Validation of qPCR method for enterococci quantification at Toronto beaches: Application for rapid recreational water monitoring

Rapid quantitative PCR-based methods for enterococci monitoring can allow public health authorities to make more timely beach posting decisions. However, qPCR methods must be assessed for proposed sites as locale-specific factors may affect DNA recovery or qPCR inhibition. We assessed the feasibility of the USEPA 1609.1 qPCR-based (Enterococcus) method at two urban Toronto beaches and three recreational areas at nearby river mouths in parallel with culture-based methods on the same water samples. A strong positive correlation was observed between the Enterococcus qPCR method and culturing-based quantification methods for E. coli and enterococci at both beaches and two river mouth areas. One river, known to be highly sewage-impacted, did not yield DNA suitable for qPCR analyses. qPCR results from biological replicates were strongly correlated and showed coefficients of variation as low as or lower than culture-based methods. With respect to Beach Action Value exceedances, the USEPA 1609.1 qPCR method provided an 80–90% level of agreement with E. coli enumeration results and >90% with enterococci enumeration. Results indicated that if recreational water locations and sampling conditions met the requirements of the USEPA 1609.1 qPCR method, the method can meet or exceed all quality control requirements and provide water quality results within 3.5 h for diverse recreational water settings around the City of Toronto.     

地应力条件下的凿岩爆破数值模拟

为了研究地应力对凿岩爆破的影响,采用DDA方法模拟爆炸应力波作用下考虑地应力条件时的单孔和多孔凿岩爆破破岩过程。模拟发现,随着初始地应力水平的增加,裂纹扩展半径和破岩区域面积减小,裂纹发育主方向趋于地应力的最大主应力方向,初始地应力对裂纹的抑制和引导作用明显;初始地应力水平的增加,对拉伸裂纹的抑制作用更为显著,从而降低了拉伸破坏对爆破破岩的贡献。模拟也表明,在初始地应力存在的条件下,通过对爆破载荷和炮孔布置进行针对性的优化,可以克服地应力带来的影响,并取得预期的爆破效果。本研究对地应力条件下的凿岩爆破工程具有理论和参考意义。     

Facile synthesis of black phosphorus directly grown on carbon paper as an efficient OER Electrocatalyst: Role of Interfacial charge transfer and induced local charge distribution

Black phosphorus (BP), as a new 2D material, is normally synthesized by a high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) method from white and red phosphorus, which severely hinders the further development of BP for any potential applications and leads to search for other potential applications of BP with big challenge. Herein, we develop a facile and efficient Thermal-Vaporization-Transformation (TVT) approach to prepare a highly active BP directly grown on carbon paper as the electrode for Oxygen evolution reaction (OER), showing a low onset potential of 1.45 V versus RHE. Simultaneously, the current density of BP-CP illustrates the excellent electro-catalysis stability only decreases by 3.4% after continuous operation for 10000 s. Meanwhile, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations further illustrates the P-doped carbon layer in the upper side of BP layer is actually responsible for its enhanced OER property, and the adjacent carbon atoms of the embedded P atoms are actually the active sites due to the induced local change distribution by intramolecular change transfer. Considering the facile, but efficient and scalable, TVT approach can directly synthesize BP-CP with excellent OER performance, which is promising for BP electrocatalysts used for OER in metal-air batteries, fuel cells, water-splitting devices, even other key renewable energy.     

Anchor plate bearing capacity in flexible mesh facings

This work addresses the problem of the loading capacity of an anchor plate coupled with a steel wire mesh in soil retaining applications. The interaction mechanism between the flexible mesh facing, the underlying soil layer and the plate is studied starting from the results of several laboratory punch tests involving both the plate and the mesh only, and the whole soil-mesh-plate system. The experimental tests have been reproduced by adopting a 3D discrete element model where also the wire mesh is discretized as an assembly of interconnected nodal particles. The interaction between these particles is ruled by elasto-plastic tensile force–displacement laws in which a distortion is introduced in a stochastic manner to account for the wires’ geometrical irregularities. The mesh model is then validated with reference to a set of punch tests in which the shape and size of the punching element as well as the nominal wire diameter were varied. Subsequently, the model is extended to a punch against soil test configuration permitting an insight into the nontrivial local mechanism between the mesh facing and the underlying granular layer. The good agreement between the numerical predictions and the experimental observations at the laboratory scale allowed us to extend the model towards more realistic field conditions for which the role of the mesh panel boundary conditions, the mesh mechanical properties, the soil mechanical properties and the anchor plate geometry is investigated.     

Notwendigkeit und Vermarktung von Flexibilitätsoptionen im Energiesystem der Zukunft

Demands on production, distribution and consumption of electrical energy change fundamentally with the energy revolution. Energy purchasing costs for inflexible consumers are rising and proceeds of inflexible producers are sinking. Companies are able to reduce costs by marketing operational flexibility options. This article sets out the need of flexibility in the energy system and the new marketing options. Flexibility potentials within infrastructure plants of a chemical park are analyzed, evaluated regarding marketing and activated in the presented research project FlexChemistry.     

Conductor selection and economic analysis of D.R. congo–guinea ±800 kV UHVDC transmission project

Africa is embracing new opportunities featured with industrialization, urbanization and regionalization. Based on co-development of ‘Electricity, Mining, Metallurgy, Industry and Trade’ and grids interconnection proposed by Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO), the high-quality hydropower resource of the Congo River can be exploited in large scale under the wide-range interconnected framework of African Energy Interconnection (AEI), forging a new engine for Africa economy. The transmission distance of the Congo River hydropower reaches 6,000 km at its farthest end in North Africa, which brings forth challenges to economics of proposed projects. Under this novel continental energy interconnection scheme in Africa, economics of those projects have not yet been in detail studied. This paper has implemented China’s mature engineering experiences and analytical tools of UHVDC project planning into the AEI structure, through exploring the economic behavior of ultra-long distance UHVDC projects in the scope of conductor selection in the Congo River hydropower transmission for the first time, and has provided concerned parties with a technical and analytical results of their economics comparison. This paper has chosen the D.R. Congo - Guinea ±800 kV UHVDC project as a typical example. Its preliminary system planning is introduced and three types of conductor are selected for scheme comparison. Later in this paper, the transmission loss, total investment and equivalent annual cost of the project have been calculated and analyzed. In the final part, sensitivity analysis results of the annual cost to utilization hours, transmission loss, loss tariff and construction cost has been provided     

新型有机玻璃在站台门的应用及有限元分析

介绍了新型有机玻璃的性能,通过对有机玻璃的相关性能进行分析,确认有机玻璃在站台门系统应用的可行性,为站台门节能减重的设计提供相关依据。     

Implementing lean practices in manufacturing SMEs: testing ‘critical success factors’ using Necessary Condition Analysis

Lean practices are known to increase operational performance. Previous research has identified critical success factors for implementing lean practices. This research aims to examine the extent to which success factors are critical for various degrees of lean practice implementation. Using multiple-respondent self-assessments from 33 Dutch manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we conducted a Necessary Condition Analysis. Our findings indicated that the criticality of success factors is progression dependent. In the initial stages of the lean journey, SMEs could improve their lean practices in a bottom-up manner through local factors such as a learning focus, improvement training and support congruence. When lean practices are more advanced, some company-wide factors must be present: top management support, a shared improvement vision and a supplier link. Our findings question the universality of success factors such as strategic involvement and indicate the need for a more dynamic model of lean implementation.     

The sociotechnical constitution of cognitive work analysis: roles,affordances and malfunctions

Analysis of everyday work practices in sociotechnical systems for eliciting design/intervention requirements involves appropriate work analysis frameworks. The current article provides an extension to one such framework — Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) — by scrutinising its sociotechnical basis. CWA's forte depends on its ‘design for adaptation’, system related operations, and operators. In contrast, sociotechnical work systems require not only operators and adaptation, but also a significant emphasis on ‘users’ and ‘appropriation’. The current article extends CWA (based on Rasmussen's original concepts) for users; subsequently allowing for system flexibility and possibilities of ‘appropriation’ within acceptable boundaries of the system's correct functioning. To this end, the first phase of Work Domain Analysis is extended by adding a new layer to the abstraction hierarchy (AH), based on Rasmussen's original insights.     

磷矿山开采系统对黄柏河东支的影响研究

从黄柏河东支流域磷矿山绿色开发要求出发，基于地表水环境系统和矿业开采的耦合影响作用，开展了磷矿山开采对黄柏河东支的水环境的影响研究。通过定量和定性分析，在磷矿山开采过程中对黄柏河东支的各种影响因素中，矿井涌水(占比为43.19%)、尾渣淋溶水(占比为15.51%)、矿废石淋溶水(占比为14.64%)和生产废水(占比为10.84%)为磷矿山开采对黄柏河东支水环境的主要影响因素，尤其是矿井涌水携带的总污染物量大，影响占比接近50%。该研究影响分析为黄柏河东支水环境的治理提供有力指引支撑。