Dynamical Janus-Like Behavior Excited by Passive Cold-Heat Modulation in the Earth-Sun/Universe System: Opportunities and Challenges.

The utilization of solar-thermal energy and universal cold energy has led to many innovative designs that achieve effective temperature regulation in different application scenarios. Numerous studies on passive solar heating and radiation cooling often operate independently (or actively control the conversion) and lack a cohesive framework for deep connections. This work provides a concise overview of the recent breakthroughs in solar heating and radiation cooling by employing a mechanism material in the application model. Furthermore, the utilization of dynamic Janus-like behavior serves as a novel nexus to elucidate the relationship between solar heating and radiation cooling, allowing for the analysis of dynamic conversion strategies across various applications. Additionally, special discussions are provided to address specific requirements in diverse applications, such as optimizing light transmission for clothing or window glass. Finally, the challenges and opportunities associated with the development of solar heating and radiation cooling applications are underscored, which hold immense potential for substantial carbon emission reduction and environmental preservation. This work aims to ignite interest and lay a solid foundation for researchers to conduct in-depth studies on effective and self-adaptive regulation of cooling and heating.

Whether full-length IL-38 acts as a promoter or inhibitor in activating rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes depends on IL-1ß.

AIM: IL-38 is a recently discovered inflammatory factor that belongs to the IL-1 family and has full-length and truncated forms. Clinical findings demonstrated that serum IL-38 levels in people with infectious and autoimmune diseases are significantly different from those in healthy people, but the form remains unclear. We are keenly interested in learning more about the regulatory role of full-length IL-38 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a classic autoimmune disease. METHODS: RA-fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) were isolated from six RA patients and stimulated with full-length IL-38 to observe IL-6 and IL-8 secretion. Then, the migration and invasion functions of FLS were assessed. Next, the protein expressions of the MAPK, NF-κB, and JAK pathways were evaluated. In addition, we examined the effect of full-length IL-38 on FLS functions in the presence of IL-1ß. The function of FLS affected by full-length IL-38 was also examined after blocking IL-1 and IL-36 receptors. RESULTS: The functions of FLS were activated after the cells were stimulated with full-length IL-38. IL-6 and IL-8 levels increased with an increase in the full-length IL-38 concentration, and full-length IL-38 induced the acceleration of FLS migration and invasion functions. In addition, the levels of proteins in the MAPK signaling pathway increased after stimulation with full-length IL-38 and depended on its concentration. However, when the FLS were stimulated by IL-38 and IL-1ß simultaneously, all experiments generated opposite results. Full-length IL-38 inhibited FLS function in the presence of IL-1ß. IL-1R and IL-36R blockers terminated all effects of full-length IL-38 on RA-FLS. CONCLUSION: Full-length IL-38 activates FLS functions and acts as a promoter in RA, whereas it inhibits FLS functions and acts as an inhibitor of RA in the presence of IL-1ß. The function of full-length IL-38 can be blocked by IL-1Ra and IL-36Ra.

Recent Advances of Green Electricity Generation: Potential in Solar Interfacial Evaporation System.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) has played a pivotal role in optimizing water-energy utilization, reducing conventional power costs, and mitigating environmental impacts. The increasing emphasis on the synergistic cogeneration of water and green electricity through SDIE is particularly noteworthy. However, there is a gap of existing reviews that have focused on the mechanistic understanding of green power from water-electricity cogeneration (WEC) systems, the structure-activity relationship between efficiency of green energy utilization in WEC and material design in SDIE. Particularly, it lacks a comprehensive discussion to address the challenges faced in these areas along with potential solutions. Therefore, this review aims to comprehensively assess the progress and future perspective of green electricity from WEC systems by investigating the potential expansion of SDIE. First, it provides a comprehensive overview about material rational design, thermal management, and water transportation tunnels in SDIE. Then, it summarizes diverse energy sources utilized in the SDIE process, including steaming generation, photovoltaics, salinity gradient effect, temperature gradient effect, and piezoelectric effect. Subsequently, it explores factors that affect generated green electricity efficiency in WEC. Finally, this review proposes challenges and possible solution in the development of WEC.

Particle size optimization of metal-organic frameworks for superior capacitive deionization in oxygenated saline water.

Pyrolysis-free metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with optimized particle sizes were used as capacitive deionization (CDI) materials in oxygenated saline water. Upon decreasing the particle size of the MOFs, excellent cycling stability and higher CDI performance were achieved. This was possibly due to the improvement in charge transfer and electrolyte permeation, uncovering the significance of particle size control in improving CDI performance.

Transmission mitigation of COVID-19: Exhaled contaminants removal and energy saving in densely occupied space by impinging jet ventilation.

The pandemic of COVID-19 and its transmission ability raise much attention to ventilation design as indoor-transmission outstrips outdoor-transmission. Impinging jet ventilation (IJV) systems might be promising to ventilate densely occupied large spaces due to their high jet momentum. However, their performances in densely occupied spaces have rarely been explored. This study proposes a modified IJV system and evaluates its performance numerically in a densely occupied classroom mockup. A new assessment formula is also proposed to evaluate the nonuniformity of target species CO2. The infector is assumed as the manikin with the lowest tracer gas concentration in the head region. The main results include: a) Indoor air quality (IAQ) in the classroom is improved significantly compared with a mixing ventilation system, i.e., averaged CO2 in the occupied zone (OZ) is reduced from 1287 ppm to 1078 ppm, the OZ-averaged mean age of air is reduced from 439 s to 177 s; b) The mean infection probability is reduced from 0.047% to 0.027% with an infector, and from 0.035% to 0.024% with another infector; c) Cooling coil load is reduced by around 21.0%; d) Overall evaluation indices meet the requirements for comfortable environments, i.e., the temperature difference between head and ankle is within 3 °C and the OZ-averaged predictive mean vote is in the range of -0.5 - 0.5; e) Thermal comfort level and uniformity are decreased, e.g., overcooling near diffuser at ankle level. Summarily, the target system effectively improves IAQ, reduces exhaled-contaminant concentration in head regions, and saves energy as well.

Versatile self-assembled electrospun micropyramid arrays for high-performance on-skin devices with minimal sensory interference.

On-skin devices that show both high performance and imperceptibility are desired for physiological information detection, individual protection, and bioenergy conversion with minimal sensory interference. Herein, versatile electrospun micropyramid arrays (EMPAs) combined with ultrathin, ultralight, gas-permeable structures are developed through a self-assembly technology based on wet heterostructured electrified jets to endow various on-skin devices with both superior performance and imperceptibility. The designable self-assembly allows structural and material optimization of EMPAs for on-skin devices applied in daytime radiative cooling, pressure sensing, and bioenergy harvesting. A temperature drop of ~4 °C is obtained via an EMPA-based radiative cooling fabric under a solar intensity of 1 kW m-2. Moreover, detection of an ultraweak fingertip pulse for health diagnosis during monitoring of natural finger manipulation over a wide frequency range is realized by an EMPA piezocapacitive-triboelectric hybrid sensor, which has high sensitivity (19 kPa-1), ultralow detection limit (0.05 Pa), and ultrafast response (≤0.8 ms). Additionally, EMPA nanogenerators with high triboelectric and piezoelectric outputs achieve reliable biomechanical energy harvesting. The flexible self-assembly of EMPAs exhibits immense potential in superb individual healthcare and excellent human-machine interaction in an interference-free and comfortable manner.

Solar-Powered Sustainable Water Production: State-of-the-Art Technologies for Sunlight-Energy-Water Nexus.

Alternative water resources (seawater, brackish water, atmospheric water, sewage, etc.) can be converted into clean freshwater via high-efficiency, energy-saving, and cost-effective methods to cope with the global water crisis. Herein, we provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of various solar-powered technologies for alternative water utilization (i.e., "sunlight-energy-water nexus"), including solar-thermal interface desalination (STID), solar-thermal membrane desalination (STMD), solar-driven electrochemical desalination (SED), and solar-thermal atmospheric water harvesting (ST-AWH). Three strategies have been proposed for improving the evaporation rate of STID systems above the theoretical limit and designing all-weather or all-day operating STID systems by analyzing the energy transfer of the evaporation and condensation processes caused by solar-thermal conversion. This review also introduces the fundamental principles and current research hotspots of two other solar-driven seawater or brackish water desalination technologies (STMD and SED) in detail. In addition, we also cover ST-AWH and other solar-powered technologies in terms of technology design, materials evolution, device assembly, etc. Finally, we summarize the content of this comprehensive review and discuss the challenges and future outlook of different types of solar-powered alternative water utilization technologies.

In situ atomic-scale observation of irradiation induced carbon nanocrystalline formation from dense carbon clusters.

We present a direct observation of the transformation of dense amorphous carbon clusters into diamond nanocrystalline under electron beam irradiation by in situ transmission electron microscopy, where the surrounding carbon matrix did not significantly change. Our findings provide clear and convincing evidence for the diamond nanocrystalline evolving from energetic amorphous carbon sites. Furthermore, graphitization of amorphous carbons usually demands a high temperature combined with high pressure. Hence, graphitization of amorphous carbons at relatively low temperatures is highly desired. Here we offer a useful method for catalyst-free graphitization of amorphous carbons by employing moderate electron beam irradiation, without external heating being applied.