Slip or not slip? A methodical examination of the interface formation model using two-dimensional droplet spreading on a horizontal planar substrate as a prototype system

We consider the spreading of a thin two-dimensional droplet on a planar substrate as a prototype system to compare the contemporary model for contact line motion based on interface formation of Shikhmurzaev [Int. J. Multiphas. Flow 19, 589 (1993)], to the more commonly used continuum fluid dynamical equations augmented with the Navier-slip condition. Considering quasistatic droplet evolution and using the method of matched asymptotics, we find that the evolution of the droplet radius using the interface formation model reduces to an equivalent expression for a slip model, where the prescribed microscopic dynamic contact angle has a velocity dependent correction to its static value. This result is found for both the original interface formation model formulation and for a more recent version, where mass transfer from bulk to surface layers is accounted for through the boundary conditions. Various features of the model, such as the pressure behaviour and rolling motion at the contact line, and their relevance, are also considered in the prototype system we adopt.Comment: 45 pages, 18 figure

Monitoring Mixing Processes Using Ultrasonic Sensors and Machine Learning

Mixing is one of the most common processes across food, chemical, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Real-time, in-line sensors are required for monitoring, and subsequently optimising, essential processes such as mixing. Ultrasonic sensors are low-cost, real-time, in-line, and applicable to characterise opaque systems. In this study, a non-invasive, reflection-mode ultrasonic measurement technique was used to monitor two model mixing systems. The two systems studied were honey-water blending and flour-water batter mixing. Classification machine learning models were developed to predict if materials were mixed or not mixed. Regression machine learning models were developed to predict the time remaining until mixing completion. Artificial neural networks, support vector machines, long short-term memory neural networks, and convolutional neural networks were tested, along with different methods for engineering features from ultrasonic waveforms in both the time and frequency domain. Comparisons between using a single sensor and performing multisensor data fusion between two sensors were made. Classification accuracies of up to 96.3% for honey-water blending and 92.5% for flour-water batter mixing were achieved, along with R2 values for the regression models of up to 0.977 for honey-water blending and 0.968 for flour-water batter mixing. Each prediction task produced optimal performance with different algorithms and feature engineering methods, vindicating the extensive comparison between different machine learning approaches

Ectomycorrhizal fungi inocula optimization to aid the health status of trees in the everchanging environment of cities

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Selection of high performance strains of edible mycorrhizal fungi for improved abiotic stress resistance

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Non-invasive monitoring of stress response of urban trees inoculated with EcM

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of anthropogenic pollution on the fitness of tetracycline sensitive Shigella flexneri in Thames river water

Urban rivers may be source of antibiotics contamination that could support spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) to the population. It is important to understand to what extent the presence of pollutants in urban rivers influences fitness of ARB. In an exercise to estimate this contribution, microcosms were generated from Thames river (London, UK) from different locations: upstream and downstream the city center. The concentration of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) benzo(a)pyrene, pyrene and phenantrene was found to be 128, 171 and 128 times higher in downstream sector when compared to upstream sector, respectively. Filtered microcosms for each sector were enriched with tetracycline at lethal (10 μg/mL) and sub-lethal (10 ng/mL) concentrations and the fitness of an isogenic pair of Shigella flexneri 2a YSH6000 (tetR) and S. flexneri 2a 1363 (tetS) was then measured. In the presence of selective pressure in upstream microcosms, the resistant strain outcompeted the sensitive one, as expected. In contrast, sensitive S. flexneri tetS was found to significantly compete with resistant S. flexneri tetR at lethal concentrations of tetracycline in downstream microcosms, where levels of PAHs were the highest. Further experiments showed that PAHs rendered the resistant S. flexneri tetR ∼20% more sensitive to tetracycline. Sensitive S. flexneri tetS strain was able to persist at lethal concentration of tetracycline in downstream microcosms, at higher concentrations of PAHs. Our findings suggest that in a polluted river sensitive S. flexneri cells may still thrive in presence of selective pressure. Fitness tests provide an additional tool to measure bioavailability

Derivative chromosome 7 in a newborn with hypotelorism, cleft palate, agenesis of corpus callosum and semilobar holoprosencephaly

Cytogenetically visible unbalanced chromosome rearrangements involving the euchromatic regions most often result in severe phenotypic features. Often, it is not possible at microscopic level to distinguish if a chromosomal anomaly involves one or more than one chromosome. In these cases, the parents study is fundamental and is usually the first line of study. We report a female newborn with multiple anomalies. Ultrasonography at 32+6 weeks of gestation revealed moderate ventricular dilatation, microcephaly and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Delivery was at 35 weeks and microcephaly, hypotelorism, complete medium cleft palate with nasal depression, agenesis of the corpus callosum, thalamic fusion and fusion of the lateral ventricles in the frontal region suggestive of semilobar holoprosencephaly (HPE) was observed. Seizures and nistagmus were described since the eighth day. Hypotonia was present. In addition, diabetes insipidus was diagnosed. Sepsis was developed at day 14 followed by death at day 18 in consequence of seizures and respiratory insuficiency. Cytogenetic analysis revealed an abnormal chromosome 7qter as a result of an unbalanced segregation of a maternal reciprocal translocation t(7;19), with breakpoints at 7q36.1 and 19q13.42. The newborn karyotype is 46,XX,der(7)t(7;19)(q36.1;q13.42)mat. The patient presented a partial trisomy of the region 19q13.42→qter and a partial monosomy of the region 7q36.1→7qter. Partial monosomy of chromosome 7qter has been characterized by a wide phenotypic manifestations, but HPE, microcephaly, midface hypoplasia, maxillary anomalies and sacral agenesis are frequently described. However, is not often reported in newborns. Partial trisomy 19q is a rare and severe condition, and has been described associated with low birth weight, growth retardation, microcephaly, seizures, dysmorphic facial features, short neck, clynodactyly, heart malformations, anomalies of the genitor-urinary and gastrointestinal tract. To our knowledge, there is only one previous case of der(7)t(7q;19q)(q36.1;q13.43) described, in a fetus who presented severe sacral agenesis and IUGR. The case herein reported presents some of the most common features of 7q36 partial monosomy and 19q terminal trisomy, although some of them are present in both conditions. The presence of those two imbalances may complicate the final phenotype but the important matter will be the counseling of the couple and to prevent future imbalances in their offspring.N/