Adekunle A. Adeleke^1,*, Nzerem Petrus², Salihu Ayuba², Asmau M. Yahya², Peter P. Ikubanni³, Ikechuckwu S. Okafor², Stephen S. Emmanuel⁴, Adebayo I. Olosho⁴, Ademidun A. Adesibikan⁴

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.12, pp. 4123-4141, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.043915

Abstract Nigeria, often referred to as “the giant of Africa,” boasts a sizable population, a thriving economy, and abundant energy resources. Nevertheless, Nigeria has yet to fully harness its renewable energy potential, despite its enormous capacity in this field. The goal of this review paper is to thoroughly examine the difficulties and untapped opportunities in utilizing biomass for bioenergy production in Nigeria. Notably, Nigeria generates substantial volumes of biomass annually, primarily in the form of agricultural waste, which is often either discarded or burned inefficiently, resulting in significant ecological and environmental damage. Therefore, an efficient approach to reducing pollution and transforming… More > Graphic Abstract

Jiepeng Yao^1,2, Zhanjia Peng^1,2, Jingjing Liu^1,2, Chengxiao Fan^1,2, Zhongyi Wang^1,2,3, Lan Huang^1,2,*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.137, No.3, pp. 2243-2265, 2023, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2023.028101

Abstract In the establishment of differential equations, the determination of time-varying parameters is a difficult problem, especially for equations related to life activities. Thus, we propose a new framework named BioE-PINN based on a physical information neural network that successfully obtains the time-varying parameters of differential equations. In the proposed framework, the learnable factors and scale parameters are used to implement adaptive activation functions, and hard constraints and loss function weights are skillfully added to the neural network output to speed up the training convergence and improve the accuracy of physical information neural networks. In this paper, taking the electrophysiological differential… More >

Kai Zhu¹, Hao Chen^1,*, Shuang Wang^1,*, Chuan Yuan^1,2, Bin Cao³, Jun Ni¹, Lujiang Xu⁴, Anqing Zheng⁵, Arman Amani Babadi¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.6, pp. 2849-2864, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.026317

Abstract Microalgae biomass is an ideal precursor to prepare renewable carbon materials, which has broad application. The bioaccumulation efficiency (lipids, proteins, carbohydrates) and biomass productivity of microalgae are influenced by spectroscopy during the culture process. In this study, a bilayer plate-type photobioreactor was designed to cultivate Chlorella protothecoides with spectral selectivity by nanofluids. Compared to culture without spectral selectivity, the spectral selectivity of Ag/CoSO₄ nanofluids increased microalgae biomass by 5.76%, and the spectral selectivity of CoSO₄ solution increased by 17.14%. In addition, the spectral selectivity of Ag/CoSO₄ nanofluids was more conducive to the accumulation of nutrients (29.46% lipids, 50.66% proteins, and… More > Graphic Abstract

Ziyang Feng^1,#, Xinqi Cheng^2,#, Tianwen Wang³, Yongchao Han¹, Haihong Chen¹, Xinyu Zhang¹, Jie Sun¹, Wei Zhang^1,*, Feng Liu^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.5, pp. 1633-1647, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.027542

Abstract Fatty Acyl-ACP thioesterase (FAT) is a key enzyme controlling oil biosynthesis in plant seeds. FATs can be divided into two subfamilies, FATA and FATB according to their amino acid sequences and substrate specificity. The Upland cotton genome contains 20 GhFAT genes, amongst which 6 genes were of the GhFATA subfamily and 14 of the GhFATB subfamily. The 20 GhFAT genes are unevenly distributed on 14 chromosomes. The GhFATA genes have 5 or 7 exons and the GhFATB genes have 6 or 7 exons. All GhFAT proteins have the conserved Acyl-ACP_TE domain and PLN02370 super family, the typical characteristics of plant… More >

Ruyu Yan^1,2,3,4, Jian Fang^1,*, Xiaohua Yang^2,3,4,5,6, Na Yao^2,3,4,5,6, Mei Li^2,3,4,5,6, Yuan Nie^2,3,4,5,6, Tianxiang Deng^2,3,4,5,6, Haiyang Ding^2,3,4,5,6, Lina Xu^2,3,4,5,6, Shouhai Li^2,3,4,5,6,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.4, pp. 1937-1950, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.025126

Abstract Ethyl cellulose (EC), an important biomass-based material, has excellent film-forming properties. Nevertheless, the high interchain hydrogen bond interaction leads to a high glass transition temperature of EC, which makes it too brittle to be used widely. The hydroxyl group on EC can form a supramolecular system in the form of a non-covalent bond with an effective plasticizer. In this study, an important vegetable-oil-based derivative named dimer fatty acid was used to prepare a novel special plasticizer for EC. Dimer-fatty-acid-based thioether polyol (DATP) was synthesized and used to modify ethyl cellulose films. The supramolecular composite films of DATP and ethyl cellulose… More > Graphic Abstract

Hong Wang¹, Narges Sanchuli^2,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.25, No.1, pp. 63-79, 2023, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2022.022319

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has struck nations worldwide, pushing worldwide health and socioeconomic systems to extreme limits. Various factors, such as drastic alterations in public environments, prolonged quarantine, revenue loss, and anxiety of disease contraction, have caused mental turmoil. Although there was a need to cope with an excess of psychological strain among the public, post-COVID patients, and those with a previously diagnosed psychiatric condition, mental health programs faced a substantial decline in services, mirroring the dramatic rise in psychological issues. Interestingly, certain coping strategies play protective or deleterious effects on mental health outcomes. Moreover, social media exposure has played a… More >

Sihan Wang, Reza Masoodi^*, Janet Brady, Brian R. George

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 279-288, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634122

Abstract Recycled natural fi bers and biopolymers with sustainable, eco-friendly, and biodegradable properties are receiving increased attention. The moisture absorption and swelling of natural fi ber composites adversely infl uence their mechanical properties and applications. In this research, bio-based epoxy polymers that are reinforced with recycled woven jute fabrics were subjected to water immersion tests in order to study the effect of water absorption on their mechanical and geometrical properties. For comparison, petroleum-based epoxy polymers that are reinforced with new woven jute fabrics were also subjected to the same tests. The effect of fi ber percentage on water absorption, thickness swelling,… More >

Ali Hanafiah Rambe¹, Muzammil Jusoh^2,3, Samir Salem Al-Bawri^4,5,*, Mahmoud A. Abdelghany^6,7

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.73, No.3, pp. 5575-5587, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2022.030902

Abstract This paper proposed integrating the communication system on the garment, which can be utilized to detect breast cancer at an early stage by using an ultra-wideband (UWB) wearable antenna. Breast cancer is an abnormal cell that is located in the breast tissue. Early detection of breast cancer plays an important role, and it helps in the long term for all women. The proposed UWB wearable antenna successfully operates at 3.1–10.6 GHz under an acceptable reflection coefficient of −10 dB. The fabricated wearable antenna was made from Shieldit Super and felt both conductive and nonconductive wearable materials. Few measurement studies of… More >

Safwan Qadri¹, Shixiang Chen^1,*, Syed Usman Qadri²

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.24, No.5, pp. 635-648, 2022, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2022.021689

Abstract Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on social and economic conditions as well as mental and physical health. Pakistan is considered in high ranks on Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI). The people of Pakistan have already faced numerous obstacles in terms of food and housing prospects. Job security, inflated prices of food items, and financial distress are the foremost vital challenges of Pakistan’s people during the Pandemic. This study examines the people’s perception of social, economic, and psychological impact and explores the causes and trends of spreading the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. A primary survey method was conducted… More >

LUIS S. MAYORGA^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.10, pp. 2217-2220, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.020806

Abstract Cells are open systems that exchange energy and molecules with their environment. As any material system, they perform all the complex activities required for homeostasis and reproduction, obeying the thermodynamic laws. This viewpoint will argue that the basic logic governing the energy flux required to preserve cell organization and function is simple: to decrease the activation energy (Ea) of specific processes. Almost none of the possible chemical reactions and energy transformations inside a cell occur at a measurable speed at room or body temperature. Enzymes or other macromolecular structures speed up particular transformations by decreasing the corresponding energetic barriers. However,… More >