Durability of AZ31 magnesium biodegradable alloys polydopamine aided.Part 2:Ageing in Hank’s solution

Magnesium alloys are candidates as biodegradable medical materials due to their biocompatibility and favorable mechanical properties.Unfortunately,the high corrosion rate in physiological media and the release of hydrogen,limit their widespread use in biomedical applications.In this work,an intermediate coating based on polydopamine(PDOPA),between Mg substrate and an organic coating,was used to decreasing the degradation rate of AZ31 magnesium alloy,during the long-term exposure in simulated body fluid.Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy measurements were carried out to study the corrosion resistance of samples.Results demonstrated that the PDOPA interlayer determined the reduction of the substrate degradation rate.The results were interpreted supposing a synergistic effect which occurred when PDOPA and the organic coating were used together.

Durability of AZ31 magnesium biodegradable alloys polydopamine aided:Part 1

The use of magnesium alloys,as a biodegradable medical device,is an interesting challenge for the biomaterials field.Its rapid degradation and the release of hydrogen,when exposed to biological fluids,are the main drawbacks for clinical applications.In this work,a coating made of polydopamine(PDOPA),is used as an intermediate layer to decrease the degradation rate of AZ31 magnesium alloy/polymeric coating system,when exposed to Hank’s solution.Experimental results highlighted:(i)the formation of a thin PDOPA layer,(ii)an increased adhesion in the organic coating/metallic substrate system,(iii)a decrease of two orders of magnitude of the corrosion rate when the PDOPA film is used together with an external organic coating,(iv)the efficacy in the use of PDODA due to the synergistic effect of both,physical and chemical,interactions between the PDOPA layer and the organic coating.

Editorial: Special issue on “Internet of things and edge computing in the new 5G era”

1.Introduction Recently,edge computing has evolved from concept to early-stage implementations because new use cases require a more remote computing and networking approach than a conventional,fully cloud-based model.Many companies,network providers and cloud companies are testing and launching early commercial products in the developed markets of the United States,Europe,China and Asia Pacific.Although progress in edge trials continues,key issues remain to be resolved around the most viable location of the edge,the scale of the required edge investment,and the actual business models.

Transient infiltration tests in pyroclastic soils with double porosity

Fallout volcanic deposits of SommaVesuvius(Campania,southern Italy),characterized by the presence of layers with contrasting textural and hydraulic properties,are frequently affected by shallow landslides during rainwater infiltration.The soils of the stratigraphic sequence present intraparticle pores,originated by the gases escaped during magma decompression in the volcanic conduit,thus are characterized by double porosity(i.e.,intraparticle and interparticle pores),which is expected to affect their hydraulic behaviour,and to play a key role in rainwater infiltration through layered deposits.To understand the effect of double porosity on the hydraulic behaviour of the involved soils,controlled experiments have been carried out in an infiltration column.The experimental apparatus is provided with newly designed non-invasive Time Domain Reflectometry(TDR)probes,not buried in the investigated soil layers so as to minimize disturbance to the flow,allowing water content measurement during vertical flow processes.Specifically,transient flow experiments are carried out through reconstituted specimens of black scoriae and grey pumices,both loose pyroclastic granular soils from fallout deposits of Somma-Vesuvius,featuring double porosity with different pore size distributions,that were estimated by X-ray tomography and Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry.The experimental results highlight the effects of the double porosity and clearly indicate the different behaviour of the two soils during wetting and drying processes,mainly related to the different dimensions of intraparticle pores.

Experiments on two-phase flow in hydraulic jump on pebbled rough bed:Part 1–Turbulence properties and particle chord time and length

This study reported and discussed turbulence characteristics,such as turbulence intensity,correlation time scales,and advective length scales.The characteristic air–water time scale,including the particle chord time and length and their probability density functions(PDFs),was investigated.The results demonstrated that turbulence intensity was relatively greater on a rough bed in the roller length,whereas further downstream,the decay rate was higher.In addition,the relationship between turbulence intensity and dimensionless bubble count rate reflected an increase in turbulence intensity associated with the number of entrained particles.Triple decomposition analysis(TDA)was performed to determine the contributions of slow and fast turbulent components.The TDA results indicated that,regardless of bed type and inflow conditions,the sum of the band-pass(T'_(u))and high-pass(T″_(u))filtered turbulence intensities was equal to the turbulence intensity of the raw signal data(T_(u)).T″_(u) highlighted a higher turbulence intensity and larger vorticities on the rough bed for an identical inflow Froude number.Additional TDA results were presented in terms of the interfacial velocity,auto-and cross-correlation time scales,and longitudinal advection length scale,with the effects of low-and high-frequency signal components on each highlighted parameter.The analysis of the air chord time indicated an increase in the proportion of small bubbles moving downstream.The second part of this research focused on the basic properties of particle grouping and clustering.

Experiments on two-phase flow in hydraulic jump on pebbled rough bed:Part 2–Bubble clustering

A survey on bubble clustering in air–water flow processes may provide significant insights into turbulent two-phaseflow.These processes have been studied in plunging jets,dropshafts,and hydraulic jumps on a smooth bed.As a first attempt,this study examined the bubble clustering process in hydraulic jumps on a pebbled rough bed using experimental data for 1.70<Fr_(1)<2.84(with Fr_(1) denoting the inflow Froude number).The basic properties of particle grouping and clustering,including the number of clusters,the dimensionless number of clusters per second,the percentage of clustered bubbles,and the number of bubbles per cluster,were analyzed based on two criteria.For both criteria,the maximum cluster count rate was greater on the rough bed than on the smooth bed,suggesting greater interactions between turbulence and bubbly flow on the rough bed.The results were consistent with the longitudinal distribution of the interfacial velocity using one of the criteria.In addition,the clustering process was analyzed using a different approach:the interparticle arrival time of bubbles.The comparison showed that the bubbly flow structure had a greater density of bubbles per unitflux on the rough bed than on the smooth bed.Bed roughness was the dominant parameter close to the jump toe.Further downstream,Fr_(1) predominated.Thus,the rate of bubble density decreased more rapidly for the hydraulic jump with the lowest Fr_(1).

Valorisation of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) residues and cheese whey into volatile fatty acids for single cell protein production

The production of single cell protein(SCP)using lignocellulosic materials stands out as a promising route in the circular bioeconomy transition.However,multiple steps are necessary for lignocellulosics-to-SCP processes,involving chemical pretreatments and specific aerobic cultures.Whereas there are no studies that investigated the SCP production from lignocellulosics by using only biological processes and microbial biomass able to work both anaerobically and aerobically.In this view,the valorisation of industrial hemp(Cannabis sativa L.)biomass residues(HBRs),specifically hurds and a mix of leaves and inflorescences,combined with cheese whey(CW)was investigated through a semi-continuous acidogenic co-fermentation process(co-AF).The aim of this study was to maximise HBRs conversion into VFAs to be further used as carbon-rich substrates for SCP production.Different process conditions were tested by either removing CW or increasing the amount of HBRs in terms of VS(i.e.,two and four times)to evaluate the performance of the co-AF process.Increasing HBRs resulted in a proportional increase in VFA production up to 3115 mg HAc L^(-1),with experimental production nearly 40%higher than theoretical predictions.The synergy between HBRs and CW was demonstrated,proving the latter as essential to improve the biodegradability of the former.The produced VFAs were subsequently tested as substrates for SCP synthesis in batch aerobic tests.A biomass concentration of 2.43 g TSS L^(-1) was achieved with a C/N ratio of 5.0 and a pH of 9.0 after two days of aerobic fermentation,reaching a protein content of 42%(g protein per g TSS).These results demonstrate the overall feasibility of the VFA-mediated HBR-to-SCP valorisation process.

南方典型水稻土长期试验下有机碳积累机制研究 Ⅳ．颗粒有机质热裂解-气相-质谱法分子结构初步表征

采用热裂解-气相-质谱(Pyr-TMAH-GC/MS)技术对长期不同施肥处理下太湖地区黄泥土本体土壤及水稳性团聚体中颗粒有机碳(POC)的化学组分进行了研究。结果表明,POC的热裂解产物主要来源于脂肪族化合物和木质素类化合物。木质素类化合物主要以愈疮木基丙烷(G)和p-羟苯基(P)两种木质素单体为主,从而揭示黄泥土POC积累中草本植物(水稻、油菜的残茬和秸秆)的输入贡献。脂肪族化合物主要为C8-C30脂肪酸甲基酯(FAMEs),且大多为偶数碳结构。施肥改变了各裂解产物在本体土壤和水稳性团聚体中的分布,从而使得不同施肥处理下各类化合物对POC稳定性的贡献出现了差异。化肥配施猪粪下木质素类化合物以及微生物源的脂肪族化合物均贡献于本体土壤POC的积累与稳定,而化肥配施秸秆下本体土壤POC的化学稳定性主要归因于高等植物源化合物的贡献,其次为微生物源脂肪族化合物。化肥配施有机肥下水稳性团聚体中较高的POC主要归因于植物源有机物质的分解贡献。本研究揭示了合理施肥下水稻土中有机碳的化学抗性组分在土壤有机碳积累中的促进作用,各组分的相对分布差异可指示有机碳积累的不同来源。

Prediction of the seismic behavior of an underground railway station and a tunnel in Napoli(Italy)

The assessment of the seismic safety of underground structures,either tunnels or large station boxes,should not be overlooked especially in densely populated areas,even with low to moderate seismicity.For underground structures,an important issue is the estimation of the seismic actions acting on the structure;only few experimental evidences are available for multi-level propped walls.For tunnels,it is generally assumed that their seismic behavior in soft ground is governed by the surrounding soil,while the inertial load contribution of the underground structure itself is negligible.In both cases,recent numerical studies proved that advanced dynamic analyses can provide satisfactory interpretation of non-linear soil-structure interaction during earthquakes.In this paper,a real case study,represented by a large open multi-propped excavation and a circular segmented tunnel in a densely urbanized area of the city center in Napoli,has been used to investigate some of the mentioned aspects.Accurate geotechnical characterization and choice of the reference input motions lead to a first estimate of the free-field ground motion,which was subsequently used for pseudo-static decoupled analyses.For the complexity of both excavation geometry and staged construction,a full dynamic analysis was considered neither affordable nor reliable for the multi-propped station box;thus two conventional pseudo-static analyses,applying either a displacement-based or a force-based approach,were carried out.In the case of the tunnel,the seismic increments of internal forces in the lining could be calculated through both a simplified pseudostatic analysis and a full dynamic analysis,showing a satisfying agreement.Overall,the results of the study demonstrated that the seismic increments of internal forces in the diaphragm walls of the station and in the segmented lining of the tunnel were quite significant.The case study encourages improving the reliability of simplified methods based on the more advanced dynamic approaches.

In-vitro corrosion of AZ31 magnesium alloys by using a polydopamine coating

Magnesium alloys are candidates to be used as biodegradable biomaterials for producing medical device.Their use is restricted due to the high degradation rate in physiological media.To contribute to solving this problem,a polydopamine(PDOPA)layer could be used to increase adhesion between the metallic substrate and external organic coating.In this paper,the corrosion behaviour of samples was investigated to determine their performance during the long-term exposure in simulated body fluid.Electrochemical methods including Open Circuit Potential(OCP)and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy(EIS)were used to investigate the corrosion resistance of samples.The results demonstrated a decreasing of the substrate degradation rate when PDOPA was used as interlayer supposing a synergistic effect when it was used together with the organic coating.

The dynamics of river confluences and their effects on the ecology of aquatic environment:A review

Confluences act as critical nodes in a river system.They affect hydrodynamics,sediment transport,bed morphology,and eco-hydraulics of the river system.Convergence of streams produces the complex mechanism of flow momentum and mass mixing which may affect the aquatic environment locally and even lasting for a long distance downstream.The confluence creates a hotspot for the river system’s ecological change,which usually leads to changes in water temperature,suspended-sediment load,bed material,nutrient concentrations,water chemistry,and organic-matter content.Hence,the dynamics of river confluences are very complex and have critical effects on river system’s water environment and ecology.For this reason,a review summarizing turbulent flow,sediment transport,morphological-dynamics,mixing processes,and their effects on the ecology of the aquatic environment at river confluences is in order.A future research agenda and opportunities pertinent to river confluence are vitally emphasized as a multidisciplinary research topic.

Lyapunov stability of competitive cells dynamics in tumor mechanobiology

Poromechanics plays a key role in modelling hard and soft tissue behaviours,by providing a thermodynamic framework in which chemo-mechanical mutual interactions among fluid and solid constituents can be consistently rooted,at different scale levels.In this context,how different biological species(including cells,extra-cellular components and chemical metabolites)interplay within complex environments is studied for characterizing the mechanobiology of tumor growth,governed by intra-tumoral residual stresses that initiate mechanotransductive processes deregulating normal tissue homeostasis and leading to tissue remodelling.Despite the coupling between tumor poroelasticity and interspecific competitive dynamics has recently highlighted how microscopic cells and environment interactions influence growth-associated stresses and tumor pathophysiology,the nonlinear interlacing among biochemical factors and mechanics somehow hindered the possibility of gaining qualitative insights into cells dynamics.Motivated by this,in the present work we recover the linear poroelasticity in order to benefit of a reduced complexity,so first deriving the well-known Lyapunov stability criterion from the thermodynamic dissipation principle and then analysing the stability of the mechanical competition among cells fighting for common space and resources during cancer growth and invasion.At the end,the linear poroelastic model enriched by interspecific dynamics is also exploited to show how growth anisotropy can alter the stress field in spherical tumor masses,by thus indirectly affecting cell mechano-sensing.

An in-depth multi-technique characterization of rare earth carbonates-RE_(2)(CO_(3))_(3)·2H_(2)O-owning tengerite-type structure

The present study has been conducted to contribute,once and for all,filling the lack of structural information for the whole class of rare earth(RE)carbonates owning the tengerite-(Y)structure.A complete structural characterization,carried out by Rietveld refinement of X-ray powder diffraction(XRD)data,was comparatively performed for the first time on several hydrated RE carbonates,having the general chemical formula RE_(2)(CO_(3))_(3)·χH_(2)O,RE=Y,Gd,Tb,Dy,Ho and Er.All samples share the same space group and lattice parameters similar to tengerite-(Y);the structures are also closely related,consisting in all cases of a three-dimensional framework of nine-fold coordinated RE atom polyhedral,linked together by carbonate ions.In addition to relatively minor changes in fractional coordinates of atom sites and corresponding interatomic distances,the only perceivable difference lies in the lattice parameters affected by the ionic radius of RE^(3+).However,in the case of Er,which has the lowest cationic radius among the analyzed RE,the stabilization of tengerite structure is at its limit condition,because the carbonate groups are heavily distorted.Furthermore,FT-IR and Raman spectra confirm the main structural features obtained by Rietveld refinements.The observed morphology of the various samples is almost the same,being characterized by the presence of bidimensional rod-like particles grouped in agglomerates,typical of tengerite crystals,thus indicating that the crystallization mechanism occurring during the hydrothermal synthesis is the same,irrespective of the involved RE cation.

Ignition and combustion modelling in a dual fuel diesel engine

A numerical simulation of a single cylinder research diesel engine fuelled by natural gas and diesel oil in dual fuel mode was conducted to test the reaction mechanism presented by Li and Williams in Ref.[1]for methane ignition.The mechanism made of only 9 reactions can represent a good compromise between reduction of computational time and accuracy of results.Simulations reproduce test cases previously carried out experimentally and numerically with a simpler kinetic mechanism at three different premixed ratios(10%,15% and 22%).Finally,a last case characterized by a supply of methane consistent with the typical load levels for this kind of engines(80%),was investigated only numerically.All the simulations were performed with the KIVA-3V solver on a geometry which includes open valve periods,intake and exhaust ducts.Through a comparison between experimental and numerical results,a calibration of the model has been performed and a quite good fitting of the models has been achieved.