Interdisciplinary design of a fish ramp using migration routes analysis

The study presents several steps of a fish ramp geometry optimization performed with a 3D numerical model DualSPHysics, which is based on the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The optimization process led to the design of a bottom ramp that is capable of providing suitable conditions for the migration of target fish species (Salmo truta, Phoxinus phoxinus, Cottus gobio, and Eudontomyzon vladykovi). Migration routes were determined as complex 3D volumes of fluid according to the simulated velocity field in various steady flow conditions. Including three categories of potential migration zones (rest, effort, and limit zones), migration routes were quantified in high detail in terms of the size and position of each zone, and in terms of the distance from a given fluid part to the nearest rest zone. The interdisciplinary approach of this study also led to the development of new tools for the DualSPHysics model, specifically suited to improve functionality in eco-hydraulics research. Fishway Ramp River restoration Smoothed particle hydrodynamics DualSPHysicspublishedVersio

Chemical recycling of plastics assisted by microwave multi-frequency heating

Handling plastic waste through recycling allows extending the life of polymeric materials, avoiding recurrence to incineration or landfilling. In contrast with traditional mechanical recycling technologies, chemical recycling enables the obtention of the virgin monomers by means of depolymerisation to create new polymers with the same mechanical and thermal properties as the originals. Research presented in this paper is part of the polynSPIRE project (Horizon 2020 European funding programme) and develops and scales-up a heated reactor to carry out the depolymerisation of polyamide-6 (PA6), polyamide-6, 6 (PA66) and polyurethane (PU) using microwave (MW) technology as the heating source. The purpose is to design and optimize a MW reactor using up to eight ports emitting electromagnetic waves. Finite element method (FEM) simulation and optimisation are used to design the reactor, considering as parameters the data obtained from experimental dielectric testing and lab-scale characterisation of the processes and materials studied. Two different COMSOL Multiphysics modules are involved in this work: Radio Frequency (RF) and Chemical Reaction Engineering (RE), to simulate the reactor cavity using two frequency levels (915 MHz and 2.45 GHz) with a power level of 46 kW, and the chemical depolymerisation process, respectively. A sensitivity study has been performed on key parameters such as the frequency, the number of ports, and position inside the reactor to consolidate the final design. It is expected that these results assist in the design and scale-up of microwave technology for the chemical recycling of plastics, and for the large-scale deployment of this sustainable recovery alternative. © 2021 The Author

HopScotch - a low-power renewable energy base station network for rural broadband access

The provision of adequate broadband access to communities in sparsely populated rural areas has in the past been severely restricted. In this paper, we present a wireless broadband access test bed running in the Scottish Highlands and Islands which is based on a relay network of low-power base stations. Base stations are powered by a combination of renewable sources creating a low cost and scalable solution suitable for community ownership. The use of the 5~GHz bands allows the network to offer large data rates and the testing of ultra high frequency ``white space'' bands allow expansive coverage whilst reducing the number of base stations or required transmission power. We argue that the reliance on renewable power and the intelligent use of frequency bands makes this approach an economic green radio technology which can address the problem of rural broadband access

Gravity waves excited during a minor sudden stratospheric warming

An exceptionally deep upper-air sounding launched from Kiruna airport (67.82 degrees N, 20.33 degrees E) on 30 January 2016 stimulated the current investigation of internal gravity waves excited during a minor sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) in the Arctic winter 2015/16. The analysis of the radiosonde profile revealed large kinetic and potential energies in the upper stratosphere without any simultaneous enhancement of upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric values. Upward-propagating inertia-gravity waves in the upper stratosphere and downward-propagating modes in the lower stratosphere indicated a region of gravity wave generation in the stratosphere. Two-dimensional wavelet analysis was applied to vertical time series of temperature fluctuations in order to determine the vertical propagation direction of the stratospheric gravity waves in 1-hourly high-resolution meteorological analyses and short-term forecasts. The separation of upward- and downward-propagating waves provided further evidence for a stratospheric source of gravity waves. The scale-dependent decomposition of the flow into a balanced component and inertia-gravity waves showed that coherent wave packets preferentially occurred at the inner edge of the Arctic polar vortex where a sub-vortex formed during the minor SSW

A comparative study of the hydrogen-bonding patterns and prototropism in solid 2-thiocytosine (potential antileukemic agent) and cytosine, as studied by 1H-14N NQDR and QTAIM/ DFT

A potential antileukemic and anticancer agent, 2-thiocytosine (2-TC), has been studied experimentally in the solid state by 1H-14N NMR-NQR double resonance (NQDR) and theoretically by the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM)/density functional theory (DFT). Eighteen resonance frequencies on 14N were detected at 180 K and assigned to particular nitrogen sites (−NH2, –N=, and –NH–) in 2-thiocytosine. Factors such as the nonequivalence of molecules (connected to the duplication of sites) and possible prototropic tautomerism (capable of modifying the type of site due to proton transfer) were taken into account during frequency assignment. The result of replacing oxygen with sulfur, which leads to changes in the intermolecular interaction pattern and molecular aggregation, is discussed. This study demonstrates the advantages of combining NQDR and DFT to extract detailed information on the H-bonding properties of crystals with complex H-bonding networks. Solid-state properties were found to have a profound impact on the stabilities and reactivities of both compounds

Supramolecular synthon pattern in solid clioquinol and cloxiquine (APIs of antibacterial, antifungal, antiaging and antituberculosis drugs) studied by 35Cl NQR, 1H-17O and 1H-14N NQDR and DFT/QTAIM

The quinolinol derivatives clioquinol (5-chloro-7-iodo-8-quinolinol, Quinoform) and cloxiquine (5-chloro-8-quinolinol) were studied experimentally in the solid state via 35Cl NQR, 1H-17O and 1H-14N NQDR spectroscopies, and theoretically by density functional theory (DFT). The supramolecular synthon pattern of O–H···N hydrogen bonds linking dimers and π–π stacking interactions were described within the QTAIM (quantum theory of atoms in molecules) /DFT (density functional theory) formalism. Both proton donor and acceptor sites in O–H···N bonds were characterized using 1H-17O and 1H-14N NQDR spectroscopies and QTAIM. The possibility of the existence of O–H···H–O dihydrogen bonds was excluded. The weak intermolecular interactions in the crystals of clioquinol and cloxiquine were detected and examined. The results obtained in this work suggest that considerable differences in the NQR parameters for the planar and twisted supramolecular synthons permit differentiation between specific polymorphic forms, and indicate that the more planar supramolecular synthons are accompanied by a greater number of weaker hydrogen bonds linking them and stronger π···π stacking interactions

The influence of antyhypertensive therapy of valsartan and fixed combination with hydrochlorothiazide use on pulse-wave velocity and central arterial pressure in patients with arterial hypertension of 1-2 grades in international VICTORY clinical trial

Objective - to explore influence of valsartan monotherapy use and its use in combination with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) on pulse-wave velocity (PWV) and central arterial pressure (CAP) in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) of 1-2 grades in international VICTORY clinical trial. Materials and methods. The international multicenter prospective randomized clinical study VICTORY that lasted for 16 weeks included patients with 1-2 grades AH. In patients who previously received antihypertensive therapy a 7 days washout period was carried out. All patients started their therapy with 80 mg valsartan (Valsacor®, KRKA, Slovenia); in Russia the starter dose of Valsacor®, KRKA was 160 mg in previously treated patients that did not influence the study results. If after 4 weeks of treatment BP was more than 140/90 mm hg (more than 130/80 mm hg in high risk patients or in diabetes mellitus patients) the dose of valsartan was increased to 160 mg (320 mg in Russia) or diuretic in fixed combination with valsartan was added (160 mg valsartan/12.5 mg HCTZ): Valsacor® H 160 (KRKA, Slovenia). If target BP after 8 weeks of treatment was not reached valsartan dose was increased to 320 mg or fixed combination of valsartan and diuretic (160 mg/12.5 mg) was used. If target BP after 12 weeks of treatment was not reached - valsartan and diuretic 320 mg/12.5 mg were used. PWV and CAP (SphygmoCor®, AtCorMedical) were assessed at baseline and after 16 weeks of treatment. The primary endpoints were assessment of the impact of studied medications on aortic stiffness, aortic augmentation index and comparison of absolute medians of reached central and peripheral BP reduction with baseline value. Results. Of 365 patients included in the study 74 were included in PWV and CAP study subgroup. Valsartan and its combination with HCTZ were effective in CBP reduction. The mean absolute reduction of central systolic and diastolic BP after 16 weeks of treatment was 19.7±12.9 mm hg and 13.9±8.5 mm hg, respectively (

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

BACKGROUND: Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. METHODS: Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75,000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. FINDINGS: 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. INTERPRETATION: International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems

Worldwide comparison of survival from childhood leukaemia for 1995–2009, by subtype, age, and sex (CONCORD-2): a population-based study of individual data for 89 828 children from 198 registries in 53 countries

Background Global inequalities in access to health care are reflected in differences in cancer survival. The CONCORD programme was designed to assess worldwide differences and trends in population-based cancer survival. In this population-based study, we aimed to estimate survival inequalities globally for several subtypes of childhood leukaemia. Methods Cancer registries participating in CONCORD were asked to submit tumour registrations for all children aged 0-14 years who were diagnosed with leukaemia between Jan 1, 1995, and Dec 31, 2009, and followed up until Dec 31, 2009. Haematological malignancies were defined by morphology codes in the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, third revision. We excluded data from registries from which the data were judged to be less reliable, or included only lymphomas, and data from countries in which data for fewer than ten children were available for analysis. We also excluded records because of a missing date of birth, diagnosis, or last known vital status. We estimated 5-year net survival (ie, the probability of surviving at least 5 years after diagnosis, after controlling for deaths from other causes [background mortality]) for children by calendar period of diagnosis (1995-99, 2000-04, and 2005-09), sex, and age at diagnosis (< 1, 1-4, 5-9, and 10-14 years, inclusive) using appropriate life tables. We estimated age-standardised net survival for international comparison of survival trends for precursor-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Findings We analysed data from 89 828 children from 198 registries in 53 countries. During 1995-99, 5-year agestandardised net survival for all lymphoid leukaemias combined ranged from 10.6% (95% CI 3.1-18.2) in the Chinese registries to 86.8% (81.6-92.0) in Austria. International differences in 5-year survival for childhood leukaemia were still large as recently as 2005-09, when age-standardised survival for lymphoid leukaemias ranged from 52.4% (95% CI 42.8-61.9) in Cali, Colombia, to 91.6% (89.5-93.6) in the German registries, and for AML ranged from 33.3% (18.9-47.7) in Bulgaria to 78.2% (72.0-84.3) in German registries. Survival from precursor-cell ALL was very close to that of all lymphoid leukaemias combined, with similar variation. In most countries, survival from AML improved more than survival from ALL between 2000-04 and 2005-09. Survival for each type of leukaemia varied markedly with age: survival was highest for children aged 1-4 and 5-9 years, and lowest for infants (younger than 1 year). There was no systematic difference in survival between boys and girls. Interpretation Global inequalities in survival from childhood leukaemia have narrowed with time but remain very wide for both ALL and AML. These results provide useful information for health policy makers on the effectiveness of health-care systems and for cancer policy makers to reduce inequalities in childhood survival