PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Night-time radiative warming using the atmosphere

Night-time radiative warming using the atmosphere
2023-11-16
(Press-News.org)

Warming has played a crucial role in various industrial and agricultural processes throughout history. Night-time warming, however, presents a distinct challenge due to the absence of solar radiation. During the night, direct radiative heat loss to outer space through the atmospheric transparent window (8-14 μm) can cause temperature to drop below freezing, posing significant threats to agriculture (crops), transportation (outdoor cables), and more.

 

Traditionally, achieving night-time warming relied on active electric heaters, which contribute to significant energy consumption and increased carbon emissions. Passive warming methods, including insulating blankets (reducing heat conduction) and low-emissivity films (reducing heat radiation), come with limitations, such as suboptimal effectiveness and overall positive net heat loss.

 

Air, known for its high heat capacity, can maintain relatively higher temperatures compared to the ground during the night, potentially serving as an external heat source. To harness energy from the entire atmosphere above the Earth's surface, radiative methods are needed.

 

In a new paper published in Light Science & Application, a team of scientists, led by Professor Qiang Li from Zhejiang University, China, proposed a night-time radiative warming strategy based on nanophotonic control. This strategy passively suppresses the thermal radiation of objects in the atmospheric transparent window (8-14 μm) while actively utilizing energy in the atmospheric radiation bands (5-8 μm and 14-16 μm). Achieving this strategy involves covering the target surface with a selective reflective (SR) thin film that exhibits high reflectance in the atmospheric transparent band and high absorptivity in the atmospheric radiation bands, to control radiative energy flow and effectively raising the target temperature.

 

Researchers designed and fabricated the device using a broadband infrared-absorbing substrate combined with germanium and zinc sulfide one-dimensional photonic crystal films. The device achieved a reflectance of 0.91 in the atmospheric transparent window and an absorptivity of 0.7 in the atmospheric radiative bands. Then, outdoor thermal testing was conducted, revealing that by covering SR film, the target's temperature increased by 2.1°C/4.4°C compared to a broadband reflective (low-e) surface and a broadband absorptive surface, respectively.

 

The study also assessed the potential application of this night-time warming strategy in cities with different climates, demonstrating that the annual electricity savings could surpass 300 kWh m-2 across different climate zones.

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Night-time radiative warming using the atmosphere Night-time radiative warming using the atmosphere 2

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A bi-directional iterative approach to Android automated testing

A bi-directional iterative approach to Android automated testing
2023-11-16
With the benefits of reducing time-cost and human efforts, automated testing has been widely used for quality assurance of mobile applications (apps). However, in complex interactive activities, manual testing can achieve higher coverage. However, the effectiveness of manual testing is highly dependent on the vital User Operation Process (UOP) of experienced testers. To solve the problems, a research team led by Zhenyu CHEN and Chunrong FANG published their new research on 15 Oct 2023 in Frontiers of Computer Science co-published ...

Oregon State researchers receive $2M to look for new ways to prevent organic potatoes from spoiling

Oregon State researchers receive $2M to look for new ways to prevent organic potatoes from spoiling
2023-11-16
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University researchers have been awarded $2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop improved ways of preventing stored potatoes from sprouting, particularly in the organic sector. This research is pivotal given the rapid rise of the organic market in U.S. agriculture, the scientists note. “The organic potato industry cannot depend on traditional chemical anti-sprouting treatments since synthetic chemicals are banned in certified organic,” said Valtcho Jeliazkov of OSU’s College of Agricultural ...

Why it’s important to improve communication of unanticipated genomic findings to patients with late-stage cancer

Why it’s important to improve communication of unanticipated genomic findings to patients with late-stage cancer
2023-11-16
New research conducted by City of Hope and supported by the American Cancer Society focuses on developing scalable educational interventions to support informed patient decision making and consent, such as online tools and applications that include visual aids or interactive multimedia. FINDINGS Cancer genomics experts at City of Hope®, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, conducted a qualitative study that underscored the importance of properly preparing patients for unanticipated, inheritable genetic findings prior to receipt of ...

New studies of brain activity explain benefits of electroconvulsive therapy

New studies of brain activity explain benefits of electroconvulsive therapy
2023-11-16
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as electroshock therapy, involves inducing a brief seizure in the brain using controlled doses of electricity. While ECT is highly effective for certain mental illnesses, particularly depression, the reasons for its efficacy have long puzzled the fields of psychiatry and neuroscience. Now, researchers from University of California San Diego may have an answer. In two new studies published November 16, 2023 in Translational Psychiatry, they propose a new hypothesis that ECT alleviates depression symptoms by increasing aperiodic activity, a type of electrical activity in the brain that doesn’t follow a consistent pattern ...

McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics researchers awarded $31M in grants for medical artificial intelligence innovation research

McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics researchers awarded $31M in grants for medical artificial intelligence innovation research
2023-11-16
McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston reached a funding landmark with 15 faculty members awarded 16 different grants totaling more than $31 million between August and October 2023. Each grant has a focus on medical artificial intelligence (AI) innovations and advancements in research or health care. “This is an incredible achievement for McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics; these grants play a key role in advancing informatics research while also expanding on the important role technology continues to play in medicine,” said Jiajie Zhang, PhD, dean and Glassell Family Foundation Distinguished Chair in ...

The BMJ investigates concerns over informed consent for pregnant women in Pfizer’s RSV vaccine trial

2023-11-16
A debate has broken out over whether Pfizer should have told pregnant women taking part in its maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine trial that a trial of a similar GSK vaccine was stopped over a safety signal around preterm birth, an investigation by The BMJ can reveal. Pfizer’s vaccine, called Abrysvo, was recently approved for use in the US and the European Union, but is not yet authorised in the UK. Some experts have criticised Pfizer for not informing participants, while others believe notification would have been premature and caused unnecessary anxiety, reports freelance investigative journalist Hristio ...

No one-size-fits-all solution for the net-zero grid, Surrey research demonstrates

2023-11-16
As power generation from sources like solar and wind increases, along with the introduction of devices such as heat pumps and batteries, a new optimisation tool created at the University of Surrey will help the UK plan for a greener electricity network.   The researchers developed an algorithm to model how these smaller networks distributed electricity – factoring in how local grids could become unbalanced by adding too many heat pumps in a single area or generating more electricity than the grid could accept.   The Surrey team found that it was generally more efficient ...

Nuclear expansion failure shows simulations require change

2023-11-16
The widespread adoption of nuclear power was predicted by computer simulations more than four decades ago but the continued reliance on fossil fuels for energy shows these simulations need improvement, a new study has shown.  In order to assess the efficacy of energy policies implemented today, a team of researchers looked back at the influential 1980s model that predicted nuclear power would expand dramatically. Energy policies shapes how we produce and use energy, impacting jobs, costs, climate, and security. These policies are generated using simulations (also ...

7 countries, 1.3 million lives lost – the devastating impact of tobacco revealed

2023-11-16
Strict embargo: 00.01 hrs GMT Thursday, 16th September, 2023    Every year 1.3 million lives are lost to cancers caused by smoking tobacco across the UK, US and BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), according to a new study, funded by Cancer Research UK.  Researchers found that together, the seven countries represented more than half of the global burden of cancer deaths every year. They concluded that smoking, as well as three other preventable risk factors – alcohol, overweight or obesity, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections caused almost 2 million deaths combined.  The study, carried out ...

Pancreatic cancer discovery opens the door for new clinical trial

Pancreatic cancer discovery opens the door for new clinical trial
2023-11-16
Pancreatic cancer is tricky to manage because it spreads easily and early, and the tumors have a unique biological makeup. But, researchers made a breakthrough by learning about the genetic changes that occur during tumor migration — and also found a drug that can obstruct the process. The next step is a groundbreaking clinical trial at the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute, planned for early in 2024, to test the drug from their laboratory discovery, said senior investigator Darren Carpizo, MD, PhD, co-leader of Wilmot’s Genetics, Epigenetics and Metabolism research program, and chief of Surgical Oncology at the University of Rochester Medical ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Laser correction for short-sightedness is safe and effective for older teenagers

About one in five people taking Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro say food tastes saltier or sweeter than before

Taking semaglutide turns down food noise, research suggests

Type 2 diabetes may double risk of sepsis, large community-based study suggests

New quantum sensors can withstand extreme pressure

Tirzepatide more cost-effective than semaglutide in patients with knee osteoarthritis and obesity

GLP-1 drugs shown cost-effective for knee osteoarthritis and obesity

Interactive apps, AI chatbots promote playfulness, reduce privacy concerns

How NIL boosts college football’s competitive balance

Moffitt researchers develop machine learning model to predict urgent care visits for lung cancer patients

Construction secrets of honeybees: Study reveals how bees build hives in tricky spots

Wheat disease losses total $2.9 billion across the United States and Canada between 2018 and 2021

New funding fuels development of first potentially regenerative treatment for multiple sclerosis

NJIT student–faculty team wins best presentation award for ant swarm simulation

Ants defend plants from herbivores but can hinder pollination

When the wireless data runs dry

Inquiry into the history of science shows an early “inherence” bias

Picky eaters endure: Ecologists use DNA to explore diet breadth of wild herbivores

Study suggests most Americans would be healthier without daylight saving time

Increasing the level of the protein PI31 demonstrates neuroprotective effects in mice

Multi-energy X-ray curved surface imaging-with multi-layer in-situ grown scintillators

Metasurface enables compact and high-sensitivity atomic magnetometer

PFAS presence confirmed in the blood of children in Gipuzkoa

Why do people believe lies?

SwRI installs private 5G network for research, development, testing and evaluation

A new perspective in bone metabolism: Targeting the lysosome–iron–mitochondria axis for osteoclast regulation

Few military spouses use formal support services during, after deployment

Breakthrough in the hunt for light dark matter: QROCODILE project reveals world-leading constraints

2D x-ray imaging technique reveals hidden processes in CO2 electrolyzers

Rational high entropy doping strategy via modular in-situ/post solvothermal doping integration for microwave absorption

[Press-News.org] Night-time radiative warming using the atmosphere