Evaluation of Air-Kerma and Absorbed Dose to Water for External Radiotherapy Beam Using Ionization Chamber

Radiotherapy is the most widely applied oncologic treatment modality utilizing ionizing radiation. A high degree of accuracy, reliability and reproducibility is required for a successful treatment outcome. Measurement using ionization chamber is a prerequisite for absorbed dose determination for external beam radiotherapy. Calibration coefficient is expressed in terms of air kerma and absorbed dose to water traceable to Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory. The objective of this work was to evaluate the level of accuracy of ionization chamber used for clinical radiotherapy beam determination. Measurement and accuracy determination were carried out according to IAEA TRS 398 protocol. Clinical farmers type ionization chamber measurement and National Reference standard from Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory were both exposed to cobalt-60 beam and measurement results compared under the same environmental conditions. The accuracy level between National Reference Standard and clinical radiotherapy standard was found to be −1.92% and −2.02% for air kerma and absorbed dose to water respectively. To minimize the effect of error and maximize therapeutic dose during treatment in order to achieve required clinical outcome, calibration factor was determined for air kerma (Nk) as 49.7 mGy/nC and absorbed dose to water ND, as 52.9 mGy/nC. The study established that radiotherapy beam measurement chain is prone to errors. Hence there is a need to independently verify the accuracy of radiation dose to ensure precision of dose delivery. The errors must be accounted for during clinical planning by factoring in calibration factor to minimize the systematic errors during treatment, and thereby providing enough room to achieve ±5% dose delivery to tumor target as recommended by ICRU.

Vacancies and interfaces engineering of core-shell heterostuctured NiCoP/NiO as trifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting and zinc-air batteries

The electronic structures and properties of electrocatalysts,which depend on the physicochemical structure and metallic element components,could significantly affect their electrocatalytic performance and their future applications in Zn-air battery(ZAB)and overall water splitting(OWS).Here,by combining vacancies and heterogeneous interfacial engineering,three-dimensional(3D)core-shell NiCoP/NiO heterostructures with dominated oxygen vacancies have been controllably in-situ grown on carbon cloth for using as highly efficient electrocatalysts toward hydrogen and oxygen electrochemical reactions.Theoretical calculation and electrochemical results manifest that the hybridization of NiCoP core with NiO shell produces a strong synergistic electronic coupling effect.The oxygen vacancy can enable the emergence of new electronic states within the band gap,crossing the Fermi levels of the two spin components and optimizing the local electronic structure.Besides,the hierarchical core-shell NiCoP/NiO nanoarrays also endow the catalysts with multiple exposed active sites,faster mass transfer behavior,optimized electronic strutures and improved electrochemical performance during ZAB and OWS applications.

Effects of total pressures and equivalence ratios on kerosene/air rotating detonation engines using a paralleling CE/SE method

In this paper,the kerosene/air rotating detonation engines(RDE)are numerically investigated,and the emphasis is laid on the effects of total pressures and equivalence ratios on the operation characteristics of RDE including the initiation,instabilities,and propulsive performance.A hybrid MPI t OpenMP parallel computing model is applied and it is proved to be able to obtain a more effective parallel performance on high performance computing(HPC)systems.A series of cases with the total pressure of 1 MPa,1.5 MPa,2 MPa,and the equivalence ratio of 0.9,1,1.4 are simulated.On one hand,the total pressure shows a significant impact on the instabilities of rotating detonation waves.The instability phenomenon is observed in cases with low total pressure(1 MPa)and weakened with the increase of the total pressure.The total pressure has a small impact on the detonation wave velocity and the specific impulse.On the other hand,the equivalence ratio shows a negligible influence on the instabilities,while it affects the ignition process and accounts for the detonation velocity deficit.It is more difficult to initiate rotating detonation waves directly in the lean fuel operation condition.Little difference was observed in the thrust with different equivalence ratios of 0.9,1,and 1.4.The highest specific impulse was obtained in the lean fuel cases,which is around 2700 s.The findings could provide insights into the understanding of the operation characteristics of kerosene/air RDE.

具有时滞效应的air2stream河流水温模型及应用研究

高精度河流水温模型对于深入了解水温的时空变化特征和河流生态修复具有重要意义。基于数据驱动的air2stream模型在保证预测精度的同时,避免了计算的复杂性,已成为河流水温模拟常用的模型。由于水的热惯性及水文条件等的影响,河流水温变化往往显著滞后于气温变化,而air2stream原模型并未考虑滞后效应,导致该模型在流量未知情况下实际精度偏低。为解决该问题,采用气温-水温皮尔逊相关系数计算时滞天数,构建具有时滞的air2stream新模型,进一步根据长江中下游地区两个监测站的多年实测数据验证新模型的有效性和稳定性。结果表明:新模型在不引进额外观测数据的条件下具有更高精度且性能更稳定。相比原模型,在两个监测站新模型的均方根误差分别降低约4.29%和5.85%。新模型具有精度高、水文要素需求少的特点,可为长江中下游的水环境影响评价和生态保护提供依据。

Linkage between precipitation isotopes and water vapor sources in the monsoon margin:Evidence from arid areas of Northwest China

The isotope composition in precipitation has been widely considered as a tracer of monsoon activity.Compared with the coastal region,the monsoon margin usually has limited precipitation with large fluctuation and is usually sensitive to climate change.The water resource management in the monsoon margin should be better planned by understanding the composition of precipitation isotope and its influencing factors.In this study,the precipitation samples were collected at five sampling sites(Baiyin City,Kongtong District,Maqu County,Wudu District,and Yinchuan City)of the monsoon margin in the northwest of China in 2022 to analyze the characteristics of stable hydrogen(δD)and oxygen(δ18O)isotopes.We analyzed the impact of meteorological factors(temperature,precipitation,and relative humidity)on the composition of precipitation isotope at daily level by regression analysis,utilized the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory(HYSPLIT)-based backward trajectory model to simulate the air mass trajectory of precipitation events,and adopted the potential source contribution function(PSCF)and concentration weighted trajectory(CWT)to analyze the water vapor sources.The results showed that compared with the global meteoric water line(GMWL),the slope of the local meteoric water line(LMWL;δD=7.34δ^(18)O-1.16)was lower,indicating the existence of strong regional evaporation in the study area.Temperature significantly contributed toδ18O value,while relative humidity had a significant negative effect onδ18O value.Through the backward trajectory analysis,we found eight primary locations that were responsible for the water vapor sources of precipitation in the study area,of which moisture from the Indian Ocean to South China Sea(ITSC)and the western continental(CW)had the greatest influence on precipitation in the study area.The hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in precipitation are significantly influenced by the sources and transportation paths of air mass.In addition,the results of PSCF and CWT analysis showed that the water vapor source areas were primarily distributed in the south and northwest direction of the study area.

Different bactericidal abilities of plasma-activated saline with various reactive species prepared by surface plasma-activated air and plasma jet combinations

Plasma-activated water(PAW),as an extended form of cold atmospheric-pressure plasma,greatly expands the application of plasma-based technology.The biological effects of PAW are closely related to the aqueous reactive species,which can be regulated by the activation process.In this study,surface plasma-activated air(SAA)and a He+O_(2)plasma jet(Jet)were parallelly combined(the SAA+Jet combination)or sequentially combined(the SAA→Jet combination and the Jet→SAA combination)to prepare plasma-activated saline(PAS).The PAS activated by the combinations exhibited stronger bactericidal effects than that activated by the SAA or the Jet alone.The concentrations of H_(2)O_(2)and NO_(2)^(-)were higher in the PAS activated by the Jet→SAA combination,while ONOO^(-)concentrations were close in the three kinds of PAS and^(1)O_(2)concentrations were higher in the PAS activated by the SAA+Jet combination.The analysis of scavengers also demonstrated that H_(2)O_(2),^(1)O_(2),and ONOO^(-)in the PAS activated by the SAA+Jet combination,and^(1)O_(2)in the PAS activated by the Jet→SAA combination played critical roles in bactericidal effects.Further,the effective placement time of the three PAS varied,and the PAS activated by the Jet→SAA combination could also inactivate 2.6-log_(10)of MRSA cells after placement for more than 60 min.The regulation of reactive species in plasma-activated water via different combinations of plasma devices could improve the directional application of plasma-activated water in the biomedical field.

Development and Experimental Study of Air Source Heat Pump Water Heater

The principle and development prospect of air source heat pump water heat were introduced,as well as the designation of condenser (storage water tank),experimental study on installations was also carried out.The results showed that air source heat pump water heater was superior to conventional system.Under the operation of cooling and heating,heat pump comprehensive utilization equipment could improve heating performance,reduce energy consumption,and recycle condensing heat to provide hot water.

Practice and analysis of recycling non-drinking water from air-condition and reverse-osmosis system into rainwater collection system

This paper is based on the rainwater collection project in the retrofit of the Dongyi teaching block in Zhejiang University Xixi Campus.The analysis incorporates the local meteorological data, recycling water utilization, and precipitation adjustment.The rainwater collection system in this program also adds the condensation water from the heating, ventilation and air conditioning （ HVAC） system and the concentration from the reverse-osmosis system used for watering greens and supplying waterscapes.By calculating, the quantity of the HVAC condensation water in summer is 3.48 m3/d, and the quantity of the reverse-osmosis concentrated water is 198 to 396 L/d.This method solves the water shortage caused by high evaporation in summer and low precipitation in winter.Supported by empirical monitoring data, the proposed method significantly increases the economic efficiency of the system during the summer period.

Application of Air Floatation in Water Quality Maintenance of Ecolandscape Pool in Zhongxing Mangrove Bay

The invasion of various pollutant sources and lack of water circulation may easily lead to the eutrophication and deteriorated water quality of the landscape water system.This study focuses on the application of air floatation method in water quality maintenance with the eco-landscape pool of Zhongxing Mangrove Bay as the study object,so as to provide a scheme for maintaining the water quality of artificial lakes.

Numerical Study of Air Chamber for Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Convertor

Oscillating Water Column （OWC） wave energy converting system is one of the most widely used facilities all over the world. The air chamber is utilized to convert the wave energy into the pneumatic energy. The numerical wave tank based on the two-phase VOF model is established in the present study toinvestigate the operating performance of OWC air chamber. The RANS equations, standard k-ε turbulence model and dynamic mesh technology are employed in the numerical model. The effects of incident wave conditions and shape parameters on the wave energy converting efficiency are studied and the capability of the present numerical wave tank on the corresponding engineering application is validated.

Experimental research on the instability propagation characteristics of liquid kerosene rotating detonation wave

In order to study the instability propagation characteristics of the liquid kerosene rotating detonation wave(RDW),a series of experimental tests were carried out on the rotating detonation combustor(RDC)with air-heater.The fuel and oxidizer are room-temperature liquid kerosene and preheated oxygenenriched air,respectively.The experimental tests keep the equivalence ratio of 0.81 and the oxygen mass fraction of 35%unchanged,and the total mass flow rate is maintained at about 1000 g/s,changing the total temperature of the oxygen-enriched air from 620 K to 860 K.Three different types of instability were observed in the experiments:temporal and spatial instability,mode transition and re-initiation.The interaction between RDW and supply plenum may be the main reason for the fluctuations of detonation wave velocity and pressure peaks with time.Moreover,the inconsistent mixing of fuel and oxidizer at different circumferential positions is related to RDW oscillate spatially.The phenomenon of single-double-single wave transition is analyzed.During the transition,the initial RDW weakens until disappears,and the compression wave strengthens until it becomes a new RDWand propagates steadily.The increased deflagration between the detonation products and the fresh gas layer caused by excessively high temperature is one of the reasons for the RDC quenching and re-initiation.

Bimetallic Nickel Cobalt Sulfide as E cient Electrocatalyst for Zn–Air Battery and Water Splitting

The development of e cient earth-abundant electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction, oxygen evolution, and hydrogen evolution reactions(ORR, OER, and HER) is important for future energy conversion and energy storage devices, for which both rechargeable Zn–air batteries and water splitting have raised great expectations. Herein, we report a single-phase bimetallic nickel cobalt sulfide((Ni,Co)S_2) as an e cient electrocatalyst for both OER and ORR. Owing to the synergistic combination of Ni and Co, the(Ni,Co)S_2 exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance for ORR, OER, and HER in an alkaline electrolyte, and the first principle calculation results indicate that the reaction of an adsorbed O atom with a H_2O molecule to form a *OOH is the potential limiting step in the OER. Importantly, it could be utilized as an advanced air electrode material in Zn–air batteries, which shows an enhanced charge–discharge performance(charging voltage of 1.71 V and discharge voltage of 1.26 V at 2 mA cm^(-2)), large specific capacity(842 mAh g_(Zn)^(-1) at 5 mA cm^(-2)), and excellent cycling stability(480 h). Interestingly, the(Ni,Co)S_2-based Zn–air battery can e ciently power an electrochemical water-splitting unit with(Ni,Co)S_2 serving as both the electrodes. This reveals that the prepared(Ni,Co)S_2 has promising applications in future energy conversion and energy storage devices.

Relationship between Formation Water Rate,Equivalent Penetration Rate and Volume Flow Rate of Air in Air Drilling

Formation water invasion is the most troublesome problem associated with air drilling. However, it is not economical to apply mist drilling when only a small amount of water flows into wellbore from formation during air drilling. Formation water could be circulated out of the wellbore through increasing the gas injection rate. In this paper, the Angel model was modified by introducing Nikurade friction factor for the flow in coarse open holes and translating formation water rate into equivalent penetration rate. Thus the distribution of annular pressure and the relationship between minimum air injection rate and formation water rate were obtained. Real data verification indicated that the modified model is more accurate than the Angel model and can provide useful information for air drilling.

THE ROLE OF COLD AIR AND CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER VAPOR IN BOTH TCS NANMADOL (0428) AND IRMA (7427) MAKING LANDFALL ON CHINA IN WINTERTIME

The NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data are used to investigate the role of cold air and moisture characteristics during the evolution of two cases of tropical cyclones (Nanmadol and Irma) which made landfall on China in wintertime. The results are shown as follows. (1) The East Asia trough steered the cold air into the tropical ocean in early winter. The tropical cyclones moved in opposite directions with a high moving out to sea and the enhancement of the pressure gradient at the periphery played a role in maintaining and strengthening the intensity of the storms. The intrusion of weak cold air into the low levels of the tropical cyclones strengthened them by improving the cyclonic disturbance when they were still over the warm sea surface. When the cold air was strong enough and intruded into the eyes, the warm cores were damaged and stuffed before dissipation. (2) The tropical cyclones were formed in a convergence zone of moisture flux and their development could enhance the disturbance of water vapor convergence, thus strengthening the moisture convergence zone. However, when they were outside the moisture zone, the storms could not gain sufficient water vapor and became weak. There were no belts of strong moisture transportation during the wintertime tropical cyclone processes.

DISCREPANCY OF THE GLOBAL AIR MASS AND WATER BUDGETS AMONG 20 CMIP5 CLIMATE MODELS

The consistency of global atmospheric mass and water budget performance in 20 state-of-the-art ocean-atmosphere Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5) coupled models has been assessed in a historical experiment. All the models realistically reproduce a climatological annual mean of global air mass(AM) close to the ERA-Interim AM during 1989-2005. Surprisingly, the global AM in half of the models shows nearly no seasonal variation,which does not agree with the seasonal processes of global precipitable water or water vapor, given the mass conservation constraint. To better understand the inconsistencies, we evaluated the seasonal cycles of global AM tendency and water vapor source(evaporation minus precipitation). The results suggest that the inconsistencies result from the poor balance between global AM tendency and water vapor source based on the global AM budget equation. Moreover, the cross-equatorial dry air mass flux, or hemispheric dry mass divergence, is not well represented in any of the 20 CMIP5 models, which show a poorly matched seasonal cycle and notably larger amplitude, compared with the hemispheric tendencies of dry AM in both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere. Pronounced erroneous estimations of tropical precipitation also occur in these models. We speculate that the large inaccuracy of precipitation and possibly evaporation in the tropics is one of the key factors for the inconsistent cross-equatorial mass flux. A reasonable cross-equatorial mass flux in well-balanced hemispheric air mass and moisture budgets remains a challenge for both reanalysis assimilation systems and climate modeling.

Orientation and Motion of Water Molecules at Air/Water Interface

Here we report a quantitative study of the orientational structure and motion of water molecule at the air/water interface. Analysis of Sum Frequency Generation （SFG） vibrational peak of the free O-H stretching band at 3700 cm^-1 in four experimental configurations showed that orientational motion of water molecule at air/water interface is libratory within a limited angular range. The free OH bond of the interracial water molecule is tilted around 33°from the interface normal and the orientational distribution or motion width is less than 15°. This picture is significantly different from the previous conclusion that the interracial water molecule orientation varies over a broad range within the ultrafast vibrational relaxation time, the only direct experimental study concluded for ultrafast and broad orient, ational motion of a liquid interface by Wei et al. （Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 4799, （2001）） using single SFG experimental configuration.

Hydro-mechanical response with respect to the air ventilation for water filtration in homogeneous soil

When water penetrates into soil,interstitial air can become trapped by the infiltrating water.Neglecting the effect of air ventilation could cause deviations in the predicted pore water pressure and the associated effective stress.This study aims at the effect of air ventilation on the coupled hydro-mechanical responses in homogeneous soil during infiltration.A schematic concept of infiltration conditions(open-and closed-valve)in homogeneous soil is proposed for investigating their impacts on the pore water pressure and effective stress.Experiments of vertical soil column filled with Ottawa sand(ASTM C77820/30)were designed for two types of air ventilation(namely,open and closed infiltration).The evolution of pore water pressure at the cylinder bottom was recorded,and served as a benchmark problem for evaluating the coupled hydro-mechanical response.Coding with the commercial software,GeoStudio,was employed for the dynamic behaviors of pore-water and-air pressures as well as the evolving effective stress.It was found in both the experiments and numerical investigations that the infiltration condition plays a crucial role for the ascending rate of pore water pressure as well as the associated effective stress.These results illustrate the inevitable impacts of the air ventilation conditions on the mechanical properties of the soil during infiltration.

Flux Vector Splitting Schemes for Water Hammer Flows in Pumping Supply Systems with Air Vessels

To solve water hammer problems in pipeline systems,many numerical simulation approaches have been developed. This paper improves a flux vector splitting( FVS) scheme whose grid is the same as the fixedgrid MOC scheme. The proposed FVS scheme is used to analyze water hammer problems caused by a pump abrupt shutdown in a pumping system with an air vessel. This paper also proposes a pump-valve-vessel model combining a pump-valve model with an air vessel model. The results show that the data obtained by the FVS scheme are similar to the ones obtained by the fixed-grid method of characteristics( MOC). And the results using the pump-valve-vessel model are almost the same as the ones using both the pump-valve model and the air vessel model. Therefore,it is effective that the proposed FVS scheme is used to solve water hammer problems and the pump-valve-vessel model replaces both the pump-valve model and the air vessel model to simulate water hammer flows in the pumping system with the air vessel.

Plasma induced degradation of Indigo Carmine by bipolar pulsed dielectric barrier discharge(DBD) in the water-air mixture

Degradation of the Indigo Carmine(IC) by the bipolar pulsed DBD in water-air mixture was studied. Effects of various parameters such as gas flow rate, solution conductivity, pulse repetitive rate and ect., on color removal efficiency of dying wastewater were investigated. Concentrations of gas phase O 3 and aqueous phase H 2O 2 under various conditions were measured. Experimental results showed that air bubbling facilitates the breakdown of water and promotes generation of chemically active species. Color removal efficiency of IC solution can be greatly improved by the air aeration under various solution conductivities. Decolorization efficiency increases with the increase of the gas flow rate, and decreases with the increase of the initial solution conductivity. A higher pulse repetitive rate and a larger pulse capacitor C\-p are favorable for the decolorization process. Ozone and hydrogen peroxide formed decreases with the increase of initial solution conductivity. In addition, preliminary analysis of the decolorization mechanisms is given.

Energy, Exergy and Thermoeconomics Analysis of Water Chiller Cooler for Gas Turbines Intake Air Cooling

Gas turbine (GT) power plants operating in arid climates suffer a decrease in output power during the hot summer months because of the high specific volume of air drawn by the compressor. Cooling the air intake to the compressor has been widely used to mitigate this shortcoming. Energy and exergy analysis of a GT Brayton cycle coupled to a refrigeration air cooling unit shows a promise for increasing the output power with a little decrease in thermal efficiency. A thermo-economics algorithm is developed to estimate the economic feasibility of the cooling system. The analysis is applied to an open cycle, HITACHI-FS7001B GT plant at the industrial city of Yanbu (Latitude 24o 05” N and longitude 38o E) by the Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Result show that the enhancement in output power depends on the degree of chilling the air intake to the compressor (a 12 - 22 K decrease is achieved). For this case study, maximum power gain ratio (PGR) is 15.46% (average of 12.25%), at an insignificant decrease in thermal efficiency. The second law analysis show that the exergetic power gain ratio drops to an average 8.5%. The cost of adding the air cooling system is also investigated and a cost function is derived that incorporates time-dependent meteorological data, operation characteristics of the GT and the air intake cooling system and other relevant parameters such as interest rate, lifetime, and operation and maintenance costs. The profit of adding the air cooling system is calculated for different electricity tariff.