Acquisition and Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance: A tet(X) Case Study

Understanding the mechanisms leading to the rise and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is crucially important for the preservation of power of antimicrobials and controlling infectious diseases. Measures to monitor and detect AMR, however, have been significantly delayed and introduced much later after the beginning of industrial production and consumption of antimicrobials. However, monitoring and detection of AMR is largely focused on bacterial pathogens, thus missing multiple key events which take place before the emergence and spread of AMR among the pathogens. In this regard, careful analysis of AMR development towards recently introduced antimicrobials may serve as a valuable example for the better understanding of mechanisms driving AMR evolution. Here, the example of evolution of tet(X), which confers resistance to the next-generation tetracyclines, is summarised and discussed. Initial mechanisms of resistance to these antimicrobials among pathogens were mostly via chromosomal mutations leading to the overexpression of efflux pumps. High-level resistance was achieved only after the acquisition of flavin-dependent monooxygenase-encoding genes from the environmental microbiota. These genes confer resistance to all tetracyclines, including the next-generation tetracyclines, and thus were termed tet(X). ISCR2 and IS26, as well as a variety of conjugative and mobilizable plasmids of different incompatibility groups, played an essential role in the acquisition of tet(X) genes from natural reservoirs and in further dissemination among bacterial commensals and pathogens. This process, which took place within the last decade, demonstrates how rapidly AMR evolution may progress, taking away some drugs of last resort from our arsenal.     

MHD mixed convection of a Cu–water nanofluid flow through a channel with an open trapezoidal cavity and an elliptical obstacle

In the current work, numerical simulations are achieved to study the properties and the characteristics of fluid flow and heat transfer of (Cu–water) nanofluid under the magnetohydrodynamic effects in a horizontal rectangular canal with an open trapezoidal enclosure and an elliptical obstacle. The cavity lower wall is grooved and represents the heat source while the obstacle represents a stationary cold wall. On the other hand, the rest of the walls are considered adiabatic. The governing equations for this investigation are formulated, nondimensionalized, and then solved by Galerkin finite element approach. The numerical findings were examined across a wide range of Richardson number (0.1 ≤ Ri ≤ 10), Reynolds number (1 ≤ Re ≤ 125), Hartmann number (0 ≤ Ha ≤ 100), and volume fraction of nanofluid (0 ≤ φ ≤ 0.05). The current study's findings demonstrate that the flow strength increases inversely as the Reynolds number rises, which pushes the isotherms down to the lower part of the trapezoidal cavity. The Nu_avg rises as the Ri rise, the maximum Nu_avg = 10.345 at Ri = 10, Re = 50, ϕ = 0.05, and Ha = 0; however, it reduces with increasing Hartmann number. Also, it increase by increasing ϕ, at Ri = 10, the Nu_avg increased by 8.44% when the volume fraction of nanofluid increased from (ϕ = 0–0.05).     

雷电通道水平电场影响因素分析

影响雷电通道产生的水平电场因素众多,分析其影响因素对电力系统的雷电防护具有重要意义。文中利用运动电荷电磁场方程求解得到闪电回击通道的水平电场和方位磁场,并结合C-R 算法,得到了有限电导率地面上方的水平电场。依据运动电荷电磁场方程的特征分析了不同回击速度、不同距离、不同电导率对雷击产生的水平电场的影响。得出以下结论:水平电场随回击速度增大而减小;水平电场波形呈双极性特征且水平距离越大或电导率越小负向偏移越明显。这些研究结论为输电线路雷电过电压计算打下良好的基础。与其他方法相比,本文方法可以避免远距离电磁场计算中的震荡问题和积分方程的奇异问题。     

潮流能水平轴水轮机在剪切来流下的水动力分析

采用基于计算流体力学方法的全尺度数值模拟计算,建立了适用于潮流能水轮机模拟的剪切来流环境,通过数值计算结果,对潮流能水轮机随时间变化的宏观力和流场特征进行了系统分析,探索水轮机在复杂工况下的水动力特性规律。结果表明,水轮机整个叶轮的总体平均受力在剪切流工况中未受到明显影响; 单个叶片的瞬态轴向力系数和瞬态轴向扭矩系数在旋转周期内出现了明显的周期性变化,且周期性变化幅值随转速增大而增大; 非定常的瞬时轴向扭矩和力的周期性振荡容易引起单个叶片的结构性振动,可能对水轮机的机械结构造成影响。     

水平斜插板透空式防波堤消波性能数值模拟

通过改进已有的防波堤模型，建立了一种新型水平斜板透空式防波堤模型。基于VOF方法建立了波浪与水平斜板防波堤相互作用的数值模型。经数值模拟研究了该新型水平斜板防波堤结构对波浪透射系数的影响，主要考虑了斜板角度、波陡、相对板间距、相对板宽和相对出水高度等因素对防波堤消波效果的影响。模拟结果显示:①水平斜插板透空式防波堤比水平板透空式防波堤的消波效果好。在斜插板作用下，随着斜板角度增大，透射系数逐渐增大，但增幅逐渐减小；②随着波陡增大，透射系数先减后增；③随着水平板间距增加，透射系数增大；④随着防波堤相对板宽的增大，透射系数逐渐减小；⑤随着防波堤出水高度增加，透射系数先减后增。结果表明，该新型结构防波堤的消波效果显著，可以很好地消减波浪，应用前景良好。     

四川盆地及周缘上奥陶统五峰组岩相特征

上奥陶统五峰组分为页岩段和观音桥段。对比分析四川盆地及周缘五峰组页岩气钻井岩心以及测试数据,根据岩心和全岩矿物组分特征,以硅质矿物(石英)、黏土矿物和碳酸盐矿物为三端元,进行岩相划分。页岩段可识别出4种岩相类型:硅质页岩、含黏土硅质页岩、含灰硅质页岩以及含灰黏土质页岩;观音桥段发育含介壳泥质灰岩。页岩气钻井实测数据表明,页岩段4类页岩岩相品质(有机碳含量、脆性矿物含量以及含气量)差异较大,硅质页岩品质最优,含灰黏土质页岩品质最差。页岩段岩相类型以及观音桥段分布特征受控于沉积环境。川南永川地区等相对浅水的区域页岩厚度较大,但是硅质页岩厚度较小,页岩段整体品质较差,不建议作为水平井靶窗;川南威远地区受古陆和古地形影响,硅质页岩厚度较小,也不建议作为水平井靶窗;川东南焦石坝、武隆、丁山以及南川地区硅质页岩厚度超过4 m,可作为水平井靶窗。     

纵轴式掘进机截割头载荷影响因素的仿真分析

针对现有掘进机截割头载荷特性研究方法采用单一影响因素不能全面反映截割头载荷及其波动变化规律的问题,通过分析截割头瞬时载荷,确定了纵轴式掘进机在水平截割工况下截割头载荷的主要影响因素有截割岩石特性、截割头掏槽深度、截割头吃刀深度、截割头转速和截割臂摆速。针对某纵轴式掘进机水平截割工况,采用Matlab对影响截割头载荷的多种因素进行仿真分析,得到了各向载荷及其波动随各因素的变化规律:截割头载荷随着岩壁普氏系数的增大而增加,其中横向阻力增加尤为明显,横向阻力波动程度高于其他方向载荷,且随着岩壁普氏系数的增大呈减小趋势;随着截割头掏槽深度的增加,截割头各向载荷近似呈线性增加,其中升力增加幅度最大,各向载荷波动则随着截割头掏槽深度的增大而减小;随着吃刀深度的增加,截割头载荷总体呈增大趋势,载荷波动程度则随之减小;在截割头转速一定的情况下,截割头载荷均随着截割臂摆速的增加而增大,在同一摆速下,截割头载荷随着截割头转速的减小而增大,横向阻力波动明显高于升力和推进阻力波动,横向阻力和推进阻力波动按截割头载荷规律变化,升力波动则与之相反。截割头载荷波动变化规律与截割头载荷变化规律不尽一致,有时甚至相互冲突。因此,掘进机作业过程中应合理选择截割头掏槽深度、吃刀深度等操作参数和截割头转速、截割臂摆速等运动参数,使各参数相互匹配,以减小掘进机振动,延长使用寿命。     

碎软煤层条带瓦斯地面高效抽采技术研究

为了提高碎软煤层条带瓦斯抽采效率和效果,基于目前地面瓦斯抽采主要采用垂直井或从式井的方式抽采效果差、效率低的现状,通过理论和实验分析论证了穿岩层压裂改造煤储层的可行性,提出了在目标煤层顶板岩层中钻水平井,并通过垂直向下射孔以及采用泵送桥塞分段进行压裂的方式进行地面瓦斯抽采。试验结果表明:顶板分段压裂水平井单井产量高、高稳产期更长、产量衰减更慢;有效水平井段控制区域内瓦斯下降均匀,更有利于进行条带瓦斯抽采;相同投资条件下,采用水平井的方式瓦斯抽采效率和投入产出比更高。     

石蜡与石蜡/膨胀石墨熔化性能的实验研究

为改善相变储能过程中石蜡(PA)的熔化性能，向PA中添加少量膨胀石墨(EG)制备了4种配比的石蜡/膨胀石墨复合相变材料(PA-EG)。通过热物性分析筛选出合适配比的PA-EG，并对其和PA在水平管壳式相变储能单元中的熔化过程进行了实验研究。根据相变材料的温度场变化以及加权法计算得到的熔化分数变化，对比分析了添加EG前后PA的熔化性能，并探究了加热温度对相变材料熔化性能的影响。结果表明，PA-EG3的热导率比PA高了7倍，且两者的相变温度和潜热相差不大。PA-EG3熔化过程中的自然对流效应弱于PA，但是较高的热导率能够显著改善相变储能单元中下部的熔化，使得其整体熔化速度快于PA。当加热温度为80℃时，PA-EG3的熔化过程比PA缩短了78.16%。此外，降低加热温度会使PA和PA-EG3的完全熔化时间都显著增加，但相同条件下PA-EG3的增加幅度更小。