Satellite-Based Water Quality Mapping from Sequential Simulation with Parameter Outlier Removal

The satellite-based regression model provides the data model that identifies water quality for inland and coastal waters. However, the satellite regression usually depends on the selection of observation, satellite data, and model type. A resampling simulation technique, such as sequential simulation using geographically weighted regression (GWR simulation), can be applied in generating multiple realizations for water quality estimation to reduce the sampling effect and consider spatial heterogeneity. Traditional models often result in considerable underestimation in extreme observations. The GWR simulation provides the best goodness of fit and spatial varying relationship between observed water quality and remote sensing considering parameter outlier and noise removal for parameter stability. This simulation model can increase the sampling diversity from various observations and reduce the neighboring effects of observations using outlier and noise removal. The model that handles spatial uncertainty and heterogeneity is a novel tool for inferring the characteristics of water quality from a series of sample subsets.

     

Effectiveness of participatory ergonomic interventions on health outcomes: a systematic review

The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of participatory ergonomic (PE) interventions for improving workers' health. The search strategy targeted six electronic databases and identified 442 potential articles. Each article was examined by pairs of reviewers for relevance (assessed a participative ergonomic workplace intervention, with at least one health outcome, published in English in peer reviewed literature). Twenty-three articles met relevance criteria and were then appraised for methodological strength. Using a best evidence synthesis approach, 12 studies that were rated as 'medium' or higher provided partial to moderate evidence that PE interventions have a positive impact on: musculoskeletal symptoms, reducing injuries and workers' compensation claims, and a reduction in lost days from work or sickness absence. However, the magnitude of the effect requires more precise definition.     

Thermal efficiency of manifold-heat-pipe heat exchangers

The thermal efficiency of manifold-heat-pipe heat exchangers is considered. A method for predicting the efficiency and an analysis of effects of various factors of the actual process are presented.Academic Scientific Complex A. V. Luikov Heat and Mass Transfer Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 66, No. 2, pp. 173–178, February, 1994.     

Biocontrol potential of the entomogenous fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae for tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) at developmental sites

Belonging to the Annonaceae family, marolo (Annona coriaceae) is a native species of the Brazilian "cerrado" región (Minas Gerais, Goiás and Distrito Federal) and can be found in South American tropical zones. Its fruits are highly consumed by local people and commercialized in markets or street stalls. There is, however, a tendency for the extinction of marolo due to deforestation and the large scale plantation of monocultures instead of native plants. The literature still offers no data on the chemical composition of the proximate composition and vitamin C, A and tannin contents were carried out on the yellow marolo pulp as well as the determination of the physico-chemical characteristics of the seed oil. Five batches of fruit from the Alfenas region--south of Minas Gerais State--were analysed in this work and their average composition were: humidity 77%, total sugar 15%, reducing sugar 11%, crude protein 1%, lipids 3%, fiber 5% and fixed mineral residue 1%. The contents of vitamin C and A were 8.2 mg/100g and 117.5 RE/100g, respectively, and the tannin content was 245 mg/100g. The results showed high fiber and lipid contents of marolo pulp in comparison with many other tropical fruit pulps. The vitamin C contents were equivalent to those found in avocado, pineapple and watermelon, while the vitamin A contents were equivalent to papaya, peach, guava and several other tropical fruits. Marolo seed contains 45% of oil on a dry basis. Its composition and physico-chemical characteristics showed the possibility of producing a good quality oil, with great potential for the fine oil market. However the presence of alkaloids in the oil needs to be further studied. Their elimination could be done by refining or extraction in a continuous press. The results exalt the high quality of marolo pulp, showing that the preservation of native species should be stimulated.     

Composites of hydroxyapatite and bisphosphonate: properties and alveolar bone response

A composite was made by adsorption of the bisphosphonate [(3-dimethylamino-1-hydroxypropylidene)-1,1-bisphosphonate; dimethyl-APD] into an hydroxyapatite (HA) tube. Adsorbed dimethyl-APD did not change the bulk properties of the HA tube but the surface properties were altered. The amount of 0.1 mmol/L dimethyl-APD adsorbed into the HA tube was 0.78 ( ± 0.20) g after 4 weeks. The composite tube of HA and dimethyl-APD placed after extraction of teeth in the premolar regions of dogs were biocompatible, stable and bonded strongly and intimately to the alveolar bone. Although there was no bone resorption around the composite tubes, no conclusion can be drawn yet from this study as far as local inhibition of alveolar bone resorption is concerned.     

Metal Single-Site Molecular Complex–MXene Heteroelectrocatalysts Interspersed Graphene Nanonetwork for Efficient Dual-Task of Water Splitting and Metal–Air Batteries

Development of multifunctional electrocatalysts with high efficiency and stability is of great interest in recent energy conversion technologies. Herein, a novel heteroelectrocatalyst of molecular iron complex (Fe_MC)-carbide MXene (Mo₂TiC₂T_x) uniformly embedded in a 3D graphene-based hierarchical network (GrH) is rationally designed. The coexistence of Fe_MC and MXene with their unique interactions triggers optimum electronic properties, rich multiple active sites, and favorite free adsorption energy for excellent trifunctional catalytic activities. Meanwhile, the highly porous GrH effectively promotes a multichannel architecture for charge transfer and gas/ion diffusion to improve stability. Therefore, the Fe_MC–MXene/GrH results in superb performances towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline medium. The practical tests indicate that Zn/Al–air batteries derived from Fe_MC–MXene/GrH cathodic electrodes produce high power densities of 165.6 and 172.7 mW cm⁻², respectively. Impressively, the liquid-state Zn–air battery delivers excellent cycling stability of over 1100 h. In addition, the alkaline water electrolyzer induces a low cell voltage of 1.55 V at 10 mA cm⁻² and 1.86 V at 0.4 A cm⁻² in 30 wt.% KOH at 80 °C, surpassing recent reports. The achievements suggest an exciting multifunctional electrocatalyst for electrochemical energy applications.     

The so-called congenital trigger digit: further experience

The authors reviewed 53 patients with 70 congenital trigger digits. Three of these were seen at an early age. Most "congenital" trigger digits present later than the neonatal period. A clear difference exists between trigger thumbs and trigger fingers. In our series, thumbs were more frequently affected, 30% were bilateral and none resolved spontaneously. The long fingers were less frequently affected, and two of them (28%) recovered without operation. All other children had an operative release of the A1 pulley of the flexor tendon sheath, with excellent results.     

Wave Groups in Uni-Directional Surface-Wave Models

Uni-directional wave models are used to study wave groups that appear in wave tanks of hydrodynamic laboratories; characteristic for waves in such tanks is that the wave length is rather small, comparable to the depth of the layer. In second-order theory, the resulting Nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation for the envelope of the wave group contains the dispersion of the group velocity multiplying the linear term and a gen-coefficient that results from mode generation multiplying the nonlinear term. The signs of these coefficients determine whether experimentally relevant wave groups are possible or not. If the dispersion is modelled in such a way that it is correct for all wave lengths for infinitesimal waves, relevant wave groups are obtained consisting of constituent waves with a certain maximal wave length; other models for the dispersion (such as in the KdV-equation) lead to different results.