Foundations and Applications of Information Systems Dynamics

Although numerous advances have been made in information technology in the past decades,there is still a lack of progress in information systems dynamics(ISD),owing to the lack of a mathematical foundation needed to describe information and the lack of an analytical framework to evaluate information systems.The value of ISD lies in its ability to guide the design,development,application,and evaluation of largescale information system-of-systems(So Ss),just as mechanical dynamics theories guide mechanical systems engineering.This paper reports on a breakthrough in these fundamental challenges by proposing a framework for information space,improving a mathematical theory for information measurement,and proposing a dynamic configuration model for information systems.In this way,it establishes a basic theoretical framework for ISD.The proposed theoretical methodologies have been successfully applied and verified in the Smart Court So Ss Engineering Project of China and have achieved significant improvements in the quality and efficiency of Chinese court informatization.The proposed ISD provides an innovative paradigm for the analysis,design,development,and evaluation of large-scale complex information systems,such as electronic government and smart cities.

Topology Optimization for Steady-State Navier-Stokes Flow Based on Parameterized Level Set Based Method

In this paper,we consider solving the topology optimization for steady-state incompressibleNavier-Stokes problems via a new topology optimization method called parameterized level set method,which can maintain a relatively smooth level set function with a local optimality condition.The objective of topology optimization is to􀀀nd an optimal con􀀀guration of theuid and solid materials that minimizes power dissipation under a prescribeduid volume fraction constraint.An arti􀀀cial friction force is added to the Navier-Stokes equations to apply the no-slip boundary condition.Although a great deal of work has been carried out for topology optimization ofuidow in recent years,there are few researches on the topology optimization ofuidow with physical body forces.To simulate theuidow in reality,the constant body force(e.g.,gravity)is considered in this paper.Several 2D numerical examples are presented to discuss the relationships between the proposed method with Reynolds number and initial design,and demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed method in dealing with unstructuredmesh problems.Three 3D numerical examples demonstrate the proposedmethod is feasible in three-dimensional.

2D Minimum Compliance Topology Optimization Based on a Region Partitioning Strategy

This paper presents an extended sequential element rejection and admission(SERA)topology optimizationmethod with a region partitioning strategy.Based on the partitioning of a design domain into solid regions and weak regions,the proposed optimizationmethod sequentially implements finite element analysis(FEA)in these regions.After standard FEA in the solid regions,the boundary displacement of the weak regions is constrained using the numerical solution of the solid regions as Dirichlet boundary conditions.This treatment can alleviate the negative effect of the material interpolation model of the topology optimization method in the weak regions,such as the condition number of the structural global stiffness matrix.For optimization,in which the forward problem requires nonlinear structural analysis,a linear solver can be applied in weak regions to avoid numerical singularities caused by the over-deformedmesh.To enhance the robustness of the proposedmethod,the nonmanifold point and island are identified and handled separately.The performance of the proposed method is verified by three 2D minimum compliance examples.

Application and Progress of Confinement Synthesis Strategy in Electrochemical Energy Storage

Designing high-performance nanostructured electrode materials is the current core of electrochemical energy storage devices.Multi-scaled nanomaterials have triggered considerable interest because they effectively combine a library of advantages of each component on different scales for energy storage.However,serious aggregation,structural degradation,and even poor stability of nanomaterials are well-known issues during electrochemically driven volume expansion/contraction processes.The confinement strategy provides a new route to construct controllable internal void spaces to avoid the intrinsic volume effects of nanomaterials during the reaction or charge/discharge process.Herein,we discuss the confinement strategies and methods for energy storage-related electrode materials with a one-dimensional channel,two-dimensional interlayer,and three-dimensional space as reaction environments.For each confinement environment,the correlation between the confinement condition/structure and the behavioral characteristics of energy storage devices in the scope of metal-ion batteries(e.g.,Li-ion,Na-ion,K-ion,and Mg-ion batteries),Li-S batteries(LSBs),Zn-air batteries(ZIBs),and supercapacitors.Finally,we discussed the challenges and perspectives on future nanomaterial confinement strategies for electrochemical energy storage devices.

Accurate surface normal representation to facilitate gradient coil optimization on curved surface

The design methods for gradient coils are mostly based on discrete extrinsic methods(e.g.,the BioteSavart integration calculation),for which the surface normal vector strongly influences any numerical calculation of the discretized surface.Previous studies are mostly based on regular or analytical surfaces,which allow normal vectors to be expressed analytically.For certain applications,design methods for extending currentcarrying surfaces from developable or analytic geometries to arbitrary surfaces generated from a scanned point cloud are required.The key task is to correctly express the discretized normal vectors to ensure geometrical accuracy of the designed coils.Mathematically,it has been proven that applying a Delaunay triangulation to approximate a smooth surface can result in the discrete elemental normal vectors converging to those of the original surface.Accordingly,this article uses Delaunay triangulation to expand upon previous design methods so that they encompass arbitrary piecewise continuous surfaces.Two design methods,the stream function and the so-called solid isotropic material with penalization(SIMP)method,are used to design circumvolute and noncircumvolute gradient coils on general surfaces.

Analysis of factors related to non-sentinel lymph node metastasis in 296 sentinel lymph node-positive Chinese breast cancer patients

Objective: Axillary lymph node dissection(ALND) may be unnecessary in 20%–60% of breast cancer patients with sentinel lymph node(NSLN) metastasis. The aim of the present study was to review the medical records of Chinese patients with early-stage breast cancer and positive NSLN metastasis to identify clinicopathological characteristics as risk factors for non-NSLN metastasis.Methods: The medical records of 2008 early-stage breast cancer patients who received intraoperative sentinel lymph node biopsy(SLNB) between 2006 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. These patients were clinically and radiologically lymph nodenegative and had no prior history of receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy or endocrinotherapy. The clinicopathological characteristics of patients with positive NSLN metastasis who underwent ALND were investigated.Results: In the present study, 296 patients with positive NSLN metastases underwent ALND. Positive non-NSLN metastases were confirmed in 95 patients(32.1%). On univariate analysis, ≥ 3 positive NSLN metastases(P <0.01), NSLN macrometastases(P =0.023), and lymphovascular invasion(P = 0.04) were associated with non-NSLN metastasis(P <0.05). In multivariate analysis, the number of positive SLNs was the most significant predictor of non-SLN metastasis. For patients with 0, 1, 2, or 3 associated risk factors, the non-SLN metastatic rates were 11.5%, 22.5%, 35.2%, and 73.1%, respectively.Conclusions: The number of positive NSLNs, NSLN macrometastases, and lymphovascular invasion were correlated with nonSLN metastasis. The number of positive SLNs was an independent predictor for non-NSLN metastasis. When 2 or 3 risk factors were present in one patient, the probability of non-NSLN was higher than that in the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011 trial(27.3%); thus, avoiding ALND should be considered carefully.

Clinical and functional comparison of dynamic hip screws and intramedullary nails for treating proximal femur metastases in older individuals

Objective:To compare the outcomes of dynamic hip screws(DHS)and intramedullary nailing(IMN)in the treatment of extra-capsular metastatic carcinoma of the proximal femur.Methods:A retrospective case analysis method was used to examine data of patients with proximal metastatic cancer of the femur who were treated with internal fixation in Department of Orthopaedics,Beijing Friendship Hospital,from January 2007 to December 2018.Blood loss,postoperative pain,functional score,length of stay,and survival rates were compared,and postoperative complications were assessed.Results:Complete follow-up data were available for 33 patients.The mean follow-up period was 12.2±3.6(range:9-32)months and the average age was 72.3±4.7(range:59-83)years old.There were 20 females and 13 males.Twenty-three patients had undergone IMN and 10 DHS,according to bone defects and the patient’s overall condition.The median survival time was 10 months in the IMN group and 11 months in the DHS group.Duration of surgery(t=-7.366,P<0.001)and length of hospital stay(t=-3.509,P<0.001)differed significantly between the two groups.There was one case of breakage of internal fixation in the IMN group.Conclusions:There was no significant difference between DHS and IMN in terms of surgical efficacy.IMN and DHS were different in terms of surgical time and hospital stay.However,due to the limited number of cases in this study,multi-factor analysis has not been performed and needs to be further verified in future analysis.When developing a surgical plan,it is recommended to consider the patient’s condition and the surgeon’s experience.

Clinical and functional comparison of endoprosthetic replacement with intramedullary nailing for treating proximal femur metastasis

Objective： To evaluate the clinical and functional outcomes of modular endoprosthetic replacement （EPR） compared to proximal femur intramedullary nailing （IMN） for the treatment of proximal femur metastases. Methods： We retrospectively studied the records of patients with proximal femur metastatic lesions treated with surgical stabilization between January 2007 and December 2014 in terms of operation time, blood loss, postoperative score, soreness, Karnofsky performance score （KPS） and survival time. Results： There were 34 patients treated with surgical stabilization. The mean follow-up period was 12.1~8.6 months （range： 10-47 months）. Thirteen were treated with EPR and 21 were stabilized with IMN （20 males, 14 females; mean age： 68.7 years）. The median survival time was 11.0 months for both groups （P=0.147）. The operation time, blood loss and Harris score of IMN group were lower than those of EPR group （P=0.001, P=0.001, P=0.002, respectively）. Conclusions： Both EPR and IMN for treating proximal femur metastasis achieved effective clinical outcomes. Therefore, the suitable surgical methods depended on the general conditions and medical requirements of patients, as well as the technical advantages of the doctor.

Shape Error Analysis of Functional Surface Based on Isogeometrical Approach

The construction of traditional finite element geometry （i.e., the meshing procedure） is time consuming and creates geometric errors. The drawbacks can be over- came by the Isogeometric Analysis （IGA）, which integrates the computer aided design and structural analysis in a unified way. A new IGA beam element is developed by integrating the displacement field of the element, which is approximated by the NURBS basis, with the internal work formula of Euler-Bernoulli beam theory with the small deformation and elastic assumptions. Two cases of the strong coupling of IGA elements, ＂beam to beam＂ and ＂beam to shell＂, are also discussed. The maximum relative errors of the deformation in the three directions of can- tilever beam benchmark problem between analytical solu- tions and IGA solutions are less than 0.1%, which illustrate the good performance of the developed IGA beam element. In addition, the application of the developed IGA beam element in the Root Mean Square （RMS） error analysis of reflector antenna surface, which is a kind of typical func- tional surface whose precision is closely related to the product＇s performance, indicates that no matter how coarse the discretization is, the IGA method is able to achieve the accurate solution with less degrees of freedom than stan- dard Finite Element Analysis （FEA）. The proposed research provides an effective alternative to standard FEA for shape error analysis of functional surface.

Mating and reproductive characteristics of the pathogenic nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Pine wood nematode(B ursaphelenchus xylophilus),one of the most destructive invasive species,has caused extremely serious economic,ecological and social losses in many countries throughout the world.Since the high reproductive rate of B.xylophilus PWN is the main cause of rapid death of its pine hosts(Pinus spp.),understanding the reproductive and population biology and the ecology of this nmatode are of great importance.This study mainly focused on analyzing the mating process and population structure under different combinations of sex ratios for mating.Reproductive efficiency of B.xylophilus peaked when the sex ratio(female to male)was 3.4:1.Phases of the mating process for the different sex-ratio combinations indicated that B.xylophilus had evolved alternative reproductive strategies to cope with complex copulating conditions to obtain a suitable population structure for further propagation.This research provides fundamental information on the mechanism that is responsible for the rapid population growth of B.xylophilus.

Heavy Metal Pollution and Ecological Risk Assessment of Cultivated Land Soil in the Farming Areas of Coastal China:A Case Study of Donghai County,Jiangsu Province

Classical statistics,Inverse Distance Weighted and Hakasnson potential ecological index were used to study the distribution characteristics of 8 kinds of heavy metals( Cr,Ni,Cu,Zn,As,Cd,Pb and Hg) as well as their potential ecological risks in the topsoil( 0-20 cm) of cultivated land in Donghai County,a typical agricultural area along the Southeast Coast of China.The results showed that the average content of heavy metals in the cultivated soil of Donghai County was not over the risk screening values set in the Environmental Quality Standard for Soils.However,it was worth noting that in some of the sampling points,the content of Cr exceeded the risk screening value,and the standard exceeding points accounted for 24.74% of the total.In addition,the average content of Cr,Ni,As,Cd,Pb and Hg exceeded the soil background values of Jiangsu Province,and values for Cd,Cr and Pb were more than 1.5 times of the soil background value of Jiangsu Province.The heavy metals were at the medium integrated potential ecological risk level,and the potential ecological risk indices were high in the east and low in the west,and distributed in interlaced island shape.The potential ecological risk indices of the plains in the east were higher than those of the central gentle slope area and the western hillock area.The potential ecological risk was at a high level in Niushan Town which was situated the county center and in some regions with high urbanization levels.

Design Theory and Method of Complex Products:A Review

Design is a high-level and complex thinking activity of human beings,using existing knowledge and technology to solve problems and create new things.With the rise and development of intelligent manufacturing,design has increasingly reflected its importance in the product life cycle.Firstly,the concept and connotation of complex product design is expounded systematically,and the different types of design are discussed.The four schools of design theory are introduced,including universal design,axiomatic design,TRIZ and general design.Then the research status of complex product design is analyzed,such as innovative design,digital design,modular design,reliability optimization design,etc.Finally,three key scientific issues worthy of research in the future are indicated,and five research trends of“newer,better,smarter,faster,and greener”are summarized,aiming to provide references for the equipment design and manufacturing industry.

Thermodynamic Calculation of A_(r3) Temperature inLow Alloy Steels

On the basis of superelement model, Cahn's transformation kinetics theory and Scheil's additivity rule, actual γ/α transformation start temperature, A.3 in Fe-Σ Xi-C (Xi=Mn, Si, Ni, Mo etc.)multi-component low alloy Steels during continuous cooling process was calculated. Influences of chemical composition, hot deformation of γ and cooling rate on Ar3 temperature were analyzed. Calculated Ar3 temperatures are in reasonable agreement with measured ones.

Digital assembly technology based on augmented reality and digital twins: a review

Product assembly simulation is considered as one of the key technologies in the process of complex product design and manufacturing.Virtual assembly realizes the assembly process design,verification,and optimization of complex products in the virtual environment,which plays an active and effective role in improving the assembly quality and efficiency of complex products.In recent years,augmented reality(AR)and digital twin(DT)technology have brought new opportunities and challenges to the digital assembly of complex products owing to their characteristics of virtual reality fusion and interactive control.This paper expounds the concept and connotation of AR,enumerates a typical AR assembly system structure,analyzes the key technologies and applications of AR in digital assembly,and notes that DT technology is the future development trend of intelligent assembly research.

Observational characteristics and dynamic mechanism of low-salinity water lens for the offshore detachment of the Changjiang River diluted water in August 2006

The Changjiang River diluted water(CDW)spreads into the East China Sea(ECS)primarily in a plume pattern,although in some years,low-salinity water lenses(LSWLs)detach from the main body of the CDW.In-situ observations indicate that in August 2006,a LSWL detached from the main body of the CDW near the river mouth.In this paper,the effects of winds,tides,baroclinity and upwelling on LSWLs are explored with a threedimensional model.The results show that:(1)winds play a crucial role in these detachment events because windinduced northerly Eulerian residual currents impose an uneven force on the CDW and cut it off,thus forming a LSWL;(2)upwelling carries high-salinity water from the lower layer to the upper layer,truncating the low-salinity water tongue vertically,which is conducive to the detachment and maintenance of LSWLs;and(3)upwelling during the evolution of a LSWL is caused by the combined effects of winds and tides.The influences of windinduced upwelling are mainly near the shore,whereas the upwelling along the 30 m isobath is predominantly affected by tides,with the effect increasing from neap tide to spring tide.

Holocene climatic change reconstructed from trace elements of an aeolian deposit in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, northern China

In semi-arid and arid desert regions of northern China, aeolian deposits document the framework variation of an Asian monsoon during the late Quaternary. However, there is still a lack of detailed data pertaining to Holocene Asian monsoonal variation especial in the modern Asian summer monsoonal boundary belt. In this study, we reconstructed Holocene millennial-scale climatic changes in the Mu Us Desert, northern China, through systematic analysis of the variation of trace elements(324 samples) in different lithological units of the palaeosol-aeolian sand deposit, in combination with14 C and OSL chronology. Statistical results, correlation and clustering analysis indicate that the high content of 11 trace elements(V, Y, Cr, Nb, P, Mn, Cu, Zr, As, Ni and Rb, represented by P) and lower Sr content corresponding to periods of palaeosol development, marked increase of vegetation, weathering degree, and enhanced Asian summer monsoonal strength. In contrast, their opposed variation are coincident with accumulated aeolian sand layers, implying weaker summer monsoons and less geochemical weathering and degraded vegetation. These associations can be considered as signaling regional humid and dry changes of the Holocene environment. Accordingly, relatively arid conditions dominated the region before 7.2 ka, and there was an optimal humid climate in 7.2-4.6 ka. Afterwards, the climate became obviously dry, accompanied with several cycles of relatively wet and dry, such as relatively wet intervals around 4.1-3.7 ka, 3.5-3.3 ka and 2.5 ka. In addition, six millennial-scale dry events were recorded, and these events were consistent with weaker Asian summer monsoonal intervals in low latitudes, declined palaeosol development and precipitation in middle latitudes, as well as increased winter monsoon and periodic ice-rafting events in high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, within limits of accuracy of existing dating ages. This possibly suggests a noteworthy synchronism between millennial-scale climatic changes in this region and on a global scale.

Numerical Modeling of Growth Kinetics of Pro-eutectoid Ferrite Transformed from Austenite in Fe-C-∑X Alloys

In the present paper, a numerical modeling was developed to simulate the growth kinetics of ferrite transformed from austenite in Fe-C-∑X （X denotes substitution elements, such as Mn, Ni, Cr etc.） steels by solving the diffusion equation using finite difference method （FDM）. Coupled with the kinetic modeling, thermodynamic calculations were carried out to determine the γ/α phase equilibrium conditions using a para-equilibrium （PE） model. The dissipation of free energy for γ→α phase transformation due to the so-called solute drag effect （SDE） was taken into account in the thermodynamic modeling. With this modeling, simulations on the growth kinetics of ferrite in the steels containing austenite-stabilizing and ferrite-stabilizing elements （such as Ni, Mn and Si, Cr, respectively） were performed, which indicates that it deviates from the parabolic growth rate law after the initial stage of transformation. The results were compared with the experimental values given by Bradley and Aaronson, showing that this model has a reasonably good accuracy to predict the growth kinetics of ferrite.

Oxidation Behavior of Micro-Crystalline Coatings of 310S Stainless Steel

Micro-crystalline coatings of 310S stainless steels were produced by unbalanced magnetron sputter deposition. Isothermal oxidation behavior of the coated and uncoated specimens has been studied using a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) station. The oxidation time was 50h and the temperature was 1 000℃. The oxidation rates of thecoated specimens was found to be much lower than the uncoated specimens after 50 h of oxidation. The oxidationkinetic curves of the coated specimens consisted of three stages : approximately parabolic at the first stage, speedingup at the second stage, and slow down at the third stage. The increase of the oxidation rate at the second stage nasattributed to the fast diffuison of Fe though the fine grained Cr2O3 layer formed on the micro-crystalline coatings.The top view and cross-section microstructures of the oxides formed on the coated and the uncoated specimens werestudied with SEM and EDS. It was observed that the nucleation of oxide on the coated specimens was muchenhanced at the initial oxidation stage. This was explained as the result of reduction in the critical free energychange and increase in the supply of chromium ions.

Computer Simulating Calculation on the Microstructure Evolutions during Hot Strip Rolling of C-Mn Steels

The program to predict the microstructure evolutions during hot strip rolling of C-M n steels has been developed in this paper, BV using this program, the microstructure changes with the processing parameters were analysed in detail. showing not only a good agreement of prediction with the measured values, but also entirely possibility to optimize hot strip rolling precess by computer simulation

Recent developments of the reconstruction in magnetic particle imaging

Magnetic particle imaging(MPI)is an emerging molecular imaging technique with high sensitivity and temporal-spatial resolution.Image reconstruction is an important research topic in MPI,which converts an induced voltage signal into the image of superparamagnetic iron oxide particles concentration distribution.MPI reconstruction primarily involves system matrix-and x-space-based methods.In this review,we provide a detailed overview of the research status and future research trends of these two methods.In addition,we review the application of deep learning methods in MPI reconstruction and the current open sources of MPI.Finally,research opinions on MPI reconstruction are presented.We hope this review promotes the use of MPI in clinical applications.