Muzi Li^*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.137, No.3, pp. 2465-2493, 2023, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2023.026827 - 03 August 2023

Abstract Modular construction as an innovative method aids the construction industry in transforming to off-site construction production with high efficiency and environmental friendliness. Despite the obvious advantages, the uptake of modular construction is not booming as expected. However, previous studies have investigated and summarized the barriers to the adoption of modular construction. In this research, a Large-Scale Group Decision Making (LSGDM)- based analysis is first made of the severity of barriers to modular construction adoption from the perspective of construction stakeholders. In addition, the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework is utilized to identify the barriers based on three More >

Mojtaba Kordrostami¹, Ali Akbar Ghasemi-Soloklui¹, Mohammad Anwar Hossain^2,*, Mohammad Golam Mostofa^3,4,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.9, pp. 2713-2736, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.030372 - 28 July 2023

Abstract Numerous plant species, particularly those that can accumulate selenium (Se) and silicon (Si), benefit from these essential micronutrients. Se and Si accumulation in plants profoundly affects several biochemical reactions in cells. Understanding how plants react to Se/Si enrichment is crucial for ensuring adequate dietary Se/Si intake for humans and animals and increasing plant tolerance to environmental stressors. Several studies have shown that Se/Si-enriched plants are more resistant to salinity, drought, extreme temperatures, UV radiation, and excess metalloids. The interplay between Se/Si in plants is crucial for maintaining growth and development under normal conditions while providing… More >

Xiaoyan Liu^1,2, Zhao Qin^1,2,*, Yuxiang Ma^1,2, Huamin Liu^1,2,*, Xuede Wang^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.8, pp. 3203-3225, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.027613 - 26 June 2023

Abstract Packaging is a food preservation technology widely used in the world. Naturally-sourced, biodegradable polymers are becoming increasingly popular in the food packaging sector. Packaging films prepared using cellulose as raw material would contribute to resource sustainability, but the difficulty of cellulose solubilization limits their further development. In view of this, a series of novel solvent systems (LiCl/DMAc, ILs, TBAH/DMSO, NMMO, alkali/urea solutions, metal-complex solutions) were used to prepare high-strength and high-performance cellulose-based films; their characteristics and the mechanisms involved were investigated. Composite films prepared by blending cellulose with various polymers (synthetic polymers, natural polymers, proteins More > Graphic Abstract

Fatiha Daoudi^1,*, Abdelkrim Naas¹, Omar Meglali^1,2, Radia Boudaira³, Ahmed Gueddim¹, A. M. Saeed⁴

Energy Engineering, Vol.120, No.8, pp. 1803-1815, 2023, DOI:10.32604/ee.2023.028423 - 05 June 2023

Abstract The numerical simulations were performed using the AMPS-1D simulator to study the effects of the CZTS as an absorber layer and the contacts’ barrier height on the performance of four ZnO/CdS/CZTS solar cells. To obtain the best cell performances, the barrier heights of the back and front contacts were adjusted between 0.01, 0.77, 0.5, and 1.55 eV, respectively. For simulations, we used the lifetime mode, and the device performances were evaluated under AM1.5 illumination spectra. We found that the efficiency, fill factor, and open-circuit voltage were almost constant at a front contact barrier height of… More > Graphic Abstract

Liefei Pei^1,2, Xiangyun Zhang¹, Zizhou Yuan^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.6, pp. 2969-2983, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.025760 - 27 April 2023

Abstract Iron-based amorphous crystalline powder Fe₇₈Si₉B₁₃^AP is used as a permeability reaction barrier (PRB) combined with an electrokinetic method (EK-PRB) to study the removal rate of Cu in contaminated soil. After treating Cucontaminated soil for 5 days under different voltage gradients and soil water content, the soil pH is between 3.1 and 7.2. The increase of voltage gradient and soil water content can effectively promote the movement of Cu²⁺ to the cathode. The voltage gradient is 3 V/cm, and the water content of 40% is considered to be an optional experimental condition. Therefore, under this condition, the More >

Qingmin Pan¹, Yongzong Lu¹, Liang Xue², Yongguang Hu^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.2, pp. 411-421, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.023437 - 12 October 2022

Abstract The wettability of leaf surface, commonly represented by contact angle (CA), affects various physiological and physical processes. The present study aims to better understand the wettability of tea leaves and elucidate its influence on the energy barrier of the droplet condensation process. The CA values of different leaf ages (young, mature and old) of five famous tea cultivars (Maolu, longjing 43, Huangjinya, Zhongcha 108 and Anji Baicha) were measured via the sessile drop method, and the micro-morphology of two cultivars leaves (Maolu, Zhongcha 108) was investigated by a 3D super depth-of-field digital microscope. Specifically, two radically distinctive types of CA trends… More >

YUEHUA SHI^1,#, QIUYING YAN^2,#, QIN LI³, WEI QIAN¹, DONGYAN QIAO¹, DONGDONG SUN², HONG YU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.1, pp. 165-173, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.023043 - 26 September 2022

Abstract The placenta plays an important role in nutrient transport to maintain the growth and development of the embryo. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), the most common complication during pregnancy, highly affects placental function in late gestation. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), a complex and heterogeneous group of compounds engaged by the receptor for AGEs (RAGE), are closely associated with diabetes-related complications. In this study, AGEs induced a decrease in the expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins in BeWo cells and increased the paracellular permeability of trophoblast cells by regulating RAGE/NF-κB. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats injected with 100 mg/kg… More >

Linchuan Liu¹, Jian Wu², Zhongwei Hu², Xiaochao Jin^1,*, Pin Lu¹, Tao Zhang², Xueling Fan^1,*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.134, No.2, pp. 1219-1236, 2023, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2022.022221 - 31 August 2022

Abstract A virtual wall thickness method is developed to simulate the temperature field of turbine blades with thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), to simplify the modeling process and improve the calculation efficiency. The results show that the virtual wall thickness method can improve the mesh quality by 20%, reduce the number of meshes by 76.7% and save the calculation time by 35.5%, compared with the traditional real wall thickness method. The average calculation error of the two methods is between 0.21% and 0.93%. Furthermore, the temperature at the blade leading edge is the highest and the average… More >

Amal H. Alharbi, Hanan A. Hosni Mahmoud^*

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.73, No.3, pp. 5755-5769, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2022.032212 - 28 July 2022

Abstract In the last decades, technology has used Copper for IC interconnect and it has been the best material used in the wire downsizing. However, Copper is now showing inefficiency as downscaling is getting deeper. Recent research starts to show Tungsten (W) as a possible replacement, for its better downsizing characteristic. The scaling-down of interconnects dimension has to be augmented with thin diffusion layers. It is crucial to subdue tungsten diffusion in the nickel-based thermal spray Flexicord (NiCrAlY) coating layers. Inappropriately, diffusion barriers with thicknesses less than 4.3 nm do not to execute well. With the… More >

Quan Wen¹, Fulei Jing^1,*, Changxian Zhang¹, Shibai Tang¹, Junjie Yang^2,*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.132, No.2, pp. 361-391, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2022.019528 - 15 June 2022

Abstract Thermally grown oxide (TGO) is a critical factor for the service life of thermal barrier coatings (TBC). Numerical simulations of the growth process of TGO have become an effective means of comprehensively understanding the progressive damage of the TBC system. At present, technologies of numerical simulation to TGO growth include two categories: coupled chemical-mechanical methods and mechanical equivalent methods. The former is based on the diffusion analysis of oxidizing elements, which can describe the influence of bond coat (BC) consumption and phase transformation in the growth process of TGO on the mechanical behavior of each More >