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This paper addresses timetable disruptions in metro systems and their impact on passenger service quality. To mitigate these effects, the study introduces a time-space network-based traffic management approach with a two-layer network. The first layer focuses on timetable rescheduling, using an integer program for modeling and a Lagrangian relaxation-based heuristic for solution. The second layer addresses rolling stock duty rescheduling, employing a greedy heuristic for train set duties. The proposed approach is applied to a real-world problem presented in the INFORMS railway application competition (2022). Results demonstrate that, with topological vertex orders, the approach achieves schedule amendments within 3–6 minutes for various disruption scenarios. This rapid response highlights the method's efficacy and advantage in real-time applications, showcasing its potential for practical implementation in metro systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discharge of wastewater into coastal waters can be simplified as a turbulent jet under waves and currents. A laboratory study has been carried out to measure the instantaneous flow field of a vertical round jet under wavy-crossflow environment using an improved particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The phase-averaged streamlines are found to be the most chaotic at the wave trough phase. Temporal variation in fluctuating turbulent kinetic energy is explored. Results indicate a lack of distinctive patterns in fluctuation turbulent kinetic energy across wave phases, particularly in far field. This suggests that wave phases marginally affect jet width expansion, especially in the far field. Spatial variations in turbulent kinetic energy are examined and crossflow and wave period are also considered. It is found that decreasing relative wave-orbital velocity to crossflow velocity R wc enhances maximum turbulent kinetic energy in the near field of the wavy-crossflow jet. • Flow field of a round jet in wavy-crossflow environment are measured using an improved PIV technique. • Turbulent properties inside the effluent cloud are higher than that outside the effluent cloud. • Maximum turbulence kinetic energy of jet in wavy-crossflow environment is small than that in crossflow near jet orifice. • Reduce wave-to-crossflow velocity ratio enhances maximum turbulent kinetic energy in near field of jet in wavy-crossflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, three semi-empirical equations are developed to quantify the wave effect on the initial dilution of wastewater discharge, which usually forms a turbulent jet. To develop the equations, data from a non-buoyant jet in a wave-following-current environment, which is realised using a three-dimensional large eddy simulation model, are used with 27 cases in total. The effects of the wave-to-current velocity ratio, jet-to-current velocity ratio, and Strouhal number are considered in the equations. The initial dilution equations, which focused on the jet visual area, cross-sectional minimum dilution, and vertical location of the cross-sectional minimum dilution, have vital relationships with the characteristic length scale. The reliability of the present equations is discussed by comparing them with existing equations for a jet in a crossflow-only environment. The applicability range of the present equations is illustrated by comparing them with data for a jet in a crossflow-only environment and data for other cases of a jet in a wave-following-current environment. The three equations provide references for the conceptual design of wastewater discharge. This study reveals that a surface wave with low energy has a positive effect on the initial dilution of wastewater discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of regular waves on three-dimensional scalar structures of a vertical round jet in the wave-following-current environment is investigated. The wave effect is represented by two dimensionless parameters, i.e. the wave-to-current velocity ratio R wc and Strouhal number St . The jet concentration distribution, including 13 cases in the wave-following-current environment and 1 case in the current-only environment, is obtained using the large eddy simulation method and validated by experimental data. The results show that the characteristics of the distinctive ‘effluent clouds’ phenomenon, namely the effluent cloud size and the distance between adjacent effluent clouds, are strongly dependent on R wc and St . As a result, different structures of the time-averaged concentration distribution are found in the transverse planes, and they are classified into three types: one-peak type, two-peak type, and three-peak type. The area of the concentration contour of C =0.25 C m , where C m is the time-averaged cross-sectional maximum concentration, is defined as the jet visual area that represents the jet dilution characteristic. It highlights the existence of an optimal wave-to-current velocity ratio (approximately 0.6 here) for the highest dilution of a jet in the wave-following-current environment, which provides useful guidelines for selecting the sites of wastewater or brine discharge projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional flow structure of a non-buoyant vertical round jet in a wave-current coexisting environment is investigated. Laboratory experiments are first conducted to measure instantaneous flow patterns and mean velocity fields of the jet in a wave-current coexisting environment and a current-only environment for comparison. The distinctive ‘effluent clouds’ phenomenon is clearly observed in the wave-current coexisting environment but scarcely observed in the current-only environment. Moreover, the mean velocity vectors bend further toward the bottom when the wave effect is present. To reveal a more detailed flow structure of the jet in the wave-current coexisting environment, a large eddy simulation (LES) model is developed and validated against the experimental data. The mechanisms of formation and development of ‘effluent clouds’ are unravelled based on in-depth analysis of the vorticity contours and the high-pass filtered flow fields on the vertical symmetrical plane. With the variation of instantaneous jet-to-current velocity ratio, the ‘effluent clouds’ dynamically interact with the current-induced counter-rotating vortex pair (CVP), resulting in an inverted pear-shaped distribution of mean flow field above the CVP structure centre. This study highlights that the existence of ‘effluent clouds’ can lead to a significant enhancement of jet spread and dilution in the wave-current coexisting environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xu, Z.S.; Dreier, N.; Chen, Y.P., Fröhle, P. and Xie, D.M., 2016. On the long-term changes of extreme wave heights at the German Baltic Sea Coast. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 962-966. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The assessment of extreme wave heights is of great importance for the design of coastal protection strucutres. This paper aims to present long-term changes of extreme wave heights at several selected locations at the German Baltic Sea Coast. Annual maximum significant wave heights were selected from the hourly wave data obtained from a hybrid approach (wind-wave-correlations combined with numerical simulations on the basis of the SWAN model) for a total period of 140 years, spanning from 1961 to 2100. The future projections of wind data were dreived from the regional COSMO-Climate Local Model for two emission scenarios A1B and B1. The extreme wave heights at each location were estimated from the respective best-fitting distribution, log-normal or Weibull distribution. The results indicate that, the long-term changes of extreme wave heights are related to the emission scenarios used in the regional climate model, the distribution chosen for the estimating (up to +9.6%) and also the sample size for the extreme value analysis (up to +8.7%). These factors should be carefully considered in the future coastal structure design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrodynamic behaviors of a vertical round jet in regular and random waves are comparatively investigated. The regular and the random waves are chosen based on the concept of equivalent energy density and energy flux. The experimental study is first carried out to compare the lateral profiles of jet mean axial velocity at various vertical levels. The results show that, under the present experimental conditions, the phenomenon of “twin peaks” appears in the regular waves, but virtually does not exist in the corresponding random waves. This results in a lower axial velocity along the centerline for the jet in the regular waves. A large eddy simulation (LES) model is subsequently developed to quantify the difference of jet half-width under the same wave conditions as those in the laboratory. The numerical results show that the jet in the random waves has a larger jet half-width than that in the regular waves, which is consistent with the visual observations in laboratory experiments. More scenarios of the jet in different regular and random waves are numerically investigated and the results show that the “twin peaks” may also appear under the condition of random waves, but requiring a larger wave-to-jet momentum ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of antibodies against cytokines may play a major role in the generation of the immune response and may affect treatment protocols with recombinant cytokines. Interferon (IFN) is one of the effective therapeutic agents with anti-viral and anti-tumor specific effects. The appearance of IFN antibodies in patients may limit the natural and the therapeutic effect by IFNs. In contrast to conventional ELISA techniques, we here report a simple biochip methodology that enables identification of antibodies against cytokines and peptides. The method takes advantage of a functionalized self-assembled monolayer modified by N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). To validate this surface, four human proteins: IFNα2b, leptin, growth hormone and human IgG, with molecular sizes ranging between 14 and 150 kDa, were used. A number of other parameters for protein assay conditions by array technology were evaluated concomitantly. Finally, 56 serum samples from patients treated with recombinant human IFNα2b were simultaneously tested on single chip. In these patients, 16.1% (9 of 56 cases) were positive for IFNα2b antibodies. All results were confirmed in an ELISA, specific for the identification of IFNα specific antibodies in human samples. The potential application of this protein biochip can be amplified rapidly and reliably to test not only IFNα2b, but also other cytokine specific antibodies. The clinical relevance of such assays for investigations in autoimmune disorders is expected. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The understanding of mixing behaviors of submerged effluent discharge in buoyant jet flows within coastal dynamic environments remains incomprehensive. This study explores the mixing behaviors of buoyant jets in wavy crossflow environments by utilizing dimensional analysis and an integral model. We examine physical mechanisms underlying the linear uplift of buoyant jets and establish three semi-empirical equations pertaining to the vertical location of the cross-sectional minimum dilution, cross-sectional minimum dilution, and visible diffusion area. These equations quantify the influence of waves and buoyancy on the mixing behaviors of buoyant effluent discharge in wavy crossflow environments. The dimensional analysis demonstrates that the proposed mixing behavior equations are closely related to the buoyant characteristic length scale. We validate the reliability of these equations with that of existing ones for non-buoyant jets in wavy crossflow environments. Furthermore, this study extends the application of buoyant jet equations, evaluating their suitability by comparing them with data from cases involving buoyant jets in wavy crossflow environments. This study highlights the positive effect of wave height and buoyancy on the initial dilution of effluent discharge. Future studies can implement our semi-empirical equations on the near and far zone coupling simulations of wastewater and thermal discharges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A general integral model is developed to simulate movement and dilution processes of jets in different dynamic environment. • Numerical results are found to be in good agreement with experimental data. • Each entrainment coefficient in the model can be taken as a constant. • The drag force coefficient varies with the jet-to-wave characteristic ratio. • The range of applicability of the model is carefully evaluated and several model limitations are proposed. An integral model for the simulation and prediction of the mixing and diffusion of submerged wastewater discharge in the form of a jet flow in a coastal dynamic environment is still lacking in the literature. In this study, a general integral model was developed to simulate and predict the movement and dilution process of jets in still water, currents, waves, and wavy current environments. Specifically, starting from the fundamental Navier–Stokes equations combined with the conservation equations of mass and scalar quantities, the equations of movement and the governing equations of mass, momentum, buoyancy, and scalar quantities were derived. Furthermore, the model employs an entrainment closure approach that distinguishes the contribution of transverse and azimuthal shear mechanisms and contains a quadratic-law turbulent drag force mechanism. A comparison with the basic experimental data for jets in still water, currents, waves, and wavy current environments supports the choice and magnitude of the entrainment coefficients contained in the entrainment formulation as well as the unified calculation formula of the drag force coefficient contained in the drag force formulation. The range of applicability of the model is carefully evaluated, and several model limitations, beyond which the integral model becomes invalid, are proposed. The general integral model provides a reliable technical approach to studying the movement and dilution process of jets in a wavy current environment and may be used to study the effects of waves and tidal currents on jets for a much wider range of source and ambient conditions than have been studied experimentally thus far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pan, Y.; Yin, S.; Chen, Y.; Yang, Y.; Xu, Z., and Xu, C., 2019. A practical method to scale the sedimentary parameters in a lightweight coastal mobile bed model. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(6), 1351–1357. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The coastal mobile bed model (CMBM) is an important approach to understand coastal sedimentary processes. The scaling of sedimentary parameters in a reduced-scale CMBM is one of the key procedures ensuring the reliability of the model, and the scaling relationships should be derived according to the similarity of dominant sedimentary process, with some less important similarity relationships relaxed. For a CMBM of which the processes of mobilization and fall of sediment are in transitional conditions, the scaling of sedimentary parameters is especially difficult because no mechanism dominates and the relationships between parameters are complicated. This paper proposes a local curve-fitting (LCF) method to avoid complicated relationships in deriving scaling relationships by fitting the complicated expressions with a simple relationship in the study range so that the scaling relationships can satisfy corresponding similarity criterion. The LCF method is introduced via the scaling of a reduced-scale profile model of the evolution of a submerged berm under the effects of small waves. The scaling relationships are derived according to the similarities of sediment mobilization, similarities of the fall of sediment, and Froude criterion. A mobile bed model was created based on the calculated of the LCF method, and the model results show the same evolution trend with field data, which proves the reasonability and validity of the LCF method. The LCF method provides a practical method to facilitate the deriving of scaling relationships of a CMBM of which the processes of mobilization and fall of sediment are in transitional conditions. It also provides a reference for other reduced-scale laboratory tests with complicated relationships between parameters but with limited study ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As wastewater is commonly disposed of in the form of sediment-laden jet from a submarine outfall, the sediment movement when the jet evolves in the ambient water and its final deposition are of great importance to marine engineers. This study aims to investigate the settling mechanism of the sediment from an inclined discharge nozzle and quantify the deposition profile for various jet conditions in the hydrostatic environment through physical experiments and dimensional analysis. In the experimental tests, separate flow visualizations for the fluid and sediment phases are achieved to enable the simultaneous observation of sediment particles and jet fluid movement, through which the analysis of the relationship between the fluid and the sediment movement is carried out. The results show that at locations close to the nozzle (s / D = 5), sediment mean velocity has an inverse relationship with the turbulence intensity while positively correlated with the initial jet momentum. The discharge angle is found to have dominant effect on alternating the sediment velocity profile from symmetrical to asymmetrical. With the newly defined momentum settling length scale l mi , the non-dimensional formulations for deposition rate and accumulated deposition profile involving the nozzle inclination have been validated by the experimental data and are potential to be applied to the prediction of depositional rate and final deposition distribution near the outfall for the full-scale wastewater discharge events. • Fluid and sediment phases are simultaneously observed for the sediment-laden jet. • Increase of inclined discharge angle enhances the asymmetry of sediment velocity profile. • A new momentum settling length scales l mi is introduced. • Uniform equation is achieved to describe the 1D deposition profile at the bottom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Pan, Y.; Chen, Y.-P.; Yuan, J.-Y.; Liu, Y., and Xu, Z.-S., 2018. Error-Estimation Ensemble method in the forecasting of tropical cyclone tracks. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 771–775. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Tropical cyclones pose a great threat to coastal areas and accurate forecasting of their tracks is important for reducing and preventing coastal disasters. Multi-mode super-ensemble method was proposed to make full use of the forecasted tracks from different forecasting institutes. This paper proposed a modified multi-mode super-ensemble method, namely Error-Estimation Ensemble method, to overcome the shortcomings of traditional multi-mode super-ensemble method. The hypothesis, methodology and implementation of Error-Estimation Ensemble method are described. The EEE hindcast results of two typical tropical cyclones and all tropical cyclones that affects China coast are compared to those of four forecasting institutes. The comparison show that the EEE method reduces both the mean error and root-mean-square error of tropical cyclone track forecast, indicating that EEE method has better prediction accuracy and reliability. Discussions on present performance of EEE method and future works are present at last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pan, Y.; Chen, Y.-P.; Yuan, J.-Y.; Liu, Y., and Xu, Z.-S., 2018. Error-Estimation Ensemble method in the forecasting of tropical cyclone tracks. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 771–775. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Tropical cyclones pose a great threat to coastal areas and accurate forecasting of their tracks is important for reducing and preventing coastal disasters. Multi-mode super-ensemble method was proposed to make full use of the forecasted tracks from different forecasting institutes. This paper proposed a modified multi-mode super-ensemble method, namely Error-Estimation Ensemble method, to overcome the shortcomings of traditional multi-mode super-ensemble method. The hypothesis, methodology and implementation of Error-Estimation Ensemble method are described. The EEE hindcast results of two typical tropical cyclones and all tropical cyclones that affects China coast are compared to those of four forecasting institutes. The comparison show that the EEE method reduces both the mean error and root-mean-square error of tropical cyclone track forecast, indicating that EEE method has better prediction accuracy and reliability. Discussions on present performance of EEE method and future works are present at last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The E23K variant of the potassium voltage‐gated channel subfamily J member 11 (KCNJ11) gene has been reported to be associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in many populations. However, little is known about the role of E23K in the development of prediabetes in Chinese youth. Methods: To investigate the role of E23K in the development of prediabetes, 279 subjects with prediabetes and 240 normal controls (mean [± SD] age 18.1 ± 3.2 and 17.8 ± 4.3 years, respectively) were recruited to the study. Height, weight, and hip and waist circumferences were measured by trained physicians. Genotyping of KCNJ11 polymorphisms and clinical laboratory tests to determine cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), blood glucose, and insulin levels were performed. Results: The carrier rate of K23 allele‐containing genotypes was higher for prediabetic than control subjects (P = 0.005). Logistic regression analyses revealed that higher body mass index percentiles (P = 0.013), lower insulin levels at 30 min during an oral glucose tolerance test (P = 0.001), a higher ratio of total cholesterol: high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.001), and a K allele‐containing genotype (P = 0.019) are independent risk factors for prediabetes in Chinese Han youth. Furthermore, K23 allele‐containing genotypes were associated with impaired indices of insulin secretion and β‐cell function in female youth with prediabetes. These effects were not seen in male youth with prediabetes. Conclusions: The results confirm that the common E23K polymorphism of KCNJ11 carries a higher susceptibility to the development of prediabetes in the Chinese Han population. The results suggest that E23K may have a greater effect on the development of T2D in female Chinese youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in regulating the response of animals exposed to heavy metal stress. As a globally dispersed heavy metal in aquatic ecosystems, cadmium (Cd) is highly toxic to many aquatic species. However, little is known about the miRNA response to Cd stress in fish. To investigate the regulatory effect of miRNAs in response to Cd, common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were exposed to Cd2+-containing water (0.005 mg/L, 0.05 mg/L, 0.5 mg/L) for 30 days. After exposure, Cd2+ contents were significantly higher in the kidneys of C. carpio compared to other tissues, when exposed to 0.5 mg/L Cd2+. Hematoxylin and eosin staining images revealed that elevated Cd induced inflammatory damage in the kidneys of C.carpio. Further, miRNA sequencing revealed nine differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-217, miR-205 and seven novel miRNAs) in the kidneys, between 0.5 mg/L Cd2+ exposure and control groups. Potential target mRNAs of miRNAs suggest that miR-217 is involved in immunotoxicity. miR-217 agomir was intraperitoneally administered to C. carpio and RT-PCR revealed that the expression of IL-8 and SIRT1 decreased, while TLR-4, TRAF6, NF-kB, TNF-α, IL-1β, and TGF-β increased in the kidneys of C.carpio. Additionally, the expression of SIRT1 decreased, while the expression of other mRNAs increased in kidneys of C. carpio exposed to Cd. According to mRNAs expression in the agomir and Cd treatment, miRNAs inhibit the expressions of target mRNAs. These results demonstrate that miR-217 via SIRT1 plays a regulatory role in the immunotoxicity of Cd to C. carpio. [Display omitted] • miRNA sequencing and RT-PCR revealed 8 differentially expressed miRNAs in the kidneys of Cyprinus carpio after Cd exposure. • Overexpression of miR-217 affects the expressions of immune genes in the kidneys of C. carpio. • miR-217 via SIRT1, regulates Cd-induced immune responses in the C. carpio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]