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Shape memory polymers (SMP) exhibit temperature, frequency and strain rate dependent properties which may be manipulated by various types of external stimuli to achieve desirable response characteristics. In recent years, the emphasis has been on designing SMPs which do not require external stimuli (such as a heat source) and have a rapid response time with large homogenous and reversible deformation characteristics. In this research, the fabrication process and dynamic vibration testing of an electrically activated SMP are presented. It is shown that conductive SMP beams can be fabricated to achieve tunable stiffness and damping with a reasonable thermal gradient generated by electrical triggering. This can allow the tuning of a range of frequency bandwidth and damping properties of SMPs for vibration control applications. The experimentation yielded modal properties (natural frequencies and damping) of the SMP beams. These parameters were validated against values obtained from the estimated performance of these beams based on the complex modulus parameters obtained using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). For a modest 20 °C temperature range in an epoxy based SMP, a resulting shift of approximately 7% in the natural frequency and 100% change in the damping ratio of a rectangular beam was successfully attained. These results recommend SMPs as being tunable materials that can enhance vibrational performance and expand the operational envelope of structures.

Small tide-dominated estuaries are affected by large scale flow structures which combine with the underlying bed generated smaller scale turbulence to significantly increase the magnitude of horizontal diffusivity. Field estimates of horizontal diffusivity and its associated scales are however rare due to limitations in instrumentation. Data from multiple deployments of low and high resolution clusters of GPS-drifters are used to examine the dynamics of a surface flow in a small micro-tidal estuary through relative dispersion analyses. During the field study, cluster diffusivity, which combines both large- and small-scale processes ranged between, 0.01 and 3.01 m2/s for spreading clusters and, −0.06 and −4.2 m2/s for contracting clusters. Pair-particle dispersion, Dp2, was scale dependent and grew as Dp2 ∼ t1.83 in streamwise and Dp2 ∼ t0.8 in cross-stream directions. At small separation scale, pair-particle (d < 0.5 m) relative diffusivity followed the Richardson's 4/3 power law and became weaker as separation scale increases. Pair-particle diffusivity was described as Kp ∼ d1.01 and Kp ∼ d0.85 in the streamwise and cross-stream directions, respectively for separation scales ranging from 0.1 to 10 m. Two methods were used to identify the mechanism responsible for dispersion within the channel. The results clearly revealed the importance of strain fields (stretching and shearing) in the spreading of particles within a small micro-tidal channel. The work provided input for modelling dispersion of passive particle in shallow micro-tidal estuaries where these were not previously experimentally studied.

Owing to the increasing share of biofuels in combustion engines, use of these oxygenated fuels instead of diesel should be evaluated under different engine operating conditions. This paper studies the influence of oxygenated fuels on engine performance parameters under transient, compared to steady-state, operation on a six-cylinder, turbocharged, compression-ignition engine with a common rail injection system. The fuels used in this study were diesel, waste cooking biodiesel, and triacetin (as a highly oxygenated additive). A custom test was used to investigate different engine performance parameters during acceleration, load increase, and steady-state modes of operation. Additionally, a legislative transient cycle (NRTC), composed of many discrete transient modes, was used to study engine performance during a whole transient cycle. In this paper, different engine performance-related parameters were investigated, such as IMEP, BMEP, FMEP, turbocharger lag, air-to-fuel ratio, engine speed and torque, star...

Highlights • Gas phase emissions can be potentially as hazardous as the particle phase ones. • Gas phase diesel exhaust has a stronger inflammation effect on human lung cells. • Fuel oxygen content is negatively correlated to the gas phase OP. • Total VOC content is not correlated to the gas phase OP. • Idling produces emissions with the highest OP in the gas phase. Abstract The oxidative potential (OP) of the gas phase is an important and neglected aspect of environmental toxicity. Whilst prolonged exposure to particulate matter (PM) associated reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been shown to lead to negative health effects, the potential for compounds in gas phase to cause similar effects is yet to be understood. In this study we describe: the significance of the gas phase OP generated through vehicle emissions; discuss the origin and evolution of species contributing to measured OP; and report on the impact of gas phase OP on human lung cells. The model aerosol for this study was exhaust emitted from a Euro III Common-rail diesel engine fuelled with different blends of diesel and biodiesel. The gas phase of these emissions was found to be potentially as hazardous as the particle phase. Fuel oxygen content was found to negatively correlate with the gas phase OP, and positively correlate with particle phase OP. This signifies a complex interaction between reactive species present in gas and particle phase. Furthermore, this interaction has an overarching effect on the OP of both particle and gas phase, and therefore the toxicity of combustion emissions.

A fixed volume case of sequential standard addition calibration (S-SAC) for the value assignment of impurities in zero gas is described. A mathematical description of this technique has been derived and has been shown to exhibit a similar systematic bias during the extrapolation process to that seen for other S-SAC cases. The use of S-SAC in the gas phase has demonstrated that variation in the sample volume for S-SAC in the liquid phase is not the generalised cause of the bias experienced during extrapolation. Instead it is the variation in the volume of the original sample with respect to the overall volume of the mixture following the addition of standard. In addition, the requirement to perform a bias correction on the extrapolated values has been discussed and best practice solutions for correction proposed.

Resume Une infection chronique par le virus de l’hepatite E (VHE) peut se declarer chez les patients immunodeprimes. De precedentes etudes ont mis en evidence une interference de differents agents immunosuppresseurs avec la replication virale. On ne connait cependant pas encore le role du TNFα dans l’infection par le VHE. Nous decrivons ici un cas d’exacerbation severe d’une infection chronique par le VHE chez un patient souffrant de rhumatisme psoriasique (RP) traite par un inhibiteur du TNFα et ce, malgre de puissantes reponses anti-VHE des lymphocytes T. Nous avons utilise les methodes de culture cellulaire du VHE les plus recentes pour tester les effets antiviraux de divers medicaments et nous avons utilise un test des cytokines liberees pour evaluer la reponse immunitaire des lymphocytes T specifiques du VHE. Les outils standards de notre laboratoire de diagnostic ont egalement ete utilises. Les resultats in vitro ont confirme que la replication du VHE est inhibee par le TNFα, cette inhibition pourrait etre bloquee par l’ajout d’inhibiteurs du TNFα. Le TNFα joue donc un role essentiel dans le controle de la replication du VHE. Nous recommandons par consequent d’exclure une infection par le VHE avant de mettre en place une therapie anti-TNFα.

Biodiesel is a biofuel which has similar properties to diesel and can readily be used in a diesel engine with minimal modifications. Promising results have been determined using mixtures of biodiesel and diesel with the reduction of soot and emissions of a diesel engine. Experimental analysis of diesel engines can be expensive and therefore Computation Fluid Dynamics programs are used to analyses the combustion process. The AVL Fire ESED program is currently being employed to investigate the effects of biodiesel on the diesel engines soot, emissions and power generation from a Cummins ISBE220 engine. Investigation is performed on pre and post injection-rate shapes on the combustion process establishing the results correlate accurately with researched data. A pre injection was determined to increase maximum power, reduce combustion generated noise, increase early in cylinder temperature and reduce fuel consumption due to the increase in power. A post injection was verified to reduce soot emissions while increasing NO x emissions marginally. The investigation of the injection-rate shape established the soot-NO x trade-off which was also found in the research. The models developed were agreeable with biodiesel data with percentage error in indicated power ranging from 1.62-8.85%. The models suggested that biodiesel assists in reducing NO x and soot emissions. The soot-NO x trade-off was further investigated determining the theory that then by reducing the combustion temperature in the combustion chamber the NO x emissions can be reduced while increasing soot emissions. By increasing the temperature in the combustion chamber the opposite effect was found to occur.

The concentrations of ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were measured at two mountainous sites in Buk-Han (BH) and Gwan-Ak (GA) and at a reference site in Gwang-Jin (GJ), all in Seoul, South Korea, over a four-year period (2010–2013). The mean concentration (ppb) of NOx was comparable at the mountainous sites (22.9 ± 20.7 (BH) and 20.9 ± 16.9 (GA)) but about half the concentration at the reference site in GJ (47.8 ± 36.4). In contrast, the mean value (ppb) for O3 at the three sites exhibited a reversed pattern such as 40.2 ± 19.7 at GA, 28.6 ± 15.4 at BH, and 21.8 ± 18.3 at GJ. The concentration of NOx was higher in winter/fall relative to summer/spring at all three sites. Like the clear distinctions observed from the spatial distribution patterns, the seasonal trends conrasted sharply between NOx and O3. Results of a correlation analysis suggested that the distribution of O3 was significantly affected by meteorological parameters (e.g., TEMP, UV, and solar radiation). According to a back trajectory analysis, the highest O3 levels at both mountainous sites were caused by air masses passing over marine areas, while the effects of ozone precursors on ozone concentration were attributed to air masses originating from China and/or the mainland (S. Korea).

The solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) alkaline anion exchange membrane (AAEM) fuel cell exhibits facile oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics and has the ability to utilise non-precious metal electrocatalysts. However, the AAEM is reported to suffer from increased instability within the alkaline media (degradation) via a number of routes, including nucleophilic elimination when operated at temperatures above 60 °C, somewhat eliminating the kinetic advantage of operating at higher temperatures. Nonetheless, modelling studies have indicated that the membrane hydration could show improved resistance to alkaline instability and subsequent degradation when operated at elevated temperatures. This investigation uses the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to examine the thermal stability of a commercial AAEM as a function of humidity. The results show that hydration improves ionomer resistance to degradation, as the ions within the system (namely the OH− nucleophile and cationic headgroups) become less reactive. In-line mass spectrometry data confirms that the ionomer degrades during the elevated temperature excursions used in this study.

This research studies the influence of oxygenated fuels on transient and steady-state engine performance and emissions using a fully instrumented, 6-cylinder, common rail turbocharged compression ignition engine. Beside diesel, the other tested fuels were based on waste cooking biodiesel (primary fuel) with triacetin (highly oxygenated additive). A custom test was designed for this study to investigate the engine performance and emissions during steady-state, load acceptance and acceleration operation modes. Furthermore, to study the engine performance and emissions during a whole transient cycle, a legislative cycle (NRTC), which contains numerous discrete transient modes, was utilised. In this paper, the turbocharger lag, engine power, NOx, PM, PN and PN size distribution were investigated. During NRTC the brake power, PM and PN decreased with fuel oxygen content. During steady-state operation, compared to diesel, the oxygenated fuels showed lower indicated power, while they showed higher values during acceleration and turbocharger lag. During acceleration and load increase modes, NOx, PM and PN peaked over the steady-state counterpart, also, the accumulation mode count median diameter moved toward the larger particle sizes. Increasing the fuel oxygen content increased the indicated specific NOx and PN maximum overshoot, while engine power, PM, PN and PM maximum overshoot decreased. Also, the accumulation mode count median diameter moved toward the smaller particle sizes.

Thermal liquefaction of five potential feedstocks namely, banana bunch stems (BBS), pineapple tops (PT), Forage sorghum (FS), bagasse (Ba) and Arundo donax (AD) were examined from an energy perspective at a large laboratory scale. Comparison of oil yield and higher heating value (HHV) of feedstock and bio-crude at this scale enabled analysis of the energy efficiency of the liquefaction of feedstock with varying structural compositions under different reaction conditions. Arundo donax was used to investigate degradation behaviour for bio-crude production at temperatures between 250–350 °C and biomass/solvent ratios of 1/10 to 1/25 (wt/wt). Maximum bio-crude yield of 67.3% was observed for AD at 350 °C and biomass/solvent ratio of 1/15. Liquefaction with recycled solvent in the first run improved energy recovery and the heating value of the bio-crude in comparison with fresh solvent. On the basis of the energy conversion, the feedstocks ranked as follows: BBS (105%) > FS (77%) > Ba (57%) > PT (55%) > AD (40%). GCMS results showed that the chemical composition changed in distribution and relative abundance of the oxygenated compounds, varying significantly depending on the type of biomass. Analysis of energy input and output of varying conditions and feedstock showed energy requirements and the HHV varied with the feedstock.

A new method for predicting the frequency of extreme air quality events is proposed. The method is based on knowing the number of times a pollutant is measured at different concentrations during a period of data collection and fitting this data to a Weibull-type function. Extrapolation of the function to higher concentrations then allows the frequency of extreme events that did not occur during the collection period to be predicted, albeit with an unspecified uncertainty. Prediction of the frequency of events over a given concentration, which was exceeded during the period of data collection, has also been performed assuming Poisson statistics. The assumption of Poisson statistics enables the provision of an uncertainty statement to accompany the prediction. The methods are trialled on a data set of daily average PM10 mass concentrations recorded at Marylebone Road in London between 2007 and 2016, inclusive. Using the method it was predicted that a daily average PM10 mass concentration of over 100 μg m−3, corresponding to the highest UK Daily Air Quality Index band, should be expected once in just over three years and this agreed well with real observations, demonstrating the utility of this new technique.

An investigation into the factors contributing to the blank response of sorbent tubes used for sampling and measuring mercury vapour is presented. These contributing factors are quantified and strategies to mitigate or remove their effects have been proposed – the most effective of which on a routine operational basis is the cleaning of the sorbent tubes in air to remove surface adsorbed mercury and any organic contaminants that can be oxidised. Contributions of up to 175 pg of mercury, or mercury equivalent mass, were identified and removed. The largest contributors were deeply absorbed mercury and hydrocarbons and other organic compounds oxidised and removed by heating in air. Decreasing the blank response resulted in an improvement in detection limit of a factor of two. This estimate was corroborated by a novel technique for assessing the detection limit of analytical methods employing multiple desorptions that relies on determining when the ratio of the third desorption response was equivalent to the first desorption response.

A reply to the views expressed in a recent paper on the changing status of the unit mmHg are given.

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Rising concerns over environmental and health issues of internal combustion engines, along with growing energy demands, have motivated investigation into alternative fuels derived from biomasses, such as biodiesel. Investigating engine and exhaust emission behaviour of such alternative fuels is vital in order to assess suitability for further utilisation. Since many parameters are relevant, an effective multivariate analysis tool is required to identify the underlying factors that affect the engine performance and exhaust emissions. This study utilises principal component analysis (PCA) to present a comprehensive correlation of various engine performance and emission parameters in a compression ignition engine using diesel, biodiesel and triacetin. The results show that structure-borne acoustic emission is strongly correlated with engine parameters. Brake specific NOx, primary particle diameter and fringe length increases by increasing the rate of pressure rise. Longer ignition delay and higher engine speeds can increase the nucleation particle emissions. Higher air-fuel equivalence ratio can increase the oxidative potential of the soot by increasing fringe distance and tortuosity. The availability of oxygen in the cylinder, from the intake air or fuel, can increase soot aggregate compactness. Fuel oxygen content reduces particle mass and particle number in the accumulation mode; however, they increase the proportion of oxygenated organic species. PCA results for particle chemical and physical characteristics show that soot particles reactivity increases with fuel oxygen content.

Waste management cost for Australia is increasing every year, and thus, it is important to find alternative ways to use the waste. For example, essential oil has a significant waste stream that can be utilized in vehicles of their producers. However, some of the essential oils contain oxygen which considerably affects engine performance, emission, and combustion characteristics of diesel engines. Thus, this research paper will try to evaluate the essential oils as a replacement of diesel fuel to operate a multicylider diesel engine. For this study, two essential oils are selected which contain different oxygenated functional groups, tea tree oil (5.4% oxygen) and eucalyptus oil (8.4% oxygen), with an aim to evaluate the effect of these functional groups on engine performance and emission parameters. These oils were blended with neat diesel (0% oxygen) to obtain a blend cotaining 2.2% oxygen by weight. The blends produced similar brake power; however, brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) increased for eucalyptus oil blends (2.4–3.7%) and tea tree oil blends (3.9–5.3%). Essential oil–diesel blends resulted in less CO and increased NOX emission, produced similar peak pressure, and indicated mean effective pressure. The results then lead to the conclusion that oxygenated essential oils can have a role to reduce dependency of agricultural sector on diesel in the near future.

In this paper, a numerical investigation is carried out to provide insights into the fate of inhaled aerosols after their deposition on the lung lining fluid in both healthy and diseased states. Pulmonary drug delivery is a well-known non-invasive route of administration compared to intravenous delivery. Aerosol particles are formulated and used as drug carriers, which are then sent to the airways using aerosol drug delivery devices. This approach is useful for site-specific treatment of lung diseases, treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and a variety of other diseases. Bioavailability of the inhaled therapeutic particles after landing on the airway lining fluid can be significantly altered by the lung muco-ciliary clearance, a process through which hairlike structures known as cilia beat in a harmonised manner and induce the mucus in the proximal direction, leading to an effective clearance of the foreign inhaled particles entrapped by this sticky layer from the airways. Here, we set up a 3D computational model of ciliary arrays interacting with periciliary liquid film (i.e. confined between the epithelium and mucus layer) and a detailed analysis is conducted to better understand the fate of drug nanoparticles that are able to penetrate the mucus. Consistent with clinical findings, we find that the actions of cilia result in a low rate of drug retention and absorption by the pulmonary tissues in healthy lungs. However, under conditions associated with abnormal ciliary beats, the retention time of particles is notably increased at the site of release. Nonetheless, the results associated with some of the ciliary impairments reveal that deposition of drug aerosols on the ciliated cells may still be a significant challenge. These findings have potentially important implications on the modification of therapeutic drug particles to achieve a higher absorption rate.

Yellow fever virus (YFV) represents a re-emerging zoonotic pathogen, transmitted by mosquito vectors to humans from primate reservoirs. Sporadic outbreaks of YFV occur in endemic tropical regions, causing a viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) associated with high mortality rates. Despite a highly effective vaccine, no antiviral treatments currently exist. Therefore, YFV represents a neglected tropical disease and is chronically understudied, with many aspects of YFV biology incompletely defined including host range, host–virus interactions and correlates of host immunity and pathogenicity. In this article, we review the current state of YFV research, focusing on the viral lifecycle, host responses to infection, species tropism and the success and associated limitations of the YFV-17D vaccine. In addition, we highlight the current lack of available treatments and use publicly available sequence and structural data to assess global patterns of YFV sequence diversity and identify potential drug targets. Finally, we discuss how technological advances, including real-time epidemiological monitoring of outbreaks using next-generation sequencing and CRISPR/Cas9 modification of vector species, could be utilized in future battles against this re-emerging pathogen which continues to cause devastating disease.

Human pulmonary epithelial cells are protected by two layers of fluid&mdash, the outer watery periciliary liquid layer (PCL) and the uppermost non-Newtonian mucus layer (ML). Aerosols and inhaled toxic particles are trapped by the ML which must then be removed swiftly to avoid adverse health implications. Epithelial cells are covered with cilia that beat rapidly within the PCL. Such ciliary motion drives the mucus transport. Although cilia can penetrate slightly inside the mucus to assist mucus movement, the motion of the underlying PCL layer within the airway surface liquid (ASL) is significant in mucus and pathogens transport. As such, a detailed parametric study of the influence of different abnormal cilia characteristics, such as low beating frequency, short length, abnormal beating pattern, reduced ciliary density, and epithelium patchiness due to missing cilia on the PCL transport, is carried out numerically. Such abnormalities are found in various chronic respiratory diseases. In addition, the shear stress at the epithelium is assessed due to the importance of shear stress on the epithelial function. Using the immersed boundary (IB) method combined with the finite-difference projection method, we found that the PCL, under standard healthy conditions, has net forward motion but that different diseased conditions decrease the forward motion of the PCL, as is expected based on clinical understanding.

Deployment of Lagrangian drifters in water systems can provide a larger spatial coverage and an additional insight into horizontal motion of particles than Eulerian techniques. This feature has provided an opportunity to assimilate Lagrangian data into hydrodynamic models to enhance their accuracies. Numerical models suffer from both systematic and random errors. Conventional data assimilation methods were designed to reduce the stochastic errors, and systematic errors can negatively affect the assimilation systems. Therefore, a calibration process, which is an effective way to reduce systematic errors and consequently biases in the numerical models, is required to be performed before implementation of data assimilation techniques. In this study, D-Flow FM, a hydrodynamic model, was set up for simulating the essential processes in a micro-tidal estuary in Queensland, Australia. To calibrate the model, bathymetry and bed roughness were selected as calibration parameters, while most studies in estuarine application have only considered the bed roughness as the calibration parameter. Evaluation of model performance in terms of correlation and root mean square error between model outputs and observations for both water level and velocity showed that calibration of bathymetry is important. Herein model outputs are validated with Lagrangian drifter velocity data for different environmental conditions. The results showed that calibration with the consideration of bed roughness and bathymetry reduced the systematic errors and increase the correlation between model outputs and Lagrangian drifter data. This is an important step prior to assimilation of Lagrangian data to reduce stochastic errors.

Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) are the locally strongest repelling or attracting material lines and represent the cores of Lagrangian patterns that cannot be crossed by an ideal tracer. LCSs are a useful way to investigate material transport and have only recently been applied to coastal waters. Because coastal waters have complex boundaries and bathymetry, modelling is done more accurately by using unstructured grid systems. Structured grids are needed for easy derivation of flow diagnostics for LCSs. However associated sensitivity of the interpolation scheme for the conversion from unstructured to structured grid requires some investigation. Therefore, the present study investigates, using an analytical kinematic model (double gyre), the sensitivities of the LCSs to interpolation scheme and mesh resolutions as it applies to coastal water. We also present the result using a case study of Moreton Bay Australia. Overall, the results showed that LCSs are robust to the errors due to interpolation schemes used in the unstructured to structured grid conversion. The Finite time Lyapunov (FTLE) diagnostic method is applied in this study for extracting the LCSs.

ackground & Aims: HCV is a positive-strand RNA virus that primarily infects human hepatocytes. Recent studies have reported that C19orf66 is expressed as an interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene; however, the intrinsic regulation of this gene within the liver as well as its antiviral effects against HCV remain elusive. Methods: Expression of C19orf66 was quantified in both liver biopsies and primary human hepatocytes, with or without HCV infection. Mechanistic studies of the potent anti-HCV phenotype mediated by C19orf66 were conducted using state-of-the-art virological, biochemical and genetic approaches, as well as correlative light and electron microscopy and transcriptome and proteome analysis. Results: Upregulation of C19orf66 mRNA was observed in both primary human hepatocytes upon HCV infection and in the livers of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). In addition, pegIFNα/ribavirin therapy induced C19orf66 expression in patients with CHC. Transcriptomic profiling and whole cell proteomics of hepatoma cells ectopically expressing C19orf66 revealed no induction of other antiviral genes. Expression of C19orf66 restricted HCV infection, whereas CRIPSPR/Cas9 mediated knockout of C19orf66 attenuated IFN-mediated suppression of HCV replication. Co-immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry identified a stress granule protein-dominated interactome of C19orf66. Studies with subgenomic HCV replicons and an expression system revealed that C19orf66 expression impairs HCV-induced elevation of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate, alters the morphology of the viral replication organelle (termed the membranous web) and thereby targets viral RNA replication. Conclusion: C19orf66 is an IFN-stimulated gene, which is upregulated in hepatocytes within the first hours post IFN treatment or HCV infection in vivo. The encoded protein possesses specific antiviral activity against HCV and targets the formation of the membranous web. Our study identifies C19orf66 as an IFN-inducible restriction factor with a novel antiviral mechanism that specifically targets HCV replication. Lay summary: Interferon-stimulated genes are thought to be important to for antiviral immune responses to HCV. Herein, we analysed C19orf66, an interferon-stimulated gene, which appears to inhibit HCV replication. It prevents the HCV-induced elevation of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate and alters the morphology of HCV's replication organelle. © 2020 European Association for the Study of the Liver Background & Aims HCV is a positive-strand RNA virus that primarily infects human hepatocytes. Recent studies have reported that C19orf66 is expressed as an interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene; however, the intrinsic regulation of this gene within the liver as well as its antiviral effects against HCV remain elusive. Methods Expression of C19orf66 was quantified in both liver biopsies and primary human hepatocytes, with or without HCV infection. Mechanistic studies of the potent anti-HCV phenotype mediated by C19orf66 were conducted using state-of-the-art virological, biochemical and genetic approaches, as well as correlative light and electron microscopy and transcriptome and proteome analysis. Results Upregulation of C19orf66 mRNA was observed in both primary human hepatocytes upon HCV infection and in the livers of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). In addition, pegIFNα/ribavirin therapy induced C19orf66 expression in patients with CHC. Transcriptomic profiling and whole cell proteomics of hepatoma cells ectopically expressing C19orf66 revealed no induction of other antiviral genes. Expression of C19orf66 restricted HCV infection, whereas CRIPSPR/Cas9 mediated knockout of C19orf66 attenuated IFN-mediated suppression of HCV replication. Co-immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry identified a stress granule protein-dominated interactome of C19orf66. Studies with subgenomic HCV replicons and an expression system revealed that C19orf66 expression impairs HCV-induced elevation of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate, alters the morphology of the viral replication organelle (termed the membranous web) and thereby targets viral RNA replication. Conclusion C19orf66 is an IFN-stimulated gene, which is upregulated in hepatocytes within the first hours post IFN treatment or HCV infection in vivo. The encoded protein possesses specific antiviral activity against HCV and targets the formation of the membranous web. Our study identifies C19orf66 as an IFN-inducible restriction factor with a novel antiviral mechanism that specifically targets HCV replication. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Objective and designHuman stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) have shown high potential as authentic model for dissection of the HCV life cycle and virus-induced pathogenesis. However, modest HCV replication, possibly due to robust innate immune responses, limits their broader use. To overcome these limitations and to dissect the mechanisms responsible for control of HCV, we analysed expression of key components of the interferon (IFN) system in HLCs, assessed permissiveness for different HCV strains and blocked innate immune signalling by pharmacological intervention.ResultsTranscriptional profiling revealed that HLCs constitutively express messenger RNA of RLRs, and members of the IFN pathway. Moreover, HLCs upregulated IFNs and canonical interferon-regulated genes (IRGs) upon transfection with the double-stranded RNA mimic poly(I:C). Infection of HLCs with Jc1-HCVcc produced only limited viral progeny. In contrast, infection with p100, a Jc1-derived virus population with enhanced replication fitness and partial resistance to IFN, resulted in robust yet transient viraemia. Viral titres declined concomitant with a peak of IRG induction. Addition of ruxolitinib, a JAK/STAT inhibitor, permitted chronic infection and raised p100 infectious virus titres to 1×105 FFU/mL. IRGs expression profiling in infected HLCs revealed a landscape of HCV-dependent transcriptional changes similar to HCV-infected primary human hepatocytes, but distinct from Huh-7.5 cells. Withdrawal of ruxolitinib restored innate immune responses and resulted in HCV clearance.ConclusionThis authentic human cell model is well suited to examine acute and chronic host-HCV interactions, particularly IFN-triggered antiviral effector functions and mechanisms of innate immune control of HCV infection.

Following the revision of the International System of Units (SI), that takes effect on 20 May 2019, the unit mole is defined by using a fixed number of elementary entities. This number is the fixed numerical value of the Avogadro constant, which is the defining constant of the unit mole. This definition was made possible because the determination of the Avogadro constant had reached a level of relative uncertainty that allowed its value to be fixed and, at the same time, safeguard continuity of measurement results before and after the definition. The motivation for the revision of the SI and the mole in particular will be explained and the experimental work that allowed it is summarized.

Physico-chemical properties of microalgae biodiesel depend on the microalgae species and oil extraction method. Dioctyl phthalate (DOP) is a clear, colourless and viscous liquid as a plasticizer. It is used in the processing of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin and polymers. A new potential biofuel, hydrothermally liquefied microalgae bio-oil can contain nearly 11% (by mass) of DOP. This study investigated the feasibility of using up to 20% DOP blended in 80% diesel fuel (v/v) in an existing diesel engine, and assessed the performance and exhaust emissions. Despite reasonable differences in density, viscosity, surface tension, and boiling point, blends of DOP and diesel fuel were found to be entirely miscible and no separation was observed at any stage during prolonged miscibility tests. The engine test study found a slight decrease in peak cylinder pressure, brake, and indicated mean effective pressure, indicated power, brake power, and indicated and brake thermal efficiency with DOP blended fuels, where the specific fuel consumption increased. This is due to the presence of 16.4% oxygen in neat DOP, responsible for the relatively lower heating value, compared to that of diesel. The emission tests revealed a slight increase in nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from DOP blended fuels. However, particulate matter (PM) emissions were lower from DOP blended fuels, although some inconsistency in particle number (PN) was present among different engine loads. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Rising pollution levels resulting from vehicular emissions and the depletion of petroleum-based fuels have left mankind in pursuit of alternatives. There are stringent regulations around the world to control the particulate matter (PM) emissions from internal combustion engines. To this end, researchers have been exploring different measures to reduce PM emissions such as using modern combustion techniques, after-treatment systems such as diesel particulate filter (DPF) and gasoline particulate filter (GPF), and alternative fuels. Alternative fuels such as biodiesel (derived from edible, nonedible, and waste resources), alcohol fuels (ethanol, n-butanol, and n-pentanol), and fuel additives have been investigated over the last decade. PM characterization and toxicity analysis is still growing as researchers are developing methodologies to reduce particle emissions using various approaches such as fuel modification and after-treatment devices. To address these aspects, this review paper studies the PM characteristics, health issues, PM physical and chemical properties, and the effect of alternative fuels such as biodiesel, alcohol fuels, and oxygenated additives on PM emissions from diesel engines. In addition, the correlation between physical and chemical properties of alternate fuels and the characteristics of PM emissions is explored.

Developments in understanding bee responses to habitat loss indicate that body size is a trait with important consequences for conservation. Stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) are a diverse group of eusocial bees providing pollination services in tropical landscapes, exhibiting a large range in body size across species. We tested the effects of deforestation on the body sizes of stingless bee communities by using museum specimens and revisiting a previous effort that sampled stingless bee communities across varying levels of deforestation at 183 sites in Rondônia, Brazil, in 1996–1997. Body size measurements (intertegular distance) from 72 species collected were included as dependent variables in response to forest area, forest edge, and connectivity of forest patches at several spatial scales. We find that stingless bee body size is negatively related to forest cover: mean community body size was larger in areas with greater amounts of deforestation, and smaller in areas with less deforestation. Second, stingless bee species richness was positively associated with forest edge regardless of body size. Lastly, we find that as forest patch isolation increased, the stingless bee community body size also increased. These findings support hypotheses that small stingless bee species might be more negatively affected by deforestation, adding to the growing body of evidence that stingless bees require areas of intact forest in near proximity to other forest patches to conserve these diverse pollinator communities.

Emissions from ships at berth are small compared to the total ship emissions; however, they are one of the main contributors to pollutants in the air of densely-populated areas, consequently heavily affecting public health. This is due to auxiliary marine engines being used to generate electric power and steam for heating and providing services. The present study has been conducted on an engine representative of a marine auxiliary, which was a heavy duty, six-cylinder, turbocharged and after-cooled engine with a high pressure common rail injection system. Engine performance and emission characterisations during cold start are the focus of this paper, since cold start is significantly influential. Three tested fuels were used, including the reference diesel and two IMO (International Maritime Organization) compliant spiked fuels. The research engine was operated at a constant speed and 25% load condition after 12 h cooled soak. Results show that during cold start, significant heat generated from combustion is used to heat the engine block, coolant and lubricant. During the first minute, compared to the second minute, emissions of particle number (PN), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), and nitrogen oxides (NO x) were approximately 10, 4, 2 and 1.5 times higher, respectively. The engine control unit (ECU) plays a vital role in reducing engine emissions by changing the engine injection strategy based on the engine coolant temperature. IMO-compliant fuels, which were higher viscosity fuels associated with high sulphur content, resulted in an engine emission increase during cold start. It should be taken into account that auxiliary marine diesel engines, working at partial load conditions during cold start, contribute considerably to emissions in coastal areas. It demonstrates a need to implement practical measures, such as engine pre-heating, to obtain both environmental and public health advantages in coastal areas.

Background & Aims Induction of cross-reactive antibodies targeting conserved epitopes of the envelope proteins E1E2 is a key requirement for an hepatitis C virus vaccine. Conserved epitopes like the viral CD81-binding site are targeted by rare broadly neutralizing antibodies. However, these viral segments are occluded by variable regions and glycans. We aimed to identify antigens exposing conserved epitopes and to characterize their immunogenicity. Methods We created hepatitis C virus variants with mutated glycosylation sites and/or hypervariable region 1 (HVR1). Exposure of the CD81 binding site and conserved epitopes was quantified by soluble CD81 and antibody interaction and neutralization assays. E2 or E1-E2 heterodimers with mutations causing epitope exposure were used to immunize mice. Vaccine-induced antibodies were examined and compared with patient-derived antibodies. Results Mutant viruses bound soluble CD81 and antibodies targeting the CD81 binding site with enhanced efficacy. Mice immunized with E2 or E1E2 heterodimers incorporating these modifications mounted strong, cross-binding, and non-interfering antibodies. E2-induced antibodies neutralized the autologous virus but they were not cross-neutralizing. Conclusions Viruses lacking the HVR1 and selected glycosylation sites expose the CD81 binding site and cross-neutralization antibody epitopes. Recombinant E2 proteins carrying these modifications induce strong cross-binding but not cross-neutralizing antibodies. Lay summary Conserved viral epitopes can be made considerably more accessible for binding of potently neutralizing antibodies by deletion of hypervariable region 1 and selected glycosylation sites. Recombinant E2 proteins carrying these mutations are unable to elicit cross-neutralizing antibodies suggesting that exposure of conserved epitopes is not sufficient to focus antibody responses on production of cross-neutralizing antibodies.

In this paper, a four-component reduced mechanism (methane, n-dodecane, methylcyclohexane and toluene) with 150 species and 847 reactions was proposed for predicting the combustion characteristics and emissions from natural gas-diesel dual fuel engines. Equivalence ratio (ϕ) from 0.5 to 2.0, pressure (P) from 30 to 90 bar, temperature (T) from 500 to 1700 K and ϕ from 0.5 to 2.0, P from 1 to 10 bar, T from 298 to 550 K were set as the reaction conditions for two reaction models respectively. The detailed mechanisms were reduced using the directed relation graphs (DRG), directed relation graphs with error propagation (DRGEP) and full species sensitivity analysis (FSSA) methods. The validation of the reduced mechanism was performed based on the ignition delay and the laminar flame speed data available in the literature. Then the effects of cross-reactions on the oxidation of diesel were further studied, associated with the reaction flux, concentration and sensitivity analysis. Finally, the reduced mechanisms were verified at a reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion mode at 25% and 75% loads, the maximum validation error is 3.3%. It was found that the effects of cross-reactions on ignition were more pronounced in medium and low temperatures. Ignition was also enhanced by an increase in the equivalence ratio, but was not found to be sensitive to pressure. Under lower temperatures, adding cross-reactions can better reveal the formation of diesel intermediates. However, at higher temperatures, the addition of cross-reactions did not significantly increase the reaction speeds of the intermediate products.

There has long been debate over how to treat dimensionless quantities, or quantities with the unit one, within the International System of Units (SI). These arguments have been brought into sharper focus because of the increasing application of metrological principles in areas such as chemistry, biology and nanoscience where counting measurements are common. This has caused debates about how the SI should address counting quantities and the unit one (symbol 1). This article reviews the types of quantities with the unit one, how these quantities may be expressed together with their uncertainty and how this relates to counting. The qualities of counting quantities are explored in more detail and the range of possibilities for dealing with the unit one for counting are discussed. It is proposed that the SI should allow only the unit one for counting, but that downstream of the SI there may well be benefits from standardising the use of more descriptive, technical area specific ‘units’ for expressing the results of counting. As with all measurement it is essential that a full description, in words, of the counting quantity being expressed accompanies the measurement result.

The importance of the in-cylinder pressure transducer has been proven in revealing the information about combustion and exhaust pollution formation, as well as for its capability to classify knock. Due to their high price, they are not used commercially for engine health monitoring, which is of significant importance. Hence, this study will investigate the reconstruction of the in-cylinder pressure trace using a structure-borne acoustic emission (AE) sensor, which are relatively low cost sensors. As shown in the literature, AE indicators show a strong correlation with in-cylinder pressure parameters in both time and crank angle domain. In this study, to avoid the effect of engine speed fluctuations, the reconstruction is done in the crank angle domain by means of the Hilbert transform of AE. Complex cepstrum signal processing analysis with a feed-forward neural network is used to generate a reconstruction regime. Furthermore, the reconstructed signals are used to determine some of the important in-cylinder parameters such as peak pressure (PP), peak pressure timing (PPT), indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) and pressure rise rate. Results showed that the combination of cepstrum analysis with neural network is capable of reconstructing pressure using AE, regardless of engine load, speed and fuel type. The reconstructed pressure can be used to reliably determine PP and PPT. IMEP can be estimated as well in a reasonable range.

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) biocrude is a promising source of energy with potential for co-processing with conventional fuels or as a drop-in fuel. However, it needs upgrading to reduce heteroatoms (e.g., N, S, O), improve physical properties, stability, and miscibility with hydrocarbons. Distillation is a conventional physical upgrading method that has not been studied extensively for biocrude using an industry-accepted procedure on a large scale. In this study, an algae-based biocrude was distilled into four fractions using ASTM D2892 standard method: Fraction 1 (

The present study focuses on the synthesis of novel catalytic nanoparticles and their effect on combustion, performance, and emission characteristics of a diesel engine. For this purpose, Mg cations were doped into a Fe3O4 lattice to form MgxFe(3-x)O4 (x = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1) using a solution combustion method. Comprehensive characterization studies were carried out to assess the oxygen storage capacity (OSC) and the properties of final powders. These synthesized samples were dispersed in a diesel-biodiesel blend fuel with a concentration of 90 ppm. Assessment of the structure of the samples proved the formation of MgFe2O4 structures, suggesting that Mg cations were embedded into the Fe3O4 and formed appropriate structures. The OSC was reduced from 8661 μmol/g (Mg0·25Fe2·75O4) to 7069 μmol/g (MgFe2O4) by introducing additional Mg cations. When run on a six-cylinder diesel engine, the fuel mixed from the synthesized samples did not significantly influence the indicated power (IP), brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) or the brake thermal efficiency (BTE). In addition to the obtained result for the OSC of the sample, which declined by increasing the Mg concentration in the Fe3O4 lattice, using the sample with the highest concentration of Mg cations, a considerable reduction was detected in the major exhaust emissions such as HC (56.5%), PM1 (35%), and PN (37%) and a slight decrease occurred in CO (7%) compared to the engine fueled by pure fuel. Based on the experimental engine results, the MgFe2O4 sample can be considered as a useful nanocatalyst for mixing in the fuels for emissions reduction.

We explore the possibility to identify areas of intense patch formation from floating items due to systematic convergence of surface velocity fields by means of a visual comparison of Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCS) and estimates of areas prone to patch formation using the concept of Finite-Time Compressibility (FTC, a generalisation of the notion of time series of divergence). The LCSs are evaluated using the Finite Time Lyapunov Exponent (FTLE) method. The test area is the Gulf of Finland (GoF) in the Baltic Sea. A basin-wide spatial average of backward FTLE is calculated for the GoF for the first time. This measure of the mixing strength displays a clear seasonal pattern. The evaluated backward FTLE features are linked with potential patch formation regions with high FTC levels. It is shown that areas hosting frequent upwelling or downwelling have consistently stronger than average mixing intensity. The combination of both methods, FTC and LCS, has the potential of being a powerful tool to identify the formation of patches of pollution at the sea surface., 25 Pages, 5 Figure, Accepted to be published in the Journal of Marine Systems

In this research, an efficient (94.9–99.4%) and fast (5 min) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous identification and quantification of phenolic endocrine disrupting compounds with an emphasis on bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-cumylphenol (4-CP) in food stuffs using a dual-template magnetic, molecularly-imprinted polymer (dt-MMIP). The dt-MMIP was synthesized by a sol-gel method using Fe3O4@SiO2 (as the core) and BPA and 4-CP (as templates). The dt-MMIP was coupled with magnetic solid phase extraction to simultaneously detect BPA and 4-CP in food samples. BPA was measured from bottled water and fruit juice samples samples at 0.36 and 0.24 ng mL−1, respectively, while 4-CP in those samples was 0.33 and 0.16 ng mL−1, respectively. Their detection limits were estimated as 0.04 and 0.05 ng mL−1, respectively. The developed dt-MMIP method was highly reproducible, while maintaining a good cyclability up to 20 cycles.

Using wavelet and fractal theories, cycle-to-cycle variations (CCVs) in a common-rail compression ignition (CI) engine have been investigated at engine loads of 25% and 50%, biodiesel blend level was from 0% to 100%. Wavelet power spectrums and singularity spectra were calculated to identify the dominant oscillatory combustion modes and multifractal complexity. Reaction paths and component consumption sensitivity of n-heptane and methyl decanoate were studied to reveal the effect of biodiesel blend level on the combustion process of diesel fuel. Results reveal that the effect of biodiesel blend level on the CCVs is more significant at a low load, even when biodiesel blend level increases to 20%, the coefficients of variation decreases from 3.99% to 1.57%. The CCVs exhibit multiscale dynamics for all tested cases, and persistent high-frequency oscillations appear around a 16-cycle period persisting over the entire or several hundred of the engine cycles. As the biodiesel blend level increases, the periodic bands with the highest power were interrupted and combined with lower-frequency and high-frequency intermittent fluctuations. However, for the higher load, the dynamics of CCVs are mainly displayed in an intermittent fashion. The larger broadness of singularity spectra at higher engine loads suggests a higher degree of multifractality. For all of the tested cases, the dynamics of the CCVs behave like antipersistent walks. As a oxygenated fuel, biofuel substitution leads to increase of c7h15-1 concentration and radicals such as OH, O and H2O2, which are beneficial to decrease ignition delay and accelerate the chemical reaction rate of diesel fuel, and therefore inhibit the CCVs.

An abrupt rise in plastic waste has become one of the most serious global environmental problems during the past five decades, and many strategies have been suggested to control the increasing levels of contaminants associated with plastic waste. Although many studies have focused on the fate, transport, ecotoxicity, and health risks of plastic waste contaminants, only a few studies have investigated microbial remediation of contaminants using cutting edge nanoscience. This review aims at addressing the environmental problems caused by micro-plastic (MP) and nano-plastic (NP) particles in the context of nanoscience (e.g., synthetic nanoparticle–plastic integrated research), microbial ecology, and remediation technologies to help elucidate their environmental fate, behavior, transport, eco-toxicity, and management. Interactions between plastic and microbes generally cause biofilm formation, which has biological effects that range from genes (by influencing horizontal gene transfer) to whole ecosystems (by influencing biogeochemical cycling, carbon (C) sequestration, and climate). Plastic waste remediation via chemical and bio-nanotechnologies (e.g., coagulation, membrane bioreactors, biodegradation, and phytoremediation) are also reviewed. In this respect, thermochemical conversion of plastic waste into energy is a promising management option. Further, molecular and -omics technologies can also facilitate the microbial biodegradation of MPs/NPs by enhancing enzymatic activity levels. A strategy based on proper incorporation of such interdisciplinary researches with robust sustainable policy measures is expected to offer effective management tools for the plastic wastes in the environment.

Making decisions that have broad societal and economic impact is extremely hard. This is especially true when the data upon which choices for future action are based are unstable or have uncertain provenance. This letter discusses the benefits of metrology, as the science of measurement, in providing data that is stable, comparable and produced using standardised methods, in enabling greater confidence in the decision-making process. A key part of this increased confidence is via providing input data with reduced uncertainty, thereby decreasing the uncertainty of future predictions. The application of these principles to the two biggest societal challenges currently, COVID-19 and climate change, is discussed, and similarities and differences of approaches highlighted. It is foreseen that the role of metrology in enabling evidence-based decision making will become increasingly more important in future. Formal agreements and memoranda of understanding between the metrology community and the relevant global technical bodies are the best way to improve data quality, reliability and comparability, and therefore the confidence with which decisions can be made. Whilst uncertainties in data may be driven down as technology and metrology improves, they can never be eliminated entirely, and we must accept some level of uncertainty in our decision making.

A strategy is proposed for the design of wall envelopes to improve unsteady thermal performance in non-air-conditioned buildings and to reduce energy costs in air-conditioned buildings. The thermophysical properties of building materials (e.g., burnt bricks, mud bricks, laterite stone, cinder concrete, and expanded polystyrene) were measured experimentally using a thermal analyzer. A total of 28 combinations for composite walls were designed with expanded polystyrene as an insulation material based on seven criteria and were subjected to 8 different external surface heat transfer coefficients, which were tested for unsteady thermal performance parameters and air-conditioning cost-saving potential. In this paper, unsteady thermal transmittance obtained from admittance method has been employed to compute cost saving potential of air-conditioning for the various wall envelopes. The use of C–H5 design at a 2 m/s wind speed was found to increase the decrement lag of burnt brick, mud brick, laterite stone, and cinder concrete composite wall envelopes by 48.1%, 49.0%, 59.5%, and 47.0%, respectively, relative to the common wall design (C–H1) in non-air-conditioned buildings. The laterite with a C–H5 design offers the highest annual energy cost savings (1.71 $/m2 at 2 m/s), the highest life cycle cost savings (18.32 $/m2 at 2 m/s), and the lowest payback period (4.03 yrs at 2 m/s) in all tested building materials for air-conditioned buildings. The overall results of this study are expected to open new paths to deliver simple design strategies for energy-efficient buildings.

NOx emissions from diesel engines are a concern from both environmental and health perspectives. Recently this attention has targeted cold-start emissions highlighting that emission after-treatment systems are not effective in this period. Using a 6-cylinder, turbocharged, common-rail diesel engine, the current research investigates NOx emissions during cold-start using different engine performance parameters. In addition, it studies the influence of waste lubricating oil on NOx emissions introducing it as a fuel additive (1 and 5% by volume). To interpret the NOx formation, this study evaluates different parameters: exhaust gas temperature, engine oil temperature, engine coolant temperature, start of injection/combustion, in-cylinder pressure, heat release rate, maximum in-cylinder pressure and maximum rate of pressure rise. This study clarified how cold-start NOx increases as the engine is warming up while in general cold-start NOx is higher than hot-start. Results showed that in comparison with warmed up condition, during cold-start NOx, maximum in-cylinder pressure and maximum rate of pressure rise were higher; while start of injection, start of combustion and ignition delay were lower. During cold-start increased engine temperature was associated with decreasing maximum rate of pressure rise and peak apparent heat release rate. During cold-start NOx increased with temperature and it dropped sharply due to the delayed start of injection. This study also showed that using waste lubricating oil decreased NOx and maximum rate of pressure rise; and increased maximum in-cylinder pressure. NOx had a direct correlation with the maximum rate of pressure rise; and an inverse correlation with the maximum in-cylinder pressure.

In recent decades, the quantity of plastic waste products has increased tremendously. As plastic wastes are released into the environment, they exert harmful effects on biota and human health. In this work, a comprehensive review is offered to describe the physical and chemical characteristics of microplastics and nanoplastics in relation to their fate, microbial ecology, transport, and ecotoxic behavior. Present discussion is expanded further to cover the biochemical, physiological, and molecular mechanisms controlling the environmental fate, ecotoxicity, and human health hazards of micro- and nanoplastics. The risks of their exposure to microbes, plants, animals, and human health are also reviewed with special emphasis. Finally, a direction for future interdisciplinary research in materials and polymer science is also discussed to help control the pollution caused by micro- and nanoplastics.

Passive immunization using monoclonal antibodies will play a vital role in the fight against COVID-19. The recent emergence of viral variants with reduced sensitivity to some current antibodies and vaccines highlights the importance of broad cross-reactivity. This study describes deep-mining of the antibody repertoires of hospitalized COVID-19 patients using phage display technology and B cell receptor (BCR) repertoire sequencing to isolate neutralizing antibodies and gain insights into the early antibody response. This comprehensive discovery approach has yielded a panel of potent neutralizing antibodies which bind distinct viral epitopes including epitopes conserved in SARS-CoV-1. Structural determination of a non-ACE2 receptor blocking antibody reveals a previously undescribed binding epitope, which is unlikely to be affected by the mutations in any of the recently reported major viral variants including B.1.1.7 (from the UK), B.1.351 (from South Africa) and B.1.1.28 (from Brazil). Finally, by combining sequences of the RBD binding and neutralizing antibodies with the B cell receptor repertoire sequencing, we also describe a highly convergent early antibody response. Similar IgM-derived sequences occur within this study group and also within patient responses described by multiple independent studies published previously.

Highlights • A robust quality infrastructure is essential to address global challenges effectively. • Metrology is the, often invisible, infra-technology supporting the quality infrastructure. • Metrology remains a very small endeavour compared to all the activities that rely on it. • The concept of metrology as ‘measuring measurement’ is proposed. • This emphasises the meta-thought involved that distinguishes it from routine measurement., Metrology remains a uniquely important endeavour. A sign of its success and robustness as an infra-technology is that it usually goes unnoticed. This means that it is in danger of being under-valued and under-appreciated. The sure-footing that metrology provides to the quality infrastructure will be especially important as the world grapples with the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuilding global economies and also re-focusing on addressing global grand challenges and exploiting emerging technologies. In this context it is important and timely to re-examine the concept of metrology and how it relates to the quality infrastructure that it serves, but differs to measurement in general. The concept of metrology as ‘measuring measurement’ is proposed, emphasising the characteristic meta-thought associated with the discipline that distinguishes it from routine measurement.

Highlights - Combustion instabilities in a pre-mixed lean-burn natural gas engine were studied. - Effect of gas injection timing on the complexity of combustion system was analysed. - Analysis is based on return map, recurrence plot, recurrence quantification analysis. - Source of combustion instabilities is identified based on 3-D CFD simulation. Abstract The cyclic combustion instabilities in a pre-mixed lean-burn natural gas engine have been studied. Using non-linear embedding theory, recurrence plots (RPs) and recurrence qualification analysis (RQA), the hidden rhythms and dynamic complexity of a combustion system in high dimensional phase space for each gas injection timing (GIT) have been examined, and the possible source of combustion instabilities has been identified based on 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The results reveal that for lower engine load, with the decrease of mixture concentration, the combustion instability and complexity of combustion system become more sensitive to the variation of GITs. Richer mixture and earlier (GIT 90°CA ATDC) gas injection will lead to more stable combustion, regular oscillatory and low complexity of combustion system, while leaner mixture together with the medium GITs (from 30 to 90°CA ATDC) easily leads to increase of combustion fluctuations, time irreversibility and dynamic complexity of combustion system. When GITs are changed, the combustion instabilities of pre-mixed lean-burn natural gas engines are from in-cylinder unreasonable stratification of mixture concentration and turbulent motion.

In this paper, a comprehensive study of a DBD reactor is conducted to investigate the optimum operating conditions of the reactor for NOx treatment. For each parameter, the objective is to find the maximum NOx removal efficiency with the minimum consumed power. Different effective parameters of the reactor i.e. electrode length and diameter, electrode and dielectric materials as well as parameters of power generator, i.e. voltage and frequency, are investigated. The results show that for this configuration, the electrode with 20 cm length and 10 mm diameter has the best performance. Aluminum as the inside electrode material and quartz as the dielectric material are selected. Furthermore, the optimum value for the pulse frequency is 16.6 kHz. For the mentioned optimum conditions, the NOx removal efficiency achieved is equal to almost 82% at the input power of 486 W. Furthermore, the highest achieved NOx removal is almost 92% at the input power of 864 W. The results of this paper can be used to reduce the energy consumption of NTP systems to acceptable levels.

In recent years, research on metal organic frameworks (MOFs) has been extended to explore various issues regarding structural flexibility, toxicity, aqueous synthesis, biodegradability, regeneration, reuse, and easy disposal. Based on such efforts, highly-ordered porous MOF structures bound to organic resins (metal organic resins or MORs) have emerged as a new generation of materials with excellent properties feasible for diverse applications. Here, we describe the excellent features of MORs and demonstrate their potential applicability in environmental as well as other relevant fields.

Multiple novel members of the genus Hepacivirus have recently been discovered in diverse mammalian species. However, to date, their replication mechanisms and zoonotic potential have not been explored in detail. The NS3/4A serine protease of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is critical for cleavage of the viral polyprotein. It also cleaves the cellular innate immune adaptor MAVS, thus decreasing interferon (IFN) production and contributing to HCV persistence in the human host. To investigate the conservation of fundamental aspects of the hepaciviral life cycle, we explored if MAVS cleavage and suppression of innate immune signaling represent a common mechanism employed across different clades of the genus Hepacivirus to enhance viral replication. To estimate the zoonotic potential of these nonhuman hepaciviruses, we assessed if their NS3/4A proteases were capable of cleaving human MAVS. NS3/4A proteases of viruses infecting colobus monkeys, rodents, horses, and cows cleaved the MAVS proteins of their cognate hosts and interfered with the ability of MAVS to induce the IFN-β promoter. All NS3/4A proteases from nonhuman viruses readily cleaved human MAVS. Thus, NS3/4A-dependent cleavage of MAVS is a conserved replication strategy across multiple clades within the genus Hepacivirus . Human MAVS is susceptible to cleavage by these nonhuman viral proteases, indicating that it does not pose a barrier for zoonotic transmission of these viruses to humans. IMPORTANCE Virus infection is recognized by cellular sensor proteins triggering innate immune signaling and antiviral defenses. While viruses have evolved strategies to thwart these antiviral programs in their cognate host species, these evasion mechanisms are often ineffective in a novel host, thus limiting viral transmission across species. HCV, the best-characterized member of the genus Hepacivirus within the family Flaviviridae , uses its NS3/4A protease to disrupt innate immune signaling by cleaving the cellular adaptor protein MAVS. Recently, a large number of HCV-related viruses have been discovered in various animal species, including wild, livestock, and companion animals. We show that the NS3/4A proteases of these hepaciviruses from different animals and representing various clades of the genus cleave their cognate host MAVS proteins in addition to human MAVS. Therefore, cleavage of MAVS is a common strategy of hepaciviruses, and human MAVS is likely unable to limit replication of these nonhuman viruses upon zoonotic exposure.