Evaporating waterbody effects in a simplified urban neighbourhood: A RANS analysis

The incorporation of nature-based solutions comprising green and blue infrastructure is often touted as a way to cool cities and enhance pollutant removal. However, there is little agreement between different methodologies to measure the effect of any single intervention. Here, we present 3D steady RANS simulations to investigate the influence of waterbody on in-canyon flow structure, temperature (T*) and water vapour (!*) distribution in a simplified urban neighbourhood. A novel solver that captures evaporation effects is developed and validated against wind tunnel experiments. Simulations are performed under neutral atmospheric conditions for forced -and mixed-convection cases and different air-water temperature differences, indicative of either daytime or night-time conditions. Results under forced convection show minimal impact on the flow structure, whilst T* and !* effects are distributed primarily over and around the water surface. However, the mixed-convection case shows that a cooler waterbody weakens the principal vortex in the open square, whilst T* and !* effects reach further upwind and are more widely distributed in the spanwise direction. A warmer waterbody is shown to disrupt the skimming flow structure, indicating a possible heat and pollutant removal mechanism from around the waterbody and also downwind canyons

Characterisation of flow dynamics within and around an isolated forest, through measurements and numerical simulations

The case study of ‘Bosco Fontana’, a densely-vegetated forest located in the north of Italy, is analysed both experimentally and numerically to characterise the internal ventilation of a finite forest with a vertically non-homogeneous canopy. Measurements allow for the evaluation of the turbulent exchange across the forest canopy. The case study is then reproduced numerically via a two-dimensional RANS simulation, successfully validated against experimental data. The analysis of the internal ventilation leads to the identification of seven regions of motion along the predominate-wind direction, for whose definition a new in-canopy stability parameter was introduced. In the vertical direction, the non-homogeneity of the canopy leads to the separation of the canopy layer into an upper foliage layer and a lower bush layer, characterised respectively by an increasing streamwise velocity and turbulence intensity, and a weak backflow. The conclusions report an improved description of the dynamic layer and regions of motion presented in the literature

Constitutively Enhanced Lymphatic Pumping in the Upper Limbs of Women Who Later Develop Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema.

BACKGROUND: It has previously been shown that the lymph drainage rate in both upper limbs is greater in women destined to develop breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) than in those who do not develop BCRL, indicating a constitutive predisposition. We explored constitutive differences further by measuring the maximum lymphatic pump pressure (Ppump) and the rate of (99m)Tc-Nanocoll transport generated by the contractile upper limb lymphatics before and after breast cancer surgery in a group of women who were followed for 2 years to determine their eventual BCRL or non-BCRL status. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ppump and tracer transport rate were measured by lymphatic congestion lymphoscintigraphy in the ipsilateral upper limb in 26 women pre- and post-breast cancer surgery. BCRL occurred in 10/26 (38.5%) cases. Ppump in the women who later developed BCRL (40.0 ± 8.2 mmHg) was 1.7-fold higher than in those who did not develop BCRL (23.1 ± 10.8 mmHg, p = 0.001). Moreover, the rate of lymph tracer transport into the forearm was 2.2-fold greater in the women who later developed BCRL (p = 0.052). Surgery did not significantly reduce Ppump measured 21 weeks postsurgery, but impaired forearm tracer transport in pre-BCRL women by 58% (p = 0.047), although not in those who did not develop BCRL. CONCLUSIONS: Women destined to develop BCRL have higher pumping pressures and lymph transport, indicating harder-working lymphatics before cancer treatment. Axillary lymphatic damage from surgery appears to compromise lymph drainage in those women constitutively predisposed to higher lymphatic pressures and lymph transport

Performance evaluation of MeteoTracker mobile sensor for outdoor applications

The morphological complexity of urban environments results in a high spatial and temporal variability of the urban microclimate. The consequent demand for high-resolution atmospheric data remains a challenge for atmospheric research and operational application. The recent widespread availability and increasing adoption of low-cost mobile sensing offer the opportunity to integrate observations from conventional monitoring networks with microclimatic and air pollution data at a finer spatial and temporal scale. So far, the relatively low quality of the measurements and outdoor performance compared to conventional instrumentation has discouraged the full deployment of mobile sensors for routine monitoring. The present study addresses the performance of a commercial mobile sensor, the MeteoTracker (IoTopon Srl), recently launched on the market to quantify the microclimatic characteristics of the outdoor environment. The sensor follows the philosophy of the Internet of Things technology, being low cost, having an automatic data flow via personal smartphones and online data sharing, supporting user-friendly software, and having the potential to be deployed in large quantities. In this paper, the outdoor performance is evaluated through tests aimed at quantifying (i) the intra-sensor variability under similar atmospheric conditions and (ii) the outdoor accuracy compared to a reference weather station under sub-optimal (in a fixed location) and optimal (mobile) sensor usage. Data-driven corrections are developed and successfully applied to improve the MeteoTracker data quality. In particular, a recursive method for the simultaneous improvement of relative humidity, dew point, and humidex index proves to be crucial for increasing the data quality. The results mark an intra-sensor variability of approximately ± 0.5 °C for air temperature and ± 1.2 % for the corrected relative humidity, both of which are within the declared sensor accuracy. The sensor captures the same atmospheric variability as the reference sensor during both fixed and mobile tests, showing positive biases (overestimation) for both variables. Through the mobile test, the outdoor accuracy is observed to be between ± 0.3 to ± 0.5 °C for air temperature and between ± 3 % and ± 5 % for the relative humidity, ranking the MeteoTracker in the real accuracy range of similar commercial sensors from the literature and making it a valid solution for atmospheric monitoring.</p

Modulation of Hydrogen Peroxide Production in Cellular Systems by Low Level Magnetic Fields

Increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and an altered redox status have long been observed in cancer cells, suggesting that ROS might be involved in the development of these cells. However, recent studies suggest that inducing an excess of ROS in cancer cells can be exploited for therapeutic benefits. Cancer cells in advanced stage tumors frequently exhibit multiple genetic alterations and high oxidative stress, suggesting that it might be possible to preferentially modulate the development of these cells by controlling their ROS production. Low levels of ROS are also important for the development and survival of normal cells. In this manuscript, we present data on the influence of the suppression of the Earth's magnetic field (low level magnetic fields or LLF) which magnitudes range from 0.2 µT to 2 µT on the modulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in human fibrosarcoma cancer cell line HT1080, pancreatic AsPC-1 cancer cell line, and bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC) exposed to geomagnetic field (control; 45 µT–60 µT). Reduction of the Earth's magnetic field suppressed H2O2 production in cancer cells and PAEC. The addition of catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic MnTBAP inhibited the magnetic field effect. Modulating ROS production by magnetic fields may open new venues of biomedical research and therapeutic strategies

Chemical Magnetoreception: Bird Cryptochrome 1a Is Excited by Blue Light and Forms Long-Lived Radical-Pairs

Cryptochromes (Cry) have been suggested to form the basis of light-dependent magnetic compass orientation in birds. However, to function as magnetic compass sensors, the cryptochromes of migratory birds must possess a number of key biophysical characteristics. Most importantly, absorption of blue light must produce radical pairs with lifetimes longer than about a microsecond. Cryptochrome 1a (gwCry1a) and the photolyase-homology-region of Cry1 (gwCry1-PHR) from the migratory garden warbler were recombinantly expressed and purified from a baculovirus/Sf9 cell expression system. Transient absorption measurements show that these flavoproteins are indeed excited by light in the blue spectral range leading to the formation of radicals with millisecond lifetimes. These biophysical characteristics suggest that gwCry1a is ideally suited as a primary light-mediated, radical-pair-based magnetic compass receptor

Derivation of Isothermal Quantum Fluid Equations with Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein Statistics

By using the quantum maximum entropy principle we formally derive, from a underlying kinetic description, isothermal (hydrodynamic and diffusive) quantum fluid equations for particles with Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics. A semiclassical expansion of the quantum fluid equations, up to Ohstroke 2 -terms, leads to classical fluid equations with statistics-dependent quantum corrections, including a modified Bohm potential. The Maxwell-Boltzmann limit and the zero temperature limit are eventually discussed

Stochastic modelling of turbulent flows for numerical simulations

Numerical simulations are a powerful tool to investigate turbulent flows, both for theoretical studies and practical applications. The reliability of a simulation is mainly dependent on the turbulence model adopted, and improving its accuracy is a crucial issue. In this study, we investigated the potential for an alternative formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations, based on the stochastic representation of the velocity field. The new approach, named pseudo-stochastic simulation (PSS), is a generalisation of the widespread classical eddy-viscosity model, where the contribution of the unresolved scales of motion is expressed by a variance tensor, modelled following different paradigms. The PSS models were compared with the classical ones mathematically and numerically in the turbulent channel flow at Re\u3c4 = 590. The PSS and the classical models are equivalent when the variance tensor is shaped through a molecular dissipation analogy, while it is more accurate when the tensor is defined by the way of a local variance model. A near-wall damping function derived from recent advancement in the field is also proposed and was successfully validated. The analyses demonstrate the relevance of the approach proposed and provide a basis for the development of an alternative turbulence model

Large eddy simulation of turbulent buoyant flow in a confined cavity with conjugate heat transfer

Turbulent natural convection in enclosure is a paradigmatic case for wide class of processes of great interest for industrial and environmental problems.The solid-fluid thermal interaction, the anisotropy of the turbulence intensity in the flow field along with the transient nature of heat transfer processes, pose challenges regarding the numerical modeling. The case of a square cavity with differently heated vertical walls and two horizontal conductive plates is studied at Ra = 1.58 7 109. The study is carried out numerically, using large-eddy simulation together with a dynamic Lagrangian turbulence model and a conjugate heat transfer method to take into account heat transfer at the solid surfaces. First, validation is carried out against the literature experimental and numerical data. The results of validation tests evidence the limitations of using the adiabatic conditions as a model for reproducing an insulator. In fact, the adiabatic condition represents the asymptotic behavior which is often difficult to reach in real conditions. Successively, the model is used to investigate the effect on the flow field of different materials composing the horizontal walls. Initial conditions representative of physical experiment are used. In order to reduce the computational time required for a simulation with insulating materials at the walls, a four-step temperature advancement strategy is proposed, based on the artificial reduction-first and recover-later of the specific heat coefficient Cp of the materials at different stages of the simulation. The conductivity of the solid media is found to influence the flow configuration since heat transfer at the solid walls substantially modifies the turbulent field and makes the flow field less homogeneous along the horizontal direction

Large-Eddy Simulations of Pollutant Removal Enhancement from Urban Canyons

Techniques for improving the removal of pollution from urban canyons are crucial for air quality control in cities. The removal mainly occurs at the building roof level, where it is supported by turbulent mixing and hampered by roof shear, which tends to isolate the internal canyon region from the atmospheric flow. Here, a modification of roof infrastructures is proposed with the aim of increasing the former and reducing the latter, overall enhancing the removal mechanisms. The topic is investigated by numerical experiment, using large-eddy simulation to study the paradigmatic case of a periodic square urban canyon at Re= 2 7 10 4. Two geometries are analyzed: one with a smooth building roof, the other having a series of solid obstacles atop the upwind building roof. The pollutant is released at the street level. The simulations are successfully validated against laboratory and numerical datasets, and the primary vortex displacement detected in some laboratory experiments is discussed. The turbulence triggered by the obstacles destroys the sharp shear layer that separates the canyon and the surrounding flow, increasing the mixing. Greater vertical turbulent mass fluxes and more frequent ejection events near the upwind building (where pollution accumulates) are detected. Overall, the obstacles lead to a reduction in the pollution concentration within the canyon of about 34 %