Metagenomic Insight Reveals the Microbial Structure and Function of the Full-Scale Coking Wastewater Treatment System:Gene-Based Nitrogen Removal

Microbial communities play crucial roles in pollutant removal and system stability in biological systems for coking wastewater(CWW)treatment,but a comprehensive understanding of their structure and functions is still lacking.A five month survey of four sequential bioreactors,anoxic 1/oxic 1/anoxic 2/oxic 2(A1/O1/A2/O2),was carried out in a full-scale CWW treatment system in China to elucidate operational performance and microbial ecology.The results showed that A1/O1/A2/O2 had excellent and stable performance for nitrogen removal.Both total nitrogen(TN;(17.38±6.89)mgL1)and ammonium-nitrogen(NH4 t-N;(2.10±1.34)mg·L^(-1))in the final biological effluent satisfied the Chinese national standards for CWW.Integrated analysis of 16S ribosome RNA(rRNA)sequencing and metagenomic sequencing showed that the bacterial communities and metagenomic function profiles of A1 and O1 shared similar functional structures,while those of A2 significantly varied from those of other bioreactors(p<0.05).The results indicated that microbial activity was strongly connected with activated sludge function.Nitrosospira,Nitrosomonas,and SM1A02 were responsible for nitrification during the primary anoxic-oxic(AO)stage and Azoarcus and Thauera acted as important denitrifiers in A2.Nitrogen cycling-related enzymes and genes work in the A1/O1/A2/O2 system.Moreover,the hao genes catalyzing hydroxylamine dehydrogenase(EC 1.7.2.6)and the napA and napB genes catalyzing nitrate reductase(EC 1.9.6.1)played important roles in the nitrification and denitrification processes in the primary and secondary AO stages,respectively.The mixed liquor suspended solids(MLSS)/total solids(TS),TN removal rate(RR),total organic carbon(TOC)(RR),and NH_(4)^(+)t-N(RR)were the most important environmental factors for regulating the structure of core bacterial genera and nitrogen-cycling genes.Proteobacteria were the potential main participants in nitrogen metabolism in the A1/O1/A2/O2 system for CWW treatment.This study provides an original and comprehensive understanding of the microbial community and functions at the gene level,which is crucial for the efficient and stable operation of the full-scale biological process for CWW treatment.

Resistance of full-scale beams against close-in explosions.Numerical modeling and field tests

This paper explores the performances of a finite element simulation including four concrete models applied to a full-scale reinforced concrete beam subjected to blast loading. Field test data has been used to compare model results for each case. The numerical modelling has been, carried out using the suitable code LS-DYNA. This code integrates blast load routine(CONWEP) for the explosive description and four different material models for the concrete including: Karagozian & Case Concrete, Winfrith, Continuous Surface Cap Model and Riedel-Hiermaier-Thoma models, with concrete meshing based on 10, 15, and 20 mm. Six full-scale beams were tested: four of them used for the initial calibration of the numerical model and two more tests at lower scaled distances. For calibration, field data obtained employing pressure and accelerometers transducers were compared with the results derived from the numerical simulation. Damage surfaces and the shape of rupture in the beams have been used as references for comparison. Influence of the meshing on accelerations has been put in evidence and for some models the shape and size of the damage in the beams produced maximum differences around 15%. In all cases, the variations between material and mesh models are shown and discussed.

Full-Scale Isogeometric Topology Optimization of Cellular Structures Based on Kirchhoff-Love Shells

Cellular thin-shell structures are widely applied in ultralightweight designs due to their high bearing capacity and strength-to-weight ratio.In this paper,a full-scale isogeometric topology optimization(ITO)method based on Kirchhoff-Love shells for designing cellular tshin-shell structures with excellent damage tolerance ability is proposed.This method utilizes high-order continuous nonuniform rational B-splines(NURBS)as basis functions for Kirchhoff-Love shell elements.The geometric and analysis models of thin shells are unified by isogeometric analysis(IGA)to avoid geometric approximation error and improve computational accuracy.The topological configurations of thin-shell structures are described by constructing the effective density field on the controlmesh.Local volume constraints are imposed in the proximity of each control point to obtain bone-like cellular structures.To facilitate numerical implementation,the p-norm function is used to aggregate local volume constraints into an equivalent global constraint.Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.After simulation and comparative analysis,the results indicate that the cellular thin-shell structures optimized by the proposed method exhibit great load-carrying behavior and high damage robustness.

A New Device for Gas-Liquid Flow Measurements Relying on Forced Annular Flow

A new measurement device,consisting of swirling blades and capsule-shaped throttling elements,is proposed in this study to eliminate typical measurement errors caused by complex flow patterns in gas-liquid flow.The swirling blades are used to transform the complex flow pattern into a forced annular flow.Drawing on the research of existing blockage flow meters and also exploiting the single-phase flow measurement theory,a formula is introduced to measure the phase-separated flow of gas and liquid.The formula requires the pressure ratio,Lockhart-Martinelli number(L-M number),and the gas phase Froude number.The unknown parameters appearing in the formula are fitted through numerical simulation using computational fluid dynamics(CFD),which involves a comprehensive analysis of the flow field inside the device from multiple perspectives,and takes into account the influence of pressure fluctuations.Finally,the measurement model is validated through an experimental error analysis.The results demonstrate that the measurement error can be maintained within±8%for various flow patterns,including stratified flow,bubble flow,and wave flow.

Behavior of transporting pipeline sections without and with hydrogen exposure based on full-scale tests

Pipeline transport of hydrogen is one of today’s economic and environmental challenges.In order to find safe and reliable application of both existing gas and build new pipelines,it is essential to carry out tests on full-scale pipeline section,including the potentially more dangerous places than the main pipe,the girth welds.For the investigations,pipeline sections of P355NH steel with girth welds were prepared and exposed to pure hydrogen at twice the maximum allowable operating pressure for 41 days.Subsequently,full-scale burst tests were carried out and specimens were cut and prepared from the typical locations of the failed pipeline sections for mechanical,and macro-and microstructural investigations.The results obtained were evaluated and compared with data from previous full-scale tests on pipeline sections without hydrogen exposure.The results showed differences in the behavior of pipeline sections loaded in different ways,with different characteristics of the materials and the welded joints,both in the cases without hydrogen exposure and in the cases exposed to hydrogen.

A seismic elastic moduli module for the measurements of low-frequency wave dispersion and attenuation of fluid-saturated rocks under different pressures

Knowledge about the seismic elastic modulus dispersion,and associated attenuation,in fluid-saturated rocks is essential for better interpretation of seismic observations taken as part of hydrocarbon identification and time-lapse seismic surveillance of both conventional and unconventional reservoir and overburden performances.A Seismic Elastic Moduli Module has been developed,based on the forced-oscillations method,to experimentally investigate the frequency dependence of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio,as well as the inferred attenuation,of cylindrical samples under different confining pressure conditions.Calibration with three standard samples showed that the measured elastic moduli were consistent with the published data,indicating that the new apparatus can operate reliably over a wide frequency range of f∈[1-2000,10^(6)]Hz.The Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of the shale and the tight sandstone samples were measured under axial stress oscillations to assess the frequency-and pressure-dependent effects.Under dry condition,both samples appear to be nearly frequency independent,with weak pressure dependence for the shale and significant pressure dependence for the sandstone.In particular,it was found that the tight sandstone with complex pore microstructure exhibited apparent dispersion and attenuation under brine or glycerin saturation conditions,the levels of which were strongly influenced by the increased effective pressure.In addition,the measured Young's moduli results were compared with the theoretical predictions from a scaled poroelastic model with a reasonably good agreement,revealing that the combined fluid flow mechanisms at both mesoscopic and microscopic scales possibly responsible for the measured dispersion.

Quantum block coherence with respect to projective measurements

Quantum coherence serves as a defining characteristic of quantum mechanics,finding extensive applications in quantum computing and quantum communication processing.This study explores quantum block coherence in the context of projective measurements,focusing on the quantification of such coherence.Firstly,we define the correlation function between the two general projective measurements P and Q,and analyze the connection between sets of block incoherent states related to two compatible projective measurements P and Q.Secondly,we discuss the measure of quantum block coherence with respect to projective measurements.Based on a given measure of quantum block coherence,we characterize the existence of maximal block coherent states through projective measurements.This research integrates the compatibility of projective measurements with the framework of quantum block coherence,contributing to the advancement of block coherence measurement theory.

Statistical Channel Modeling for Indoor VLC Communications Based on Channel Measurements

Visible light communication(VLC)has attracted much attention in the research of sixthgeneration(6G)systems.Furthermore,channel modeling is the foundation for designing efficient and robust VLC systems.In this paper,we present extensive VLC channel measurement campaigns in indoor environments,i.e.,an office and a corridor.Based on the measured data,the large-scale fading characteristics and multipath-related characteristics,including omnidirectional optical path loss(OPL),K-factor,power angular spectrum(PAS),angle spread(AS),and clustering characteristics,are analyzed and modeled through a statistical method.Based on the extracted statistics of the above-mentioned channel characteristics,we propose a statistical spatial channel model(SSCM)capable of modeling multipath in the spatial domain.Furthermore,the simulated statistics of the proposed model are compared with the measured statistics.For instance,in the office,the simulated path loss exponent(PLE)and the measured PLE are 1.96and 1.97,respectively.And,the simulated medians of AS and measured medians of AS are 25.94°and 24.84°,respectively.Generally,the fact that the simulated results fit well with measured results has demonstrated the accuracy of our SSCM.

Non-Kramers doublet ground state in a quaternary cubic compound PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18) investigated by ultrasonic measurements

We performed ultrasonic measurements on a quaternary cubic compound PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18) to explore the ground state properties derived from non-Kramers Γ_(3) doublet of Pr^(3+).PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18) is a quaternary derivative of the ternary compound PrRu_(2)Zn_(20) that exhibits a structural phase transition at T_S=138 K.In PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18),the Zn atoms at the 16c site in PrRu_(2)Zn_(20) are selectively replaced by In atoms.A monotonic increase was observed in the temperature dependence of elastic constants C_L=(C_(11)+2C_(12)+4C_(44))/3 and C_(T)=(C_(11)-C_(12)+C_(44))/3 in the temperature range around T_(S) to which an elastic softening was observed in(C_(11)-C_(12))/2 for PrRu_(2)Zn_(20).The disappearance of the softening indicates that the structural transition in PrRu_(2)Zn_(20) is suppressed by the substitution of Zn ions by In ones with a larger ionic radius.Alternatively,the C_(T) of PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18) exhibits a precursor Curie-type elastic softening toward low temperatures being responsible for the non-Kramers Γ_(3) ground state.We discuss the ground state and the evolution of the elastic properties of the different single-crystal samples of PrRu_(2)In_(2)Zn_(18) grown under different conditions.

Inter-comparison of field snow measurements using different instruments in Türkiye

Snow is important in Türkiye especially in the mountainous eastern areas where it may stay on the ground for more than half of the year.This region plays a vital role in feeding the water resources of the trans-boundary Euphrates-Tigris Basin,supporting crucial dams for water supply,irrigation and energy production.Thus,easy,frequent,correct and economical ways of measuring the snowpack is crucial.The snow properties at specific locations in the mountainous eastern regions over the two snow seasons(2018 and 2019)were studied by using different instruments and techniques,snow pit(box/cylinder/wedge cutter types),snow tube(Federal Sampler)and SnoTel(Snowpack Analyzer).The results point out a 1.7%-7.1%variation between different cutter type snow density measurements within snow pit analysis and the long-term utilized snow tube observations show a closer relation to box/cylinder type cutters.As for the continuous SnoTel observations,a variation of 2.4%-9.8%with various cutter types and a 5.9%difference regarding the snow tube density results are detected.These findings indicate a close range among different instruments,but it is the best when all three systems complement each other to characterize the snowpack effectively in the complex terrain since each has its own advantages.

Investigations of the mechanical response of dummy HTPB propellant grain under ultrahigh acceleration overload conditions using onboard flight-test measurements

In this paper,to study the mechanical responses of a solid propellant subjected to ultrahigh acceleration overload during the gun-launch process,specifically designed projectile flight tests with an onboard measurement system were performed.Two projectiles containing dummy HTPB propellant grains were successfully recovered after the flight tests with an ultrahigh acceleration overload value of 8100 g.The onboard-measured time-resolved axial displacement,contact stress and overload values were successfully obtained and analysed.Uniaxial compression tests of the dummy HTPB propellant used in the gunlaunched tests were carried out at low and intermediate strain rates to characterize the propellant's dynamic properties.A linear viscoelastic constitutive model was employed and applied in finite-element simulations of the projectile-launching process.During the launch process,the dummy propellant grain exhibited large deformation due to the high acceleration overload,possibly leading to friction between the motor case and propellant grain.The calculated contact stress showed good agreement with the experimental results,though discrepancies in the overall displacement of the dummy propellant grain were observed.The dynamic mechanical response process of the dummy propellant grain was analysed in detail.The results can be used to estimate the structural integrity of the analysed dummy propellant grain during the gun-launch process.

Protected simultaneous quantum remote state preparation scheme by weak and reversal measurements in noisy environments

We discuss a quantum remote state preparation protocol by which two parties, Alice and Candy, prepare a single-qubit and a two-qubit state, respectively, at the site of the receiver Bob. The single-qubit state is known to Alice while the two-qubit state which is a non-maximally entangled Bell state is known to Candy. The three parties are connected through a single entangled state which acts as a quantum channel. We first describe the protocol in the ideal case when the entangled channel under use is in a pure state. After that, we consider the effect of amplitude damping(AD) noise on the quantum channel and describe the protocol executed through the noisy channel. The decrement of the fidelity is shown to occur with the increment in the noise parameter. This is shown by numerical computation in specific examples of the states to be created. Finally, we show that it is possible to maintain the label of fidelity to some extent and hence to decrease the effect of noise by the application of weak and reversal measurements. We also present a scheme for the generation of the five-qubit entangled resource which we require as a quantum channel. The generation scheme is run on the IBMQ platform.

Correlation between the rock mass properties and maximum horizontal stress:A case study of overcoring stress measurements

Understanding the mechanical properties of the lithologies is crucial to accurately determine the horizontal stress magnitude.To investigate the correlation between the rock mass properties and maximum horizontal stress,the three-dimensional(3D)stress tensors at 89 measuring points determined using an improved overcoring technique in nine mines in China were adopted,a newly defined characteristic parameter C_(ERP)was proposed as an indicator for evaluating the structural properties of rock masses,and a fuzzy relation matrix was established using the information distribution method.The results indicate that both the vertical stress and horizontal stress exhibit a good linear growth relationship with depth.There is no remarkable correlation between the elastic modulus,Poisson's ratio and depth,and the distribution of data points is scattered and messy.Moreover,there is no obvious relationship between the rock quality designation(RQD)and depth.The maximum horizontal stress σ_(H) is a function of rock properties,showing a certain linear relationship with the C_(ERP)at the same depth.In addition,the overall change trend of σ_(H) determined by the established fuzzy identification method is to increase with the increase of C_(ERP).The fuzzy identification method also demonstrates a relatively detailed local relationship betweenσ_H and C_(ERP),and the predicted curve rises in a fluctuating way,which is in accord well with the measured stress data.

Direct Pointwise Comparison of FE Predictions to StereoDIC Measurements:Developments and Validation Using Double Edge-Notched Tensile Specimen

To compare finite element analysis(FEA)predictions and stereovision digital image correlation(StereoDIC)strain measurements at the same spatial positions throughout a region of interest,a field comparison procedure is developed.The procedure includes(a)conversion of the finite element data into a triangular mesh,(b)selection of a common coordinate system,(c)determination of the rigid body transformation to place both measurements and FEA data in the same system and(d)interpolation of the FEA nodal information to the same spatial locations as the StereoDIC measurements using barycentric coordinates.For an aluminum Al-6061 double edge notched tensile specimen,FEA results are obtained using both the von Mises isotropic yield criterion and Hill’s quadratic anisotropic yield criterion,with the unknown Hill model parameters determined using full-field specimen strain measurements for the nominally plane stress specimen.Using Hill’s quadratic anisotropic yield criterion,the point-by-point comparison of experimentally based full-field strains and stresses to finite element predictions are shown to be in excellent agreement,confirming the effectiveness of the field comparison process.

HIPPO artificial intelligence:Correlating automated radiographic femoroacetabular measurements with patient-reported outcomes in developmental hip dysplasia

BACKGROUND Hip dysplasia(HD)is characterized by insufficient acetabular coverage of the femoral head,leading to a predisposition for osteoarthritis.While radiographic measurements such as the lateral center edge angle(LCEA)and Tönnis angle are essential in evaluating HD severity,patient-reported outcome measures(PROMs)offer insights into the subjective health impact on patients.AIM To investigate the correlations between machine-learning automated and manual radiographic measurements of HD and PROMs with the hypothesis that artificial intelligence(AI)-generated HD measurements indicating less severe dysplasia correlate with better PROMs.METHODS Retrospective study evaluating 256 hips from 130 HD patients from a hip preservation clinic database.Manual and AI-derived radiographic measurements were collected and PROMs such as the Harris hip score(HHS),international hip outcome tool(iHOT-12),short form(SF)12(SF-12),and Visual Analogue Scale of the European Quality of Life Group survey were correlated using Spearman's rank-order correlation.RESULTS The median patient age was 28.6 years(range 15.7-62.3 years)with 82.3%of patients being women and 17.7%being men.The median interpretation time for manual readers and AI ranged between 4-12 minutes per patient and 31 seconds,respectively.Manual measurements exhibited weak correlations with HHS,including LCEA(r=0.18)and Tönnis angle(r=-0.24).AI-derived metrics showed similar weak correlations,with the most significant being Caput-Collum-Diaphyseal(CCD)with iHOT-12 at r=-0.25(P=0.042)and CCD with SF-12 at r=0.25(P=0.048).Other measured correlations were not significant(P>0.05).CONCLUSION This study suggests AI can aid in HD assessment,but weak PROM correlations highlight their continued importance in predicting subjective health and outcomes,complementing AI-derived measurements in HD management.

Comparison between ozonesonde measurements and satellite retrievals over Beijing,China

从2013年开始,作者团队使用自主研发电化学原理臭氧探空仪在华北平原北京地区进行每周一次观测.本研究首次使用2013-2019年期间北京地区臭氧探空数据评估Aqua卫星搭载大气红外探测仪(AIRS)和Aura卫星搭载微波临边探测器(MLS)反演垂直臭氧廓线,并对比臭氧探空,AIRS和Aura卫星搭载臭氧监测仪(OMI)臭氧柱总量结果.尽管臭氧探空与卫星反演垂直臭氧廓线在局部高度处差异较大,但整体来说两者较为接近(相对偏差大多<10%).臭氧探空,AIRS和OMI三种仪器测量臭氧柱总量的年变化特征较为一致,其年均臭氧柱总量分别为351.8±18.4 DU,348.8±19.5 DU和336.9±14.2 DU.后续对国内多站点观测数据分析将有助于进一步理解臭氧探空与卫星反演臭氧资料在不同区域的一致性.

Full-Scale Numerical Simulation of the Local Scour Under Combined Current and Wave Conditions Based on Field Data

The monopile is the most common foundation to support offshore wind turbines.In the marine environment,local scour due to combined currents and waves is a significant issue that must be considered in the design of wind turbine foundations.In this paper,a full-scale numerical model was developed and validated based on field data from Rudong,China.The scour development around monopiles was investigated,and the effects of waves and the Reynolds number Re were analyzed.Several formulas for predicting the scour depth in the literature have been evaluated.It is found that waves can accelerate scour development even if the KC number is small(0.78<KC<1.57).The formula obtained from small-scale model tests may be unsafe or wasteful when it is applied in practical design due to the scale effect.A new equation for predicting the scour depth based on the average pile Reynolds number(Rea)is proposed and validated with field data.The equilibrium scour depth predicted using the proposed equation is evaluated and compared with those from nine equations in the literature.It is demonstrated that the values predicted from the proposed equation and from the S/M(Sheppard/Melville)equation are closer to the field data.

A Full-Scale Optimization of a Crop Spatial Planting Structure and its Associated Effects

Driven by the concept of agricultural sustainable development,crop planting structure optimization(CPSO)has become an effective measure to reduce regional crop water demand,ensure food security,and protect the environment.However,traditional optimization of crop planting structures often ignores the impact on regional food supply–demand relations and interprovincial food trading.Therefore,using a system analysis concept and taking virtual water output as the connecting point,this study proposes a theoretical CPSO framework based on a multi-aspect and full-scale evaluation index system.To this end,a water footprint(WF)simulation module denoted as soil and water assessment tool–water footprint(SWAT-WF)is constructed to simulate the amount and components of regional crop WFs.A multi-objective spatial CPSO model with the objectives of maximizing the regional economic water productivity(EWP),minimizing the blue water dependency(BWFrate),and minimizing the grey water footprint(GWFgrey)is established to achieve an optimal planting layout.Considering various benefits,a fullscale evaluation index system based on region,province,and country scales is constructed.Through an entropy weight technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution(TOPSIS)comprehensive evaluation model,the optimal plan is selected from a variety of CPSO plans.The proposed framework is then verified through a case study of the upper–middle reaches of the Heihe River Basin in Gansu province,China.By combining the theory of virtual water trading with system analysis,the optimal planting structure is found.While sacrificing reasonable regional economic benefits,the optimization of the planting structure significantly improves the regional water resource benefits and ecological benefits at different scales.

Vibrations induced by tunnel boring machine in urban areas: In situ measurements and methodology of analysis

Excavation with tunnel boring machine(TBM)can generate vibrations,causing damages to neighbouring buildings and disturbing the residents or the equipment.This problem is particularly challenging in urban areas,where TBMs are increasingly large in diameter and shallow in depth.In response to this problem,four experimental campaigns were carried out in different geotechnical contexts in France.The vibration measurements were acquired on the surface and inside the TBMs.These measurements are also complemented by few data in the literature.An original methodology of signal processing is pro-posed to characterize the amplitude of the particle velocities,as well as the frequency content of the signals to highlight the most energetic bands.The levels of vibrations are also compared with the thresholds existing in various European regulations concerning the impact on neighbouring structures and the disturbance to local residents.

Drilling-based measuring method for the c-φ parameter of rock and its field application

The technology of drilling tests makes it possible to obtain the strength parameter of rock accurately in situ. In this paper, a new rock cutting analysis model that considers the influence of the rock crushing zone(RCZ) is built. The formula for an ultimate cutting force is established based on the limit equilibrium principle. The relationship between digital drilling parameters(DDP) and the c-φ parameter(DDP-cφ formula, where c refers to the cohesion and φ refers to the internal friction angle) is derived, and the response of drilling parameters and cutting ratio to the strength parameters is analyzed. The drillingbased measuring method for the c-φ parameter of rock is constructed. The laboratory verification test is then completed, and the difference in results between the drilling test and the compression test is less than 6%. On this basis, in-situ rock drilling tests in a traffic tunnel and a coal mine roadway are carried out, and the strength parameters of the surrounding rock are effectively tested. The average difference ratio of the results is less than 11%, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method for obtaining the strength parameters based on digital drilling. This study provides methodological support for field testing of rock strength parameters.