The capability of a cost-effective and a small size decentralized pilot wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to remove enteric viruses such as rotavirus, norovirus genogroup I (GGI), norovirus genogroup II (GGII), Hepatitis E virus (HEV), and adenovirus was studied. This pilot plant is an integrated hybrid anaerobic/aerobic setup which consisted of anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), biological aerated filter (BAF), and inclined plate settler (IPS). Both the UASB and BAF are packed with a non-woven polyester fabric (NWPF). Results indicated that the overall log10 reductions of enteric viruses’ genome copies through the whole system were 3.1 ± 1, 3.3 ± 0.5, and 2.6 ± 0.9 log10 for rotavirus, norovirus GGI, and adenovirus, respectively. Reduction efficiency for both norovirus GGII and HEV after the different treatment steps could not be calculated because there were no significant numbers of positive samples for both viruses. The overall reduction of rotavirus infectious units through the whole system was 2.2 ± 0.8 log10 reduction which is very close to the overall log10 reduction of adenovirus infectious units through the whole system which was 2.1 ± 0.8 log10 reduction. There was no considerable difference in the removal efficiency for different rotavirus G and P types. Adenovirus 41 was the only type detected in the all positive samples. Although the pilot WWTP investigated is cost effective, has a small footprint, does not need a long distance network pipes, and easy to operate, its efficiency to remove enteric viruses is comparable with the conventional centralized WWTPs. 相似文献
Generalization prevails in flower–animal interactions, and although animal visitors are not equally effective pollinators, most interactions likely represent an important energy intake for the animal visitor. Hummingbirds are nectar-feeding specialists, and many tropical plants are specialized toward hummingbird-pollination. In spite of this, especially in dry and seasonal tropical habitats, hummingbirds may often rely on non-ornithophilous plants to meet their energy requirements. However, quantitative studies evaluating the relative importance of ornithophilous vs. non-ornithophilous plants for hummingbirds in these areas are scarce. We here studied the availability and use of floral resources by hummingbirds in two different areas of the Cerrado, the seasonal savannas in Central Brazil. Roughly half the hummingbird visited plant species were non-ornithophilous, and these contributed greatly to increase the overall nectar availability. We showed that mean nectar offer, at the transect scale, was the only parameter related to hummingbird visitation frequency, more so than nectar offer at single flowers and at the plant scale, or pollination syndrome. Centrality indices, calculated using hummingbird–plant networks, showed that ornithophilous and non-ornithophilous plants have similar importance for network cohesion. How this foraging behaviour affects reproduction of non-ornithophilous plants remains largely unexplored and is probably case specific, however, we suggest that the additional energy provided by non-ornithophilous plants may facilitate reproduction of truly ornithophilous flowers by attracting and maintaining hummingbirds in the area. This may promote asymmetric hummingbird–plant associations, i.e., pollination depends on floral traits adapted to hummingbird morphology, but hummingbird visitation is determined more by the energetic "reward" than by pollination syndromes. 相似文献
Several social mammals, including elephants and some primates, whales and bats, live in multilevel societies that form temporary subgroups. Despite these fission–fusion dynamics, group members often maintain long-term bonds. However, it is unclear whether such individual links and the resulting stable social subunits continue to exist after a complete reorganisation of a society, e.g. following a population crash. Here, we employed a weighted network analysis on 7,109 individual roosting records collected over 4 years in a wild Bechstein’s bat colony. We show that, in response to a strong population decline, the colony’s two stable social subunits fused into a non-modular social network. Nevertheless, in the first year after the crash, long-term bonds were still detectable, suggesting that the bats remembered previous individual relationships. Our findings are important for understanding the flexibility of animal societies in the face of dramatic changes and for the conservation of social mammals with declining populations.
This work demonstrates the feasibility of meso-scale (100 μm to mm) punching of multiple holes of intricate shapes in metals. Analytical modeling, finite element (FE) simulation, and experimentation are used in this work. Two-dimensional FE simulations in ABAQUS were done with an assumed material modeling and plane-strain condition. A known analytical model was used and compared with the ABAQUS simulation results to understand the effects of clearance between the punch and the die. FE simulation in ABAQUS was done for different clearances and corner radii of the punch, die, and holder. To complement modeling with real experiments and for the purpose of comparison, a set of punches and dies were made to punch out a miniature spring-steel gripper. Comparison of compliant grippers made by wire-cut electro discharge machining (EDM) and punching shows that realizing sharp interior and re-entrant corners by punching is not easy to achieve. However, the promise of realizing meso-scale parts with complicated shapes through punching is demonstrated in this work; and further work is identified and some strategies are suggested for improvement. The main contribution of this paper is in adapting the well-established punching and blanking operations to the meso-scale as a viable alternative to making miniature devices currently dominated by lithography-based techniques. 相似文献
The present study investigates the effect of tool shoulder profile on the mechanical and tribological properties of friction stir processed AZ31B magnesium alloy. The tool rotational speed and feed rate are the chosen process parameters. The experiments were conducted with 3 level 2 factors full factorial design. The recorded responses were tensile strength, wear losses and corrosion rate. The results were analyzed with the help microstructures of the processed samples. The study reveals that, for concave shoulder tool, the strain hardening effect was playing a major role in determining the properties of the processed materials and for the step shoulder tool, the grain size plays a major role in determining the properties of the processed materials. 相似文献
Recent events have shown that humans may become infected with some pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (AIV). Since soil
and water, including lakes, rivers, and seashores, may be contaminated by AIV excreted by birds, effective methods are needed
for monitoring water for emerging viruses. Combining water filtration with molecular methods such as PCR is a fast and effective
way for detecting viruses. The objective of this study was to apply a convenient method for the detection of AIV in natural
water samples. Distilled water and lake, river, and seawater were artificially contaminated with AIV (H5N3) and passed through
a filter system. AIV was detected from filter membrane by real-time RT-PCR. The performance of Zetapor, SMWP, and Sartobind
D5F membranes in recovering influenza viruses was first evaluated using contaminated distilled water. SWMP, which gave the
highest virus recoveries, was then compared with a pre-filter combined GF/F filter membrane in a trial using natural water
samples. In this study, the cellulose membrane SMWP was found to be practical for recovery of AIVs in water. Viral yields
varied between 62.1 and 65.9% in distilled water and between 1 and 16.7% in natural water samples. The borosilicate glass
membrane GF/F combined with pre-filter was also feasible in filtering natural water samples with viral yields from 1.98 to
7.33%. The methods described can be used for monitoring fresh and seawater samples for the presence of AIV and to determine
the source of AIV transmission in an outbreak situation. 相似文献
Noroviruses are one of important agents that cause acute viral gastroenteritis worldwide. These viruses are belonging to Caliciviridae
family and are genetically diverse. To date, there is no valuable data about prevalence of norovirus infection and the dominant
genogroup/genotype among Iranian population. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of norovirus infection
in Iranian patients with gastroenteritis referred to three hospitals of Tehran and to specify the dominant genogroup/genotype
of this virus among our study population. A total of 293 patients with acute gastroenteritis were included in the study. Detection
of norovirus was performed using RT-PCR method and confirmed by direct sequencing with specific designed primers for capsid
region of norovirus genome. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using the neighbor-joining method. Norovirus strains identified
in our study were subsequently categorized according to previously defined genogroup/genotypes. Of these, norovirus GII was
dominant genogroup. Sixty-five percent (17 of 26) of positive samples were determined as GII and 35% (9 of 26) were determined
as GI, respectively, in 2008–2009. And among 8 sequenced strains of genogroup II the most frequent genotype was GII.3. The
results of this study indicated that norovirus must be considered as one of the infectious causes of acute gastroenteritis
among Iranian population. We also found that GII.3 is more prevalent in our study population. To the best of our knowledge
there is limited data about the role of noroviruses in children and adults’ acute gastroenteritis among Iranian patients and
this prevalence and genotyping report of norovirus infection could be remarkable for further studies. 相似文献
Developing generalized theories about adaptation to climate change requires common concepts to map different adaptation situations.
The paper aims to contribute to this endeavor by presenting a novel framework that conceptualizes adaptations to climate change
as actions. The framework is intended to systematically analyze the actor relations involved in adaptations and the barriers
to their implementation. By combining established scientific action theories with terminology from the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC) in an innovative way, it can be used to clarify the notion of adaptation used in adaptation assessments.
The framework’s potential is illustrated by a case study on cooling water management in the river Rhine catchment and by the
elucidation of some prominent concepts in adaptation research. We show that by framing adaptations as actions, the purpose
of adaptations and how they tend to connect up in means-ends-chains becomes crucial. Actors can take different functional
roles as exposure unit, operator and receptor of adaptation. A mismatch of these roles can lead to barriers to adaptation,
of which we deduce four types: complex actor relations, missing operators, missing means and unemployed means. The case study
yields a complex bundle of adaptations, and shows that the potential barriers involved are quite diverse. There is thus no
blueprint solution. Although we identify entry points for adaptation, the analysis leads to a skeptical conclusion for adapting
cooling water management in the whole Rhine catchment. 相似文献
We explored the possible future impacts of increased coastal flooding due to sea level rise and the potential adaptation responses
of two urban, environmental justice communities in the metropolitan Boston area of Massachusetts. East Boston is predominantly
a residential area with some industrial and commercial activities, particularly along the coastal fringe. Everett, a city
to the north of Boston, has a diversified industrial and commercial base. While these two communities have similar socioeconomic
characteristics, they differ substantially in the extent to which residents would be impacted by increased coastal flooding.
In East Boston, a large portion of residents would be flooded, while in Everett, it is the commercial/industrial districts
that are primarily vulnerable. Through a series of workshops with residents in each community, we found that the target populations
do not have an adaptation perspective or knowledge of any resources that could assist them in this challenge. Furthermore,
they do not feel included in the planning processes within their communities. However, a common incentive for both communities
was an intense commitment to their communities and an eagerness to learn more and become actively engaged in decisions regarding
climate change adaptation. The lessons that can be applied to other studies include 1) images are powerful tools in communicating
concepts, 2) understanding existing cultural knowledge and values in adaptation planning is essential to the planning process
and 3) engaging local residents at the beginning of the process can create important educational opportunities and develop
trust and consensus that is necessary for moving from concept to implementation. 相似文献