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Membrane autopsy for fouling mitigation in reverse osmosis process of wastewater secondary effluent in a sewer mining plant
Full text linkReverse osmosis (RO) plays a critical role in sewer mining plants for the reclamation of high-quality water from wastewater. However, membrane fouling remains a major operational challenge that limits the long-term performance and economic viability of RO systems in such applications. In this study, a comprehensive autopsy of fouled RO membrane elements from a full-scale sewer mining plant was performed to characterise foulant composition and elucidate fouling mechanisms. The results revealed a pronounced spatial distribution of foulants along the RO train, with the first element in the lead stage exhibiting more severe fouling than the tail elements due to higher hydraulic loading and contaminant exposure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses indicated that the foulant layers consisted of heterogeneous organic and inorganic deposits and biofilms. Additionally, total organic carbon (TOC) measurements and elemental analysis of foulant extracts confirmed the variation in foulant composition across elements. Cover densities of TOC, Si and Al foulants on the first membrane element were 1.6, 1.7, and 7.6-fold, respectively, higher than those on the last element. This spatial distribution of various foulant composition emphasised the necessity for combined acid and alkaline chemical cleaning strategies to achieve effective fouling control
Quantum-like model on multiple lotteries selection
No full textThis study proposes an agent-based quantum-like model to investigate the individual selection among three or more lotteries while incorporating the decision-making risk and uncertainty. We extend the classical expected utility functions with quantum probabilities and construct the compound belief state to compare one specific lottery belief state against others. The involved decision-making process is represented formally by the comparison operator, which can be decomposed into a few subprocesses. We give an example of individual lottery selection from three lotteries to illustrate the model. Finally, we propose ways to select from more than three lotteries
Mitigating offshore oily wastewater pollution: Sustainable strategies for treatment, disposal, and reuse.
Full text linkOily wastewater, a major byproduct of petroleum oil and gas production, poses serious environmental risks if not effectively treated. This review analyses the composition of oily wastewater, assesses current treatment methods, and explores strategies to improve efficiency while reducing capital and operational costs. Data corroborated from this work suggests that integrated treatment systems are more effective than single-method approach. Membrane-based technologies such as reverse osmosis (RO), forward osmosis (FO), and membrane distillation (MD) show promise in improving pollutant removal and energy efficiency. However, persistent challenges such as membrane fouling, high capital and operational costs, and membrane stability necessitate further innovation in materials development and hybrid system design. This review highlights the potential of well-designed hybrid systems for offshore oily wastewater treatment. Such systems can significantly enhance contaminant removal while minimising energy consumption and operational costs. Overcoming technical challenges and advancing membrane technologies will be essential for more sustainable and cost-effective oily wastewater treatment
What's so special about special issues: Highlighting a central role of parasitology to support specific innovations and advance progress within our discipline.
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Upper respiratory tract immunization with Pam2Cys-adjuvanted spike protein vaccine achieves sterilizing protection against SARS-CoV-2.
Full text linkInjected COVID-19 vaccines protect against severe disease, but do not induce robust mucosal immune responses. Nasal vaccines offer the advantage of local immunity to block viral infection and transmission. Previously we showed immunization of a Pam2Cys-adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to the upper and lower respiratory tracts (URT/LRT) induced protective immune responses in the lungs. However, URT/LRT immunization is not representative of nasal vaccines for clinical use that exclusively target the URT. Here, we show that delivery to only the URT with Pam2Cys and spike protein effectively induced strong SARS-CoV-2 specific immune responses in the nasal mucosa. When delivered in a low volume so that vaccine exposure was limited to the URT, Pam2Cys/spike protein induced local SARS-CoV-2-specific Th17 cells and neutralizing antibodies to a similar level to inhaled vaccination reaching both the URT and LRT. We compared URT versus URT/LRT delivery as booster vaccinations following parenteral immunization and found that URT vaccination concentrated the immune response to the URT rather than the lungs. Importantly, URT immunization or boosting induced sterilizing immunity in K18-hACE2 mice challenged with homologous SARS-CoV-2. Thus, booster vaccination to the URT alone with Pam2Cys/spike achieved robust nasal immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and is a promising strategy for clinical development
Mice With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Show Enhanced Airway Immune Cell Infiltration After Influenza A Virus Infection
No full textDetection of the effects of hydraulic activation of stomata (HAS) on the water use efficiency of crops
Full text linkHydraulic activation of stomata (HAS) is the process of wicking water from the leaf interior to the surface, promoted by deliquescent salt on the leaf surface, serving as a critical physiological mechanism that affects stomatal behavior, water fluxes, and ultimately water use efficiency (WUE) in vegetation. This study is the first to evaluate the HAS effect under field conditions, investigating the potential role of hygroscopic urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) foliar application promoting HAS and detecting its effects through changes in transpiration, stomatal slope (g1), carbon-water exchange rate (λ), and inherent water use efficiency (IWUE) at the ecosystem scale.Using eddy covariance (EC) observations across four ICOS European cropland sites (FR-Gri, BE-Lon, DE-Kli, DE-Geb) from 2005 to 2020, our findings revealed distinct crop-specific responses, with HAS influencing transpiration dynamics after foliar UAN application. Barley, maize, and winter wheat exhibited significantly increased transpiration, as evidenced by substantial increases in g1 and λ (p < 0.05). These changes were accompanied by reductions in IWUE, reflecting enhanced stomatal conductance and more water loss under the HAS effect. In contrast, rapeseed showed reductions in transpiration, g1, and λ, but an increase in IWUE, suggesting improved water use efficiency through distinct physiological response. Except for rapeseed, foliar UAN application enhanced CO2 assimilation, leading to a larger difference in CO2 concentrations (Ca − Cs) and decreased temperature gradient (Ta − Ts) between air and surface, which was attributed to cooling effects induced by elevated transpiration across sites. Notably, g1 remained stable over a one-month period in the absence of foliar UAN application, indicating that observed changes in WUE are primarily driven by the effects of UAN rather than intrinsic stomatal regulation under natural growth conditions.These findings highlight HAS’s distinct impacts on transpiration, surface energy fluxes, and WUE under field conditions, underscoring the need to incorporate HAS into ecosystem models. The neglect of HAS in current models results in an overestimation of WUE following foliar fertilization in cereals. This limitation may also extend to other vegetation types due to hygroscopic deposition of aerosols, emphasizing the broader significance of integrating HAS into models to improve WUE predictions and support sustainable ecosystem management practices
Balancing High Densities and Conservation Targets to Optimise Koala Management Strategies
Full text linkConservation management becomes complicated when globally threatened species reach high densities locally, exceeding the carrying capacity of the ecosystem and causing damage. Managing high‐profile native species is particularly challenging, because ethical debates and public opposition to traditional control methods often prompt shifts toward strategies that prevent environmental harm rather than reducing populations. The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in South Australia exemplifies these challenges because, although it can damage the vegetation from high browsing pressure, culling is avoided due to public resistance. Therefore, managers have to consider costly and logistically constrained alternatives such as fertility control and translocation. Demographic models are valuable tools for predicting population dynamics, but their effectiveness depends on reliable population density estimates, often biased by expert‐elicited and citizen‐science data. We combined a point‐process model, an ensemble species distribution model, and a demographic model to project koala populations in the Mount Lofty Ranges over the next 25 years to assess the efficiency and cost‐effectiveness of fertility‐control interventions while accounting for sampling biases, habitat suitability, and local densities. We tested two hypotheses: (1) koala distribution is driven by rainfall, temperature, and soil acidity, with summer rainfall boosting habitat suitability, and (2) spatially targeted fertility interventions in high‐suitability areas are more cost‐effective than generalised strategies due to subpopulation connectivity. Our models confirmed that these three environmental factors shape koala distribution and that, in the absence of intervention, the koala population could increase by ~17‐25% in 25 years. Fertility control focusing on adult females emerged as the most cost‐effective (~AU34 million)
Menstrual Phase and Postmatch Perceptual Recovery Responses for Naturally Menstruating Football Players.
No full textPURPOSE: To explore the influence of menstrual phase on postmatch perceptual responses and the time course of recovery for professional footballers. METHODS: Thirteen naturally menstruating footballers tracked their menstrual cycle and reported perceptual responses for up to 4 cycles. Menstrual phases were determined by calendar-based tracking and urinary hormone tests and classified as menstruation, follicular, or luteal. On match days (MDs) and the following 2 days (MD+1 and MD+2), players completed perceptual questionnaires on fatigue, soreness, stress, sleep, and perceived recovery status (PRS). Total high-speed running distance during matches was recorded using GPS devices to represent load. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models. RESULTS: Day × total high-speed running distance affected PRS (P 0.51) and better sleep quality on MD+2 (P = .13, ES = 0.56). No significant differences between menstrual phases existed (P > .05), and all other ESs were trivial to small (ES < 0.50). All perceptual measures, except stress, differed significantly between days (P < .05), with differences based on match load and, to a lesser extent, menstrual phase. CONCLUSION: PRS may be worse during menstruation, although menstrual phase has limited association with postmatch perceptual responses. Variability in the recovery time course for perceptual measures exists between menstrual phases, but evidence for consistently impaired recovery time course in any phase was not evident
Inter-and Intra-Sensor Spectral Compatibility and Calibration of the Enhanced Vegetation Indices
No full textIn the last decade, a number of new satellite sensors were launched and have been placed in orbit as data continuity and/or new-generation missions, all of which have spectral bands suitable for the EVI. It is thus of great importance to develop a good understanding of EVI spectral compatibilities across sensors and also of significant interest to investigate whether the EVI data record begun with EOS MODIS can be temporally and spatially extended with other satellite sensors for improved monitoring capabilities and climate science studies. This chapter focuses on the EVI and discusses inter-sensor spectral compatibility of the EVI. We also discuss inter-sensor spectral compatibility of a two-band version of the EVI without a blue band, or EVI2 (Jiang et al., 2008), and its intra-sensor compatibility with the EVI. Specific objectives of this chapter are to: (1) present a comprehensive review of inter-and intra-sensor spectral compatibility of the EVI and EVI2, (2) evaluate the atmospheric impact on spectral compatibility of the EVI and EVI2 across sensors, and (3) discuss cross-sensor calibration methodologies for EVI and EVI2 spectral compatibility
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