Lyapunov exponent calculation of a two-degree-of-freedom vibro-impact system with symmetrical rigid stops

A two-degree-of-freedom vibro-impact system having symmetrical rigid stops and subjected to periodic excitation is investigated in this paper. By introducing local maps between different stages of motion in the whole impact process, the Poincare map of the system is constructed. Using the Poincare map and the Gram Schmidt orthonormalization, a method of calculating the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents of the above vibro-impact system is presented. Then the phase portraits of periodic and chaotic attractors for the system and the corresponding convergence diagrams of the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents are given out through the numerical simulations. To further identify the validity of the aforementioned computation method, the bifurcation diagram of the system with respect to the bifurcation parameter and the corresponding largest Lyapunov exponents are shown.

Multi-valued responses and dynamic stability of a nonlinear vibro-impact system with a unilateral non-zero offset barrier

In this paper, multi-valued responses and dynamic properties of a nonlinear vibro-impact system with a unilateral nonzero offset barrier are studied. Based on the Krylov-Bogoliubov averaging method and Zhuravlev non-smooth trans- formation, the frequency response, stability conditions, and the equation of backbone curve are derived. Results show that in some conditions impact system may have two or four steady-state solutions, which are interesting and not mentioned for a vibro-impact system with the existence of frequency island phenomena. Then, the classification of the steady-state solutions is discussed, and it is shown that the nontrivial steady-state solutions may lose stability by saddle node bifurcation and Hopf bifurcation. Furthermore, a criterion for avoiding the jump phenomenon is derived and verified. Lastly, it is found that the distance between the system＇s static equilibrium position and the barrier can lead to jump phenomenon under hardening type of nonlinearity stiffness.

Stochastic responses of Duffing–Van der Pol vibro-impact system under additive colored noise excitation

A response analysis procedure is developed for a vibro-impact system excited by colored noise. The non-smooth transformation is used to convert the vibro-impact system into a new system without impact term. With the help of the modified quasi-conservative averaging, the total energy of the new system can be approximated as a Markov process, and the stationary probability density function （PDF） of the total energy is derived. The response PDFs of the original system are obtained using the analytical solution of the stationary PDF of the total energy. The validity of the theoretical results is tested through comparison with the corresponding simulation results. Moreover, stochastic bifurcations are also explored.

Dynamical behaviour of a controlled vibro-impact system

In this paper, we give a controlled two-degree-of-freedom （TDOF） vibro-impact system based on the damping control law, and then investigate the dynamical behaviour of this system. According to numerical simulation, we find that this control scheme can suppress chaos to periodic orbit successfully. Furthermore, the feasibility and the robustness of the controller are confirmed, separately. We also find that this scheme cannot only suppress chaos, but also generate chaos in this system.

Resonance response of a single-degree-of-freedom nonlinear vibro-impact system to a narrow-band random parametric excitation

The resonant response of a single-degree-of-freedom nonlinear vibro-impact oscillator with a one-sided barrier to a narrow-band random parametric excitation is investigated. The narrow-band random excitation used here is a bounded random noise. The analysis is based on a special Zhuravlev transformation, which reduces the system to one without impacts, thereby permitting the applications of random averaging over ＂fast＂ variables. The averaged equations are solved exactly and an algebraic equation of the amplitude of the response is obtained for the ease without random disorder. The methods of linearization and moment are used to obtain the formula of the mean-square amplitude approximately for the case with random disorder. The effects of damping, detuning, restitution factor, nonlinear intensity, frequency and magnitude of random excitations are analysed. The theoretical analyses are verified by numerical results. Theoretical analyses and numerical simulations show that the peak response amplitudes will reduce at large damping or large nonlinear intensity and will increase with large amplitude or frequency of the random excitations. The phenomenon of stochastic jump is observed, that is, the steady-state response of the system will jump from a trivial solution to a large non-trivial one when the amplitude of the random excitation exceeds some threshold value, or will jump from a large non-trivial solution to a trivial one when the intensity of the random disorder of the random excitation exceeds some threshold value.

Analysis of force and energy density transferred to barrier in a single degree of freedom vibro-impact system

A mass-spring-damper linear oscillator with a limiting stop barrier is presented. Modeling non-smooth processes in mechanical engineering is a complex problem. It is especially for the systems with more than a single degree of freedom. But recent studies in dynamical systems have been applied to single degree of freedom systems. The vibrating system, consisting of an oscillator with amplitude of motion limited by a barrier, is known as a vibro-impact system. The amount of force and kinetic energy transferred to a barrier has an important application in designing of engineering systems that undergo the vibro-impact phenomenon. The results show the effect of changing restitution coefficient of a barrier on the amount of force and energy absorbed.

DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF TWO-DEGREE-OF-FREEDOM OBLIQUE IMPACT SYSTEM WITH NON-FIXED IMPACT POSITIONS

The dynamic behavior of a two-degree-of-freedom oblique impact system consisted of two pendulums with non-fixed impact positions is investigated. The relations between the restitution coefficient, the friction coefficient, as well as other parameters of the system and the states before or after impact, are clarified in this oblique impact process. The existence criterion of single impact periodic-n subharrnonic motions is deduced based on the Poincare map method and the oblique impact relations with non-fixed impact positions. The stability of these subharrnonic periodic motions is analyzed by the Floquet theory, and the formulas to calculate the Flocluet multipliers are given. The validity of this method is shown through numerical simulation. At the same time, the probability distribution of impact positions in this oblique system with nonfixed impact positions is analyzed.

Extension of Chemoprevention of Seasonal Malaria to Five Cycles and to Children from the Age of 6 to 9 Years in Africa: Analysis of Its Acceptability, Feasibility, Cost and Impact A Systematic Review

Introduction: Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) aims at preventing malaria in children during the high transmission season. It has been recommended by the WHO since 2013 for children from the age of 3-59 months. However, despite the impact of this intervention, a peak in the prevalence and incidence of malaria is observed in children from the age of 5-9 years. The aim of this study is to determine from the current literature the feasibility, impact and cost-effectiveness of extending SMC to five cycles and to older children. Methods: A litterature search of PubMed/Medline, NCBI and Google scholar identified 1333 articles. After reading the titles and abstracts by two authors, 24 articles were selected and submitted for full reading. Random control studies on the extension of SMC, malaria, feasibility of SMC, impact of SMC and cost-effectiveness of SMC were selected. A total of 16 articles were included for the qualitative synthesis after excluding 8 studies. Results: Following the summary of the evidence, we conclude that the extension is feasible but will be confronted with the unavailability of older children. The intervention period coincides with field work. SMC is effective in reducing the prevalence and incidence of malaria and the parasite density in children. The financial cost of administering SMC is lower than that of treating a child suffering from malaria. Conclusion: After analysing the information, it was found that the majority of the African population supports the extension of the SMC to the number of cycles and the age group in order to alleviate the high mortality and morbidity rates among children due to malaria.

Opportunities to Improve the Quality of Environmental Reports and the Effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment: A Case of Electric Power Transmission Systems in Brazil

A good quality Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is key for the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and consequently to the acceptability of projects subject to EIA. The international literature has contributed to the understanding of the essential aspects to be verified regarding the quality of EIS, offering a wide spectrum of good practice examples related to the content of the studies. Even so, there is a need for empirical studies that allow the identification of specific aspects related to the context of application of the EIS, which could lead to the identification of opportunities to improve both the quality of the reports and also the effectiveness of EIA. Therefore, the present paper is focused on the quality review of a number of EIS submitted to the Brazilian Federal Environmental Agency (Ibama) to instruct the assessment of electric power transmission systems. Based on the application of the EIS quality review package as proposed by Lee and Colley (1992), the outcomes reveal opportunities for improving the scope of EIA, analysis of alternatives, prediction of magnitude and the assessment of impact significance. Finally, the development and/or adaptation of a similar tool for the systematic review of the quality of EIA reports is recommended.

Impact of Plastic Waste on the Human Health in Low-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Background: Plastic pollution is the accumulation of waste composed of plastic and its derivatives all over the environment. Whether in the form of visible garbage or microparticles, as it slowly degrades, plastic pollution poses significant threats to terrestrial and aquatic habitats and the wildlife that call them home, whether through ingestion, entanglement or exposure to the chemicals contained in the material. Unfortunately, there is a lack of documentation on the impact of plastic waste on human health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: We searched five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Global Health, CINAHL and Web of Science) and gray literature, following the preferred reporting elements for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA), for the impact of plastic waste on human health in developing countries. We included quantitative and qualitative studies written in English and French. We assessed the quality of the included articles using the Mixed Methods Appraisal tool (MMAT). Results: A total of 3779 articles were initially identified by searching electronic databases. After eliminating duplicates, 3167 articles were reviewed based on title and abstract, and 26 were selected for full-text review. Only three articles were retained. The three articles dealt with practices likely to lead to oral exposure to plastic chemicals in human health, as well as the level of awareness of participants concerning the possible impact of plastic on human health, namely, the use of plastic baby bottles, the use of microwaves to cook food and reheat precooked food, the use of plastic bottles to store water in the refrigerator, water purifier containers with plastic bodies and plastic lunch boxes, the reuse of plastic bags and the inadequacy of treatment facilities. Conclusion: Plastic waste poses different risks to human health at every stage of its life cycle. Hence, strategies must be adopted to raise public awareness of the dangers of plastic waste to their health. Trial registration: The review protocol is registered in the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (ID = CRD42023409087).

Unraveling the significance of cobalt on transformation kinetics,crystallography and impact toughness in high-strength steels

This work reveals the significant effects of cobalt(Co)on the microstructure and impact toughness of as-quenched highstrength steels by experimental characterizations and thermo-kinetic analyses.The results show that the Co-bearing steel exhibits finer blocks and a lower ductile-brittle transition temperature than the steel without Co.Moreover,the Co-bearing steel reveals higher transformation rates at the intermediate stage with bainite volume fraction ranging from around 0.1 to 0.6.The improved impact toughness of the Co-bearing steel results from the higher dense block boundaries dominated by the V1/V2 variant pair.Furthermore,the addition of Co induces a larger transformation driving force and a lower bainite start temperature(BS),thereby contributing to the refinement of blocks and the increase of the V1/V2 variant pair.These findings would be instructive for the composition,microstructure design,and property optimization of high-strength steels.

Changing Process and Impact Factors of Ecosystem in Shuangtaizi Estuary Wetland of China

By introducing geological and natural conditions of Shuangtaizi Estuary Wetland,a national nature reserve,and borrowing Landsat5 TM wetland data of the year 1987 and 2005,the core area of Shuangtaizi Estuary Wetland is studied,areas of its natural water,mudflat,seepweed beach,culture zone,reservoir and swag,reed field,rice field and non-wetland landscape are respectively analyzed,as well as the changes of wetland community,water quality,waterfowl quantity and species.It is found that the study area is suffering from serious fragmentation of wetland,reducing reed yield,degrading water quality,decreasing bird species and amount,which implies that the degraded wetland environment has imposed threats on the survival of some wetland species.Root causes of such a result are analyzed from the perspectives of regional climate changes and human interventions;while regional climate changes include obvious temperature increase and precipitation decrease,human interventions include oil exploration,reclamation of land from the lake,overuse of biotic resources,environment pollution.Due to the interactive influence of these two factors,ecosystem of Shuangtaizi Estuary Wetland has experienced drastic changes,which should be attached sufficient importance by relevant departments so as to enhance its protection and management.

Simulation of Restraint System Performance upon the Occupant's Response During Impact

Aim To study the influence of restraint system performance upon the occupant's response during impact, and provide a scientific base for occupant restraint system design. Methods \ In the light of basic theory of multibody system dynamics and impact dynamics on the basis of classical theory of impact, R W method is adopted to construct the vehicle occupant system model consisting of fourteen rigid bodies, thirty seven DOFs and slip joints for the simulation. A software named SVC3D(3 dimensional simulation of vehicle crash) is developed in the FORTRAN language. Results\ The results of simulation have a good coincidence with those of tests and the restraint system with low elongation webbing and equipped with pretensioner provides better restraint effect for the occupant. Conclusion\ The model of vehicle occupant multibody system and SVC3D are suitable for use. Occupant should be belted with low elongation webbing to a certain degree and occupant restraint system should be equipped with pretensioner.

COEXISTING PERIODIC ORBITS IN VIBRO-IMPACTING DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS

A method is presented to seek for coexisting periodic orbits which may be stable or unstable in piecewise-linear vibro-impacting systems. The conditions for coexistence of single impact periodic orbits are derived, and in particular, it is investigated in details how to assure that no other impacts will happen in an evolution period of a single impact periodic motion. Furthermore, some criteria for nonexistence of single impact periodic orbits with specific periods are also established. Finally, the stability of coexisting periodic orbits is discussed, and the corresponding computation formula is given. Examples of numerical simulation are in good agreement with the theoretic analysis.

美国教师评估与退出机制的构建及其启示:基于对IMPACT教师评估系统的剖析

为探索我国教师评估与退出机制的建立与运行,采用文本分析方法对美国华盛顿哥伦比亚特区IMPACT评估系统操作指南进行分析,总结IMPACT评估系统的运行体系与特点,为我国教师评估与退出机制提供借鉴。IMPACT评估系统通过覆盖全体的评估对象、专业多元的评估责任主体、丰富具体的评估内容、清晰透明的评估流程以及奖罚分明的评估结果对华盛顿特区公立学校系统教师进行评估,整个系统呈现出评估内容专业化、评估过程公正化、评估结果差异化和评估系统动态化等特点。综观IMPACT评估系统的设计与运行,我国在构建教师评估与退出机制时,应注意在体系建设上强调政府提供制度支持;在评估内容与标准上关注教师能力;在评估责任主体上要兼顾多方利益群体;在系统设计上要因地制宜;最后在系统实施过程中更要注重宽严适度。

Reliability Design for Impact Vibration of Hydraulic Pressure Pipeline Systems

The research of reliability design for impact vibration of hydraulic pressure pipeline systems is still in the primary stage,and the research of quantitative reliability of hydraulic components and system is still incomplete.On the condition of having obtained the numerical characteristics of basic random parameters,several techniques and methods including the probability statistical theory,hydraulic technique and stochastic perturbation method are employed to carry out the reliability design for impact vibration of the hydraulic pressure system.Considering the instantaneous pressure pulse of hydraulic impact in pipeline,the reliability analysis model of hydraulic pipeline system is established,and the reliability-based optimization design method is presented.The proposed method can reflect the inherent reliability of hydraulic pipe system exactly,and the desired result is obtained.The reliability design of hydraulic pipeline system is achieved by computer programs and the reliability design information of hydraulic pipeline system is obtained.This research proposes a reliability design method,which can solve the problem of the reliability-based optimization design for the hydraulic pressure system with impact vibration practically and effectively,and enhance the quantitative research on the reliability design of hydraulic pipeline system.The proposed method has generality for the reliability optimization design of hydraulic pipeline system.

Impact of 4DVAR Assimilation of Rainfall Data on the Simulation of Mesoscale Precipitation Systems in a Mei-yu Heavy Rainfall Event

The multi-scale weather systems associated with a mei-yu front and the corresponding heavy precipitation during a particular heavy rainfall event that occurred on 4 5 July 2003 in east China were successfully simulated through rainfall assimilation using the PSU/NCAR non-hydrostatic, mesoscale, numerical model （MM5） and its four-dimensional, variational, data assimilation （4DVAR） system. For this case, the improvement of the process via the 4DVAR rainfall assimilation into the simulation of mesoscale precipitation systems is investigated. With the rainfall assimilation, the convection is triggered at the right location and time, and the evolution and spatial distribution of the mesoscale convective systems （MCSs） are also more correctly simulated. Through the interactions between MCSs and the weather systems at different scales, including the low-level jet and mei-yu front, the simulation of the entire mei-yu weather system is significantly improved, both during the data assimilation window and the subsequent 12-h period. The results suggest that the rainfall assimilation first provides positive impact at the convective scale and the influences are then propagated upscale to the meso- and sub-synoptic scales. Through a set of sensitive experiments designed to evaluate the impact of different initial variables on the simulation of mei-yu heavy rainfall, it was found that the moisture field and meridional wind had the strongest effect during the convection initialization stage, however, after the convection was fully triggered, all of the variables at the initial condition seemed to have comparable importance.

Prognostic impact of the red cell distribution width in esophageal cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM To clarify the previous discrepant conclusions, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of red cell distribution width(RDW) in esophageal cancer(EC). METHODS We searched the PubM ed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases to identify clinical studies, followed by using STATA version 12.0 for statistical analysis. Studies that met the following criteria were considered eligible:(1) Studies including EC patients who underwent radical esophagectomy;(2) studies including patients with localized disease without distant metastasis;(3) studies including patients without preoperative neoadjuvant therapy;(4) studies including patients without previous antiinflammatory therapies and with available preoperative laboratory outcomes;(5) studies reporting association between the preoperative RDW and overall survival(OS)/disease-free survival(DFS)/cancer-specific survival(CSS); and(6) studies published in English.RESULTS A total of six articles, published between 2015 and 2017, fulfilled the selection criteria in the end. Statistical analysis showed that RDW was not associated with the prognosis of EC patients, irrespective of OS/CSS [hazard ratio(HR) = 1.27, 95% confidence interval(CI): 0.97-1.57, P = 0.000] or DFS(HR = 1.42, 95%CI: 0.96-1.88, P = 0.000). Subgroup analysis indicated that elevated RDW was significantly associated with worse OS/CSS of EC patients when RDW > 13%(HR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.13-1.76, P = 0.000), when the patient number ≤ 400(HR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.13-1.76, P = 0.000) and when the study type was retrospective(HR = 1.42, 95%CI : 1.16-1.69, P = 0.000).CONCLUSION Contrary to our general understanding, this meta-analysis revealed that RDW cannot serve as an indicator of poor prognosis in patients with EC. However, it may still be a useful predictor of unfavorable prognosis using an appropriate cut-off value.

Nitrogen deposition as an important nutrient from the environment and its impact on ecosystems in China

As an example of atmospheric nitrogen(N) deposition,the paper summarizes the definition,form and amount of nutrient from the environment(NFE) and the relationship between NFE and anthro-pogenic reactive N emission.Based on our own study and published articles,we find that N wet and dry deposition has been an important nutrient resource in agricultural and natural ecosystems in China.The total amount of N deposition and other environment-derived N in China was up to 18 Tg N/a,equal to ap-proximately 60% of the national N fertilizer consumption.Nitrogen deposition is expected to contribute substantially to nutrient cycling and net primary productivity in various ecosystems.Therefore,it is crucial to utilize this environment-derived nutrient resource by integrated nutrient resource management in order to realize the sustainable development of both agricultural and non-agricultural ecosystems.

Geo-engineered buffer capacity of two-layered absorbing system under the impact of rock avalanches based on Discrete Element Method

Many rock avalanches were triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008 in southwest China. Protection galleries covered with a single soil layer are usually used to protect against rockfall. Since one-layer protection galleries do not have sufficient buffer capacity, a two-layered absorbing system has been designed. This study aims to find whether an expanded poly-styrol （EPS） cushion, which is used in the soil-covered protection galleries for shock absorption, could be positioned under dynamic loadings. The dynamic impacts of the two-layered absorbing system under the conditions of rock avalanches are numerically simulated through a 2D discrete dement method. By selecting reasonable parameters, a series of numerical experiments were conducted to find the best combination for the two- layered absorbing system. The values of the EPS layer area as a percentage of the total area were set as 0% （Sl）, 22~ （S2）, and 70% （$3）. 22~ of the area of the EPS layer was found to be a reasonable value, and experiments were conducted to find the best position of the EPS layer in the two-layered absorbing system. The numerical results yield useful conclusions regarding the interaction between the impacting avalanches and the two-layered absorbing system. The soil layer can absorb the shock energy effectively and S2 （0.4-m thick EPS cushion covered with soil layer） is the most efficient combination, which can reduce the impact force, compared with the other combinations.