Recovery Potential Research Articles

Magnetic seed technology for the efficient removal of nitrogen from wastewater

Nitrogen pollution is a global issue impacting ecosystems, climate change, human health, and the economy. The challenge to reduce nitrogen pollution as a priority highlights the wastewater treatment system an important point of control. Coagulation, a common water treatment process, has a positive impact on the overall treatment process but often struggles to address nitrogen pollution effectively. Our study introduces a novel magnetic seed to enhance coagulation in treating nitrogen pollution, offering a new solution for the global water treatment industry. We focus on the efficiency, mechanistic detail, and recovery potential of a magnetic zirconium tannate in treating real-world wastewater nitrogen under coagulation conditions. Results show that 9 g/L of magnetic zirconium tannate effectively removes ammonia nitrogen, organic nitrogen, and total nitrogen from five different wastewater types. For low-concentration wastewater with ammonia nitrogen below 20 mg/L and organic nitrogen below 5 mg/L, removal rates reach up to 100%. For high-concentration wastewater with ammonia nitrogen below 98 mg/L and organic nitrogen below 86 mg/L, the maximum removal rate is 59% for ammonia nitrogen and 88% for organic nitrogen. Spectral analysis reveals that magnetic zirconium tannate adsorbs nitrogen compounds in water through both hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, achieving excellent treatment outcomes. It can be efficiently recovered without using complex organic eluents and is easily separated from the flocculate. This technology offers non-disruptive supplement for current treatment approaches to meet the global nitrogen pollution challenge head on.

Augmented Depletion Development Technology Assessed Across US Shale Plays

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 217792, “Assessment of Augmented Depletion Development Technology Across US Shale Plays,” by Ahmed Merzoug, SPE, Texas A&M University, and Vibhas J. Pandey, SPE, ConocoPhillips. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ The concept of augmented depletion development (ADD) was introduced to the industry through a pilot project conducted in the Bakken play in the US. These wells are openhole wells drilled within the fractured network of a pad. They are not fracture stimulated deliberately but do produce and contribute to the overall production of the lease. In this study, numerical modeling is used to understand the potential performance of these wells in several plays across the US. The learnings from this study can be used as a benchmark for operators that are planning on implementing such wells in their field development programs. Theoretical Basis of Study The concept of ADD can be modeled using a similar approach to the analytical solutions developed for flow into a multistage fractured horizontal well. In these wells, several regimes can be identified, such as transient linear flow and boundary-dominated flow. In previous work in the literature that proposed a method for analyzing production data of linear flow of fractured gas wells, fractures were assumed to have infinite dimensionless conductivity. Those researchers proposed a solution for a constant bottomhole-pressure liquid flow that is described in the present complete paper by a series of equations. For the case used by the present authors, a well spacing of 300 ft is assumed, implying that the perpendicular distance from the wellbore to a corresponding boundary is 150 ft, which is half the spacing between the fractured well and the ADD well (assuming each well drains half the fracture length). To elaborate further for better understanding of production, a plot of product of cumulative dimensionless rate and formation permeability (as a proxy for cumulative rate) while assuming all other properties behave the same shows that, with higher permeability, the recovery potential not only increases but also appears to accelerate. This supports the concept that, during the time of production of ADD wells, it is preferable to have higher permeabilities that can support faster production in zones that the primary wells may not drain effectively. The results of the analytical equation are for only one fracture but can be readily extended to multifractured horizontal wells using superposition methods. Methodology This study uses physics-based numerical modeling to simulate the performance of ADD wells in different plays. The numerical code simulates wellbore flow, hydraulic fracturing, geomechanics, and reservoir flow, all in the same package. The fracture and reservoir mesh are independent. The flow between the matrix and the reservoir is calculated using the 1D submesh approximation to reduce the computation expenses with higher accuracy. The hydraulic fracturing propagation algorithm uses a tip-tracking algorithm to allow the use of larger grid size without compromising accuracy in layered formations. The fracture conductivity is calculated with stress changes. The conductivity profile changes from a propped fracture into an unpropped fracture. The unpropped fracture conductivity is an underlying assumption used in this study. The collision between fractures initiated from different wells also is an assumption in this study.

Insights on CDI parametric controls and dependencies using gloabal sensitivity analysis

Capacitive deionization (CDI) emerges as a promising desalination technology due to its high energy efficiency and potential for energy recovery. Its performance improvement and application extension highly require understanding how variations in multiple input parameters, as well as their interactions, lead to variations in output, which is not straightforward in the complex system of CDI. In this work we use the extended Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (eFAST) method to conduct a global sensitivity analysis (GSA) in order to examine the effects of several parameters, including material properties, operating conditions, and ionic properties, on the energy consumption and salt removal efficiency of CDIs. The research reveals that high capacitance and efficient mass transfer are crucial for CDI advancement, with a trade-off between desalination rate and energy efficiency. The interplay between input parameters is revealed by factorial design and GSA, which show that no single parameter alone determines salt adsorption capacity but that feedwater salt concentration and current density are important when considering both individual and coupled effects. The study suggests that the specific application and feedwater characteristics should be taken into consideration when deciding between the CC and CV modes of desalination. While CC mode excels in water production and energy efficiency for high salinity feedwater pretreatment, CV mode is better at treating low salinity waterr. The comprehensive parametric analysis provides valuable insights into optimizing CDI design and operating conditions to balance desalination capacity and energy efficiency.

Optimal Technique for Cutting Peripheral Nerves in Nerve Transfer Surgery: A Survey of Peripheral Nerve Surgeons.

Nerve transfer procedures are performed in patients with proximal nerve injuries to optimize their potential for functional recovery. The study aimed to determine the preferred surgical technique and tool used by peripheral nerve surgeons to transect nerves in nerve transfers. All current members of the American Society of Peripheral Nerve were invited to complete a cross-sectional 10-question survey. Data on practice demographics, nerve-cutting instruments/techniques used, and their belief on whether this impacted patient outcomes were collected. A total of 49 American Society of Peripheral Nerve members participated in the study, the majority of whom were over 10 years into practice (n = 30/49; 61%). The most common response was a scalpel blade (n = 26/49; 53%), with the remaining 47% using iris scissors, micro-serrated scissors, a razor blade, specialized nerve microscissors, or a specialized nerve-cutting device. The number of years in practice (P = 0.0271) and the percentage of practice that involves treating patients with peripheral nerve injuries (P = 0.0054) is significantly associated with the belief that crushing the donor nerves during transection may result in worse outcomes following nerve transfer. Only the latter is significantly associated with this belief in recipient nerves (P = 0.0214). Our findings demonstrate that peripheral nerve surgeons believe that the technique used to transect nerves before coaptation influences outcomes after nerve transfer. Further ex vivo studies are necessary to investigate how different cutting techniques influence nerve morphology and scarring at the coaptation site to optimize outcomes after peripheral nerve surgery.

Advanced Waste-to-Energy Technologies: A Review on Pathway to Sustainable Energy Recovery in a Circular Economy

In the face of the rapid rise in global waste production and the pressing need to shift towards sustainable energy options, advanced Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technologies have emerged as a highly promising solution. These innovative technologies effectively utilize waste as a valuable resource, presenting a viable pathway for sustainable energy recovery and making a substantial contribution to the principles of the circular economy paradigm. This review provides a comprehensive overview of advanced WtE technologies, including thermal, biological, and chemical methods, such as gasification, pyrolysis, plasma arc gasification, anaerobic digestion, fermentation, transesterification, and hydrothermal carbonization. The efficiency of these technologies is evaluated based on their energy recovery potential, environmental impact, and economic feasibility. Case studies on successful implementations of advanced WtE technologies are analyzed to highlight their practicality and effectiveness. Finally, the paper addresses technical, regulatory, and policy challenges in this field and provides future perspectives. The objective is to underscore the role of advanced WtE technologies in achieving a sustainable and resource-efficient circular economy.

Extent of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Is Lesion Level Dependent and Predictive of Recovery: A Multicenter Neuroimaging Study.

Assessing the extent of the intramedullary lesion after spinal cord injury (SCI) might help to improve prognostication. However, because the neurological level of injury impacts the recovery potential of SCI patients, the question arises whether lesion size parameters and predictive models based on those parameters are affected as well. In this retrospective observational study, the extent of the intramedullary lesion between individuals who sustained cervical and thoracolumbar SCI was compared, and its relation to clinical recovery was assessed. In total, 154 patients with subacute SCI (89 individuals with cervical lesions and 65 individuals with thoracolumbar lesions) underwent conventional clinical magnetic resonance imaging 1 month after injury and clinical examination at 1 and 12 months. The morphology of the focal lesion within the spinal cord was manually assessed on the midsagittal slice of T2-weighted magnetic resonance images and compared between cervical and thoracolumbar SCI patients, as well as between patients who improved at least one American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade (converters) and patients without AIS grade improvement (nonconverters). The predictive value of lesion parameters including lesion length, lesion width, and preserved tissue bridges for predicting AIS grade conversion was assessed using regression models (conditional inference tree analysis). Lesion length was two times longer in thoracolumbar compared with cervical SCI patients (F = 39.48, p < 0.0001), whereas lesion width and tissue bridges width did not differ. When comparing AIS grade converters and nonconverters, converters showed a smaller lesion length (F = 5.46, p = 0.021), a smaller lesion width (F = 13.75, p = 0.0003), and greater tissue bridges (F = 12.87, p = 0.0005). Using regression models, tissue bridges allowed more refined subgrouping of patients in AIS groups B, C, and D according to individual recovery profiles between 1 month and 12 months after SCI, whereas lesion length added no additional information for further subgrouping. This study characterizes differences in the anteroposterior and craniocaudal lesion extents after SCI. The two times greater lesion length in thoracolumbar compared with cervical SCI might be related to differences in the anatomy, biomechanics, and perfusion between the cervical and thoracic spines. Preserved tissue bridges were less influenced by the lesion level while closely related to the clinical impairment. These results highlight the robustness and utility of tissue bridges as a neuroimaging biomarker for predicting the clinical outcome after SCI in heterogeneous patient populations and for patient stratification in clinical trials.

THE PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF ACUTE HENLE FIBER LAYER HYPERREFLECTIVITY IN PLACOID DISEASES.

To investigate the pathophysiology and prognostic significance of acute Henle fiber layer (HFL) hyperreflectivity in placoid diseases by examining its relationship with impaired choroidal flow and persistent photoreceptor disruption. Retrospective-prospective observational study on patients with placoid diseases. Indocyanine green angiography and optical coherence tomography were performed during the acute phase and follow-up. Impaired choroidal flow, HFL hyperreflectivity, and persistent ellipsoid zone disruption, their colocalization index, and their associations with initial and final visual acuity were explored. Sixteen eyes from eight patients (mean age, 25.3 ± 6.44 years) were included (median follow-up, 13.5 months). Quantitative analysis revealed significant correlations between areas of impaired choroidal flow, HFL hyperreflectivity, and persistent ellipsoid zone disruption (correlation coefficients of 0.69, 0.63, and 0.46, respectively). Impaired choroidal flow area exceeded HFL hyperreflectivity (P = 0.002) and ellipsoid zone disruption (P = 0.003). A noteworthy 94% nonrandom overlap between HFL hyperreflectivity and ellipsoid zone disruption was observed. Worse initial visual acuity correlated with foveal involvement (P = 0.0002), thicker choroid (P = 0.001), larger impaired choroidal flow areas (P = 0.02), and thinner outer retina post lesion inactivation (P = 0.04). Henle fiber layer hyperreflectivity predicted photoreceptor recovery potential in placoid diseases. If HFL hyperreflectivity corresponds to acute HFL damage, it may suggest more severe involvement of the entire photoreceptor length.

Abstract 76: CASC15 lncRNA as a Mediator of Vascular Senescence in the Renin-Angiotensin System

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) regulates vascular function and maintains blood pressure homeostasis. Angiotensin-II (Ang-II) and angiotensin-1-7 (Ang-1-7) have opposing effects on vascular health. Ang-II promotes vascular senescence and pathophysiological remodeling by inducing oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular hypertrophy, and endothelial dysfunction. In contrast, Ang-1-7, known for its vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative properties, counteracts these detrimental effects, enhancing endothelial function, reducing oxidative stress, and inhibiting inflammation. Our laboratory has identified the long non-coding RNA CASC15 as a critical regulatory element within the RAS. CASC15 expression is significantly repressed by Ang-II in aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), showing a 59.25% decrease compared to the vehicle control (n=10, p=0.000333). Loss of CASC15 induces cellular senescence, increasing senescent cells from a mean of 14.09% (control inhibitor, n=9, SEM=4.824) to 57.79% (CASC15 inhibitor, n=9, SEM=6.420, p&lt;0.0001), and leads to vascular hypertrophy, with cell area increasing from a mean of 46.89% (control inhibitor, n=8, SEM=9.229) to 221.2% (CASC15 inhibitor, n=9, SEM=67.53, p=0.0300). We hypothesize that CASC15 repression by Ang-II (1 µM) contributes to vascular senescence and increased DNA damage, while Ang-1-7 (1 µM) preserves CASC15 expression and mitigates these effects. Pro-senescent stressors like hydrogen peroxide and doxorubicin also repress CASC15 expression in SMCs. Using RT-qPCR, we observed decreases in CASC15 expression by 29.56% (hydrogen peroxide vs. vehicle, n=4, p=0.0790) and 44.09% (doxorubicin vs. vehicle, n=3, p=0.0733). Ang-1-7 alone did not significantly change CASC15 expression, but combined with Ang-II, it showed potential recovery from 40% repression to 94% recovery. Further research is needed. Immunofluorescence against gamma-H2AX revealed increased DNA damage in SMCs lacking CASC15, with positive foci increasing from 26.27% (control inhibitor, n=4, SEM=1.459) to 63.71% (CASC15 inhibitor, n=4, SEM=1.806, p=0.0009). In conclusion, CASC15 is a crucial regulator within the RAS. Its repression by Ang-II promotes vascular senescence, hypertrophy, and DNA damage, effects countered by Ang-1-7. Targeting CASC15 could offer new strategies for mitigating vascular aging and improving vascular health, particularly in chronic kidney disease.

Valorizing Lycii fructus waste residue into polysaccharide-rich extracts: Extraction methodologies, physicochemical characterization, in vitro activities and economic feasibility

The high polysaccharide content of Lycii fructus agri-food waste should be reclaimed for value liberation from both environmental and economic perspectives. In this study, waste from L. fructus pigment products was valorized on a bench scale by upcycling into active polysaccharide-rich extracts. The methodological feasibility of polysaccharide recovery from L. fructus waste was evaluated using sequential extraction techniques. Three fractions LFP-30, LFP-100, and LFP-121, were obtained under stepwise increases in temperature and pressure. Highly heterogeneous xyloglucan (XG)-pectin macromolecules composed of linear homogalacturonan (HG) and alternating intra-RG-I-linkers, with topological neutral branches and XG participation, were predominant among the L. fructus polysaccharides (LFPs). Antioxidant activities in LFPs were unaffected by waste resources and severe extraction methodology conditions. Additionally, the direct investment potential of polysaccharide recovery was evaluated for full-scale implementation. This study demonstrated the necessity and feasibility of extracting bioactive polysaccharides with potential applications from L. fructus waste, and provided a sustainable strategy for transforming L. fructus waste disposal problems into value-added products using cost-effective methodologies.

Performance and optimization evaluation for integration of sCO2 power system into the aircraft propulsion system

The aviation industry accounts for part of the CO2 emissions contributing to climate change. The industry has established a target to reduce 2050 net aviation carbon emissions by 50 % relative to 2005 levels. With this in mind, waste heat recovery is a key pathway to achieve reduced emissions and improve system efficiency. The waste heat may potentially be converted to electric power using a supercritical CO2 Brayton power cycle. The sCO2 power system offers the advantage of compactness owing to the high working fluid density, which is an important consideration for aircraft performance. The present work focuses on the integration of the sCO2 power system into the aircraft propulsion system and evaluation of its performance. Detailed optimization of the sCO2 waste heat system will be evaluated with a focus on cycle efficiency and net power under different operating conditions, including ground, takeoff, climb, cruise, and landing operations. The study is divided into two parts with two different turbofan engines, one with a nominal thrust of 30 kN and the other with a nominal thrust of 9 kN. The first part shows the effect and operation of the waste heat recovery unit under the different operating conditions. The second part is focused on cycle optimization and performance evaluation. The results demonstrate the potential of waste heat recovery during a range of operational conditions. The sCO2 cycle efficiency can reach between 25 and 39 % (depending on aircraft engine) with net power output in the range of 100 to 260 kW.

Advancing Phosphorus Recovery from Phosphogypsum Leachate with Solvent-Activated Nanofiltration Membrane

Phosphogypsum leachate is a phosphorus-rich wastewater posing a significant threat to the aquatic environment. The phosphorus in the leachate can be recovered via nanofiltration by allowing permeation of phosphorus while rejecting multivalent cations. However, the existing nanofiltration membranes face a significant challenge in addressing the inherent trade-off between the permeation of phosphorus and the rejection of multivalent cations, limiting the phosphorus recovery rate. Herein, solvent activation following interfacial polymerization between branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) and trimethyl chloride (TMC) was employed to simultaneously enhance the positive charge and enlarge its pore size. The MgCl2 rejection of the membrane increased from 93.7 ± 0.4% to 97.2 ± 0.3% and permeation also increased from 4.4 ± 0.1 L/(bar.m2.h) to 9.1 ± 0.4 L/(bar.m2.h) after activation, breaking the trade-off between rejection and permeation. Besides, in a mixture containing phosphorus and Mg2+, the activated membrane demonstrates a P/Mg2+ selectivity that is 6 times of the membrane before treatment, and surpassing the commercial and state-of-the-art membranes. Due to its high permeation and ideal P/Mg selectivity, the activated nanofiltration membrane has great potential for phosphorus recovery from phosphogypsum leachate.

Energy-Efficient Anomaly Detection and Chaoticity in Electric Vehicle Driving Behavior.

Detection of abnormal situations in mobile systems not only provides predictions about risky situations but also has the potential to increase energy efficiency. In this study, two real-world drives of a battery electric vehicle and unsupervised hybrid anomaly detection approaches were developed. The anomaly detection performances of hybrid models created with the combination of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)-Autoencoder, the Local Outlier Factor (LOF), and the Mahalanobis distance were evaluated with the silhouette score, Davies-Bouldin index, and Calinski-Harabasz index, and the potential energy recovery rates were also determined. Two driving datasets were evaluated in terms of chaotic aspects using the Lyapunov exponent, Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy, and fractal dimension metrics. The developed hybrid models are superior to the sub-methods in anomaly detection. Hybrid Model-2 had 2.92% more successful results in anomaly detection compared to Hybrid Model-1. In terms of potential energy saving, Hybrid Model-1 provided 31.26% superiority, while Hybrid Model-2 provided 31.48%. It was also observed that there is a close relationship between anomaly and chaoticity. In the literature where cyber security and visual sources dominate in anomaly detection, a strategy was developed that provides energy efficiency-based anomaly detection and chaotic analysis from data obtained without additional sensor data.

Integrating both restoration and regeneration potentials into real-world forest restoration planning: A case study of Hong Kong

Forest restoration is a vital nature-based solution for mitigating climate change and land degradation. To ensure restoration effectiveness, the costs and benefits of alternative restoration strategies (i.e., active restoration vs. natural regeneration) need to be evaluated. Existing studies generally focus on maximum restoration potential, neglecting the recovery potential achievable through natural regeneration processes, leading to incomplete understanding of the true benefits and doubts about the necessity of active restoration. In this study, we introduce a multi-stage framework incorporating both restoration and regeneration potential into prioritized planning for ecosystem restoration. We used the vegetated landscape of Hong Kong (covering 728 km2) as our study system due to its comprehensive fine-resolution data and unique history of vegetation recovery, making it an ideal candidate to demonstrate the importance of this concept and inspire further research. We analyzed vegetation recovery status (i.e., recovering, degrading, and stable) over the past decade based on the canopy height data derived from multi-temporal airborne LiDAR. We assessed natural regeneration potential and maximum restoration potential separately, producing spatially-explicit predictions. Our results show that 44.9% of Hong Kong's vegetated area has showed evidence of recovery, but remaining gains through natural regeneration are limited, constituting around 4% of what could be attained through active restoration. We further estimated restoration priority by maximizing the restoration gain. When prioritizing 5% of degraded areas, the increment in canopy height could be up to 10.9%. Collectively, our findings highlight the importance of integrating both restoration and regeneration potential into restoration planning. The proposed framework can aid policymakers and land managers in optimizing forest restoration options and promoting the protection and recovery of fragile ecosystems.

“Jumping Out from the Pressure of Work and into the Game”: Curating Immersive Digital Game Experiences for Post-Work Recovery

Extant research demonstrates that playing digital games after work can have a psychologically restorative effect. This article focuses on understanding how players can maximise this effect by strategically leveraging the immersive potential of digital games. For one week, eleven participants played games after work with the aim of developing strategies to support their post-work recovery. A follow-up laddering interview identified various “immersion optimisation” strategies that fulfilled components of successful recovery, such as mental disengagement from work and relaxation. These strategies predominantly focused on cognitive involvement and challenge, neglecting other dimensions of immersion. Based on these findings, we contribute an initial framework of immersion optimisation strategies which can be used to enhance the recovery potential of digital games. We also suggest exploring potential boundary conditions of the immersion optimisation phenomenon and offer methodological reflections on the use of the laddering methodology in this study.

Bifunctional Janus Membranes for Multicomponent Contaminated Seawater Separation and Recovery.

Solar-driven interface desalination has emerged as a promising strategy to address the global freshwater shortage crisis. However, the separation and recovery of multicomponent oil-contaminated seawater remain a key challenge. This study reports a novel high-strength Janus photothermal membrane with a unique reverse wettability design. On one side, the membrane has hydrophilic and oleophobic properties, while on the other, it has hydrophobic and oleophilic characteristics. The Janus membrane demonstrates dual functionality: solar desalination and oil-water separation. This dual functionality enables efficient separation and recovery of four components from contaminated seawater: purified water, salt crystals, light oil, and heavy oil. As a result, the Janus membrane achieves an evaporation rate of 2.06 kg m-2 h-1 under 1.0 sun. The ion (Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) removal rate approaches 100% with nearly complete recovery of salt crystals. Furthermore, various types of oils can be accurately separated, with separation efficiency approaching 100%. An integrated separation device successfully separates and recovers the four components. This research presents significant potential for efficient separation and recovery of complex components in oil-contaminated seawater.

Aerobic granular sludge inoculant for enhancing high salinity wastewater treatment: Performance and value-added biopolymer recovery

In this study, two lab-scale aerobic granular sludge (AGS) systems, seeded with intertidal wetland sediment (IWS) and activated sludge (AS), were constructed to compare their treatment performances and alginate-like exopolymers (ALE) recovery potential in high salinity wastewater treatment. Both reactors (RIWS and RAS) exhibited excellent total organic carbon (TOC) reduction rates > 95.0 %, while RIWS exhibited an improved total nitrogen (TN) removal than RAS (84.4 % vs 75.7 %). The presence of several inorganic particulates (acted as nucleus) in IWS accelerated the formation of granules in RIWS. The ALE yield of RIWS reached 466.6 ± 52.2 mg/g VSS, which was 1.6 times higher than that of RAS (286.2 ± 5.2 mg/g VSS). Moreover, to illustrate the different ALE recovery potentials, the proposed ALE biosynthesis pathway was also assessed. It was observed that the abundance of function genes encoding ALE biosynthesis of RIWS was significantly higher than that of RAS, revealing its superior ALE recovery potential. This study proposed a novel and effective treatment method for high-salinity wastewater with high potential resource recovery.

Cellular Stress in Dry Eye Disease-Key Hub of the Vicious Circle.

Disturbance or insufficiency of the tear film challenges the regulatory systems of the ocular surfaces. The reaction of the surfaces includes temporary mechanisms engaged in the preservation of homeostasis. However, strong or persisting challenges can lead to the potential exhaustion of the coping capacity. This again activates the vicious circle with chronic inflammation and autocatalytic deterioration. Hence, the factors challenging the homeostasis should be addressed in time. Amongst them are a varying osmolarity, constant presence of small lesions at the epithelium, acidification, attrition with mechanical irritation, and onset of pain and discomfort. Each of them and, especially when occurring simultaneously, impose stress on the coping mechanisms and lead to a stress response. Many stressors can culminate, leading to an exhaustion of the coping capacity, outrunning normal resilience. Reaching the limits of stress tolerance leads to the manifestation of a lubrication deficiency as the disease we refer to as dry eye disease (DED). To postpone its manifestation, the avoidance or amelioration of stress factors is one key option. In DED, this is the target of lubrication therapy, substituting the missing tear film or its components. The latter options include the management of secondary sequelae such as the inflammation and activation of reparative cascades. Preventive measures include the enhancement in resilience, recovery velocity, and recovery potential. The capacity to handle the external load factors is the key issue. The aim is to guard homeostasis and to prevent intercellular stress responses from being launched, triggering and invigorating the vicious circle. Considering the dilemma of the surface to have to cope with increased time of exposure to stress, with simultaneously decreasing time for cellular recovery, it illustrates the importance of the vicious circle as a hub for ocular surface stress. The resulting imbalance triggers a continuous deterioration of the ocular surface condition. After an initial phase of the reaction and adaption of the ocular surface to the surrounding challenges, the normal coping capacity will be exhausted. This is the time when the integrated stress response (ISR), a protector for cellular survival, will inevitably be activated, and cellular changes such as altered translation and ribosome pausing are initiated. Once activated, this will slow down any recovery, in a phase where apoptosis is imminent. Premature senescence of cells may also occur. The process of prematurization due to permanent stress exposures contributes to the risk for constant deterioration. The illustrated flow of events in the development of DED outlines that the ability to cope, and to recover, has limited resources in the cells at the ocular surface. The reduction in and amelioration of stress hence should be one of the key targets of therapy and begin early. Here, lubrication optimization as well as causal treatment such as the correction of anatomical anomalies (leading to anatomical dry eye) should be a prime intent of any therapy. The features of cellular stress as a key hub for the vicious circle will be outlined and discussed.

Exhaust Gas Flow Study of Electric Turbo Compounding (ETC) to Determine the Potential Electrical Energy Recovery from Exhaust Emission

Electric turbo compounding (ETC) emerges as a pivotal energy recovery solution, seamlessly combining an advanced turbocharger with a high-speed generator to harvest electrical energy from exhaust gas dynamics. This research delves into the practical application of ETC in vehicles, employing a comprehensive approach blending simulation techniques with experimental validation. The investigative process involves meticulous data collection on vehicle muffler dimensions, subsequent device modelling based on this data, and rigorous flow simulations, followed by thorough analysis. The study's key findings highlight a noteworthy 9% increase in engine back pressure at 850 rpm, counterbalanced by a 7% reduction at 2000 rpm. Despite the integration of the ETC mechanism, electric current measurements remain consistently within the range of 1.4 to 1.6 amperes at 1200-2000 rpm. This research not only unveils the tangible effects of ETC on engine performance but also underscores its viability as an efficient energy recovery solution in the automotive sector, setting the stage for advancements in sustainable transportation.

What can laboratory studies tell us about potential effects of pesticides on nontarget arthropods populations and communities in the field?

Over the past decades, concern has been increasing over reported declines in aboveground biodiversity on farmland. In many regions, data on the toxicity of pesticides to honeybees (Apis mellifera), but not wider nontarget arthropod (NTA) data, are required for pesticide registration. In Europe, the effects of pesticides on NTAs and honeybees have been the subject of regulatory risk assessment for more than 30 years, resulting in a large database. Although insecticides may be expected to affect NTA populations, solely identifying insecticidal modes of action for further NTA testing would result in redundancy among low-risk testing products and may also exclude other modes of action with potential effects in the field. This study assessed whether the honeybee acute risk assessment could provide any indication of the potential impact and recovery time of NTAs in cropped areas at the field scale and, if so, how it might be used in a tiered testing approach. The hazard quotients (HQs; foliar application rate/LR50) were derived for 151 active substances (32% insecticides, 28% fungicides, 38% herbicides, 2% plant growth regulators) for which toxicity data for established EU Tier 1 NTA indicator species (Typhlodromus pyri, Aphidius rhopalosiphi) and application rate data were available. These HQs were compared with published NTA HQ thresholds indicating the time to recovery of NTA populations and communities in field studies (>1 to >12 months). Using the same application rate data, honeybee acute risk quotient (RQ) and HQ were also determined and compared with NTA HQs and honeybee regulatory thresholds. These comparisons demonstrated that, where required, the current regulatory honeybee acute RQ of 0.4 or honeybee HQ of 50 can provide an efficient screening tier to target NTA testing at those products and uses with potential effects in the field where recovery may exceed 12 months. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:2326-2333. © 2024 SETAC.

Modeling underground climate change across a city based on data about a building block

Subsurface heat islands induce an underground climate change in urban areas, which can threaten public comfort and health, subsurface ecosystems, transportation infrastructure, and civil infrastructure. Meanwhile subsurface heat islands harbor a marked energy recovery potential. Despite increasing investigations, the understanding of subsurface heat islands remains limited and suffers from the lack of expedient and accurate simulation approaches. Here we explore the use of machine learning to accurately and expediently simulate subsurface heat islands in terms of ground temperature and deformation anomalies. Using the Chicago Loop district as a case study, we identify a series of physical features to establish a relationship between central drivers and effects of subsurface heat islands. We incorporate these features into a random forest model to simulate underground climate change with variable training datasets. The results indicate that ground temperature and deformation anomalies across an entire city district can be predicted based on data extracted solely from a handful of buildings. The proposed approach achieves comparable accuracy to current simulation methods but boasts a calculation speed that can be over a hundred times faster, promising to advance fundamental science while effectively informing engineering and decision-making in the mitigation of underground climate change.