A novel approach to model dynamic flow interactions between storm sewer system and overland surface for different land covers in urban areas

In this study, we developed a novel approach to simulate dynamic flow interactions between storm sewers and overland surface for different land covers in urban areas. The proposed approach couples the one-dimensional (1D) sewer flow model (SFM) and the two-dimensional (2D) overland flow model (OFM) with different techniques depending on the land cover type of the study areas. For roads, pavements, plazas, and so forth where rainfall becomes surface runoff before entering the sewer system, the rainfall-runoff process is simulated directly in the 2D OFM, and the runoff is drained to the sewer network via inlets, which is regarded as the input to 1D SFM. For green areas on which rainfall falls into the permeable ground surface and the generated direct runoff traverses terrain, the deduction rate is applied to the rainfall for reflecting the soil infiltration in the 2D OFM. In built-up areas with drainage facilities allowing rainfall to drain directly from the roof to sewer networks, the rainfall-runoff process is simulated using the hydrological module in the 1D SFM where no rainfall is applied to these areas in the 2D OFM. The 1D SFM is used for hydraulic simulations in the sewer network. Where the flow in the drainage network exceeds its capacity, a surcharge occurs and water may spill onto the ground surface if the pressure head in a manhole exceeds the ground elevation. The overflow discharge from the sewer system is calculated by the 1D SFM and considered a point source in the 2D OFM. The overland flow will return into the sewer network when it reaches an inlet that connects to an un-surcharged manhole. In this case, the drainage is considered as a point sink in the 2D OFM and an inflow to a manhole in the 1D SFM. The proposed approach was compared to other five urban flood modelling techniques with four rainfall events that had previously recorded inundation areas. The merits and drawbacks of each modelling technique were compared and discussed. Based on the simulated results, the proposed approach was found to simulate floodings closer to the survey records than other approaches because the physical rainfall-runoff phenomena in urban environment were better reflected.Royal SocietyMinistry of Science and Technology, Taiwa

Inundation simulation for urban drainage basin with storm sewer system

Copyright © 2000 Elsevier. NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Hydrology . Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Hydrology Vol. 234 (2000), DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00237-7An urban inundation model, combining a storm sewer model SWMM, two-dimensional (2D) diffusive overland-flow model and operations of pumping stations, has been developed to simulate inundation in urban areas caused by the surcharge of storm sewers and outlet pumping stations. The movement of water in the studied urban watershed is characterized by two components, namely, the storm sewer flow component and the surcharge-induced inundation component. SWMM is employed to solve the storm sewer flow component and to provide the surcharged flow hydrographs for surface runoff exceeding the capacity of the storm sewers. The 2D diffusive overland-flow model considering the non-inertia equation with Alternative Direction Explicit numerical scheme is then used to calculate the detailed inundation zones and depths due to the surcharged water on overland surface. Drainage by pumping stations at outlets of the storm sewer system has also been taken into consideration. The parameters of the model are calibrated and verified for discrete storms. The combined model is suitable for analysis of inundation on urban areas due to overflow of storm sewers and flooding caused by failure of pumping stations. Simulated results can be applied to establish flood-mitigation measures

Local and global effects of quantum impurities on the quasi-particle tunneling spectra of p-type and n-type cuprate superconductors

We report scanning tunneling spectroscopic studies of the effects of quantum impurities on cuprate superconductors. The samples include p-type YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-δ) single crystals with spinless impurities of Zn^(2+) and Mg^(2+) ((Zn,Mg)-YBCO) and n-type infinite-layer system Sr_(0.9)La)(0.1)CuO_2 with 1% magnetic Ni^(2+)- or 1% non-magnetic Zn^(2+)-impurities that substitute the Cu^(2+) in the CuO)2 plane. The local effects of spinless impurities on the quasiparticles spectra of (Zn,Mg)-YBCO are analogous to those of Zn-substituted Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_(8+x), and the global effect is manifested by the suppression of the pairing potential Δd and of the spin excitation energy. In contrast, spectroscopic studies of Sr_(0.9)La_(0.1)CuO)2 reveal momentum-independent spectra and superconducting gap Δ, with (2Δ/k_BT_c) ~ 7 for T_c = 43 K and no pseudogap above T_c. The global response of Sr_(0.9)La_(0.1)CuO_2 to quantum impurities is similar to that of s-wave superconductors, being insensitive to small concentrations of spinless impurities (Zn) while showing rapid degradation in T_c with increasing magnetic impurities (Ni). Moreover, the spectra of the Ni-substituted Sr_(0.9)La_(0.1)CuO_2 reveal strong electron-hole asymmetry and long-range impurity effects, in contrast to the localized impurity effects in the p-type cuprates, and the introduction of Zn yield no reduction in either Δ or T_c. The physical implications of these findings are discussed

Differentiation of Foot-and-Mouth Disease-Infected pigs from Vaccinated Pigs Using Antibody-Detecting Sandwich ELISA

The presence of serum antibodies for nonstructural proteins of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) can differentiate FMDV-infected animals from vaccinated animals. In this study, a sandwich ELISA was developed for rapid detection of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) antibodies; it was based on an Escherichia coli-expressed, highly conserved region of the 3ABC nonstructural protein of the FMDV O/TW/99 strain and a monoclonal antibody derived from the expressed protein. The diagnostic sensitivity of the assay was 98.4%, and the diagnostic specificity was 100% for naïve and vaccinated pigs; the detection ability of the assay was comparable those of the PrioCHECK and UBI kits. There was 97.5, 93.4 and 66.6% agreement between the results obtained from our ELISA and those obtained from the PrioCHECK, UBI and CHEKIT kits, respectively. The kappa statistics were 0.95, 0.87 and 0.37, respectively. Moreover, antibodies for nonstructural proteins of the serotypes A, C, Asia 1, SAT 1, SAT 2 and SAT 3 were also detected in bovine sera. Furthermore, the absence of cross-reactions generated by different antibody titers against the swine vesicular disease virus and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was also highlighted in this assay's specificit

The epidemiology of gastrointestinal stromal tumors in Taiwan, 1998–2008: a nation-wide cancer registry-based study

BACKGROUND: To investigate the incidence of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) in Taiwan and the impact of imatinib on the overall survival (OS) of GIST patients. METHODS: GISTs were identified from the Taiwan Cancer Registry (TCR) from 1998 to 2008. The age-adjusted incidence rates and the observed OS rates were calculated. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to examine the mortality risk in three time periods (1998–2001, 2002–2004, 2005–2008) according to the application and availability of imatinib. RESULTS: From 1998 to 2008, 2,986 GISTs were diagnosed in Taiwan. The incidence increased from 1.13 per 100,000 in 1998 to 1.97 per 100,000 in 2008. The most common sites were stomach (47-59%), small intestine (31-38%), and colon/rectum (6-9%). The 5-year observed OS was 66.5% (60.3% for men, 74.2% for women, P < .0001). GISTs in the stomach had a better 5-year observed OS (69.4%) than those in the small intestine (65.1%) (P < .0001). The outcome of GIST improved significantly after the more widespread use of imatinib; the 5-year observed OS increased from 58.9% during 1998–2001 to 70.2% during 2005–2008 (P < .0001). Younger age, female sex, stomach location, and later diagnostic years were independent predictors of a better survival. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of GIST has been increasing in Taiwan, partially due to the advancement of diagnostic technology/method and the increased awareness by physicians. The outcome of GIST has improved significantly with the availability and the wider use of imatinib