Growth of RB Population in the Conversion Phase of Chlamydia Life Cycle

Upon infecting a host cell,the reticulate body(RB)form of the Chlamydia bacteria simply proliferates by binary fission for an extended period.Available data show only RB units in the infected cells 20 hours post infection(hpi),spanning nearly half way through the development cycle.With data collected every 4 hpi,conversion to the elementary body(EB)form begins abruptly at a rapid rate sometime around 24 hpi.By modeling proliferation and conversion as simple birth and death processes,it has been shown that the optimal strategy for maximizing the total(mean)EB population at host cell lysis time is a bang-bang control qualitatively replicating the observed conversion activities.However,the simple birth and death model for the RB proliferation and conversion to EB deviates in a significant way from the available data on the evolution of the RB population after the onset of RB-to-EB conversion.By working with a more refined model that takes into account a small size threshold eligibility requirement for conversion noted in the available data,we succeed in removing the deficiency of the previous models on the evolution of the RB population without affecting the optimal bang-bang conversion strategy.

The potential impact of increased whole grain consumption among Chinese adults on reducing healthcare costs and carbon footprint

Excessive consumption of refined grains harms human health and ecosystem viability.Whole grains,as a healthy and sustainable alternative to refined grains,can benefit individual health by providing dietary fiber,B vitamins,and bioactive substances.Additionally,they aid in improving the environment due to their higher extraction rate and lower carbon emission during the processing stage.However,few studies have attempted to evaluate the economic and social benefits of increasing the amount of whole grain in grain intake.This paper estimates the potential savings in healthcare costs and reduced food carbon footprints(CFs)that could result from a shift toward whole grain consumption following the Chinese Dietary Guidelines(CDG).We investigate hypothetical scenarios where a certain proportion(5–100%)of Chinese adults could increase their whole grain intakes as proposed by CDG to meet the average shortfall of 30.2 g.In that case,the healthcare costs for associated diseases(e.g.,type2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM),cardiovascular disease(CVD),and colorectal cancer(CRC))are expected to reduce by a substantial amount,from USD 2.82 to 56.37 billion;the carbon emission levels are also projected to decrease by0.24–5.72 million tons.This study provides compelling evidence that advocating for the transition towards greater consumption of whole grain products could benefit individual health,the environment,and society,by reducing both healthcare costs and carbon emissions.

The Combination of BIM Technology with the Whole Life Cycle of Green Building

In the rapid development of modern cities, the construction of green low-car- bon livable cities and the realization of energy-saving and beautification of buildings are now being strongly promoted and havebecome an important indicator of urban development. With the implementation of green building and BIM technology, the combination of BIM technology with green building is a new momentum in the development of the construction industry. The application of BIM can make the quantitative management of green buildings in the whole life cycle, get rid of the shackles of traditional models, make the design and construction process more accurate, and also make the whole process of green buildings more standardized. Among them, the core of BIM is the information model, and the core of green building is: low energy consumption, green and sustainable. This paper firstly explains the concepts and advantages of BIM technology and green building, and separately elaborates the significance of using both in the construction field. Secondly, the current development status of BIM technology and green building is obtained by studying and analyzing the development status and connection between them. Finally, combining BIM technology in the whole life cycle of green building, analyzing the current situation and advantages and disadvantages of using the combination of green building and BIM in actual engineering, clarifying the importance of using BIM in the whole life cycle of green building, and highlighting the combination of BIM technology and the whole life cycle of green building as an important tool for the future development of the construction industry.

Life cycle assessment for the "implicit" environmental impact of construction projects

The paper has established an assessment system and a quantitative calculation method of the 'implicit' environmental impact including environmental impact indicator,resources consumption indicator and energy consumption indicator. The quantitative calculation of the environmental impact indicator is based on the life cycle assessment system and the evaluation software BEES. The paper identifies normalization reference values and weights for 12 categories of the environmental impact. It also analyzes the environmental impact indicator in life cycle stages,raw materials,transportation,manufacturing,utilization,and end of life. A university refectory project is studied. The result has shown that human health,global warming and acidification are the first three environmental impacts in 12 categories. The environmental impact indicator per m2 of this project is 18.448×10-2 standard human equivalent weight. Moreover,97.3% of the total environmental impact occurs at the raw material stage,in which the most severe environmental impact is cancerous health effect; the global warming is the main impact at the transportation and manufacturing stages; the indoor air quality impact is at the usage stage.

The Application of Simulation Technique in Whole CIMS Life Cycle

The life cycle of CIMS (Computer Integrated Manufacturing System) includes four phases:requirement analyzing, designing, implementation and running. For reducing the risk of investment and achieving better economic results the simulation technique is needed in the above four phases of CIMS life cycle. Under the support of China 863/CIMS plan a series of simulation projects are established. Some of them are finished with succeed and have been used in application. In this paper four simulation projects are introduced.(1) The Integrated Manufacturing Simulation Software (IMSS). It is an integrated platform, based on the discrete event simulation principle. It can be used to analyze and design CIMS, especially FMS; and evaluate the daily production plan.(2) The Advanced Hierarchical Control System Emulator (AHCSE), a software system, based on the finite state machine principle. It can be used to analyze and design of CIMS hicrarchical control system, and check expanded system performance before expanding.(3) The Factory Scheduling Environment (FASE), a software system based on the discrete event simulation principle and artificial intelligence technology. It can be used for shop floor scheduling. (4) The Machining Process Simulator (MPS). It can simulate the machining process of machining center by computer. It can check the correctness of NC code (including interference and confliction) and replace the real machining center to support the simulation environment for shop floor scheduling and controlling. There are three companies and universities joining in these four projects, they are: Tsinghua University,Huazhong University of Technology, Beliing Institute of Computer Application and Simulation.

Model Establishment of Whole Life Cycle for Energy Efficiency of Rural Residential Buildings in Northern China

The building energy efficiency is determined by the climatic region and the energy-saving measures. In this paper an assessment model for energy efficiency of the rural residential buildings in the northern China was established by the method of whole life cycle. The energy consumption of the rural residential buildings in different stages was analyzed through quantitative method in this model. At the same time, the corresponding energy efficiency assessment system was developed.

Study on metal recovery process and kinetics of oxidative leaching from spent LiFePO_(4)Li-batteries

A green environmental protection and enhanced leaching process was proposed to recover all elements from spent lithium iron phosphate(LiFePO_(4)) lithium batteries.In order to reduce the influence of Al impurity in the recovery process,NaOH was used to remove impurity.After impurity removal,the spent LiFePO_(4) cathode material was used as raw material under the H_(2)SO_(4) system,and the pressure oxidation leaching process was adopted to achieve the preferential leaching of lithium.The E-pH diagram of the Fe-P-Al-H_(2)O system can determine the stable region of each element in the recovery process of spent LiFePO_(4)Li-batteries.Under the optimal conditions(500 r·min^(-1),15 h,363.15 K,0.4 MPa,the liquid-solid ratio was 4:1 ml·g^(-1)and the acid-material ratio was 0.29),the leaching rate of Li was 99.24%,Fe,Al,and Ti were 0.10%,2.07%,and 0.03%,respectively.The Fe and P were precipitated and recovered as FePO_(4)·2H_(2)O.The kinetic analysis shows that the process of high-pressure acid leaching of spent LiFePO_(4) materials depends on the surface chemical reaction.Through the life cycle assessment(LCA)of the spent LiFePO_(4) whole recovery process,eight midpoint impact categories were selected to assess the impact of recovery process.The results can provide basic environmental information on production process for recycling industry.

Life Cycle Assessment Introduced by Using Nanorefrigerant of Organic Rankine Cycle System for Waste Heat Recovery

The use of nanorefrigerants in Organic Rankine Cycle(ORC)units is believed to affect the cycle environment performance,but backed with very few relevant studies.For this purpose,a life cycle assessment(LCA)has been performed for the ORC system using nanorefrigerant,the material and energy input,characteristic indicators and comprehensive index of environmental impact,total energy consumption and energy payback time(BPBT)of the whole life cycle of ORC system using Al_(2)O_(3)/R141b nanorefrigerant were calculated.Total environmental comprehensive indexes reveal that ECER-135 index decrease by 1.5%after adding 0.2%Al_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles to R141b.Based on the contribution analysis and sensitivity analysis,it can be found out ORC system manufacturing is of the most critical stage,where,the ECER-135 index of ORC component production is the greatest,followed by the preparation process of R141b,transportation phase,and that of Al_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles preparation is small.The retirement phase which has good environmental benefits affects the result significantly by recycling important materials.Meanwhile,the main cause and relevant suggestion for improvement were traced respectively.Finally,the environmental impacts of various power generations were compared,and results show that the power route is of obvious advantage.Among the renewable energy,ORC system using Al_(2)O_(3)/R141b nanorefrigerant with minimal environmental impact is only 0.67%of coal-fired power generation.The environmental impact of current work is about 14.34%of other nations’PV results.

Origin and Basic Mechanism of Life

This paper presents in a concise way the main characteristics of life from the physical point of view and the most successful theories of biogenesis, together with a mathematical formulation and simulation of proto-biogenesis. We present here a calculation method for biochemical reactions based on the available reaction data base, and using this method, we calculate precise scenarios for the first life cycle, and for the first stages of terrestrial biological evolution.

Design of Fine Life Cycle Prediction System for Failure of Medical Equipment

The inquiry process of traditional medical equipment maintenance management is complex,which has a negative impact on the efficiency and accuracy of medical equipment maintenance management and results in a significant amount of wasted time and resources.To properly predict the failure of medical equipment,a method for failure life cycle prediction of medical equipment was developed.The system is divided into four modules:the whole life cycle management module constructs the life cycle data set of medical devices from the three parts of the management in the early stage,the middle stage,and the later stage;the status detection module monitors the main operation data of the medical device components through the normal value of the relevant sensitive data in the whole life cycle management module;and the main function of the fault diagnosis module is based on the normal value of the relevant sensitive data in the whole life cycle management module.The inference machine diagnoses the operation data of the equipment;the fault prediction module constructs a fine prediction system based on the least square support vector machine algorithm and uses the AFS-ABC algorithm to optimize the model to obtain the optimal model with the regularized parameters and width parameters;the optimal model is then used to predict the failure of medical equipment.Comparative experiments are designed to determine whether or not the design system is effective.The results demonstrate that the suggested system accurately predicts the breakdown of ECG diagnostic equipment and incubators and has a high level of support and dependability.The design system has the minimum prediction error and the quickest program execution time compared to the comparison system.Hence,the design system is able to accurately predict the numerous causes and types of medical device failure.

A techno-economic and life cycle assessment for the production of green methanol from CO_(2): catalyst and process bottlenecks

The success of catalytic schemes for the large-scale valorization of CO_(2) does not only depend on the development of active,selective and stable catalytic materials but also on the overall process design.Here we present a multidisciplinary study(from catalyst to plant and techno-economic/lifecycle analysis)for the production of green methanol from renewable H2 and CO_(2).We combine an in-depth kinetic analysis of one of the most promising recently reported methanol-synthesis catalysts(InCo)with a thorough process simulation and techno-economic assessment.We then perform a life cycle assessment of the simulated process to gauge the real environmental impact of green methanol production from CO_(2).Our results indicate that up to 1.75 ton of CO_(2) can be abated per ton of produced methanol only if renewable energy is used to run the process,while the sensitivity analysis suggest that either rock-bottom H2 prices(1.5$kg1)or severe CO_(2) taxation(300$per ton)are needed for a profitable methanol plant.Besides,we herein highlight and analyze some critical bottlenecks of the process.Especial attention has been paid to the contribution of H2 to the overall plant costs,CH4 trace formation,and purity and costs of raw gases.In addition to providing important information for policy makers and industrialists,directions for catalyst(and therefore process)improvements are outlined.

An exPerimental study of effect of solder joint geometry on thermal cycle life in SMT

The geometry of solder joint in SMT is one of the important factors whichdetermine the solder joint reliability. In this study, a type of solder joint specimen has beendesigned and is subjected to thermal cycling to failure between -55 ℃ to +125 ℃ with a 36℃/min heating and cooling rate and 10 min temperature holding times. The solder jointgeometry is castellated and controlled with different solder fillet shape and stand off height.A statistical analysis of the scattered thermal cycle lives of solder joints by two parameterWeibull's probability density function has been carried out in this paper. The experimentalresults show that the more reliable solder joint geometry has flat or slight convex solderfillet with a stand off height larger than 0.1 mm. The results may be the recommendedguideline to design optimal solder joint geometry.

High energy density performance of hydrothermally produced hydrous ruthenium oxide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composite: Design of an asymmetric supercapacitor with excellent cycle life

Hydrous ruthenium oxide(h-Ru O) nanoparticles and its composite with multiwalled carbon nanotubes(h-Ru O/MWCNT) were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method and proved to have potential application as hybrid supercapacitor material.The h-Ru Oand h-Ru O/MWCNT were characterized for their physico-chemical properties by PXRD,BET surface area,Raman,SEM-EDS and TEM techniques.The electrochemical performance of the materials were investigated,specific capacitance(Cs) of h-Ru Oand hRu O/MWCNT estimated by their cyclic voltammetric studies were found to be 604 and 1585 F/g respectively at a scan rate of 2 m V/s in the potential range 0–1.2 V.Further,this value was found to be nearly three times higher than that of pure h-Ru O.An asymmetric supercapacitor(AS) device was fabricated by employing h-Ru O/MWCNT as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode.The device exhibited Cs of 61.8 F/g at a scan rate of 2 m V/s.Further,the device showed excellent long term stability for 20,000 cycles with 88% capacitance retention at a high current density of 25 A/g.

Life Cycle Assessment of Creosote-Treated Wooden Railroad Crossties in the US with Comparisons to Concrete and Plastic Composite Railroad Crossties

Creosote-treated wooden railroad crossties have been used for more than a century to support steel rails and to transfer load from the rails to the underlying ballast while keeping the rails at the correct gauge. As transportation engineers look for improved service life and environmental performance in railway systems, alternatives to the creosote-treated wooden crosstie are being considered. This paper compares the cradle-to-grave environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) results of creosote-treated wooden railroad crossties with the primary alternative products: concrete and plastic composite (P/C) crossties. This LCA includes a life cycle inventory (LCI) to catalogue the input and output data from crosstie manufacture, service life, and disposition, and a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) to evaluate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, fossil fuel and water use, and emissions with the potential to cause acidification, smog, ecotoxicity, and eutrophication. Comparisons of the products are made at a functional unit of 1.61 kilometers (1.0 mile) of rail-road track per year. This LCA finds that the manufacture, use, and disposition of creosote-treated wooden railroad crossties offers lower fossil fuel and water use and lesser environmental impacts than competing products manufactured of concrete and P/C.

Life Cycle Assessment of CCA-Treated Wood Highway Guard Rail Posts in the US with Comparisons to Galvanized Steel Guard Rail Posts

A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment is done to identify the environmental impacts of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated timber used for highway guard rail posts, to understand the processes that contribute to the total impacts, and to determine how the impacts compare to the primary alternative product, galvanized steel posts. Guard rail posts are the supporting structures for highway guard rails. Transportation engineers, as well as public and regulatory interests, have increasing need to understand the environmental implications of guard rail post selection, in addition to factors such as costs and service performance. This study uses a life cycle inventory (LCI) to catalogue the input and output data from guard rail post manufacture, service life, and disposition, and a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) to assess anthropogenic and net greenhouse gas (GHG), acidification, smog, ecotoxicity, and eutrophication potentially resulting from life cycle air emissions. Other indicators of interest also are tracked, such as fossil fuel and water use. Comparisons of guard rail post products are made at a functional unit of one post per year of service. This life cycle assessment (LCA) finds that the manufacture, use, and disposition of CCA-treated wood guard rails offers lower fossil fuel use and lower anthropogenic and net GHG emissions, acidification, smog potential, and ecotoxicity environmental impacts than impact indicator values for galvanized steel posts. Water use and eutrophication impact indicator values for CCA-treated guard rail posts are greater than impact indicator values for galvanized steel guard rail posts.

Life cycle assessment in the environmental impact evaluation of urbandevelopment--a case study of land readjustment project,Hyogo District, Japan

In this paper, the Life Cycle of Urban Development was firstly analyzed, and the phases of Life Cycle Assessment applied to Urban Development (ULCA) were described. As a case study, ULCA was applied in the environmental impact assessment of the land readjustment project of Hyogo District of Saga, Japan. In addition, mitigation proposals for reducing CO2 were also presented and the relevant environmental ef-fects were simulated.

Research on whole life cycle carbon emission model of typical buildings

Based on the theory of life cycle assessment(LCA),this article analyzes the influence factors on carbon emissions from residential buildings.In the article,the life cycle of residential buildings has been divided into five stages:building materials production period,construction period,operation and maintenance period,demolition period,and solid waste recycle and disposal period.Based on this definition,the authors provide a theoretical model to calculate carbon emissions of residential building life cycle.In particular,the factor of human activities was introduced in the calculation of carbon emissions from the buildings.Furthermore,the authors put forward a model for calculation with the unit of carbon emissions for per-capita living space.

Reflection on Full Life Cycle Green Architectural Design of Passive Priority——Taking the Award Design of China Merchants Property 2013 Green Architectural Design Competition as an Example

In the China merchants property 2013 green architectural design competition,feature of this awardwinning program is the design method based on the principles of passive priority and comprehensive utilization of full life cycle. The passive priority can be achieved by building form derived from the simulation and analysis of wind environment,improvement of the building envelope insulation and the dehumidification of fresh air,the use of solar energy. The full life cycle utilization can be accomplished by the combination of exhibition and residents' leisure activities, and the integration with local cultural tradition, thereby improving energy efficiency and the utilization of the building.