Coupled bio-chemo-hydro-mechanical modeling of microbially induced calcite precipitation process considering biomass encapsulation using a micro-scale relationship

Geomaterials with inferior hydraulic and strength characteristics often need improvement to enhance their engineering behaviors.Traditional ground improvement techniques require enormous mechanical effort or synthetic chemicals.Sustainable stabilization technique such as microbially induced calcite precipitation(MICP)utilizes bacterial metabolic processes to precipitate cementitious calcium carbonate.The reactive transport of biochemical species in the soil mass initiates the precipitation of biocement during the MICP process.The precipitated biocement alters the hydro-mechanical performance of the soil mass.Usually,the flow,deformation,and transport phenomena regulate the biocementation technique via coupled bio-chemo-hydro-mechanical(BCHM)processes.Among all,one crucial phenomenon controlling the precipitation mechanism is the encapsulation of biomass by calcium carbonate.Biomass encapsulation can potentially reduce the biochemical reaction rate and decelerate biocementation.Laboratory examination of the encapsulation process demands a thorough analysis of associated coupled effects.Despite this,a numerical model can assist in capturing the coupled processes influencing encapsulation during the MICP treatment.However,most numerical models did not consider biochemical reaction rate kinetics accounting for the influence of bacterial encapsulation.Given this,the current study developed a coupled BCHM model to evaluate the effect of encapsulation on the precipitated calcite content using a micro-scale semiempirical relationship.Firstly,the developed BCHM model was verified and validated using numerical and experimental observations of soil column tests.Later,the encapsulation phenomenon was investigated in the soil columns of variable maximum calcite crystal sizes.The results depict altered reaction rates due to the encapsulation phenomenon and an observable change in the precipitated calcite content for each maximum crystal size.Furthermore,the permeability and deformation of the soil mass were affected by the simultaneous precipitation of calcium carbonate.Overall,the present study comprehended the influence of the encapsulation of bacteria on cement morphology-induced permeability,biocement-induced stresses and displacements.

Analysis of the electron transfer pathway in small laccase by EPR and UV-vis spectroscopy coupled with redox titration

Bacterial small laccases(SLAC) are promising industrial biocatalysts due to their ability to oxidize a broad range of substrates with exceptional thermostability and tolerance for alkaline p H. Electron transfer between substrate, copper centers, and O2is one of the key steps in the catalytic turnover of SLAC. However, limited research has been conducted on the electron transfer pathway of SLAC and SLAC-catalyzed reactions, hindering further engineering of SLAC to produce tunable biocatalysts for novel applications. Herein, the combinational use of electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR) and ultraviolet-visible(UV-vis) spectroscopic methods coupled with redox titration were employed to monitor the electron transfer processes and obtain further insights into the electron transfer pathway in SLAC. The reduction potentials for type 1 copper(T1Cu), type 2 copper(T2Cu) and type 3copper(T3Cu) were determined to be 367 ± 2 mV, 378 ± 5 m V and 403 ± 2 mV,respectively. Moreover, the reduction potential of a selected substrate of SLAC, hydroquinone(HQ), was determined to be 288 mV using cyclic voltammetry(CV). In this way, an electron transfer pathway was identified based on the reduction potentials. Specifically,electrons are transferred from HQ to T1Cu, then to T2Cu and T3Cu, and finally to O2.Furthermore, superhyperfine splitting observed via EPR during redox titration indicated a modification in the covalency of T2Cu upon electron uptake, suggesting a conformational alteration in the protein environment surrounding the copper sites, which could potentially influence the reduction potential of the copper sites during catalytic processes. The results presented here not only provide a comprehensive method for analyzing the electron transfer pathway in metalloenzymes through reduction potential measurements, but also offer valuable insights for further engineering and directed evolution studies of SLAC in the aim for biotechnological and industrial applications.

Numerical Analysis of a Spiral-groove Dry-gas Seal Considering Micro-scale Effects

A dry-gas seal system is a non-contact seal technology that is widely used in different industrial applications.Spiral-groove dry-gas seal utilizes fluid dynamic pressure effects to realize the seal and lubrication processes,while forming a high pressure gas film between two sealing faces due to the deceleration of the gas pumped in or out.There is little research into the effects and the influence on seal performance,if the grooves and the gas film are at the micro-scale.This paper investigates the micro-scale effects on spiral-groove dry-gas seal performance in a numerical solution of a corrected Reynolds equation.The Reynolds equation is discretized by means of the finite difference method with the second order scheme and solved by the successive-over-relaxation（SOR） iterative method.The Knudsen number of the flow in the sealing gas film is changed from 0.005 to 0.120 with a variation of film depth and sealing pressure.The numerical results show that the average pressure in the gas film and the sealed gas leakage increase due to micro-scale effects.The open force is enlarged,while the gas film stiffness is significantly decreased due to micro-scale effects.The friction torque and power consumption remain constant,even in low sealing pressure and spin speed conditions.In this paper,the seal performance at different rotor face spin speeds is also described.The proposed research clarifies the micro-scale effects in a spiral-groove dry-gas seal and their influence on seal performance,which is expected to be useful for the improvement of the design of dry-gas seal systems operating in the slip flow regime.

Discharge characteristics of a needle-to-plate electrode at a micro-scale gap

To understand the discharge characteristics under a gap of micrometers,the breakdown voltage and current–voltage curve are measured experimentally in a needle-to-plate electrode at a microscale gap of 3–50 μm in air.The effect of the needle radius and the gas pressure on the discharge characteristics are tested.The results show that when the gap is larger than 10 μm,the relation between the breakdown voltage and the gap looks like the Paschen curve;while below 10 μm,the breakdown voltage is nearly constant in the range of the tested gap.However,at the same gap distance,the breakdown voltage is still affected by the pressure and shows a trend similar to Paschen＇s law.The current–voltage characteristic in all the gaps is similar and follows the trend of a typical Townsend-to-glow discharge.A simple model is used to explain the non-normality of breakdown in the micro-gaps.The Townsend mechanism is suggested to control the breakdown process in this configuration before the gap reduces much smaller in air.

Recent Advances in Computational Simulation of Macro-,Meso-,and Micro-Scale Biomimetics Related Fluid Flow Problems

Over the last decade, computational methods have been intensively applied to a variety of scientific researches and engineering designs. Although the computational fluid dynamics （CFD） method has played a dominant role in studying and simulating transport phenomena involving fluid flow and heat and mass transfers, in recent years, other numerical methods for the simulations at meso- and micro-scales have also been actively applied to solve the physics of complex flow and fluid-interface interactions. This paper presents a review of recent advances in multi-scale computational simulation of biomimetics related fluid flow problems. The state-of-the-art numerical techniques, such as lattice Boltzmann method （LBM）, molecular dynamics （MD）, and conventional CFD, applied to different problems such as fish flow, electro-osmosis effect of earthworm motion, and self-cleaning hydrophobic surface, and the numerical approaches are introduced. The new challenging of modelling biomimetics problems in developing the physical conditions of self-clean hydrophobic surfaces is discussed.

Thermoelastic vibration analysis of micro-scale functionally graded material fluid-conveying pipes in elastic medium

Micro-scale functionally graded material(FGM)pipes conveying fluid have many significant applications in engineering fields.In this work,the thermoelastic vibration of FGM fluid-conveying tubes in elastic medium is studied.Based on modified couple stress theory and Hamilton’s principle,the governing equation and boundary conditions are obtained.The differential quadrature method(DQM)is applied to investigating the thermoelastic vibration of the FGM pipes.The effect of temperature variation,scale effect of the microtubule,micro-fluid effect,material properties,elastic coefficient of elastic medium and outer radius on thermoelastic vibration of the FGM pipes conveying fluid are studied.The results show that in the condition of considering the scale effect and micro-fluid of the microtubule,the critical dimensionless velocity of the system is higher than that of the system which calculated using classical macroscopic model.The results also show that the variations of temperature,material properties,elastic coefficient and outer radius have significant influences on the first-order dimensionless natural frequency.

Dechlorination of Chlorinated Aliphatic Compounds by Micro-scale Al-Zn-Mg/Fe Powders as Advanced Zero-valent Iron

Micro-scale Al-Zn-Mg/Fe composite powders (MAF) with high reactivity and good storage properties were prepared by reducing iron onto the surface of Al-Zn-Mg alloy powders. Experimental results show that MAF as advanced zero-valent iron are highly effective for degradation of chlorinated organic compounds. The efficiency of degradation for carbon tetrachloride and perchloroethylene is higher than 99% within a period of 2 h. The efficiency of degradation for trichloroethylene by MAF after storing for one month is equivalent to that by freshly prepared nano-size zero-valent iron particles.

Fabrication of micro-scale gratings for moiré method with a femtosecond laser

Fabrication of micro gratings using a femtosecond laser exposure system is experimentally investigated for the electron moire method. Micro holes and lines are firstly etched for parameter study. Grating profile is theoretically optimized to form high quality moire patterns. For a demonstration, a parallel grating is fabricated on a specimen of quartz glass. The minimum line width and the distance between two adjacent lines are both set to be 1 μm, and the frequency of grating is 500 lines/ram. The experimental results indicate that the quality of gratings is good and the relative error of the gratings pitch is about 1.5%. Based on molte method, scanning electron microscope （SEM） moire patterns are observed clearly, which manifests that gratings fabricated with the femtosecond laser exposure is suitable for micro scale deformation measurement.

Micro-scale Dispersion of Air Pollutants over an Urban Setup in a Coastal Region

The dispersion is mainly governed by wind field and depends on the planetary boundary layer (PBL) dynamics. Accurate representation of the meteorological weather fields would improve the dispersion assessments. In urban areas representation of wind around the obstacles is not possible for the pollution dispersion studies using Gaussian based modeling studies. It is widely accepted that computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools would provide reasonably good solution to produce the wind fields around the complex structures and other land scale elements. By keeping in view of the requirement for the micro-scale dispersion, a commercial CFD model PANACHE with PANEPR developed by Fluidyn is implemented to study the micro-scale dispersion of air pollution over an urban setup at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam a coastal station in the east coast of India under stable atmospheric conditions. Meso-scale module of the PANACHE model is integrated with the data generated at the site by IGCAR under RRE (Round Robin Exercise) program to develop the flow fields. Using this flow fields, CFD model is integrated to study the micro-scale dispersion. Various pollution dispersion scenarios are developed using hypothetical emission inventory during stably stratified conditions to understand the micro-scale dispersion over different locations of coastal urban set up in the IGCAR region of Kalpakkam.

Micro-scale FEM Calculation of Concrete Temperature during Production and Casting

A micro-scale finite element method(FEM) was proposed to precisely calculate the heat conduction between mortar and aggregate, and thus to accurately predict the non-uniformity of concrete pouring temperature. The concrete temperature field during vibration was also precisely calculated by accurate description of heat absorption characteristics of different parts of concrete when vibration. Based on the above method, the prediction model was used to predict the pouring temperature of a practical engineering. The comparison between actual results and simulated values shows that this method can be adopted to accurately predict the non-uniformity of concrete pouring temperature and the influence of mechanized vibration on concrete pouring temperature, and thus accurately predict pouring temperature. The control of casting temperature is crucial for preventing concrete fracture. The study provides a new method for predicting the pouring temperature of concrete structures, which has great practical value in engineering application.

Micro-Scale Motion Precision Simulation Method for a New-Type 6-DOF Micro-Manipulation Robot

A new 6-DOF micro-manipulation robot based on 3-PPTTRS parallel mechanisms in combination with flexure hinges is proposed. The design principle of the mechanism is introduced, and the kinematics analysis method based on differentiation is used to get the (inverse) kinematics equations. Then a micro-scale motion precision simulation method is proposed according to finite element analysis (FEA), and the prediction of robot’s motion precision in design phase is realized. The simulation result indicates that the 6-DOF micro-manipulation robot can meet the design specification.

Response of revegetation to climate change with meso- and micro-scale remote sensing in an arid desert of China

The revegetation protection system(VPS)on the edge of the Tengger Desert can be referred to as a successful model of sand control technology in China and even the world,and there has been a substantial amount of research on revegetation stability.However,it is unclear how meso-and micro-scale revegetation activity has responded to climatic change over the past decades.To evaluate the relative influence of climatic variables on revegetation activities in a restored desert ecosystem,we analysed the trend of revegetation change from 2002 to 2015 using a satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)dataset.The time series of the NDVI data were decomposed into trend,seasonal,and random components using a segmented regression method.The results of the segmented regression model indicate a changing trend in the NDVI in the VPS,changing from a decrease(−7×10−3/month)before 2005 to an increase(0.3×10−3/month)after 2005.We found that precipitation was the most important climatic factor influencing the growing season NDVI(P<0.05),while vegetation growth sensitivity to water and heat varied significantly in different seasons.In the case of precipitation reduction and warming in the study area,the NDVI of the VPS could still maintain an overall slow upward trend(0.04×10−3/month),indicating that the ecosystem is sustainable.Our findings suggest that the VPS has been successful in maintaining stability and sustainability under current climate change conditions and that it is possible to introduce the VPS in similar areas as a template for resistance to sand and drought hazards.

A novel strategy of smart manipulation by micro-scale oscillatory networks of the reactionary zones for enhanced extreme thrust control of the next-generation solid propulsion systems

The main aim of this research is to get a better knowledge and understanding of the micro-scale oscillatory networks behavior in the solid propellants reactionary zones. Fundamental understanding of the micro-and nano-scale combustion mechanisms is essential to the development and further improvement of the next-generation technologies for extreme control of the solid propellant thrust. Both experiments and theory confirm that the micro-and nano-scale oscillatory networks excitation in the solid propellants reactionary zones is a rather universal phenomenon. In accordance with our concept,the micro-and nano-scale structures form both the fractal and self-organized wave patterns in the solid propellants reactionary zones. Control by the shape, the sizes and spacial orientation of the wave patterns allows manipulate by the energy exchange and release in the reactionary zones. A novel strategy for enhanced extreme thrust control in solid propulsion systems are based on manipulation by selforganization of the micro-and nano-scale oscillatory networks and self-organized patterns formation in the reactionary zones with use of the system of acoustic waves and electro-magnetic fields, generated by special kind of ring-shaped electric discharges along with resonance laser radiation. Application of special kind of the ring-shaped electric discharges demands the minimum expenses of energy and opens prospects for almost inertia-free control by combustion processes. Nano-sized additives will enhance self-organizing and self-synchronization of the micro-and nano-scale oscillatory networks on the nanometer scale. Suggested novel strategy opens the door for completely new ways for enhanced extreme thrust control of the solid propulsion systems.

Python在酸碱滴定分析教学中的应用

基于Python自主设计开发的图形用户界面(GUI)酸碱滴定学习软件,实现了一元强酸(碱)、一元弱酸(碱)、多元酸(碱)和混合酸(碱)等不同酸碱体系滴定曲线图像的可视化绘制,化学计量点和滴定突跃范围以及滴定误差的计算。软件的运用使得教学内容更加直观、形象化,有助于获得滴定曲线变化的感性认识,深刻理解其概念与原理。

Top-down法评定EDTA络合滴定法测定海洋沉积物中碳酸钙含量的不确定度

依据Top-down技术中的质控图法对EDTA络合滴定法测定海洋沉积物中碳酸钙含量的不确定度进行评定。利用2021年质控样标准物质GBW 07333、GBW 07314和GBW 07316中CaCO_(3)测定值的时序数据进行评定,3组时序数据正态统计量A^(2*)(s)和独立性统计量A^(2*)(RM)均小于1,CaCO_(3)测定值、A_(EWMi)和移动极差控制图没有失控点,3组时序数据处于受控状态。当CaCO_(3)质量分数分别为2.05%、6.20%和38.56%时,计算得其扩展不确定度分别为0.08%、0.07%和0.20%。将测量不确定度与对应含量值进行线性拟合建立了不确定度预测模型,GBW 07309和GBW 07334中CaCO_(3)的测量不确定度预测值分别为0.09%和0.18%,预测值与Top-down技术获取的评定结果较为吻合。

自动滴定仪测定土壤有机碳及其组分的方法优化

土壤有机碳及其组分(颗粒有机碳、矿物结合态有机碳等)是反映土壤质量的关键性指标,开展准确高效地测定这些指标对相关研究具有重要意义。自动滴定仪与传统人工滴定相比,人员工作强度低,检测准确,但检测效率不及人工滴定的30%。为解决此问题,本文探讨了4种氧化剂加入量对测定有机碳的影响,研究了提前预加滴定液对检测效率提高的效果。最终优选氧化剂加入量为2mL,预加滴定液量以空白样滴定量的1/3计,建立了用于测定土壤有机碳的自动滴定仪法。采用有机碳不同水平的土壤样品和标准物质对方法进行验证,并与人工滴定进行比较,结果表明,自动滴定仪法与人工滴定法无显著性差异,方法的相对标准偏差(RSD,n=6)在2.10%~12.96%,加标回收率在93.37%~98.06%,标准物质相对误差为4.31%~4.79%;优化后的自动滴定法单个试样滴定用时由11min缩短到3.5min,整体检测效率高于人工滴定,而试剂耗用量仅是人工滴定法的40%。自动滴定仪法显著提升了有机碳的检测能力。

大球盖菇咸味肽的受体感知机制研究

目的探究在不同咸味受体共存体系下,受体的大球盖菇咸味肽识别和结合特性,受体对咸味肽的竞争结合机制。方法采用分子互作技术构建了多受体-肽分子竞争结合体系,研究了咸味受体上皮细胞Na+通道的阿米洛利敏感钠离子通道蛋白(amiloride sensitive sodium channel protein,SCNN)1α、SCNN1β和SCNN1γ3个亚基受体,与咸味受体TRPV1共存体系下,对大球盖菇咸味肽KSWDDFFTR(KR-9P)的竞争结合特性。结果咸味肽KR-9P能够同时被多种咸味受体识别和结合。SCNN1β、SCNN1γ和TRPV1受体共存的多受体-肽分子竞争结合体系中,分子间结合反应遵循焓减放热反应,肽分子数量(饱和/非饱和)和受体结合顺序,对分子间的结合影响不大,受体和肽分子之间发生多位点、多数量的分子结合,分子间结合亲和力处于强结合水平(10^(–9)~10^(–8)M)。多个互作分子共存的混合体系并不利于熵驱动的SCNN1α受体结合肽分子的反应发生,分子间结合亲和力在中等水平(10^(–4)M)。结论不同咸味受体在竞争结合咸味肽时展现出不同的互作机制。SCNN1β、SCNN1γ和TRPV1受体共存会产生咸味肽感知呈味增效的效果,SCNN1α和TRPV1受体之间的肽分子竞争结合,会影响SCNN1α受体感知结合咸味肽。本研究解析了不同咸味受体竞争结合咸味肽的互作机制,为理解咸味肽的受体感知机制提供参考。

等温滴定量热法研究镉离子与GMP的亲合机理

利用等温滴定量热法研究镉离子与鸟嘌呤核糖核苷酸(GMP)的亲合过程,重点分析不同比例的镉离子和GMP结合时的异同,实验结果显示:(1)镉离子和GMP的浓度比不同会对二者的结合过程产生显著影响,在低浓度比下,反应为焓驱动的放热反应;在高浓度比下,反应为吸热反应。从镉离子和GMP浓度比为20∶1时的ITC滴定曲线和OneSite模型拟合结果可知,镉离子和GMP是接近并按照1∶1的比例结合的,二者的亲合力K值为1.21E 4±2.26E 3。(2)推测GMP与镉离子有两个结合位点,一个为放热结合位点,一个为吸热结合位点,在低浓度比下,只有放热结合位点发生结合。当浓度比到达一定值后,会激活吸热结合位点,同时发生吸热结合和放热结合。因为吸热结合位点的结合能力更强,最终可能呈现为吸热反应。(3)通过反滴法和正滴法的比较,同一浓度下,不同的滴加方式也会对结合结果造成较大的影响。该研究所采用的方法可以很好地从宏观的热力学角度分析金属镉离子与GMP的亲合机理,以期为后续镉离子印迹物制备过程中功能单体的筛选提供重要的试验基础和理论指导。

库仑滴定法快速测定料酒中氨基酸态氮

采取库仑滴定法测定料酒中氨基酸态氮的含量。通过电解1.0mol/L氯化钾溶液生成的OH-自动滴定。首先滴定样品溶液pH至8.2,然后加入中性甲醛由滴定样品溶液pH至9.2,根据电解时间,按照法拉第电解定律计算出结果。结果显示:2.0mL中性甲醛能与样品瞬间完成反应,在氨基酸态氮加标量0.0704~0.704g/L范围内,加标回收率为97.2%~102.1%,相对标准偏差低于2.0%。采取库仑滴定法与国标规定的酸度计法分别测定5种实际样品,结果无显著差异,表明方法适用于料酒的质量检测。

用电位滴定法测定含锌硫化活性剂中锌含量

将含锌硫化活性剂直接溶解于盐酸溶液中,以乙二胺四乙酸二钠为滴定剂、铜离子选择电极为指示电极、银/氯化银为参比电极,采用电位滴定法测定含锌硫化活性剂中的锌含量。研究表明,硫酸铜的加入可增大滴定曲线的突跃范围,且铜离子选择电极在pH值为10的缓冲体系中灵敏度较高。采用电位滴定法测定2种含锌硫化活性剂中的锌离子含量及其回收率,并与原子发射光谱法进行比较,结果表明该两种硫化活性剂中锌离子含量回收率分别为100.13%和99.32%,且两种测试方法所得结果无明显差异,采用电位滴定法测定标准溶液中的锌离子含量并进行统计检验,结果显示测试值与标准值无明显差异,说明采用电位滴定法测定含锌硫化活性剂中锌含量可行有效。同时测定了混炼橡胶中硫化活性剂的锌离子含量,结果与理论计算值相近,故该方法同样适用于混炼橡胶中锌离子含量的测定。