Graphene growth on dielectrics always suffers from the issues of a high nucleation density and poor quality. Herein, a premelted-substrate-promoted selective etching (PSE) strategy was proposed.

Germanium Atoms Exceed the Tetrahedral Coordination in MFI Zeolite.

Germanium is known to occupy tetrahedral sites by substituting silicon in germanosilicate zeolites. In this study, we present pioneering findings regarding the synthesis of zeolites with an MFI structure (GeMFI) incorporating a high germanium amount (16% Ge). Remarkably, the germanium atoms feature a slight electron deficiency with respect to GeO, and the typical coordination number of 4, as usually reported for the germanosilicate zeolites, is exceeded, giving rise to Ge dimers in a double-bridge configuration.

Effect of temperature and CO concentration on biological nutrient removal from tertiary municipal wastewater using microalgae .

This study investigates the potential of phototrophic microalgae, specifically Chlorella protothecoides, for biological wastewater treatment, with a focus on the effects of air temperature and CO concentration on nutrient removal from tertiary municipal wastewater. Utilizing both the Monod and Arrhenius kinetic models, the research examines how temperature and nutrient availability influence microalgal growth and nutrient removal. The study finds that optimal biomass productivity occurs at 25 °C, with growth slowing at higher temperatures (30 °C, 40 °C, and 45 °C).

Recent Advances on Characterization Techniques for the Composition-Structure-Property Relationships of Solid Electrolyte Interphase.

The Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) is a nanoscale thickness passivation layer that forms as a product of electrolyte decomposition through a combination of chemical and electrochemical reactions in the cell and evolves over time with charge/discharge cycling. The formation and stability of SEI directly determine the fundamental properties of the battery such as first coulombic efficiency (FCE), energy/power density, storage life, cycle life, and safety. The dynamic nature of SEI along with the presence of spatially inhomogeneous organic and inorganic components in SEI encompassing crystalline, amorphous, and polymeric nature distributed across the electrolyte to the electrolyte-electrode interface, highlights the need for advanced in situ/operando techniques to understand the formation and structure of these materials in creating a stable interface in real-world operating conditions.

Influencing factors and quantitative prediction of gas content of deep marine shale in Luzhou block.

The exploration and development of deep marine shale gas has made significant breakthroughs, but factors influencing gas contents of deep marine shale are elusive, and quantitative prediction methods of gas content needs to be refined urgently. In this study, the deep marine shale of Longmaxi Formation in Luzhou area was taken as an example, vitrinite reflectance analysis, kerogen microscopy experiment, TOC content analysis, mineral composition analysis, gas content measurement, isothermal adsorption experiment, physical property analysis and argon ion polishing scanning electron microscopy experiment were carried out to find out factors affecting the gas content of deep marine shale, and a gas content prediction model has been worked out. Conclusions below have been reached: the content of adsorbed gas is mainly affected by Ro, TOC content, porosity, water saturation, clay mineral content, formation temperature and pressure; the content of free gas is mainly controlled by porosity, water saturation, formation temperature and pressure; according to the prediction models, the adsorbed gas content, free gas content and total gas content of each well were quantitatively calculated, and the study area was divided into Class I (with a total gas content ≥ 11 m/t), Class II (with a total gas content between 9 m/t and 11 m/t), and Class III (with a total gas content < 9 m/t) gas-bearing areas.

Electron-phonon coupling and thermal transport properties of GaN/AlGaN heterojunction under strain regulation.

In the study of GaN/AlGaN heterostructure thermal transport, the interference of strain on carriers cannot be ignored. Although existing research has mainly focused on the intrinsic electronic and phonon behavior of the materials, there is a lack of studies on the transport characteristics of the electron-phonon coupling in heterostructures under strain control. This research comprehensively applies first-principles calculations and the Boltzmann transport equation simulation method to deeply analyze the thermal transport mechanism of the GaN/AlGaN heterojunction considering in-plane strain, with particular attention to the regulatory role of electron-phonon coupling on thermal transport.

Enhancing sand screen performance with integrated slurry testing and CFD-DEM modelling.

Understanding the behavior of sand screens is crucial for optimizing sand control strategies and preventing wellbore failure, which can significantly impact reservoir management and production efficiency. This paper presents a comprehensive experimental and numerical modeling study on sand screen performance, aimed at providing insights prior to real-field applications. The study evaluated a 200-μm wire-wrapped screen (WWS) using slurry tests to determine the amount of sand retained, sand produced and retained permeability to assess screen efficiency.

A two-stage deep learning-based hybrid model for daily wind speed forecasting.

Global adoption of wind energy continues to increase, while improving the efficiency of turbine settings requires reliable wind speed (WS) models. The latest models rely on artificial intelligence (AI) optimizations which constructs tests on a range of novel hybrid models to examine the reliability. Gradient Boosting (GB), Random Forest (RF), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) are used in new combinations for data pre-processing.

Study on the mechanical properties and failure mechanism of a multi-lithologic layered rock mass.

The mechanical properties of multi-lithologic reservoir rock masses are complex, and the failure mechanism is not clear. This research belongs to the field of oil and gas exploration and development. Brazilian splitting, and digital image correlation (DIC) tests were performed to study the mechanical properties and failure mechanism of assemblages containing sandstone, shale, and limestone.

Altered brain functional connectivity in patients with tension-type headache.

Objective: To evaluate whether patients with tension-type headache (TTH) exhibit abnormal brain functional connectivity compared to healthy controls.

Background: TTH is one of the most prevalent headache disorders throughout the world. The present study delves into brain functional connectivity in patients with TTH to enhance the understanding of its underlying pathophysiology.

Enhanced Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Production via a CuWO/WO Heterojunction with High Selectivity and Stability.

The electrocatalytic conversion of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide offers a promising pathway for sustainable energy production. However, the development of catalysts that are highly active, stable, and cost-effective for hydrogen peroxide synthesis remains a significant challenge. In this study, a novel polyacid-based metal-organic coordination compound (Cu-PW) was synthesized using a hydrothermal approach.

Tailoring Metal-Organic Frameworks for One-Step Separation of Alkane/Alkene/Alkyne Mixtures.

The purification of polymer-grade (>99.9%) olefins (mostly C2 and C3) represents a significant yet challenging process in petrochemical industry. The commonly employed method for hydrocarbon separation involves heat-driven distillations.

WS/MHS PdTe/Si Mixed-Dimensional Heterojunction as Ultra-Broadband Photodetector for Health and Safety Monitoring.

Ultra-broadband photodetectors (UB-PDs) are essential in medical applications, public safety monitoring, and various other fields. However, developing UB-PDs covering multiple bands from ultraviolet to medium infrared remains a challenge due to material limitations. Here, a mixed-dimensional heterojunction composed of 2D WS/monodisperse hexagonal stacking (MHS) 3D PdTe particles on 3D Si is proposed, capable of detecting light from 365 to 9600 nm.

Influence of the Transducer-Mounting Method on the Radiation Performance of Acoustic Sources Used in Monopole Acoustic Logging While Drilling.

Transducers used in acoustic logging while drilling (ALWD) must be mounted on a drill collar, and their radiation performance is dependent on the employed mounting method. Herein, the complex transmitting voltage response of a while-drilling (WD) monopole acoustic source was calculated through finite-element harmonic-response analysis. Subsequently, the acoustic pressure waveform radiated by the source driven by a half-sine excitation voltage signal was calculated using the complex transmitting voltage response.