Coupled analysis of bifurcation and shear band in saturated soils

The focus of this study is the analysis of the onset of a shear band in saturated soils under biaxial stress conditions taking into account bifurcation in both pore pressure and soil skeleton. By considering the saturated soil as a two-phase medium, the inhomogeneous displacement and pore pressure fields are assumed to be nonlinear and satisfy the continuity conditions of displacements, displacement gradients and excess pore pressure on the boundaries of the band. It is shown that bifurcation may take place in loose, contractive soils in the form of two-phase diffuse mode or localized mode of soil skeleton deformation. For low permeability saturated soils, the onset of a shear band occurs at peak friction, with the shear band parallel to Coulomb's failure plane. Numerical examples using a simple stress–strain model are given to demonstrate the occurrence of the onset of a shear band and its inclination, as a function of the void ratio and the initial consolidation pressure.     

Impact of polymer flocculants on coagulation-microfiltration of surface water

Organic polymers are widely used as flocculants in pretreatment for microfiltration. However, their impact on microfiltration system performance was not well understood. In this study, the effects of three types of polymer flocculants on microfiltration permeate water quality and membrane fouling were evaluated using a hollow fiber membrane under two different operation modes, coagulation/flocculation-sedimentation-microfiltration (CFSM) and coagulation/flocculation-microfiltration (CFM). Interestingly, the effect of polymers on membrane fouling did not appear to reflect their impact on dissolved organic matter content or floc particle properties in the membrane feed water. The addition of polymer flocculants resulted in floc particles of larger size and smaller fractal dimension and slightly enhanced the removal of dissolved organic matter, both of which were expected to reduce membrane fouling. However, it significantly aggravated membrane fouling in all cases except when the positively charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride was used in the CFSM process. In particular, all polymers greatly increased hydraulically irreversible fouling in the CFM mode. The increased fouling in the CFSM mode is attributed to the residual polymer, while that in the CFM mode is attributed to the enhanced irreversible floc particle attachment on the membrane surface. Considering the potential severe membrane fouling and the small improvement in treated water quality when polymers are used, the application of polymers in microfiltration pretreatment needs to be carefully evaluated.     

Apatite accumulation enhances the mechanical property of anammox granules

The strength of granular sludge is essential for the mechanical stability of the granules. Inorganic precipitants form a major factor influencing the strength of the granules. To check the possibility of apatite accumulation in anammox granules, and study its contribution to the mechanical strength of granules, anammox granular sludge was collected from Dokhaven municipal wastewater treatment plant, the Netherlands. Mineral precipitation inside the granules was visualized by micro-computed tomography, and apatite was identified by electron probe microanalysis and X-ray powder diffraction. The mechanical strength of anammox granules was measured by a low load compression tester. The contribution of apatite to the mechanical strength was evaluated by the generalized Maxwell model. Ca–PO₄ minerals are reported to accumulate in anammox granules. A transformation of Ca–PO₄ happens, and apatite is the final stable form. The accumulation of apatite increases the mechanical strength of anammox granules. A fast method to monitor and evaluate the accumulation of minerals in anammox granules was proposed.     

A randomized double‐blind crossover study of indoor air filtration and acute changes in cardiorespiratory health in a First Nations community

Few studies have examined indoor air quality in First Nations communities and its impact on cardiorespiratory health. To address this need, we conducted a crossover study on a First Nations reserve in Manitoba, Canada, including 37 residents in 20 homes. Each home received an electrostatic air filter and a placebo filter for 1 week in random order, and lung function, blood pressure, and endothelial function measures were collected at the beginning and end of each week. Indoor air pollutants were monitored throughout the study period. Indoor PM_2.5 decreased substantially during air filter weeks relative to placebo (mean difference: 37 μg/m³, 95% CI: 10, 64) but remained approximately five times greater than outdoor concentrations owing to a high prevalence of indoor smoking. On average, air filter use was associated with a 217‐ml (95% CI: 23, 410) increase in forced expiratory volume in 1 s, a 7.9‐mm Hg (95% CI: ?17, 0.82) decrease in systolic blood pressure, and a 4.5‐mm Hg (95% CI: ?11, 2.4) decrease in diastolic blood pressure. Consistent inverse associations were also observed between indoor PM_2.5 and lung function. In general, our findings suggest that reducing indoor PM_2.5 may contribute to improved lung function in First Nations communities.     

nvPM采样输运系统损失因子计算与改进研究

航空发动机排放的非挥发性颗粒物(nvPM)是大气污染的重要来源之一,对人体健康会造成一定的影响.在采样测量过程中会有一定量的损失,为能够更便捷高效地计算排放损失校正因子,该文结合CFM56-7B26/3型发动机排放数据和美国汽车工程师协会(SAE)排放测量校正因子建议标准改变计算流程,开发出一套计算工具.结果显示,新计...     

Human iPSC-Derived Astrocytes: A Powerful Tool to Study Primary Astrocyte Dysfunction in the Pathogenesis of Rare Leukodystrophies

Astrocytes are very versatile cells, endowed with multitasking capacities to ensure brain homeostasis maintenance from brain development to adult life. It has become increasingly evident that astrocytes play a central role in many central nervous system pathologies, not only as regulators of defensive responses against brain insults but also as primary culprits of the disease onset and progression. This is particularly evident in some rare leukodystrophies (LDs) where white matter/myelin deterioration is due to primary astrocyte dysfunctions. Understanding the molecular defects causing these LDs may help clarify astrocyte contribution to myelin formation/maintenance and favor the identification of possible therapeutic targets for LDs and other CNS demyelinating diseases. To date, the pathogenic mechanisms of these LDs are poorly known due to the rarity of the pathological tissue and the failure of the animal models to fully recapitulate the human diseases. Thus, the development of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) from patient fibroblasts and their differentiation into astrocytes is a promising approach to overcome these issues. In this review, we discuss the primary role of astrocytes in LD pathogenesis, the experimental models currently available and the advantages, future evolutions, perspectives, and limitations of hiPSC to study pathologies implying astrocyte dysfunctions.     

生活废水处理新方法的研究

采用微波辐射技术,建立了生活废水的处理工艺,以颗粒活性炭为催化剂,考察了活性炭用量,微波辐射功率,微波辐射时间等因素对处理效果的影响。结果表明,2 g活性炭处理50 mL的浓度为50 mg/mL的溶液时,在微波辐射功率为800 W,反应时间6.5 min时,可以得到最佳的去除效果。     

膜生物反应器用于微污染地表水处理的中试研究

引言 地表水作为主要的饮用水源水,其日益严重的污染问题给传统的水处理工艺带来巨大挑战.将膜生物反应器(MBR)应用于微污染水处理,进行饮用水制备是解决上述问题的一项新技术[1].向MBR内投加粉末活性炭(PAC)所形成的MBR-PAC组合工艺集物理吸附、生物净化和膜分离于一体,具有良好的污染物去除能力.目前,将MBR作为微污染水处理主体工艺的研究并不多见.香港大学的李晓岩等[2]研究证实MBR组合工艺处理微污染水效果良好.清华大学的莫罹等[3]也进行了类似的研究.但均限于小试试验,并且对相应的膜污染问题关注不多.     

Lipid biophysics and/or soft matter-inspired approach for controlling enveloped virus infectivity

Proven as a natural barrier against viral infection, pulmonary surfactant phospholipids have a biophysical and immunological role within the respiratory system, acting against microorganisms including viruses. Enveloped viruses have, in common, an outer bilayer membrane that forms the underlying structure for viral membrane proteins to function in an optimal way to ensure infectivity. Perturbating the membrane of viruses using exogenous lipids can be envisioned as a generic way to reduce their infectivity. In this context, the potential of exogenous lipids to be used against enveloped virus infectivity would be indicated by the resulting physical stress imposed to the viral membrane, and conical lipids, i.e. lyso-lipids, would be expected to generate stronger biophysical disturbances. We confirm that when treated with lyso-lipids the infectivity three strains of influenza virus (avian H2N3, equine H3N8 or pandemic human influenza H1N1) is reduced by up to 99% in a cell-based model. By contrast, lipids with a similar head group but two aliphatic chains were less effective (reducing infection by only 40–50%). This work opens a new path to merge concepts from different research fields, i.e. ‘soft matter physics'' and virology.