A simplified computational analysis of turbulent plumes and jets

The application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), particularly Large Eddy Simulation, for the modelling of buoyant turbulent plumes, has been demonstrated to be very accurate, but computationally expensive. Here a more basic, and therefore more generally practicable, approach is presented. Commercial CFD software is used to model such plumes using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence models. A careful comparison is made between the numerical predictions and well-established results regarding the bulk properties of plumes. During this process, we are able to observe the well-known approximate Gaussian nature of the plume and achieve quantitative agreement with empirical plume spread coefficients. The use of numerical modelling allows for the investigation of the flow field and turbulence in those regions of the plume of most interest—the plume edge and near source regions. A comprehensive sensitivity study is conducted to identify the limits of applicability of this modelling approach. It is shown that the standard modelling approach of Morton, Taylor and Turner, which introduced the well-known entrainment assumption, pertains in a region well above the source region. At the plume edge, the levels of turbulence are contrasted with the value of the entrainment parameter. Finally, the effects of forcing the plumes with additional momentum at the source are considered, including the case of a pure jet. We show how these forced plumes eventually lose their momentum excess and tend to the behaviour of a pure, buoyant plume.     

Delayed maturation of multiple signals in a migratory songbird

Many animals use multiple signals in sexual communication, but our understanding of the interactions between multiple signals, particularly in inexperienced breeders, is limited. In birds, delayed plumage maturation (DPM) is well documented; young birds appear duller than adults, despite reaching sexual maturity. Age-related changes in song structure are also common in songbirds, though the extent to which songs of yearling males differ from those of adults (delayed song maturation, DSM) and its prevalence in species with DPM is unknown. We tested for DSM in the mate-attraction (repeat) song of a species with dramatic DPM, the American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). Repeat song structure of territorial yearling and adult males differed significantly, based on discriminant analysis of nine non-collinear song features. Combined with previous evidence of delayed maturation in territorial (serial) song, we provide the first evidence for DSM in different song types used in different behavioral contexts during the breeding season of a migratory songbird. Within adults, variation in repeat song was associated with pairing, earlier onset of breeding, and number of offspring sired, suggesting a potential benefit for expressing more adult-like song. We found no relationship between the expression of adult-like repeat song and plumage in either age class. These results indicate that delayed maturation of repeat song in yearling redstarts is not due to a generalized delay in signal development, and suggest further work is needed to determine whether mate attraction (for both yearling and adult males) provides greater pressure to sound more “adult-like” than to look more “adult-like”.     

The simulation of condensation removal of a heavy metal from exhaust gases onto sorbent particles

A numerical model BAEROSOL for solving the general dynamic equation (GDE) of aerosols is presented. The goal was to model the capture of volatilized metals by sorbents under incinerator-like conditions. The model is based on algorithms presented by Jacobson and Turco [Aerosol Science and Technology 22 (1995) 73]. A hybrid size bin was used to model growth and formation of particles from the continuum phase and the coagulation of existing particles. Condensation and evaporation growth were calculated in a moving size bin approach, where coagulation and nucleation was modeled in the fixed size bin model of the hybrid grid. To account for the thermodynamic equilibrium in the gas phase, a thermodynamic equilibrium code CET89 was implemented. The particle size distribution (PSD) calculated with the model was then compared to analytical solutions provided for growth, coagulation and both combined. Finally, experimental findings by Rodriguez and Hall [Waste Management 21 (2001) 589-607] were compared to the PSD predicted by the developed model and the applicability of the model under incineration conditions is discussed.     

Unpacking pathways to diversified livelihoods from projects in Pacific Island coastal fisheries

Livelihood diversification has become an integral focus of policies and investments aiming to reduce poverty, vulnerability, and pressure on fishery resources in coastal communities around the globe. In this regard, coastal fisheries in the Pacific Islands have long been a sector where livelihood diversification has featured prominently. Yet, despite the widespread promotion and international investment in this strategy, the ability of externally funded livelihood diversification projects to facilitate improved resource management and rural development outcomes often remains inconsistent. We argue these inconsistencies can be attributed to a conceptual ambiguity stemming from a lack of attention and awareness to the complexity of livelihood diversification. There is still much to learn about the process of livelihood diversification, both in its theoretical conceptualizations and its practical applications. Herein, we utilize a common diversity framework to clarify some of this ambiguity by distinguishing three diversification pathways. These pathways are illustrated using an ideal–typical Pacific Island coastal household and supported by examples provided in the literature that detail livelihood diversification projects in the Pacific. Through this perspective, we seek a more nuanced understanding of what is meant within the policy and practice goal of livelihood diversification. Thereby enabling more targeted and deliberate planning for development investments that facilitates outcomes in support of sustainable livelihoods.     

Posture and belt fit in reclined passenger seats

Abstract

Objective: Highly reclined postures may be common among passengers in future automated vehicles. A laboratory study was conducted to address the need for posture and belt fit in these seating configurations.

Methods: In a laboratory vehicle mockup, the postures of 24 men and women with a wide range of body size were measured in a typical front vehicle seat at seat back angles of 23°, 33°, 43°, and 53°. Data were gathered with and without a sitter-adjusted headrest. Posture was characterized by the locations of skeletal joint centers estimated from digitized surface landmarks.

Results: Regression analysis demonstrated that the pelvis rotated rearward and lumbar spine flexion decreased with increasing recline. The lap portion of the 3-point belt was more rearward relative to the pelvis in more-reclined postures, and the torso portion crossed the clavicle closer to the midline of the body. Regression equations were developed to predict posture and belt fit variables as a function of passenger characteristics, seat back angle, and the use of the headrest.

Conclusions: Spine posture changes as the torso reclines in an automotive seat, and belt fit is altered by the change in posture. The results can be used to accurately position crash test dummies and computation human models and to guide the design of belt restraints.     

毒代动力学一毒效动力学(Toxicokinetic-Toxicodynamic, Tk-Td)和种群模型联用评价浓度随时间变化的农药的水生态风险

利用种群模型评价农药暴露时间序列的方法与现有常用的风险评价方法进行了比较。美国环境保护局农药项目办公室(The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs)在近30年对水生生物农药日暴露值建立了模型，但并未对这些信息进行充分的利用。我们利用糠虾(Americamysis bahia)毒性数据和种群数量统计数据推演了毒代动力学一毒效动力学(Toxicokinetic-Toxicodynamic, Tk-Td)与一系列矩阵种群模型联用的数值。糠虾是一种沿岸浅海底的小型甲壳动物，通常用于常规毒性测试中。我们展示了这种联用方法如何仅用现有的标准常规毒性数据来优化已有的风险评价方法。我们创建了几种暴露场景，每种场景在基于生物的传统方法中有着相同的初始风险表征特征，而种群模型方法中则显示出不同的风险水平。这种TK-TD与种群模型联用的方法可以对不同的急性和慢性毒性数据的场景区分出不同的风险水平，而传统的风险评价方法则做不到。这种联用方法在风险评价方面独具优势，特别是针对污染物的暴露浓度随时间变化的情况。 精选自Glen Thursby, Keith Sappington, Matthew Etterson. Coupling Toxicokinetic-Toxicodynamic (Tk-Td) and Population Models for Assessing Aquatic Ecological Risks to Time-Varying Pesticide Exposures. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry,2018,37:2633-2644.
详情请见 https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4224
     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Implications of head and neck restraint test repeatability for specification improvement

Objective: Since 2005, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Incorporated (NASCAR) drivers have been required to use a head and neck restraint system (HNR) that complies with SFI Foundation, Inc. (SFI) 38.1. The primary purpose of the HNR is to control and limit injurious neck loads and head kinematics during frontal and frontal oblique impacts. The SFI 38.1 performance specification was implemented to establish a uniform test procedure and minimum standard for the evaluation of HNRs using dynamic sled testing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the repeatability of the current SFI 38.1 test setup and explore the effects of a polyester seat belt restraint system.

Method: Eight sled tests were conducted using the SFI 38.1 sled test protocol with additional test setup constraints. Four 0° frontal tests and 4 30° right frontal (RF) oblique tests were conducted. The first 3 tests of each principal direction of force (PDOF) used nylon SFI 16.1 seat belt restraint assemblies. The fourth test of each PDOF used polyester SFI 16.6 seat belt restraint assemblies. A secondary data set (Lab B Data) was also supplied by the HNR manufacturer for further comparisons. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 18571 objective comparison method was used to quantify the repeatability of the anthropomorphic test device (ATD) resultant head, chest, and pelvis acceleration and upper neck axial force and flexion extension bending moment time histories across multiple tests.

Results: Two data sets generated using the SFI 38.1 test protocol exhibited large variations in mean ISO scores of ATD channels. The 8 tests conducted with additional setup constraints had significantly lower mean ISO score coefficients of variation (CVs). The Lab B tests conducted within the current specification but without the additional test setup constraints had larger mean ISO score standard deviation and CV for all comparisons. Specifically, tests with the additional setup constraints had average CVs of 3.3 and 2.9% for the 0° and 30° RF orientations, respectively. Lab B tests had average CVs of 22.9 and 24.5%, respectively. Polyester seat belt comparisons had CVs of 5.3 and 6.2% for the 0° and 30° RF orientations, respectively.

Conclusion: With the addition of common test setup constraints, which do not violate the specification, the SFI 38.1 test protocol produced a repeatable test process for determining performance capabilities of HNRs within a single sled lab. A limited study using polyester webbing seat belt assemblies versus the nylon material called for in SFI 38.1 indicates that the material likely has less effects on ATD upper neck axial force and flexion extension bending moment time histories than the test setup freedom currently available within the specification. The additional test setup constraints are discussed and were shown to improve ATD response repeatability for a given HNR.     

A habitat‐based approach to predict impacts of marine protected areas on fishers

Although marine protected areas can simultaneously contribute to biodiversity conservation and fisheries management, the global network is biased toward particular ecosystem types because they have been established primarily in an ad hoc fashion. The optimization of trade‐offs between biodiversity benefits and socioeconomic values increases success of protected areas and minimizes enforcement costs in the long run, but it is often neglected in marine spatial planning (MSP). Although the acquisition of spatially explicit socioeconomic data is perceived as a costly or secondary step in MSP, it is critical to account for lost opportunities by people whose activities will be restricted, especially fishers. We developed an easily reproduced habitat‐based approach to estimate the spatial distribution of opportunity cost to fishers in data‐poor regions. We assumed the most accessible areas have higher economic and conservation values than less accessible areas and their designation as no‐take zones represents a loss of fishing opportunities. We estimated potential distribution of fishing resources from bathymetric ranges and benthic habitat distribution and the relative importance of the different resources for each port of total catches, revenues, and stakeholder perception. In our model, we combined different cost layers to produce a comprehensive cost layer so that we could evaluate of trade‐offs. Our approach directly supports conservation planning, can be applied generally, and is expected to facilitate stakeholder input and community acceptance of conservation.