Integrating gravity-driven ceramic membrane filtration with hydroponic system for nutrient recovery from primary municipal wastewater.

In this study, a gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration system and hydroponic system (cultivating basil and lettuce) were combined for nutrient recovery from primary municipal wastewater. The GDM system was optimized by increasing the periodic air sparging flow rate from 1 to 2 L/min (∼15 hr per 3-4 days), resulting in a ∼52% reduction of irreversible fouling. However, the total fouling was not alleviated, and the water productivity remained comparable. The GDM-filtrated water was then delivered to hydroponic systems, and the effects of hydroponic operation conditions on plant growth and heavy metal uptake were evaluated, with fertilizer- and tap water-based hydroponic systems and soil cultivation system (with tap water) for comparison. It was found that (i) the hydroponic system under batch mode facilitated to promote vegetable growth with higher nutrient uptake rates compared to that under flow-through feed mode; (ii) a shift in nutrient levels in the hydroponic system could impact plant growth (such as plant height and leaf length), especially in the early stages. Nevertheless, the plants cultivated with the GDM-treated water had comparable growth profiles to those with commercial fertilizer or in soils. Furthermore, the targeted hazard quotient levels of all heavy metals for the plants in the hydroponic system with the treated water were greatly lower than those with the commercial fertilizer. Especially, compared to the lettuce, the basil had a lower heavy metal uptake capability and displayed a negligible impact on long-term human health risk, when the treated water was employed for the hydroponic system.

Cell size, density, and nutrient dependency of unicellular algal gravitational sinking velocities.

Eukaryotic phytoplankton, also known as algae, form the basis of marine food webs and drive marine carbon sequestration. Algae must regulate their motility and gravitational sinking to balance access to light at the surface and nutrients in deeper layers. However, the regulation of gravitational sinking remains largely unknown, especially in motile species. Here, we quantify gravitational sinking velocities according to Stokes' law in diverse clades of unicellular marine microalgae to reveal the cell size, density, and nutrient dependency of sinking velocities. We identify a motile algal species, Tetraselmis sp., that sinks faster when starved due to a photosynthesis-driven accumulation of carbohydrates and a loss of intracellular water, both of which increase cell density. Moreover, the regulation of cell sinking velocities is connected to proliferation and can respond to multiple nutrients. Overall, our work elucidates how cell size and density respond to environmental conditions to drive the vertical migration of motile algae.

Wall-climbing performance of gecko-inspired robot with soft feet and digits enhanced by gravity compensation.

Gravitational forces can induce deviations in body posture from desired configurations in multi-legged arboreal robot locomotion with low leg stiffness, affecting the contact angle between the swing leg's end-effector and the climbing surface during the gait cycle. The relationship between desired and actual foot positions is investigated here in a leg-stiffness-enhanced model under external forces, focusing on the challenge of unreliable end-effector attachment on climbing surfaces in such robots. Inspired by the difference in ceiling attachment postures of dead and living geckos, feedforward compensation of the stance phase legs is the key to solving this problem. A feedforward gravity compensation (FGC) strategy, complemented by leg coordination, is proposed to correct gravity-influenced body posture and improve adhesion stability by reducing body inclination. The efficacy of this strategy is validated using a quadrupedal climbing robot, EF-I, as the experimental platform. Experimental validation on an inverted surface (ceiling walking) highlights the benefits of the FGC strategy, demonstrating its role in enhancing stability and ensuring reliable end-effector attachment without external assistance. In the experiment, robots without FGC only completed 3 out of 10 trials, while robots with FGC achieved a 100% success rate in the same trials. The speed was substantially greater with FGC, achieving 9.2 mm s-1in the trot gait. This underscores the proposed potential of the FGC strategy in overcoming the challenges associated with inconsistent end-effector attachment in robots with low leg stiffness, thereby facilitating stable locomotion even at an inverted body attitude.

Organisms have gravity: taking an organism-centered approach in experimental biology.

When you take the time to observe another organism, there is a sort of gravity that can take hold, a mixture of curiosity and connection that expands and strengthens the more you interact with that organism. Yet, in research, a connection with one's study organism can, at times, feel countercultural. Study organisms are sometimes viewed more as tools to conveniently study biological questions. Here, we explicitly highlight the importance of organism-centered research not only in scientific discovery, but also in conservation and in the communication and perception of science.

Pilot-scale performance of gravity-driven ultra-high flux fabric membrane systems for removing small-sized microplastics in wastewater treatment plant effluents.

The ubiquitous nature and environmental impacts of microplastic particles and fibers demand effective solutions to remove such micropollutants from sizable point sources, including wastewater treatment plants and road runoff facilities. While advanced methods, e.g., microfiltration and ultrafiltration, have shown high removal efficiencies of small-sized microplastics (<150 µm), the low flux encountered in these systems implies high operation costs and makes them less effective in high-capacity wastewater facilities. The issue presents new opportunities for developing cheap high-flux membrane systems, deployable in low-to high-income economies, to remove small-sized microplastic and nanoplastics in wastewater. Here, we report on developing an ultra-high flux gravity-driven fabric membrane system, assessed through a laboratory-scale filtration and large-scale performance in an actual wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The method followed a carefully designed water sampling, pre-treatment protocol, and analytical measurements involving Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and laser direct infrared (LDIR) imaging. The result shows that the ultra-high flux (permeance = 550,000 L/m2h⋅bar) fabric membrane system can effectively remove small-sized microplastics (10-300 µm) in the secondary effluent of an actual WWTP at high efficiency greater than 96 %. The pilot system demonstrated a continuous treatment capacity of 300,000 L/day through a 1 m2 surface area disc, with steady removal rates of microplastics. These findings demonstrate the practical, cheap, and sustainable removal of small-sized microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, and their potential value for other large-scale point sources, e.g., stormwater treatment facilities.

Evidence of object permanence, short-term spatial memory, causality, understanding of object properties and gravity across five different ungulate species.

In their natural environment, animals face a variety of ecological and social challenges, which might be linked to the emergence of different cognitive skills. To assess inter-specific variation in cognitive skills, we used ungulates as a study model, testing a total of 26 captive individuals across 5 different species (i.e., dwarf goats, Capra aegagrus hircus, llamas, Lama glama, guanacos, Lama guanicoe, zebras, Equus grevyi, and rhinos, Diceros bicornis michaeli). Across species, we used the same well-established experimental procedures to test individuals' performance in naïve physics tasks, i.e. object permanence, short-term spatial memory, causality, understanding of object properties, and gravity. Our results revealed that study subjects showed object permanence, were able to remember the position of hidden food after up to 60 s, and inferred the position of hidden food from the sound produced or not produced when shaking containers. Moreover, they showed an understanding of basic object properties, being able to locate objects hidden behind occluders based on their size and inclination, and could reliably follow the trajectory of falling objects across different conditions. Finally, inter-specific differences were limited to the understanding of object properties, and suggest that domesticated species as goats might perform better than non-domesticated ones in tasks requiring these skills. These results provide new information on the cognitive skills of a still understudied taxon and confirm ungulates as a promising taxon for the comparative study of cognitive evolution.

Improved permeability in ceramsite@powdered activated carbon (PAC)-MnOx coupled gravity-driven ceramic membrane (GDCM) for manganese and ammonia nitrogen removal with intermittent short-term vertical aeration.

In our work, a gravity-driven ceramic membrane bioreactor (GDCMBR) was developed to remove Mn2+ and NH3-N simultaneously through the birnessite water purification layer in-situ construction on the ceramic membrane due to chemical pre-oxidation (powdered activated carbon (PAC)-MnOx). Considering the trade-off of biofouling and water production, the daily intermittent short-term vertical aeration mode was involving to balance this contradiction with the excellent water purification and improved membrane permeability. And the GDCMBR permeability of operation flux was improved for 5-7 LHM with intermittent short-term vertical aeration. Furthermore, only ∼7 % irreversible membrane resistance (Rir) also confirmed the improved membrane permeability with intermittent short-term vertical aeration. And some manganese oxidizing bacteria (MnOB) and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) species at genus level were identified during long-term operation with the contact circulating flowing raw water, resulting in the better Mn2+ and NH3-N removal efficiency. Additionally, the nano-flower-like birnessite water purification layer was verified in ceramsite@PAC-MnOx coupled GDCMBR, which evolute into a porous flake-like structure with the increasing intermittent short-term aeration duration. Therefore, the sustainable and effective intermittent short-term aeration mode in ceramsite@PAC-MnOx coupled GDCMBR could improve the membrane permeability with the satisfactory groundwater purification efficiency, as well as providing an energy-efficient strategy for membrane technologies applications in water supply safety.

Re-evaluating the Need for Routine Maximal Aerobic Capacity Testing within Fighter Pilots.

INTRODUCTION: There is a current belief in aviation suggesting that aerobic training may reduce G-tolerance due to potential negative impacts on arterial pressure response. Studies indicate that increasing maximal aerobic capacity (V˙o2 max) through aerobic training does not hinder G-tolerance. Moreover, sustained centrifuge training programs revealed no instances where excessive aerobic exercise compromised a trainee's ability to complete target profiles. The purpose of this review article is to examine the current research in the hope of establishing the need for routine V˙o2-max testing in air force pilot protocols.METHODS: A systematic search of electronic databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, the Aerospace Medical Association, and Military Medicine was conducted. Keywords related to "human performance," "Air Force fighter pilots," "aerobic function," and "maximal aerobic capacity" were used in various combinations. Articles addressing exercise physiology, G-tolerance, physical training, and fighter pilot maneuvers related to human performance were considered. No primary data collection involving human subjects was conducted; therefore, ethical approval was not required.RESULTS: The V˙o2-max test provides essential information regarding a pilot's ability to handle increased Gz-load. It assists in predicting G-induced loss of consciousness by assessing anti-G straining maneuver performance and heart rate variables during increased G-load.DISCUSSION: V˙o2-max testing guides tailored exercise plans, optimizes cardiovascular health, and disproves the notion that aerobic training hampers G-tolerance. Its inclusion in air force protocols could boost readiness, reduce health risks, and refine training for fighter pilots' safety and performance. This evidence-backed approach supports integrating V˙o2-max testing for insights into fitness, risks, and tailored exercise.Zeigler Z, Acevedo AM. Re-evaluating the need for routine maximal aerobic capacity testing within fighter pilots. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(5):273-277.

Shades of gravity - effects of planetary gravity levels on electrocortical activity and neurocognitive performance.

The plans of international space agencies to return to the Moon and explore deep space, including Mars, highlight the challenges of human adaptation and stress the need for a thorough analysis of the factors that facilitate, limit and modify human performance under extreme environments. This study investigates the influence of partial gravity on behavioural (error rate and reaction time) and neuronal parameters (event-related potentials) through parabolic flights. Brain cortical activity was assessed using EEG from 18 participants who solved a neurocognitive task, consisting of a mental arithmetic task and an auditory oddball paradigm, during Earth (1G), Lunar (0.16G + 0.25G) and Martian gravity (0.38G + 0.5G) for 15 consecutive parabolas. Data shows higher electrocortical activity in Earth gravity compared to Lunar and Martian gravity in the parietal lobe. No differences in participants' performance were found among the gravity levels. Event-related potentials displayed gravity-dependent variations, though limited stimuli recording suggests caution in interpretation. Data suggests a threshold between Earth and Martian gravity within the different gravities responsible for physiological changes, but it seems to vary greatly between individuals. The altered neuronal communication could be explained with a model developed by Kohn and Ritzmann in 2018. The increasing intracranial pressure in weightlessness changes the properties of the cell membrane of neurons and leads to a depolarisation of the resting membrane potential. The findings underscore the individuality of physiological changes in response to gravity alterations, signalling the need for further investigations in future studies.

Towards complex dynamic physics system simulation with graph neural ordinary equations.

The great learning ability of deep learning facilitates us to comprehend the real physical world, making learning to simulate complicated particle systems a promising endeavour both in academia and industry. However, the complex laws of the physical world pose significant challenges to the learning based simulations, such as the varying spatial dependencies between interacting particles and varying temporal dependencies between particle system states in different time stamps, which dominate particles' interacting behavior and the physical systems' evolution patterns. Existing learning based methods fail to fully account for the complexities, making them unable to yield satisfactory simulations. To better comprehend the complex physical laws, we propose a novel model - Graph Networks with Spatial-Temporal neural Ordinary Differential Equations (GNSTODE) - that characterizes the varying spatial and temporal dependencies in particle systems using a united end-to-end framework. Through training with real-world particle-particle interaction observations, GNSTODE can simulate any possible particle systems with high precisions. We empirically evaluate GNSTODE's simulation performance on two real-world particle systems, Gravity and Coulomb, with varying levels of spatial and temporal dependencies. The results show that GNSTODE yields better simulations than state-of-the-art methods, showing that GNSTODE can serve as an effective tool for particle simulation in real-world applications. Our code is made available at https://github.com/Guangsi-Shi/AI-for-physics-GNSTODE.

Pneumothorax risk reduction during CT-guided lung biopsy - Effect of fluid application to the pleura before lung puncture and the gravitational effect of pleural pressure.

PURPOSE: This study investigated strategies to reduce pneumothorax risk in CT-guided lung biopsy. The approach involved administering 10 ml of 1 % lidocaine fluid in the subpleural or pleural space before lung puncture and utilizing the gravitational effect of pleural pressure with specific patient positioning. METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed 72 percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsies performed at a single center between January 2020 and April 2023. These were grouped based on fluid administration during the biopsy and whether the biopsies were conducted in dependent or non-dependent lung regions. Confounding factors like patient demographics, lesion characteristics, and procedural details were assessed. Patient characteristics and the occurrence of pneumothoraces were compared using a Kurskal-Wallis test for continuous variables and a Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify potential confounders. RESULTS: Subpleural or pleural fluid administration and performing biopsies in dependent lung areas were significantly linked to lower peri-interventional pneumothorax incidence (n = 15; 65 % without fluid in non-dependent areas, n = 5; 42 % without fluid in dependent areas, n = 5; 36 % with fluid in non-dependent areas,n = 0; 0 % with fluid in dependent areas; p = .001). Even after adjusting for various factors, biopsy in dependent areas and fluid administration remained independently associated with reduced pneumothorax risk (OR 0.071, p<=.01 for lesions with fluid administration; OR 0.077, p = .016 for lesions in dependent areas). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-puncture fluid administration to the pleura and consideration of gravitational effects during patient positioning can effectively decrease pneumothorax occurrences in CT-guided lung biopsy.

Acute responses of postural alignment and intermuscular coherence to anti-gravitational muscle engagement-A randomized crossover trial.

INTRODUCTION: Posture is a facet of clinical assessment in several rehabilitative disciplines. Despite extensive clinical focus, the precision with which posture can be evaluated and intervened upon is limited by the very general terms used to describe it. The purpose of this crossover trial was to quantify the effects of targeted postural intervention motivated by theoretical sagittal gravitational collapsing (SGC) tendencies on: 1) distance from SGC, 2) intermuscular coherence (iCOH), and 3) kinematic chain connectivity. METHODS: Ten healthy adults (24.50 ± 1.18 years, 172.72 ± 10.19 cm, 76.47 ± 14.60 kg) completed pre- and post-intervention testing on two occasions involving contrasting interventions: promote postural muscle (PPM) vs. reduce compensatory muscle (RCM) engagement. Distance from SGC, iCOH, and kinematic chain connectivity were quantified from electromyography and/or kinematic data acquired during tests administered before and after interventions. Effects of Treatment [PPM, RCM] and Time [Pre, Post] were tested with linear mixed models. RESULTS: A Treatment*Time interaction was observed for distance from SGC. Post-intervention distance from SGC was greater following PPM only (p < 0.01). A Treatment*Time interaction was observed for hi-frequency trunk muscle iCOH, with a post-intervention increase corresponding to the RCM intervention (p < 0.007). Additional iCOH effects did not differ by intervention. CONCLUSION: Distance from SGC is acutely modifiable and increases following exercises to facilitate anti-SGC muscles. Convergent findings related to kinematic chain connectivity and prescriptive neural binding were not observed. These observations suggest that it may be possible to describe, evaluate, and intervene upon posture in reference to a specific, mechanistic theory regarding the function of postural alignment.

A stochastic world model on gravity for stability inference.

The fact that objects without proper support will fall to the ground is not only a natural phenomenon, but also common sense in mind. Previous studies suggest that humans may infer objects' stability through a world model that performs mental simulations with a priori knowledge of gravity acting upon the objects. Here we measured participants' sensitivity to gravity to investigate how the world model works. We found that the world model on gravity was not a faithful replica of the physical laws, but instead encoded gravity's vertical direction as a Gaussian distribution. The world model with this stochastic feature fit nicely with participants' subjective sense of objects' stability and explained the illusion that taller objects are perceived as more likely to fall. Furthermore, a computational model with reinforcement learning revealed that the stochastic characteristic likely originated from experience-dependent comparisons between predictions formed by internal simulations and the realities observed in the external world, which illustrated the ecological advantage of stochastic representation in balancing accuracy and speed for efficient stability inference. The stochastic world model on gravity provides an example of how a priori knowledge of the physical world is implemented in mind that helps humans operate flexibly in open-ended environments.

Ultrasound combined with microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity for enhancement of caffeine extraction from guarana powder.

The extraction of valuable compounds from dried fruits and vegetables by microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG) requires previous hydration of the plant material. In this work, ultrasound was used to speed up the hydration of guarana powder before MHG extraction and increase caffeine recovery. The humidification step was speeded up with ultrasound taking only 15 min over 60 min without ultrasound. Water and 50% (v/v) ethanol were evaluated as green solvents for humidification, with a higher concentration of caffeine obtained for the hydroalcoholic solution. Ultrasound pretreatment allowed guarana extracts from MHG with two times more caffeine for both solvents evaluated. Therefore, ultrasound can be used in the hydration step before MHG extraction to reduce time and increase caffeine recovery from guarana powder.

A study on the influence of perceived distance on China's inbound Tourism and the interaction of non-economic distance: An analysis of dynamic extended gravity model based on 61 countries' entry data (2004-2018).

In the post-epidemic era, the restart of China's inbound tourism is imminent. However, there are gaps in our current understanding of how distance perception dynamically affects inbound tourism in China. In order to understand the past patterns of inbound tourism in China, we mapped the data of 61 countries of origin from 2004 to 2018 into a dynamic expanding gravity model to understand the effects of cultural distance, institutional distance, geographical distance, and economic distance on inbound tourism in China and revealed the dynamic interaction mechanism of non-economic distance perception on inbound tourism in China. Our research results show that cultural distance has a positive impact on China's inbound tourism, while institutional distance has a negative impact. The significant finding is that the dynamic interaction of the above two kinds of perceived distance can still have a positive impact on China's inbound tourism. Its practical significance is that it can counteract the influence of institutional distance by strengthening the cultural distance. Generally speaking, geographical distance and institutional distance restrict China's inbound tourism flow, while cultural distance, economic distance, and interactive perceptual distance promote China's inbound tourism flow.

A Novel 3D-Printed Gravity-Independent Air-Eliminating Filter for Rapid Intravenous Infusions.

INTRODUCTION: The absence of a consistent downward G vector can make separation of gases from liquids challenging, such as in field medicine without stable upright equipment or during spaceflight. This limits the use of medical equipment and procedures like administration of intravenous (IV) fluids in microgravity and can make field medicine hazardous. Administering IV fluids and medications in microgravity requires a technique to separate air from the liquid phase. Current commercial filters for separation of gases are incompatible with high flow and blood. We present a novel filter designed to provide adequate air clearance without a consistent downward G vector.METHODS: Inline air-eliminating filters were designed for use with IV fluid tubing in microgravity using computer-aided design software and printed using nylon 12 on an EOS Selective Laser Sintering 3D printer. A 0.2-µm membrane filter was adhered around a central, hollow pillar with external spiral baffles allowing separation and venting of air from the fluid. Results were compared against commercially available inline air-eliminating filters.RESULTS: The 3D-printed filters outperformed the commercial filters in both percentage of air removed and flow rates. The centrifugal, baffled filter had flow rates that far exceeded the commercial filters during rapid transfusion.DISCUSSION: IV fluid administration is an often underappreciated and a necessary basic requirement for medical treatment. An air-eliminating filter compatible with blood and rapid transfusion was developed and validated with crystalloid solutions to allow the successful administration of IV fluid and medication without a consistent downward G vector.Formanek A, Townsend J, Ottensmeyer MP, Kamine TH. A novel 3D-printed gravity-independent air-eliminating filter for rapid intravenous infusions. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(6):327-332.

Responses of runoff and sediment yield to slope length and gravel content of Lou soil engineering accumulation slope in Guanzhong region, Northwest China.

With the economic development, a large number of engineering accumulation bodies with Lou soil as the main soil type were produced in Guanzhong area, Northwest China. We examined the characteristics of runoff and sediment yield of Lou soil accumulation bodies with earth (gravel content 0%) and earth-rock (gravel content 30%) under different rainfall intensities (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 mm·min-1) and different slope lengths (3, 5, 6.5, 12 m) by the simulating rainfall method. The results showed that runoff rate was relatively stable when rainfall intensity was 1.0-1.5 mm·min-1, while runoff rate fluctuated obviously when rainfall intensity was 2.0-2.5 mm·min-1. The average runoff rate varied significantly across different rainfall intensities on the same slopes, and the difference of average runoff rate of the two slopes was significantly increased with rainfall intensity. Under the same rainfall intensity, the difference in runoff rate between the slope lengths of the earth-rock slope was more obvious than that of the earth slope. When the slope length was 3-6.5 m, flow velocity increased rapidly at first and then increased slowly or tended to be stable. When the slope length was 12 m, flow velocity increased significantly. In general, with the increases of rainfall intensity, inhibition effect of gravel on the average flow velocity was enhanced. When rainfall intensity was 2.5 mm·min-1, the maximum reduction in the average flow velocity of earth-rock slope was 61.5% lower than that of earth slope. When rainfall intensity was less than 2.0 mm·min-1, sediment yield rate showed a trend of gradual decline or stable change, while that under the other rainfall intensities showed a trend of rapid decline and then fluctuated sharply. The greater the rainfall intensity, the more obvious the fluctuation. There was a significant positive correlation between the average sediment yield rate and runoff parameters, with the runoff rate showing the best fitting effect. Among the factors, slope length had the highest contribution to runoff velocity and rainfall erosion, which was 51.8% and 35.5%, respectively. This study can provide scientific basis for soil and water erosion control of engineering accumulation in Lou soil areas.