The repeated application of herbicides has led to the development of herbicide resistance. Models are useful for identifying key processes and understanding the evolution of resistance. This study developed a spatially explicit model at a landscape scale to examine the dynamics of Lolium rigidum populations in dryland cereal crops and the evolution of herbicide resistance under var-ious management strategies. Resistance evolved rapidly under repeated herbicide use, driven by weed fecundity and herbicide efficacy. Although fitness costs associated with resistant plants re-duced resistance evolution, they did not affect the speed of spread. The most effective strategies to slow resistance involved diversifying cropping sequences (e.g., crop rotation) and the herbicide applications (e.g., rotating different herbicide modes of action). Pollen flow was the main disper-sal vector, with seed dispersal also contributing significantly. Strategies limiting seed dispersal effectively decreased resistance spread. However, the use of a seed-catching device at harvest could unintentionally enrich resistance in the area. It would be beneficial to optimise the move-ment of harvesters between fields. The model presented here is a useful tool that may assist in the exploration of novel management strategies within the context of site-specific weed management at the landscape scale, as well as in the advancement of our understanding of resistance dynamics.

Leukocyte migration is an essential function of innate and adaptive immune responses. Chemokines and their receptors control the migration system. The abundance of chemokines is controlled by atypical chemokine receptors (ACKRs), chemokine receptor-like molecules that do not couple to the G protein signaling pathways. Among them, ACKR4 regulates dendritic cell migration by controlling the ligands and is involved in tumor development in mouse models. Because no anti-mACKR4 mAb for flow cytometry has been reported, this study aimed to develop a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) for mouse ACKR4 (mACKR4). Among the established anti-mACKR4 mAbs, A₄Mab-1 (rat IgG_2b, kappa), A₄Mab-2 (rat IgG_2b, kappa), and A₄Mab-3 (rat IgG_2b, kappa) recognized mACKR4-overexpressed Chinese hamster ovary-K1 (CHO/mACKR4) by flow cytometry. The dissociation constant (K_D) values of A₄Mab-1, A₄Mab-2, and A₄Mab-3 for CHO/mACKR4 were determined as 3.5 × 10⁻⁹ M, 6.0 × 10⁻⁹ M, and 1.6 × 10⁻⁹ M, respectively. Furthermore, A₄Mab-1 and A₄Mab-2 could detect mACKR4 by western blotting. These results indicated that A₄Mab-1, A₄Mab-2, and A₄Mab-3 help to detect mACKR4 by flow cytometry and western blotting and obtain the proof of concept in preclinical models.

This paper introduces a three-layer system, proposing a comprehensive model of granular mixture transport over a mobile sloped bed in a steady flow. This system, consisting of the bottom, contact and upper zones, provides complete, continuous sediment velocity and concentration vertical profiles. The model considers gravity’s effect on sediment transport in the bottom (dense) layer, a crucial factor often overlooked in previous studies. The induced movement in the mobile sublayer of the dense layer causes an increase in velocity at the upper boundary of this layer, significantly affecting the vertical distributions of velocity and concentration above this layer. We described the interactions between fractions and an intensive sediment mixing and sorting process in the contact layer. The proposed shear variation, with an increase in its maximum value at the bed, adds to the novelty of our approach. The data sets used for the model’s validation cover various conditions, including slopes, grain diameters, densities and grain mobility conditions, from incipient motion to a fully mobilised bed. This extensive validation process instils confidence in the theoretical description and its applicability to real-world scenarios.

Based on the goals of "high reliability, high frequency, rapid launch, and low cost" for space launch site, and drawing inspiration from the design principles of SpaceX's Starship launch test facility, an integrated dual-sided deflector system for convective cooling and thermal protection is presented. The interaction process between the gas jet and liquid water jet and its effect on the flow field environment are thoroughly studied using numerical calculation methods. Furthermore, Regarding the phase-change heat transfer issue in a compressible gas-liquid two-phase flow and the varying distribution of different bubble shapes and sizes at the gas-liquid interface, a modified Lee model is derived. The rationality and accuracy of the phase-change mass-transfer coefficient values can be improved by adjusting the equivalent diameter and shape factor of the bubbles. The research results demonstrate that compared to the classical Lee model, the modified Lee model can achieve a higher numerical accuracy in predicting the heat and mass transfer processes in gas-liquid two-phase flows. Through comparative analysis with traditional dual-sided deflector and conventional cooling system, the integrated dual-sided deflector system for convective cooling and thermal protection exhibits significant performance advantages in gas flow regulation, flow field environment improvement and erosion protection in the near-ground region of the launch site. Particularly, regarding the thermal environment of the dual-sided deflector, it not only achieves effective flow deflection, but also mitigates the degree of erosion caused by the gas jet on the deflector. This conclusion can provide theoretical references for the thermal protection design of commercial launch vehicle system at space launch site.

Keywords: Echocardiographic alterations; left ventricle; dog; Trypanosoma cruzi; flow patterns; dilated cardiomyopathy; Chagas disease

The C-C motif chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8) is highly and selectively expressed in regulatory T (Treg) cells and is associated with tumor progression. The massive accumulation of Treg cells into tumors suppresses the effector function of CD8⁺ cells against tumor cells. Therefore, selective depletion of Treg cells using anti-CCR8 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) reinvigorates antitumor immune responses and improves responses to cancer immunotherapy. Previously, we developed an anti-mouse CCR8 (mCCR8) mAb, C₈Mab-2, using the Cell-Based Immunization and Screening (CBIS) method. In this study, the binding epitope of C₈Mab-2 was investigated using flow cytometry. The mCCR8 extracellular domain-substituted mutant analysis showed that C₈Mab-2 recognizes the N-terminal region (1–33 amino acids) of mCCR8. Next, 1×alanine (or glycine) scanning and 2×alanine (or glycine) scanning were conducted in the N-terminal region. The results revealed that the _17-DFFTAP_-22 sequence is important for the recognition by C₈Mab-2, and Thr20 is a central amino acid of the epitope. These results revealed the involvement of the N-terminus of mCCR8 in the recognition by C₈Mab-2.

Oxidoreductase (OXR) enzymes are in high demand for biocatalytic applications in food industry and cosmetics: glucose oxidase (GOx), cellobiose dehydrogenase (CBDH), bioremediation: horseradish peroxidase (HRP), laccase (LAC), and medicine for biosensors and miniature biofuel cells (GOx, CBDH, LAC, HRP). They can be used in a soluble form and/or within the yeast cell walls expressed as chimeras on the surface of yeast cells (YSD), such as P. pastoris and S. cerevisiae. However, most of the current studies suffer from either low yield for soluble enzyme expression or low enzyme activity when expressed as chimeric proteins using YSD. This is always the case in studies dealing with heterologous expression of oxidoreductase enzymes, since there is requirement not only for multiple OXR genes integrations into the yeast genome (super transformations), and codon optimization, but also very careful design of fermentation media composition, and fermentation conditions during expression due to need for adding transition metals (copper, iron), and metabolic precursors of FAD and heme. Therefore, scientists are still trying to find optimal formula using above mentioned approaches, and most recently also using protein engineering and directed evolution for additional increase in the yield of recombinant enzyme production. In this review article we will cover all the current state of the art technologies and most recent advances in the field that yielded high expression level for some of these enzymes in specially designed expression/fermentation systems. We will also tackle and discuss new possibilities for further increase in fermentation yield by the cutting-edge technologies such are directed evolution, protein and strain engineering, high-throughput screening methods based on in vitro compartmentalization, flow cytometry and microfluidics.

Malaria is rare in Europe, but it is a medical emergency and programs for its control should ensure access to early diagnosis and prompt treatment within 24-48 h of the symptom’s onset. The consistent number of imported malaria cases and the risk of reappearance of autochthonous cases stimulated laboratories in non-endemic countries to evaluate diagnostic methods/algorithms: microscopy remains the gold standard, but with limitations. RDTs have greatly expanded the ability to diagnose malaria for rapid results due to simplicity and low cost, but they lack sensitivity and specificity. PCR-based assays provide more relevant information but need well-trained technicians. According to WHO global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030, the future direction for a rapid diagnosis is the development of Point-Of-Care Testing, which would be helpful for prompt/accurate treatment and for preventing the diseases spread. Despite the limitations of current diagnostic methods, they play important roles in dealing with the global malaria situation, including decreasing its incidence. Recently evidence suggested that Artificial Intelligence could be utilized for assisting pathologists in malaria diagnosis. Future studies need to be conducted to see whether this system can be used for routine malaria diagnostic procedures.

This article presents a review of resources for batteries with a specific focus on sustainability aspects related to raw materials, electrode and electrolyte chemistries suitable for the automobile industry. We emphasize the importance of prioritizing sustainability in battery technology evolution, which is expected to shift towards earth-abundant materials. One notable advancement in this direction is the utilization of glass solid-state electrolytes, known for their high ionic conductivity, low electronic conductivity, and high dielectric constant. However, our review suggests that further research should explore synthesis methods to modify anisotropic properties, enhancing the performance of solid-state electrolytes, particularly in facilitating the flow of ions.

Progressive loss of retinal ganglionic cells (RGC) causes blindness in glaucoma. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is the most important, treatable risk factor. Currently, the management of glaucoma is centred at reducing the IOP, and drugs in the form of topical drops are the first line of management. Drugs reduce IOP either by suppressing aqueous humour secretion or improving the aqueous humour outflow. Newer drugs added during the past three decades to the armamentarium of glaucoma treatment have targeted the aqueous outflow. With an evolving understanding of the pathogenesis of glaucoma, the role of 24-hour IOP control and other IOP-independent risk factors affecting ocular blood flow and RGC toxicity is also recognised. The role of available drugs in controlling IOP over 24-hours is being evaluated. Improvement of ocular blood flow and neuroprotection are seen as potential drug targets in preventing the loss of RGC. In this article, we review the pharmacotherapy of glaucoma based on current therapeutic principles.

Employing numerical methods to simulate manufacturing processes and study their influential factors is increasing. The development of computers and engineering software has increased the ability and accuracy of numerical methods in simulating various aspects of different processes. One of the manufacturing processes that has been considered by many industries in recent years to join metals in solid-state with unique properties is called friction stir welding. It is challenging and, in some cases, impossible to experimentally study the various aspects of this process, such as temperature distribution, stress distribution, and material flow, due to severe plastic deformation in the weld zone. In this case, numerical methods are used to investigate these parameters and better understand the process. This study first investigates various numerical methods researchers use to simulate the process. The ability, pros, and cons of these methods to simulate the process are also examined. Then, the applications of numerical models in simulating the temperature distribution during the process as well as the effects of input parameters on the temperature history of the process, are deeply considered. Next, the application of numerical methods in material flow modeling during the process is investigated. Finally, the modeling of the microstructure of the welding zone is investigated using numerical methods that help significantly in predicting the weld microstructure.

Glycerol has found its applications as a heat-transfer fluid in heat exchangers, and as a compo-nent of functional solutions in biosensor analysis. Flowing non-aqueous fluids are known to be able to induce electromagnetic fields due to triboelectric effect. These triboelectrically generated electromagnetic fields can affect biological macromolecules. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is widely employed as a convenient model object for studying how external electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields affect enzymes. Herein, we have studied whether the flow of glycerol in a ground-shielded cylindrical coil affects the HRP enzyme incubated at a 2 cm distance near the coil’s side. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been employed in order to study the effect of glycerol flow on HRP at the nanoscale. Increased aggregation of HRP on mica has been observed after the incubation of the enzyme near the coil. Moreover, the enzymatic activity of HRP has also been affected. The results reported can find their application in biotechnology, food technology and life sciences application, considering the development of triboelectric generators, en-zyme-based biosensors and bioreactors with surface-immobilized enzymes. Our data can also be of interest for scientists studying triboelectric phenomena.

For effective warehouse management, various criteria should be taken into consideration in terms of inventory management, demand, transportation distance, usage area, delivery-waiting times, and minimizing the costs that may arise from them. Because, the purpose of the product assignment problem is to minimize the total transport distance during storage and to reduce the space required for product assignment. However, the storage location assignment problem (SLAP) occurs simultaneously with production planning activities in real life. In this study, an integrated mixed-integer nonlinear (MINLP) mathematical model is proposed, which includes the assignment of products to storage areas and production planning, using the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) class based policy for storage systems where multiple criteria are important. In the TOPSIS class-based policy, weight and waiting time criteria are taken into account, as well as the COI (Cube-per-order index index), which is widely used in the literature. In addition, a decision support system flow has been proposed that takes into account the single criterion, multiple criteria and COI index criteria of the developed model and provides its integration with different product assignment policies. Detailed literature research; It has been revealed that the proposed mathematical model and decision support system flow have the feature of applying an existing field of science to a new problem.

Cryptococcosis is one of the most serious opportunistic diseases in patients living with HIV. For this reason, it is important to have early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Objectives. The aim of the study was to know the evolution of patients diagnosed with cryptococcosis by detection of Cryptococcus antigen in serum by lateral flow (CrAg LFA) without nervous system involvement and with treatment in accordance with the results. Materials and Methods. A retrospective, longitudinal, analytical study was performed. Seventy patients with cryptococcosis initially diagnosed by serum CrAg LFA without meningeal involvement between January 2019 and April 2022 were analyzed for medical records. The treatment regimen was adapted to the results of blood culture, respiratory material or pulmonary tomography imaging. Results. Seventy patients were included, 13 had probable pulmonary cryptococcosis, 4 had proven pulmonary cryptococcosis, 3 had fungemia and 50 had pre-emptive therapy without microbiological or imaging findings compatible with cryptococcosis. Among the 50 patients with pre-emptive therapy, none had meningeal involvement or cryptococcosis recurrences to date. Conclusion. Pre-emptive therapy avoided progression to meningitis in patients with CrAg LFA-positive patients. Pre-emptive therapy with dose adjustment of fluconazole in patients with the mentioned characteristics was useful despite the use of lower doses than recommended.

In a power plant that uses seawater as a coolant, a debris filter is required to remove foreign substances from the seawater, and differential pressure leads to a decrease in the coolant flow rate, leading to a decrease in power generation efficiency. In this study, analysis was performed under different initial flow velocity conditions of 1.5m/s, 2.0m/s, and 2.5m/s for a debris filter used in a power plant to understand flow characteristics in CTCS. The flow and differential pressure characteristics of a CTCS with an installed debris filter were considered in a comparative analysis of velocity, pressure, and turbulent kinetic energy distribution. The results confirmed that a vortex was generated in the pipe with the debris filter, apparently due to the collision of the flow with the bracket of the debris filter. As the flow rate increased, the range of the vortex increased, causing a loss in flow.

The passenger prediction flow is very significant to transportation sustainability. This is due to some chaos of traffic jams encountered by the road users during their movement to the offices, schools, or markets at earlier of the days and during closing periods. This problem is peculiar to the transportation system of the Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria. However, the prevailing technique of passenger flow estimation is non-parametric which depends on the fixed planning and is easily affected by noise. In this research, we proposed the development of a hybrid intelligent passenger frequency prediction model using the Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) linear model, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and Kalman Filter Algorithm (KFA). The passengers’ frequency of arrival at the bus terminals is obtained and enumerated through the closed-circuit television (CCTV) and demonstrated using the Markovian Queueing Systems Model (MQSM). The ARIMA model was used for learning and prediction and compared the result with the combined techniques of using CNN-KFA. The autocorrelation coefficient functions (ACF) and partial autocorrelation coefficient functions (PACF) are used to examine the stationary data with different features. The performance of the models was analyzed and evaluated in describing the short-term passenger flow frequency at each terminal using the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and Mean Squared Error (MSE) values. The CNN-Kalman-filter model was fitted into the short-term series and the MAPE values are below 10%. The Mean Square Error (MSE) shows that the CNN-Kalman Filter model has the overall best performance with 83.33% of the time better than the ARIMA model and provides high accuracy in forecasting.

Detailed flow distributions in vascular systems are the key to identifying hemodynamic risk factors for the development and progression of vascular diseases. Although computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been widely used in bioengineering research on hemodynamics predictions, not only are high-fidelity CFD simulations time-consuming and computing-expensive, but also not friendly to clinical applications due to the difficulty of comprehensive numerical calculations. Machine learning (ML) algorithums to estimate the flow field in vascular systems based on the angiographic images of the blood flow using existed diagnostic tools are emerging as a new pathway to facilitate the mapping of hemodynamics. In present work, the dye injection in a water flow was simulated as an analogy of the contrast perfusion in blood flow using CFD. In the simulation, the light passes through the flow field and generates projective images, as an analogy of X-ray imaging. The simulations provide both the ground truth velocity field and the projective images of the flow with dye patterns. A rough velocity field was estimated using the optical flow method (OFM) based on projective images. ML algorithums are then trained using the ground truth CFD data and the OFM velocity estimation as the input. Finally, the interpretable (logistic regression) and deep (neural networks, convolutional neural networks, long short term memory) machine learning models are validated by using parallel in vitro experiments on the same flow setup. The validation results showed that the employed ML model significantly reduced the error rate from 53.5% to 2.5% in average for the v-velocity estimation.

The role of agricultural transport costs in core-periphery structures has habitually been ignored in New Economic Geography (NEG) models. This is due to the convention of treating the agricultural good as the numéraire, thus implying that agricultural transportation costs are assumed to be zero in these models. For more than three decades, this has been the standard setting in spatial equilibrium analysis. The paper examines the effects of agricultural transport costs on the spatial organisation of regional structures in Peru. In doing so, the Krugman’s formulation of iceberg transport costs is modified to introduce the agricultural transport costs into the dynamic of the NEG models. We use exploratory spatial flow data analysis methods and non-spatial and spatial origin-destination flow models to explore how the regional spatial structure change when real transportation data for agricultural goods is included into the iceberg transport costs formulation. We show that agricultural transport costs generate flows that are systematically associated with flows to or from nearby regions generating thus the emergence of spatial spillovers across Peruvian regions. The results of the paper support the contention that NEG models have overshadowed the role of agricultural transport costs in determining the spatial configuration of economic activities.

Steady-state Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations are performed for a leading-edge inflatable wing for airborne wind energy applications. Expanding on previous work where only the inflatable leading edge tube was considered, eight additional inflatable strut tubes that support the wing canopy are now included. The shape of the wing is considered to be constant. The influence of the strut tubes on the aerodynamic performance of the wing and the local flow field is assessed, considering flow configurations with and without side-slip. The simulations show that the aerodynamic performance of the wing decreases with increasing side-slip component of the inflow. On the other hand, the chordwise struts have little influence on the integral lift and drag of the wing, irrespective of the side-slip component. The overall flow characteristics are in good agreement with previous studies. In particular, it is confirmed that at a low Reynolds number of Re=10^5, a laminar separation bubble exists on the suction side of this hypothetical rigid wing shape with perfectly smooth surface. The destruction of this bubble at low angles of attack impacts negatively on the aerodynamic performance.

Population growth and increasing global demand for freshwater have raised a serious challenge for the depleting sources of freshwater in the 21st century. Desalination technologies can be a reliable technique for providing freshwater. Capacitive deionization is one of the innovative desalination methods that has received increasing interest. Flow-electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI) (a new architecture of capacitive deionization) is one of the efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly desalination methods for freshwater production. In this experimental research, the performance of an FCDI system was investigated and the influence of important parameters such as flow rate of flow-electrodes, electrolyte salt concentration of flow-electrodes, and initial feed water concentration will be assessed on the efficiency of desalination operation. In this study, the flow-electrodes operated in short-circuited closed-cycle operation (SCC) mode, and also the feed water operated similarly to the flow-electrodes in closed-cycle. Moreover, in all the experiments, the salt adsorption capacity (SAC) and salt removal efficiency (SRE) was calculated. Herein, by optimizing the above mentioned parameters, the salt removal efficiency of 83% and a SAC value of 29.12 mg/g dry carbon were achieved in 5 hours.

The material flow dynamic and velocity distribution on the melted domain surface play a crucial role on the joint quality and formation of welding defects. In this study, authors investigated the effects of the low and high currents of plasma arc welding on the material flow and thermodynamics of molten pool and its relationship to the welding defects. The high-speed video camera (HSVC) was used to observe the convection of the melted domain and welded-joint appearance. Furthermore, to consider the Marangoni force activation, the temperature on the melted domain was measured by a thermal HSVC. The results revealed that the velocity distribution on the weld surface was higher than that inside the molten weld pool due to the difference of the massive density between the air and the steel. Moreover, in the case of low welding current (80A) the convection speed of molten was faster than that of the high welding current case (160A) owing to the difference of main driving forces direction and strength, which leading to undercut and humping defects on the weld surface and excessive convex (burn-through) defect at the bottom weld side, respectively. The medium welding current (120A) had two convection patterns with the main flow in backward direction, which resulted in better welding quality without defect. The interaction between the shear force and Marangoni force played a solid state on the convection and heat transportation processes in the plasma arc welding process.

Non-genuine medical products, including diagnostic devices, have become a lucrative business for fraudsters, causing significant damage to revenues and reputation of companies, as well as posing a significant risk to the health of people and societies. Along a “digital twin” representing centrifugal microfluidic flow control on exemplary “Lab-on-a-Disc” (LoaD) systems, a novel, two-pronged strategy to safeguard miniaturized point-of-care devices by means of secret features and manufacturing challenges is outlined; such “hardware encryption” is flexibly programmed for each chip during production, and deciphered from a secure, local or online database at the time of use. This way, unlicensed copying may be efficiently deterred by an unfavourable economy-of-scale, even in absence of legal prosecution.

Accurate forecasts of ocean waves energy can not only reduce costs for investment but it is also essential for management and operation of electrical power. This paper presents an innovative approach based on the Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) to predict the power generation of an economical wave energy converter named “Searaser”. The data for analyzing is provided by collecting the experimental data from another study and the exerted data from numerical simulation of searaser. The simulation is done with Flow-3D software which has high capability in analyzing the fluid solid interactions. The lack of relation between wind speed and output power in previous studies needs to be investigated in this field. Therefore, in this study the wind speed and output power are related with a LSTM method. Moreover, it can be inferred that the LSTM Network is able to predict power in terms of height more accurately and faster than the numerical solution in a field of predicting. The network output figures show a great agreement and the root mean square is 0.49 in the mean value related to the accuracy of LSTM method. Furthermore, the mathematical relation between the generated power and wave height was introduced by curve fitting of the power function to the result of LSTM method.

To sustain water-dependent economic and socio-ecological systems, natural capital and its interactions with other capitals is gaining attention, but a clear understanding of how to manage natural capital sustainably and how to make decisions relevant to water-related ecosystem services is yet to be achieved. In this study, we extended the framing of water-related ecosystem service flows as a cycle, integrating water quantity and quality and capturing the flows of ecosystem services (i.e., green phase) and ecosystem disservices (i.e., red phase), and connecting natural capital, built capital, and beneficiaries. We applied this framework to the Jiulong River watershed in China, using hydrological models to model water quantity and quality based on historical observations and experimental data. Our results showed that, during the green phase, the interactions of natural capital and built capital significantly improved water quality in downstream areas with higher flows. During the red phase, built capital reduced ecosystem disservices by ~10% while natural capital further reduced it by over one half. Our framework can provide information for natural capital management, eco-compensation, and pollutant management relevant to water-related ecosystem services.

Using only a limited number of computationally expensive functions, we show a way how to construct accurate and computationally efficient approximations of the Colebrook equation for flow friction. The presented approximations are based on the asymptotic series expansion of the Wright ω-function and symbolic regression. The results are verified with 8 million of Quasi-Monte Carlo points covering the domain of interest for engineers. In comparison with the built-in “wrightOmega” feature of Matlab R2016a, the herein introduced related approximations of the Wright ω-function significantly accelerate the computation. With only two logarithms and several basic arithmetic operations used, the presented approximations are not only computationally efficient but also extremely accurate. The maximal relative error of the most promising approximation which is given in the form suitable for engineers’ use is limited to 0.0012%, while for a little bit more complex variant is limited to 0.000024%.

A portable urea sensor for use in the fast flow condition was fabricated using porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes coated with amine-functionalized parylene, parylene-A, by vapor deposition. To generate a specific electrochemical sensor signal from urea, the urea-hydrolyzing enzyme urease was immobilized on the parylene-A-coated PTFE membranes via chemical crosslinking using glutaraldehyde. The urease-immobilized membranes were assembled in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fluidic chamber, and a screen-printed carbon three-electrode system was used for electrochemical measurements. The success of urease immobilization was confirmed using fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The optimum concentration of urease for immobilization on the parylene-A-coated PTFE membranes was determined to be 48 mg/mL, and the optimum number of membranes in the PDMS chamber was found to be 8. Using these optimized conditions, we fabricated the urea biosensor and monitored urea samples under various flow rates ranging from 0.5 to 10 mL/min in the flow condition using chronoamperometry. To test the applicability of the sensor for physiological samples, we used it for monitoring urea concentration in the waste peritoneal dialysate of a patient with chronic renal failure, at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min.

Ongoing climate change causes abnormal climate events worldwide such as increasing temperatures and changing rainfall patterns. With South Korea facing growing damage from the increased frequency of localized heavy rains, the country is not an exception. In particular, its steep slope lands, including mountainous areas, are vulnerable to damage from landslides and debris flows. In addition, localized short-term heavy rains that occur in urban areas with extremely high intensity tend to lead a sharp increase in damage from soil-related disasters and cause huge losses of life and property. Currently, South Korea predicts landslides and debris flows using the standards for forecasting landslides and heavy rains. However, as the forecasting is conducted separately for rainfall intensity and accumulated rainfall, this lacks a technique that reflects both amount and intensity of rainfall in an episode of localized heavy rainfall. This study, therefore, aims to develop such a technique by collecting past cases of debris flow occurrences and rainfall events that accompanied debris flows to calculate the rainfall triggering index (RTI) reflecting accumulated rainfall and rainfall intensity. In addition, the RTI is converted into the critical accumulated rainfall (Rc) to use precipitation information and provide real-time forecasting. The study classifies the standards for flow debris forecasting into three levels: ALERT (10%–50%), WARNING (50%–70%), and EMERGENCY (70% or higher), to provide a nomogram for 6 hr, 12 hr, and 24 hr. As a result of applying this classification into the actual cases of Seoul, Chuncheon, and Cheongju, it is found that about 2–4 hr of response time is secured from the point of the Emergency level to the occurrence of debris flows.

The microstructures and mechanical properties of the hot-rolled Fe-6.5wt.%Si sheet are analyzed. The microstructure of the hot-rolled sheet is layered along the thickness direction. The surface exhibits fine and equiaxed grains, whereas the center part shows coarse and elongated grains with a <101> fiber texture along the rolling direction. Serrated flow behavior is observed during tensile deformation of both the hot-rolled sheet and its center samples at 350 °C; thus, the serrated flow of the hot-rolled sheet is mainly attributed to the serration of the center part. The analyses of dislocation configurations, ordered structures, and crystal orientation show that the serrated flow behavior results from the interaction of solutes with mobile dislocations. Mobile dislocations are pinned by combining parallel forest dislocations with the pipe diffusion of solution atoms. This study provides a new perspective for the deformation mechanism of the Fe-6.5wt.%Si alloy.

Adequate knowledge about the development and operation of the components of water systems is of high importance in order to optimize them. For this reason, forecasting of future events becomes greatly significant due to making the appropriate decision. Moreover, operational river management severely depends on accurate and reliable flow forecasts. In this regard, current study inspects the accuracy of support vector regression (SVR), and SVR regulated with fruit fly optimization algorithm (FOASVR) and M5 model tree (M5), in river flow forecasting. Monthly data of river flow in two stations of the Lake Urmia Basin (Vaniar and Babarud stations on the Aji Chay and the Barandouz Rivers) were utilized in the current research. Additionally, the influence of periodicity (π) on the forecasting enactment was examined. To assess the performance of mentioned models, different statistical meters were implemented, including root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), correlation coefficient (R), and Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Results showed that the FOASVR with RMSE (4.36 and 6.33 m3/s), MAE (2.40 and 3.71 m3/s) and R (0.82 and 0.81) values had the best performances in forecasting river flows in Babarud and Vaniar stations, respectively. Also, regarding BIC parameters, Q_t-1 and π were selected as parsimonious inputs for predicting river flow one month ahead. Overall findings indicated that, although both FOASVR and M5 predicted the river flows in suitable accordance with observed river flows, the performance of FOASVR was moderately better than the M5 and periodicity noticeably increased the performances of the models; consequently, FOASVR can be suggested as the accurate method for forecasting river flows.

Adequate knowledge about the development and operation of the components of water systems is of high importance in order to optimize them. For this reason, forecasting of future events becomes greatly significant due to making the appropriate decision. Moreover, operational river management severely depends on accurate and reliable flow forecasts. In this regard, current study inspects the accuracy of support vector regression (SVR), and SVR regulated with fruit fly optimization algorithm (FOASVR) and M5 model tree (M5), in river flow forecasting. Monthly data of river flow in two stations of the Lake Urmia Basin (Vaniar and Babarud stations on the Aji Chay and the Barandouz Rivers) were utilized in the current research. Additionally, the influence of periodicity (π) on the forecasting enactment was examined. To assess the performance of mentioned models, different statistical meters were implemented, including root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), correlation coefficient (R), and Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Results showed that the FOASVR with RMSE (4.36 and 6.33 m3/s), MAE (2.40 and 3.71 m3/s) and R (0.82 and 0.81) values had the best performances in forecasting river flows in Babarud and Vaniar stations, respectively. Also, regarding BIC parameters, Qt-1 and π were selected as parsimonious inputs for predicting river flow one month ahead. Overall findings indicated that, although both FOASVR and M5 predicted the river flows in suitable accordance with observed river flows, the performance of FOASVR was moderately better than the M5 and periodicity noticeably increased the performances of the models; consequently, FOASVR can be suggested as the accurate method for forecasting river flows.

HybridAC/DC microgrids(HMG) are emerging as an attracting method for integrating the AC/DC distributed energy resources(DERs) with the features of high-performance and low-cost. In the isolated hybrid AC/DC microgrid (IHMG), the key problem is how to balance the power variation and regulate the voltage and frequency. Various energy storage systems (ESS)and interlinking converter (IC) technologies are viable for this application. The present study proposes a novel unified power flow model to evaluate and compare the abilities of the ESS with different connection topologies and ICs with different control approaches to maintain the voltage and frequency stability of the IHMG. In order to investigate the performance of the proposed scheme, five operation modes of the IHMG are defined and explained. The classification is based on the connection topologies and control modes of the ESS/IC in the IHMG. Then, a set of generic PF equations are derived. Moreover, three binary matrices are applied in the construction of the unified power equations. These matrices are used for describing the running state of the IHMG. Finally, in order to verify the proposed scheme, it is applied to several case studies of the IHMG. The operation characteristics of multi-DC subgrids IHMG in different modes, particularly when an external disturbance occurs, are investigated.

A non-Newtonian fluid model is used to investigate the two-dimensional pulsatile blood flow through a tapered artery with a stenosis. The mixed convection effects of heat and mass transfer are also taken into account. By applying non-dimensionalization and radial coordinate transformation, we simplify the system in a tube. Under the finite difference scheme, numerical solutions are calculated for velocity, temperature concentration, resistance, impedance, wall shear stress and shearing stress at the stenosis throat. Finally, Quantitative analysis is carried out.

Transient flows result in unbalanced forces and high pressure in pipelines. Under these conditions, the combined effects of flow-induced forces along with sudden pipe displacements can create cracks in the pipeline, especially at the junctions. This situation consequently results in water leakage and reduced operational efficiency of the pipeline. In this study, displacements and stresses in a buried pressurized water transmission pipe installed by pipe jacking method are investigated using numerical modeling and considering interactions between fluid, pipe, and soil. The analyses were performed consecutively under no-flow, steady flow, and transient flow conditions, in order to investigate the effects of flow conditions on displacements and stresses in the system. Analyses of the results show that displacements and stresses in the jointed concrete pipes are significant under transient flow conditions. Moreover, because of pressure transient effects, maximum tensile stresses exceed the tensile strength of concrete at the junctions, leading to cracks and consequent water leakage.

Flow and transport processes in soil and rock play a critical role in agricultural non-point source pollution (ANSP) loads. In this study, we investigated the ANPS load discharged into rivers from an irrigation district in the Tibetan Plateau, and simulated ANPS load using a distributed model involving detailed descriptions of flow and ANPS transport and transformation processes in the soil and rock. Experiments were conducted for two years to measure soil water content and nitrogen concentrations and the quality and quantity of lateral flow in the rock and at the drainage canal outlet during the highland barley growing period. A distributed model, in which the subsurface lateral flow was described using a step-wise method, was developed to simulate flow and ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen transport. Sobol’s method was used to evaluate the sensitivity of simulated flow and transport processes to model inputs. The results showed that, with a 21.2% increase of rainfall and irrigation in the highland barley growing period, the average NH4+-N and NO3--N concentrations in the soil layer decreased by 10.8% and 14.3%, respectively, due to increased deep seepage. Deep seepage of rainfall water accounted for 0–52.4% of total rainfall, whereas deep seepage of irrigation water accounted for 36.6–45.3% of total irrigation. NH4+-N and NO3--N discharged into the drainage channel represented 19.9–30.4% and 19.4–26.7% of the deep seepage, respectively. The mean Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients, root mean square errors, and cumulative deviations between the measured and simulated flow rates and NH4+-N and NO3--N concentrations at the surface drainage canal outlet were 0.694, 0.081, and 0.242, respectively, indicating that the proposed method can effectively describe the hydrological and ANPS pollution migration in the plateau irrigation zone. The Sobol’ sensitivity analysis results demonstrated that subsurface lateral flow had the most important first order and total effect on the simulated flow and NH4+-N and NO3--N concentrations at the surface drainage outlet.

Polluted rivers are a primary problem in Changhua County, Taiwan, due to rapid and massive developments in agriculture and industry. In this study, samples consisted of water influent from the Yangzi-Cuo River, Ci-Tong Jiao, Changhua County. Ecology technology, a combination of gravel contact oxidation and surface flow constructed wetlands, was employed to enhance the water quality. Ecology technology is a useful and ordinary process that focuses on original treatment of pollution through chemical, physical, and biological procedures based on the mediums of soil, plant, water, and microorganisms from pure environments. Moreover, this study aimed to minimize the river pollution index (RPI) of the Yangzi-Cuo River by using combinations of gravel contact oxidation and surface flow constructed wetlands. The inflow volume of the water samples in situ was found to be 1534–2261 cubic meters per day (CMD). The pollution in the water sample mostly involved suspended solid (SS), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH₃–N), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and the values of the above indexes were found to be 10.0–26.7 mg/L, 0.9–14.0 mg/L, 1.2–14.1 mg/L, 11.1–18.2 mg/L, and 0.5–3.6 mg/L, respectively. Efficiencies of pollution elimination in SS, NH₃–N, TP, TN, and BOD were found to be 24.2–93.1%, 58.3–86.2%, 5.2–85.0%, 59.4–77.2%, and 46.3–76.4%, correspondingly, after purification treatment via ecology technology. Thus, ecology technology is a valid means of purification treatment for polluted rivers.

Micro channel tube (MCT) is widely employed in industry due to its excellent efficiency in heat transfer. An MCT is commonly produced through extrusion within a porthole die, where severe plastic deformation is inevitably involved. Moreover, the plastic deformation, which dramatically affects the final property of the MCT, varies significantly from location to location. In order to understand the development of the microstructure and its effect on the final property of the MCT, the viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) model, together with the finite element analysis and the flow line model, is employed in the current study. The flow line model is used to reproduce the local velocity gradient within the complex porthole die, while VPSC model is employed to predict the evolution of the microstructure accordingly. In addition, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) measurement and mechanical tests are used to characterize the evolution of the microstructure and the property of the MCT. The simulation results agree well with the corresponding experimental ones. The influence of the material’s flow line on the evolution of the orientation and morphology of the grains, and the property of the produced MCT are discussed in detail.

A fluid power industry powering the agricultural machinery faces big challenges nowadays. An issue of energy saving has become important due to increasing fuel costs and more stringent emissions regulations impacting vehicle development. A recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy shows that the efficiency of fluid power averages 21 percent. This offers a huge opportunity to improve the current state-of-the-art of fluid power machines, in particular to improve the energy consumption of current applications and create innovative solutions. To increase energy efficiency of fluid power systems reduction of throttling losses and potential energy recovery strategies are needed. Aim of this work is to present classification of current energy saving architectures and aid the development of new techniques for mobile fluid power machines.

In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyze the effect of spool port/ groove geometry on the pressure drop and chamber pressures which effect the performance parameters of the flow distributor valve. The work mainly involves formulation of detailed mathematical model of the valve and compare them on the same platform. For mathematical modelling, Matlab has been used. The size of the orifices is considered same throughout the model for better comparison. Initially the construction and functioning of flow distributor valve along with working principles of hydrostatic motor (Rotary Piston) is shown. Next shown the analytical analysis of area change and pressure drops due to different geometry of the spool valve ports. After that the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis has been shown. A complete mathematical model to describe such flow distributor valve is developed after having a comprehensive knowledge of orifice characteristics, flow interactions based on valve geometry. Equations of flow through different orifices (fixed and variable area) of the valve have been developed based on the relationships obtained earlier.

Today, two very efficient methods for calculation of flow distribution per branches of a looped gas pipeline are available. Most common is improved Hardy Cross method, while the second one is so-called unified node-loop method. For gas pipeline, gas flow rate through a pipe can be determined using Colebrook equation modified by AGA (American Gas Association) for calculation of friction factor accompanied with Darcy-Weisbach equation for pressure drop and second approach is using Renouard equation adopted for gas pipeline calculation. For the development of Renouard equation for gas pipelines some additional thermodynamic properties are involved in comparisons with Colebrook and Darcy-Weisbach model. These differences will be explained. Both equations, the Colebrook’s (accompanied with Darcy-Weisbach scheme) and Renouard’s will be used for calculation of flow through the pipes of one gas pipeline with eight closed loops which are formed by pipes. Consequently four different cases will be examined because the network is calculated using improved Hardy Cross method and unified node-loop method. Some remarks on optimization in this area of engineering also will be mentioned.

Cough peak flow (CPF) is a measurement to evaluate the risk of cough dysfunction and can be measured using various devices, such as spirometers. However, complex device setup and the face mask required to be firmly attached to the mouth impose burdens on both patients and their caregivers. Therefore, this study develops a novel cough strength evaluation method using cough sounds. This paper presents an exponential model to estimate CPF from the cough peak sound pressure level (CPSL). We investigated the relationship between cough sounds and cough flows and the effects of a measurement condition of cough sound, microphone type, and participant’s height and gender on CPF estimation accuracy. The results confirmed that the proposed model estimated CPF with a high accuracy. The absolute error between CPFs and estimated CPFs were significantly lower when the microphone distance from the participant’s mouth was within 30 cm than when the distance exceeded 30 cm. Analysis of the model parameters showed that the estimation accuracy was not affected by participant’s height or gender. These results indicate that the proposed model has the potential to improve the feasibility of measuring and assessing CPF.

To gain insight into the differences between onshore and offshore atmospheric turbulence, 2 pressure fluctuations were measured for offshore wind under different environmental conditions. 3 A durable piezo-electric sensor was used to sample turbulent pressure data at 50 kHz. Offshore 4 measurements were performed at 100 m height on Germany’s FINO3 offshore platform in the 5 German Bight together with additional meteorological data provided by Deutscher Wetterdienst 6 (DWD). The statistical evaluation revealed that the stability state in the atmospheric boundary has a 7 large impact on turbulent fluctuations. Therefore, we used higher statistical properties (described 8 by so-called shape factors) to the stability state. Data was classified to be either within the unstable, 9 neutral or stable stratification. We found that in case of stable stratification, the shape factor is 10 mostly close to zero, indicating that a thermally stable environment produces closer-to Gaussian 11 distributions. Non-Gaussian distributions were found in unstable and neutral boundary layer states 12 and an occurrence probability was estimated. Possible impact on laminar-turbulent transition on the 13 blade is discussed with application of so-called laminar aerofoils on wind turbine blades. Use of a 14 cut-off frequency to separate load and aerodynamic turbulence is proposed.

This paper studied the nonlinear vibrations of top tensioned cantilevered pipes conveying pressurized steady two-phase flow under thermal loading. The coupled axial and transverse governing partial differential equations of motion of the system were derived based on Hamilton’s mechanics with the centreline assumed to be extensible. Multiple scale perturbation method was used to resolve the governing equations, which resulted to an analytical approach for assessing the natural frequency, mode shape and the nonlinear coupled axial and transverse steady state response of the pipe. The analytical assessment reveals that at some frequencies the system is uncoupled, while at some frequencies a 1:2 coupling exists between the axial and the transverse frequencies of the pipe. Nonlinear frequencies versus the amplitude displacement of the cantilever pipe conveying two-phase flow at super critical mixture velocity for the uncoupled scenario exhibit a nonlinear hardening behaviour, an increment in the void fractions of the two-phase flow resulted to a reduction in the pipe’s transverse vibration frequencies and the coupled amplitude of the system. However, increasing the temperature difference, pressure and the presence of top tension were observed to increase the pipe’s transverse vibration frequencies without a significant change in the coupled amplitude of the system.

the intermittency and variability of these permeated Distributed Generators (DGs) could critically cause many security and economy risks to distribution systems. This paper applied a certain mathematical distribution to imitate the output variability and uncertainty of DGs. And then, four risk indices EENS, PLC, EFLC and SI were established to reflect the system risk level of distribution system. For the certain mathematical distribution of the DGs' output power, a developed PEM (point estimate method)-based method was proposed to calculate these four system risk indices. In this developed PEM-based method, enumeration method was used to list the states of distribution systems, an improved PEM was presented to deal with the uncertainties of DGs and the value of load curtailment in distribution systems was calculated by an optimal power flow algorithm. Finally, the effectiveness and advantages of this proposed PEM-based method for distribution system assessment were verified by the tests of a modified IEEE 30-bus system. Simulation results have shown that this proposed PEM-based method has a high computational accuracy and highly reduced computational costs compared with other risk assessment methods and is very effective for risk assessments.

The aim of this study is to investigate transient dynamic flow characteristics of the fluid flow through 5-way electric coolant valve (PCCV : Penta-Control Coolant Valve). To achieve this goal, the present paper attempts the three-dimensional dynamic simulation of the fluid flow through the valve using a commercial CFD solver with moving mesh technique to consider flow inertia and dynamic flow in the opening and closing stages of the ball valve rotating motion. Firstly, dynamic flow characteristics and the thermal mixing inside the PCCV ball valve during the opening and closing stage was analyzed. It is found that the discrepancies between dynamic and steady state simulation is remarkable when fluxes with different levels of enthalpy and momentum flow into the PCCV leads to strong flow interference and flow inertia, while the discrepancies are relatively small at low rotation speed and weak flow interference. Then, the effect of dynamic flow characteristics of the valve on dynamic thermal mixing characteristics at two different ball valve rotational speeds and rotational directions were investigated. It was found that the dynamic flow and thermal mixing characteristics inside the PCCV are greatly affected by the rotation speed, rotation direction, and degree of flow interference between fluxes. It is helpful for the design of the better coolant control strategies and the improvement of the FCEV thermal management system.

With the offshore oil-gas fields entering decline phase, high-efficiency separation of oil-gas-water mixtures becomes a significant challenge. As essential equipment for separation, the three-phase separators play a key role in Offshore Oil-Gas production. However, level control is critical in the operation of three-phase gravity separators on offshore facilities, as it directly affects the efficacy and safety of the separation process. This paper introduces an advanced deep deterministic policy gradient with adaptive learning rate weights (ALRW-DDPG) control algorithm, which improves the convergence and stability of the conventional DDPG algorithm. An adaptive learning rate weight function is meticulously designed, and an ALRW-DDPG algorithm network is constructed for simulating three-phase separator liquid level control. The effectiveness of the ALRW-DDPG algorithm is subsequently validated through simulation experiments. The results show that the ALRW-DDPG algorithm achieves a 15.38% improvement in convergence rate compared to the traditional DDPG algorithm, and the control error is significantly smaller than that of PID and DDPG algorithms.

Monitoring and protecting flowing watercourses is a complex and challenging task that requires the collaboration and coordination of various stakeholders such as governments, industries, farmers, consumers and environmental groups. The study of the dynamics of the concentration of polluting factors and especially the concentrations of heavy metals and highlighting a seasonal variation is a necessary element from this point of view. In this article, we present the results of our analyzes carried out in two measurement campaigns executed in 10 monitoring points along the Danube River, between Braila city and Isaccea city in the pre-deltaic area, during the summer season and autumn season 2022. The importance of this area is given by the fact that the Dan-ube Delta is part of the UNESCO heritage and the monitoring of polluting factors is a necessity in the desire to protect this area. The data measured during the July and August 2022 campaign co-vers a wide range of chemical species: Phosphate, CCO, CBO5, NH4+, N-NO2, N-NO3-, N-Total, P-PO4 3-, SO42-, Cl-, phenols, as well as metals with a harmful effect: Aluminum, Arsenic, Cad-mium, Chromium, Iron. The study includes an evaluation based on the statistical approach of the results to highlight the significant correlations and differences identified between the two data sets. Next, to highlight the obtained results, a numerical model was considered using HEC-RAS and ESRI ArcGis applications in a two-dimensional unsteady flow model in order to get the non-homogenous concentrations’distributions in the studied area. These two-dimensional models have been less studied in the specialized literature. In this way, interesting results could be ob-tained and prediction methods regarding the dynamics of metal concentrations could be struc-tured. The data obtained was used for the terrain model from the USGS service and the flows of the Danube and its two tributaries were simulated using the data provided by the national ser-vices. In this work, we present the results obtained for the dynamics of the concentrations of the metals Aluminum, Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium and Iron and the evaluation of the specific ab-sorption coefficients for the explanation and correlation with the results of the measurements. The study is part of a more complex project in which the spatio-temporal distribution of the polluting factors in the water was evaluated and the habitats in the study area were inventoried - especially those of community interest. the aspects related to the influence of the distribution of polluting factors on the state of health will be the subject of another article.

The precise regulation of hinge moment and pitch angle driven by the pitch regulated mechanism is crucial for modulating thrust requirements and ensuring stable attitude control in Martian coaxial rotorcraft. Nonetheless, the aerodynamic hinge moment in rotorcraft presents time-dependent dynamic properties, posing significant challenges for accurate measurement and assessment for such characteristics. In this study, we delve into the detailed aerodynamic hinge moment characteristics associated with the pitch regulated mechanism of Mars rotorcraft under a spectrum of control strategies. A robust computational fluid dynamics model has been developed to simulate rotor’s aerodynamic loads, accompanied by a quantitative hinge moment characterization that takes into account the effects of varying rotor speeds and pitch angles. Our investigation has yielded a thorough understanding of the interplay between aerodynamic load behavior and rotor surface pressure distributions, leading to the creation of an empirical mapping model for hinge moments. To validate our findings, we engineered a specialized test apparatus capable of measuring the hinge moments of the pitch regulated mechanism, facilitating empirical assessments under replicated atmospheric conditions of both Earth and Mars. The result indicates aerodynamic hinge moments depend non-linearly on rotational speed, peaking at a 0° pitch angle and showing minimal sensitivity to pitch under 0°. Above 0°, hinge moments decrease, reaching a minimum at 15° before rising again. Simulation and experimental comparisons demonstrate that under Earth conditions, the aerodynamic performance and hinge moment errors are within 8.54% and 24.90%, respectively. For Mars conditions, errors remain below 11.62%, proving the CFD model’s reliability. This supports its application in the design and optimization of Mars rotorcraft systems, enhancing their flight control through accurate prediction of aerodynamic hinge moments across various pitch angles and speeds.

Background Few data exist on comparative long-term outcomes of severe aortic stenosis (AS) patients with different flow-gradient patterns undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). This study sought to evaluate the impact of pre-TAVI flow-gradient pattern on long-term clinical outcomes after TAVI and assess changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of different subtypes of AS patients following TAVI. Methods Consecutive patients with severe AS undergoing TAVI in our institution were screened and prospectively enrolled. Patients were divided in four subgroups according to pre-TAVI flow/gradient pattern: (i) low flow - low gradient (LF-LG): stroke volume indexed (SVi) ≤ 35ml/m2 and mean gradient (MG) < 40mmHg), (ii) normal flow - low gradient (NF-LG): SVi > 35ml/m2 and MG < 40mmHg, (iii) low flow - high gradient (LF-HG) : SVi ≤ 35ml/m2 and MG ≥ 40mmHg and (iv) normal flow - high gradient (NF-HG): SVi > 35 ml/m2 and MG ≥ 40mmHg. Transthoracic echocardiography was repeated at 1-year follow-up. Clinical follow-up was obtained at 12 months, and yearly thereafter until 5-year follow up was complete for all patients. Results A total of 272 patients with complete echocardiographic and clinical follow-up were included in our analysis. Their mean age was 80±7 years and the majority of patients (N=138, 50.2%) were women. 62 patients (22.8% of the study population) were distributed in LF-LG group, 98 patients (36%) were LF-HG patients, 95 patients (34.9%) were NF-HG, while 17 patients (6.3%) were NF-LG. There was a greater prevalence of comorbidities among LF-LG AS patients. One-year all-cause mortality differed significantly between the four subgroups of AS patients (log rank p: 0.022) and was more prevalent among LF-LG patients (25.8%) compared to LF-HG (11.3%), NF-HG (6.3%) and NF-LG patients (18.8%). At 5-year follow-up, global mortality remained persistently higher among LF-LG patients (64.5%) compared to LF-HG (47.9%), NF-HG (42.9%) and NF-LG patients (58.8%) (log rank p: 0.029). At multivariable Cox hazard regression analysis, baseline SVi (HR: 0.951, 95% C.I.; 0.918 – 0.984), the presence of at least moderate tricuspid regurgitation at baseline (HR: 3.091, 95% C.I: 1.645 - 5.809) and at least moderate paravalvular leak (PVL) post-TAVI (HR: 1.456 , 95% C.I.: 1.106 - 1.792 ) were significant independent predictors of late global mortality. LF-LG patients and LF-HG patients exhibited a significant increase in LVEF at 1-year follow-up. A lower LVEF (p<0.001) and a lower Svi (p<0.001) at baseline were associated with LVEF improvement at 1 year. Conclusions Patients with LF-LG AS have acceptable 1-year outcomes with significant improvement in LVEF at 1-year follow-up, but exhibit an exceedingly high 5-year mortality following TAVI. The presence of low transvalvular flow and at least moderate tricuspid regurgitation at baseline and significant paravalvular leak post-TAVI were associated with poorer long-term outcomes in the entire cohort of AS patients. The presence of a low LVEF or a low SVi predicts LVEF improvement at 1-year.

Physical properties like shape, volume and size affect the dynamics of biological systems. Along these lines, we focus on the topological properties of biological fluids and their biochemical and physiological outcomes. We take as a paradigmatic example the salivary fluid and describe how its topological features may affect the physiopathology of the oral cavity. Topological approaches assess the general properties of saliva, ignoring small-scale physical details such as density, flow rate, stiffness, viscosity. Specifically, the mucin aggregates scattered in the salivary fluid can be tackled in terms of topological holes, i.e., vortical clusters that modify the direction, flow, impulse, local rate-of-change and velocity of saliva. While the current methodological approaches are inclined to remove the effects of impurities assessing systems as homogeneous structures, we argue that the occurrence of mucins breaks up the salivary fluid’s homogeneity, leading to unexpected biophysical modifications. We suggest that every collected salivary sample is not reliable for accurate clinical and experimental investigation, since it displays highly local as well as variable chemical, physical and biological features, not reflecting the current physiological state of the oral cavity. Therefore, the assessment of a single salivary sample is not fully reproducible and cannot provide information about the biophysical, enzymatic and microbiological content of the whole saliva. In sum, the very topological features of the saliva - such as volume, shape, antipodal cells, vortex area, whirling fluid mass, segmentation, discretization, triangulation, node numbering - produce unnoticed biological consequences and network connectivity features with intriguing operational implications.

SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to life-threatening clinical manifestations. Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are at higher risk for severe courses of COVID-19. However, strategies to predict the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in CVD patients at the time of hospital admission are still missing. Here, we investigated whether this prediction is achievable by prospectively analysing the blood immunophenotype of 94 participants, including 20 uninfected and 37 acutely SARS-CoV-2-infected CVD patients and 37 healthy donors, using a 36-colour spectral flow cytometry panel. Unsupervised data analysis revealed little differences between healthy donors and CVD patients, whereas the distribution of the cell populations changed dramatically in SARS-CoV-2-infected CVD patients. The latter had more mature NK cells, activated monocyte subsets, central memory CD4+ T cells, and plasmablasts but fewer dendritic cells, CD16+ monocytes, innate lymphoid cells, and CD8+ T cell subsets. Moreover, we identified an immune signature characterised by mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, intermediate effector CD8+ T cells, and natural killer T (NKT) cells that is predictive for CVD patients with a severe course of COVID-19. Thus, intensified immunophenotype analyses can help identify patients at risk of severe COVID-19 at hospital admission, improving clinical outcomes through specific treatment.

Using graph theory, computer aided motion, static force and power flow analysis of planetary gear mechanism is realized. The motion, static force and efficiency calculations of 6HP26 automatic transmission are carried out. Based on kinematic and static force analysis model, related matrices are acquired. Hence, kinematic and static force analysis of planetary gear mechanism is achieved. The link power can be determined by the link speed and torque. Power flow diagrams of each gear are acquired. The efficiency is calculated by transmission ratio method.

In order to create a smart mine, it is necessary to digitize the existing emulsion pumping station. Existing research does not achieve this task, this paper designs and manufactures a high-pressure, high-flow, high-water-based mining digital controlled unloading valve (abbreviated as HLHMDCUV), which achieves good results in both theoretical analysis and experimental testing. In order to obtain the accurate dynamic characteristics, this valve was analyzed by simulation using AMESim. Based on the dynamic performance analysis and the flow field analysis inside the valve body, the structure has been optimized to improve the performance of HLHMDCUV. The results show that the HLHMDCUV has a better dynamic characteristics, which were also demonstrated in the experiment. At the same time, the HLHMDCUV is easy to disassemble and maintain. This paper provides a theoretical basis for the design of such valves, which is conducive to the subsequent promotion of intelligent mine transformation.

Geothermal energy aims at harnessing the heat of the Earth to produce energy, from the near-surface to great depths. Emphasis is put on geothermal reservoirs in crystalline rocks, hence vol-canic islands and crystalline basements of sedimentary basins based on three examples world-wide. Hot brines circulate in those rocks and are responsible for their hydrothermal alteration because of fluid-rock interactions. This includes dissolution of preexisting minerals and crystal-lization of newly formed ones which provide many information of crucial importance for a better exploration of those reservoirs. For example, the crystallization of clay minerals results from the dissolution of preexisting minerals (feldspar and ferro-magnesian minerals in plutonic, volcanic or metamorphic rocks) or from the direct precipitation from geothermal brines, in specific condi-tions. Clay minerals are found in both the geothermal reservoirs and in the clay-cap found above them. Other newly formed minerals such as quartz, carbonates or sulfates have also recorded the conditions of temperature and salinity encountered by fossil reservoirs which can be evaluated thanks to the study of fluid inclusions trapped during their crystallization. This paper presents results from several geothermal deep sites and surface analogues to pinpoint the role played by newly-formed minerals in the characterization of geothermal reservoirs and their cap-rock.

A macro network loading Model for multi-flow lines, time-varying and pedestrian congestion is proposed. The station hub is abstracted as a network of different types of nodes, and the flow of passengers at each node is calculated in real time for the purpose of simulating the hub's collection and distribution process. For correct transmission of passenger flow on heterogeneous networks, three types of indexes are proposed to distinguish the nodes, and then match the corresponding fundamental diagrams. This paper divides the update process of the dynamic network loading model into multiple processes by flow lines, and improves computational speed of DNL model. The proposed model is applied to the simulation of passenger flow collection and distribution in an actual hub station with multi-flow lines. The analysis results illustrate that the model can accurately reflect the realistic congestion facilities and explain the formation process of high-density areas. A rolling passenger flow control model based on optimal control theory is proposed. The effectiveness of the control model is verified based on simulation data.

In swarm-robotics foraging, the purpose of task allocation is to adjust the number of active foraging robots dynamically based on the task demands and changing environment. It is a difficult challenge to generate self-organized foraging behavior in which each robot can adapt to environmental changes. To complete the foraging task efficiently, this paper presents a novel self-organized task allocation strategy known as the dynamic response threshold model (DRTM). To adjust the behavior of the active foraging robots, the proposed DRTM newly introduces the traffic flow density, which can be used to evaluate the robot density. First, the traffic flow density and the amount of obstacle avoidance are used to adjust the threshold which determines the tendency of a robot to respond to a stimulus in the environment. Then, each individual robot uses the threshold and external stimulus to calculate the foraging probability that determines whether or not to go foraging. Simulation and physical experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The experimental results show that the DRTM is superior to and more efficient than the adaptive response threshold model (ARTM) in swarm foraging.

Given the significant role of the Ningxia Urban Agglomeration along the Yellow River in reshaping the urban network and promoting coordinated development in the upper Yellow River region of China, this paper takes enterprise flow as the explicit manifestation of the regional urban network. Based on the data of registered enterprises from 2005 to 2021, combined with the interlocking network model, social network analysis method, and spatial panel econometric model, this paper interprets the evolution of the regional urban network structure and its influencing mechanisms through the different types of enterprise flow. The results indicate the following: (1) The external network is primarily focused on outflow investments towards North China, East China, and Northwest China. The overall inflow sources form a multi-origin structure dominated by North China and East China. The Jinfeng and Xingqing serve as core hubs for enterprise exports in the external network and destinations for incoming enterprises. However, in the Productive manufacturing connections, a spatial organizational pattern driven by multiple cities has formed. (2) In the internal network, a concentric connection structure centered around the Jinfeng and Xingqing has formed. The Productive service connections are relatively active, while the Productive manufacturing connections are relatively concentrated between the Jinfeng, Xingqing, Ningdong, and Lingwu. However, there is an imbalance in the spatial connections within the urban agglomeration network and an incomplete hierarchical system of network nodes. (3) In the external network, the main feature is the absorption of external elements to foster development momentum. In the internal network, the Jinfeng and Xingqing serve as contact and radiation sources, influencing various nodes. However, their driving capacity is weak. (4) The market demand and coordinated development both demonstrate significant promoting effects on the connections within the external and internal networks. The sluggish adjustment and transformation of regional industrial structure have resulted in a temporary negative inhibitory effect on the development of transformation. The negative impact of urban investment activities and the positive impact of government management are reflected within the internal network. (5) The improvement of urban management and service functions, as well as external borrowing, can promote the connection in different network. However, the borrowing economic activity can have a negative impact in different networks. (6) Industrial agglomeration can promote enterprises connections in different networks and generate significant spatial spillover effects.

The increasing popularity of unconventional wells has sparked a heightened interest in evaluating and predicting their production performance. With the use of extended reach well structures, these wells are able to generate and access larger reservoir volumes. Hence, it is crucial to understand how the well's lateral trajectory affects its transient production performance. The assessment of lateral trajectory undulating amplitude effect on the flow behavior is performed in the current study based on the experimental results obtained at the University of North Dakota, Undulated Two-Phase (UTP) Flow Loop, injecting air and water mixture through a variable undulating amplitude section followed by a vertical section. The experiments showed that the undulating amplitude increase induced lower translational velocity, frequency, and length, with a consistent slug acceleration through the system profile from the inlet to the vertical section and a decreasing frequency when the slugs travel through the vertical section. Measured data shows that an increase of the horizontal pressure losses and variability is expected with a higher undulation amplitude, translating the fact that larger instabilities are observed for higher amplitudes. The numerical simulation predicted lower translational velocity and frequency, higher slug’s lengths, and similar vertical pressure losses when compared to the experimental results.

Transarterial embolization (TAE) for high-flow pancreaticoduodenal artery (PDA) aneurysms in patients with celiac-trunk stenosis by the median arcuate ligament (MAL) has been found effective both after rupturing and to prevent rupture. The objective was to describe the TAE techniques used and their effectiveness in excluding PDA aneurysms due to MAL syndrome. This single-center retrospective study done at the Dijon-Bourgogne University Hospital included all patients treated by TAE in 2010–2022 for ruptured or unruptured high-flow PDA aneurysms caused by MAL syndrome. We identified 14 patients (7 women and 7 men; mean age, 64 years). Packing and trapping techniques were used alone or together. Occlusion was with microcoils, co-polymer, or cyanoacrylate glue, used separately or combined. Technical success was achieved in 13 (93%) patients. Clinical success was achieved in 12 (86%) patients. One major and two minor complications were recorded within the first 30 days. No complications occurred after 30 days. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 84 months. No cases of aneurysm recanalization were recorded to date. TAE had high technical and clinical success rates in our patients with unruptured or ruptured PDA aneurysms due to MAL syndrome.

Transition delaying is of great importance for the drag and heat flux reduction of hypersonic flight vehicles. The first mode within low frequency and the second mode within high frequency exist simultaneously during the transition of hypersonic boundary layer. This paper proposes a novel bi-frequency synthetic jet to suppress low- and high-frequency disturbances at the same time. Orthogonal table and variance analysis are used to compare the control effects of jet with different frequencies, amplitudes and positions. Linear stability analysis results show that, low frequency synthetic jet can suppress the first mode when it is arranged upstream of synchronization point, while the second mode control effect is relatively weak. The higher the high frequency is, the stronger the suppression effect is on the first mode. For the second mode, the suppression effect is only at f2=89.09kHz. The larger the amplitude, the weaker the promoting effect for the first mode and the second mode, and the more obvious the suppressing effect. For the cases with synthetic jet downstream of synchronization point, all levels of the three parameters promote the unstable mode. In terms of the growth rate with the spanwise wave number, the control effect of the same factor and level under different spanwise wave number is different. In order to obtain the optimal control effect on transition, the three factors and the arrangement position of the synthetic jet should be selected as follows: the position is arranged in the upstream, with f1 = 17.82kHz, f2 = 89.9kHz, a =0.007, so that the maximum growth rate of the first mode is reduced by 9.06% and that of the second mode is reduced by 1.28% compared with the uncontrolled state.

This paper proposes a high-performance and low-cost in-flight collision avoidance system based on background subtraction for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The pipeline of proposed in-flight collision avoidance system is as follows: (i) dynamic background subtraction to remove the background and to detect moving objects, (ii) denoise using morphology and binarization methods, (iii) Euclidean clustering to cluster the moving object and to remove noise blobs, (iv) distinguish independent objects and track the movement using Kalman filter, and (v) collision avoidance using proposed decision-making techniques. This work focuses on the design and the demonstration of a vision-based fast moving object detection and tracking system with decision-making capabilities to perform evasive maneuvers to replace high vision system such as event camera. The development of high-performance, low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles paired with rapid progress in vision-based perception systems herald a new era of autonomous flight systems with mission-ready capabilities. One of the key features of an autonomous UAV is a robust mid-air collision avoidance strategy. The novelty of our method lies in the motion-compensating moving object detection framework, which accomplishes the task with background subtraction via 2-D transformation approximation. Clustering and tracking algorithms process detection data to track independent objects, and stereo-camera-based distance estimation is conducted to estimate the 3-D trajectory, which is then used during decision-making procedures. The examination of the system is conducted with a quadrotor UAV test vehicle, and appropriate algorithm parameters for various requirements are deduced.

Background. There are scant data about the effectiveness of high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy in patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory failure (ARF) in non-intensive medical wards, particularly regarding the effect on arterial oxygenation compared to conventional oxygen therapy (COT) and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Methods. In a retrospective observational study, oxygenation parameters were measured before and immediately after HFNC initiation in 37 consecutive patients hospitalized in a geriatric ward in 2017. Results. HFNC was used as escalation therapy for untreatable hypoxia after failure of NIV/CPAP (n=18) or COT (n=19). Twenty-two patients died, 2 were transferred to the intensive care unit, while 13 were discharged alive. A “do not intubate” status was identified in 17 of the 22 deceased patients. Partial pressure of oxygen (pO2, p< 0.0001), oxygen saturation (SO2, p< 0.0001), pO2/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio (p=0.004) and peripheral SO2 measured by pulse oximetry (p< 0.0001) significantly increased soon after HFNC application. Oxygenation improvements were greater after escalation from NIV/CPAP and in patients discharged alive. Conclusion. HFNC significantly improved oxygenation in severe ARF after failure of COT or NIV/CPAP and may be particularly suitable for older patients hospitalized in non-intensive medical wards.

Smartphone-based point-of-care testing (POCT) is rapidly emerging as an alternative to traditional screening and laboratory testing, particularly in resource-limited settings. In this proof-of-concept study, we present a smartphone- and cloud-based artificial intelligence quantitative analysis system (SCAISY) for relative quantification of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific IgG antibody lateral flow assays that enables rapid and accurate evaluation of test strips. By capturing an image with a smartphone camera, SCAISY quantitatively analyzes antibody levels and provides results to the user. We analyzed changes in antibody levels over time in over 248 individuals, including vaccine type, number of doses, and infection status, with a standard deviation of less than 10%. We also tracked antibody levels in six participants before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Finally, we examined the effects of lighting conditions, camera angle, and smartphone type to ensure consistency and reproducibility. This study suggests that SCAISY is a simple and powerful tool for real-time public health surveillance, enabling the acceleration of quantifying SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies generated by either vaccination or infection and tracking of personal immunity levels.

Uncultured, unmodified, autologous, adipose-derived regenerative cells (UA-ADRCs) are a safe and effective treatment option for various musculoskeletal pathologies. However, it is unknown whether the composition of the final cell suspension systematically varies with the subject's individual age, sex, body mass index and ethnicity. UA-ADRCs were isolated from lipoaspirate from n=232 subjects undergoing elective lipoplasty using the Transpose RT system (InGeneron, Inc.; Houston, TX, USA). The UA-ADRCs were assessed for the number of nucleated cells, cell viability and the number of viable nucleated cells per gram of adipose tissue harvested. Cells from n=37 subjects were further characterized using four-channel flow cytometry. The present study shows, for the first time, that key characteristics of UA-ADRCs can be independent of the subject's age, sex, BMI and ethnicity. This result has important implications for the general applicability of UA-ADRCs in regeneration of musculoskeletal tissue. Future studies must determine whether in-dependence of key characteristics of UA-ADRCs of the subject's individual age, sex, BMI and eth-nicity only applies to the system used in the present study, or also to others of the more than 25 different experimental methods and commercially available systems used to isolate UA-ADRCs from lipoaspirate that have been described in the literature.

We report the first case of Daratumumab interference of allogeneic crossmatch tests repeatedly causing aberrant false-positive results, which inadvertently delayed transplant for a waitlisted renal patient with multiple myeloma. Daratumumab is an IgG1κ human monoclonal antibody commonly used to treat multiple myeloma, characterized by cancerous plasma cells and often leads to renal failure requiring kidney transplant, by depleting CD38-expressing plasma cells. In this case study, the patient had end-stage renal disease secondary to multiple myeloma and was continuously receiving Daratumumab infusions. The patient did not have any detectable antibodies to human leukocyte antigens but repeatedly had unexpected positive crossmatch by the flow cytometry-based method with 26 of the 27 potential deceased organ donors, implying donor-recipient immunological incompatibility. However, further review and analysis suggested that the positive crossmatches were likely false-positive as a result of interference from Daratumumab binding to donor cell surface CD38 as opposed to the presence of donor-specific antibodies. The observed intensity of the false-positive crossmatches was also highly variable, potentially due to donor- and/or cell-dependent expression of CD38. The variability of CD38 expression was, therefore, for the first time, characterized on the T and B cells isolated from various tissues and peripheral blood of 78 individuals. Overall, T cells were found to have a lower CD38 expression profile than the B cells, and no significant difference was observed between deceased and living individuals. Finally, we show that a simple cell treatment by dithiothreitol can effectively mitigate Daratumumab interference thus preserving the utility of pre-transplant crossmatch in multiple myeloma patients awaiting kidney transplant.

For solving the fractional differential equations in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), it’s complicated and difficult by the Laplace and Fourier transforms. Based on the Caputo fractional derivative, the analytical solutions for unsteady unidirectional flows of a generalized Oldroyd-B fluid are deduced by the separation of variables method. Results show that the analytical solutions are given easily, and have good university. For some specific parameter values, the well-known analytical solutions for the generalized second grade fluid, the generalized Upper-Convected Maxwell (UCM) fluid as well as the ordinary Oldroyd-B fluid can be obtained.

Mandevilla (Apocynaceae) is a greatly appreciated genus in the world ornamental market. In this study, we attempted to address the poor genetic knowledge and the huge taxonomic gaps existing in this genus by analyzing the germplasm of 55 accessions. After cytometrically determining the triploid genome size (1,512.64 Mb) of a reference sample (variety “Mandevilla 2001”), the plastidial genome (cpDNA, 0,18 Mb) and a draft of the nuclear genome (nuDNA, 207 Mb) were assembled. While cpDNA was effective in reconstructing the phylogenesis of the Apocynaceae family based on a DNA superbarcoding approach, the nuDNA assembly length was found to be only 41% of the haploid genome size (506 Mb, predicted based on the K-mer frequency distribution). Its annotation enabled the prediction of thousands of genes, of which 5,275 resulted in full CDS. Among them, we identified nine genes whose orthologs (in Catharanthus roseus) encode enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs), including catharanthine, tabersonine and vincadifformine. The nuclear genome draft was also useful to develop a highly informative (mean PIC=0.62) set of 23 SSR markers that was validated on the Mandevilla collection. These results were integrated with cytometric measurements, nuclear ITS1 haplotyping and chloroplast DNA barcoding analyses to assess the origin, divergence and relationships existing among the 55 accessions object of the study. As expected, based on the scarce information available in the literature, the scenario was extremely intricate. A reasonable hypothesis is that most of the accessions represent interspecific hybrids sharing the same species as maternal parent (i.e., Mandevilla sanderi).

A revised reversed Carnot cycle without external heat source and temperature gap is proposed to challenge the classic reversed Carnot cycle, heat pumps based on the proposed cycle with super energy efficiency works just like electric heater fitted for any climate including extreme cold weather, the application of these new heat pumps is discussed with conclusion that little real obstacles exist for scale application to address the heating related climate change, also a demonstration case shows a remarkable results to encourage the applications of these new heat pumps.

A critical challenge underpinning the adoption of Additive Manufacture (AM) as a technology is the postprocessing of manufactured components. For Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) this can involve the removal of powder from the interior of the component, often by vibrating the component to fluidise the powder to encourage drainage. In this paper we develop and validate a computational model of the flow of metal powder suitable for predicting powder removal from such AM components. The model is a continuum Eulerian multiphase model of the powder including models for the granular temperature; the effect of vibration can be included through appropriate wall boundaries for this granular temperature. We validate the individual sub-models appropriate for AM metal powders by comparison with in-house and literature experimental results, and then apply the full model to a more complex geometry typical of an AM Heat Exchanger. The model is shown to provide valuable and accurate results at a fraction of the computational cost of a particle-based model.

The Pannonian basin major heat system in Central Europe. Their peripheral basins like the East Slovakian basin is a example of a geothermal structure with a linear directed heat flow ranging from 90 to 100 mW /m2 from west to east. However, the use of the geothermal source is limited by several critical tectono-geologic factors: (a) tectonics, and the associated disintegration of the aquifer block by multiple deformations during the pre-Paleogene mainly Miocene period. The main discontinuities of NW-SE and N-S direction negatively affect the permeability of the environment. On the contrary, for utilization are important the secondary minor NE-SW dilatation open fractures which have developed by sinistral transtension on N–S faults and accelerated normal movements to the southeast in the present. (b) hydrogeological conditions, the geothermal structure accommodated three water types, namely Na-HCO3 with 10.9 g.l-1 mineralization (in the north), the Ca-Mg-HCO3 with 0.5 – 4.5 g.l-1 mineralization (in the west), and Na-Cl water type containing 26.8-33.4 g.l-1 (in the southwest) mineralization. The chemical composition is influenced by the Middle Triassic dolomites aquifer as well as by infiltration of saline solutions and meteoric waters along open fractures/faults. (c) geothermally anomalous heat 123 – 129 °C close to volcanic chain with 170 l/s total flow seems to be the perspective for heat production.

Nanoprecipitation by liquid anti-solvent precipitation is one of the most versatile methods to produce pure drug nanoparticles (PDNPs) owing to the ability to optimize the properties of the product. Nevertheless, nanoprecipitation shows broad particle size distribution and low physical stability, leading to high batch-to-batch variability and challenging the bench-to-bedside translation. Microfluidics has emerged as a powerful tool to produce PDNPs in a simple, reproducible, and cost-effective manner with excellent control over NP size. In this work, we designed and fabricated T- and Y-shaped Si-made microfluidics device and used it to produce pure NPs of three kinase inhibitors of different lipophilicity and water-solubility, namely imatinib, dasatinib and tofacitinib, without the use of colloidal stabilizers. PDNPs display sizes in the 90-350 nm range (dynamic light scattering) and a rounded shape (high-resolution scanning electron microscopy). Analysis by X-rays diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry confirmed that this method results in highly amorphous NPs. In addition, we show that the flow rate of solvent, the anti-solvent, and the channel geometry of the device play a key role in the size of the generated NPs.

Artificial intelligence methods may help in unveliling information hidden in high-dimensional oncological data. Flow cytometry studies of haematological malignancies provide quantitative data with the potential to be used for the construction of response biomarkers. Many computational methods from the bioinformatics toolbox can be applied to these data but have not been exploited in their full potential in leukaemias, specifically for the case of childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In this paper we analysed flow cytometry data obtained on diagnosis from 54 paediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients from two local institutions. We constructed classifiers based on the Fisher’s Ratio to quantify differences in expression levels of immunophenotypical markers between patients with relapsing and non-relapsing disease. The distribution of the marker CD38 was found and validated to have a strong discriminating power between both patient cohorts, thus providing a classifier.

Predictive simulation of concurrent debris flow using only pre-disaster information has proven to be difficult as a result of problems in predicting the location of debris-flow initiation (i.e., slope failure). However, because catchment topography has concave characteristics, with all channels in a catchment joining each other as they flow downstream, it is possible to predict damage to downstream area using relatively inaccurate initiation points. Based on this, this paper presents methodologies employing debris-flow initiation points generated randomly using statistical slope failure prediction. A many-case simulation across numerous initiation points was performed to quantify the effect of slope-failure location in terms of deviations in the predicted water level and terrain deformation. It was found that the relative standard deviation diminished as the points approached the downstream area, indicating a location-based predictability effect.

Based on the topology of wide area protection system (WAPS), after studying the reliability of hardware system and information flow in the WAPS and establishing the reliability assessment model, the multi-service reliability analysis method with multi monitoring and protection tasks in WAPS was proposed. In the model, the impact of network quality of service (QoS) such as information flow loss and delay, is studied. On the base of the model, the multi-service reliability evaluation method is employed to analyze the reliability of a WAPS of IEEE14 node power system, and the key nodes of the WAPS is given, which provides a basis for improving the reliability of the WAPS.

Water soluble polymers have gained an increasing interest in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes, especially as polymer flooding. Despite the fact that the flow of polymer in porous medium has been a research subject for many decades with numerous publications, there are still some research areas that need progress. The prediction of polymer injectivity remains elusive. Polymers with similar shear viscosity might have different in-situ rheological behaviors and may be exposed to different extent of mechanical degradation. Hence, determining polymer in-situ rheological behavior is of great significance for defining its utility. In this study, an investigation of rheological properties and mechanical degradation of different HPAM (partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) polymers was performed using Bentheimer sandstone outcrop cores. Results show that, HPAM in-situ rheology is different from bulk rheology measured in rheometer. Specifically, shear thickening behavior occurs at high rates, and near-Newtonian behavior is measured at low rates in porous media. This deviates strongly from measurements in the rheometer. Polymer molecular weight and concentration influence its viscoelasticity and subsequently its flow characteristics in porous media. Exposure to mechanical degradation by flow at high rate through porous media leads to significant reduction in shear thickening and thereby improved injectivity. More importantly, the degraded polymer maintained in-situ viscosity at low flow rates indicating that improved injectivity can be achieved without compromising viscosity at reservoir flow rates. This is explained by reduction in viscoelasticity. Mechanical degradation also leads to reduced residual resistance factor (RRF), especially for high polymer concentrations. For some of the polymer injections, successive degradation (increased degradation with transport length in porous media) was observed. The results presented here may be used to optimize polymer injectivity.

Effective discharge, which represents the flow, or range of flows, that transport the most sediment over long term, was determined based on the mean daily flow discharge and mean daily suspended sediment discharge recorded between 1994 and 2014 at four gauging stations along the Trotuș River. This study proposes an efficient method for the estimation of effective discharge based on observed values of the suspended sediment load. By employing this method the suspended sediment load is no longer either under- or overestimated as in the cases when the assessment is based on sediment rating curves. The assessment on effective discharge was performed at two distinct levels: for the entire data series during the investigated time spans and, subsequently, for flows less than the bankfull discharge. The effectiveness curves of the suspended sediment transport characteristics revealed highly multimodal characteristics with many peaks, indicating ample ranges for the effective discharges. The main effective discharge corresponded to large flood events, which are typical for the upper end of the discharge range, whereas the secondary effective discharges corresponded to sub-bankfull flows, which are more frequent. The changes that occurred in the channel bed are reflected by the temporal variations in the effective discharge.

Vegetation has a significant influence on velocity distribution and turbulent energy in a confluence channel. A laboratory measurement with ADV was used to investigate the flow through a Y-shaped confluence channel partially covered with rigid vegetation on its inner bank. In this study, the flow velocities in cases with and without vegetation were measured by the ADV in a Y-shaped confluence channel. The results clearly show that the existence of non-submerged rigid plants has changed the internal flow structure, that the velocity in the non-vegetated area is greater than in the vegetated area, and that there is a large exchange of mass and momentum between the vegetated and non-vegetated areas. The velocity on both sides is significantly reduced when vegetation is present. In the vicinity of tributaries, due to the presence of vegetation, the high-velocity area moved rapidly to the middle of the non-vegetated area, and the secondary flow phenomenon disappeared. In the mainstream, when vegetation was present, circulation disappeared, and the degree of lateral mixing decreased. The presence of vegetation caused a great change in the internal flow structure and made the flow in non-vegetated areas more intense.

The interaction between different regions normally is reflected by the form of the stream. For example, the interaction of the flow of people and flow of information between different regions can reflect the structure of cities’ network, and also can reflect how the cities function and connect to each other. Since big data has become increasingly popular, it is much easier to acquire flow data for various types of individuals. Currently, it is a hot research topic to apply the regional interaction model, which is based on the summary level of individual flow data mining. So far, previous research on spatial interaction methods focused on point-to-point and area-to-area interaction patterns. However, there are a few scholars who study the hotspot interaction pattern between two regional groups with some predefined neighborhood relationship by starting with two regions. In this paper, a method for identifying a similar hotspot interaction pattern between two regional groups has been proposed, and the Geo-Information-Tupu methods are applied to visualize the interaction patterns. For an example of an empirical analysis, we discuss China’s air traffic flow data, so this method can be used to find and analyze any hotspot interaction patterns between regional groups with adjoining relationships across China. Our research results indicate that this method is efficient in identifying hotspot interaction flow patterns between regional groups. Moreover, it can be applied to any analysis of flow space that is used to excavate regional group hotspot interaction patterns.

Many studies, which try to analyze conditions for debris flow development, ignore the type of initiation. Therefore this paper deals with the following questions: What type of hydro-mechanical triggering mechanisms for debris flows can we distinguish in upstream channels of debris flow prone gullies? Which are the main parameters controlling the type and temporal sequence of these triggering processes and what is their influence on the meteorological thresholds for debris flow initiation? A series of laboratory experiments were carried out in a flume, 8 m long and with a width of 0.3 m. to detect the conditions for different types of triggering mechanisms. The flume experiments show a sequence of hydrological processes triggering debris flows, namely erosion and transport by intensive overland flow and by infiltrating water causing failure of channel bed material. On the basis of these experiments an integrated hydro-mechanical model was developed, which describes Hortonian and Saturation overland flow, maximum sediment transport, through flow and failure of bed material. The model was calibrated and validated using process indicator values measured during the experiments in the flume. Virtual model simulations, carried out in a schematic hypothetical source area of a catchment show that slope angle and hydraulic conductivity of the bed material determine the type and sequence of these triggering processes. It was also clearly demonstrated that the type of hydrological triggering process and the influencing geometrical and hydro-mechanical parameters may have a great influence on rainfall intensity-duration threshold curves for the start of debris flows.

A four-parameter kinematic model for the position of a fluid parcel in a time-varying ellipse is introduced. For any ellipse advected by an arbitrary linear two-dimensional flow, the rates of change of the ellipse parameters are uniquely determined by the four parameters of the velocity gradient matrix, and vice-versa. This result, termed ellipse/flow equivalence, provides a stronger version of the well-known result that a linear velocity field maps an ellipse into another ellipse. Moreover, ellipse/flow equivalence is shown to be a manifestation of Stokes' theorem. This is done by deriving a matrix-valued relationship, called the geometric Stokes' theorem, that involves a spatial integral over the velocity gradient tensor, thus accounting for the two strain terms in addition to the divergence and vorticity. General expressions for various physical properties of an elliptical ring of fluid are also derived. The ellipse kinetic energy is found to be composed of three portions, associated respectively with the circulation, the rate of change of the moment of inertia, and the variance of parcel angular velocity around the ellipse. A particular innovation is the use of four matrices, termed the IJKL basis, that greatly facilitate the required calculations.

The main objective of this study was to compare the removal efficiency of nutrients using Lactuca sativa, Medicago sativa and Phragmites australis in subsurface flow constructed wetlands with horizontal flow. In order to test water quality, fabricated reactors designed and the plants cultivated in the soil while their root were inside the wastewater. A long time study carried out from spring till end of autumn (9 months) in order to evaluate the difference in removal rate based on the seasonal changes. The highest removal rate was during summer which followed by spring and autumn. Thus, the effect of plants on the removal efficiency of organic matter (COD, BOD), TSS and nutrient (P and TN) appeared to be dependent on the seasonal growth. Phragmites australis the most sensitive species in order the removal of nutrient from wastewater.

There are unsolved problems related to inflation, gravity, dark matter, dark energy, missing antimatter, and the birth of the universe. Some of them can be better answered by assuming the existence of aether and hypoatoms. Both were created during the inflation in the very early universe. While aether forms vacuum, hypoatoms, composed of both matter and antimatter and believed to be neutrinos, form all observable matter. In vacuum, aether exists between the particle-antiparticle dark matter form and the dark energy form in a dynamic equilibrium: A + A-bar = gamma + gamma. The same reaction stabilizes hypoatoms and generates a 3-dimensional sink flow of aether that causes gravity. Based on the hypoatom structure, the singularity does not exist inside a black hole; the core of the black hole is a hypoatom star or neutrino star. By gaining enough mass, ca. 3 X 10²² M_sun, to exceed neutrino degeneracy pressure, the black hole collapses or annihilates into the singularity, thus turning itself into a white hole or a Big Bang. The universe is anisotropic. Its center, or where the Big Bang happened, is at 0.66^+0.03_-0.01 times the radius of the observable universe at Galactic coordinates (l, b) = (286⁺¹⁰_-10, -43⁺⁷_-6). If we look from the Local Group to the center of the universe, the universe is rotating clockwise.

One of the relevant goals in forging technologies is simplifying the existing process and developing new processes that can retain the original or very close to the original dimensions and billet shape after the end of the deformation cycle. This study attempts to develop a forging equipment design that provides alternating cyclic loading; the alternate cyclic forging (ACF) method is proposed. To preliminary evaluate the ACF and study the plastic deformation behavior, numerical simulation via finite element modeling (FEM) was conducted using DEFORM-3D. The main attention was paid to the metal flow characteristics, effective strain and stress distribution, and the forging load. The ACF results in non-uniform metal flow with the formation of diagonal and vortex flows were demonstrated. Maximum effective strains and stresses zones are localized at two points of the billet contact with the surface of the tooling container and at two points of the interface between the punches. It was also assumed that reducing the contact area between the punch and the billet using separate semi-cylindrical punches can reduce the forging load. Preliminary finite element analysis (FEA) results of the proposed process after four successive steps of the deformation cycle confirmed the feasibility of its general implementation.

In this research work the study of Buongiorno Model Darcy Forchheimer flow of Hybrid nanofluid flow on isothermal permeable stretch/shrink sheet with homogeneous and heterogeneous reaction is investigated. The effects of MHD, thermal radiation, viscous dissipation, Joule heating, and heat generation/absorption are taken into account. Hybrid nanofluids can act as a medium for heterogeneous-homogeneous reactions. The nanoparticles dispersed in the fluid can influence reaction kinetics and species transport, potentially, altering reaction rates and pathways. The applications of HNF in reactions, both homogeneous and heterogeneous, lie in leveraging their enhanced thermal properties, catalytic potential, and improved mixing capabilities to optimize reaction efficiency and control reaction conditions. Similarity transformation is used to convert a set of PDEs into a set of ODEs. HAM is used for the solution of the obtained ODEs system. In a heterogeneous reaction, the concentration gradient is amplified; in a homogeneous reaction, the impact is opposite. Moreover, at higher compositions of HNPs, the concentration and velocity rise while the temperature falls. Furthermore, as the values of homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions increase, the concentration falls. It is reliable with the idea that a greater reaction rate lowers the diffusion rate. Nevertheless, these parameters do not affect temperature or velocity.

Exergy analysis evaluates the efficiency of system components by quantifying the rate of entropy generation. In general, the exergy destruction rate or irreversibility rate was directly obtained through the exergy-balance equation. However, this method cannot determine the origin of the component's entropy generation rate, which is a very important factor in system design and improvement. In this study, a thorough energy, exergy thermoeconomic analysis of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was performed, providing the heat transfer rate, entropy generation rate and cost loss rate of each component. The irreversibility rate of each component is obtained by the Gouy-Stodolar theorem. Detailed and extensive exergy and thermoeconomic analyses of PEMFC system have determined that water cooling units experience the greatest heat transfer among the components in the studied PEMFC system, resulting in the greatest irreversibility and thus the greatest monetary flow loss.

Intraprocedural rupture (IPR) is a severe complication of coil embolization (CE) for intracranial aneurysms, yet the clinical and hemodynamic features of rupture risk areas remain unclear. From January 2013 to December 2023, 435 saccular cerebral aneurysms (316 unruptured, 119 ruptured) underwent CE at our institution. Included were cases where extravasation or coil protrusion occurred during CE. The rupture point was determined from postoperative data, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was conducted to assess hemodynamic features. IPR occurred in six aneurysms (1.3%; three ruptured, three unruptured; dome size: 4.7±1.8 mm, D/N: 1.5±0.5, locations: four internal carotid artery [ICA], one anterior cerebral artery, one middle cerebral artery). ICA aneurysms were treated using adjunctive techniques (three balloon-assisted, one stent-assisted). Two aneurysms (M1M2 and A1) were treated simply, yet had relatively small and misaligned domes. CFD analysis identified the rupture point as a flow impingement zone with maximum pressure (Pmax) in five aneurysms (83.3%). Time-averaged wall shear stress (WSS) was locally reduced around this area (1.3±0.7 [Pa]). Hemodynamically unstable areas indicated fragile, thin walls with rupture risk. Microcatheter insertion along the inflow zone, directed towards the caution area, was practiced. The presence of a flow impingement zone with Pmax and low WSS suggests potential aneurysm rupture in CE, particularly with adjunctive techniques. Small aneurysms, especially those with axial misalignment, warrant careful consideration due to the risk of excessive flow impact stress on the aneurysm wall.

The normal ageing process significantly affects resistance arteries, leading to various biological and physiological consequences. Systolic hypertension is a common occurrence in ageing individuals, accompanied by increased large artery stiffening, heightened pulsatility, small artery remodeling, and damage to critical microvascular structures. Starting from young adulthood, there is a progressive elevation in mean arterial pressure, supported by clinical and epidemiological evidence as well as findings from animal models. The myogenic response, a protective mechanism for the microcirculation, may face disruptions during ageing. Dysregulation of calcium entry channels (T-type, L-type, TRP channels), dysfunction in intracellular calcium storage and extrusion mechanisms, altered expression of potassium channels, and a change in smooth muscle calcium sensitization may contribute to age-related dysregulation of myogenic tone. Flow-mediated vasodilatation, a hallmark of endothelial function, is compromised in ageing. This result of endothelial dysfunction is related to oxidative stress, lower nitric oxide bioavailability and a low-grade inflammatory response, further exacerbating vascular dysfunction. Resistance artery remodeling in ageing emerges as a hypertrophic response of the vessel wall, often seen in conjunction with outward remodeling (in normotension), but can also present as inward hypertrophic remodeling (in hypertension). The remodeling process involves oxidative stress, inflammation, reorganization of extracellular matrix fiber proteins and actin cytoskeletal components. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling and chronic low-grade inflammation, often referred to as "inflammaging”, play substantial roles in age-related vascular dysfunction. Due to its role in regulation of vascular tone as well as structural proteins, the RhoA/Rho-kinase pathway becomes a new target in age-related vascular dysfunction and associated diseases. Understanding the intricate interplay of these factors is crucial for developing targeted interventions to mitigate the consequences of ageing on resistance arteries and enhance overall vascular health.

Sediment cores were collected from a mudflow lobe (80 m water depth) offshore of the Mississippi River’s Southwest Pass in 2017 to better understand the sedimentology near the lobe entraining the SS Virginia shipwreck (sunk by a German U-Boat in 1942) and surrounding Mississippi River Delta Front. Core analyses included 210Pb/137Cs geochronology, granulometry, and X-radiography. Sediment accumulation rates (SAR) calculated from excess 210Pb activity in multicores are 0.22–0.29 cm/yr at seabed depths less than 20 cm and 0.29–0.51 cm/year at depths greater than 20 cm. 137Cs accumulation rates are ~0.15 to ~ 0.37 cm/year since 1954 and 1963 respectively. Sediment accumulation rates from 210Pb and 137Cs geochronology and indicators of relative sedimentation and bioturbation from X-radiographs suggest that rates of sediment accumulation near Virginia have declined since ca. the mid-20th century. This may be explained by the multi-decade downslope mass transport of the mudflow lobe in which the shipwreck is embedded, and decreases in sediment supply delivered offshore from the Mississippi River. Mass-transport calculations of the Virginia lobe derived from core properties and published lobe advection rates suggest downslope mass transport is far higher than sediment resupply from the Mississippi River, consistent with recent studies of delta retreat.

Moving object detection plays a crucial role in various applications, particularly in traffic surveillance and collision warning systems. However, the high cost of training and slow detection pose significant challenges to the practicality and real-time performance of existing methods. These challenges hinder the practicality and real-time performance of existing methods. The need for a reliable and efficient moving object detection system prompts the search for cost-effective strategies. Enhancing detection speed without sacrificing accuracy is crucial for real-time applications. Overcoming these challenges is essential to advance the field of moving object detection and improve its applicability in various domains. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the literature on moving object detection, proposes novel strategies to overcome the challenges of high training costs and slow detection. The study emphasizes the importance of reliable speed monitoring systems and advancements in control systems to enhance driver assistance on urban highways. Each frame in the dataset undergoes YOLOv6 processing to detect and classify objects, generating bounding box predictions and class probabilities. Optical flow, specifically the Lucas-Kanade method, is then utilized to compute motion vectors between consecutive frames. These motion vectors facilitate object tracking across frames, enabling refined bounding box positions and improving overall object tracking accuracy. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique in reducing training costs, improving detection speed, and maintaining a high level of accuracy when compared to existing methods. The paper concludes by summarizing the findings and highlighting the potential of the proposed strategy for precise and reliable moving object recognition in real-world traffic scenarios

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a large double stranded DNA arbovirus that is highly contagious and seriously endangers the lives of domestic and wild pigs. In the past decade, African swine fever (ASF) has spread in many countries in the Caucasus, Russian Federation, Eastern Europe and Asia, causing significant losses to the pig industry. At present, there is a lack of effective vaccine and treatment for ASF. Therefore, the rapid and accurate detection is crucial for ASF prevention and control. In this study, we have developed a portable lateral flow strip (LFS) detection method mediated by recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and DNA enzyme (LwCas13a), which is performed at 37 ℃ and visualized by eyes without the need for complex instruments. This RPA-LwCas13a-LFS is based on the ASFV structural protein p17 gene (D117L), with a detection sensitivity up to 2 gene copies. This method is highly specific and has no cross reactivity to 7 other pig viruses. In the detection of 33 clinical samples, the p17 (D117L) RPA-LwCas13a-LFS had 100% coincidence with conventional quantitative PCR (qPCR). These findings demonstrate the potential of this simple, rapid, sensitive, and specific ASFV detection method for on-site ASFV detection.

The vacuum preloading method effectively strengthens the soft soil foundations with vertical drainage, which will produce a smear effect when laying sand drains. Meanwhile, the seepage of pore water and soil deformation during consolidation exhibits nonlinear characteristics. Therefore, based on Gibson's 1D large strain consolidation theory, this paper developed a more generalized large strain radical consolidation model of sand-drained soft foundations under free strain assumption. In this system, the double logarithmic compression permeability relationships for soft soils with large strain properties, the variation of the radical permeability coefficient in the smear zone, and the effect of the non-Darcy flow were all included. Then, the partial differential control equations were numerically solved by the finite difference method and validated with existing radical consolidation test results and derived analytical solutions. Finally, the influences of relevant model parameters on consolidation are discussed. The analysis shows that the greater the maximum dimensionless vacuum negative pressure P0, the faster the consolidation rate of sand-drained foundations. Meanwhile, the decrease in the negative pressure transfer coefficient k1 will result in a decreasing final settlement amount. Moreover, the consolidation rate of sand-drained foundations is slower considering the non-Darcy flow, but the final settlement is unaffected.

This study reports the development of a numerical method to simulate two-phase flows of Newtonian fluids that are incompressible, immiscible, and isothermal. The interface in the simulation was located and reconstructed using the geometric volume of fluid (VOF) method. The implementation of the Piecewise-Linear Interface Calculation (PLIC) scheme of the VOF method was performed to solve the three-dimensional (3D) interface transport during the dynamics of two-phase flows. In this method, the interface is approximated by a line segment in each interfacial cell. The balance of forces at the interface was accounted for using the continuum interfacial force (CSF) model. To solve the Navier-Stokes equations, meshless finite difference schemes from the HiG-Flow computational fluid dynamics software were employed. The 3D PLIC-VOF HiG-Flow algorithm was used to simulate several benchmark two-phase flows for the purpose of validating the numerical implementation. First, the performance of the PLIC implementation was evaluated by conducting two standard advection numerical tests: the 3D shearing flow test and the 3D deforming field test. Good agreement is obtained for the 3D interface shape using both the 3D PLIC-VOF HiG-Flow algorithm and those found on the scientific literature. In addition, the absolute error of the volume tracking advection calculation obtained by our 3D PLIC-VOF HiG-Flow algorithm was found to be smaller than the one found in the scientific literature for both the 3D shearing and 3D deforming flow tests. Lastly, the 3D bubble rising problem was simulated for different fluid densities and viscosity’s ratios. Again, good agreement is obtained for the 3D interface shape using both the newly implemented algorithm and the OpenFOAM, DROPS and NaSt3D software. The bubble’s rise velocity and evolution of the bubble’s center of mass is also computed with the 3D PLIC-VOF HiG-Flow algorithm and found to be in agreement with these software.

Durability of concrete requires a dense microstructure which can be achieved by using self-compacting concrete (SCC). Both calcined clay (CC) and rice husk ash (RHA) are promising supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) that can partially replace cement, but their use in SCC is critical due to their higher water demand and specific surface area (SSA) compared to cement. Empirical method of SCC design was adopted considering the physical properties of both CC and RHA. The influence of partially substituting cement at 20 vol-% with binary and ternary blends of CC and RHA were investigated. The fresh properties of SCC were investigated using a variety of tests. The time dependent workability was monitored by plunger method and flow resistance determined based on the rheological measurements of SCC. The evolution of the hydrate phases of the binder in SCC was determined by thermogravimetric analysis, while the durability was evaluated by rapid chloride migration test. Cement partial replacement with 20 vol-% CC has no significant effect on SCC fresh, time dependent, compressive strength and durability properties. 20 vol-% RHA on the other hand requires higher dosage of SP to achieve self-compactability and increased the viscosity of SCC. Its workability retention is only up to 30 min after mixing and exhibited higher flow resistance. It consumes more CH and improves compressive strength and chloride resistance of SCC. The ternary blending with CC and RHA yielded better fresh SCC properties compared to the binary blend with RHA, while an improved chloride penetration resistance could be achieved compared to binary CC blend.

The shear factor of ore drawing is one of the important factors affecting the formation of underground debris flow, and it has an important contribution to the formation of underground debris flow. The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of mining shear factor on underground debris flow in natural caving method. Based on the research background of the underground debris flow in Plan copper mine, this paper analyzes the characteristics of the slurry material structure of the underground debris flow, the influence of drawing shear factor on formation mechanism of underground debris flow is analyzed. The results show that the slurry of the underground debris flow in Plan mine is not only a pseudoplastic fluid but also a thixotropic fluid. It is indicated that once there is shearing force in drawing, it will deform, and its viscosity will decrease with the increase of shear rate and time. It is considered that the shear force produced by the flow of ore particles first produces shear action on the paste in the shear boundary region of ore drawing, it is reduced in viscosity and increased in fluidity, so that its “Activation” and then become a flowable paste, along with the bulk ore flow through the mouth. The continuous ore drawing process will continuously shear the new moraine slurry in the ore drawing channel and continuously “Activate” the moraine slurry in the ore drawing channel, finally, a certain scale and destructive down-hole debris flow accident. This paper is the first to study the effect of ore drawing shear factor on the formation mechanism of underground debris flow. It not only broadens the research field of debris flow, but also fills up the deficiency of systematic research on underground debris flow, and provides theoretical guidance for the prevention and control of underground debris flow.

Keeping the bus voltage within acceptable limits depends on dispatching reactive power. Power quality improves as a result of creating an effective power flow system, which also helps to reduce power loss. Therefore, Optimal Reactive Power Dispatch (ORPD) studies aim at designing appropriate system configurations to enable a reliable operation of power systems. Establishment of such a configuration is handled through control variables in power systems. On the other hand, installing Distributed Generation Unit (DGU) into a power system can have an important effect on power quality and power loss minimization. In this paper, Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO method is applied to ORPD problem for the first time, to find optimal placement of newly installed DGUs at the power system. Active power loss and voltage minimization have been minimized by optimizing the control variables while keeping them within their upper and lower bounds, and by finding the optimal placement of a newly installed DGU in power system. On the basis of IEEE 30 bus and IEEE 118 bus systems, performance of the suggested approach is investigated. A comparison is also performed among the proposed method and some other methods. Test results demonstrate that the resulting configuration contributes to growing the rate of renewable integration to a power system. The results also indicate that the suggested optimization approach applied to ORPD problem has improved power system performance in terms of both on power loss and voltage deviation. The promising results highlight the potential of the GWO algorithm to facilitate the integration of renewable power sources, and its role in promoting sustainable energy solutions.

This work is related to the environmental toxicology risk assessment and evaluation of possible transformation of carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs) after the contact with marine microalgae. The materials used in the study represent common and widely applied multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), fullerene (C60), graphene (Gr), and graphene oxide (GrO). The toxicity was evaluated as growth rate inhibition, esterase activity, membrane potential, and reactive oxygen species generation changes. The measurement was performed with flow cytometry after 3, 24, 96 h, and 7 days. Biotransformation of nanomaterials were evaluated after 7 days of microalgae cultivation with CNMs by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The calculated toxic level (EC50 in mg/L, 96 h) of ued CNMs reduced in the following order: CNTs (18.98) &gt; GrO (76.77) &gt; Gr (159.40) &gt; C60 (414.0). Oxidative stress and membrane depolarization was the main toxic action of CNTs and GrO. At the same time, Gr and C60 decreased the toxic action with time and had no negative impact on microalgae even at concentration of 125 mg/L. Moreover, C60 and Gr after seven days of the contact with microalgae cells obtained structural deformations.

Malignancy is a fatal disease with an increasing incidence with each passing year, and the early diagnosis of malignancy can significantly improve the cure rate of patients, which has profound implications for saving patients' lives. The changes of miRNA are closely related to the occurrence of malignant tumors. The expression of miRNA in many malignant tumors is obviously different and unique from that in normal tissues. In this study, a strategy for amplifying microRNA (miRNA) signal was designed using duplex specific nuclease (DSN), which was then combined with Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe hybridization technology to prepare a sensitive and efficient paper-based lateral flow biosensor (LFB) for the detection of pancreatic cancer (PC) associated microRNA-10b. The performance evaluation results of the LFB showed that the detection limit of miR-NA-10b is 5 nM/mL, and carries demonstrated well specificity, stability, reproducibility. The biosensor prepared in this paper can provide accurate and rapid detection of miRNA-10b. The detection results play a guiding role in the early diagnosis of PC. Meeting the clinical need for largescale screening of individuals at high risk of PC. Providing new avenues to achieve early mass screening in individuals at high risk of PC.

Breaching and liquefaction are two types of coastal flow slides proposed in the literature. While their final results are similar, liquefaction and breaching failure are two different processes, with breaching failure characterized by a different progression and sand movement mechanisms. In densely packed sand, breaching causes delayed sand grain discharge and negative excess pore pressures. Liquefaction, when a mass of soil suddenly behaves like a liquid, flow out over overly gentle slopes. Flow slides typically go unnoticed until the slope fails above ground because they start below the water. Without modern technology, diving equipment, risk assessment, and probabilistic and sensitivity assessments, flow slides inherently challenging. The authors developed a new sensitivity index to detect the susceptibility of coastal flow slides. It was established a sophisticated hybrid model that accommodates flow slides in sync with unpredictable variables employed in this new sensitivity index. Innovative hybrid model has three distinctive models. The Hybrid Hydrodynamic Model addresses wave, wind, current, climate change, and sediment transfer. The Monte Carlo Simulation analyses sensitivity, and the Bayesian Network calculates joint probability of coastal flow slide parameters of this new index that includes environmental characteristics, including climate change. With the assistance of these three models, researchers aim at a) presenting a methodology for coupling coastal flow slide projections with outcomes; b) distinguishing two flow slides; c) examining variables influencing flow slides. The use of such a hybrid model and risk index offers a robust and computationally efficient approach to evaluating the critical angle slope for breaching failure.

The ability to self-direct a research program determines graduate degree completion. Yet, research on incompletion of graduate physics programs assume students’ present level of self-direction adequate and neglects to recognize a lack of self-directed learning as key. One theoretical mathematical physicist focused on changing this challenge of physics graduate education by promoting self-directed learning through the type research flow that has been found to bring the greatest satisfaction to researchers with respect to their insights. This he provided through his space, time, open mindedness and theoretical contributions with his students and in collaboration with his colleagues. A self-directed learner himself, David J. Rowe developed methods of mentoring for encouraging physics graduate students to recognize symmetry as valuable in identifying solutions to problems quickly—helping these students take the lead in finding insightful resolutions to complex, multidimensional, mathematical physics uncertainties. How Rowe set about supporting self-directed learning in his graduate physics education interactions will be examined with the use of narrative research to interpret the texts and conversations with the author he made available. His techniques will be presented and recommendations made regarding how Rowe’s work in this regard can be modeled to improve self-direction in STEM graduate education.

The aim of this articles is to investigate the entropy optimization in unsteady MHD flow Darcy-Forchheimer nanofluids towards a stretchable sheet. The surface we tend to think about is porous and stretchy under acceleration. Flow occurs due to the stretching of the surface. Four distinct types of aqueous nanostructures are taken in this examination where copper oxide ( ), copper ( ), titanium dioxide ( ) and aluminum oxide ( ) are the nanoparticles. Irreversibility analysis are discussed through second law of thermodynamics. The expression of energy is mathematically designed and discussed according to heat generation / absorption, dissipation, thermal radiation, and joule heating. The nonlinear PDE (partial differential conditions) is first changed to ODE (normal differential conditions) through appropriate similarity variables. Here we used the numerically embedded solution technique to develop a numerical result for the obtained nonlinear flow expression. Influence of various flow parameter velocity temperature distribution and entropy generation are discussed. Reduction occurs in velocity profile for larger porosity and magnetic parameters. An enhancement in entropy generation and temperature distribution is seen for Brinkman number. An opposite effect is noticed in velocity and temperature through solid volume friction.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread over the world for more than one year. COVID-19 often develops life-threatening hypoxemia. Endothelial injury caused by the viral infection leads to intravascular coagulation and ventilation-perfusion mismatch. However, besides above pathogenic mechanisms, the role of alveolar edema in the disease progression has not been discussed comprehensively. Since the exudation of pulmonary edema fluid was extremely serious in COVID-19 patients, we bring out a hypothesis that severity of alveolar edema may determine the size of poorly-ventilated area and the blood oxygen content. Treatments to pulmonary edema (alcohol-oxygen vapor therapy and fluid management) may be great helpful for reducing occurrence of severe cases. Given that late mechanical ventilation may cause mucus (edema fluid) to be blown to the deep of the small airways, oxygen therapy should be given at the early stages. The optimal time and SpO₂ threshold for oxygen therapy are also discussed.