Research on the Casting-forging Precision Forming Process of Alternator Poles

The casting-forging combined technique and the closed die forging without flash-less are both new developed material working methods. The former can not only decrease forming operations of forgings, but also increase the material utilization ratio. Therefore, it is applied to produce more complex forgings. The latter is required for forging precise parts without burrs. The alternator pole is a complex forging, which was usually produced by hot forging, upsetting-extrusion or upsetting-extrusion and bending processes. During these processes, not only the forming force is higher, but the material of burrs accounts for 30 percent or so of total required material. And burrs are difficult to remove in the sequential machining process. In accordance with defects exiting in current manufacturing of alternator poles by upsetting-extruding process, such as more material demand, higher forming force and difficulty of next machining, a casting-forging precision process of alternator poles was developed and investigated in this paper. In the process, the pole was formed by two operations. One is the pre-forming operation by casting. The other is the final forming operation by the closed precision forging process. This can not only shorten processes, decrease material and power demand, but also increase precision of forgings. First, the casting blocker was designed considering the casting process and the forging ratio and the mode of deformation. Then the die structure for closed precision forging was designed, and the closing device for forging dies with spring assemblies in order to provide the necessary closing force was also designed. Finally the forming processes was investigated by test and numerical simulation method to optimum process parameters and die structure design parameters. The result can provide basis for applying the process to manufacture poles in practice.

Experimental Study and Numerical Simulation of the Casting-Forging Complex Near Net Forming of Alternator Claw-pole

As a newly developed precision technology, casting-forging complex near net forming process is utilized to produce complex components with a short lead time, low cost and high precision, thus to accelerate the response speed of the market and enhance the competitive power of products. In this paper, the casting-forging complex near net forming process of alternator claw pole was developed and investigated with a combination of experimental and numerical simulation method. Qualified near net workpiece was manufactured, mechanical parameter and relative field information during the forming process was also obtained. While the alternator claw-pole is processed with this technology, the forming force is small, the process is short and the quality of forgings is perfect. Therefore, the complex casting-forging near net forming process of claw-pole is an energy and material saving technology, which will have a vast developing and application prospect in the future.

Research on Combined Hot Extrusion Forming Process of Alternator Poles

Based on the structure analysis of alternator poles, two closed die forging steps in one heat forming process of alternator poles were put forward, as well as the forming die system. Firstly, a thicker bottom base of alternator poles was per-formed by radial forging, then the middle boss and pole claw were forming on the bottom base by backward extrusion. A 3-D coupled thermo-mechanical finite element model was created. The billet deformation, metal flow and forming load were obtained. The results showed that a filling well forging without overlap defects could be obtained by this process, and that?the forming load at the first step increased slowly, but the load increased sharply at the second step when the middle boss was filling completely by the former process. An improved process was put forward, which changed the flow mode in the second forging step, it can considerably reduce the final forging load.

Demagnetization Research on PMs in the Halbach Magnetized Pulsed Alternator

Demagnetization behavior of Halbach magnetized compensated pulsed alternator(CPA)is studied by using finite element method(FEM)under the different demagnetization factors in this paper.The effect of armature reaction magnetic field and thermal rise on demagnetization of PMs is analyzed.This paper investigates the effect of different demagnetization factors on magnetic field distribution,load current,and no-load phase voltage.A series of dynamic demagnetization points in Halbach array permanent magnet(PM)are evaluated to search the worst working point.Partial demagnetization risk can be represented by the worst working point,and the global demagnetization of the PM is represented by the no-load phase voltage characteristics after discharge.The research results demonstrated that the compensation shield with a certain thickness can increase the discharge current and weaken the demagnetization influence of armature reaction.The demagnetization effect of armature reaction on PMs at high temperatures will be strengthened.

Improving the nutritional values of yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor(Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae as an animal feed ingredient: a review

Yellow mealworm larvae(YML;Tenebrio molitor) are considered as a valuable insect species for animal feed due to their high nutritional values and ability to grow under different substrates and rearing conditions. Advances in the understanding of entomophagy and animal nutrition over the past decades have propelled research areas toward testing multiple aspects of YML to exploit them better as animal feed sources. This review aims to summarize various approaches that could be exploited to maximize the nutritional values of YML as an animal feed ingredient. In addition, YML has the potential to be used as an antimicrobial or bioactive agent to improve animal health and immune function in production animals. The dynamics of the nutritional profile of YML can be influenced by multiple factors and should be taken into account when attempting to optimize the nutrient contents of YML as an animal feed ingredient. Specifically, the use of novel land-based and aquatic feeding resources, probiotics, and the exploitation of larval gut microbiomes as novel strategies can assist to maximize the nutritional potential of YML. Selection of relevant feed supplies, optimization of ambient conditions, the introduction of novel genetic selection procedures, and implementation of effective post-harvest processing may be required in the future to commercialize mealworm production. Furthermore, the use of appropriate agricultural practices and technological improvements within the mealworm production sector should be aimed at achieving both economic and environmental sustainability. The issues highlighted in this review could pave the way for future approaches to improve the nutritional value of YML.

Flat-type permanent magnet linear alternator:A suitable device for a free piston linear alternator

We proposed the flat-type permanent magnet linear alternator (LA) for free piston linear alternators (FPLAs) instead of the tubular one. Using the finite element method (FEM), we compare these two kinds of LAs. The FEM result shows that the flat-type permanent magnet LA has higher efficiency and larger output specific power than the tubular one, therefore more suitable for FPLAs, and that the alternator design can be optimized with respect to the permanent magnet length as well as the air gap.

Alternative splicing of the PECTINESTERASE gene encoding a cell wall-degrading enzyme affects postharvest softening in grape

The firmness of table grape berries is a crucial quality parameter. Despite extensive research on postharvest fruit softening, its precise molecular mechanisms remain elusive. To enhance our comprehension of the underlying molecular factors, we initially identified differentially expressed genes(DEGs) by comparing the transcriptomes of folic acid(FA)-treated and water-treated(CK) berries at different time points. We then analyzed the sequences to detect alternatively spliced(AS) genes associated with postharvest softening. A total of 2,559 DEGs were identified and categorized into four subclusters based on their expression patterns, with subcluster-4 genes exhibiting higher expression in the CK group compared with the FA treatment group. There were 1,045 AS-associated genes specific to FA-treated berries and 1,042 in the CK-treated berries, respectively. Gene Ontology(GO) annotation indicated that the AS-associated genes in CK-treated berries were predominantly enriched in cell wall metabolic processes,particularly cell wall degradation processes. Through a comparison between treatment-associated AS genes and subcluster-4 DEGs, we identified eight genes, including Pectinesterase 2(VvPE2, Vitvi15g00704), which encodes a cell wall-degrading enzyme and was predicted to undergo an A3SS event. The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction further confirmed the presence of a truncated transcript variant of VvPE2 in the FA-treated berries.Our study provides a comprehensive analysis of AS events in postharvest grape berries using transcriptome sequencing and underscores the pivotal role of VvPE2 during the postharvest storage of grape berries.

Inhibition of vertebrate complement system by hematophagous arthropods: inhibitory molecules, mechanisms, physiological roles, and applications

In arthropods,hematophagy has arisen several times throughout evolution.This specialized feeding behavior offered a highly nutritious diet obtained during blood feeds.On the other hand,blood-sucking arthropods must overcome problems brought on by blood intake and digestion.Host blood complement acts on the bite site and is still ac-tive after ingestion,so complement activation is a potential threat to the host's skin feed-ing environment and to the arthropod gut enterocytes.During evolution,blood-sucking arthropods have selected,either in their saliva or gut,anticomplement molecules that inac-tivate host blood complement.This review presents an overview of the complement sys-tem and discusses the arthropod's salivary and gut anticomplement molecules studied to date,exploring their mechanism of action and other aspects related to the arthropod-host-pathogen interface.The possible therapeutic applications of arthropod's anticomplement molecules arealsodiscussed.

Effect of Artificial Electric Field Surface by Wave-Driven Triboelectricity on Anti-Bioadhesion for Riser Protection

Biofouling has been a persistent problem in marine riser system, resulting in energy waste and equipment damage. Inthis study, a kind of water wave-driven contact-mode flexible triboelectric nanogeneration has been prepared byusing graphene-doped PDMS as dielectric friction material. When the graphene content is 2%, the average outputvoltage can reach 46 V under the contact frequency 10 Hz. The flexible triboelectric nanogeneration encapsulationmodule is impinged by water waves to generate alternating microelectric field on the riser surface and destroy theadhesion conditions of microorganisms during the biofilm stage. In the biofouling experiments at different stages, thebiofouling area of the platymonas subcordiformis has been reduced by 53%, 62% and 61%. It provides a new ideafor effective treatment of biofouling of mussels, oysters and barnacles attached to risers.

RNA m6A dynamic modification mediated by nucleuslocalized FTO is involved in follicular reserve

In eukaryotic organisms,the most common internal modification of messenger RNA(m RNA)is N6-methyladenosine(m6A).This modification can be dynamically and reversibly controlled by specific enzymes known as m6A writers and erasers.The fat-mass and obesity-associated protein(FTO)catalyzes RNA demethylation and plays a critical role in various physiological and pathological processes.Our research identified dynamic alterations in both m6A and FTO during the assembly of primordial follicles,with an inverse relationship observed for m6A levels and nuclear-localized FTO expression.Application of Fto small interfering RNA(si RNA)altered the expression of genes related to cell proliferation,hormone regulation,and cell chemotaxis,and affected RNA alternative splicing.Overexpression of the full-length Fto gene led to changes in m6A levels,alternative splicing of Cdk5,cell proliferation,cell cycle progression,and proportion of primordial follicles.Conversely,overexpression of Fto lacking a nuclear localization signal(NLS)did not significantly alter m6A levels or primordial follicle assembly.These findings suggest that FTO,localized in the nucleus but not in the cytoplasm,regulates RNA m6A demethylation and plays a role in cell proliferation,cell cycle progression,and primordial follicle assembly.These results highlight the potential of m6A and its eraser FTO as possible biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Alternating current heating techniques for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles:Recent advances and perspectives

The significant decrease in battery performance at low temperatures is one of the critical challenges that electric vehicles(EVs)face,thereby affecting the penetration rate in cold regions.Alternating current(AC)heating has attracted widespread attention due to its low energy consumption and uniform heating advantages.This paper introduces the recent advances in AC heating from the perspective of practical EV applications.First,the performance degradation of EVs in low-temperature environments is introduced briefly.The concept of AC heating and its research methods are provided.Then,the effects of various AC heating methods on battery heating performance are reviewed.Based on existing studies,the main factors that affect AC heating performance are analyzed.Moreover,various heating circuits based on EVs are categorized,and their cost,size,complexity,efficiency,reliability,and heating rate are elaborated and compared.The evolution of AC heaters is presented,and the heaters used in brand vehicles are sorted out.Finally,the perspectives and challenges of AC heating are discussed.This paper can guide the selection of heater implementation methods and the optimization of heating effects for future EV applications.

Pile foundation in alternate layered liquefiable and non-liquefiable soil deposits subjected to earthquake loading

Pile foundations are still the preferred foundation system for high-rise structures in earthquake-prone regions.Pile foundations have experienced failures in past earthquakes due to liquefaction.Research on pile foundations in liquefiable soils has primarily focused on the pile foundation behavior in two or three-layered soil profiles.However,in natural occurrence,it may occur in alternative layers of liquefiable and non-liquefiable soil.However,the experimental and/or numerical studies on the layered effect on pile foundations have not been widely addressed in the literature.Most of the design codes across the world do not explicitly mention the effect of sandwiched non-liquefiable soil layers on the pile response.In the present study,the behavior of an end-bearing pile in layered liquefiable and non-liquefiable soil deposit is studied numerically.This study found that the kinematic bending moment is higher and governs the design when the effect of the sandwiched non-liquefied layer is considered in the analysis as opposed to when its effect is ignored.Therefore,ignoring the effect of the sandwiched non-liquefied layer in a liquefiable soil deposit might be a nonconservative design approach.

Pig H3K4me3,H3K27ac,and gene expression profiles reveal reproductive tissue-specific activity of transposable elements

Regulatory sequences and transposable elements(TEs)account for a large proportion of the genomic sequences of species;however,their roles in gene transcription,especially tissue-specific expression,remain largely unknown.Pigs serve as an excellent animal model for studying genomic sequence biology due to the extensive diversity among their wild and domesticated populations.Here,we conducted an integrated analysis using H3K27ac ChIP-seq,H3K4me3 ChIP-seq,and RNA-seq data from 10 different tissues of seven fetuses and eight closely related adult pigs.We aimed to annotate the regulatory elements and TEs to elucidate their associations with histone modifications and mRNA expression across different tissues and developmental stages.Based on correlation analysis between mRNA expression and H3K27ac and H3K4me3 peak activity,results indicated that H3K27ac exhibited stronger associations with gene expression than H3K4me3.Furthermore,1.45%of TEs overlapped with either the H3K27ac or H3K4me3 peaks,with the majority displaying tissue-specific activity.Notably,a TE subfamily(LTR4C_SS),containing binding motifs for SIX1 and SIX4,showed specific enrichment in the H3K27ac peaks of the adult and fetal ovaries.RNA-seq analysis also revealed widespread expression of TEs in the exons or promoters of genes,including 4688 TE-containing transcripts with distinct development stage-specific and tissue-specific expression.Of note,1967 TE-containing transcripts were enriched in the testes.We identified a long terminal repeat(LTR),MLT1F1,acting as a testis-specific alternative promoter in SRPK2(a cell cycle-related protein kinase)in our pig dataset.This element was also conserved in humans and mice,suggesting either an ancient integration of TEs in genes specifically expressed in the testes or parallel evolutionary patterns.Collectively,our findings demonstrate that TEs are deeply embedded in the genome and exhibit important tissue-specific biological functions,particularly in the reproductive organs.

Wetting alternating with partial drying during grain filling increases lysine biosynthesis in inferior rice grain

Lysine content is a criterion of the nutritional quality of rice.Understanding the process of lysine biosynthesis in early-flowering superior grain(SG)and late-flowering inferior grain(IG)of rice would advance breeding and cultivation to improve nutritional quality.However,little information is available on differences in lysine anabolism between SG and IG and the underlying mechanism,and whether and how irrigation regimes affect lysine anabolism in these grains.A japonica rice cultivar was grown in the field and two irrigation regimes,continuous flooding(CF)and wetting alternating with partial drying(WAPD),were imposed from heading to the mature stage.Lysine content and activities of key enzymes of lysine biosynthesis,and levels of brassinosteroids(BRs)were lower in the IG than in the SG at the early grainfilling stage but higher at middle and late grain-filling stages.WAPD increased activities of these key enzymes,BR levels,and contents of lysine and total amino acids in IG,but not SG relative to CF.Application of 2,4-epibrassinolide to rice panicles in CF during early grain filling reproduced the effects of WAPD,but neither treatment altered the activities of enzymes responsible for lysine catabolism in either SG or IG.WAPD and elevated BR levels during grain filling increased lysine biosynthesis in IG.Improvement in lysine biosynthesis in rice should focus on IG.

A Neural-network-based Alternative Scheme to Include Nonhydrostatic Processes in an Atmospheric Dynamical Core

Here,a nonhydrostatic alternative scheme(NAS)is proposed for the grey zone where the nonhydrostatic impact on the atmosphere is evident but not large enough to justify the necessity to include an implicit nonhydrostatic solver in an atmospheric dynamical core.The NAS is designed to replace this solver,which can be incorporated into any hydrostatic models so that existing well-developed hydrostatic models can effectively serve for a longer time.Recent advances in machine learning(ML)provide a potential tool for capturing the main complicated nonlinear-nonhydrostatic relationship.In this study,an ML approach called a neural network(NN)was adopted to select leading input features and develop the NAS.The NNs were trained and evaluated with 12-day simulation results of dry baroclinic-wave tests by the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF)model.The forward time difference of the nonhydrostatic tendency was used as the target variable,and the five selected features were the nonhydrostatic tendency at the last time step,and four hydrostatic variables at the current step including geopotential height,pressure in two different forms,and potential temperature,respectively.Finally,a practical NAS was developed with these features and trained layer by layer at a 20-km horizontal resolution,which can accurately reproduce the temporal variation and vertical distribution of the nonhydrostatic tendency.Corrected by the NN-based NAS,the improved hydrostatic solver at different horizontal resolutions can run stably for at least one month and effectively reduce most of the nonhydrostatic errors in terms of system bias,anomaly root-mean-square error,and the error of the wave spatial pattern,which proves the feasibility and superiority of this scheme.

Alternate cotton-peanut intercropping:a new approach to increasing productivity and minimizing environmental impact

Recent publications have highlighted the development of an alternate cotton-peanut intercropping as a novel strat-egy to enhance agricultural productivity.In this article,we provide an overview of the progress made in the alternate cotton-peanut intercropping,specifically focusing on its yield benefits,environmental impacts,and the underlying mechanisms.In addition,we advocate for future investigations into the selection or development of appropriate crop varieties and agricultural equipment,pest management options,and the mechanisms of root-canopy interactions.This review is intended to provide a valuable reference for understanding and adopting an alternate intercropping system for sustainable cotton production.

Impact Force Localization and Reconstruction via ADMM-based Sparse Regularization Method

In practice,simultaneous impact localization and time history reconstruction can hardly be achieved,due to the illposed and under-determined problems induced by the constrained and harsh measuring conditions.Although l_(1) regularization can be used to obtain sparse solutions,it tends to underestimate solution amplitudes as a biased estimator.To address this issue,a novel impact force identification method with l_(p) regularization is proposed in this paper,using the alternating direction method of multipliers(ADMM).By decomposing the complex primal problem into sub-problems solvable in parallel via proximal operators,ADMM can address the challenge effectively.To mitigate the sensitivity to regularization parameters,an adaptive regularization parameter is derived based on the K-sparsity strategy.Then,an ADMM-based sparse regularization method is developed,which is capable of handling l_(p) regularization with arbitrary p values using adaptively-updated parameters.The effectiveness and performance of the proposed method are validated on an aircraft skin-like composite structure.Additionally,an investigation into the optimal p value for achieving high-accuracy solutions via l_(p) regularization is conducted.It turns out that l_(0.6)regularization consistently yields sparser and more accurate solutions for impact force identification compared to the classic l_(1) regularization method.The impact force identification method proposed in this paper can simultaneously reconstruct impact time history with high accuracy and accurately localize the impact using an under-determined sensor configuration.

Improved genome annotation of Brassica oleracea highlights the importance of alternative splicing

Brassica oleracea has been developed into many important crops,including cabbage,kale,cauliflower,broccoli and so on.The genome and gene annotation of cabbage(cultivar JZS),a representative morphotype of B.oleracea,has been widely used as a common reference in biological research.Although its genome assembly has been updated twice,the current gene annotation still lacks information on untranslated regions(UTRs)and alternative splicing(AS).Here,we constructed a high-quality gene annotation(JZSv3)using a full-length transcriptome acquired by nanopore sequencing,yielding a total of 59452 genes and 75684 transcripts.Additionally,we re-analyzed the previously reported transcriptome data related to the development of different tissues and cold response using JZSv3 as a reference,and found that 3843 out of 11908 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)underwent AS during the development of different tissues and 309 out of 903 cold-related genes underwent AS in response to cold stress.Meanwhile,we also identified many AS genes,including BolLHCB5 and BolHSP70,that displayed distinct expression patterns within variant transcripts of the same gene,highlighting the importance of JZSv3 as a pivotal reference for AS analysis.Overall,JZSv3 provides a valuable resource for exploring gene function,especially for obtaining a deeper understanding of AS regulation mechanisms.

Suppression of stimulated Brillouin and Raman scatterings using an alternating frequency laser and transverse magnetic fields

A novel scheme to suppress both stimulated Brillouin scattering(SBS) and stimulated Raman scattering(SRS) by combining an alternating frequency(AF) laser and a transverse magnetic field is proposed. The AF laser allows the laser frequency to change discretely and alternately over time. The suppression of SBS is significant as long as the AF difference is greater than the linear growth rate of SBS or the alternating time of the laser frequency is shorter than the linear growth time of SBS. However, the AF laser proves ineffective in suppressing SRS, which usually has a much higher linear growth rate than SBS. To remedy that, a transverse magnetic field is included to suppress the SRS instability. The electrons trapped in the electron plasma waves(EPWs) of SRS can be accelerated by the surfatron mechanism in a transverse magnetic field and eventually detrapped. While continuously extracting energy from EPWs, the EPWs are dissipated and the kinetic inflation of SRS is suppressed. The one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation results show that both SBS and SRS can be effectively suppressed by combining the AF laser with a transverse magnetic field with tens of Tesla. The total reflectivity can be dramatically reduced by more than one order of magnitude. These results provide a potential reference for controlling SBS and SRS under the related parameters of inertial confinement fusion.

Diagnosing ratio of electron density to collision frequency of plasma surrounding scaled model in a shock tube using low-frequency alternating magnetic field phase shift

A non-contact low-frequency(LF)method of diagnosing the plasma surrounding a scaled model in a shock tube is proposed.This method utilizes the phase shift occurring after the transmission of an LF alternating magnetic field through the plasma to directly measure the ratio of the plasma loop average electron density to collision frequency.An equivalent circuit model is used to analyze the relationship of the phase shift of the magnetic field component of LF electromagnetic waves with the plasma electron density and collision frequency.The applicable range of the LF method on a given plasma scale is analyzed.The upper diagnostic limit for the ratio of the electron density(unit:m^(-3))to collision frequency(unit:Hz)exceeds 1×10^(11),enabling an electron density to exceed 1×10^(20)m^(-3)and a collision frequency to be less than 1 GHz.In this work,the feasibility of using the LF phase shift to implement the plasma diagnosis is also assessed.Diagnosis experiments on shock tube equipment are conducted by using both the electrostatic probe method and LF method.By comparing the diagnostic results of the two methods,the inversion results are relatively consistent with each other,thereby preliminarily verifying the feasibility of the LF method.The ratio of the electron density to the collision frequency has a relatively uniform distribution during the plasma stabilization.The LF diagnostic path is a loop around the model,which is suitable for diagnosing the plasma that surrounds the model.Finally,the causes of diagnostic discrepancy between the two methods are analyzed.The proposed method provides a new avenue for diagnosing high-density enveloping plasma.