The performance of solar-thermal conversion systems can be improved by incorporation of nanocarbon-stabilized microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCMs). The geometry of MPCMs in the microcapsules plays an important role for improving their heating efficiency andreliability. Yet few efforts have been made to critically examine the formation mechanism of different geometries and their effect on MPCMs-shell interaction. Herein, through changing the cooling rate of original emulsions, we acquire MPCMs within the nanocarbon microcapsules with a hollow structure of MPCMs (h-MPCMs) or solid PCM core particles (s-MPCMs). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy reveals that the capsule shell of the hMPCMs are enriched with nanocarbons and have a greater MPCMs-shell interaction compared to s-MPCMs. This results in the h-MPCMs being more stable and having greater heat diffusivity within and above the phase transition range than the s-MPCMs do. The geometry-dependent heating efficiency and system stability may have important and general implications for the fundamental understanding of microencapsulation and wider breadth of heating generating systems.3 Solar-thermal conversion, where solar irradiation is harvested and converted to heat for beneficial usage, has gained renewed interest in the past decade and made it a special asset in energy conversions due to its operational simplicity and high energy conversion efficiency. [1][2][3][4] Microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCMs, 1-100 µm diameter), often considered unique micrometer-scaled composites with a superior performance of latent heat thermal storage as compared with bulk PCMs, are currently emerging as positive additives/dopants to the solarthermal conversion systems. Nanocarbon-stabilized MPCMs are of particular interest as they combine the advantages of nanocarbons for their outstanding energy conversion/transfer performance, [5][6][7] MPCMs with an accelerated heat storage/release due to a relatively high surfacearea-to-volume ratio [8][9][10][11][12][13] and the PCM-nanocarbon interactions which often fosters an enhanced enthalpy and better crystallinity. 14,15 A new avenue is therefore opening to enhance the heatgenerating efficiency at a output temperature within and even higher than the solid-liquid phasetransition range (PTR). [16][17][18] By constantly storing and retracting latent heat, 19 the MPCMs are expected to maintain the dynamic equilibrium of output temperatures when the surrounding temperature is around the PTR. More attractively, since the liquid PCMs above PTR store a higher accumulative energy (latent heat + sensible heat) but exhibit a much lower specific heat capacity than the PCMs within PTR, 20,21 the temperatures of PCMs and heat-generating structures would increase synchronously. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Consequently, a higher energy storage capacity will be achieved; 17 meanwhile, more heat will be emitted from the MPCMs above PTR to eliminate the convective heat dissipation in the heat-gen...
Infertility is a global reproductive disorder which is caused by a variety of complex diseases. Infertility affects the individual, family, and community through physical, psychological, social and economic consequences. The results from recent preclinical studies regarding stem cell-based therapies are promising. Stem cell-based therapies cast a new hope for infertility treatment as a replacement or regeneration strategy. The main features and application prospects of mesenchymal stem cells in the future of infertility should be understood by clinicians. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells with abundant source, active proliferation, and multidirectional differentiation potential. MSCs play a role through cell homing, secretion of active factors, and participation in immune regulation. Another advantage is that, compared with embryonic stem cells, there are fewer ethical factors involved in the application of MSCs. However, a number of questions remain to be answered prior to safe and effective clinical application. In this review, we summarized the recent status of MSCs in the application of the diseases related to or may cause to infertility and suggest a possible direction for future cytotherapy to infertility.
.Advanced glycation products' levels and mechanical properties of vaginal tissue in pregnancy.European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.ejogrb.2017.04.037 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
ABSTRACTObjectives: Non-enzymatic glycation is closely associated with altered mechanical properties of connective tissue. Pregnancy, marked with high levels of female hormones, confers unique alteration to the mechanical properties of pelvic connective tissues in order to meet their physiological demands.However, there are few studies on glycation content and its influence on the mechanical properties of pelvic connective tissues during pregnancy. We hypothesise that the glycation content in pelvic tissues will change with a corresponding change in their mechanical properties, and that these changes are influenced by hormone levels. This study aims to investigate the correlation of vaginal tissue glycation content and mechanical property changes during pregnancy in association with the expression of a key
Using the atomic force microscopy- (AFM-) PeakForce quantitative nanomechanical mapping (QNM) technique, we have previously shown that the adventitia of the human internal mammary artery (IMA), tested under dehydrated conditions, is altered in patients with a high degree of arterial stiffening. In this study, we explored the nanoscale elastic modulus of the tunica media of the IMA in hydrated and dehydrated conditions from the patients with low and high arterial stiffening, as assessed in vivo by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). In both hydrated and dehydrated conditions, the medial layer was significantly stiffer in the high PWV group. The elastic modulus of the hydrated and dehydrated tunica media was significantly correlated with PWV. In the hydrated condition, the expression activity of certain small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans (SLRPs), which are associated with arterial stiffening, were found to be negatively correlated to the medial elastic modulus. We also compared the data with our previous work on the IMA adventitia. We found that the hydrated media and dehydrated adventitia are both suitable for reflecting the development of arterial stiffening and SLRP expression. This comprehensive study of the nanomechanical properties integrated with the proteomic analysis in the IMAs demonstrates the possibility of linking structural properties and function in small biological samples with novel AFM methods. The IMA is a suitable target for predicting arterial stiffening.
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