A review concerning the development and applicability of sewage sludge thermal hydrolysis especially prior to anaerobic digestion is presented. Thermal hydrolysis has proven to be a successful approach to making sewage sludge more amenable to anaerobic digestion. Currently there are 75 facilities either in operation or planning, spanning several continents with the first installation in 1995. T...

The paper concerns the mechanical performance of continuous fibre/thermosetting polymer matrix composites reinforced in the through-thickness direction with fibrous or metallic rods or threads in order to mitigate against low delamination resistance. Specific illustrations of the effects of microfasteners in reducing delamination crack growth are made for Z-pinned and tufted composites. Respons...

To solve the problem of wheel/rail rolling contact of nonlinear steady-state curving, a three-dimensional transient finite element (FE) model is developed by the explicit software ANSYS/LS-DYNA. To improve the solving speed and efficiency, an explicit-explicit order solution method is put forward based on analysis of the features of implicit and explicit algorithm. The solution method was first...

Cascading trophic interactions mediated by consumers are complex phenomena, which encompass many direct and indirect effects. Nonetheless, most experiments and theory on the topic focus uniquely on the indirect, positive effects of predators on producers via regulation of herbivores. Empirical research in aquatic ecosystems, however, demonstrate that the indirect, positive effects of consumer-m...

The financial cost of missed appointments is so great that even a small percentage reduction in Did Not Attend (DNA) rate could save significant sums of money. Previous studies have identified many factors that predict DNA rate, including patient age, gender, and transport options. However, it is not obvious how healthcare providers can use this information to improve attendance, as such factor...

Waste stabilization pond systems are widely used to treat animal wastes under highly variable hydraulic loading regimes. These systems have received limited research attention with regard to their hydrodynamic behaviour and the potential impact of shock hydraulic loading on their performance. In this study a two-stage dairy shed waste stabilisation pond system was topographically surveyed to de...

Topological excitations keep fascinating physicists since many decades. While individual vortices and solitons emerge and have been observed in many areas of physics, their most intriguing higher dimensional topological relatives, skyrmions (smooth, topologically stable textures) and magnetic monopoles emerging almost necessarily in any grand unified theory and responsible for charge quantizati...

We have realized a very small optical dipole trap that is designed to store and manipulate individual atoms. Due to the very small dipole-trap volume, a 'collisional blockade' mechanism locks the average number of trapped atoms at a value of 0.5 over a large range of loading rates. Here we describe methods to characterize the motion of a single trapped atom, and we also demonstrate the possibil...

The overall structure and the fine structure of the solar photosphere outside active regions are largely understood, except possibly the important roles of a turbulent near-surface dynamo at its bottom, internal gravity waves at its top and small-scale vorticity. Classical one-dimensional static radiation-escape modelling has been replaced by three-dimensional time-dependent magento-hydrodynami...

Creep and shrinkage are such properties that will occur in concrete when they are under load and exposed to surrounding. Since this property will cause deformation which may decrease the design strength of the concrete, it is necessary to do have more knowledge on this phenomenon. So, we will study the effect of creep on 7 and 14 days of cured time of specimens which sealed or unsealed will be ...