ALBERT

Description: We estimate the contamination risks from the atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides released by severe nuclear power plant accidents using the ECHAM/Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy) atmospheric chemistry (EMAC) atmospheric chemistry-general circulation model at high resolution (50 km). We present an overview of global risks and also a case study of nuclear power plants that are currently under construction, planned and proposed in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, a region prone to earthquakes. We implemented continuous emissions from each location, making the simplifying assumption that all potential accidents release the same amount of radioactivity. We simulated atmospheric transport and decay, focusing on 137Cs and 131I as proxies for particulate and gaseous radionuclides, respectively. We present risk maps for potential surface layer concentrations, deposition and doses to humans from the inhalation exposure of 131I. The estimated risks exhibit seasonal variability, with the highest surface level concentrations of gaseous radionuclides in the Northern Hemisphere during winter.

Description: Our aim is to explore general practitioners’ (GPs’) knowledge about EMF, and to assess whether different knowledge structures are related to the GPs’ concern about EMF. Random samples were drawn from lists of GPs in Germany in 2008. Knowledge about EMF was assessed by seven items. A latent class analysis was conducted to identify latent structures in GPs’ knowledge. Further, the GPs’ concern about EMF health risk was measured using a score comprising six items. The association between GPs’ concern about EMF and their knowledge was analysed using multiple linear regression. In total 435 (response rate 23.3%) GPs participated in the study. Four groups were identified by the latent class analysis: 43.1% of the GPs gave mainly correct answers; 23.7% of the GPs answered low frequency EMF questions correctly; 19.2% answered only the questions relating EMF with health risks, and 14.0% answered mostly “don’t know”. There was no association between GPs’ latent knowledge classes or between the number of correct answers given by the GPs and their EMF concern, whereas the number of incorrect answers was associated with EMF concern. Greater EMF concern in subjects with more incorrect answers suggests paying particular attention to misconceptions regarding EMF in risk communication.

Description: This study aims to explore the efficiency of using online education as an intervention measure to prevent occupational hazards in a clinical nursing setting. The subjects were 320 female nursing staff from two hospitals in Taiwan. The questionnaire results indicated that the subjects primarily experienced human factor occupational hazards, as well as psychological and social hazards. Specifically, 73.1% and 69.8% of the subjects suffered from poor sleep quality and low back pain, respectively. After web-based learning, the experimental group had higher post-test scores than the control group in terms of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). However, there was only a significant difference (p 〈 0.05) in their knowledge about the prevention of occupational hazards. It is suggested that an online discussion may enhance nursing staff’s participation in web-based learning, and further facilitate their comments on negative factors. The findings can highly promote nursing staff’s attitudes and practices toward preventing occupational hazards through web-based learning.

Description: Ambient particulate matters and temperature were reported to have additive effects over the respiratory disease hospital admissions and deaths. The purpose of this study is to discuss the interactive pulmonary toxicities of cold stress and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure by estimating inflammation and oxidative stress responses. 48 Wistar male rats, matched by weight and age, were randomly assigned to six groups, which were treated with cold stress alone (0 °C, 10 °C, and 20 °C (Normal control)) and cold stresses plus PM2.5 exposures respectively. Cold stress alone groups were intratracheal instillation of 0.25 mL normal saline, while cold stress plus PM2.5 exposure groups were intratracheal instillation of 8 mg/0.25 mL PM2.5. These procedures were carried out for three times with an interval of 48 hours for each treatment. All rats were sacrificed after 48 hours of the third treatment. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for analyzing inflammatory cells and cytokines, and lung homogenate MDA was determined for oxidative stress estimation. Results showed higher level of total cell and neutrophil in the BALF of PM2.5 exposed groups (p 〈 0.05). Negative relationships between cold stress intensity and the level of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), C-reactive protein (CRP) interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in BALF were indicated in PM2.5 exposure groups. Exposure to cold stress alone caused significant increase of inflammatory cytokines and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) and decline of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity only in 0 °C exposure group (p 〈 0.05). The two-way ANOVA found significant interactive effects between PM2.5 exposure and cold stress in the level of neutrophil, IL-6 and IL-8 and SOD activity (p 〈 0.05). These data demonstrated that inflammation and oxidative stress involved in the additive effect of PM2.5 exposure and cold stress on pulmonary toxicity, providing explanation for epidemiological studies on the health effect of ambient PM2.5 and cold stress.

Description: This paper presents a detailed description of an approach designed to investigate the application of the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) framework to assess the potential health impacts of climate change. A HIA framework has been combined with key climate change terminology and concepts. The fundamental premise of this framework is an understanding of the interactions between people, the environment and climate. The diversity and complexity of these interactions can hinder much needed action on the critical health issue of climate change. The objectives of the framework are to improve the methodology for understanding and assessing the risks associated with potential health impacts of climate change, and to provide decision-makers with information that can facilitate the development of effective adaptation plans. While the process presented here provides guidance with respect to this task it is not intended to be prescriptive. As such, aspects of the process can be amended to suit the scope and available resources of each project. A series of working tables has been developed to assist in the collation of evidence throughout the process. The framework has been tested in a number of locations including Western Australia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Nauru.

Description: This investigation analyzes the effect of vortex wakes on the Lagrangian displacement of particles induced by the passage of an obstacle in a two-dimensional incompressible and inviscid fluid. In addition to the trajectories of individual particles, we also study their drift and the corresponding total drift areas in the Föppl and Kirchhoff potential flow models. Our findings, which are obtained numerically and in some regimes are also supported by asymptotic analysis, are compared to the wakeless potential flow which serves as a reference. We show that in the presence of the Föppl vortex wake, some of the particles follow more complicated trajectories featuring a second loop. The appearance of an additional stagnation point in the Föppl flow is identified as a source of this effect. It is also demonstrated that, while the total drift area increases with the size of the wake for large vortex strengths, it is actually decreased for small circulation values. On the other hand, the Kirchhoff flow model is shown to have an unbounded total drift area. By providing a systematic account of the wake effects on the drift, the results of this study will allow for more accurate modeling of hydrodynamic stirring.

Description: The slow motion of a circular cylinder in a plane Poiseuille flow in a microchannel is analyzed for a wide range of cylinder radii and positions across the channel. The cylinder translates parallel to the channel walls and rotates about its axis. The Stokes approximation is used and the problem is solved analytically using the Papkovich-Fadle eigenfunction expansion and the least-squares method. The stream function and the pressure distribution of the flow field are obtained as results. The force and moment exerted on the cylinder, and the pressure change far from the cylinder, are calculated and shown as functions of the size and location of the cylinder. The results confirm some reciprocal relations exactly. In particular, the translational and rotational velocities of the drifting cylinder in the existing Poiseuille flow are determined. The induced pressure change, when the cylinder drifts in the Poiseuille flow, is also calculated. Some typical streamline patterns, depending on the size and location of the cylinder, are shown and discussed. When the cylinder translates and/or rotates in the channel blocked at infinity, a series of Moffatt eddies appears far from the cylinder in the channel, as expected.

Description: Interactions between capillary and elastic effects are relevant to a variety of applications from micro- and nano-scale manufacturing to biological systems. In this work, we investigate capillary flows in flexible, millimeter-scale cylindrical elastic tubes. We demonstrate that surface tension can cause sufficiently flexible tubes to collapse and coalesce spontaneously through non-axisymmetric buckling, and develop criteria for the initial deformation and complete collapse of a circular tube. Experimental results for capillary rise and evaporation of a liquid in a flexible tube are presented, and several regimes are seen for the equilibrium state of a flexible tube deforming under capillary pressure. Deformations of the tube walls are measured in different regimes and compared with a shell theory model. Analysis and experimental results show that despite the complex and non-axisymmetric deformed shapes of cylindrical structures, the elastocapillary length used in previous literature for flat plates and sheets can be used to predict the behavior of flexible tubes.

Description: We present laboratory experimental results demonstrating that librational forcing of an ellipsoidal container of water can produce intense motions through the mechanism of a libration driven elliptical instability (LDEI). These libration studies are conducted using an ellipsoidal acrylic container filled with water. A particle image velocimetry method is used to measure the 2D velocity field in the equatorial plane over hundreds libration cycles for a fixed Ekman number, E = 2 × 10 −5 . In doing so, we recover the libration induced base flow and a time averaged zonal flow. Further, we show that LDEI in non-axisymmetric container geometries is capable of driving both intermittent and saturated turbulent motions in the bulk fluid. Additionally, we measure the growth rate and amplitude of the LDEI induced excited flow in a fully ellipsoidal container at more extreme parameters than previously studied [Noir et al. , “Experimental study of libration-driven flows in nonaxisymmetric containers,” Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 204-205 , 1 (2012); Cébron et al. , Phys. Fluids 24 , 061703, “Libration driven elliptical instability,” (2012)]. Excitation of bulk filling turbulence by librational forcing provides a mechanism for transferring rotational energy into turbulent fluid motion and thus can play an important role in the thermal evolution, interior dynamics, and magneto-hydrodynamics of librating bodies, as appear to be common in solar system settings [e.g., Comstock and Bills, “A solar system survey of forced librations in longitude,” J. Geophys. Res. Planets 108 , 1 (2003)].

Description: We numerically study the displacement flow of two iso-viscous Newtonian fluids in an inclined two-dimensional channel, formed by two parallel plates. The results are complementary to our previous studies on displacement flows in pipes and channels. The heavier displacing fluid moves the lighter displaced fluid in the downward direction. Three dimensionless groups largely describe these flows: the densimetric Froude number ( Fr ), the Reynolds number ( Re ), and the duct inclination (β). As a first order approximation, we are able to classify different flow regimes phenomenologically in a two-dimensional ( Fr ; Re cosβ/ Fr )-plane and provide leading order expressions for the transitions between different regimes. The stabilizing and/or de-stabilizing effects of the imposed mean flow on buoyant exchange flows (zero imposed velocity) are described for a broad range of dimensionless parameters.

Description: Compressible granular materials are involved in many applications, some of them being related to energetic porous media. Gas permeation effects are important during their compaction stage, as well as their eventual chemical decomposition. Also, many situations involve porous media separated from pure fluids through two-phase interfaces. It is thus important to develop theoretical and numerical formulations to deal with granular materials in the presence of both two-phase interfaces and gas permeation effects. Similar topic was addressed for fluid mixtures and interfaces with the Discrete Equations Method (DEM) [R. Abgrall and R. Saurel, “Discrete equations for physical and numerical compressible multiphase mixtures,” J. Comput. Phys. 186 (2), 361-396 (2003)] but it seemed impossible to extend this approach to granular media as intergranular stress [K. K. Kuo, V. Yang, and B. B. Moore, “Intragranular stress, particle-wall friction and speed of sound in granular propellant beds,” J. Ballist. 4 (1), 697-730 (1980)] and associated configuration energy [J. B. Bdzil, R. Menikoff, S. F. Son, A. K. Kapila, and D. S. Stewart, “Two-phase modeling of deflagration-to-detonation transition in granular materials: A critical examination of modeling issues,” Phys. Fluids 11 , 378 (1999)] were present with significant effects. An approach to deal with fluid-porous media interfaces was derived in Saurel et al. [“Modelling dynamic and irreversible powder compaction,” J. Fluid Mech. 664 , 348-396 (2010)] but its validity was restricted to weak velocity disequilibrium only. Thanks to a deeper analysis, the DEM is successfully extended to granular media modelling in the present paper. It results in an enhanced version of the Baer and Nunziato [“A two-phase mixture theory for the deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) in reactive granular materials,” Int. J. Multiphase Flow 12 (6), 861-889 (1986)] model as symmetry of the formulation is now preserved. Several computational examples are shown to validate and illustrate method’s capabilities.

Description: We perform a theoretical and numerical study of the Coulomb-driven electroconvection flow of a dielectric liquid between two coaxial cylinders. The specific case, where the inner to outer diameter ratio is 0.5, is analyzed. A strong unipolar injection of ions either from the inner or outer cylinder is considered to introduce free charge carriers into the system. A finite volume method is used to solve all governing equations including Navier-Stokes equations and a simplified set of Maxwell’s equations. The flow is characterized by a subcritical bifurcation in the finite amplitude regime. A linear stability criterion and a nonlinear one that correspond to the onset and stop of the flow motion, respectively, are linked with a hysteresis loop. In addition, we also explore the behavior of the system for higher values of the stability parameter. For inner injection, we observe a transition between the patterns made of 7 and 8 cells, before an oscillatory regime is attained. Such a transition leads to a second finite amplitude stability criterion. A simple modal analysis reveals that the competition of different modes is at the origin of this behavior. The charge density, as well as velocity field distributions is provided to help understand the bifurcation behavior.

Description: Climate change will increase the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events and create risks that will impact health care facilities. Health care facilities will need to assess climate change risks and adopt adaptive management strategies to be resilient, but guidance tools are lacking. In this study, a toolkit was developed for health care facility officials to assess the resiliency of their facility to climate change impacts. A mixed methods approach was used to develop climate change resiliency indicators to inform the development of the toolkit. The toolkit consists of a checklist for officials who work in areas of emergency management, facilities management and health care services and supply chain management, a facilitator’s guide for administering the checklist, and a resource guidebook to inform adaptation. Six health care facilities representing three provinces in Canada piloted the checklist. Senior level officials with expertise in the aforementioned areas were invited to review the checklist, provide feedback during qualitative interviews and review the final toolkit at a stakeholder workshop. The toolkit helps health care facility officials identify gaps in climate change preparedness, direct allocation of adaptation resources and inform strategic planning to increase resiliency to climate change.

Description: The World Health Organization defines social determinants of health as “complex, integrated, and overlapping social structures and economic systems” that are responsible for most health inequities. Similar to the individual-level risk factors such as behavioral and biological risk factors that influence disease, we consider social determinants of health such as the distribution of income, wealth, influence and power as risk factors for risk of disease. We operationally define health inequity in a disease within a population due to a risk factor that is unfair and avoidable as the difference between the disease outcome with and without the risk factor in the population. We derive expressions for difference in health inequity between two populations due to a risk factor that is unfair and avoidable for a given disease. The difference in heath inequity between two population groups due to a risk factor increases with increasing difference in relative risks and the difference in prevalence of the risk factor in the two populations. The difference in health inequity could be larger than the difference in health outcomes between the two populations in some situations. Compared to health disparities which are typically measured and monitored using absolute or relative disparities of health outcomes, the methods presented in this manuscript provide a different, yet complementary, picture because they parse out the contributions of unfair and avoidable risk factors.

Description: Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) extract heat from underground hot dry rock (HDR) by first fracturing the HDR and then circulating a geofluid (typically water) into it and bringing the heated geofluid to a power plant to generate electricity. This study focuses on analysis, examination, and comparison of leading geothermal power plant configurations with a geofluid temperature from 200 to 800 °C, and also analyzes the embodied energy of EGS surface power plants. The power generation analysis is focused on flash type cycles for using subcritical geofluid (〈374 °C) and expansion type cycles for using supercritical geofluid (>374 °C). Key findings of this study include: (i) double-flash plants have 24.3%–29.0% higher geofluid effectiveness than single-flash ones, and 3%–10% lower specific embodied energy; (ii) the expansion type plants have geofluid effectiveness > 750 kJ/kg, significantly higher than flash type plants (geofluid effectiveness 〈 300 kJ/kg) and the specific embodied energy is lower; (iii) to increase the turbine outlet vapor fraction from 0.75 to 0.90, we include superheating by geofluid but that reduces the geofluid effectiveness by 28.3%; (iv) for geofluid temperatures above 650 °C, double-expansion plants have a 2% higher geofluid effectiveness and 5%–8% lower specific embodied energy than single-expansion ones.

Description: The effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) exposure and sodium selenite supplementation on cell apoptosis of jejunum in broilers were studied. A total of 240 one-day-old male AA broilers were randomly assigned four dietary treatments containing 0 mg/kg of AFB1 (control), 0.3 mg/kg AFB1 (AFB1), 0.4 mg/kg supplement Se (+ Se) and 0.3 mg/kg AFB1 + 0.4 mg/kg supplement Se (AFB1 + Se), respectively. Compared with the control broilers, the number of apoptotic cells, the expression of Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA were significantly increased, while the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio were significantly decreased in AFB1 broilers. The number of apoptotic cells and the expression of Caspase-3 mRNA in AFB1 + Se broilers were significantly higher than those in the control broilers, but significantly lower than those in AFB1 broilers. There were no significant changes in the expression of Bax mRNA between AFB1 + Se and control broilers; the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio in AFB1 + Se broilers were significantly lower than those in the control broilers, but significantly higher than those in AFB1 broilers. In conclusion, 0.3 mg/kg AFB1 in the diet can increase cell apoptosis, decrease Bcl-2 mRNA expression, and increase of Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA expression in broiler’s jejunum. However, supplementation of dietary sodium selenite at the concentration of 0.4 mg/kg Se may ameliorate AFB1-induced apoptosis by increasing Bcl-2 mRNA expression, and decreasing Bax and Caspase-3 mRNA expression.

Description: This paper proposes a polygeneration system based on a multi-input chemical looping combustion system, which generates methanol and electricity, through the use of natural gas and coal. In this system, the chemical looping hydrogen (CLH) production system and the coal-based methanol production system are integrated. A high quality fuel, natural gas, is used to improve the conversion ratio of coal. The Gibbs energy of the two kinds of fuels is fully used. Benefitting from the chemical looping process, 27% CO2 can be captured without energy penalty. With the same outputs of methanol and electricity, the energy savings ratio of the new system is about 12%. Based on the exergy analyses, it is disclosed that the integration of synthetic utilization of natural gas and coal plays a significant role in reducing the exergy destruction of the new system. The promising results obtained in this paper may lead to a clean coal technology that will utilize natural gas and coal more efficiently and economically.

Description: Many city governments choose to supply more developable land and transportation infrastructure with the hope of attracting people and businesses to their cities. However, like those in Taiwan, major cities worldwide suffer from traffic congestion. This study applies the system thinking logic of the causal loops diagram (CLD) model in the System Dynamics (SD) approach to analyze the issue of traffic congestion and other issues related to roads and land development in Taiwan’s cities. Comparing the characteristics of development trends with yearbook data for 2002 to 2013 for all of Taiwan’s cities, this study explores the developing phenomenon of unlimited city sprawl and identifies the cause and effect relationships in the characteristics of development trends in traffic congestion, high-density population aggregation in cities, land development, and green land disappearance resulting from city sprawl. This study provides conclusions for Taiwan’s cities’ sustainability and development (S&D). When developing S&D policies, during decision making processes concerning city planning and land use management, governments should think with a holistic view of carrying capacity with the assistance of system thinking to clarify the prejudices in favor of the unlimited developing phenomena resulting from city sprawl.

Description: This study assessed the feasibility of community-based comprehensive intervention on Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on a large population in China. An intervention study was conducted on 7200 T2DM patients within one year and consisted of six lectures on health issues, and four times face-to-face lifestyle counseling delivered by general health practitioners, at local primary health centers (PHCs). A “knowledge, attitude and practice” (KAP) survey and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) measurement were conducted at baseline and after the intervention, respectively. A total of 6586 T2DM patients completed the intervention. After one year intervention, patients’ KAP level improved significantly (p 〈 0.001) and the average FPG has decreased from 8.53 mmol/L (standard deviation: 2.84) to 7.11 mmol/L (standard deviation: 1.34) (p 〈 0.001). Patients in rural areas and with lower education level showed higher FPG and poorer KAP level both before and after the intervention. In conclusion, community-based comprehensive intervention for T2DM is feasible on a large population. Improving and repeating the comprehensive strategy is greatly recommended in order to sustain the impact, especially in rural areas and for patients with lower education levels.

Description: Phytoplankton patchiness, namely the heterogeneous distribution of microalgae over multiple spatial scales, dramatically impacts marine ecology. A spectacular example of such heterogeneity occurs in thin phytoplankton layers (TPLs), where large numbers of photosynthetic microorganisms are found within a small depth interval. Some species of motile phytoplankton can form TPLs by gyrotactic trapping due to the interplay of their particular swimming style (directed motion biased against gravity) and the transport by a flow with shear along the direction of gravity. Here we consider gyrotactic swimmers in numerical simulations of the Kolmogorov shear flow, both in laminar and turbulent regimes. In the laminar case, we show that the swimmer motion is integrable and the formation of TPLs can be fully characterized by means of dynamical systems tools. We then study the effects of rotational Brownian motion or turbulent fluctuations (appearing when the Reynolds number is large enough) on TPLs. In both cases, we show that TPLs become transient, and we characterize their persistence.

Description: In order to meet the needs of wind speed prediction in wind farms, we consider the influence of random atmospheric disturbances on wind variations. Considering a simplified fluid convection mode, a Lorenz system can be employed as an atmospheric disturbance model. Here Lorenz disturbance is defined as the European norm of the solutions of the Lorenz equation. Grey generating and accumulated generating models are employed to explore the relationship between wind speed and its related disturbance series. We conclude that a linear or quadric polynomial generating model are optimal through the verification of short-term wind speed prediction in the Sotavento wind farm. The new proposed model not only greatly improves the precision of short-term wind speed prediction, but also has great significance for the maintenance and stability of wind power system operation.

Description: The model of gas bubble growth in high-viscous gas-saturated magmatic melt, subjected to rapid decompression, is presented in the current study. It is shown that consideration of unsteady character of the process is extremely important in a wide range of supersaturation. The analytical solution is found for the profile of dissolved gas concentration and the rate of bubble growth. The model of kinetics of overall degassing is developed. This model is based on distinguishing the so-called “forbidden” zone in the melt volume with suppressed formation of the new nucleation sites. The simple analytical dependences of the number of nucleating bubbles and typical nucleation time on the value of initial decompression were derived together with time dependence of volumetric concentration of the gas phase. Our results match the available experimental data.

Description: We investigate the effect of viscosity contrast on the stability of gravitationally unstable, diffusive layers in porous media. Our analysis helps evaluate experimental observations of various diffusive (boundary) layer models that are commonly used to study the sequestration of CO 2 in brine aquifers. We evaluate the effect of viscosity contrast for two basic models that are characterized with respect to whether or not the interface between CO 2 and brine is allowed to move. We find that diffusive layers are in general more unstable when viscosity decreases with depth within the layer compared to when viscosity increases with depth. This behavior is in contrast to the one associated with the classical displacement problem of gravitationally unstable diffusive layers that are subject to mean flow. For the classical problem, a greater instability is associated with the displacement of a more viscous, lighter fluid along the direction of gravity by a less viscous, heavier fluid. We show that the contrasting behavior highlighted in this study is a special case of the classical displacement problem that depends on the relative strength of the displacement and buoyancy velocities. We demonstrate the existence of a critical viscosity ratio that determines whether the flow is buoyancy dominated or displacement dominated. We explain the new behaviors in terms of the interaction of vorticity components related to gravitational and viscous effects.

Description: H-type finned tube heat exchanger elements maintain a high capacity for heat transfer, possess superior self-cleaning properties and retain the ability to effect flue gas waste heat recovery in boiler renovations. In this paper, the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of H-type finned tube banks are studied via an experimental open high-temperature wind tunnel system. The effects of fin width, fin height, fin pitch and air velocity on fin efficiency, convective heat transfer coefficient, integrated heat transfer capacity and pressure drop are examined. The results indicate that as air velocity, fin height and fin width increase, fin efficiency decreases. Convective heat transfer coefficient is proportional to fin pitch, but inversely proportional to fin height and fin width. Integrated heat transfer capacity is related to fin efficiency, convective heat transfer coefficient and finned ratio. Pressure drop increases with the increase of fin height and fin width. Finally, predictive correlations of fin efficiency, Nusselt number and Euler Number are developed based on the experimental data.

Description: This paper is devoted to the analysis and design of high performance permanent-magnet synchronous wind generators (PSWGs). A systematic and sequential methodology for the design of PMSGs is proposed with a high performance wind generator as a design model. Aiming at high induced voltage, low harmonic distortion as well as high generator efficiency, optimal generator parameters such as pole-arc to pole-pitch ratio and stator-slot-shoes dimension, etc. are determined with the proposed technique using Maxwell 2-D, Matlab software and the Taguchi method. The proposed double three-phase and six-phase winding configurations, which consist of six windings in the stator, can provide evenly distributed current for versatile applications regarding the voltage and current demands for practical consideration. Specifically, windings are connected in series to increase the output voltage at low wind speed, and in parallel during high wind speed to generate electricity even when either one winding fails, thereby enhancing the reliability as well. A PMSG is designed and implemented based on the proposed method. When the simulation is performed with a 6 Ω load, the output power for the double three-phase winding and six-phase winding are correspondingly 10.64 and 11.13 kW. In addition, 24 Ω load experiments show that the efficiencies of double three-phase winding and six-phase winding are 96.56% and 98.54%, respectively, verifying the proposed high performance operation.

Description: To meet Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) cellulosic biofuel mandates, the United States will require an annual domestic supply of about 242 million Mg of biomass by 2022. To improve the feedstock logistics of lignocellulosic biofuels in order to access available biomass resources from areas with varying yields, commodity systems have been proposed and designed to deliver quality-controlled biomass feedstocks at preprocessing “depots”. Preprocessing depots densify and stabilize the biomass prior to long-distance transport and delivery to centralized biorefineries. The logistics of biomass commodity supply chains could introduce spatially variable environmental impacts into the biofuel life cycle due to needing to harvest, move, and preprocess biomass from multiple distances that have variable spatial density. This study examines the uncertainty in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of corn stover logistics within a bio-ethanol supply chain in the state of Kansas, where sustainable biomass supply varies spatially. Two scenarios were evaluated each having a different number of depots of varying capacity and location within Kansas relative to a central commodity-receiving biorefinery to test GHG emissions uncertainty. The first scenario sited four preprocessing depots evenly across the state of Kansas but within the vicinity of counties having high biomass supply density. The second scenario located five depots based on the shortest depot-to-biorefinery rail distance and biomass availability. The logistics supply chain consists of corn stover harvest, collection and storage, feedstock transport from field to biomass preprocessing depot, preprocessing depot operations, and commodity transport from the biomass preprocessing depot to the biorefinery. Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the spatial uncertainty in the feedstock logistics gate-to-gate sequence. Within the logistics supply chain GHG emissions are most sensitive to the transport of the densified biomass, which introduces the highest variability (0.2–13 g CO2e/MJ) to life cycle GHG emissions. Moreover, depending upon the biomass availability and its spatial density and surrounding transportation infrastructure (road and rail), logistics can increase the variability in life cycle environmental impacts for lignocellulosic biofuels. Within Kansas, life cycle GHG emissions could range from 24 g CO2e/MJ to 41 g CO2e/MJ depending upon the location, size and number of preprocessing depots constructed. However, this range can be minimized through optimizing the siting of preprocessing depots where ample rail infrastructure exists to supply biomass commodity to a regional biorefinery supply system.

Description: A simple and inexpensive method based on solvent extraction followed by low temperature clean-up was applied for determination of seven pyrethroids residues in bovine raw milk using gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography with electron-capture detector (GC-ECD). Sample extraction procedure was established through the evaluation of seven different extraction protocols, evaluated in terms of analyte recovery and cleanup efficiency. Sample preparation optimization was based on Doehlert design using fifteen runs with three different variables. Response surface methodologies and polynomial analysis were used to define the best extraction conditions. Method validation was carried out based on SANCO guide parameters and assessed by multivariate analysis. Method performance was considered satisfactory since mean recoveries were between 87% and 101% for three distinct concentrations. Accuracy and precision were lower than ±20%, and led to no significant differences (p 〈 0.05) between results obtained by GC-ECD and GC-MS/MS techniques. The method has been applied to routine analysis for determination of pyrethroid residues in bovine raw milk in the Brazilian National Residue Control Plan since 2013, in which a total of 50 samples were analyzed.

Description: The development of a round liquid jet under the influence of a confined coaxial flow of an immiscible liquid of comparable density (central to annular flow density ratio of 8:10) was investigated in the vicinity of the nozzle exit. Two flow regimes were considered; one where the annular flow is faster than the central jet, so the central liquid jet is accelerated and one where the annular flow is slower, so the central liquid jet is decelerated. The central jet was visualised by high speed photography. Three modes of jet development were identified and classified in terms of the Reynolds number, Re, of the central jet which was in the range of 525 〈 Re 〈 2725, a modified definition of the Weber number, We, which allows the distinction between accelerating and deceleration flows and was in the range of −22 〈 We 〈 67 and the annular to central Momentum Ratio, MR, of the two streams which was in the range of 3.6 〈 MR 〈 91. By processing the time resolved jet images using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD), it was possible to reduce the description of jet morphology to a small number of spatial modes, which isolated the most significant morphologies of the jet development. In this way, the temporal and spatial characteristics of the instabilities on the interface were clearly identified which highlights the advantages of POD over direct observation of the images. Relationships between the flow parameters and the interfacial waves were established. The wavelength of the interfacial instability was found to depend on the velocity of the fastest moving stream, which is contrary to findings for fluids with large density differences.

Description: Interaction of a vortex ring impinging on multiple permeable screens orthogonal to the ring axis was studied to experimentally investigate the persistence and decay of vortical structures inside the screen array using digital particle image velocimetry in a refractive index matched environment. The permeable screens had porosities (open area ratios) of 83.8%, 69.0%, and 55.7% and were held by a transparent frame that allowed the screen spacing to be changed. Vortex rings were generated using a piston-cylinder mechanism at nominal jet Reynolds numbers of 1000, 2000, and 3000 with piston stroke length-to-diameter ratios of 2 and 3. The interaction of vortex rings with the porous medium showed a strong dependence of the overall flow evolution on the screen porosity, with a central flow being preserved and vortex ring-like structures (with smaller diameter than the primary vortex ring) being generated near the centerline. Due to the large rod size used in the screens, immediate reformation of the transmitted vortex ring with size comparable to the primary ring (as has been observed with thin screens) was not observed in most cases. Since the screens have lower complexity and high open area ratios, centerline vortex ring-like flow structures formed with comparable size to the screen pore size and penetrated through the screens. In the case of low porosity screens (55.7%) with large screen spacing, re-emergence of large scale (large separation), weak vortical structures/pairs (analogous to a transmitted vortex ring) was observed downstream of the first screen. Additional smaller scale vortical structures were generated by the interaction of the vortex ring with subsequent screens. The size distribution of the generated vortical structures were shown to be strongly affected by porosity, with smaller vortical structures playing a stronger role as porosity decreased. Finally, porosity significantly affected the decay of total energy, but the effect of screen spacing decreased as porosity decreased.

Description: Patients with limited English proficiency have known limitations accessing health care, but differences in hospital outcomes once access is obtained are unknown. We investigate inpatient mortality rates and obstetric trauma for self-reported speakers of English, Spanish, and languages of Asia and the Pacific Islands (API) and compare quality of care by language with patterns by race/ethnicity. Data were from the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, 2009 State Inpatient Databases for California. There were 3,757,218 records. Speaking a non-English principal language and having a non-White race/ethnicity did not place patients at higher risk for inpatient mortality; the exception was significantly higher stroke mortality for Japanese-speaking patients. Patients who spoke API languages or had API race/ethnicity had higher risk for obstetric trauma than English-speaking White patients. Spanish-speaking Hispanic patients had more obstetric trauma than English-speaking Hispanic patients. The influence of language on obstetric trauma and the potential effects of interpretation services on inpatient care are discussed. The broader context of policy implications for collection and reporting of language data is also presented. Results from other countries with and without English as a primary language are needed for the broadest interpretation and generalization of outcomes.

Description: Large private sector investments in low- and middle-income countries are often critically evaluated with regards to their environmental, social, human rights, and health impacts. A health impact assessment, including a baseline health survey, was commissioned by the Addax Bioenergy Sierra Leone project in 2010. As part of the monitoring, a follow-up survey was conducted three years later. A set of health indicators was assessed at six impacted and two control sites. Most of these indices improved, particularly at the impacted sites. The prevalences of stunting, wasting, and Plasmodium falciparum in children under five years of age decreased significantly at impacted sites (all p 〈 0.05) and non-significantly at control sites. Anemia in children and in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) decreased significantly at impacted and control sites (p 〈 0.05 and p 〈 0.001, respectively). Health facility-based deliveries increased significantly at the impacted sites (p 〈 0.05). The prevalences of helminth infections in children aged 10–15 years remained approximately at the same levels, although focal increases at the impacted sites were noted. Access to improved sanitation decreased significantly (p 〈 0.05) at control and non-significantly at impacted sites. Water quality remained poor without significant changes. The epidemiologic monitoring of a bioenergy project provides a useful contribution for evidence-based decision-making.

Description: Elderly persons’ perceived accessibility to railway traveling depends on their functional limitations/diseases, their functional abilities and their travel behaviors in interaction with the barriers encountered during whole trips. A survey was conducted on a random sample of 1000 city residents (65–85 years old; 57% response rate). The travels were perceived least accessible by respondents with severely reduced functional ability and by those with more than one functional limitation/disease (e.g., restricted mobility and chronic pain). Those who traveled “often”, perceived the accessibility to be better than those who traveled less frequently. For travelers with high functional ability, the main barriers to more frequent traveling were travel costs and low punctuality. For those with low functional ability, one’s own health was reported to be the main barrier. Our results clarify the links among existing functional limitations/functional abilities, the barriers encountered, the travel behavior, and the overall accessibility to traveling. By operationalizing the whole-trip concept as a chain of events, we deliver practical knowledge on vulnerable groups for decision-making to improve the transport environment for all.

Description: Vortex cavitation forming in the leading-edge vortices of a delta wing was examined to determine how the individual cavitation bubbles incepted, grew, interacted with the underlying vortical flow and produced acoustic tones. The non-cavitating vortical flow over the delta wing was chosen to be similar to those previously reported in the literature. It was found that vortex breakdown was unaffected by the presence of incipient and developed vortex cavitation bubbles in the vortex core. While some cavitation bubbles incepted, grew, and collapsed relatively quickly, others reached an equilibrium position wherein the bubble tip was stationary in the laboratory frame at a particular location along the vortex axis. For a given attack angle, the equilibrium location moved upstream with a reduction in free stream cavitation number. It is shown that the existence of these stationary vortex bubbles is possible when there is a balance between the axial growth of the bubble along the vortex axis and the opposite motion of the axial jetting flow in the vortex core, and only a single equilibrium position is possible along the axially evolving vortex for a given free stream cavitation number. These transient and stationary vortex bubbles emit significant cavitation noise upon inception, growth, and collapse. The spectral content of the noise produced was expected to be related to the interaction of the bubble with the surrounding vortical flow in a manner similar to that reported in previous studies, where sustained tones were similar to the underlying vortex frequency. However, in the present study, the dominant frequency and higher harmonics of the tones occur at a higher frequency than that of the underlying vortex. Hence, it is likely that the highly elongated stationary bubbles have higher-order volume oscillations compared to the two-dimensional radial mode of the vortex cores of vortex cavitation bubbles with much smaller diameter-to-length ratios.

Description: Laminar flow over a periodic array of cylindrical surface roughness elements is simulated with an immersed boundary spectral method both to validate the method for subsequent studies and to examine how persistent streamwise vortices are introduced by a low Reynolds number roughness element. Direct comparisons are made with prior studies at a roughness-based Reynolds number Re k (= U ( k ) k / ν ) of 205 and a diameter to spanwise spacing ratio d / λ of 1/3. Downstream velocity contours match present and past experiments very well. The shear layer developed over the top of the roughness element produces the downstream velocity deficit. Upstream of the roughness element, the vortex topology is found to be consistent with juncture flow experiments, creating three cores along the recirculation line. Streamtraces stemming from these upstream cores, however, have unexpectedly little effect on the downstream flowfield as lateral divergence of the boundary layer quickly dissipates their vorticity. Long physical relaxation time of the recirculating wake behind the roughness remains a prominent issue for simulating this type of flowfield.

Description: Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a commonly used organophosphate insecticide (OP). In adults, exposure to OPs has been inconsistently associated with reduced lung function. OP exposure and lung function has not been assessed in adolescents. The objective of this study was to assess CPF exposure and lung function among Egyptian adolescents. We conducted a 10-month study of male adolescent pesticide applicators (n = 38) and non-applicators of similar age (n = 24). Urinary 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TPCy), a CPF-specific metabolite, was analyzed in specimens collected throughout the study. Spirometry was performed twice after pesticide application: day 146, when TCPy levels were elevated and day 269, when TCPy levels were near baseline. Applicators had higher levels of TCPy (mean cumulative TCPy day 146 = 33,217.6; standard deviation (SD) = 49,179.3) than non-applicators (mean cumulative TCPy day 146 = 3290.8; SD = 3994.9). Compared with non-applicators, applicators had higher odds of reporting wheeze, odds ratio = 3.41 (95% CI: 0.70; 17.41). Cumulative urinary TCPy was inversely associated with spirometric measurements at day 146, but not at day 269. Although generally non-significant, results were consistent with an inverse association between exposure to CPF and lung function.

Description: Diatoms are a highly diversified group of algae that are widely distributed in aquatic ecosystems, and various species have different nutrient and temperature requirements for optimal growth. Here, we describe unusual psychrophilic diatoms of Cymbella in a travertine deposition environment in southwestern China in winter season. Travertine surfaces are colonized by these psychrophilic diatoms, which form biofilms of extracellular polysaccharide substances (EPS) with active metabolic activities in extremely cold conditions. The travertine in Huanglong, is a typical single crystalline calcite with anisotropic lattice distortions of unit cell parameters along axes of a and c, and this structure is suggestive of some level of metabolic mediation on mineralization. Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) results further confirmed the occurrence of biogenic distortion of the crystal lattice of travertine calcite. Overall, our results imply that the metabolic influence of psychrophilic diatoms may be particularly important for promoting formation and dissolution of travertine in extremely cold environments of Huanglong. The EPS of psychrophilic diatoms will protect travertine from HCO3− etching and provide template for forming travertine when water re-flowing, in warm season.

Description: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between road traffic noise exposure, annoyance caused by different noise sources and validated health indicators in a cohort of 1375 adults from the region of Basel, Switzerland. Road traffic noise exposure for each study participant was determined using modelling, and annoyance from various noise sources was inquired by means of a four-point Likert scale. Regression parameters from multivariable regression models for the von Zerssen score of somatic symptoms (point symptom score increase per annoyance category) showed strongest associations with annoyance from industry noise (2.36, 95% CI: 1.54, 3.17), neighbour noise (1.62, 95% CI: 1.17, 2.06) and road traffic noise (1.53, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.96). Increase in modelled noise exposure by 10 dB(A) resulted in a von Zerssen symptom score increase of 0.47 (95% CI: −0.01, 0.95) units. Subsequent structural equation modelling revealed that the association between physical noise exposure and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is strongly mediated by annoyance and sleep disturbance. This study elucidates the complex interplay of different factors for the association between physical noise exposure and HRQOL.

Description: Background: Lead is a pervasive pollutant, associated at low levels to many adverse health effects. Objective: To investigate lead levels, exposure pathways and intervention possibilities in school children from Alpuyeca, in Morelos, Mexico. Methods: Blood lead concentrations (BPb) were measured in 226 children in 2011. Exposure pathways were assessed through a questionnaire, lead measurements in different environmental matrices and spatial aggregation analysis of lead concentrations. Results: BPb ranged from 1.5 to 36.5 µg/dL, with a mean (SD) of 7.23 (4.9) µg/dL. Sixty-four and 18% of the children had BPb > 5 µg/dL and > 10 µg/dL, respectively. The use of lead glazed ceramics was reported in almost half of the households; it was the main BPb determinant and it was associated with an increased risk of having BPb > 5 g/dL by 2.7 times (p = 0.001). Environmental samples were within US EPA’s lead recommended limits, and blood lead levels were randomly distributed in the community. Conclusions: Lead remains a public health problem in Alpuyeca, Mexico. Unlike other local pollutants, lead exposure prevention can be achieved inexpensively and in a short term. Interventions should make mothers aware of lead’s health effects and empower them to safeguard their children’s health by avoiding the culturally ingrained use of lead glazed pottery.Background: Lead is a pervasive pollutant, associated at low levels to many adverse health effects. Objective: To investigate lead levels, exposure pathways and intervention possibilities in school children from Alpuyeca, in Morelos, Mexico. Methods: Blood lead concentrations (BPb) were measured in 226 children in 2011. Exposure pathways were assessed through a questionnaire, lead measurements in different environmental matrices and spatial aggregation analysis of lead concentrations. Results: BPb ranged from 1.5 to 36.5 µg/dL, with a mean (SD) of 7.23 (4.9) µg/dL. Sixty-four and 18% of the children had BPb > 5 µg/dL and > 10 µg/dL, respectively. The use of lead glazed ceramics was reported in almost half of the households; it was the main BPb determinant and it was associated with an increased risk of having BPb > 5 g/dL by 2.7 times (p = 0.001). Environmental samples were within US EPA’s lead recommended limits, and blood lead levels were randomly distributed in the community. Conclusions: Lead remains a public health problem in Alpuyeca, Mexico. Unlike other local pollutants, lead exposure prevention can be achieved inexpensively and in a short term. Interventions should make mothers aware of lead’s health effects and empower them to safeguard their children’s health by avoiding the culturally ingrained use of lead glazed pottery.

Description: Crotamine is one of the main constituents of the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus. Here we sought to investigate the inflammatory and toxicological effects induced by the intrahippocampal administration of crotamine isolated from Crotalus whole venom. Adult rats received an intrahippocampal infusion of crotamine or vehicle and were euthanized 24 h or 21 days after infusion. Plasma and brain tissue were collected for biochemical analysis. Complete blood count, creatinine, urea, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), creatine-kinase (CK), creatine kinase-muscle B (CK-MB) and oxidative parameters (assessed by DNA damage and micronucleus frequency in leukocytes, lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyls in plasma and brain) were quantified. Unpaired and paired t-tests were used for comparisons between saline and crotamine groups, and within groups (24 h vs. 21 days), respectively. After 24 h crotamine infusion promoted an increase of urea, GOT, GPT, CK, and platelets values (p ≤ 0.01), while red blood cells, hematocrit and leukocytes values decreased (p ≤ 0.01). Additionally, 21 days after infusion crotamine group showed increased creatinine, leukocytes, TBARS (plasma and brain), carbonyl (plasma and brain) and micronucleus compared to the saline-group (p ≤ 0.01). Our findings show that crotamine infusion alter hematological parameters and cardiac markers, as well as oxidative parameters, not only in the brain, but also in the blood, indicating a systemic pro-inflammatory and toxicological activity. A further scientific attempt in terms of preserving the beneficial activity over toxicity is required.

Description: Global climate change is affecting health and mortality, particularly in vulnerable populations. High ambient temperatures decrease blood pressure (BP) in young and middle aged adults and may lead to orthostatic hypotension, increasing the risk of falls in older adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a test protocol to investigate BP response and aerobic capacity of older adults in a hot indoor environment. BP response and aerobic capacity were assessed in 26 community-dwelling older women (median age 75.5 years) at a room temperature of either 20 °C or 30 °C. The protocol was well tolerated by all participants. In the 30 °C condition systolic and diastolic BP (median difference 10 and 8 mmHg, respectively) and distance walked in 6 min (median difference 29.3 m) were lower than in the 20 °C condition (all p 〈 0.01). Systolic BP decreased after standing up from a lying position in the 30 °C (17.4 mmHg) and 20 °C (14.2 mmHg) condition (both p 〈 0.001). In conclusion, the protocol is feasible in this cohort and should be repeated in older adults with poor physical performance and impaired cardio-vascular response mechanisms. Furthermore, aerobic capacity was reduced after exposure to hot environmental temperatures, which should be considered when recommending exercise to older people during the summer months.

Description: Avoiding or minimizing potential environmental impact is the driving idea behind protecting a population’s health via Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs). However, both are often carried out without any systematic approach. This paper describes the findings of a review of HIA, EIA and SEA experiences carried out by the authors, who act as institutional competent subjects at the national and regional levels in Italy. The analysis of how health is tackled in EIA and SEA procedures could support the definition of a protocol for the integration of HIA with EIA and SEA. Although EIA and SEA approaches include the aim of protecting health, significant technical and methodological gaps are present when assessing health systematically, and their basic principles regarding assessment are unsatisfactory for promoting and addressing healthcare concepts stated by the WHO. HIA is still poorly integrated into the decision-making process, screening and monitoring phases are only occasionally implemented, and operational details are not well-defined. The collaborative approach of institutions involved in environment and health is a core element in a systematic advancement toward supporting effective decisions and effective protection of the environment and health. At the Italian national level, the definition of guidelines and tools for HIA, also in relation with EIA and SEA, is of great interest.

Description: There is expedient evidence showing that differences in adolescent alcohol consumption and other risk-behaviour depend on both family structure and family member drunkenness exposure. Data were obtained among adolescents (N = 12,115, mean age 14.9 ± 0.89) in Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Spain within the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme funded project, ‘Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE)’. The current study reveals how adolescents’ alcohol consumption patterns are related to their family structure and having seen their family member drunk. The results revealed statistically significant differences in adolescent alcohol consumption depending on whether the adolescent lives in a family with both birth parents, in a single-parent family or in a family with one birth parent and one step-parent. The study also revealed that the abstaining from alcohol percentage among adolescents was greater in families with both birth parents compared to other family types. The study also showed that the more often adolescents see their family member drunk the more they drink themselves. There is no difference in adolescent drinking patterns whether they see their family member drunk once a month or once a week. This study gives an insight on which subgroups of adolescents are at heightened risk of alcohol abuse and that decrease of family member drunkenness may have positive effects on the drinking habits of their children.

Description: In three-phase inverters used in uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs), three-limb inductors and three-limb transformers are commonly used in consideration of cost and size. However, magnetic coupling exists between the three phases of the inverter, which can result in complex models. When instantaneous feedback control strategies are introduced to achieve high quality output waveforms, the transient analysis of the closed-loop inverters becomes difficult. In this paper, the phenomenon of magnetic coupling in three-phase inverters due to three-limb inductors and three-limb transformers is analyzed. A decoupled dynamic model is derived based on the instantaneous symmetrical components transformation, which comprises three decoupled equivalent circuits of instantaneous symmetrical components. Analyses based on this model indicate that magnetic coupling may have a significant impact on the performance of three-phase inverters under unbalanced load conditions and transient responses. For three-phase inverters in UPSs with Proportional-Integral-Differential (PID) closed-loop control strategies, the interactive influence between instantaneous closed-loop regulation and magnetic coupling is researched. Finally, a method of reliability analysis and PID controller design for inverters with magnetic coupling is derived. Simulation and experiment results validate the model and conclusions.

Description: The aim of this paper is to present a thermodynamic cycle for the production of electrical power in the 2–5 kW range, suitable for all types of thermally propelled vehicles. The sensible heat recovered from the exhaust gases feeds the energy recovery system, which is able to produce sufficient power to sustain the air conditioning system or other auxiliaries. The working fluids R134a and R245fa have been used in the ORC system, and the systems are simulated by CAMEL-ProTM software. The cycles are generated starting from the same heat source: the exhaust gas of a typical 2.0 L Diesel engine (or from a small size turbine engine). The design of the condenser has been performed to obtain a very compact component, evaluating the heat exchanger tube and fins type design. Through empirical formulas, the area of heat exchange, the heat required to exchange and the pressure drop in the element have been calculated. A commercial software package is used to build the model of the condenser, then a thermal and mechanical analysis and a CFD analysis are realized to estimate the heat exchange. Finally the evaluations, the possible future studies and possible improvements of the system are shown.

Description: In urban Maroua, Cameroon, improved drinking water sources are available to a large majority of the population, yet this water is frequently distributed through informal distribution systems and stored in home containers (canaries), leaving it vulnerable to contamination. We assessed where contamination occurs within the distribution system, determined potential sources of environmental contamination, and investigated potential pathogens. Gastrointestinal health status (785 individuals) was collected via health surveys. Drinking water samples were collected from drinking water sources and canaries. Escherichia coli and total coliform levels were evaluated and molecular detection was performed to measure human-associated faecal marker, HF183; tetracycline-resistance gene, tetQ; Campylobacter spp.; and Staphylococcus aureus. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between microbial contamination and gastrointestinal illness. Canari samples had higher levels of contamination than source samples. HF183 and tetQ were detected in home and source samples. An inverse relationship was found between tetQ and E. coli. Presence of tetQ with lower E. coli levels increased the odds of reported diarrhoeal illness than E. coli levels alone. Further work is warranted to better assess the relationship between antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and other pathogens in micro-ecosystems within canaries and this relationship’s impact on drinking water quality.

Description: The authors wish to add the following amendment and correction on their paper published in IJERPH [1]: Page 6139, Line 3 in Paragraph 3: “…Israel, [17,18],…” should read “…Israel and Palestine [17,18]…”. [...]

Description: Longitudinal data enables detecting the effect of aging/time, and as a repeated measures design is statistically more efficient compared to cross-sectional data if the correlations between repeated measurements are not large. In particular, when genotyping cost is more expensive than phenotyping cost, the collection of longitudinal data can be an efficient strategy for genetic association analysis. However, in spite of these advantages, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with longitudinal data have rarely been analyzed taking this into account. In this report, we calculate the required sample size to achieve 80% power at the genome-wide significance level for both longitudinal and cross-sectional data, and compare their statistical efficiency. Furthermore, we analyzed the GWAS of eight phenotypes with three observations on each individual in the Korean Association Resource (KARE). A linear mixed model allowing for the correlations between observations for each individual was applied to analyze the longitudinal data, and linear regression was used to analyze the first observation on each individual as cross-sectional data. We found 12 novel genome-wide significant disease susceptibility loci that were then confirmed in the Health Examination cohort, as well as some significant interactions between age/sex and SNPs.

Description: To mitigate climate change, city authorities are developing policies in areas such as transportation, housing and energy use, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to their effects on greenhouse gas emissions, these policies are likely to have consequences for the wellbeing of their populations for example through changes in opportunities to take physical exercise. In order to explore the potential consequences for wellbeing, we first explore what ‘wellbeing’ is and how it can be operationalised for urban planners. In this paper, we illustrate how wellbeing can be divided into objective and subjective aspects which can be measured quantitatively; our review of measures informs the development of a theoretical model linking wellbeing to policies which cities use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, we discuss the extent to which the links proposed in the conceptual model are supported by the literature and how cities can assess wellbeing implications of policies.

Description: Aluminum absorption leads to deposits in several tissues. In this study, we have investigated, to our knowledge for the first time, aluminum deposition in the salivary glands in addition to the resultant cellular changes in the parotid and submandibular salivary glands in a model of chronic intoxication with aluminum citrate in rats. Aluminum deposits were observed in the parotid and submandibular glands. Immunohistochemical evaluation of cytokeratin-18 revealed a decreased expression in the parotid gland with no changes in the submandibular gland. A decreased expression of α-smooth muscle actin was observed in the myoepithelial cells of both glands. The expression of metallothionein I and II (MT-I/II), a group of metal-binding proteins, which are useful indicators for detecting physiological responses to metal exposure, was higher in both glands. In conclusion, we have shown that at a certain time and quantity of dosage, aluminum citrate promotes aluminum deposition in the parotid and submandibular glands, leads to an increased expression of MT-I/II in both the glands, damages the cytoskeleton of the myoepithelial cells in both glands, and damages the cytoskeleton of the acinar/ductal cells of the parotid glands, with the submandibular glands showing resistance to the toxicity of the latter.

Description: Compensatory health beliefs (CHBs) are beliefs that an unhealthy behavior can be compensated with a healthy behavior. In line with the CHBs model, the aim of this study was twofold. First, the study investigated the relationship between autonomous motivation and CHBs that physical inactivity can be compensated by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Second, the study focused on the associations between CHBs and readiness to use the stairs more often and stair and elevator use. Thus, a cross-sectional online questionnaire was designed that was filled out by 135 participants. Path analysis showed that individuals with stronger autonomous motivation to use the stairs strongly agreed that sedentary behavior could be compensated by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Moreover, CHBs were positively related to readiness to change behavior, but not to self-reported stair and elevator use. Even though future research is necessary to replicate these findings, autonomous motivation seems to have a positive impact on CHBs which, in turn, might boost an intended behavior change. Thus, promoting possible compensation of physical inactivity might foster the readiness to change the unhealthy behavior.

Description: Climate change puts pressure on existing health vulnerabilities through higher frequency of extreme weather events, changes in disease vector distribution or exacerbated air pollution. Climate change adaptation policies may hold potential to reduce societal inequities. We assessed the role of public health and social justice in European climate change adaptation using a three-fold approach: a document analysis, a critical discourse analysis of a subgroup of strategies, and a ranking of strategies against our social justice framework. The ranking approach favored planning that includes various adaptation types, social issues and infrastructure changes. Themes on values identified in the five subgroup documents showed that risks are perceived as contradictory, technology is viewed as savior, responsibilities need to be negotiated, and social justice is advocated by only a few countries. Of 21 strategy documents assessed overall, those from Austria, England and Sweden received the highest scores in the ranking. Our qualitative assessment showed that in European adaptation planning, progress could still be made through community involvement into adaptation decisions, consistent consideration of social and demographic determinants, and a stronger link between infrastructural adaptation and the health sector. Overall, a social justice framework can serve as an evaluation guideline for adaptation policy documents.

Description: Cervical cancer remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality for women in developing countries, despite the fact that inexpensive, simple and effective screening methods are available. Visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid (VIA) can be used as part of a “reen and treat” program to identify precancerous lesions for cryotherapy treatment. This case report details how the VIA screening test was incorporated into the care of a patient presenting to a maternal health clinic in Thomonde, Haiti which was staffed by doctors and medical students from Emory University School of Medicine in collaboration with Haiti Medishare. As demonstrated here, the VIA test requires minimal materials, can be efficiently incorporated into a physical exams, provides immediate results, and is easily demonstrated to and performed by local healthcare providers. The straightforward and sensitive VIA technique is an ideal cervical cancer screening method for resource poor areas.

Description: Solutal Marangoni instability (SMI) is investigated both in 2D and 3D using a combined Cahn-Hilliard and Navier-Stokes model in a finite system. Fe-Sn is chosen as a representative alloy system since the phase diagram reveals a region with a miscibility gap, where two liquid phases, namely, the Fe-rich phase L 1 and the Sn-rich phase L 2 , are in chemical equilibrium. In 3D, considering a perturbed liquid cylinder ( L 2 phase) with a length of λ and a radius of R 0 embedded in the middle of a simulation box of λ × H × H (length × width × height) surrounded by the phase L 1 , we find that the perturbation induced Marangoni flow is either clockwise or anti-clockwise depending on the mean curvature difference between the convex and concave regions which is affected by the ratio of λ/ R 0 . The critical ratio of λ/ R 0 for SMI is shown to be invariant for different Marangoni numbers as well as independent of the geometrical properties of the L 1 phase. In 2D, a perturbed liquid pipe with a length of λ and a radius of R 0 embedded in the middle of a simulation box of λ × H (length × height) is taken into account. Due to different curvature constitution, the critical ratio of λ/ R 0 for SMI depends on the height of the L 1 phase.

Description: For several years, a promising Plasma Synthetic Jet actuator for high-speed flow control has been under development at ONERA. So far, its confined geometry and small space-time scales at play have prevented its full experimental characterization. Complementary accurate numerical simulations are then considered in this study in order to provide a complete aerothermodynamic description of the actuator. Two major obstacles have to be overcome with this approach: the modeling of the energy deposited by the electric arc and the accurate computation of the transient response of the cavity generating the pulsed jet. To solve the first problem, an Euler solver coupled with an electric circuit model was used to evaluate the energy deposition in the cavity. Such a coupling is performed by considering the electric field between the two electrodes. The second issue was then addressed by injecting these source terms in large Eddy simulations of the entire actuator. Aerodynamic results were finally compared with Schlieren visualizations. Using the proposed methodology, the temporal evolution of the jet front is remarkably well predicted.

Description: and projection. Although China is the world's most populous country with approximately a fifth of the world's population, none of the empirical tables from mainland China were used in calibrating the existing models. In this paper, we applied recent three model life table systems with different inputs to China mortality data to investigate whether or not these systems truly reflect Chinese mortality epidemiological patterns and whether or not system biases exist. The resulting residuals show that, in most cases, the male infant mortality rate (1q0), adult mortality rate (45q15) and old age mortality rate (20q60) have a strong bias towards being overestimated and the life expectancy at birth (e0) bias is underestimated. We also give the detailed results for each case. Furthermore, we found that the average relative errors (AREs) for females are more than those for males for e0, 45q15 and 20q60, but for 1q0, males have larger AREs in the Wilmoth and Murray systems. We also found that the urban population has more errors than the rural population in almost all cases. Finally, by comparing the AREs with 10 other countries, we found the errors for China are more than those for other countries in most cases. It is concluded that these existing model life table systems cannot accurately reflect Chinese mortality epidemiological situations and trajectories. Therefore, model life tables should be used with caution when applied to China on the basis of 5q0.

Description: Objective: To assess the impact of different smoking behaviors of caregivers on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in children aged 5–6 years in Changsha, China. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, random digit-dial telephone survey of caregivers (n = 543) between August and October 2013. Caregivers’ smoking behaviors were collected by a questionnaire. Exposure assessment was based upon determination of urinary cotinine levels in children employing gas chromatography–triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Results: In children not living with a smoker, children living with one smoker, and children living with more than one smoker at home, median urinary cotinine concentrations (ng/mL) were 0.72, 2.97, and 4.46, respectively. For children living with one smoker, median urinary cotinine levels of children exposed to ETS were associated with caregiver smoking behaviors, i.e., if a caregiver consumed more cigarettes (>20 compared with ≤10; 7.73 versus 2.29 ng/mL, respectively). Conclusions: The magnitude of ETS exposure in children is correlated with the smoking behaviors of the caregiver. Counseling for smoking cessation and educational interventions are needed urgently for smoking caregivers to increase their awareness about ETS exposure and to encourage smoking cessation at home or to take precautions to protect children’s health.

Description: Lentinus edodes, a functional food, was evaluated as a potential antidote for adsorption/removal of cadmium ion from simulated gastrointestinal fluids. An adsorption/removal capacity of 65.12 mg/g was achieved by L. edodes in solutions with a pH ranging from 2.5 to 6.0, while little if any adsorption was observed in solutions with a pH under 2.5. In solutions with pH 6.0, 84% of the cadmium adsorption by L. edodes occurred in the first minute. Scanning electronic microscopic examination showed that the cell wall polysaccharides of L. edodes provided a rough sponge-like surface for effective cadmium adsorption. FTIR indicated that the carboxyl, hydroxyl and –NH groups of the cell wall polysaccharides and proteins were the primary functional groups that chemically bind with cadmium ions. The energy dispersive spectrometry further revealed that cation exchange might be attributed to cadmium biosorption. These results suggested that L. edodes was effective for cadmium detoxication, especially in low concentration.

Description: This study set out to explore the relationship between female media use behavior and agreement with agenda-specific publicly promoted health messages. A random digit dial telephone cross-sectional survey was conducted using a nationally representative sample of female residents aged 25 and over. Respondents’ agreement with health messages was measured by a six-item Health Information Scale (HIS). Data were analyzed using chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression. This survey achieved a response rate of 86% (n = 1074). In this study the longest duration of daily television news watching (OR = 2.32), high self-efficacy (OR = 1.56), and greater attention to medical and health news (OR = 5.41) were all correlates of greater agreement with the selected health messages. Surprisingly, Internet use was not significant in the final model. Many women that public health interventions need to be targeting are not receptive to health information that can be accessed through Internet searches. However, they may be more readily targeted by television campaigns. Agenda-specific public health campaigns aiming to empower women to serve as nodes of information transmission and achieve efficient trickle down through the family unit might do better to invest more heavily in television promotion.

Description: Public fitness centers and exercise facilities have been implicated as possible sources for transmitting community-acquired bacterial infections. However, the overall diversity of the bacterial community residing on the surfaces in these indoor environments is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the overall bacterial ecology of selected fitness centers in a metropolitan area (Memphis, TN, USA) utilizing culture-independent pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA genes. Samples were collected from the skin-contact surfaces (e.g., exercise instruments, floor mats, handrails, etc.) within fitness centers. Taxonomical composition revealed the abundance of Firmicutes phyla, followed by Proteobacter and Actinobacteria, with a total of 17 bacterial families and 25 bacterial genera. Most of these bacterial genera are of human and environmental origin (including, air, dust, soil, and water). Additionally, we found the presence of some pathogenic or potential pathogenic bacterial genera including Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, and Micrococcus. Staphylococcus was found to be the most prevalent genus. Presence of viable forms of these pathogens elevates risk of exposure of any susceptible individuals. Several factors (including personal hygiene, surface cleaning and disinfection schedules of the facilities) may be the reasons for the rich bacterial diversity found in this study. The current finding underscores the need to increase public awareness on the importance of personal hygiene and sanitation for public gym users.

Description: Tobacco use, the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., can be reduced through state-level tobacco prevention and cessation programs. In the absence of research about how to communicate the need for these programs to policymakers, this qualitative study aimed to understand the motivations and priorities of policymakers in North Carolina, a state that enacted a strong tobacco control program from 2003–2011, but drastically reduced funding in recent years. Six former legislators (three Democrats, three Republicans) and three lobbyists for health organizations were interviewed about their attitudes towards tobacco use, support of state-funded programs, and reactions to two policy briefs. Five themes emerged: (1) high awareness of tobacco-related health concerns but limited awareness of program impacts and funding, (2) the primacy of economic concerns in making policy decisions, (3) ideological differences in views of the state’s role in tobacco control, (4) the impact of lobbyist and constituent in-person appeals, and (5) the utility of concise, contextualized data. These findings suggest that building relationships with policymakers to communicate ongoing program outcomes, emphasizing economic data, and developing a constituent advocacy group would be valuable to encourage continued support of state tobacco control programs.

Description: Snapshot and classical proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) are used to examine the large-scale, energetic motions in fully developed turbulent pipe flow at Re D = 47,000 and 93,000. The snapshot POD modes come in pairs, representing the same azimuthal mode number but with a simple phase shift. The first 10 snapshot POD modes, associated with the very large scale motions (VLSMs), contribute 43% of the average Reynolds shear stress, and for first 80 modes u ′ and v ′ are anti-correlated so that they all contribute to positive shear stress events. The attached motions are contained in the lower order modes, and detached motions do not appear until snapshot POD mode numbers ≥15. We find that snapshot POD can introduce mode mixing, which is avoided in classical POD. Classical POD also gives frequency information, confirming that the low order modes capture well the behavior of the very large scale motions.

Description: The present cohort study examined how lifestyle, household environment, and caries activity test score of Japanese children at age 1.5 years affected their dental caries incidence at age 3. Inclusion criteria were 1.5-year-old children with no dental caries. Dental examinations were performed for 33,655 children who participated in routine dental examinations at 1.5 years of age, and the exam was repeated approximately 21 months later (at age 3) at the Kobe City Public Health Center in Japan. After excluding 622 children who had caries at age 1.5 and 1831 children with missing lifestyle and household environment data in the questionnaires, the final data analysis was performed on a total of 31,202 children (16,052 boys, 15,150 girls).The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated a strong association of the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages/snacks, less frequent tooth brushing by the parents, lack of fluoride varnish, family history of smoking, with the risk of developing dental caries. A child’s late bedtime is also one of the major risk factors for dental caries development. Further investigation is needed to examine whether the short duration or the irregularity of the sleep-wake cycle would affect early childhood oral health and whether there is a relationship between late bedtime and late night snack intake.

Description: We explore the instabilities developed in a fluid in which viscosity depends on temperature. In particular, we consider a dependency that models a very viscous (and thus rather rigid) lithosphere over a convecting mantle. To this end, we study a 2D convection problem in which viscosity depends on temperature by abruptly changing its value by a factor of 400 within a narrow temperature gap. We conduct a study which combines bifurcation analysis and time-dependent simulations. Solutions such as limit cycles are found that are fundamentally related to the presence of symmetry. Spontaneous plate-like behaviors that rapidly evolve towards a stagnant lid regime emerge sporadically through abrupt bursts during these cycles. The plate-like evolution alternates motions towards either the right or the left, thereby introducing temporary asymmetries on the convecting styles. Further time-dependent regimes with stagnant and plate-like lids are found and described.

Description: We study the shock wave structure in a rarefied polyatomic gas based on a simplified model of extended thermodynamics in which the dissipation is due only to the dynamic pressure. In this case the differential system is very simple because it is a variant of Euler system with a new scalar equation for the dynamic pressure [T. Arima, S. Taniguchi, T. Ruggeri, and M. Sugiyama, Phys. Lett. A376, 2799–2803 (2012)]. It is shown that this theory is able to describe the three types of the shock wave structure observed in experiments: the nearly symmetric shock wave structure (Type A, small Mach number), the asymmetric structure (Type B, moderate Mach number), and the structure composed of thin and thick layers (Type C, large Mach number).

Description: In this paper, the scaling property of the inverse energy cascade and forward enstrophy cascade of the vorticity filed ω( x , y ) in two-dimensional (2D) turbulence is analyzed. This is accomplished by applying a Hilbert-based technique, namely Hilbert-Huang transform, to a vorticity field obtained from a 8192 2 grid-points direct numerical simulation of the 2D turbulence with a forcing scale k f = 100 and an Ekman friction. The measured joint probability density function p ( C , k ) of mode C i ( x ) of the vorticity ω and instantaneous wavenumber k ( x ) is separated by the forcing scale k f into two parts, which correspond to the inverse energy cascade and the forward enstrophy cascade. It is found that all conditional probability density function p ( C | k ) at given wavenumber k has an exponential tail. In the inverse energy cascade, the shape of p ( C | k ) does collapse with each other, indicating a nonintermittent cascade. The measured scaling exponent ζ ω I ( q ) is linear with the statistical order q , i.e., ζ ω I ( q ) = − q / 3 , confirming the nonintermittent cascade process. In the forward enstrophy cascade, the core part of p ( C | k ) is changing with wavenumber k , indicating an intermittent forward cascade. The measured scaling exponent ζ ω F ( q ) is nonlinear with q and can be described very well by a log-Poisson fitting: ζ ω F ( q ) = 1 3 q + 0.45 1 − 0 . 43 q . However, the extracted vorticity scaling exponents ζ ω ( q ) for both inverse energy cascade and forward enstrophy cascade are not consistent with Kraichnan's theory prediction. New theory for the vorticity field in 2D turbulence is required to interpret the observed scaling behavior.

Description: Health information, provided through the Internet, has recently received attention from consumers and healthcare providers as an efficient method of motivating people to get screened for colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, the primary purpose was to investigate the extent to which consumers were better educated about CRC screening information because of the information available on the Internet. Another purpose was to identify how better-informed consumers, with reliable and trustworthy health information, were enabled to make sound decisions regarding CRC screening. The data used in this study was taken from the 2003 Health Information National Trends Survey. People aged 55 and older were classified based on their compliance with recommended CRC screening. The study applied the PRECEDE-PROCEED model to evaluate the effects of health information taken from the Internet regarding CRC screening. The credibility and reliance of cancer related information on the Internet was significantly associated with patient compliance to be screened for CRC. Experience and knowledge of Internet use had a significant impact on the utilization of CRC screening. This analysis suggests that the design and publishing websites concerning CRC should emphasize credibility and reliance. Websites providing information about CRC must also contain the most current information so that people are able to make educated decisions about CRC screening.

Description: We report experimental observations of the controlled deformation of a dielectric liquid jet subjected to a local high-voltage electrostatic field in the direction normal to the jet. The jet deforms to the shape of an elliptic cylinder upon application of a normal electrostatic field. As the applied electric field strength is increased, the elliptic cylindrical jet deforms permanently into a flat sheet, and eventually breaks-up into droplets. We interpret this observation—the stretch of the jet is in the normal direction to the applied electric field—qualitatively using the Taylor-Melcher leaky dielectric theory, and develop a simple scaling model that predicts the critical electric field strength for the jet-to-sheet transition. Our model shows a good agreement with experimental results, and has a form that is consistent with the classical drop deformation criterion in the Taylor-Melcher theory. Finally, we statistically analyze the resultant droplets from sheet breakup, and find that increasing the applied electric field strength improves droplet uniformity and reduces droplet size.

Description: Normal impingement of a single droplet on a thin liquid film is investigated numerically solving the axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations. Gravity and viscosity are taken into account whereas compressibility effects are neglected. Two phases are tracked by means of volume of fluid method and adaptive mesh refinement is used to increase accuracy of the interface. Numerical results are validated both qualitatively and quantitatively using experimental measurements. Effects of gas density, gas viscosity, and film thickness on the crown behavior are studied. Influence of droplet deviation from spherical shape on the crown behavior is investigated. It is shown that increasing the gas density leads to reduction of crown radius evolution rate, while gas viscosity does not affect the rate of crown radius evolution. Development rate of crown height decreases by increasing the gas density. Reynolds number and splashing regime can change the effect of gas viscosity on the crown height evolution. Deviation of droplet from sphere can change behavior of crown completely as result of change in droplet mass center position. Difference between numerical results and experimental ones is justified using different droplet shapes.

Description: We present an analytical study of peak mode isotachophoresis (ITP), and provide closed form solutions for sample distribution and electric field, as well as for leading-, trailing-, and counter-ion concentration profiles. Importantly, the solution we present is valid not only for the case of fully ionized species, but also for systems of weak electrolytes which better represent real buffer systems and for multivalent analytes such as proteins and DNA. The model reveals two major scales which govern the electric field and buffer distributions, and an additional length scale governing analyte distribution. Using well-controlled experiments, and numerical simulations, we verify and validate the model and highlight its key merits as well as its limitations. We demonstrate the use of the model for determining the peak concentration of focused sample based on known buffer and analyte properties, and show it differs significantly from commonly used approximations based on the interface width alone. We further apply our model for studying reactions between multiple species having different effective mobilities yet co-focused at a single ITP interface. We find a closed form expression for an effective-on rate which depends on reactants distributions, and derive the conditions for optimizing such reactions. Interestingly, the model reveals that maximum reaction rate is not necessarily obtained when the concentration profiles of the reacting species perfectly overlap. In addition to the exact solutions, we derive throughout several closed form engineering approximations which are based on elementary functions and are simple to implement, yet maintain the interplay between the important scales. Both the exact and approximate solutions provide insight into sample focusing and can be used to design and optimize ITP-based assays.

Description: A novel waveform modified from the standard-sinusoidal function is adopted to enhance the virtual aeroshaping effect of the synthetic jets positioned at the front stagnation point of a circular cylinder. The waveform is characterized by a control parameter, namely, the suction duty cycle factor k , which is the ratio of the time duration of the suction cycle to that of the blowing cycle. The strength of the synthetic jet vortex pair is enhanced by increasing the suction duty cycle factor. The periodic closed envelope forms upstream of the circular cylinder for k ≤ 1.00, while the quasi-steady open envelope forms for k ≥ 2.00, acting the virtual aeroshaping effect. As a result, both the statistical characteristics and the vortex dynamics of the near-wake flow field change with the suction duty cycle factor. The recirculation region downstream of the circular cylinder becomes smaller or even disappears, and thus, the drag coefficient over the circular cylinder is reduced by increasing the suction duty cycle factor to k ≥ 1.00. The statistical mean and fluctuating velocities show corresponding changes in the near wake with the different wake patterns. For k ≤ 0.50, the wake vortex shows the antisymmetric shedding mode which is similar with the natural case. For 1.00 ≤ k ≤ 2.00, the wake vortex shows the bistable state mode, where vortex sheds with symmetric or antisymmetric mode; the antisymmetric shedding mode dominates the global flow field for k = 1.00, while it is the symmetric shedding mode that dominates the flow field for k = 2.00. For k = 4.00, it shows the antisymmetric shedding mode with a shorter vortex formation length than the natural case. The above findings indicate that the virtual aeroshaping effect of the synthetic jets can be enhanced by increasing the suction duty cycle factor so as to increase the momentum coefficient while keeping other control parameters unchanged, providing us another way for effective flow control.

Description: The dynamics of vapor-liquid interface are important because interfacial instability determines bubble growth, detachment frequency, waiting time, shape of bubbles, and the interrelationship between bubble formation sites. In this study, a detailed numerical simulation has been performed to understand the transition in bubble release pattern and multimode bubble formation in saturated pool boiling. The interfaces drop down alternatively at the nodes and antinodes of the wavelengths dictated by Rayleigh-Taylor instability and Taylor-Helmholtz instability. Due to higher degrees of superheat, vapor jets emanate from nodes and antinodes. An attempt has been made to predict the maximum and minimum heat fluxes during saturated pool boiling.

Description: We present a combination of experiment, theory, and modelling on laminar mixing at large Péclet number. The flow is produced by oscillating electromagnetic forces in a thin electrolytic fluid layer, leading to oscillating dipoles, quadrupoles, octopoles, and disordered flows. The numerical simulations are based on the Diffusive Strip Method (DSM) which was recently introduced (P. Meunier and E. Villermaux, “The diffusive strip method for scalar mixing in two-dimensions,” J. Fluid Mech.662, 134–172 (2010)) to solve the advection-diffusion problem by combining Lagrangian techniques and theoretical modelling of the diffusion. Numerical simulations obtained with the DSM are in reasonable agreement with quantitative dye visualization experiments of the scalar fields. A theoretical model based on log-normal Probability Density Functions (PDFs) of stretching factors, characteristic of homogeneous turbulence in the Batchelor regime, allows to predict the PDFs of scalar in agreement with numerical and experimental results. This model also indicates that the PDFs of scalar are asymptotically close to log-normal at late stages, except for the large concentration levels which correspond to low stretching factors.

Description: Janus droplets are compound droplets that consist of two adhering drops of different fluids that are suspended in a third fluid. We use the Shan-Chen lattice Boltzmann method for multicomponent mixtures to simulate Janus droplets at rest and in shear. In this simulation model, interfacial tensions are not known a priori from the model parameters and must be determined using numerical experiments. We show that interfacial tensions obtained with the Young-Laplace law are consistent with those measured from the equilibrium geometry. The regimes of adhering, separated, and engulfing droplets were explored. Two different adhesion geometries were considered for two-dimensional simulations of Janus droplets in shear. The first geometry resembles two adhering circles with small overlap. In the second geometry, the two halves are semicircular. For both geometries, the rotation rate of the droplet depends on its orientation. The width of the periodic simulation domain also affects the rotation rate of both droplet types up to an aspect ratio of 6:1 (width:height). While the droplets with the first geometry oscillated about the middle of the domain, the droplets of the second geometry did not translate while rotating. A four-pole vortex structure inside droplets of the second geometry was found. These simulations of single Janus droplets reveal complex behaviour that implies a rich range of possibilities for the rheology of Janus emulsions.

Description: Fusarium graminearum is the main causal pathogen affecting small-grain cereals, and it produces deoxynivalenol, a kind of mycotoxin, which displays a wide range of toxic effects in human and animals. Bacterial strains isolated from peanut shells were investigated for their activities against F. graminearum by dual-culture plate and tip-culture assays. Among them, twenty strains exhibited potent inhibition to the growth of F. graminearum, and the inhibition rates ranged from 41.41% to 54.55% in dual-culture plate assay and 92.70% to 100% in tip-culture assay. Furthermore, eighteen strains reduced the production of deoxynivalenol by 16.69% to 90.30% in the wheat kernels assay. Finally, the strains with the strongest inhibitory activity were identified by morphological, physiological, biochemical methods and also 16S rDNA and gyrA gene analysis as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The current study highlights the potential application of antagonistic microorganisms and their metabolites in the prevention of fungal growth and mycotoxin production in wheat kernels. As a biological strategy, it might avoid safety problems and nutrition loss which always caused by physical and chemical strategies.

Description: Understanding the physics of water evaporation from saline porous media is important in many natural and engineering applications such as durability of building materials and preservation of monuments, water quality, and mineral-fluid interactions. We applied synchrotron x-ray micro-tomography to investigate the pore-scale dynamics of dissolved salt distribution in a three dimensional drying saline porous media using a cylindrical plastic column (15 mm in height and 8 mm in diameter) packed with sand particles saturated with CaI 2 solution (5% concentration by mass) with a spatial and temporal resolution of 12 μ m and 30 min, respectively. Every time the drying sand column was set to be imaged, two different images were recorded using distinct synchrotron x-rays energies immediately above and below the K-edge value of Iodine. Taking the difference between pixel gray values enabled us to delineate the spatial and temporal distribution of CaI 2 concentration at pore scale. Results indicate that during early stages of evaporation, air preferentially invades large pores at the surface while finer pores remain saturated and connected to the wet zone at bottom via capillary-induced liquid flow acting as evaporating spots. Consequently, the salt concentration increases preferentially in finer pores where evaporation occurs. Higher salt concentration was observed close to the evaporating surface indicating a convection-driven process. The obtained salt profiles were used to evaluate the numerical solution of the convection-diffusion equation (CDE). Results show that the macro-scale CDE could capture the overall trend of the measured salt profiles but fail to produce the exact slope of the profiles. Our results shed new insight on the physics of salt transport and its complex dynamics in drying porous media and establish synchrotron x-ray tomography as an effective tool to investigate the dynamics of salt transport in porous media at high spatial and temporal resolution.

Description: Three of the major players in the discussion of the production of oil and gas are: (1) government; (2) the oil and gas industry and (3) non-governmental organizations (NGOs). A comparison of contributions from these three sources using a list of positive and negative words from the General Inquirer Category Listings showed that industry provided a very positive message about the production and consumption of oil and gas that is generally reinforced by government whereas NGOs advocated for a reduction in the use of oil and gas. Messages delivered by each player are focused on the same topics in either a positive or negative way and are often contradictory. The authors submit to be properly informed the public must consider all the sources in order to avoid bias. A mind map is presented in a supplementary file which summarizes information from each source in a comprehensive way. This approach can be used by consumers when considering the choice of using oil and gas and can be extended to the discourse beyond Canada.

Description: We develop a semi-analytical model for polarization curve of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell with distributed (aged) along the oxygen channel MEA transport and kinetic parameters of the membrane–electrode assembly (MEA). We show that the curve corresponding to varying along the channel parameter, in general, does not reduce to the curve for a certain constant value of this parameter. A possibility to determine the shape of the deteriorated MEA parameter along the oxygen channel by fitting the model equation to the cell polarization data is demonstrated.

Description: Connectedness to nature (CN) influences motivation to have contact with outdoor natural environments. Spending leisure time in natural environments is beneficial for human health and well-being. Besides these positive effects, health risks of open-air activities are mainly related to unprotected sun light exposure-associated acute and chronic skin hazards. Thus, we conducted a cross-sectional, representative telephone survey among Austrian residents to study the association of perceived CN level with sun-exposure knowledge, tanning habits, and sun protective behaviour. In total, 1,500 study subjects (50.5% females) participated in this questionnaire survey. Although knowledge about tanning and motives to tan were similar among genders, females performed more photoprotective measures and were more connected to nature (all p 〈 0.001) compared to males. Older age and outdoor sport were significant gender-independent predictor variables influencing perceived CN level. Additionally, level of education was relevant in male CN, whereas non-smoking and higher knowledge were predictive of female CN. This survey provides so far unreported empirical data on the relationship between nature connectedness and skin health-relevant recreational habits of Austrian residents. The findings suggest to integrate hitherto neglected gender-specific Public (Skin) Health promotion when counselling on the manifold health advantages of outdoor activities.

Description: A microgrid is an eco-friendly power system because renewable sources are used as main power sources. In the islanded operation mode of a microgrid, maintaining the balance between power supply and power demand is a very important problem. In the case of surplus supply, decreased generation output and/or charge of distributed storages can be applied to solve the imbalance between power supply and demand. In the case of supply shortages, increased generation output and/or discharge of distributed storages can be applied. Especially in the case of critical supply shortages, load shedding should be applied. In a distributed load-shedding approach, microgrid components need to make decisions autonomously. For autonomous microgrid operation, a multi-agent system has been investigated. In this paper, a distributed load-shedding system for agent-based autonomous operation of a microgrid is designed. The designed system is implemented and tested to show the functionality and feasibility of the proposed system.

Description: As a result of the increase in energy demand and government subsidies, the usage of wind turbine system (WTS) has increased dramatically. Due to the higher energy production of a variable-speed WTS as compared to a fixed-speed WTS, the demand for this type of WTS has increased. In this study, a new method for the calculation of the power output of variable-speed WTSs is proposed. The proposed model is developed from the S-type curve used for population growth, and is only a function of the rated power and rated (nominal) wind speed. It has the advantage of enabling the user to calculate power output without using the rotor power coefficient. Additionally, by using the developed model, a mathematical method to calculate the value of rated wind speed in terms of turbine capacity factor and the scale parameter of the Weibull distribution for a given wind site is also proposed. Design optimization studies are performed by using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithms, which are applied into this type of problem for the first time. Different sites such as Northern and Mediterranean sites of Europe have been studied. Analyses for various parameters are also presented in order to evaluate the effect of rated wind speed on the design parameters and produced energy cost. Results show that proposed models are reliable and very useful for modeling and optimization of WTSs design by taking into account the wind potential of the region. Results also show that the PSO algorithm has better performance than the ABC algorithm for this type of problem.

Description: The behaviour of low Reynolds number, non-Boussinesq fountains from four different nozzle geometries (one circular and three rectangular nozzles) are studied. High speed laser schlieren imaging is used to study the fountain behaviour (frequency and penetration height). Bi-orthogonal decomposition and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) are used to understand the unsteady characteristics of fountains. The flow regimes of fountains are classified as steady, flapping, and flapping-bobbing type. The DMD technique successfully separates the bobbing oscillation from the combined flapping-bobbing oscillation of the fountain. The frequency of the flapping oscillation, and the frequency of the bobbing oscillation in the flapping-bobbing regime scales as St h Fr h = C 1 and S t h F r h 2 = C 2 , respectively, where the characteristic length scale is the smallest dimension ( h ) of the nozzle. The mean steady state penetration heights ( Z s / h ) of “forced” low Reynolds number non-Boussinesq fountains are independent of nozzle shape (circular and rectangular), and scales linearly with the Froude number.

Description: The large-scale properties of self-similar unstably stratified homogeneous (USH) turbulence are investigated using an eddy-damped quasi-normal markovianized approximation of the nonlinear term. This analysis shows that a special role is played by the wave vectors contained in the equatorial plane, i.e., the plane perpendicular to gravity. It is indeed in this plane that turbulent spectra reach their maxima and evolve linearly from their initial condition when their initial infrared exponent is smaller than 4. At other angles, this property is not satisfied and turbulent spectra eventually undergo an evolution dominated by nonlinear backscattering processes. The self-similar evolution of USH turbulence is also shown to be related to the properties of large scales. In particular, the asymptotic growth rate of the mixing length depends on the initial infrared exponent in the equatorial plane. Besides, the self-similar asymptotic values of the concentration and velocity correlations also depend on the properties of large scales. This allows to derive relations between the correlations and the growth rate parameter.

Description: Since 1999, human cases of West Nile fever/neuroinvasive disease (WND) have been reported annually in Russia. The highest incidence has been recorded in three provinces of southern European Russia (Volgograd, Astrakhan and Rostov Provinces), yet in 2010–2012 the distribution of human cases expanded northwards considerably. From year to year, the number of WND cases varied widely, with major WND outbreaks in 1999, 2007, 2010, and 2012. The present study was aimed at identifying the most important climatic and environmental factors potentially affecting WND incidence in the three above-mentioned provinces and at building simple prognostic models, using those factors, by the decision trees method. The effects of 96 variables, including mean monthly temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, etc. were taken into account. The findings of this analysis show that an increase of human WND incidence, compared to the previous year, was mostly driven by higher temperatures in May and/or in June, as well as (to a lesser extent) by high August-September temperatures. Declining incidence was associated with cold winters (December and/or January, depending on the region and type of model). WND incidence also tended to decrease during year following major WND outbreaks. Combining this information, the future trend of WND may be, to some extent, predicted, in accordance with the climatic conditions observed before the summer peak of WND incidence.

Description: Despite the potential of telehealth services to increase the quality and accessibility of healthcare, the success rate of such services has been disappointing. The purpose of this paper is to find and compare existing frameworks for the implementation of telehealth services that can contribute to the success rate of future endeavors. After a thorough discussion of these frameworks, this paper outlines the development methodologies in terms of theoretical background, methodology and validation. Finally, the common themes and formats are identified for consideration in future implementation. It was confirmed that a holistic implementation approach is needed, which includes technology, organizational structures, change management, economic feasibility, societal impacts, perceptions, user-friendliness, evaluation and evidence, legislation, policy and governance. Furthermore, there is some scope for scientifically rigorous framework development and validation approaches.

Description: Secondary flow cells are commonly observed in straight laboratory channels, where they are often associated with duct corners. Here, we present velocity measurements acquired with an acoustic Doppler current profiler in a straight reach of the Seine river (France). We show that a remarkably regular series of stationary flow cells spans across the entire channel. They are arranged in pairs of counter-rotating vortices aligned with the primary flow. Their existence away from the river banks contradicts the usual interpretation of these secondary flow structures, which invokes the influence of boundaries. Based on these measurements, we use a depth-averaged model to evaluate the momentum transfer by these structures, and find that it is comparable with the classical turbulent transfer.

Description: A comprehensive mathematical model of the performance of the cathode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with syngas fuel is presented. The model couples the intricate interdependency between the ionic conduction, electronic conduction, gas transport, the electrochemical reaction processes in the functional layers and on the electrode/electrolyte interfaces, methane steam reforming (MSR) and the water gas shift reaction (WGSR). The validity of the mathematical model is demonstrated by the excellent agreement between the numerical and experimental I-V curves. The effect of anode rib width and cathode rib width on gas diffusion and cell performance is examined. The results show conclusively that the cell performance is strongly influenced by the rib width. Furthermore, the anode optimal rib width is smaller than that for cathode, which is contrary to anode-supported SOFC. Finally, the formulae for the anode and cathode optimal rib width are given, which provide an easy to use guidance for the broad SOFC engineering community.

Description: Analysis of fluxes across the turbulent/non-turbulent interface (TNTI) of turbulent boundary layers is performed using data from two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) obtained at high Reynolds numbers. The interface is identified with an iso-surface of kinetic energy, and the rate of change of total kinetic energy ( K ) inside a control volume with the TNTI as a bounding surface is investigated. Features of the growth of the turbulent region into the non-turbulent region by molecular diffusion of K , viscous nibbling, are examined in detail, focussing on correlations between interface orientation, viscous stress tensor elements, and local fluid velocity. At the level of the ensemble (Reynolds) averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS), the total kinetic energy K is shown to evolve predominantly due to the turbulent advective fluxes occurring through an average surface which differs considerably from the local, corrugated, sharp interface. The analysis is generalized to a hierarchy of length-scales by spatial filtering of the data as used commonly in Large-Eddy-Simulation (LES) analysis. For the same overall entrainment rate of total kinetic energy, the theoretical analysis shows that the sum of resolved viscous and subgrid-scale advective flux must be independent of scale. Within the experimental limitations of the PIV data, the results agree with these trends, namely that as the filter scale increases, the viscous resolved fluxes decrease while the subgrid-scale advective fluxes increase and tend towards the RANS values at large filter sizes. However, a definitive conclusion can only be made with fully resolved three-dimensional data, over and beyond the large dynamic spatial range presented here. The qualitative trends from the measurement results provide evidence that large-scale transport due to the energy-containing eddies determines the overall rate of entrainment, while viscous effects at the smallest scales provide the physical mechanism ultimately responsible for entrainment. Data spanning over a decade in Reynolds number suggest that the fluxes (or the entrainment velocity) scale with the friction velocity (or equivalently the local turbulent fluctuating velocity), whereas Taylor microscale and boundary-layer thickness are the appropriate length scales at small and large filter sizes, respectively.

Description: In 2011, World Health Organization (WHO) scientists reported that a significant percentage of global deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2004 could be attributed to chemicals. The 2011 review focused only on certain chemicals, however, and concluded that the global burden of disease was underestimated because of serious data gaps. While various chemical assessment documents have identified research needs for individual chemicals, a systematic review of such documents to identify research themes that could be applied to the multitude of chemicals for which there is little information has not been done. Even for chemicals for which there are considerable data, the information is not sufficient to make an estimate of the chemical’s contribution to the burden of disease. The WHO Environmental Health Criteria (EHC) documents and Concise International Chemical Assessment Documents (CICADs) identify research needs or data gaps in our knowledge of chemicals. We identified several common themes in these documents and in documents prepared by WHO on 10 chemicals of major public health concern. These themes include biomarkers, longitudinal epidemiological studies, mechanisms of disease, reproductive and developmental effects and exposure assessment. Specific examples of data gaps culled from more than 300 WHO documents provide researchers with specific topics for further research.

Description: In a recent direct numerical simulation (DNS) study [P. K. Yeung and K. R. Sreenivasan, “ Spectrum of passive scalars of high molecular diffusivity in turbulent mixing,” J. Fluid Mech.716, R14 (2013)] with Schmidt number as low as 1/2048, we verified the essential physical content of the theory of Batchelor, Howells, and Townsend [“Small-scale variation of convected quantities like temperature in turbulent fluid. 2. The case of large conductivity,” J. Fluid Mech.5, 134 (1959)] for turbulent passive scalar fields with very strong diffusivity, decaying in the absence of any production mechanism. In particular, we confirmed the existence of the −17/3 power of the scalar spectral density in the so-called inertial-diffusive range. In the present paper, we consider the DNS of the same problem, but in the presence of a uniform mean gradient, which leads to the production of scalar fluctuations at (primarily) the large scales. For the parameters of the simulations, the presence of the mean gradient alters the physics of mixing fundamentally at low Peclet numbers. While the spectrum still follows a −17/3 power law in the inertial-diffusive range, the pre-factor is non-universal and depends on the magnitude of the mean scalar gradient. Spectral transfer is greatly reduced in comparison with those for moderately and weakly diffusive scalars, leading to several distinctive features such as the absence of dissipative anomaly and a new balance of terms in the spectral transfer equation for the scalar variance, differing from the case of zero gradient. We use the DNS results to present an alternative explanation for the observed scaling behavior, and discuss a few spectral characteristics in detail.

Description: Participation of 9 to 11-year-old children in physical education lessons (PEL) contributes to a significantly higher duration of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the school day and, in overweight/obese girls and normal-weight boys, to an increase in overall daily MVPA as shown by previous research. However, it is not known whether this increase in MVPA is at the expense of light physical activity (LPA) or sedentary behaviour (SED). SED, LPA, and MVPA were assessed in 338 schoolchildren aged 9–11 years (50.3% girls; 29.6% overweight/obese) over two school days (with and without a PEL) using a triaxial accelerometer during various segments of the school day. SED, LPA, and MVPA were quantified based on the duration of the activity (minutes). Participation in PEL led to significantly higher school MVPA in the overweight/obese and normal-weight girls and boys (p 〈 0.005) compared to MVPA of those children on the school day without PEL. Participation in PEL led to a significantly higher overall daily MVPA duration compared to that during the day without PEL for the overweight/obese girls (p 〈 0.05), normal-weight girls (p 〈 0.05) and boys (p 〈 0.005). Participation in PEL contributed not only to significantly higher LPA in the normal-weight girls and boys (p 〈 0.01) during the school day but also reduced school-time SED in the overweight/obese children (p 〈 0.01) and normal-weight girls (p 〈 0.005). Moreover, participation in PEL significantly reduced the overall daily SED in the normal-weight children and overweight/obese boys (p 〈 0.05). Adding one PEL to the daily school routine appears to be a promising strategy for effectively reducing SED in children.

Description: A non-equilibrium wall-model based on unsteady 3D Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations has been implemented in an unstructured mesh environment. The method is similar to that of the wall-model for structured mesh described by Wang and Moin [Phys. Fluids14, 2043–2051 (2002)], but is supplemented by a new dynamic eddy viscosity/conductivity model that corrects the effect of the resolved Reynolds stress (resolved turbulent heat flux) on the skin friction (wall heat flux). This correction is crucial in predicting the correct level of the skin friction. Unlike earlier models, this eddy viscosity/conductivity model does not have a stress-matching procedure or a tunable free parameter, and it shows consistent performance over a wide range of Reynolds numbers. The wall-model is validated against canonical (attached) transitional and fully turbulent flows at moderate to very high Reynolds numbers: a turbulent channel flow at Re τ = 2000, an H-type transitional boundary layer up to Re θ = 3300, and a high Reynolds number boundary layer at Re θ = 31 000. Application to a separated flow over a NACA4412 airfoil operating close to maximum lift is also considered to test the performance of the wall-model in complex non-equilibrium flows.

Description: Conventional shallow water theory successfully reproduces many key features of the Jovian atmosphere: a mixture of coherent vortices and stable, large-scale, zonal jets whose amplitude decreases with distance from the equator. However, both freely decaying and forced-dissipative simulations of the shallow water equations in Jovian parameter regimes invariably yield retrograde equatorial jets, while Jupiter itself has a strong prograde equatorial jet. Simulations by Scott and Polvani [“Equatorial superrotation in shallow atmospheres,” Geophys. Res. Lett.35, L24202 (2008)] have produced prograde equatorial jets through the addition of a model for radiative relaxation in the shallow water height equation. However, their model does not conserve mass or momentum in the active layer, and produces mid-latitude jets much weaker than the equatorial jet. We present the thermal shallow water equations as an alternative model for Jovian atmospheres. These equations permit horizontal variations in the thermodynamic properties of the fluid within the active layer. We incorporate a radiative relaxation term in the separate temperature equation, leaving the mass and momentum conservation equations untouched. Simulations of this model in the Jovian regime yield a strong prograde equatorial jet, and larger amplitude mid-latitude jets than the Scott and Polvani model. For both models, the slope of the non-zonal energy spectra is consistent with the classic Kolmogorov scaling, and the slope of the zonal energy spectra is consistent with the much steeper spectrum observed for Jupiter. We also perform simulations of the thermal shallow water equations for Neptunian parameter values, with a radiative relaxation time scale calculated for the same 25 mbar pressure level we used for Jupiter. These Neptunian simulations reproduce the broad, retrograde equatorial jet and prograde mid-latitude jets seen in observations. The much longer radiative time scale for the colder planet Neptune explains the transition from a prograde to a retrograde equatorial jet, while the broader jets are due to the deformation radius being a larger fraction of the planetary radius.

Description: The hydrodynamic interaction of two deformable vesicles in shear flow induces a net displacement, in most cases an increase of their distance in the transverse direction. The statistical average of these interactions leads to shear-induced diffusion in the suspension, both at the level of individual particles which experience a random walk made of successive interactions, and at the level of suspension where a nonlinear down-gradient diffusion takes place, an important ingredient in the structuring of suspension flows. We make an experimental and computational study of the interaction of a pair of lipid vesicles in shear flow by varying physical parameters, and investigate the decay of the net lateral displacement with the distance between the streamlines on which the vesicles are initially located. This decay and its dependency upon vesicle properties can be accounted for by a simple model based on the well established law for the lateral drift of a vesicle in the vicinity of a wall. In the semi-dilute regime, a determination of self-diffusion coefficients is presented.

Description: Currently, alternative fuels are being investigated in detail for application in compression ignition (CI) engines resulting in exciting potential opportunities to increase energy security and reduce gas emissions. Biodiesel is one of the alternative fuels which is renewable and environmentally friendly and can be used in diesel engines with little or no modifications. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of biodiesel types and biodiesel fraction on the emission characteristics of a CI engine. The experimental work was carried out on a four-cylinder, four-stroke, direct injection (DI) and turbocharged diesel engine by using biodiesel made from waste oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil and comparing them to normal diesel. The fuels used in the analyses are B10, B20, B50, B100 and neat diesel. The engine was operated over a range of engine speeds. Based on the measured parameters, detailed analyses were carried out on major regulated emissions such as NOx, CO, CO2, and THC. It has been seen that the biodiesel types (sources) do not result in any significant differences in emissions. The results also clearly indicate that the engine running with biodiesel and blends have higher NOx emission by up to 20%. However, the emissions of the CI engine running on neat biodiesel (B100) were reduced by up to 15%, 40% and 30% for CO, CO2 and THC emissions respectively, as compared to diesel fuel at various operating conditions.

Description: The cyanobacteria community dynamics in two eutrophic freshwater bodies (Tiegang Reservoir and Shiyan Reservoir) was studied with both a traditional microscopic counting method and a PCR-DGGE genotyping method. Results showed that cyanobacterium Phormidium tenue was the predominant species; twenty-six cyanobacteria species were identified in water samples collected from the two reservoirs, among which fourteen were identified with the morphological method and sixteen with the PCR-DGGE method. The cyanobacteria community composition analysis showed a seasonal fluctuation from July to December. The cyanobacteria population peaked in August in both reservoirs, with cell abundances of 3.78 × 108 cells L-1 and 1.92 × 108 cells L-1 in the Tiegang and Shiyan reservoirs, respectively. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was applied to further investigate the correlation between cyanobacteria community dynamics and environmental factors. The result indicated that the cyanobacteria community dynamics was mostly correlated with pH, temperature and total nitrogen. This study demonstrated that data obtained from PCR-DGGE combined with a traditional morphological method could reflect cyanobacteria community dynamics and its correlation with environmental factors in eutrophic freshwater bodies.

Description: Due to the unbalanced features of distribution systems, a three-phase harmonic analysis method is essential to accurately analyze the harmonic impact on distribution systems. Moreover, harmonic analysis is the basic tool for harmonic filter design and harmonic resonance mitigation; therefore, the computational performance should also be efficient. An accurate and efficient three-phase harmonic analysis method for unbalanced distribution systems is proposed in this paper. The variations of bus voltages, bus current injections and branch currents affected by harmonic current injections can be analyzed by two relationship matrices developed from the topological characteristics of distribution systems. Some useful formulas are then derived to solve the three-phase harmonic propagation problem. After the harmonic propagation for each harmonic order is calculated, the total harmonic distortion (THD) for bus voltages can be calculated accordingly. The proposed method has better computational performance, since the time-consuming full admittance matrix inverse employed by the commonly-used harmonic analysis methods is not necessary in the solution procedure. In addition, the proposed method can provide novel viewpoints in calculating the branch currents and bus voltages under harmonic pollution which are vital for harmonic filter design. Test results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.

Description: The present work focuses on the numerical modeling of combustion in liquid-propellant rocket engines. Pressure and temperature are well above thermodynamic critical points of both the propellants and then the reactants show liquid-like characteristics of density and gas-like characteristics for diffusivity. The aim of the work is an efficient numerical description of the phenomena and RANS simulations were performed for this purpose. Hence, in the present work different kinetics, combustion models and thermodynamic approaches were used for combustion modeling first in a trans-critical environment, then in the sub-critical state. For phases treatment the pure Eulerian single phase approach was compared with the Lagrangian/Eulerian description. For modeling combustion, the Probability Density Function (PDF) equilibrium and flamelet approaches and the Eddy Dissipation approach, with two different chemical kinetic mechanisms (the Jones-Lindstedt and the Skeletal model), were used. Real Gas (Soave-Redlich-Kwong and Peng-Robinson) equations were applied. To estimate the suitability of different strategies in phenomenon description, a comparison with experimental data from the literature was performed, using the results for different operative conditions of the Mascotte test bench: trans-critical and subcritical condition for oxygen injection. The main result of this study is the individuation of the DPM approach of the most versatile methods to reproduce cryogenic combustion adapted for different operating conditions and producing good results.

Description: Remaining useful life (RUL) prediction is central to the prognostics and health management (PHM) of lithium-ion batteries. This paper proposes a novel RUL prediction method for lithium-ion batteries based on the Wiener process with measurement error (WPME). First, we use the truncated normal distribution (TND) based modeling approach for the estimated degradation state and obtain an exact and closed-form RUL distribution by simultaneously considering the measurement uncertainty and the distribution of the estimated drift parameter. Then, the traditional maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method for population based parameters estimation is remedied to improve the estimation efficiency. Additionally, we analyze the relationship between the classic MLE method and the combination of the Bayesian updating algorithm and the expectation maximization algorithm for the real time RUL prediction. Interestingly, it is found that the result of the combination algorithm is equal to the classic MLE method. Inspired by this observation, a heuristic algorithm for the real time parameters updating is presented. Finally, numerical examples and a case study of lithium-ion batteries are provided to substantiate the superiority of the proposed RUL prediction method.

Description: Air concentrations of respirable crystalline silica were measured in eleven (11) high school ceramics classrooms located in Salt Lake County, UT, USA. Respirable dust was collected on PVC filters using precision flow pumps and cyclone samplers (n = 44). Filters were subsequently analyzed for respirable dust and percent crystalline silica content. The geometric mean of the silica concentrations was 0.009 mg/m3 near the teacher’s work station and 0.008 mg/m3 near the kilns. The number of students in the classroom was correlated to the silica concentration in the ceramics classroom, but no correlation was found between the silica concentrations and either the size of the classroom or the age of the building. Results from this study indicate that ceramics teachers may be at an increased risk of exposure to crystalline silica based on the ACGIH TLV of 0.025 mg/m3, with an exceedance of 21%.

Description: The Irvine-Minnesota Inventory (IMI) is an audit tool used to record properties of built environments. It was designed to explore the relationships between environmental features and physical activity. As published, the IMI does not provide scoring to support this use. Two papers have since been published recommending methods to form scales from IMI items. This study examined these scoring procedures in new settings. IMI data were collected in two urban settings in Alberta in 2008. Scale scores were calculated using the methods presented in previous papers and used to test whether the relationships between IMI scales and walking behaviors were consistent with previously reported results. The scales from previous work did not show expected relationships with walking behavior. The scale construction techniques from previous work were repeated but scales formed in this way showed little similarity to previous scales. The IMI has great potential to contribute to understanding relationships between built environment and physical activity. However, constructing reliable and valid scales from IMI items will require further research.