Search Results (10,144)

The conventional von Neumann architecture, constrained by the memory and power walls arising from the separation of storage and computation, faces significant limitations in computational efficiency and energy consumption. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a computing-in-memory (CiM) architecture based on a hybrid 2T-2C/4T-2C ferroelectric random-access memory (FRAM) array. The proposed architecture performs majority-based bitwise computation by simultaneously activating multiple word lines, enabling AND and OR operations in conventional 2T-2C FRAM cells. Selectively embedded 4T-2C FRAM cells further provide in-array inversion, extending the supported functions to NOT and functionally complete Boolean logic. The architecture also supports full-adder operations and stores input operands, intermediate data, and output results within the same FRAM subarray, thereby reducing data movement. Moreover, the architecture provides ADC-free bitwise computing with binary inputs and outputs, reducing peripheral-circuit overhead and power consumption. The internal computation, nevertheless, relies on analog charge sharing and differential sense-amplifier resolution. HSPICE simulations indicate PVT-evaluated sensing stability and computational efficiency under the evaluated conditions. The bit-line voltage difference reaches 337 mV under triple-row activation and 214 mV under quintuple-row activation, with the former being 5.2 times that of the reported DRAM implementation used for comparison. At 3.3 V, process–voltage–temperature (PVT) simulations show that the maximum deviation of ΔV from its mean value remains below 4.62% across the evaluated process corners and temperatures from −40 °C to 125 °C. Simulations of the 8 × 8 FRAM CiM compute-array circuit model yield an energy consumption of 1.94–3.46 pJ/bit and a calculation latency of 0.599–1.167 ns for the supported bitwise operations, corresponding to a 4.86×–5.90× reduction in energy consumption compared with the reported DDR3-based design. The architecture also supports parallel processing and mitigates data loss associated with destructive FRAM readout through an in-array replication mechanism. Finally, an 8 × 8 hybrid FRAM CiM prototype was fabricated in a 180 nm CMOS process as a physical implementation of the proposed hybrid architecture, and its basic array functionality was verified. Full article

The growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and the increasing need for coordinated charging and energy management have highlighted the importance of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies within battery management systems (BMSs). However, existing studies often treat EVs as idealized storage systems, overlooking battery and BMS-related operational constraints, and typically analyze driving, charging, and bidirectional energy exchange in isolation, limiting realistic, end-to-end evaluation of daily operation scenarios. This paper addresses these gaps by analyzing how advanced, BMS-integrated V2X capabilities can be deployed in real-world EV operation, focusing on battery utilization, operational performance, and system-level energy interactions. A unified, scenario-based methodology combines mobility demand, AC/DC charging behavior, and bidirectional V2X services within a single daily operational framework. Representative use cases for both passenger EVs and electric light commercial vehicles (eLCVs) are developed to capture realistic driving patterns, environmental conditions, and energy exchange scenarios. The results indicate that V2X operation can provide substantial gross economic value in the investigated scenarios. For the eLCV cases, the estimated increase in equivalent full cycle (EFC) throughput rate ranges from approximately 14.3% to 30.3%, while combined summer–winter cumulative avoided electricity purchase cost reaches approximately EUR 4033 for the higher-power charging strategy, equivalent to 57.0% of the adopted battery cost reference. The analysis also highlights the strong influence of ambient temperature and usage patterns on energy consumption, charging strategies, and overall system performance. Overall, this work provides a holistic and practical evaluation framework for V2X-enabled BMS operation, demonstrating its potential to improve grid support, enhance energy efficiency, and support sustainable EV integration while balancing economic and battery-lifetime trade-offs. Full article

Long-duration energy storage (ES) has aroused widespread concern by virtue of its potential in renewable energy consumption and the achievement of carbon neutrality goals. Compressed Carbon Dioxide Energy Storage (CCES) works as one of the most attractive technologies for long-duration ES. However, efficient and economical CCES systems are still lacking. In the present study, two novel CCES systems have been proposed, namely Closed-CCES and Semi-open-CCES. Under typical design conditions, the Closed-CCES system achieves a cycle efficiency of 62.25%, whereas the Semi-open-CCES system, featuring simultaneous cooling, heating, and power outputs, attains a superior energy storage density (ESD) of 7.38 × 10⁷ J·m⁻³. Compared with comparable energy storage systems, the two proposed systems exhibit distinct advantages in cycle efficiency and energy storage density, respectively. As noted by exergy analysis, the key loss source of Closed-CCES is the heat exchanger HE2, while the loss of Semi-open-CCES is mainly concentrated in the thermal storage device HFT1. Sensitivity analysis shows that ambient temperature and thermal storage pressure slightly affect the performance of both systems, while heat exchanger efficiency impacts the performance of Closed-CCES more significantly. Economic assessments reveal that both systems outperform conventional technologies in levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The Closed-CCES system demonstrates superior economic viability with a lower LCOE of 0.0808 $/kW·h versus 0.0985 $/kW·h for the Semi-open system, with the advantage persisting in various operational scenarios. Research results provide a basis for the practical engineering implementation of CCES technology, contributing to the broader pursuit of long-duration energy storage solutions for carbon neutrality. Full article

Postharvest spoilage of cherry tomatoes caused by pathogenic microorganisms and oxidative browning leads to significant economic losses and food waste. Natural bioactive compounds are gaining increasing attention as alternatives to synthetic pesticides. In this study, a nanoemulsion (NED) formulation of nature-derived 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol was developed and evaluated for its potential to preserve cherry tomato quality during storage. The NED was prepared using high-pressure homogenization, and demonstrated good water solubility and stability. The particles and polydispersity index of NED were an average size of 80–170 nm and 0.2389, respectively. The conductivity and zeta potential of the nanoemulsion were detected as 1.007 mS/cm and 1.611 mV, respectively. Antimicrobial assays showed that the nanoemulsion effectively inhibited the growth of major postharvest pathogens, including human-pathogenic bacterial S. aureus, and phytopathogenic fungal B. cinerea, with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 1.0, 2.0 μL/mL, respectively. Preservation performance tests indicated that the nanoemulsion was effective under both room temperature and refrigerated conditions. When applied to cherry tomatoes, the NED significantly reduced surface bacterial quantity, and preserved fruit quality, as evidenced by a lower weight loss rate, and higher levels of soluble sugars, protein, total phenolics, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid, and total antioxidant capacity (all comparisons were statistically evaluated by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD test, p < 0.05). Importantly, the NED can be completely removed after three times of washing. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that NED is an effective and safe bioactive preservative under laboratory-scale conditions. However, further validation under commercial postharvest handling conditions is necessary prior to practical application. This work provides a fundamental basis for the application of nanoencapsulated natural phenolic compounds in the postharvest preservation of fruits and vegetables. Full article

The valorization of food industry by-products is a promising strategy for developing natural additives to increase food quality. This study examined the efficiency of tomato processing industry waste (TPIW), which is a significant agro-industrial by-product, in enhancing the oxidative stability of three common edible vegetable seed oils (i.e., sunflower, soybean, and corn oils) under accelerated storage conditions. A custom response surface methodology (RSM) approach was employed to design and optimize the experiments, also using butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a potent synthetic antioxidant (i.e., oil type, TPIW and/or BHT enrichment). Oils were incubated under controlled conditions at 60 °C for 28 d (Schall oven test), wherein both darkness and light exposure were employed. Untreated (control), TPIW-enriched, and BHT-fortified (positive control) oils were examined in this study. The oxidative stability and shelf-life of oils was thoroughly evaluated using standard oxidative indices for both primary and secondary oxidation by-products, antioxidant capacity (DPPH radical scavenging activity), total carotenoid content, chromatic coordinates (CIE 1976 L*a*b*), and Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy to monitor structural changes. The results revealed that enrichment with TPIW significantly (p < 0.05) reduced both primary and secondary oxidation products compared to untreated oils, approaching the protective efficiency of BHT in some assays. Specifically, it was observed that the combination of soybean oil enriched with both BHT and TPIW was the most preferable to enhance oxidation stability. Results from FT-IR supported these findings; slower formation of oxidative derivatives was revealed. Light exposure did not show a significant impact on the oxidation process regardless of the oil sample when compared to the temperature parameter. The results of this study confirm that TPIW could assist shelf-life prolongation of edible vegetable oils and promote a circular economy strategy by valorizing food by-products as a viable alternative to synthetic antioxidants. Full article

Photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) collectors coupled to thermochemical energy storage (TCES) can turn intermittent low-grade solar heat into a dispatchable service, but solar intermittency poses a closed-loop control problem. A companion study established the feedback-only lower bound: a 937 kJ accumulated exergy-delivery-deficit benchmark under optimally tuned proportional–integral–derivative (PID) flow control. The corresponding upper bound is quantified here by means of a deliberately idealised search-based predictive controller that, at each 10 s step, enumerates 51 candidate pump rates, predicts the reactor-inlet temperature by a single forward-Euler step, and is granted perfect future irradiance. On the experimentally validated shared plant (matched to the companion baseline), against an optimally tuned PID, the perfect-foresight advantage is marginal: +0.96% daily exergy on synthetic days and +0.07–0.24% on two measured Walailak University monsoon days, all controllers tracking within 6–13 K on the measured days. Under tropical-monsoon irradiance, the 95 °C desorption setpoint is rarely sustained, so the delivered exergy is nearly controller-independent: the perfect-foresight upper bound lies just above the feedback-only lower bound, and together the two results bracket the exergy envelope available to any flow-rate controller of this system. A horizon sweep localises the bottleneck to internal-model fidelity, not anticipation depth. The eight-node plant is validated against measured module temperature (root-mean-square error 3.5 °C, coefficient of determination R² = 0.89) and a copper-tube PVT prototype (1.5 °C; peak hot water up to 79 °C). The central contribution is therefore a rigorously defined, experimentally grounded upper bound showing that, at this scale and latitude, deployability rather than anticipation is the effective design lever. Full article

Continuous carbon anode roasting in industrial parks requires a stable high-temperature heat supply and remains highly dependent on grid electricity and natural gas. However, existing energy-system studies rarely coordinate hydrogen production and storage, volumetric hydrogen blending, and temperature-graded waste-heat recovery under continuous production constraints. To address this gap, this study proposes an electricity–heat–gas–hydrogen integrated energy system for carbon anode industrial parks and develops a 24 h multi-objective scheduling model. The model coordinates heat demands at different temperature levels with hourly electricity and hydrogen flows, using surplus photovoltaic power to produce hydrogen for later high-load periods. The selected scheme achieves a daily volumetric hydrogen-blending ratio of 10.79%, with an operating cost of 82,985.75 CNY and carbon emissions of 54,371.53 kg. Relative to an otherwise equivalent non-hydrogen configuration, hydrogen coupling provides additional reductions of 7.2% in operating cost and 2.3% in carbon emissions. Compared with a basic conventional configuration, operating cost and carbon emissions decrease by 27.9% and 26.0%, respectively. Cascade recovery also increases the daily waste-heat utilization rate by approximately 30 percentage points. These results show that the proposed scheduling framework can coordinate hydrogen utilization and graded waste-heat recovery while maintaining continuous carbon anode production. Full article

Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) is a promising large-scale storage technology for supporting the sustainable integration of intermittent renewable electricity into power grids, particularly when electricity storage is combined with waste-heat valorization, cryogenic cold recovery, and reduced exergy degradation. In this thermodynamic sense, the present study proposes a sustainability-oriented framework for the comparative and parametric exergetic analysis of LAES systems, integrating the liquefaction and discharge stages within a unified analysis. The assessment focuses on thermodynamic resource efficiency and exergy performance rather than on a complete economic, environmental, or life-cycle evaluation. The objective is to identify the components and operating parameters that most strongly influence performance and to quantify the reductions in exergy destruction and losses achieved through configuration changes and parameter variation. Three Linde–Hampson-based liquefaction configurations are compared, including arrangements with external and intermediate auxiliary pre-cooling. Improved heat-exchanger integration and temperature matching increase the structural liquefaction exergetic indicator from 7.95% in the baseline configuration to 19.28% in the two-RHX configuration. The discharge stage is assessed parametrically with respect to cryogenic pumping pressure, turbine inlet temperature, and expansion architecture. Single-stage and two-stage adiabatic expansions are compared with an ideal isothermal benchmark. The adiabatic configurations provide mechanical-work recovery together with recoverable cooling potential, whereas the isothermal case gives the highest work-recovery benchmark. Under the reference conditions, using the aggregated compressor representation adopted for the main parametric analysis, the two-stage adiabatic configuration reaches a global exergetic efficiency of 15.92% for the improved Linde–Hampson-based chain and 24.87% for the selected Claude–Heylandt reference block. Full article

Background and Clinical significance: Potassium is one of the most frequently measured laboratory parameters used to assess a patient’s clinical status and is also one of the analytes most commonly affected by preanalytical errors. Case Presentation: A potassium test was ordered for a 63-year-old male patient. The result obtained was 6.4 mmol/L, indicating hyperkalemia, and a medical consultation was recommended in the laboratory report. As the potassium result was inconsistent with the patient’s clinical status, a new blood sample was analyzed the next day. This yielded a result that was 1.3 mmol/L (20%) lower. A detailed interview with the patient and the staff responsible for blood sample collection revealed that the spurious hyperkalemia was most likely caused by prolonged storage of the blood sample in a refrigerator implemented because of high ambient temperatures. Further analysis demonstrated that after storage of blood samples at low temperature, potassium concentration increased significantly on average by 5% and 20% at the 4 h and 8 h time points, respectively. Conclusions: Low temperature and prolonged blood sample storage before analysis significantly affect potassium results. Since even a slight alteration in potassium levels can have a severe impact on a patient’s health and may require immediate action, obtaining accurate potassium results requires ensuring appropriate conditions for sample storage and transport, and proper sample handling. This is particularly important in laboratories serving large geographical areas, where prolonged storage and transportation of blood samples can considerably extend the preanalytical phase. Full article

Hyaluronic acid (HA)-based hydrogels are widely used as wound-healing materials and topical delivery systems because of their excellent biocompatibility, water retention capacity, and ability to promote cell migration. However, HA is prone to oxidative chain scission, which reduces molecular weight and compromises formulation stability and functional performance. This study evaluated the feasibility of ergothioneine (EGT) as a candidate antioxidant stabilizing excipient in a model HA-based wound-healing material. CCK-8 assays assessed the biocompatibility of EGT in L929 mouse fibroblasts after 24 h of exposure, and a stress-screening framework including Fenton oxidation, high-temperature/high-humidity treatment, light exposure, and quiescent storage at 4 °C was established. The results showed that Fenton oxidation markedly induced HA degradation, whereas EGT incorporation effectively protected HA structural integrity under oxidative stress. Cell scratch assays further demonstrated that EGT did not interfere with the ability of HA to promote cell migration. EGT may serve as a candidate antioxidant stabilizing excipient for HA-based wound-healing materials, improving HA structural and material stability under oxidative challenge while preserving HA-associated cell-migration function. Full article

Raw Chinese lacquer, tapped from the sap of Toxicodendron vernicifluum, is a natural water-in-oil microemulsion containing urushiol, polysaccharides, proteins, and laccase. Because this reactive system continues to oxidize and polymerize after harvesting, handling conditions directly determine water content, viscosity, and later film-forming performance. This review analyzes potential in situ stabilization routes that couple purification, low-temperature vacuum dehydration, and quality conditioning at, or near, the collection site. Emphasis is placed on how laccase retention, oxygen exposure, and urushiol polymerization are controlled together to limit transport losses and premature crusting. Portable filtration devices, reported centrifugal filtration systems, and proposed vacuum dehydration strategies are compared in terms of throughput, field compatibility, and process control. Physical and bio-based conditioning strategies, including shear adjustment, oxygen management, and natural film-forming aids, are further considered for on-site regulation. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and portable spectroscopic devices are examined as feedback tools for parameter adjustment under field temperatures, humidity, and storage variation; however, these signals are treated as decision-support indicators that still require lacquer-specific calibration after tapping. The central task is to define a field-compatible process window for water removal, laccase retention, viscosity control, drying behavior, and storage stability before downstream coating preparation. The remaining challenges involve miniaturized equipment, standardized evaluation, evidence-level classification, and dynamic control of coupled variables. Full article

Most existing creep studies on NEPE propellant focus on room and high temperatures, lacking systematic investigation into low-temperature creep damage. In this work, uniaxial creep tests at −10 °C, −30 °C and −50 °C under three stress levels were conducted. All specimens show complete three-stage creep behavior. Higher stress accelerates interface debonding and shortens rupture life, while low temperature restricts molecular chain movement and suppresses damage growth. Combined with continuum damage mechanics and strain-equivalence hypothesis, a modified time-hardening creep model embedded with the Kachanov damage-evolution equation is established. All fitting coefficients of determination exceed 0.989. A FORTRAN UMAT subroutine is developed on ABAQUS (version 2024) for numerical simulation, using SDV1 and SDV8 to output creep strain and damage variables respectively. Simulation strain curves match experimental data well and reproduce full-range creep evolution. Damage remains low for most of the service time and surges only in the final 5–10% of the lifetime. The proposed model and subroutine accurately characterize the low-temperature creep and damage evolution of NEPE propellant, supporting grain structural integrity analysis and long-term storage life prediction. Full article

Low thermal conductivity of metal hydride beds significantly limits the hydrogen absorption kinetics and performance of metal hydride storage systems. This study presents a new design of a passive internal heat exchanger for a certified MNTZV-159 low-pressure hydrogen storage tank using the Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) structures. The parametric improvement in the design of a cylindrical Diamond TPMS-based geometry was performed by applying various cell dimensions, arc counts, and wall thicknesses while maintaining the original volume of the heat exchanger. The analysed configuration was subsequently evaluated through three-dimensional numerical heat-transfer simulations conducted in ANSYS CFX. Compared with the original finned heat exchanger, the TPMS-based design reduced the average metal hydride temperature from 107.7 °C to 86.2 °C and the maximum temperature from 130.9 °C to 114.0 °C. The improved temperature uniformity enhanced the heat removal from the hydride bed and created more favourable conditions for hydrogen absorption. The results demonstrated that TPMS structures constitute a promising solution for improving passive thermal management in metal hydride hydrogen storage systems while maintaining the storage capacity of the vessel. Full article

Since the implementation of the Grain-for-Green Program (GGP), vegetation across the Loess Plateau (LP) has substantially recovered. However, whether the associated increase in ecosystem carbon gain was accompanied by a proportional increase in water consumption and whether groundwater storage changed synchronously remain unclear. This study integrated multi-source remote sensing products, GLDAS-Noah land-surface assimilation data, GRACE/GRACE-FO satellite gravimetry, irrigation water-use data, provincial water-use statistics, and coal-resource information to examine long-term changes in gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), water-use efficiency (WUE), soil moisture (SM), and groundwater storage anomaly (GWSA) during 2002–2023. GPP increased significantly by 10.67 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ ($p<0.01$), whereas ET increased more modestly by 1.97 mm yr⁻¹ ($p<0.05$). The relative growth rate of GPP (1.66%) was approximately 3.5 times that of ET (0.47%), and WUE increased by 0.018 g C m⁻² mm⁻¹ yr⁻¹ ($p<0.01$). In the XGBoost–SHAP models for 2004–2019, LAI showed the strongest model-based association with GPP and WUE, whereas ET was associated more broadly with LAI, air temperature, and precipitation. SM declined during 2002–2015 but showed an increasing tendency during 2016–2023, particularly in the middle and deep layers. The long-term GWSA slopes derived from CSR and JPL were −8.707 and −9.505 mm yr⁻¹, respectively, and the averaged CSR–JPL GWSA series showed a Sen’s slope of −9.131 mm yr⁻¹. GWSA declined during 2002–2020 and showed only a short-term, nonsignificant increase during 2020–2023 (4.110 mm yr⁻¹, $p>0.05$). These contrasting trajectories indicate that increases in surface carbon uptake and improvements in soil-water conditions were not accompanied by synchronous regional groundwater recovery. Overall, the ecological-restoration period was accompanied by increased carbon gain and WUE without a proportional increase in regional ET, while groundwater storage followed a distinct trajectory. These findings provide regional-scale evidence and a quantitative basis for coordinating sustainable water-resource management with ecological-restoration optimization on the LP. Full article

Background: The clinical translation of cell-based therapies for knee articular cartilage repair is fundamentally restricted by the severe biological unpredictability of autologous cell sources, inherent manufacturing bottlenecks, and the rapid phenotypic dedifferentiation of cells expanded in conventional 2D monolayers. To overcome these translational hurdles, this study engineered a scaffold-free, 3D formulation of highly characterized allogeneic FE002-Cart chondroprogenitor spheroids. Methods: We systematically investigated the specific microenvironmental cues and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) formulation parameters required to direct functional chondrogenesis. The structural and biochemical performance of this allogeneic formulation was benchmarked against multiple primary adult autologous chondrocyte types. Finally, we evaluated the phenotypic resilience of the microtissues in simulated osteoarthritic (OA) environments and investigated both short-term liquid storage and advanced terminal preservation strategies to establish off-the-shelf logistical viability. Results: Precise microenvironmental regulation proved to be a critical biological prerequisite. The synergistic combination of physiological hypoxia (2% O₂) and stringent glucocorticoid limitation (10 nM dexamethasone) induced robust glycosaminoglycan (GAG) deposition and a > 200-fold upregulation of ACAN and COL2, while suppressing the terminal hypertrophic drift observed in adult chondrocytes. Benchmarking revealed that the allogeneic FE002-Cart formulation substantially mitigates the profound morphological and biochemical unpredictability inherent to adult autologous cell sources. Furthermore, the scaffold-free spheroid geometry yielded a 10-fold increase in GAG production per cell compared to traditional matrix-seeded (MACI) platforms. Transitioning to a GMP-compatible manufacturing process revealed extreme cellular sensitivities; excipients within standard pharmaceutical-grade dexamethasone severely aborted chondrogenic differentiation, emphasizing the necessity of rigorous raw-material qualification. Functionally, the 3D architecture acted as a protective physical shield, sustaining high cellular viability when subjected to severe inflammatory stress and 100% OA patient synovial fluid. Logistically, the viable spheroids maintained matrix integrity and inter-spheroid fusion potential for up to 7 days at ambient temperature in transport medium. Finally, advanced spheroid preservation via lyophilization and high-dose gamma irradiation eliminated biological viability but successfully transitioned the microtissues into highly organized, terminally irradiated matrices capable of heterologous in vitro structural merging. Conclusions: These findings define the critical biological thresholds for manufacturing, demonstrate the enhanced in vitro biosynthetic efficiency of 3D allogeneic microtissues compared to specific autologous and matrix-dependent baselines, and establish a highly practical, off-the-shelf logistical framework for the regenerative treatment of large knee chondral defects. Full article