Oscillation properties of eigenfunctions for Sturm-Liouville problems with interface conditions via Prufer transformation

A class of Sturm-Liouville problems with discontinuity is studied in this paper.The oscillation properties of eigenfunctions for Sturm-Liouville problems with interface conditions are obtained.The main method used in this paper is based on Prufer transformation,which is different from the classical ones.Moreover,we give two examples to verify our main results.

Role of outdoor trees on pedestrian wind and thermal conditions around a pre-education building for sustainable energy management

Finding sustainable energy resources is essential to face the increasing energy demand.Trees are an important part of ancient architecture but are becoming rare in urban areas.Trees can control and tune the pedestrian-level wind velocity and thermal condition.In this study,a numerical investigation is employed to assess the role of trees planted in the windward direction of the building complex on the thermal and pedestrian wind velocity conditions around/inside a pre-education building located in the center of the complex.Compared to the previous studies(which considered only outside buildings),this work considers the effects of trees on microclimate change both inside/outside buildings.Effects of different parameters including the leaf area density and number of trees,number of rows,far-field velocity magnitude,and thermal condition around the main building are assessed.The results show that the flow velocity in the spacing between the first-row buildings is reduced by 30%-40% when the one-row trees with 2 m height are planted 15 m farther than the buildings.Furthermore,two rows of trees are more effective in higher velocities and reduce the maximum velocity by about 50%.The investigation shows that trees also could reduce the temperature by about 1℃around the building.

Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Surface Quality of Wood from Bosnia and Herzegovina Exposed to Outdoor Conditions

This study investigated the mechanical properties of beech(Fagus sylvatica L.)and fir(Abies alba)wood from Bosnia and Herzegovina under outdoor exposure.Samples were exposed for 3-month exposure to assess bending strength,color changes,and surface quality.Results showed outdoor exposure negatively affected mechanical properties,particularly in samples with extended finger joints,causing significant surface cracks in uncoated samples.Beech wood exhibited notable color changes under exposure,with approximately 50%darkening without coating compared to 25%under covered conditions.Coated samples displayed minimal color changes,affirming the efficacy of surface treatment.Fir wood exhibited a roughness of 8.264μm,while beechwood average roughness increased from 6.767 to 13.916μm after exposure,with micro-pore development affecting water performance.Microscopic analysis identified prevalent fungal colonies,including Penicillium,Aureobasidium,Sclerophoma,and Chaetomium,underscoring their role in organic matter decomposition.This study highlights the importance of wood exposure and treatment selection for various applications.

Effects of Initial and Boundary Conditions on Heavy Rainfall Simulation over the Yellow Sea and the Korean Peninsula:Comparison of ECMWF and NCEP Analysis Data Effects and Verification with Dropsonde Observation

This study evaluated the simulation performance of mesoscale convective system(MCS)-induced precipitation,focusing on three selected cases that originated from the Yellow Sea and propagated toward the Korean Peninsula.The evaluation was conducted for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF)and National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)analysis data,as well as the simulation result using them as initial and lateral boundary conditions for the Weather Research and Forecasting model.Particularly,temperature and humidity profiles from 3D dropsonde observations from the National Center for Meteorological Science of the Korea Meteorological Administration served as validation data.Results showed that the ECMWF analysis consistently had smaller errors compared to the NCEP analysis,which exhibited a cold and dry bias in the lower levels below 850 hPa.The model,in terms of the precipitation simulations,particularly for high-intensity precipitation over the Yellow Sea,demonstrated higher accuracy when applying ECMWF analysis data as the initial condition.This advantage also positively influenced the simulation of rainfall events on the Korean Peninsula by reasonably inducing convective-favorable thermodynamic features(i.e.,warm and humid lower-level atmosphere)over the Yellow Sea.In conclusion,this study provides specific information about two global analysis datasets and their impacts on MCS-induced heavy rainfall simulation by employing dropsonde observation data.Furthermore,it suggests the need to enhance the initial field for MCS-induced heavy rainfall simulation and the applicability of assimilating dropsonde data for this purpose in the future.

Conditional Generative Adversarial Network Enabled Localized Stress Recovery of Periodic Composites

Structural damage in heterogeneousmaterials typically originates frommicrostructures where stress concentration occurs.Therefore,evaluating the magnitude and location of localized stress distributions within microstructures under external loading is crucial.Repeating unit cells(RUCs)are commonly used to represent microstructural details and homogenize the effective response of composites.This work develops a machine learning-based micromechanics tool to accurately predict the stress distributions of extracted RUCs.The locally exact homogenization theory efficiently generates the microstructural stresses of RUCs with a wide range of parameters,including volume fraction,fiber/matrix property ratio,fiber shapes,and loading direction.Subsequently,the conditional generative adversarial network(cGAN)is employed and constructed as a surrogate model to establish the statistical correlation between these parameters and the corresponding localized stresses.The stresses predicted by cGAN are validated against the remaining true data not used for training,showing good agreement.This work demonstrates that the cGAN-based micromechanics tool effectively captures the local responses of composite RUCs.It can be used for predicting potential crack initiations starting from microstructures and evaluating the effective behavior of periodic composites.

Improving autoencoder-based unsupervised damage detection in uncontrolled structural health monitoring under noisy conditions

Structural health monitoring is widely utilized in outdoor environments,especially under harsh conditions,which can introduce noise into the monitoring system.Therefore,designing an effective denoising strategy to enhance the performance of guided wave damage detection in noisy environments is crucial.This paper introduces a local temporal principal component analysis(PCA)reconstruction approach for denoising guided waves prior to implementing unsupervised damage detection,achieved through novel autoencoder-based reconstruction.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed denoising method significantly enhances damage detection performance when guided waves are contaminated by noise,with SNR values ranging from 10 to-5 dB.Following the implementation of the proposed denoising approach,the AUC score can elevate from 0.65 to 0.96 when dealing with guided waves corrputed by noise at a level of-5 dB.Additionally,the paper provides guidance on selecting the appropriate number of components used in the denoising PCA reconstruction,aiding in the optimization of the damage detection in noisy conditions.

Impact of Initial Soil Conditions on Soil Hydrothermal and Surface Energy Fluxes in the Permafrost Region of the Tibetan Plateau

Accurate initial soil conditions play a crucial role in simulating soil hydrothermal and surface energy fluxes in land surface process modeling.This study emphasized the influence of the initial soil temperature(ST)and soil moisture(SM)conditions on a land surface energy and water simulation in the permafrost region in the Tibetan Plateau(TP)using the Community Land Model version 5.0(CLM5.0).The results indicate that the default initial schemes for ST and SM in CLM5.0 were simplistic,and inaccurately represented the soil characteristics of permafrost in the TP which led to underestimating ST during the freezing period while overestimating ST and underestimating SLW during the thawing period at the XDT site.Applying the long-term spin-up method to obtain initial soil conditions has only led to limited improvement in simulating soil hydrothermal and surface energy fluxes.The modified initial soil schemes proposed in this study comprehensively incorporate the characteristics of permafrost,which coexists with soil liquid water(SLW),and soil ice(SI)when the ST is below freezing temperature,effectively enhancing the accuracy of the simulated soil hydrothermal and surface energy fluxes.Consequently,the modified initial soil schemes greatly improved upon the results achieved through the long-term spin-up method.Three modified initial soil schemes experiments resulted in a 64%,88%,and 77%reduction in the average mean bias error(MBE)of ST,and a 13%,21%,and 19%reduction in the average root-mean-square error(RMSE)of SLW compared to the default simulation results.Also,the average MBE of net radiation was reduced by 7%,22%,and 21%.

Dynamics of fundamental and double-pole breathers and solitons for a nonlinear Schr¨odinger equation with sextic operator under non-zero boundary conditions

We study the dynamics of fundamental and double-pole breathers and solitons for the focusing and defocusing nonlinearSchr¨odinger equation with the sextic operator under non-zero boundary conditions. Our analysis mainly focuses onthe dynamical properties of simple- and double-pole solutions. Firstly, through verification, we find that solutions undernon-zero boundary conditions can be transformed into solutions under zero boundary conditions, whether in simple-pole ordouble-pole cases. For the focusing case, in the investigation of simple-pole solutions, temporal periodic breather and thespatial-temporal periodic breather are obtained by modulating parameters. Additionally, in the case of multi-pole solitons,we analyze parallel-state solitons, bound-state solitons, and intersecting solitons, providing a brief analysis of their interactions.In the double-pole case, we observe that the two solitons undergo two interactions, resulting in a distinctive “triangle”crest. Furthermore, for the defocusing case, we briefly consider two situations of simple-pole solutions, obtaining one andtwo dark solitons.

Existence of Entropy Solution for Degenerate Parabolic-Hyperbolic Problem Involving p(x)-Laplacian with Neumann Boundary Condition

We consider a strongly non-linear degenerate parabolic-hyperbolic problem with p(x)-Laplacian diffusion flux function. We propose an entropy formulation and prove the existence of an entropy solution.

Inverse Spectral Problem for Sturm-Liouville Operator with Boundary and Jump Conditions Dependent on the Spectral Parameter

In this paper, the inverse spectral problem of Sturm-Liouville operator with boundary conditions and jump conditions dependent on the spectral parameter is investigated. Firstly, the self-adjointness of the problem and the eigenvalue properties are given, then the asymptotic formulas of eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are presented. Finally, the uniqueness theorems of the corresponding inverse problems are given by Weyl function theory and inverse spectral data approach.

Operating Parameters of the District Heating Substation Cooperating With the Installation of Technological Air Conditioning With High Efficiency of Heat Recovery

The article analyses the problem of determining the operating parameters of the district heating substation cooperating with the air heating system in technological air conditioning systems equipped with heat exchangers with high efficiency of heat recovery.Attention was paid to the correct selection of heat exchangers for the heat output balance depending on the heat recovery protection algorithms against a drop in the temperature of the heat transfer surface below 0℃.Critical parameters were determined in Polish climatic conditions,at which the operation of the heat recovery exchanger in the air conditioning system is switched off or limited.It has been proven that the proper functioning of the district heating substation cooperating with the installation of air conditioning with high heat recovery efficiency requires the use of two heat exchangers with different characteristics,equipped with properly selected temperature control systems.The optimal model of cooperation between the technological air conditioning system and the heating substation was also indicated.

Conditioned medium from human dental pulp stem cells treats spinal cord injury by inhibiting microglial pyroptosis

Human dental pulp stem cell transplantation has been shown to be an effective therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury.However,whether the human dental pulp stem cell secretome can contribute to functional recovery after spinal cord injury remains unclear.In the present study,we established a rat model of spinal cord injury based on impact injury from a dropped weight and then intraperitoneally injected the rats with conditioned medium from human dental pulp stem cells.We found that the conditioned medium effectively promoted the recovery of sensory and motor functions in rats with spinal cord injury,decreased expression of the microglial pyroptosis markers NLRP3,GSDMD,caspase-1,and interleukin-1β,promoted axonal and myelin regeneration,and inhibited the formation of glial scars.In addition,in a lipopolysaccharide-induced BV2 microglia model,conditioned medium from human dental pulp stem cells protected cells from pyroptosis by inhibiting the NLRP3/caspase-1/interleukin-1βpathway.These results indicate that conditioned medium from human dental pulp stem cells can reduce microglial pyroptosis by inhibiting the NLRP3/caspase-1/interleukin-1βpathway,thereby promoting the recovery of neurological function after spinal cord injury.Therefore,conditioned medium from human dental pulp stem cells may become an alternative therapy for spinal cord injury.

Design and high-power testing of offline conditioning cavity for CiADS RFQ high-power coupler

To validate the design rationality of the power coupler for the RFQ cavity and minimize cavity contamination,we designed a low-loss offline conditioning cavity and conducted high-power testing.This offline cavity features two coupling ports and two tuners,operating at a frequency of 162.5 MHz with a tuning range of 3.2 MHz.Adjusting the installation angle of the coupling ring and the insertion depth of the tuner helps minimize cavity losses.We performed electromagnetic structural and multiphysics simulations,revealing a minimal theoretical power loss of 4.3%.However,when the cavity frequency varied by110 kHz,theoretical power losses increased to10%,necessitating constant tuner adjustments during conditioning.Multiphysics simulations indicated that increased cavity temperature did not affect frequency variation.Upon completion of the offline high-power conditioning platform,we measured the transmission performance,revealing a power loss of 6.3%,exceeding the theoretical calculation.Conditioning utilized efficient automatic range scanning and standing wave resonant methods.To fully condition the power coupler,a 15°phase difference between two standing wave points in the condition-ing system was necessary.Notably,the maximum continuous wave power surpassed 20 kW,exceeding the expected target.

Enhancing Erectile Function and Alleviating Andropause Symptoms: Clinical Efficacy of a Human Stem Cell Conditioned Medium Cream

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is increasingly prevalent in Japan, exceeding 30%, and increasing with age. Unhealthy lifestyle habits, obesity, insufficient exercise, and smoking have been implicated in its pathogenesis, along with endothelial dysfunction of the corpora cavernosa and impaired blood flow to the penis considered underlying factors. However, the current treatments are limited to Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors. ED is the primary symptom of andropathy. This study reports the clinical efficacy of human stem cell-conditioned medium cream for ED treatment. Ten men without underlying diseases suspected of andropause with ED (mean age 43.2 ± 4.4 y, Hb 15.2 ± 0.6 gm/dL, AST/ALT 30.2/37.9 ± 12.4/14.0, eGFR 82.7 ± 12.4 mL/min/1.73 m2) were targeted. The cream was applied twice daily to the genital and scrotal areas. The erectile hardness score (EHS), International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), and Aging Male Symptoms (AMS) scale were used to evaluate the participants before and 30 days after use, and the results were compared using paired t-tests. The post-use qualitative opinions were collected through interviews. Significant improvements were observed compared to baseline in the IIEF-5 (11.8 ± 4.6→17.2 ± 5.1, P < 0.001), and AMS (46.3 ± 6.7→37.6 ± 5.3, P < 0.001) scores post cream use. EHS did not show a statistically significant difference, but a trend towards improvement was observed. Qualitative feedback included increased morning erection, improved maintenance of erection during intercourse, and reduced post work fatigue. Human stem cell-conditioned medium contains endothelial growth factors that potentially contribute to the improvement of ED and andropause by enhancing corporal endothelial function. Future studies should include control groups to further investigate the efficacy of these treatments.

Multi-soliton solutions of coupled Lakshmanan-Porsezian-Daniel equations with variable coefficients under nonzero boundary conditions

This paper aims to investigate the multi-soliton solutions of the coupled Lakshmanan–Porsezian–Daniel equations with variable coefficients under nonzero boundary conditions.These equations are utilized to model the phenomenon of nonlinear waves propagating simultaneously in non-uniform optical fibers.By analyzing the Lax pair and the Riemann–Hilbert problem,we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics and interactions of solitons of this system.Furthermore,we study the impacts of group velocity dispersion or the fourth-order dispersion on soliton behaviors.Through appropriate parameter selections,we observe various nonlinear phenomena,including the disappearance of solitons after interaction and their transformation into breather-like solitons,as well as the propagation of breathers with variable periodicity and interactions between solitons with variable periodicities.

Application of the Conditional Nonlinear Local Lyapunov Exponent to Second-Kind Predictability

In order to quantify the influence of external forcings on the predictability limit using observational data,the author introduced an algorithm of the conditional nonlinear local Lyapunov exponent(CNLLE)method.The effectiveness of this algorithm is validated and compared with the nonlinear local Lyapunov exponent(NLLE)and signal-to-noise ratio methods using a coupled Lorenz model.The results show that the CNLLE method is able to capture the slow error growth constrained by external forcings,therefore,it can quantify the predictability limit induced by the external forcings.On this basis,a preliminary attempt was made to apply this method to measure the influence of ENSO on the predictability limit for both atmospheric and oceanic variable fields.The spatial distribution of the predictability limit induced by ENSO is similar to that arising from the initial conditions calculated by the NLLE method.This similarity supports ENSO as the major predictable signal for weather and climate prediction.In addition,a ratio of predictability limit(RPL)calculated by the CNLLE method to that calculated by the NLLE method was proposed.The RPL larger than 1 indicates that the external forcings can significantly benefit the long-term predictability limit.For instance,ENSO can effectively extend the predictability limit arising from the initial conditions of sea surface temperature over the tropical Indian Ocean by approximately four months,as well as the predictability limit of sea level pressure over the eastern and western Pacific Ocean.Moreover,the impact of ENSO on the geopotential height predictability limit is primarily confined to the troposphere.

Research on shell-side heat and mass transfer with multi-component in LNG spiral-wound heat exchanger under sloshing conditions

The spiral-wound heat exchanger(SWHE) is the primary low-temperature heat exchanger for large-scale LNG plants due to its high-pressure resistance, compact structure, and high heat exchange efficiency. This paper studied the shell-side heat and mass transfer characteristics of vapor-liquid two-phase mixed refrigerants in an SWHE by combining a multi-component model in FLUENT software with a customized multicomponent mass transfer model. Besides, the mathematical model under the sloshing condition was obtained through mathematical derivation, and the corresponding UDF code was loaded into FLUENT as the momentum source term. The results under the sloshing conditions were compared with the relevant parameters under the steady-state condition. The shell-side heat and mass transfer characteristics of the SWHE were investigated by adjusting the component ratio and other working conditions. It was found that the sloshing conditions enhance the heat transfer performance and sometimes have insignificant effects. The sloshing condition is beneficial to reduce the flow resistance. The comprehensive performance of multi-component refrigerants has been improved and the improvement is more significant under sloshing conditions, considering both the heat transfer and pressure drop.These results will provide theoretical support for the research and design of multi-component heat and mass transfer enhancement of LNG SWHE under ocean sloshing conditions.

Debaryomyces hansenii supplementation in low fish meal diets promotes growth,modulates microbiota and enhances intestinal condition in juvenile marine fish

Background The development of a sustainable business model with social acceptance,makes necessary to develop new strategies to guarantee the growth,health,and well-being of farmed animals.Debaryomyces hansenii is a yeast species that can be used as a probiotic in aquaculture due to its capacity to i)promote cell proliferation and differen-tiation,ii)have immunostimulatory effects,iii)modulate gut microbiota,and/or iv)enhance the digestive function.To provide inside into the effects of D.hansenii on juveniles of gilthead seabream(Sparus aurata)condition,we inte-grated the evaluation of the main key performance indicators coupled with the integrative analysis of the intestine condition,through histological and microbiota state,and its transcriptomic profiling.Results After 70 days of a nutritional trial in which a diet with low levels of fishmeal(7%)was supplemented with 1.1%of D.hansenii(17.2×10^(5) CFU),an increase of ca.12%in somatic growth was observed together with an improve-ment in feed conversion in fish fed a yeast-supplemented diet.In terms of intestinal condition,this probiotic modu-lated gut microbiota without affecting the intestine cell organization,whereas an increase in the staining intensity of mucins rich in carboxylated and weakly sulphated glycoconjugates coupled with changes in the affinity for certain lectins were noted in goblet cells.Changes in microbiota were characterized by the reduction in abundance of several groups of Proteobacteria,especially those characterized as opportunistic groups.The microarrays-based transcrip-tomic analysis found 232 differential expressed genes in the anterior-mid intestine of S.aurata,that were mostly related to metabolic,antioxidant,immune,and symbiotic processes.Conclusions Dietary administration of D.hansenii enhanced somatic growth and improved feed efficiency param-eters,results that were coupled to an improvement of intestinal condition as histochemical and transcriptomic tools indicated.This probiotic yeast stimulated host-microbiota interactions without altering the intestinal cell organization nor generating dysbiosis,which demonstrated its safety as a feed additive.At the transcriptomic level,D.hansenii pro-moted metabolic pathways,mainly protein-related,sphingolipid,and thymidylate pathways,in addition to enhance antioxidant-related intestinal mechanisms,and to regulate sentinel immune processes,potentiating the defensive capacity meanwhile maintaining the homeostatic status of the intestine.

Liquid Metal-Based Self-Healable and Elastic Conductive Fiber in Complex Operating Conditions

Flexible conductive fibers are essential for wearable electronics and smart electronic textiles.However,in complex operating conditions,conductive fibers will inevitably fracture or damage.Herein,we have developed an elastic conductive self-healable fiber(C-SHF),of which the electrical and mechanical properties can efficiently heal in a wide operating range,including room temperature,underwater,and low temperature.This advantage can be owed to the combination of reversible covalent imine bond and disulfide bond,as well as the instantaneous self-healing ability of liquid metal.The C-SHF,with stretchability,conductivity stability,and universal self-healing properties,can be used as an electrical signal transmission line at high strain and under different operating conditions.Besides,C-SHF was assembled into a double-layer capacitor structure to construct a self-healable sensor,which can effectively respond to pressure as a wearable motion detector.

Impact of wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions on the soil aggregate stability of yellow‒brown soil

Soil aggregate is the basic structural unit of soil,which is the foundation for supporting ecosystem functions,while its composition and stability is significantly affected by the external environment.This study was conducted to explore the effect of external environment(wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions)on the soil aggregate distribution and stability and identify the key soil physicochemical factors that affect the soil aggregate stability.The yellow‒brown soil from the Three Gorges Reservoir area(TGRA)was used,and 8 wetting-drying conditions(0,1,2,3,4,5,10 and 15 cycles)were simulated under 4 acidic conditions(pH=3,4,5 and 7).The particle size distribution and soil aggregate stability were determined by wet sieving method,the contribution of environmental factors(acid condition,wetting-drying cycle and their combined action)to the soil aggregate stability was clarified and the key soil physicochemical factors that affect the soil aggregate stability under wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions were determined by using the Pearson’s correlation analysis,Partial least squares path modeling(PLS‒PM)and multiple linear regression analysis.The results indicate that wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions have significant effects on the stability of soil aggregates,the soil aggregate stability gradually decreases with increasing number of wetting-drying cycles and it obviously decreases with the increase of acidity.Moreover,the combination of wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions aggravate the reduction in the soil aggregate stability.The wetting-drying cycles,acidic conditions and their combined effect imposes significant impact on the soil aggregate stability,and the wetting-drying cycles exert the greatest influence.The soil aggregate stability is significantly correlated with the pH,Ca^(2+),Mg^(2+),maximum disintegration index(MDI)and soil bulk density(SBD).The PLS‒PM and multiple linear regression analysis further reveal that the soil aggregate stability is primarily influenced by SBD,Ca^(2+),and MDI.These results offer a scientific basis for understanding the soil aggregate breakdown mechanism and are helpful for clarifying the coupled effect of wetting-drying cycles and acid rain on terrestrial ecosystems in the TGRA.