Effect of Aging on Brain Injury Prediction in Rotational Head Trauma—A Parameter Study with a Rat Finite Element Model

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible effects of age-related intracranial changes on the potential outcome of diffuse axonal injuries and acute subdural hematoma under rotational head loading.

Methods: A simulation-based parametric study was conducted using an updated and validated finite element model of a rat head. The validation included a comparison of predicted brain cortex sliding with respect to the skull. Further, model material properties were modified to account for aging; predicted tissue strains were compared with experimental data in which groups of rats in 2 different lifecycle stages, young adult and mature adult, were subjected to rotational trauma. For the parameter study, 2 age-dependent factors—brain volume and region-specific brain material properties—were implemented into the model. The models young adult and old age were subjected to several injurious and subinjurious sagittal plane rotational acceleration levels.

Results: Sequential analysis of the simulated trauma progression indicates that an increase in acute subdural hematoma injury risk indicator occurs at an early stage of the trauma, whereas an increase in diffuse axonal injury risk indicators occurs at a later stage. Tissue stiffening from young adult to mature adult rats produced an increase in strain-based thresholds accompanied by a wider spread of strain distribution toward the rear part of the brain, consistent with rotational trauma experiments with young adult and mature adult rats. Young adult to old age brain tissue softening and brain atrophy resulted in an increase in diffuse axonal injuries and acute subdural hematoma injury risk indicators, respectively.

Conclusions: The findings presented in this study suggest that age-specific injury thresholds should be developed to enable the development of superior restraint systems for the elderly. The findings also motivate other further studies on age-dependency of head trauma.     

EDSS及其在EIA中的应用

区域环境系统是由人-地相互作用而形成的开放的和复杂的社会、经济与环境的复合巨系统,由此产生的复杂环境问题给环境决策带来了诸多的不确定性,而环境决策支持系统(EDSS)可以辅助环境保护决策工作者提高决策的科学性和有效性.叙述了EDSS的概念,全面回顾了30多年来国内外环境决策支持系统在水环境规划与管理、大气环境质量管理、城市固体废物管理等研究领域的应用进展,并举例重点分析了其在环境影响评价(EIA)中的应用.同时具备强大数据更新能力和环境质量分析预测功能的EDSS,是解决EIA工作中复杂问题的有力工具.基于近年来新技术的发展,EDSS将在智能化,3S技术及多媒体技术应用等方面得到进一步发展,并在环境规划与管理和EIA等工作中发挥更加重要的作用.      

Book reviews and notices

The aim of sustainable development is to balance social, economic, and environmental needs. In order to justify the decisions they make, stakeholders must quantify the different impacts found in the operations and developments of companies and/or projects throughout their life cycle. However, as some areas are subjective in nature, the quantification process of the different impacts and the assessment of sustainable development performance become arduous tasks of development, validation, and application of scientific and empirical methods with the intrinsic objective of finding an agreement among the involved parties (i.e., stakeholders). Several environmental and sustainability assessment tools, instruments, processes, and methodologies have been developed; rating systems stand out and have gained attention and credibility, as demonstrated by the vast number of certified projects around the world and the widely-known usefulness and advantages of their application. The Wa-Pa-Su project sustainability rating system presents an integrated approach to sustainability assessment by integrating three distinctive areas of knowledge: (1) sustainable development theory and fundamentals supports the ultimate goal of the rating system, which is to contribute to sustainability, with the aim of finding a path to balance social, economic, and environmental needs; (2) continual performance improvement becomes essential due to the duration of the projects, as it is critical to allow organizations or projects to improve performance over time; and (3) multi-criteria decision analysis assists with the assessment process through stakeholder engagement and participation, and the design and implementation of a criteria weighting system.     

确定机动车排放因子的几种方法

介绍了确定机动车排放因子的几种方法,即台架测试法、模式计算法、实际行驶工况测试法、公路隧道法,并简要介绍了它们的特点、应用的范围.     

基于因子分析定权法的丹江口水库水体营养度综合评价

指标权重值的确定是多指标水质评价法实际应用中的关键问题。针对模糊评价等方法中权重值确定所具有的主观性,提出了基于因子分析定权的水质综合评价法及富营养化指数的概念,并将其应用于南水北调中线工程水源地-丹江口水库水体营养度的综合评价。结果表明,丹江口库区的污染物类型可以分为两类;丹江口库区水体营养度全年时段内均处于中营养化水平,但是,不同采样点、不同季节时的水体富营养化指数的差异还是较大的。总体来看,丹江口库区中,小太平洋水质最好,陶岔水质次之,大石桥水质最差。     

用BaCl2滴定法快速测定硫酸盐的研究

用铬酸钡光度法、EDTA滴定法、间接原子吸收法、离子色谱法等方法测定SO42-检测上限都很低(12-200mg/L),且只适用于清洁水,若水样混浊则全引起较大的误差.有的地下水,SO42-浓度高达44000mg/L,用BaCl2滴定法测定SO42-:测试水样,以溴酚蓝做酸碱指示剂,加1∶50盐酸,调为pH=3.5,加入30ml异丙醇,以钍试剂做终点指示剂,滴加0.01mol/L BaCl2,砖红色为终点,根据BaCl2用量计算SO42-浓度.本方法快捷、准确、测定范围大,上限可达2000mg/L,克服了光度法测定浑浊水样引起误差大的缺点.     

特征分析方法优化大气监测布点及MATLAB语言实现

提出了运用特征分析方法优化大气监测布点,并介绍了该方法的MATLAB语言实现过程。应用于大气监测优化布点的实例结果表明,该方法用于监测优化布点是可靠的。     

矿井通风仿真系统双线图的快速自动绘制研究

在深入研究通风网络巷道连接关系的基础上,创造性地提出一种新的效率更高的通风系统双线图的快速自动绘制方法,即"假双线法"。"假双线法"与固定宽度双线法有本质的不同,其本质是将单线巷道的线型用固定宽度双线线型表示,再对交叉点进行消隐处理,无需计算双线坐标来实现双线图的快速自动绘制。该法较好地解决了传统方法的缺陷,具有普遍性,其计算量小,执行效率高,并在双线图的基础上很容易拓展生成通风系统立体图。笔者研究成果,对于研发、改进矿井通风仿真图形系统和解决其他行业类似问题具有一定的参考价值。     

ZnO/LixNi1-xO光催化降解甲基橙的研究

采用溶胶凝胶法制备LixNi1-xO和ZnO粉体,利用球磨法制备ZnO/LixNi1-xO复合粉体,以紫外光为光源,通过降解甲基橙,研究了锂掺杂及n-p复合对氧化镍的光催化性能影响。结果表明：当投放量为0.1 g/L,x≤0.075（摩尔分数）的锂掺杂氧化镍均比未掺杂氧化镍的光催化活性高。当锂掺杂摩尔分数为0.025,投放量为0.4 g/L时锂掺杂氧化镍的光催化活性最佳,甲基橙最高降解率达到93.1%。当ZnO/Li0.025Ni0.975O在质量比为1∶1,投放量为0.2 g/L时光催化活性最佳,甲基橙最高降解率达到98.1%。     

负载型Mn-Ce/TiO2催化剂的制备及其低温脱硝活性简

以成型TiO₂作为载体,通过浸渍法制备了Mn-Ce/TiO₂低温SCR催化剂,并系统研究了制备方法、煅烧条件、活性组分担载量、Mn含量等参数对催化剂催化还原NO性能的影响。结果表明,煅烧温度的升高会促使活性组分结晶度的提高,从而引起催化活性的降低,在500℃和600℃下所得Mn-Ce/TiO₂催化剂活性组分为无定型态,表现出较高的脱硝活性。活性组分担载量的增加有利于催化活性的提高。Mn含量对Mn-Ce/TiO₂催化剂的活性有较大影响,当Mn/（Mn+Ce）摩尔比为40%和85%时,催化剂活性最高。