Loss of behavioral stress response in blind cavefish reduces energy expenditure

The stress response is essential for animal self-defense and survival. However, species may exhibit stress response variation depending on their specific environmental and selection pressures. Blind cavefish dwell in cave environments, which differ markedly in stressors and resource availability compared to surface aquatic environments. However, whether blind cavefish exhibit differences in stress response as an adaptation to their cave environments remains unclear. Here, we investigated differences in stress response in six closely related Triplophysa species, including three blind cavefish (T. longibarbata, T. jiarongensis, and T. rosa) and three normal-sighted river fish (T. nasobarbatula, T. dongsaiensis, and T. bleekeri). Results showed that blind cavefish exhibited a range of distinct behavioral responses compared to sighted river fish, including greater levels of activity, shorter duration of freezing, absence of erratic movements or thrashing behavior, and opposite behavioral trends over time. Furthermore, the cavefish species demonstrated attenuated increases in metabolic rate in response to stressors related to novel environments. Cave-dwelling T. rosa also exhibited lower basal hypothalamic-pituitary-inter-renal (HPI) axis-related gene expression levels and stress hormone concentrations compared to river-dwelling T. bleekeri. These results suggest that blind cavefish may have lost their behavioral stress response, potentially mediated by a reduction in basal activity of the HPI axis, thus enabling the conservation of energy by reducing unnecessary expenditure in energy-limited caves.

Impacts of thermal and electric contact resistance on the material design in segmented thermoelectric generators

Segmented thermoelectric generators(STEGs)can exhibit present superior performance than those of the conventional thermoelectric generators.Thermal and electrical contact resistances exist between the thermoelectric material interfaces in each thermoelectric leg.This may significantly hinder performance improvement.In this study,a five-layer STEG with three pairs of thermoelectric(TE)materials was investigated considering the thermal and electrical contact resistances on the material contact surface.The STEG performance under different contact resistances with various combinations of TE materials were analyzed.The relationship between the material sequence and performance indicators under different contact resistances is established by machine learning.Based on the genetic algorithm,for each contact resistance combination,the optimal material sequences were identified by maximizing the electric power and energy conversion efficiency.To reveal the underlying mechanism that determines the heat-to-electrical performance,the total electrical resistance,output voltage,ZT value,and temperature distribution under each optimized scenario were analyzed.The STEG can augment the heat-to-electricity performance only at small contact resistances.A large contact resistance significantly reduces the performance.At an electrical contact resistance of RE=10^(-3) K⋅m^(2)⋅W^(-1) and thermal contact resistance of RT=10-8Ω⋅m^(2),the maximum electric power was reduced to 5.71 mW(90.86 mW without considering the contact resistance).And the maximum energy conversion efficiency is lowered to 2.54%(12.59%without considering the contact resistance).

Impacts of wind conditions on hydrogen leakage during refilling hydrogen-powered vehicles

Although hydrogen leakage at hydrogen refueling stations has been a concern,less efforts have been devoted to hydrogen leakage during the refueling of hydrogen-powered vehicles.In this study,hydrogen leakage and dilution from the hydrogen dispenser during the refueling of hydrogen-powered vehicles were numerically investigated under different wind configurations.The shape,size,and distribution of flammable gas clouds(FGC)during the leakage and dilution processes were analyzed.The results showed that the presence of hydrogen-powered vehicles resulted in irregular FGC shapes.Greater wind speeds(v wv)were associated with longer FGC propagation distances.At v_(wv)=2 m·s^(−1)and 10 m·s^(−1),the FGC lengths at the end of the leakage were 7.9 m and 20.4 m,respectively.Under downwind conditions,higher wind speeds corresponded to lower FGC heights.The FGC height was larger under upwind conditions and was slightly affected by the magnitude of the wind speed.In the dilution process,the existence of a region with a high hydrogen concentration led to the FGC volume first increasing and then gradually decreasing.Wind promoted the mixing of hydrogen and air,accelerated FGC dilution,inhibited hydrogen uplifting,and augmented the horizontal movement of the FGC.At higher wind speeds,the low-altitude FGC movements could induce potential safety hazards.