Self‑Assembly of Binderless MXene Aerogel for Multiple‑Scenario and Responsive Phase Change Composites with Ultrahigh Thermal Energy Storage Density and Exceptional Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

The severe dependence of traditional phase change materials(PCMs)on the temperature-response and lattice deficiencies in versatility cannot satisfy demand for using such materials in complex application scenarios.Here,we introduced metal ions to induce the self-assembly of MXene nanosheets and achieve their ordered arrangement by combining suction filtration and rapid freezing.Subsequently,a series of MXene/K^(+)/paraffin wax(PW)phase change composites(PCCs)were obtained via vacuum impregnation in molten PW.The prepared MXene-based PCCs showed versatile applications from macroscale technologies,successfully transforming solar,electric,and magnetic energy into thermal energy stored as latent heat in the PCCs.Moreover,due to the absence of binder in the MXene-based aerogel,MK3@PW exhibits a prime solar-thermal conversion efficiency(98.4%).Notably,MK3@PW can further convert the collected heat energy into electric energy through thermoelectric equipment and realize favorable solar-thermal-electric conversion(producing 206 mV of voltage with light radiation intensity of 200 mw cm^(−2)).An excellent Joule heat performance(reaching 105℃with an input voltage of 2.5 V)and responsive magnetic-thermal conversion behavior(a charging time of 11.8 s can achieve a thermal insulation effect of 285 s)for contactless thermotherapy were also demonstrated by the MK3@PW.Specifically,as a result of the ordered arrangement of MXene nanosheet self-assembly induced by potassium ions,MK3@PW PCC exhibits a higher electromagnetic shielding efficiency value(57.7 dB)than pure MXene aerogel/PW PCC(29.8 dB)with the same MXene mass.This work presents an opportunity for the multi-scene response and practical application of PCMs that satisfy demand of next-generation multifunctional PCCs.

Open-Source Codes of Topology Optimization: A Summary for Beginners to Start Their Research

Topology optimization(TO),a numerical technique to find the optimalmaterial layoutwith a given design domain,has attracted interest from researchers in the field of structural optimization in recent years.For beginners,opensource codes are undoubtedly the best alternative to learning TO,which can elaborate the implementation of a method in detail and easily engage more people to employ and extend the method.In this paper,we present a summary of various open-source codes and related literature on TO methods,including solid isotropic material with penalization(SIMP),evolutionary method,level set method(LSM),moving morphable components/voids(MMC/MMV)methods,multiscale topology optimization method,etc.Simultaneously,we classify the codes into five levels,fromeasy to difficult,depending on their difficulty,so that beginners can get started and understand the form of code implementation more quickly.

Construction of all-organic low dielectric polyimide hybrids via synergistic effect between covalent organic framework and cross-linking structure

Polyimide(PI)is a promising electronic packaging material,but it remains challenging to obtain an all-organic PI hybrid film with decreased dielectric constant and loss without modifying the monomer.Herein,a series of allorganic PI hybrid films were successfully prepared by introducing the covalent organic framework(COF),which could induce the formation of the cross-linking structure in the PI matrix.Due to the synergistic effects of the COF fillers and the cross-linking structure,the PI/COF hybrid film containing 2 wt%COF exhibited the lowest dielectric constant of 2.72 and the lowest dielectric loss(tanδ)of 0.0077 at 1 MHz.It is attributed to the intrinsic low dielectric constant of COF and a large number of mesopores within the PI.Besides,the cross-linking network of PI prevents the molecular chains from stacking and improves the fraction of free volume(FFV).The molecular dynamics simulation results are well consistent with the dielectric properties data.Furthermore,the PI/COF hybrid film with 5 wt%COF showed a significant enhancement in breakdown strength,which increased to 412.8 kV/mm as compared with pure PI.In addition,the PI/COF hybrid film achieve to reduce the dielectric constant and thermal expansion coefficient(CTE).It also exhibited excellent thermal,hydrophobicity,and mechanical performance.The all-organic PI/COF hybrid films have great commercial potential as next-generation electronic packaging materials.

Actinidia deliciosa as a complemental therapy against nephropathy and oxidative stress in diabetic rats

This study aimed to evaluate the anti-hyperglycemic and antioxidant role of Actinidia deliciosa(kiwifruits)aqueous extract in streptozotocin-treated rats.Animals were distributed into;control,A.deliciosa aqueous extract(ADAE;1 g/kg orally),streptozotocin(STZ;50 mg/kg,i.p,single dose),and STZ plus ADAE,respectively.Results showed that ADAE had high antioxidant and radical scavenging potency.Elevation in blood sugar level,lipid peroxidation(LPO),kidney function biomarkers,and perturbations in hematological parameters were observed in diabetic rats.While,enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants,protein content,and alkaline phosphatase(ALP)activity declined.Furthermore,histological,immunohistochemical alpha-smooth muscle actin immunoreactivity(α-SMA-ir)and histochemical(collagen,total protein,DNA,and RNA)alterations were observed in rat kidneys.Moreover,STZ produced upregulation of inflammatory associated genes(tumor necrosis factor-alpha;TNF-αand transforming growth factorβ1;TGF-β1)and triggered apoptosis by upregulating apoptotic related gene[Bcl2-associated X protein(Bax)]and downregulating anti-apoptotic related gene B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2)based on real-time PCR data.Moreover,diabetic rats administered with ADAE showed significant restoration in LPO,antioxidant status,and biochemical indices besides tissue architecture,and genes improvement regarding STZ group.Conclusively,A.deliciosa has a valuable ameliorative infl uence and can restore glucose levels and improve kidney dysfunction in diabetic rats.

从计算机辅助设计(CAD)到人辅助设计(HAD)--一种等几何拓扑优化方法

本文提出了一种新的设计模式——人辅助设计,以取代传统的计算机辅助设计。在人辅助设计中,计算机可以通过一种新的等几何拓扑优化自动完成整个产品设计,而人类仅需协助轻微修改设计以满足要求。文中提出了一种嵌入域等几何拓扑优化用于设计具有不规则设计域的复杂模型,并且可以基于分层等几何拓扑优化结果自动生成优化结果的可编辑几何模型。测试了三个算例以验证所提出的等几何拓扑优化模式,包括一个具有规则设计域的3D悬臂梁,一个具有不规则设计域的汽车零件和一个具有多尺度结构的MBB梁。结果表明,所提出的等几何拓扑优化模式可以自动生成高质量的优化模型。因此,该技术具有成为革命性技术的巨大潜力,将当前设计模式由计算机辅助设计转变为人辅助设计。

Determined Reverberant Blind Source Separation of Audio Mixing Signals

Audio signal separation is an open and challenging issue in the classical“Cocktail Party Problem”.Especially in a reverberation environment,the separation of mixed signals is more difficult separated due to the influence of reverberation and echo.To solve the problem,we propose a determined reverberant blind source separation algorithm.The main innovation of the algorithm focuses on the estimation of the mixing matrix.A new cost function is built to obtain the accurate demixing matrix,which shows the gap between the prediction and the actual data.Then,the update rule of the demixing matrix is derived using Newton gradient descent method.The identity matrix is employed as the initial demixing matrix for avoiding local optima problem.Through the real-time iterative update of the demixing matrix,frequency-domain sources are obtained.Then,time-domain sources can be obtained using an inverse short-time Fourier transform.Experi-mental results based on a series of source separation of speech and music mixing signals demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves better separation performance than the state-of-the-art methods.In particular,it has much better superiority in the highly reverberant environment.

Experimentation of a Forced Convection Solar Dryer for Drying Sweet Potatoes at the Higher Institute of Technology of Mamou-Guinea

This study was carried out at the Mamou Higher Institute of Technology during the period from March 10 to April 15, 2022, with the aim of designing and testing a solar dryer with forced convection by drying potatoes. The dryer was designed using local materials. Its main geometric parameters are: 1) height of the drying chamber (90 cm), 2) length of the drying chamber (50 cm), 3) width of the drying chamber (43 cm), 4) surface of the racks (0.1806 m2), 5) surface of the heat accumulator (0.2537 m2). The experiment focused on the vacuum test of the dryer for two days and that of the drying of the sweet potato for three days from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The average vacuum test temperature values of the three environments are respectively accumulator (43°C), dryer chamber (41°C) and ambient environment (34°C). Four kilograms (4 kg) of boiled sweet potato were dried. The average temperatures in the accumulator and in the drying chamber during the three days of drying are respectively 33°C and 39°C. The final mass of the dried product is 1.2 kg, with a quantity of water extracted of 2 liters or 63% of the initial mass of the product. The average drying rate is 0.074 kg/h. The drying kinetics showed a decreasing rate in the absence of the heating period and the constant rate period.

Experimentation of a Forced Convection Solar Dryer for Drying Sweet Potatoes at the Higher Institute of Technology of Mamou-Guinea

This study was carried out at the Mamou Higher Institute of Technology during the period from March 10 to April 15, 2022, with the aim of designing and testing a solar dryer with forced convection by drying potatoes. The dryer was designed using local materials. Its main geometric parameters are: 1) height of the drying chamber (90 cm), 2) length of the drying chamber (50 cm), 3) width of the drying chamber (43 cm), 4) surface of the racks (0.1806 m2), 5) surface of the heat accumulator (0.2537 m2). The experiment focused on the vacuum test of the dryer for two days and that of the drying of the sweet potato for three days from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The average vacuum test temperature values of the three environments are respectively accumulator (43°C), dryer chamber (41°C) and ambient environment (34°C). Four kilograms (4 kg) of boiled sweet potato were dried. The average temperatures in the accumulator and in the drying chamber during the three days of drying are respectively 33°C and 39°C. The final mass of the dried product is 1.2 kg, with a quantity of water extracted of 2 liters or 63% of the initial mass of the product. The average drying rate is 0.074 kg/h. The drying kinetics showed a decreasing rate in the absence of the heating period and the constant rate period.

Contribution to the Management of Fecal Sludge in the Urban Commune of Mamou(Republic of Guinea)

In the town of Mamou,all homes with sanitation systems are equipped with autonomous installations not connected to a sewer network.The emptying service is provided by manual emptiers and by the living environment and sanitation service of the urban municipality which has a single 6 m^(3)truck.The objective of this work is to determine the quantity of fecal sludge produced within the city for sustainable management.The methodology adopted is based on a field survey and the use of three methods for evaluating the quantities of sludge(specific production,quantity of sludge collected by the sludge truck and the total production of sludge produced in the various sludge works).The results obtained show that,out of the 2,940 sanitation works identified,2,936 works have been emptied at least once since their construction.Then 2,307 structures are emptied manually or 78.57%,against;619 structures emptied mechanically or 21.08%.The structures are emptied on average every 3 years for septic tanks and every 5 years for dry latrines.The specific production of sludge is 685,241,532 m^(3)/year;the production of sludge by the mechanical emptying technique varies from 588,641.57 m^(3)/year to 724,800.46 m^(3)/year and the production of sludge by manual emptying is 1,573,709.33 m^(3)/year,for a total quantity of sludge produced including between 2,162,350 m^(3)/year to 685,241,531.9 m^(3)/year.

Evaluation of the Insecticidal Activity of Powders of Ageratum conyzoide L. Leaves and Roots of Securidaca longepedunculata Fresen on the Germination Rate of Cowpea Infected with Callosobruchus maculatus

Cowpea is a vegetable that contributes to food security in Guinea. Despite its importance, more than 30% of its production is lost between harvesting, storage and consumption. The main cowpea pest is Callosobruchus maculatus. The commonly used control strategy is essentially based on chemicals whose use is toxic, expensive and restrictive. In the search for alternatives to chemical control, this work was undertaken to evaluate the insecticidal potential of Ageratum conyzoid leaf powders and Securidaca longepedunculata roots. Powder toxicity and insecticidal efficacy tests were performed separately on groups of 20 Callosobruchus maculatus using 3 doses of Ageratum conyzoid leaf powders and Securidaca longepedunculata roots in jars each containing 100 g cowpea. The mortality of Callosobruchus maculatus and the impact of powders were noted respectively for 96 h and 4 months after infestation. The germination capacity of the treated seeds was assessed at the start of the study. Doses of 1 and 8 g of Ageratum conyzoides leaf powders and Securidaca longepedunculata roots were applied respectively to every 100 g of cowpea and led to 100% mortality of Callosobruchus maculatus. At these same doses, more than half of the treated seeds were attacked during the 4 months of storage. Germination tests have shown that powders of Ageratum conyzoides leaves and roots of Securidaca longepedunculata have no negative effect on the germination power of cowpea seeds. Therefore, they could be considered as excellent bio-insecticides that socio-professional strata (farmers and warehouse workers) can use in the fight against cowpea insects intended for storage.

Wastewater Treatment Trial by Double Filtration on Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Prepared from Peanut Shells

The aim of this work is the purification of wastewater by double filtration on granular activated carbon prepared from peanut shells. The samples of carbonized peanut shells were activated with 35% sulfuric acid and finally, we proceeded to the purification tests on double filtration of wastewater. Granular activated carbons (GAC) were very effective for the treatment of turbidity, dissolved oxygen, suspended solids, iron, COD and BOD5 but the best results were observed with nitrite, nitrate and phosphate. However, the second filtration was the most efficient while the lowest rates were observed for pH (17.91% on average), and conductivity (29.71% on average). In addition, this work has allowed increasing the dissolved oxygen by more than 50.16% at the exit of the first filter and more than 105.36% at the exit of the second filter. This study shows that granular activated carbon prepared from peanut shells could be a credible alternative for developing countries in the control of pollution and environmental protection.

Removal of Nitrate and Phosphate Ions from the Bafing River by an Adsorbent Obtained from the Shells of Mango Cores

The valorization of agricultural waste in the treatment of our rivers can be an alternative to waste management. This study deals with the use of mango kernel shells in the depollution of the Bafing River (rural commune of Tolo, Mamou prefecture) in the Republic of Guinea. Thus, the different concentrations of ions found in April (low water period) were determined and which are: a reduction of 35.64 mg/l (79.69%);a reduction of 41.53 mg/l (81.24%);and 47.53 mg/l (82.10%) and 3.83 mg/l (75.24%);8.45 mg/l (81.72%);11.67 mg/l (87.94%) at the sampling points P1, P2, and P3 respectively. In October (flood period), the concentrations found are 24.98 mg/l reductions (79.88%);29.83 mg/l reduction (81.41%) and 35.15 mg/l (85.50%) at the same sampling points P1, P2 and P3, respectively. This study can be considered as a water treatment alternative for the village community of the Tolo sub-prefecture (Mamou prefecture).

Physico-Chemical Studies of the Bricks in Mud Raw Used in the Construction of Century-Old Huts(Straw Huts):Case of the Urban Commune of Kouroussa

Building construction using cement bricks on the one hand,and mud bricks on the other hand,presents problems of resistance and durability in the face of natural weathering in our country(Republic of Guinea).These difficulties could be linked to non-compliance with standards and the failure to master certain physico-chemical,mechanical and technical parameters when constructing a building.In order to remedy this problem,a series of studies were carried out on samples of mud bricks used in the construction of century-old straw hut buildings in the urban commune of Kouroussa(Republic of Guinea).To this end,the compressive strength of the brick samples was assessed either:0.10 MPa,and sensory techniques of certain characteristics were carried out to evaluate the cohesion of the elements in the brick samples,such as:coward boule technique,hand washing test,withdrawal of a soil(pellet or ring test)and of the jar test.The physico-chemical analyses methods were carried out using XRF(X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry),granulometry and Atterberg limits in accordance with NF P 94-051.These results showed a high insoluble residue content(49.9%)and the sample had a clay-like appearance with a low PI(Plasticity Index)=8%.This study could be an alternative guide for the authorities in charge of housing and construction in the Kouroussa prefecture(Republic of Guinea).because,the majority of houses in Upper Guinea are built with mud raw bricks or fired bricks.

Simultaneous Solar-driven Steam and Electricity Generation by Cost-effective,Easy Scale-up MnO 2-based Flexible Membranes

Harvesting solar energy in an effective manner for steam and electricity generation is a promising technique to simultaneously cope with the energy and water crises.However,the construction of efficient and easy scale-up photothermal materials for steam and electricity cogeneration remains challenging.Herein,we report a facile and cost-effective strategy to prepare MnO_(2)-decorated cotton cloth(MCx).The wide adsorption spectrum and excellent photothermal conversion ability of the in situ-formed MnO_(2)nanoparticles make the MCx to be advanced photothermal materials.Consequently,the hybrid device integrated with MCx as the photothermal layer and the thermoelectric(TE)module for electricity power conversion exhibits an extremely high evaporation rate of 2.24 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)under 1 kW m^(−2)irradiation,which is ranked among the most powerful solar evaporators.More importantly,during solar evaporation,the hybrid device produces an open-circuit voltage of 0.3 V and a power output of 1.6 W m^(−2)under 3 Sun irradiation,and outperforms most of the previously reported solar-driven electricity generation devices.Therefore,the integrated device with synergistic solar-thermal utilization opens up a green way toward simultaneous solar vapor and electric power generation in remote and resource-constrained areas.

Visible light triggered exfoliation of COF micro/nanomotors for efficient photocatalysis

We report a new facile light-induced strategy to disperse micron-sized aggregated bulk covalent organic frameworks(COFs)into isolated COFs nanoparticles.This was achieved by a series of metal-coordinated COFs,namely COF-909-Cu,-Co or-Fe,where for the first time the diffusio-phoretic propulsion was utilized to design COF-based micro/nanomotors.The mechanism studies revealed that the metal ions decorated in the COF-909 backbone could promote the separation of electron and holes and trigger the production of sufficient ionic and reactive oxygen species under visible light irradiation.In this way,strong light-induced self-diffusiophoretic effect is achieved,resulting in good dispersion of COFs.Among them,COF-909-Fe showed the highest dispersion performance,along with a drastic decrease in particle size from 5μm to500 nm,within only 30 min light irradiation,which is inaccessible by using traditional magnetic stirring or ultrasonication methods.More importantly,benefiting from the outstanding dispersion efficiency,COF-909-Fe micro/nanomotors were demonstrated to be efficient in photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline,about 8 times faster than using traditional magnetic stirring method.This work opens up a new avenue to prepare isolated nanosized COFs in a high-fast,simple,and green manner.

Monitoring of the Physico-Chemical Parameters of the Waters of Lake Sonfonia,Municipality of Ratoma(Republic of Guinea)2021

As part of the determination of the possible impact of human activities on surface waters, case of Lake Sonfonia, six sampling sites were selected according to their solicitation by the population and their exposure to probable sources of pollution. The objective of this work is to monitor the physico-chemical quality of the waters of Lake Sonfonia during the low water level (March) and during the flood period (August) of the year 2021. Two sampling campaigns of water were carried out in dry weather and two others in cold weather. Parameters such as temperature, pH, EC (Electrical Conductivity), dissolved oxygen, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) were measured in situ. Suspended matter, phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, sulphates, total iron, COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) were measured in the laboratory by the colorimetric method. Stata 15 software was applied for the statistical analysis of the data and the correlation test between the parameters gave highly significant correlations. It has been noted that the situation is not very good and that this pollution comes mainly from human activities.

Sampled-Data Asynchronous Fuzzy Output Feedback Control for Active Suspension Systems in Restricted Frequency Domain

This paper proposes a novel sampled-data asynchronous fuzzy output feedback control approach for active suspension systems in restricted frequency domain.In order to better investigate uncertain suspension dynamics,the sampleddata Takagi-Sugeno(T-S)fuzzy half-car active suspension(HCAS)system is considered,which is further modelled as a continuous system with an input delay.Firstly,considering that the fuzzy system and the fuzzy controller cannot share the identical premises due to the existence of input delay,a reconstructed method is employed to synchronize the time scales of membership functions between the fuzzy controller and the fuzzy system.Secondly,since external disturbances often belong to a restricted frequency range,a finite frequency control criterion is presented for control synthesis to reduce conservatism.Thirdly,given a full information of state variables is hardly available in practical suspension systems,a two-stage method is proposed to calculate the static output feedback control gains.Moreover,an iterative algorithm is proposed to compute the optimum solution.Finally,numerical simulations verify the effectiveness of the proposed controllers.

Data-Driven Structural Design Optimization for Petal-Shaped Auxetics Using Isogeometric Analysis

Focusing on the structural optimization of auxetic materials using data-driven methods,a back-propagation neural network(BPNN)based design framework is developed for petal-shaped auxetics using isogeometric analysis.Adopting a NURBSbased parametric modelling scheme with a small number of design variables,the highly nonlinear relation between the input geometry variables and the effective material properties is obtained using BPNN-based fitting method,and demonstrated in this work to give high accuracy and efficiency.Such BPNN-based fitting functions also enable an easy analytical sensitivity analysis,in contrast to the generally complex procedures of typical shape and size sensitivity approaches.

Industrial-Scale Polypropylene–Polyethylene Physical Alloying Toward Recycling

Polypropylene(PP)and polyethylene(PE)play central roles in our daily life.However,their immiscibility presents a major hurdle in both industry and academia when recycling them into alloys with favorable mechanical properties.Moreover,typical compatibilizer-enabled approaches are limited due to increased environmental concerns.Herein,inspired by a traditional Chinese technique,we report a facile,industry-scale methodology that produces a PP/PE binary blend with a highly ordered honeycomb nanostructure without any additives.Due to its nanostructure,the blend exhibits enhanced tensile properties in com-parison with the parent components or with a sample prepared using an internal mixer.This approach has potential for applications not only in immiscible polymer blending,but also in non-sorting,compatibilizer-free waste plastics recycling.Through this technique,we expect that an environmentally friendly and sustainable plastic wastes recycling avenue can be found,and great economic benefits can be gained.

Static-Output-Feedback Based Robust Fuzzy Wheelbase Preview Control for Uncertain Active Suspensions With Time Delay and Finite Frequency Constraint

This paper proposes a static-output-feedback based robust fuzzy wheelbase preview control algorithm for uncertain active suspensions with time delay and finite frequency constraint.Firstly,a Takagi-Sugeno(T-S)fuzzy augmented model is established to formulate the half-car active suspension system with consideration of time delay,sprung mass variation and wheelbase preview information.Secondly,in view of the resonation between human’s organs and vertical vibrations in the frequency range of 4–8 Hz,a finite frequency control criterion in terms of H∞norm is developed to improve ride comfort.Meanwhile,other mechanical constraints are also considered and satisfied via generalized H2 norm.Thirdly,in order to maintain the feasibility of the controller despite of some state variables are not online-measured,a two stage approach is adopted to derive a static output feedback controller.Finally,numerical simulation results illustrate the excellent performance of the proposed controller.