In this study, a new vertical earth-to-air heat exchanger (VEAHE) system coupled with tubular phase change material (PCM) components was proposed. The proposed system has smaller occupied areas and higher geothermal energy use efficiency than traditional EAHE systems. Moreover, the tubular PCM component enables the system's air temperature at the outlet to be more stable, thereby enhancing the system's thermal performance. In particular, the tubular components' simple geometry, easy fabrication, convenient assembling-disassembling and low-cost facilitate their usage in practical applications. To explore the system's thermal performance, an experimental set-up was established and its numerical model was developed. Then the model was verified through a comparison between the system's simulated and monitored air temperatures at the outlet. The verification produced acceptable results with the maximum absolute relative error of 1.33%. Based on this model, the influences of the tubular PCM component, tube depth, PCM conductivity and container length on the proposed system's thermal performance were investigated. Results indicated that the tubular PCM components can effectively reduce the VEAHE system's air temperature peak and fluctuation at the outlet, and increase its average cooling capacity. For the proposed system, as the tube depths increase from 12 to 24 m, the air temperature peak and fluctuation at the outlet decrease from 25.74 °C and 3.59 °C to 21.01 °C and 0.62 °C, respectively. Different thermal conductivity of PCM has almost same influences on the system's air temperature at the outlet as the container diameter is 50 mm. Such influences, however, become apparent and require to be considered as the container diameter increases to 150 mm. The air temperature fluctuation at the outlet decreases as the container lengths increase, and 12 m can be considered as an appropriate length for the proposed system. Additionally, the system's static payback period was calculated as 18.03 years.

Cable bacteria of the family Desulfobulbaceae form centimeter-long filaments comprising thousands of cells. They occur worldwide in the surface of aquatic sediments, where they connect sulfide oxidation with oxygen or nitrate reduction via long-distance electron transport. In the absence of pure cultures, we used single-filament genomics and metagenomics to retrieve draft genomes of 3 marine Candidatus Electrothrix and 1 freshwater Ca. Electronema species. These genomes contain >50% unknown genes but still share their core genomic makeup with sulfate-reducing and sulfur-disproportionating Desulfobulbaceae, with few core genes lost and 212 unique genes (from 197 gene families) conserved among cable bacteria. Last common ancestor analysis indicates gene divergence and lateral gene transfer as equally important origins of these unique genes. With support from metaproteomics of a Ca. Electronema enrichment, the genomes suggest that cable bacteria oxidize sulfide by reversing the canonical sulfate reduction pathway and fix CO₂ using the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway. Cable bacteria show limited organotrophic potential, may assimilate smaller organic acids and alcohols, fix N₂, and synthesize polyphosphates and polyglucose as storage compounds; several of these traits were confirmed by cell-level experimental analyses. We propose a model for electron flow from sulfide to oxygen that involves periplasmic cytochromes, yet-unidentified conductive periplasmic fibers, and periplasmic oxygen reduction. This model proposes that an active cable bacterium gains energy in the anodic, sulfide-oxidizing cells, whereas cells in the oxic zone flare off electrons through intense cathodic oxygen respiration without energy conservation; this peculiar form of multicellularity seems unparalleled in the microbial world.