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Long-term link between intravitreal anti-VEGF remedies inside patients impacted by neovascular age-related macular degeneration: the real-life research.
Glaciers are of key importance to freshwater supplies in the Himalayan region. Their growth or decline is among other factors determined by an interaction of 2-m air temperature (TAS) and precipitation rate (PR) and thereof derived positive degree days (PDD) and snow and ice accumulation (SAC). To investigate determining factors in climate projections, we use a model ensemble consisting of 36 CMIP5 general circulation models (GCMs) and 13 regional climate models (RCMs) of two Asian CORDEX domains for two different representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). First, we downsize the ensemble in respect to the models' ability to correctly reproduce dominant circulation patterns (i.e., the Indian summer monsoon [ISM] and western disturbances [WDs]) as well as elevation-dependent trend signals in winter. Within this evaluation, a newly produced data set for the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra catchments is used as observational data. check details The reanalyses WFDEI, ERA-Interim, NCEP/NCAR and JRA-55 are used to further account for observational uncertainty. In a next step, remaining TAS and PR data are bias corrected applying a new bias adjustment method, scale distribution mapping, and subsequently PDD and SAC computed. Finally, we identify and quantify projected climate change effects. Until the end of the century, the ensemble indicates a rise of PDD, especially during summer and for lower altitudes. Also TAS is rising, though the highest increases are shown for higher altitudes and between December and April (DJFMA). PRs connected to the ISM are projected to robustly increase, while signals for PR changes during DJFMA show a higher level of uncertainty and spatial heterogeneity. However, a robust decline in solid precipitation is projected over our research domain, with the exception of a small area in the high mountain Indus catchment where no clear signal emerges. © 2019 The Authors. International Journal of Climatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the Royal Meteorological Society.Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have been considered as potential adsorbents for adsorption-based CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 separations because of their high CO2 selectivities and high working capacities. H2O in flue gas and natural gas streams affects the gas uptake capacities of MOFs. However, the presence of H2O is commonly neglected in high-throughput computational screening studies while assessing the CO2 separation performances of MOFs. In this study, the impact of the presence of H2O on the CO2 separation performances of 13 MOFs that were previously identified as the best adsorbent candidates among several thousands of MOFs was examined. Molecular simulations were used to compute selectivity, working capacity, regenerability, and adsorbent performance score (APS) of MOFs considering separation of binary CO2/CH4, CO2/N2, and ternary CO2/CH4/H2O and CO2/N2/H2O mixtures. The results showed that introduction of H2O as the third component into binary CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 mixtures significantly affected the adsorbent evaluation metrics of MOFs that have strong affinity toward H2O because of the presence of specific functional groups and/or extra framework anions in the framework. Remarkable increases in CO2/N2 selectivities of MOFs were observed in the presence of H2O. On the other hand, simulations performed using MOFs that are preloaded with H2O to mimic the exposure of MOFs to humidity prior to gas adsorption revealed drastic decreases in CO2 working capacities and APSs of MOFs both for CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 separations. These results will be useful for the design and development of efficient MOF adsorbents for CO2 capture under humid conditions. Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.The need to find a feasible alternative to commercial membranes for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) poses an important challenge for the practical implementation of this technology. This work aims to analyse the influence of the internal structure of low-cost terracotta clay-based membranes on the behaviour of MFCs. To this purpose, 9 different combinations of temperature and time were used to prepare 27 MFC separators. The results show that the temperature has a significant effect on both porosity and pore size distribution, whereas the ramp time do not show a significant influence on these parameters. It was observed that kilning temperatures higher than 1030 °C dramatically reduce the porosity of the samples, reaching a minimum value of 16.85%, whereas the pore size increases as the temperature also increases. Among the membranes with similar porosities, those with a medium pore size distribution exhibited the lowest bulk resistance allowing MFCs to reach the highest power output (94.67 μW cm-2). These results demonstrate the importance of not only the porosity but also the pore size distribution of the separator in terms of MFC performance and longevity, which for these experiments was for 90 days. © 2020 The Authors.The chemical energy contained in urine can be efficiently extracted into direct electricity by Microbial Fuel Cell stacks to reach usable power levels for practical implementation and a decentralised power source in remote locations. Herein, a novel type of the anode electrode was developed using powdered activated carbon (PAC) applied onto the carbon fibre scaffold in the ceramic MFC stack to achieve superior electrochemical performance during 500 days of operation. The stack equipped with modified anodes (MF-CV) produced up to 37.9 mW (21.1 W m-3) in comparison to the control (CV) that reached 21.4 mW (11.9 W m-3) showing 77% increase in power production. The novel combination of highly porous activated carbon particles applied onto the conductive network of carbon fibres promoted simultaneously electrocatalytic activity and increased surface area, resulting in excellent power output from the MFC stack as well as higher treatment rate. Considering the low cost and simplicity of the material preparation, as well as the outstanding electrochemical activity during long term operation, the resulting modification provides a promising anode electrocatalyst for high-performance MFC stacks to enhance urine and waste treatment for the purpose of future scale-up and technology implementation as an applied off-grid energy source. © 2020 The Authors.
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