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Electrically conductive printed textiles are gaining increasing interest and demand worldwide. Cotton fabric's porosity and high surface roughness avoid electrically conductive printed patterns on the fabrics. This paper reports the in-situ solution deposition of silver free particles inkjet ink via an aqueous single-stage inkjet printing process, which improved electrical conductivity and fastness properties with a new approach. The cotton fabrics were pre-treated with different polyvinylchloride (PVC) solutions prepared in various solvents such as tetrahydrofuran (THF) and dimethylformamide (DMF) that differed in boiling temperature. Afterward, PVC-pre-treated fabrics were printed through the HP Deskjet inkjet printer. The results showed that the PVC-pre-treatment of cotton fabrics significantly improved the electrical conductivity (< 2 ohm/), antibacterial activity, thermal management, droplets repellency, adhesion, abrasion, and washing fastness properties, as well as flexibility properties. The solvent type in PVC solutions affects the physical properties of the pre-treated cotton fabric. The comparison in rheological behavior of PVC solutions in DMF and THF at different temperatures displayed the significant difference in viscosity at gel-point for THF and DMF solution. THF solution with higher viscosity cannot diffuse more into porosities of cotton fabric than the DMF solution, which affects the silver nanoparticles' average crystal size and the final electrical conductivity of the printed fabric. It is the first time using an economical polymer layer on cotton fabrics to provide robust electronic printed patterns by single-stage inkjet printing. The results confirm that the flexible electronic printed fabric can be used as a multifunctional electronic textile.

Selective laser sintering (SLS) with polymers is currently at the transition to the production of functional components and thus holds great potential to revolutionize conventional production processes. Nevertheless, the application capability is confronted by newly defined requirements regarding reliability and reproducibility. In order to fulfil the requirements and to increase the process stability, the ageing mechanisms in polymers are compensated by recycling strategies. This involves fraction-based mixing of a defined ratio of new powder with recycled powder. Basically, fraction-based mixing must be preceded by the selection of suitable mixing parameters. The work focused on the influence of the mixing process on the powder characteristics for cyclic reuse in SLS. With regard to the powder characteristics, the particle shape and particle size distribution as well as the bulk and tap density of the powder were investigated. The authors found an influence of the mixing process with increasing mixing time on the powder characteristics of a black polyamide 12 sintering material. A mixing time of 1 h and a mixing intensity of 15 rpm proved to be potentially effective for achieving a gentle and homogeneous mixing of the powders.

Self-organisation is the spontaneous emergence of spatio-temporal structures and patterns from the interaction of smaller individual units. Examples are found across many scales in very different systems and scientific disciplines, from physics, materials science and robotics to biology, geophysics andastronomy. Recent research has highlighted how self-organisation can be both mediated and controlled by confinement. Confinement is an action over a system that limits its units’ translational and rotational degrees of freedom, thus also influencing the system’s phase space probability density; it can functionas either a catalyst or inhibitor of self-organisation. Confinement can then become a means to actively steer the emergence or suppression of collective phenomena in space and time. Here, to provide a common framework and perspective for future research, we examine the role of confinement in the self-organisation of soft-matter systems and identify overarching scientific challenges that need to be addressed to harness its full scientific and technological potential in soft matter and related fields.By drawing analogies with other disciplines, this framework will accelerate a common deeper understanding of self-organisation and trigger the development of innovative strategies to steer it using confinement, with impact on, e.g., the design of smarter materials, tissue engineering for biomedicineand in guiding active matter.

19 páginas, 9 figuras, 1 tabla., Mobile genetic elements control their life cycles by the expression of a master repressor, whose function must be disabled to allow the spread of these elements in nature. Here, we describe an unprecedented repression-derepression mechanism involved in the transfer of Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs). Contrary to the classical phage and SaPI repressors, which are dimers, the SaPI1 repressor StlSaPI1 presents a unique tetrameric conformation never seen before. Importantly, not just one but two tetramers are required for SaPI1 repression, which increases the novelty of the system. To derepress SaPI1, the phage-encoded protein Sri binds to and induces a conformational change in the DNA binding domains of StlSaPI1, preventing the binding of the repressor to its cognate StlSaPI1 sites. Finally, our findings demonstrate that this system is not exclusive to SaPI1 but widespread in nature. Overall, our results characterize a novel repression-induction system involved in the transfer of MGE-encoded virulence factors in nature., This work was supported by grants MR/V000772/1, MR/M003876/1 and MR/S00940X/1 from the Medical Research Council (UK), BB/N002873/1, BB/S003835/1 and BB/V002376/1 from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, UK), Wellcome Trust201531/Z/16/Z, and ERC-ADG-2014 Proposal n◦670932 Dut-signal from EU to J.R.P.; grants PID2019-108541GB-I00 from Spanish Government (Ministerio de Econom´ıa y Competitividad y Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion) and PROMETEO ´ /2020/012 from Valencian Government to A.M.; grants MOE2017-T2-2-163 and MOE2019-T2-2-162 from the Ministry of Education to J.C.; and grant NIHR01 AI083255 to G.C. J.T. was supported by NIH IRACDA Grant K12GM093857 to Virginia Commonwealth University. We acknowledge Diamond Light Source for time on Beamline I03 for X-ray crystallography and B21 for SEC-SAXS under Proposal 16258. L.M.-R. was the recipient of a Spanish postdoctoral fellowship from Fundacion Ram ´ on Areces (2018–2020). J.R.P. is ´thankful to the Royal Society and the Wolfson Foundation for providing him support through a Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship. Funding for open access charge: University funds.

Microgels are smart polymer colloids that synergistically combine the properties of hard particles and soft macromolecules. Their diverse applications with specific requirements have led to the development of ever new, complex systems, e.g. by engineering of their polymer network structure. Microgels comprising an amphiphilic polymer network, i.e. domains of significantly different solubility, are particularly interesting as they can promote solubility and protection of hydrophobic substances in aqueous media, mediate between reactants in different solvent phases, and show an enhanced emulsification ability. Their superiority compared to hard hydrophobic particles or linear amphiphilic macromolecules is based on their deformability, tailored functionality, easy separation from solution, and responsiveness to environmental stimuli. The latter allows for e.g. triggered uptake and release, formation and separation of emulsions, or switching between (catalytically) active and inactive states. The specific focus of this minireview are amphiphilic compartmentalized microgels with engineered hydrophobic domains. Recent advances in synthesis approaches to control the chemical structure and morphology of such microgels are described and critically evaluated. We further highlight various applications of microgels with engineered hydrophobic domains as smart delivery systems, emulsifiers, catalyst carriers, scavengers, and sensors.

Microgels are smart polymer colloids that synergistically combine the properties of hard particles and soft macromolecules. Their diverse applications with specific requirements have led to the development of ever new, complex systems, e.g. by engineering of their polymer network structure. Microgels comprising an amphiphilic polymer network, i.e. domains of significantly different solubility, are particularly interesting as they can promote solubility and protection of hydrophobic substances in aqueous media, mediate between reactants in different solvent phases, and show an enhanced emulsification ability. Their superiority compared to hard hydrophobic particles or linear amphiphilic macromolecules is based on their deformability, tailored functionality, easy separation from solution, and responsiveness to environmental stimuli. The latter allows for e.g. triggered uptake and release, formation and separation of emulsions, or switching between (catalytically) active and inactive states. The specific focus of this minireview are amphiphilic compartmentalized microgels with engineered hydrophobic domains. Recent advances in synthesis approaches to control the chemical structure and morphology of such microgels are described and critically evaluated. We further highlight various applications of microgels with engineered hydrophobic domains as smart delivery systems, emulsifiers, catalyst carriers, scavengers, and sensors.

V raziskavi obravnavamo vpliv tesnosti stavbnega ovoja na koncentracijo delcev velikosti od 10 do 1000 nm, ki se v stavbo nekontrolirano infiltrirajo iz zunanjega zraka. Na osnovi gradbeno-tehničnih karakteristik smo izbrali dve stavbi, od katerih ima stavba 1 nižjo zrakotesnost ovoja (S1-NT), stavba 2 pa višjo zrakotesnost ovoja (S2-VT). V vsaki stavbi smo v izbranem testnem prostoru kontinuirno merili številčne koncentracije delcev po en teden v neogrevalni in ogrevalni sezoni. V zunanjem zraku je glavni vir delcev v neogrevalni sezoni promet, v ogrevalni sezoni pa promet in kurišča. Ker sta nas v prostoru zanimali predvsem koncentracija različno velikih delcev zunanjega izvora in hitrost njihove infiltracije, smo notranje izvore delcev zmanjšali na minimum (v prostor je vstopala ena oseba le v času odpiranja in zapiranja okna). Pri vseh enotedenskih meritvah v prostoru smo uporabili enoten način odpiranja in zapiranja okna. Pri vrednotenju podatkov smo se osredotočili na obdobja, ko je bilo okno zaprto, in za ta obdobja izračunali številčne koncentracije delcev (CN je število delcev v cm–3) štirih frakcij (premer v nm: 500). Dodatno smo v prostoru spremljali še koncentracijo radona (CRn) in ogljikovega dioksida (CCO2), ki sta kazalnika učinkovitosti prezračevanja, ter temperaturo (Tin). V neposredni bližini testnega prostora smo v zunanjem zraku sočasno spremljali temperaturo (Tout), tlak (p), hitrost vetra (v), padavine (P) in CRn. Po metodi s sledilnim plinom CO2 smo izračunali zrakotesnost obeh testnih prostorov. Potrdili smo, da ima stavba 1 manj zrakotesen stavbni ovoj (Ninf = 0,40 h–1) kot stavba 2 (Ninf = 0,23 h–1). V obdobjih, ko je bilo okno zaprto, so povprečne številčne koncentracije delcev naslednje: (i) v S1-NT v neogrevalni sezoni CN 500 = 6 cm–3 in v ogrevalni sezoni CN 500 = 11 cm–3 (ii) v S2-VT v neogrevalni sezoni CN 500 = 5 cm–3 in v ogrevalni sezoni CN 500 = 13 cm–3. V stavbi 1 so koncentracije delcev v ogrevalni sezoni višje kot v neogrevalni sezoni le pri določenih frakcijah, medtem ko so v stavbi 2 v ogrevalni sezoni znatno višje kot v neogrevalni v vseh frakcijah. Iz navedenih rezultatov razberemo tudi, da so v ogrevalni sezoni koncentracije delcev višje v stavbi 2 kot v stavbi 1, kar kaže na dobro infiltracijo delcev tudi skozi bolj zrakotesen ovoj, ki ga ima stavba 2. Izračunali smo hitrost infiltracije in ugotovili, da koncentracija delcev 500) for these periods. In addition, radon (CRn) and carbon dioxide (CCO2) concentrations, which are indicators of ventilation efficiency, and temperature (Tin) were monitored in the room. In the immediate vicinity of the test room, temperature (Tout), pressure (p), wind speed (v), precipitation (P) and CRn were monitored simultaneously in the ambient air. The airtightness of the two test rooms was calculated using the CO2 tracer gas method. We confirmed that Building 1 has a less airtight building envelope (Ninf = 0.40 h–1) than Building 2 (Ninf = 0.23 h–1). During periods when the window was closed, the average particle number concentrations are as follows: (i) in S1-NT in the non-heating season CN 500 = 6 cm–3 and in the heating season CN 500 = 11 cm–3 (ii) in S2-VT in the non-heating season CN 500 = 5 cm–3 and in the heating season CN 500 = 13 cm–3. In Building 1, the particle number concentrations in the heating season are higher than in the non-heating season only for specific fractions, while in Building 2 they are significantly higher in the heating season than in the non-heating season for all fractions. The above results also show us that in the heating season, the particle concentrations are higher in Building 2 than in Building 1, indicating that the particles are well infiltrated also through the more airtight envelope of Building 2. We calculated the infiltration rate and found that the concentration of particles

Biodiesel is considered to be a sustainable alternative for fossil fuels such as petroleum-based diesel. However, we still lack knowledge about the impact of biodiesel emissions on humans, as airways and lungs are the primary target organs of inhaled toxicants. This study investigated the effect of exhaust particles from well-characterized rapeseed methyl ester (RME) biodiesel exhaust particles (BDEP) and petro-diesel exhaust particles (DEP) on primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) and macrophages (MQ). The advanced multicellular physiologically relevant bronchial mucosa models were developed using human primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) cultured at air–liquid interface (ALI) in the presence or absence of THP-1 cell-derived macrophages (MQ). The experimental set-up used for BDEP and DEP exposures (18 µg/cm2 and 36 µg/cm2) as well as the corresponding control exposures were PBEC-ALI, MQ-ALI, and PBEC co-cultured with MQ (PBEC-ALI/MQ). Following exposure to both BDEP and DEP, reactive oxygen species as well as the stress protein heat shock protein 60 were upregulated in PBEC-ALI and MQ-ALI. Expression of both pro-inflammatory (M1: CD86) and repair (M2: CD206) macrophage polarization markers was increased in MQ-ALI after both BDEP and DEP exposures. Phagocytosis activity of MQ and the phagocytosis receptors CD35 and CD64 were downregulated, whereas CD36 was upregulated in MQ-ALI. Increased transcript and secreted protein levels of CXCL8, as well as IL-6 and TNF-α, were detected following both BDEP and DEP exposure at both doses in PBEC-ALI. Furthermore, the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathway, COX-2-mediated histone phosphorylation and DNA damage were all increased in PBEC-ALI following exposure to both doses of BDEP and DEP. Valdecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, reduced the level of prostaglandin E2, histone phosphorylation, and DNA damage in PBEC-ALI following exposure to both concentrations of BDEP and DEP. Using physiologically relevant multicellular human lung mucosa models with human primary bronchial epithelial cells and macrophages, we found BDEP and DEP to induce comparable levels of oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and impairment of phagocytosis. The use of a renewable carbon-neutral biodiesel fuel does not appear to be more favorable than conventional petroleum-based alternative, as regards of its potential for adverse health effects.

International audience; Carbon concentration and distribution has a dramatic impact on mechanical properties of steel. The manufacture technology of ancient steel is an important question in archaeometallurgy, especially during medieval times when the production process evolves between indirect and direct modes. Steel is an iron alloy incorporating up to a few % of carbon in weight, heterogeneously clustered in various carbide phases that are usually imaged by metallographic microscopy after acid etching. We have investigated the capability to obtain in a direct, non-destructive way and quantitative maps of carbon in steel samples using the 12C(d,pγ)13C reaction with the simultaneous detection of the emission of the 3089 keV γ-ray (d-PIGE) and of the p0 proton group (d-NRA). Carbon spot measurements and mappings were carried out using an external deuteron microbeam of 1.5 MeV at the New AGLAE facility of the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France. The beam diameter on the target was around 50 µm and its mean intensity 4nA, monitored by using the PIXE signal (Fe Kα line) emitted by the sample. Spectra were fitted using the SIMNRA program and the calculated composition checked against standard reference steel targets. Carbon distribution maps were extracted from the collected γ-ray and proton spectra datacubes. Spot measurements acquired in 2 min yielded a limit of detection of 200 ppm carbon weight for d-PIGE and 10 ppm for d-NRA. Proton detection appeared more effective than γ-ray detection owing to better statistics, mainly due to higher detection efficiency and better S/N ratio while γ-rays detection is affected by the spurious emission from nitrogen contained in the exit foil. Carbon concentration was mapped on a medieval archaeological iron alloy sample (140 × 32 points, 7 mm × 1.6 mm area) using a 1.6 sec dwell time, yielding a carbon content of 0.395 % with an uncertainty of 10 %. Heterogeneities could be evidenced in the maps, and incidentally the presence of oxygen. A simple methodology was developed to derive the depth distribution maps of carbon in the first microns of the sample.

International audience

The physical properties of particle stacks have been of interest for a long time, and the acoustic properties of such materials have been actively investigated in recent times. Traditional acoustic theories, such as the Biot theory, can serve as a guide for determining the general properties of the stacks, but they do not allow the identification of the differences between the particle stacks and traditional acoustic materials, which are usually modeled as homogeneous continua. Recent research suggests that the Biot theory, combined with depth-dependent stiffness and equivalent density, can be used to model such materials. In this work, a finite difference (FD) scheme based on the Biot theory has been developed based on the idea that the apparent stiffness of the particle stack varies with depth within of the stack. This FD scheme is two-dimensional in cylindrical coordinates with an axisymmetric condition imposed at the axis of the cylinder. This approach is thus suitable for modeling common scenarios in which particle stacks are tested in a cylindrical standing wave tube. The results of several example cases are shown in this paper.

A water-in-water (W/W) emulsion consists of droplets formed by the spontaneous liquid–liquid separation of two immiscible aqueous phases. The inherent properties of the W/W interfaces, low or ultra...

Programa de doctorat: Doctorat en Enginyeria Mecànica, Fluids i Aeronàutica

В статье рассматривается значение и функционирование частицы точно в аспекте преподавания русского языка как иностранного. Необходимость анализа и навыков использования в речи такого класса слов как частицы обусловлена требованиями программ по РКИ на продвинутых этапах обучения. Высказывания с частицами субъективны, выразительны, демонстрируют позицию говорящего. При анализе частицы точно обращается внимание на синтаксические особенности, сочетаемость с другими частицами в структуре высказывания, на важность интонационного оформления высказывания с точно. Изучение частицы точно расширяет словарный запас иностранных студентов, развивает умение оперировать синонимами как в устной, так и в письменной речи, учит использованию интонации в соответствующих прагматических ситуациях., The article discusses the problem of meaning and functioning of the particle toch’no (точно) in the teaching of Russian for foreigners. The necessity of such analysis and formation of natural use of particles is determined by the educational program of teaching Russian as a foreign language at the advanced levels of studies. Utterances with particles imply subjectivity, expressiveness and demonstrate the speaker’s attitude towards the described event. Analysis of the particle toch’no focuses on its syntactical peculiarities, co-occurrence with other particles in the structure of the utterance, importance of intonational accentuation of the utterances containing toch’no. The study of this particle broadens foreign students’ vocabulary, develops their ability to use synonyms both in oral and written speech, teaches how to use intonation in the corresponding pragmatic situations., Russian Linguistic Bulletin, Выпуск 5 (41) 2023

Russian Linguistic Bulletin, Выпуск 5 (41) 2023

Extruded Al-Mg-Si profiles applied in the automotive industry are required to achieve an appropriate combination of strength and bendability. In order to investigate the effect of Mg/Si ratio on the bendability and anisotropic bending behavior, AA6005 and AA6061C were extruded to 2 mm thick plates. More Goss texture and anisotropic particle clusters exist in AA6005 alloys with a low Mg/Si ratio, which leads to a high tendency of surface roughing and cracking and to strong anisotropy in their bendability. However, more low-angle grain boundaries, cubic texture and comparatively random distribution of particles exists in AA6061C alloys with a high Mg/Si ratio, which blunts the surface roughing and crack process. The surface undulation is the outcome of the strain-intense localization of several layers of grains in the vicinity of the outer elongated surface. The strain localization and surface undulation lead to shear band initiation near the valleys. Several cooperating micro-mechanisms in AA6005, including grain clusters with Goss and Cubic orientation, heterogeneously nucleated particles and grain boundary spatial arrangements, lead to the grain boundary decohesion along a shear direction. AA6005 shows for predominately intergranular fractures in nature, with some areas exhibiting grain boundary decohesion during bending in the TD. However, AA6061C shows a predominately transgranular in nature, with some areas exhibiting intergranular fracture, which is affected by shear band development.

Mid-air haptic feedback technology produces tactile sensations that are felt without the need for physical interactions. However, mid-air haptic experiences need to be congruent with visual cues to reflect user expectations. To overcome this, we investigate how to visually present properties of objects, so that what one feels is a more accurate prediction of what one sees. Specifically, this paper investigates the relationship between 8 visual parameters of a point-cloud representation of a surface (particle color, size, distribution, etc.) and 4 mid-air haptic spatial modulation frequencies (20, 40, 60 and 80 Hz). Our results and analysis reveal a statistical significance between low and high-frequency modulations and particle density, particle bumpiness (depth) and particle arrangement (randomness).

Attractive colloids diffuse and aggregate to form gels, solid-like particle networks suspended in a fluid. Gravity is known to strongly impact the stability of gels once they are formed. However, its effect on the process of gel formation has seldom been studied. Here, we simulate the effect of gravity on gelation using both Brownian dynamics and a lattice-Boltzmann algorithm that accounts for hydrodynamic interactions. We work in a confined geometry to capture macroscopic, buoyancy-induced flows driven by the density mismatch between fluid and colloids. These flows give rise to a stability criterion for network formation, based on an effective accelerated sedimentation of nascent clusters at low volume fractions that disrupts gelation. Above a critical volume fraction, mechanical strength in the forming gel network dominates the dynamics: the interface between the colloid-rich and colloid-poor region moves downward at an ever decreasing rate. Finally, we analyze the asymptotic state, the colloidal gel-like sediment, which we find not to be appreciably impacted by the vigorous flows that can occur during the settling of the colloids. Our findings represent the first steps toward understanding how flow during formation affects the life span of colloidal gels., Comment: 14 pages, 15 figures, 3 movies

Here we show that microgels trapped at a solid wall can issue liquid flow and transport over distances several times larger than the particle size. The microgel consists of cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (PNIPAM-AA) polymer chains loaded with cationic azobenzene-containing surfactant, which can assume either a trans- or a cis-state depending on the wavelength of the applied irradiation. The microgel, being a selective absorber of trans-isomers, responds by changing its volume under irradiation with light of appropriate wavelength at which the cis-isomers of the surfactant molecules diffuse out of the particle interior. Together with the change in particle size, the expelled cis-isomers form an excess of the concentration and subsequent gradient in osmotic pressure generating a halo of local light-driven diffusioosmotic (l-LDDO) flow. The direction and the strength of the l-LDDO depends on the intensity and irradiation wavelength, as well as on the amount of surfactant absorbed by the microgel. The flow pattern around a microgel is directed radially outward and can be maintained quasi-indefinitely under exposure to blue light when the trans-/cis-ratio is 2/1, establishing a photostationary state. Irradiation with UV light, on the other hand, generates a radially transient flow pattern, which inverts from inward to outward over time at low intensities. By measuring the displacement of tracer particles around neutral microgels during a temperature-induced collapse, we can exclude that a change in particle shape itself causes the flow, i.e., just by expulsion or uptake of water. Ultimately, it is its ability to selectively absorb two isomers of photosensitive surfactant under different irradiation conditions that leads to an effective pumping caused by a self-induced diffusioosmotic flow.

Background: In-situ burning (ISB) could be an effective cleanup method during spills. This study aims to study occupational exposure to pollutants emitted from offshore, large-scale ISB-experiments among personnel on vessels involved in ISB. Materials and methods: Six experimental ISBs after release of 4.2–6 m3 crude or refined oils were performed. Air measurements on three vessels were taken of particulate matter (PM) of different size fractions, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Results: One vessel was located upwind (about 80–140 m) from the burning oil while two work boats were positioned 200–400 m downwind. One of the work boats moved back and forth transverse to the smoke plume while the other followed the edge of the smoke plume downwind. During the burn period (28–63 min) the range of mean concentrations of PM2.5 particles in the closest work boat downwind from the burn (0.068–0.616 mg/m3) was considerably higher than in the upwind vessel (0.0198–0.029 mg/m3) and in the work boat moving downwind at the edge of the visible smoke (0.007–0.078 mg/m3). The particles were mainly in the PM

Cardiovascular research 118(17), 3346-3359 (2023). doi:10.1093/cvr/cvac032, Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford

In parallel with the significant reduction of the impact of vehicles on the environment, the development of modern propulsion systems that have less and less harmful impact, new pollutants are being identified on the vehicle. One of the such pollutants is the brakes, which wear out and lead to the formation of particles that are released into the air, i.e. generally into the environment. Investigation of the mechanism of particle formation during braking, and thus the brake wear is today becoming one of the important areas of research. The most common tests in this area are performed using initial brake dynamometers and pin-on-disc machines. An overview of the influence of some operation parameters (initial vehicle speed, braking pressure, and deceleration) that varies frequently during testing on an inertial brake dynamometer is performed in this paper. There are a number of tests and cycles that are applied during research, but they are not specifically prescribed for testing the particle formation during braking. The UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) has included it in its plan and is in the development phase of introducing standardized cycles that will prescribe the braking cycle, the purpose of which will be to examine the formation of particles. This kind of review paper can be important for researchers who are engaged in this field, and the develop their own cycles or tests to examine the concentration or mass of particles formed during braking.

Background: Agrammatic speech is characterized by reduced speech rate, reduced utterance length and lack of grammatical complexity, with grammatical morphemes often omitted or substituted. At the word level, verbs have been argued to be particularly vulnerable: agrammatic speakers produce fewer verbs or use a less diverse range of verbs than unimpaired speakers and the use of finite verbs is compromised. However, this description is based on agrammatic narrative speech from languages that express Tense, Aspect and Agreement through verb inflection. To date, a few studies have described narrative speech in a language without verb inflection (e.g., Standard Indonesian). Thai is another language that does not use verb inflection but uses constructions with serial verbs. Another typical feature of Thai, which has not been investigated in agrammatic speakers, is the use of particles to express politeness, although agrammatic speakers of Standard Indonesian have an impaired use of (different) particles but produce the passive construction (which is a way to express politeness) to a normal extent. Aim: The current study aimed to characterize Thai agrammatic speech and to analyse the use of verbs and polite particles. Methods: Nine Thai agrammatic and nine non-brain-damaged (NBD) speakers participated in the study. Narrative speech was elicited in a semi-standardized interview and by picture description. First, the presence of general features of agrammatic speech were investigated in Thai: reduced speech rate and utterance length, and lack of grammatical complexity. This was followed by an in-depth analysis of verb and particle production. Results: As in other languages, Thai agrammatic speakers talked slowly and with short utterances. However, the use of embedded sentences was normal. They produced fewer verbs, more specifically, their production of the serial verb construction was seriously impaired. Remarkably, the use of polite particles was spared, in fact, the agrammatic speakers produced more of these particles than the NBD speakers, although this may have been influenced by the context. Conclusions: Thai agrammatic speech resembles that of other languages in terms of speech rate and utterance length. Interestingly, the specific features of Thai that were investigated, serial verbs and polite particles, both showed different patterns to normal, and merit further investigation in the future.

The stability of micrometer sized particles in hydrogen plasma is essential for extreme ultraviolet lithography, the ITER fusion program and the application of hydrogen plasma etching. We experimentally investigated the morphological evolution of tin (Sn), lead (Pb), and lead (II) oxide (PbO) micrometer sized particles on a surface that is exposed to a low pressure hydrogen plasma. Post exposure particle cross sections obtained by a scanning electron microscope accompanied by a focused ion beam demonstrated a significant influence of hydrogen plasma exposure on both the surface and the bulk material of the particles. Chemical sputtering at the surface and accumulation of pressurized hydrogen bubbles in cavities in the bulk material are the main drivers of the morphological changes. These mechanisms may influence the adhesion of particles to the surface through the introduction of asperities, increase of contact spot area, or fragmentation after the accumulation of mechanical stress.

During recent years plastics became one of the focuses of EU policy. A harmonisation and comparability of microplastics monitoring results across Europe is needed. The complexity of microplastic data makes it necessary to develop a specific, tailor-made database rather than adapting and modifying one of the existing databases. To meet this demand, we present a publicly accessible, flexible, and extendable structured relational database for particle-based microplastic data. The developed relational database is adaptive and meets the specific demands of microplastics, e.g., a large variety of sampling, processing and analytical methods, many types of plastics, and a very wide size spectrum ranging from micrometres to millimetres. In this paper we discuss the development of the database, data entry specifics, sample analysis methods, microplastics data manipulation and quality assurance, and database integration and accessibility.

There has been so far no energo-environmental system, whose design is considered energy-wise as well as cleanliness-wise, put in practical use despite the fact that those systems would be of huge potential importance as disaster shelters for casualties and/or infectious disease patients, in particular, those of COVID-19. We have designed the energo-environmental system based on the 2-Dimensional PhotoRecepto-Conversion Scheme (2DPRCS) and Clean Unit System Platform (CUSP) technologies. We have demonstrated the energo-environmental system can be as clean as US 209D class 1000 or better, quite handily, in a couple of minutes. As for the solar-cell-based energy generation part, we have shown that the needed electric power could be generated using our original technology of the 2DPRCS by simulations, as the possible first application of casualties’ and patients’ highly clean rest-space that has monitoring ability of the status of those people including sleep assessment. This energo-environmental clean system would be realized with the implementation of 2DPRCS in the near future.

The frequent appearance of sandy and dusty weather in Northwest China impacts the wind turbine. Meanwhile, the non-constant phenomena, dynamic stall speed during the wind turbine operation, will lead to large load fluctuations and unsafe operation. However, few studies have been conducted at home and abroad on the effect of particle parameters on the dynamic stall of airfoils. This paper investigates the impact of particle parameters on the airfoil dynamic stall through numerical simulation of the coupling between the continuous phase and discrete phase by using the SST k-ω turbulence model for a two-dimensional NACA 0012 airfoil. The effect of particle parameters on the airfoil dynamic stall aerodynamic performance, the impact of the flow field around the airfoil, and the particles motion were studied, respectively. The investigation shows a reduction in the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil, due to the addition of particles. The effect is more prominent under a large angle of attack and less under a small angle of attack. When the angle of attack increases, the loss rate of lift coefficient in the windy and sandy environment gradually decreases, while irregular fluctuations emerge when the angle of attack decreases, and the overall rate of change increases more significantly, compared to the stage of the increasing angle of attack. For the particle diameter under 50 μm, the larger the particle diameter, the more significant the change of lift coefficient becomes, as well as the larger the vortex volume near the airfoil’s leading edge, and a large number of particles gather at the suction surface of the airfoil. For the particle diameter of 50 μm, the lift coefficient decreases at any angle of attack of the airfoil movement to the oscillation cycle, the vortex volume decreases, and a large number of particles gather at the pressure surface of the airfoil. However, for particle diameters above 50 μm, the lift coefficient gets reduced, followed by a decrease in the vortex volume near the airfoil leading edge with the increase of particle diameter, so that plenty of particles gather on the pressure surface of that airfoil. At the stage of increasing the airfoil angle of attack, with the increase of particle concentration, there is a gradual decrease of the peak lift coefficient and stall angle of attack of the airfoil, as well as a corresponding decrease of the drag coefficient divergence angle of attack and peak value. In contrast, when the airfoil angle of attack is decreased, the airflow reattachment process obviously lags behind that of the clean air. As the particle concentration increases, the airfoil separation point occurs earlier, and the higher the concentration, the earlier the separation point. The erosion maximum airfoil erosion rate increases with the particle concentration.

U ovom radu se opisuje i testira jednostavan algoritam za simulaciju rada linearnog akceleratora Alvarezove strukture. Algoritam, uz nekoliko aproksimacija, uspješno simulira rad akceleratora te daje rezultate vrlo slične stvarnima. Simulacije su bitne u fizici jer omogućavaju rješavanje problema za koje ne postoje analitička rješenja, već samo numerička. Ovaj algoritam ne koristi unaprijed definiran akcelerator, već sam odredi kakav akcelerator bi bio optimalan za ubrzavanje zadanih čestica sa zadanim početnim uvjetima. Na kraju rada je uspješno sastavljen DTL dio CERN-ovog Linac4 akceleratora, čije dimenzije su vrlo slične stvarnima te se time pokazuje moguća direktna primjena ovakvog algoritma. Uz daljnji razvoj algoritma i korištenje realnijih elektromagnetskih polja, algoritam bi se mogao koristiti za konstrukciju pravih linearnih akceleratora Alvarezove strukture te za provedbu vrlo preciznih eksperimenata bez potrebe za korištenjem skupe opreme., The subject of this thesis is the description and subsequent testing of a simple algorithm for simulating an Alvarez type linear accelerator. The algorithm, with a few approximations, successfully simulates the working of accelerators and gives results which are very similar to those of real accelerators. Simulations are important in physics because they enable us to solve problems which don’t have analytic solutions, but only numerical ones. This algorithm doesn’t use a predefined accelerator, but it instead determines what kind of accelerator would be optimal for accelerating given particles with the given starting conditions. In the end of the thesis the DTL part of CERN’s Linac4 accelerator is successfully constructed with dimensions which are very close to the actual ones which demonstrates the possibility of a direct application of this kind of algorithm. With further development of the algorithm, and the use of more realistic electromagnetic fields, the algorithm could be used for the construction of actual linear accelerators of Alvarez type and for carrying out very precise experiments without the need of expensive equipment.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) aerosols are complex mixtures of chemicals, metals, and particles that may present inhalation hazards and adverse respiratory health risks. Despite being considered a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes, metal exposure levels and respiratory effects associated with device aging and vaping frequency have not been fully characterized. In this study, we utilize an automated multi-channel ENDS aerosol generation system (EAGS) to generate aerosols from JUUL pod-type ENDS using tobacco-flavored e-liquid. Aerosol puff fractions (1–50) and (101–150) are monitored and sampled using various collection media. Extracted aerosols are prepared for metal and toxicological analysis using human primary small airway epithelial cells (SAEC). ENDS aerosol-mediated cellular responses, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative stress, cell viability, and DNA damage, are evaluated after 24 h and 7-day exposures. Our results show higher particle concentrations in later puff fractions (0.135 mg/m3) than in initial puff fractions (0.00212 mg/m3). Later puff fraction aerosols contain higher toxic metal concentrations, including chromium, copper, and lead, which elicit increased levels of ROS followed by significant declines in total glutathione and cell viability. Notably, a 30% increase in DNA damage was observed after 7 days because of later puff fraction exposures. This work is consistent with ENDS aerosols becoming more hazardous across the use of pre-filled pod devices, which may threaten respiratory health.

Selective laser sintering (SLS) with polymers is currently in transition to the production of functional components. Nevertheless, the potential to revolutionize conventional production processes is confronted by newly imposed requirements regarding reliability and reproducibility. To ensure that the requirements are fulfilled, the aging mechanisms occurring in polymers are compensated by recycling strategies, such as fraction-based mixing of a defined ratio of new with recycled powder. Although various mixing ratios for the reuse of the material in SLS have been investigated, there is insufficient knowledge of suitable mixing parameters for homogeneous and gentle mixing of the powder fractions. This work therefore focused on the influence of potentially suitable mixing parameters identified in a previous study on the ongoing powder and component properties in SLS using polyamide 12 and a constant refreshing rate. Regarding the powder properties, the intrinsic properties and density of the powders were investigated. Regarding the component properties, mechanical properties, sinter density, and surface quality were investigated. Decreases in the powder density and the component properties were measured by increasing the number of process cycles. Taking into account the determined powder and component properties, the selected mixing parameters enabled a homogeneous and gentle mixing of the powder fractions.

Different parts of bones possess different properties, such as the capacity for remodeling cell content, porosity, and protein composition. For various traumatic or surgical tissue defects, the application of tissue-engineered constructs seems to be a promising strategy. Despite significant research efforts, such constructs are still rarely available in the clinic. One of the reasons is the lack of resorbable materials, whose properties can be adjusted according to the intended tissue or tissue contacts. Here, we present our first results on the development of a toolbox, by which the scaffolds with easily tunable mechanical and biological properties could be prepared. Biodegradable poly(lactic acid) and nanocrystalline cellulose methacrylated particles were obtained, characterized, and used for preparation of three-dimensional scaffolds via cryogelation and 3D printing approaches. The composition of particles-based ink for 3D printing was optimized in order to allow formation of stable materials. Both the modified-particle cytotoxicity and the matrix-supported cell adhesion were evaluated and visualized in order to confirm the perspectives of materials application.

Evaluating vaping parameters that influence electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) emission profiles and potentially hazardous exposure levels is essential to protecting human health. We developed an automated multi-channel ENDS aerosol generation system (EAGS) for characterizing size-resolved particle emissions across pod- and mod-type devices using real-time monitoring instruments, an exposure chamber, and vaping parameters including different ventilation rates, device type and age, e-liquid formulation, and atomizer setup. Results show the ENDS device type, e-liquid flavoring, and nicotine content can affect particle emissions. In general, pod-type devices have unimodal particle size distributions and higher number emissions, while mod-type devices have bimodal size distributions and higher mass emissions. For pod-type devices, later puff fractions emit lower aerosols, which is potentially associated with the change of coil resistance and power during ageing. For a mod-type device, an atomizer with a lower resistance coil and higher power generates larger particle emissions than an atomizer with a greater resistance coil and lower power. The unventilated scenario produces higher particle emission factors, except for particle mass emission from pod-type devices. The data provided herein indicate the EAGS can produce realistic and reproducible puff profiles of pod- and mod-type ENDS devices and therefore is a suitable platform for characterizing ENDS-associated exposure risks.

Transportation should become sustainable and available to everyone. Currently, transportation accounts for approx. one sixth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally, and heavy-duty trucks are responsible for almost 30% of that. When fossil diesel fuel is burned in a compression ignition engine, known as a diesel engine, it releases large amounts of CO2, a GHG, into the air. GHGs confine heat in our atmosphere, causing global warming. Furthermore, the emissions are polluting air locally, having negative impact on human health and nature, but also some are adding to the global warming effects. Renewable diesel-like fuels, RME (rapeseed oil methyl ester) and HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), and light renewable or less carbon-intense alcohols, methanol and ethanol, as well as blended fuel E85 (ethanol and gasoline), can be used to reduce net CO2 emissions, particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants from the engine. They are available on the market and can be fed to diesel engines without major hardware modifications or by using the available technology. The aim of this PhD thesis was to investigate the effect of replacing fossil diesel fuel with renewable fuels, on the performance and local exhaust emissions of a heavy-duty diesel engine.In experimental studies, particle size distributions in the exhaust were compared to those of fossil diesel. The origin of PM from these less-sooting fuels was studied. The compositions of organic aerosol (OA) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from HVO, RME and fossil diesel were analyzed, and the effect of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) was evaluated. Formation of SOA in the atmosphere was simulated by aging emissions in an oxidation flow reactor. The nanostructure of the soot when operating on RME, diesel, methanol or ethanol was studied. Finally, the viability of using E85 fuel in a production truck engine was tested.Ethanol and methanol proved to be nearly non-sooting fuels, with the nanoparticles in the exhaust originating primarily from the lubrication oil. The engine performed well with E85 fuel, with almost all raw emissions below the current legislated levels for one operation setting.PM emissions were significantly lower when fossil diesel was replaced with HVO or RME. The chemical composition of OA was likely dominated by lubrication oil for all three diesel-like fuels. RME reduced both the OA emissions and changed the composition with evidence for minor fuel contributions in the mass spectra. The unregulated nanoparticles of size between 5 nm and 23 nm, which are also thought to originate from the lubrication oil, were emitted in high numbers as nucleation mode. RME and diesel branched soot agglomerates were composed of several tens to hundreds of primary particles, and diesel soot also contained fly ashes from burned engine lubrication oil. SOA formation was substantially lower for RME compared to fossil diesel and HVO. The DOC strongly reduced primary organic emissions in both the gas (hydrocarbons) and particle phase (OA), and only 12 marginally affected OA composition. The DOC was also effective in reducing SOA formation upon atmospheric aging.In order to defossilize transportation, all available technology and research efforts need to get united. When it comes to the heavy-duty sector, the most straightforward solution would be to replace fossil diesel fuel with a diesel-like fuel of non-fossil origin, beginning with the existing vehicle fleets. The use of HVO, RME and light alcohols would have a positive impact on an overall PM reduction.

When a cannonball is shot towards the walls of a fortress, or when the ion drives on a satellite eject gas in order to keep its orbit stable, or, similarly, when we observe the ordinary day-to-day movements of cars, rivers, and other objects, and even the speed of a chemical reaction, we, in fact, are witnessing the effects that physics, or more specifically, kinematics, has on our world. The former, for instance, employs the range formula for projectiles; the satellite, on the other hand, utilizes the concept of velocity to continue being kept afloat in space. Although the latter cases are, respectively, measured in terms of acceleration, distance, and speed (or, depending on the circumstances, in terms of their vectorized counterparts: change in speed, displacement, and velocity); they all, however, do have a shared sense of motion attached to them, which in physics and engineering came to be known as "kinematics." This paper aims to explain the fundamentals of kinematics and clarify the core topics and idioms covered within college-level physics courses, and some of the advanced high school science textbooks, straightforwardly and comprehensively; furthermore, core kinematics concepts and equations will be demonstrated alongside the algebraic proofs of their derived formulae.

The heat and mass transfer to solid particles in one-dimensional oscillating flows are investigated in this work. A meta-correlation for the calculation of the Nusselt number (Sherwood number) is derived by comparing 33 correlations and data point sets from experiments and simulations. These models are all unified by their dependencies on the amplitude parameter 10−3≤ϵ≤103 and the Reynolds number 10−1≤Re≤106, while the ϵ-Re plane is applied as a framework in order to graphically display the various models. This is the first study to consider this problem in the entire ϵ-Re plane quantitatively while taking preexisting asymptotic models for various areas of the ϵ-Re plane into account.

High-amylose maize starch (HAS) was used to produce a fibrous 3D network nanosystem aiming at providing an efficient and stable emulsion stabilizer characterized by being robust against storage, freeze-thawing, high temperatures and mechanical shearing. This approach is principally different from the usually applied stabili-zation systems based on surfactants or small solid particles. Here, we utilized a sodium hydroxide-based low -temperature, chemical gelatinization protocol to minimize molecular degradation, and ethanol nanoprecipitation to reassociate the polysaccharides nanoparticles (NPs) to form a 3D nanosystem. Octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) substitution was used for modulation of the amphipathic properties of the nanosystem to enhance the emulsfying capacity. With increased OSA substitution, light transmittance of the NPs solutions increased and the size distribution of the NPs decreased down to 100 nm. The obtained emulsions were characterized by being water in oil (W/O) systems, and the NPs were distributed in the oil phase. OSA substitution and NPs concen-tration contributed combinedly to the emulsification capacity. The nanosystem, at 5% concentration with 20% OSA modification, had droplets of approximately 1 mu m in diameter, and could withstand a 60-day-long storage, five-cycle freeze-thaw and thermal stability tests. In addition, it also displayed higher mechanical stabilities to shear-thinning.

There is increasing evidence linking long-term fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure to negative health effects. However, the relative influence of each component of PM2.5 on health risk is poorly understood. In a cohort study in the contiguous United States between 2000 and 2017, we examined the effect of long-term exposure to PM2.5 main components and all-cause mortality in older adults who had to be at least 65 years old and enrolled in Medicare. We estimated the yearly mean concentrations of six key PM2.5 compounds, including black carbon (BC), organic matter (OM), soil dust (DUST), nitrate (NO3–), sulfate (SO42–), and ammonium (NH4+), using two independently sourced well-validated prediction models. We applied Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the hazard ratios for mortality and penalized splines for assessing potential nonlinear concentration–response associations. Results suggested that increased exposure to PM2.5 mass and its six main constituents were significantly linked to elevated all-cause mortality. All components showed linear concentration–response relationships in the low exposure concentration ranges. Our research indicates that long-term exposure to PM2.5 mass and its essential compounds are strongly connected to increased mortality risk. Reductions of fossil fuel burning may yield significant air quality and public health benefit. There is increasing evidence linking long-term fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure to negative health effects. However, the relative influence of each component of PM2.5 on health risk is poorly understood. In a cohort study in the contiguous United States between 2000 and 2017, we examined the effect of long-term exposure to PM2.5 main components and allcause mortality in older adults who had to be at least 65 years old and enrolled in Medicare. We estimated the yearly mean concentrations of six key PM2.5 compounds, including black carbon (BC), organic matter (OM), soil dust (DUST), nitrate (NO3-), sulfate (SO42-), and ammonium (NH4+), using two independently sourced well-validated prediction models. We applied Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the hazard ratios for mortality and penalized splines for assessing potential nonlinear concentration-response associations. Results suggested that increased exposure to PM2.5 mass and its six main constituents were significantly linked to elevated all-cause mortality. All components showed linear concentration-response relationships in the low exposure concentration ranges. Our research indicates that long-term exposure to PM2.5 mass and its essential compounds are strongly connected to increased mortality risk. Reductions of fossil fuel burning may yield significant air quality and public health benefit.

Sediment formation in drinking water distribution systems can lead to brown water at customer taps. Previous studies have shown that sediment formation is closely linked with (micro)biological processes in the distribution system, however the mechanism is not fully understood. Most available studies on discoloration or sediment formation mechanism are based on modeling, pilot-scale experiments, or low frequency data collected during pipe flushing. In this study, long-term sediment development in a large-scale drinking water distribution system was studied at one location over 11 years and at several locations along a known water trajectory during one year. Particulate material was collected at several locations using built-in and mobile filters that were connected to transport and distribution pipes in a semi-continuous manner. The volume of the collected material varied seasonally and the highest volumes were collected in the summer season. The material followed similar variations as temperature, invertebrates biomass and concentration of Aeromonas. The results showed that particulate matter of the sediment at downstream distribution locations was not released by the treatment works but instead forms along the distribution network, with increasing particle/floc size, biomass and Fe and Mn content. The large crustacean, Asellus, contributed to material production through feces excretion and formation of detritus by degradation of exoskeletons of dead animals. Detailed chemical characterization of the collected material showed the presence of proteins, calcium carbonate and iron precipitates. A similar sediment composition in a reference distribution system where customer complaints about brown water are experienced less frequently suggests that the sediment formation mechanism is the same but that water quality of the treatment effluent impacts the extent of material formation and growth of invertebrates. Overall, the results indicate that sediment formation in the distribution system is the result of complex combinations of (micro)biological and bio-chemical processes, including aggregation of particles with organic and inorganic matter, microbial growth on particles and biofilm, biomineralization, and growth of invertebrates. The determining factors to limit sediment formation, however, could not be identified. Further research is required to focus on the impact of treatment on shaping the distribution system ecosystem.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences launched its airborne sniffer program in 2015 whereby a custom-built sniffer sensor was installed onboard the Belgian coastguard aircraft enabling the measurement of SO2 and NOx emitted by ocean-going vessels (OGVs). The data gathered on non-compliant OGVs were subsequently sent to port inspection authorities, who were then able to trigger inspections more rapidly than had they not had the data from the aircraft. This study reveals the added value of airborne alerts on port inspection effectiveness, a subject that had not been previously documented. This article demonstrates that airborne alerts have not only led to increased sanctions but have also drastically improved the efficiency of port inspection authorities, leading to a 50% reduction in the enforcement cost per confirmed violation. Port inspection authorities were able to follow up on 46% of the generated Fuel Sulphur Content (FSC) alerts. Of the alerts that were followed up, 43% were confirmed as non-compliant after inspection. This means that 20% of the total number of generated airborne alerts, which includes those that were not able to be followed up, met conditions for legal sanctioning. In contrast, for NOx alerts, only limited follow-ups were conducted by port inspection authorities. None of the alerts were confirmed with those inspections, mainly due to the lack of inspection mechanisms for real-world NOx emissions under IMO and EU regulations. In addition, for this study, a large-scale remote FSC measurement validation analysis was conducted for the first time, comparing airborne FSC measurements and FSC reference data. In order to obtain FSC reference data, onboard measurements from exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCSs) were collected, together with fuel samples from Belgian port inspection authorities. The validation analysis revealed that the empiric deviation in the airborne FSC measurements with the FSC reference data was 9%, which was significantly lower than the 25% uncertainty used in the reporting of the alerts. This study helps pave the way for an increased role of airborne monitoring in the MARPOL Annex VI enforcement chain.

Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm are microplastics. They are among the significant pollutants that recently attracted attention. Great quantities of microplastics enter the sewage system daily and reach wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). As a result, WWTPs are potential microplastic sources. Hence, they create a pathway for microplastics to reach aquatic environments with treated wastewater discharge. Studies on microplastic characterization in WWTPs have gained momentum in academia. This study investigates the abundance, size, shape, color, polymer type, and removal efficiencies of microplastics in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Denizli/Turkey. The results showed that the dominant microplastic shape in wastewater samples was fibers (41.78%-60.77%) in the 100-500 mu m (58.57%-80.07%) size range. Most of the microplastics were transparent-white (32.86%-58.93%). The dominant polymer types were polyethylene (54.05%) and polyethylene vinyl acetate (37.84%) in raw wastewater. Furthermore, the microplastic removal efficiencies of the Denizli Central WWTP as a whole and for individual treatment units were evaluated. Although the microplastic pollution removal efficiency of the Denizli Central WWTP was over 95%, the microplastic concentration discharged daily into the receiving environment was considerably high (1.28 x 10(10) MP/d). Thus, Denizli Central WWTP effluents result in a high volume of emissions in terms of microplastic pollution with a significant daily discharge to the curuksu Stream.

8 páginas, 4 figuras, We present in this paper a simple method to produce strategic acoustic particle capture sites in microfluidic channels in a controlled way. Air bubbles are intermittently injected into a micro-capillary with rectangular cross section during a flow motion of liquid suspensions containing micron-sized particles or particles to create bubble-defined “micro-gaps” with size close to 200 µm and spheroidal geometry. The establishment of a 3D standing acoustic wave inside the capillary at a frequency close to 1 MHz produces different radiation forces on solid particles and bubbles, and acoustic streaming around the bubble. While the sample flows, part of the particles collect along the acoustic pressure node established near the central axis and continue circulating aligned through the capillary until reaching the end, where are released enriched. Meanwhile, the bubble travels very fast toward positions of maximum pressure amplitude beside the channel wall, driven by Bjerkness forces, and attach to it, remaining immovable during the acoustic actuation. Some particles adhere to its membrane trapped by the acoustic streaming generated around the oscillating bubble. Changes of frequency were applied to analyze the influence of this parameter on the bubble dynamics, which shows a complete stability once attached to the channel wall. Only increasing the flow motion induces the bubble displacements. Once reached the open air at the end of the capillary, the bubble disappears releasing the trapped particles separated from their initial host suspension with a purity degree. The device presents a very simple geometry and a low-cost fabrication., This work is financed by the Spanish National Plan project PID2021-128985OB-I00 funded by the Spanish Ministery of Science and Innovation MICINN and CSIC-Intramural project

Air pollution is a leading cause of death worldwide, and it has a profound impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystems. A substantial portion of air pollution is attributable to Ocean Going Vessels (OGVs). In light of this, international regulations have been put in place to mitigate air pollutant emissions from OGVs. While studies have indicated that these regulations can create significant health, environmental, and economic benefits, there remains a research gap regarding their specific impact on enhancing air quality. The aim of this study is to investigate how the implemented regulations have affected air quality in the Southern North Sea. The study found that the international regulations on ship emissions have successfully led to a decline in SO2 emissions from OGVs in the Southern North Sea, which resulted in a reduction of ambient SO2 concentrations inland, leading to positive effects on public health and the environment. However, the proportion of shipping’s contribution to SO2 emissions is projected to increase in the future. Moreover, the study revealed that the use of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS) presents significant concerns. They were more frequently found to be non-compliant, and, more alarmingly, they emit higher mean levels of SO2. It also emerged that international regulations in the southern North Sea have less of an impact on the reduction of NOx emissions from OGVs than expected, which is all the more important given that NOx emissions from OGVs are expected to account for 40% of the total domestic NOx emissions for the northern region of Belgium by 2030.

Funding Information: Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). CV and TGS acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT-MCTES) for its financial support via projects UIDB/00667/2020 and UIDP/00667/2020 (UNIDEMI). PMF also acknowledges FCT-MCTES for its financial support via the PhD scholarship UI/BD/151055/2021. PLI would like to acknowledge FCT-MCTES for its financial support via the PhD scholarship FCT-SFRH /BD/146885/2019. RJCS acknowledges national funds from FCT-MCTES, in the scope of the project UIDB/50025/2020–2023 of the CENIMAT/i3N. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s). A new variant of friction stir processing named upward friction stir processing (UFSP) is a promising approach to control particles’ distribution and promote a more uniform distribution over a larger processed area. This variant involves using two sheets with functional particles between them to produce metallic composites. A spacer is used to ensure the desired quantity and uniform distribution of the particles and prevent sputtering. This technique promotes an upward flow to introduce more particles with a uniform distribution in the processed volume, avoiding discrete holes or grooves. This study involved enhancing the particles’ distribution by varying process parameters. The resulting trial with the best particles’ distribution was characterized by means of light microscopy, eddy current testing, microhardness mapping, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The study revealed that UFSP can improve the particles’ distribution in the stir zone of metallic composites, especially when multi-passes are performed towards the retreating side of the plates. The process parameters that produced an improvement in particles’ distribution were six passes with an offset of 1 mm towards the retreating side, the tool rotation and processing speed of 900 rev/min, and 180 mm/min, respectively, and a spacer’s thickness of 0.5 mm. The resulting hardness and electrical conductivity profiles show that the UFSP technique can significantly affect material’s properties, including mechanical strength, particularly when processing with tool offset towards the retreating side. Furthermore, the hardness increased by about 22% in composites produced with the addition of reinforcement particles. However, for some aluminum alloys, the properties decreased under such conditions. These findings highlight the potential of UFSP for producing functionalized materials with tailored properties, while also underscoring the importance of careful parameters selection to optimize the material´s performance. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. publishersversion inpress

Humans are continuously exposed to polymeric materials such as in textiles, car tires and packaging. Unfortunately, their break down products pollute our environment, leading to widespread contamination with micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs). The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is an important biological barrier that protects the brain from harmful substances. In our study we performed short term uptake studies in mice with orally administered polystyrene micro-/nanoparticles (9.55 µm, 1.14 µm, 0.293 µm). We show that nanometer sized particles—but not bigger particles—reach the brain within only 2 h after gavage. To understand the transport mechanism, we performed coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations on the interaction of DOPC bilayers with a polystyrene nanoparticle in the presence and absence of various coronae. We found that the composition of the biomolecular corona surrounding the plastic particles was critical for passage through the BBB. Cholesterol molecules enhanced the uptake of these contaminants into the membrane of the BBB, whereas the protein model inhibited it. These opposing effects could explain the passive transport of the particles into the brain.

Visual examination of visually recognisable substances, including microscopy, focus on targets or contaminants such as particles of animal origin, plant seeds, spore bodies of moulds, sclerotia, packaging material, microplastic and 'Besatz' (everything that differs from the norm). The two principal results are counts (numbers) and weights for macroscopic methods, or presence/absence for microscopic methods. The level of detection equals at least the size of one unit, usually with a weight exceeding 1 mg, which is in the range of parts per million (ppm). These parameters do not follow a normal distribution but Poisson (counts), lognormal (weights) or binomial (Booleans) distributions, with effect on the interpretation of validation parameters. As for other domains, examination methods for visual monitoring need to be properly validated and quality control during actual application is needed. In most cases procedures for validation of visual methods are based on principles adopted from other domains, such as chemical analysis. A series of examples from publications show inconsistent or not correct implementations of these validation procedures, which stress the need for dedicated validation procedures. Identification of legal ingredients and composition analysis in the domain of visual examination relies on the expertise of the laboratory staff, therefore validation of a method usually includes the validation of the expert. In the view of these specific circumstances, a Guidance for quality assurance and control of visual methods has been developed, which are being presented and discussed in this paper. The general framework of the Guidance is adopted from ISO standards (17023, 17043, 13528). Part 1 of the Guidance includes the general background, theory and principles. Part 2 presents the actual validation procedures with experimental designs and equations for calculating the relevant parameters, and can be used as blueprint for a SOP in a quality management system. An EURL and NRL network for physical hazards is strongly recommended.

Biodiesel is considered to be a sustainable alternative for fossil fuels such as petroleum-based diesel. However, we still lack knowledge about the impact of biodiesel emissions on humans, as airways and lungs are the primary target organs of inhaled toxicants. This study investigated the effect of exhaust particles from well-characterized rapeseed methyl ester (RME) biodiesel exhaust particles (BDEP) and petro-diesel exhaust particles (DEP) on primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) and macrophages (MQ). The advanced multicellular physiologically relevant bronchial mucosa models were developed using human primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) cultured at air–liquid interface (ALI) in the presence or absence of THP-1 cell-derived macrophages (MQ). The experimental set-up used for BDEP and DEP exposures (18 µg/cm2 and 36 µg/cm2) as well as the corresponding control exposures were PBEC-ALI, MQ-ALI, and PBEC co-cultured with MQ (PBEC-ALI/MQ). Following exposure to both BDEP and DEP, reactive oxygen species as well as the stress protein heat shock protein 60 were upregulated in PBEC-ALI and MQ-ALI. Expression of both pro-inflammatory (M1: CD86) and repair (M2: CD206) macrophage polarization markers was increased in MQ-ALI after both BDEP and DEP exposures. Phagocytosis activity of MQ and the phagocytosis receptors CD35 and CD64 were downregulated, whereas CD36 was upregulated in MQ-ALI. Increased transcript and secreted protein levels of CXCL8, as well as IL-6 and TNF-α, were detected following both BDEP and DEP exposure at both doses in PBEC-ALI. Furthermore, the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathway, COX-2-mediated histone phosphorylation and DNA damage were all increased in PBEC-ALI following exposure to both doses of BDEP and DEP. Valdecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, reduced the level of prostaglandin E2, histone phosphorylation, and DNA damage in PBEC-ALI following exposure to both concentrations of BDEP and DEP. Using physiologically relevant multicellular human lung mucosa models with human primary bronchial epithelial cells and macrophages, we found BDEP and DEP to induce comparable levels of oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and impairment of phagocytosis. The use of a renewable carbon-neutral biodiesel fuel does not appear to be more favorable than conventional petroleum-based alternative, as regards of its potential for adverse health effects.

For the closed Brayton cycle using carbon heaters, working fluid contains some solid particles generally. These impurities will enter turbine along with gas, influence aerodynamic performance, and even make turbine work under off-design condition. Therefore, it is necessary to study the influence of particles on turbine. In this paper, a turbine using argon with carbon particles as working fluid is investigated. Particles are assumed to have no volume and are evenly divided into ten different sizes. Based on the discrete phase model (DPM), CFD method is adopted to simulate turbine flow field, and influences of carbon particle mass fraction, particle diameter and incident velocity on aerodynamic performance are analyzed. The results indicate that as particle mass fraction increases, total pressure, static pressure and Mach number decrease significantly, isentropic efficiency decreases slightly, while temperature increases. Collision and rebound of particles in flow field are more intense with a larger particle diameter, but flow field is less influenced under the same mass fraction due to decrease of particle number. Incident velocity has little effect on aerodynamic performance; however, with increase of incident velocity, diameter of particles on blade surface is larger and collision of particles is more intense especially in nozzle. These results will help understand the influence of solid particles on turbines.

Die technische Sauberkeit von Bauteilen ist heute nicht mehr Kür, sondern Pflicht. Bereits geringfügige Fremdkontaminationen stellen ein erhöhtes Qualitäts- und Funktionsausfallrisiko für beispielsweise Hydraulikkomponenten und Getriebeelemente dar. Zur Minimierung dieses Risikos ist es notwendig Grenzwerte für Fremdkontaminationen in einer Sauberkeitsspezifikation festzulegen. Unter dem Begriff Fremdkontaminationen werden sämtliche Verunreinigung eines Systems durch fremde Substanzen, wie beispielsweise Partikel oder Fasern, zusammengefasst. Ziel dieser Diplomarbeit ist es, The importance of technical cleanliness of components has increased significantly over the last years in many sectors of industry. Even minor foreign contamination poses an increased risk of quality and functional failure, for example for hydraulic components or transmission elements. To minimize this risk, it is necessary to define threshold values for foreign contamination in a cleanliness specification. The term foreign contamination covers all contamination of a system by foreign substances, such as fibers or particles. The aim of this diploma thesis is to derive acceptance criteria for parts and components of a hydraulic system of a microprocessor-prosthesis knee joint. For this purpose, a cleanliness analysis of the hydraulic components is performed in the first step. Based on the knowledge gained about the existing contamination in the system, representative contamination particles are chosen. By selectively introducing foreign contaminants into the previously cleaned hydraulic system, a defined cleanliness condition can be generated. To determine the maximum permissible contamination level, functional hydraulic tests are carried out with several systems of different contamination levels. The results of the tests serve as a basis for defining a cleanliness specification.

Da Costa, Lombardi and Lastiri (2013) have proposed an ontology of properties for non-relativistic quantum mechanics within the structure of the modal-Hamiltonian interpretation of the theory. Recently, this proposal has been developed in order to discuss the nature of entanglement and indistinguishability in such an ontology (Fortin and Lombardi 2022) and to explain how particles emerge from an ontology of properties (Lombardi and Dieks 2016). Oldofredi (2021) has also proposed an ontology of properties for Relational Quantum Mechanics. The aim of my paper is then to discuss an ontology of properties in the context of Quantum Field Theory (QFT). Wayne (2008) and Kuhlmann (2010) have already tried to define an ontology of properties for QFT in terms of tropes. However, I will try to follow a different approach. On the one hand, I will give a more general framework, which does not necessarily entail an ontology of tropes. I will in fact follow the path originally suggested by Da Costa, Lombardi and Lastiri, which is more general and formal. I will also briefly discuss how such an approach can be represented in an algebraic formalism. On the other hand, I will show how such an ontology of properties provides a good interpretation and representation of the measurement models that we can define in the context of QFT (by following the recent discussion of the measurement problem in QFT given by Grimmer 2022), and then of the experimental results.