A novel mitigation measure for normal fault-induced deformations on pile-raft systems

Evidence from recent earthquakes has shown destructive consequences of fault-induced permanent ground movement on structures.Such observations have increased the demand for improvements in the design of structures that are dramatically vulnerable to surface fault ruptures.In this study a novel connection between the raft and the piles is proposed to mitigate the hazards associated with a normal fault on pile-raft systems by means of 3D finite element(FE)modeling.Before embarking on the parametric study,the strain-softening constitutive law used for numerical modeling of the sand has been validated against centrifuge test results.The exact location of the fix-head and unconnected pile-raft systems relative to the outcropping fault rupture in the free-field is parametrically investigated,revealing different failure mechanisms.The performance of the proposed connection for protecting the pile-raft system against normal fault-induced deformations is assessed by comparing the geotechnical and structural responses of both types of foundation.The results indicate that the pocket connection can relatively reduce the cap rotation and horizontal and vertical displacements of the raft in most scenarios.The proposed connection decreases the bending moment response of the piles to their bending moment capacity,verging on a fault offset of 0.6 m at bedrock.

Connecting the World for a Shared Future

The first China International Supply Chain Expo provided a perfect platform for strengthening the safety and stability of global industrial and supply chains.THE first China International Supply Chain Expo(CISCE)themed“connecting the world for a shared future”kicked off in Beijing on November 28,2023.The world’s first national-level exhibition with supply chains as its theme,the expo was divided into five areas representing five major supply chains and related services-smart vehicles,green agriculture,clean energy,digital technology,and healthy life.It also had a supply chain service exhibition area.

Case Report: Rhupus (The Association of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Rheumatoid Arthritis): About 2 Cases

Introduction: The association of systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis (rhupus) is a rare clinical condition. Throughout the world, 287 cases of Rhupus have been described. We report two new observations of two patients who presented predominantly distal erosive polyarthritis with positive anti-Sm antibodies in one case and SmRNP in the other case. Observations: Case 1: 37 years old patient, with a recent diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. She has since 8 months an inflammatory, bilaterally and symmetrical polyarthralgia without deformation or ankylosing synovitis, associated with malar erythema without other abnormalities. Immunological tests showed: positive Rheumatoid factor at 158 IU/ml, positive Anti-CCP at 550 IU/ml, and positivity of antinuclear at 1/1280 nuclear fluorescence with a strong presence of anti-Sm >8 IU/ml. The diagnosis of rhupus was concluded, without serious visceral involvement. Case 2: A 28-year-old patient, married with 3 children, with bilateral, symmetrical, deforming and chronic polyarthritis affecting large and small joints, which had been evolving for over 5 years without cutaneous abnormality associated. Paraclinical investigations showed: a biological inflammatory syndrome. Immunology was positive, with rheumatoid factors at 78 IU/ml, anti-CCP at 561 IU/ml, antinuclear antibodies at 1/1280 with positive anti-SmRNP and anti-SSA/Ro52, and a positive direct Coombs test. Joint ultrasound revealed tenosynovitis of the extensors and common flexors of the fingers, erosions and synovitis of multiple PPIs. The diagnosis of rhupus was based on the presence of 10 ACR criteria for RA and 8 ACR/EULAR 2019 criteria for SLE. Conclusion: Rheumatoid arthritis is a rare autoimmune disease combining features of both systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis in the same patient, often sequentially. Despite a growing number of case reports and series, a consensus on the classification of SLE arthritis is still lacking, and diagnostic criteria for rhupus do not exist. These cases of rhupus must be recognized, as the vital and/or functional prognosis may be different from SLE alone or isolated RA.

Research on Supply Chain Operation of Connecting Agriculture with Supermarkets Based on Agricultural Brokers System

On the basis of expounding the research results of using relevant knowledge about Game Theory for supply chain of agricultural products at home and abroad,we use principal-agent model in Game Theory to research the new function that the supermarkets entrust supervision and control over quality of agricultural products to agricultural brokers in the circulation model of connecting agriculture with supermarkets;then design the optimal incentive contract and influencing factors between agricultural broker and supermarket,and explain the fundamental role of agricultural brokers in the process of circulation;finally in light of the role of government in promoting development and application of agricultural brokers,put forward corresponding policy suggestions:establish government support policy;set relevant standard of industry;establish cooperative organizations of agricultural brokers.

Study on CAD/CAE System of Engine Connecting Rod

The intensive competition of automotive market requ ir es shortening the product development circle and improving the product quality. Many of auto manufacturers in china have introduced some CAD/CAE/CAM systems in product development process, and have got some success. But the special and effi cient CAD system aimed at particular product is absent. This paper provides a CA D/CAE system that can realize the integration of CAD and CAE process for engine connecting rod development. The paper discusses some general methods in connecting rod design process, and s ums up structure characteristics of connecting rod. It introduces feature defini tion and feature classification facing connecting rod CAD/CAE system. Based on t he study of the feature technology and the feature of connecting rod, it creates the feature information model and feature database of engine connecting rod . In addition, it creates the parametric model of engine connection rod and real izes variable parametric design and variable structure design. With the help of Pro/Toolkit and Using C++ program to call the user ’s toolbox of Pro/ Engineer software system, the connecting rod CAD/CAE syst em can create connecting rod model automatically to meet the needs of different structure and different type of connecting rod. Based on Pro/Mechanica platform of PTC, the system can implements the Finite Ele ment Analysis and optimization of the connecting rod. Because using the same database in design and analysis, no data lost and no error occurs during da ta transforming. Using the connecting rod CAD/CAE system, the connecting rod can be meshed automatically and the FEA result can be achieved very fast and is very similar to the experiment. In a word, the connecting rod CAD/CAE system developed in this paper can optimiz e the product development process, realize the data share and concurrent enginee ring in the product design and analysis process, shorten the product develop ment circle, and improve the efficiency.

Connecting tradition with modernity: Safety literature review

Road safety has long been considered as one of the most important issues.Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate crashes with significant progress,whereas most of the work concentrates on the lifespan period of roadways and safety influencing factors.This paper undertakes a systematic literature review from the crash procedure to identify the state-of-the-art knowledge,advantages and disadvantages of crash risk,crash prediction,crash prevention and safety of connected and autonomous vehicles(CAVs).As a result of this literature review,substantive issues in general,data source and modeling selection are discussed,and the outcome of this study aims to provide the summary of crash knowledge with potential insight into both traditional and emerging aspects,and guide the future research direction in safety.

Simulation analysis of wear characteristics of connecting rod bearing bush based on improved mixed lubrication model

The failure rate of crankpin bearing bush of diesel engine under complex working conditions such as high temperature,dynamic load and variable speed is high.After serious wear,it is easy to deteriorate the stress state of connecting rod body and connecting rod bolt,resulting in serious accidents such as connecting rod fracture and body damage.Based on the mixed lubrication characteristics of connecting rod big endbearing shell of diesel engine under high explosion pressure impact load,an improved mixed lubrication mechanism model is established,which considers the influence of viscoelastic micro deformation of bearing bush material,integrates the full film lubrication model and dry friction model,couples dynamic equation of connecting rod.Then the actual lubrication state of big end bearing shell is simulated numerically.Further,the correctness of the theoretical research results is verified by fault simulation experiments.The results show that the high-frequency impact signal with fixed angle domain characteristics will be generated after the serious wear of bearing bush and the deterioration of lubrication state.The fault feature capture and alarm can be realized through the condition monitoring system,which can be applied to the fault monitoring of connecting rod bearing bush of diesel engine in the future.

Long-Term Outcomes of Systemic-to-Pulmonary Artery Shunt in Patients with Functional Single Ventricle and Heterotaxy Syndrome

Objectives: We sought to determine the long-term outcomes and mortality-associated factors after systemic-topulmonaryartery shunt (SPS) in patients with heterotaxy syndrome. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed allpatients with a functional single ventricle and heterotaxy syndrome who underwent SPS at our center from January2001 to April 2022. Results: This study involved 84 patients. Restrictive pulmonary blood flow requiringearly modulation was presented in 34 (40%) patients. Compared with patients without restrictive pulmonaryblood flow (N = 50 [60%]), the postnatal survival of these 34 patients was significantly lower at 10 years (log rank:p = 0.04), but the statistical significance disappeared at 20 years (log rank: p = 0.18). Among 31 patients whounderwent SPS, 11 (35%) had extracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC). The survivalrate after SPS was 80% at 10 years. Cox regression analysis showed that extracardiac TAPVC (hazard ratio6.44, 95% confidence interval 1.23–33.7, p = 0.03) and pulmonary venous obstruction (PVO) at TAPVC repair(hazard ratio 11.2, 95% confidence interval 2.13–58.5, p = 0.004) were significantly associated with death. In25 patients who underwent bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt (BCPS), surgical interventions on the pulmonaryartery (PA) were performed after SPS in 7 of 9 patients with PA coarctation, 3 of 4 with non-confluent PAs, and4 of 12 with normal PAs. At SPS, primary central PA plasty was performed in three patients with PA coarctationand 2 with non-confluent PAs. There was no significant difference in the PA index before BCPS between patientswith and without primary central PA plasty (p = 0.49). Among 20 patients who underwent total cavopulmonaryconnection (TCPC), adverse events occurred in 7 (35%) patients, including death in 1 (5%), intervention for pulmonaryarteriovenous malformation (PAVM) in 3 (15%), and surgical intervention for PVO in 3 (15%). TheB-type natriuretic peptide concentration was significantly higher in patients with than without adverse events(p = 0.02). The adverse event-free survival rate after TCPC was 69% at 10 years. Conclusion: ExtracardiacTAPVC and PVO at TAPVC repair were significantly associated with death after SPS in patients who had heterotaxysyndrome with a single ventricle. Surgical interventions on the PA were frequently required after SPS inpatients with PA coarctation or non-confluent PAs. Although satisfactory survival was achievable after TCPC,late-onset PAVM and PVO remain concerns.

Implementation of FPGA Based MPPT Techniques for Grid-Connected PV System

Global energy demand is growing rapidly owing to industrial growth and urbanization.Alternative energy sources are driven by limited reserves and rapid depletion of conventional energy sources(e.g.,fossil fuels).Solar photovol-taic(PV),as a source of electricity,has grown in popularity over the last few dec-ades because of their clean,noise-free,low-maintenance,and abundant availability of solar energy.There are two types of maximum power point track-ing(MPPT)techniques:classical and evolutionary algorithm-based techniques.Precise and less complex perturb and observe(P&O)and incremental conduc-tance(INC)approaches are extensively employed among classical techniques.This study used afield-programmable gate array(FPGA)-based hardware arrange-ment for a grid-connected photovoltaic(PV)system.The PV panels,MPPT con-trollers,and battery management systems are all components of the proposed system.In the developed hardware prototype,various modes of operation of the grid-connected PV system were examined using P&O and incremental con-ductance MPPT approaches.

A Novel Apprehension of the Primary Lung Meridian, Sinew Channel, Divergent Channel, Luo-Connecting Channel Acting as a Single Unit System to Serve Respiration Function Based on Modern Neurophysiology and Kinesiology

The TCM philosophy of a meridian and associated channels pertains to the specific function of one or more organs. We define the Lung Primary Meridian (LUM) together with the Lung Sinew (LUSC), Divergent (LUDC), Luo-connecting (LULCC) Channels as a system of routes plus some parts of the body (such as muscles) to fulfil respiration, as a main function under different situations. There is very limited information about the Lung associated channels in classical literature of TCM. With a clear focus on the function of respiration, we have carried out a detailed analysis of the biomedical consequence of stimulating the LUM, analysed the roles played by LUSC, LUDC, and LULCC. The updated LUM and LUDC include acupoints of other meridians, serving the same purpose of performing satisfactory respiration starting from checking the quality of the inflow through the nose. The LUSC includes the respiratory muscles (plus the associated connective tissues) extending to various parts of the body. The muscles of the limb (as part of the LUSC) embrace the nerves that provide routes for somatosensory reflexes and play the role of locomotion, providing voluntary respiration via the pectoralis muscles. The muscles of LUSC are bounded by stiff connective tissue layers, forming compartments, and are part of the pulley system for various body locomotions. Within a compartment, the interstitial fluid, blood, lymph flows must be potent to protect the associated nerves related to LUM;the healthy state of the LUSC also provides freedom of various types of locomotion. The LULCC exists because the vagus nerve has a part of it passing through the spinal cords all the way down to the sacrum domain, with exiting nerve innervating two-third of the large intestine. The crucial steps of our deductions are supported by experimental evidence based on modern neurophysiology and kinesiology. We discover that all the four channels stated above work as a unit system to allow respiration to be possible under various postures/conditions. The complexity of structures and processes is eased off by providing 29 figures and 13 tables for the relevant muscles and nerves. In addition to respiration, the Lung system in TCM context includes interaction of this system with the sweat gland and neuroendocrine system;such aspects will be left to another study.

Modal and Thermal Analysis of a Modified Connecting Rod of an Internal Combustion Engine Using Finite Element Method

The connecting rod is one of the most important moving components in an internal combustion engine. The present work determined the possibility of using aluminium alloy 7075 material to design and manufacture a connecting rod for weight optimisation without losing the strength of the connecting rod. It considered modal and thermal analyses to investigate the suitability of the material for connecting rod design. The parameters that were considered under the modal analysis were: total deformation, and natural frequency, while the thermal analysis looked at the temperature distribution, total heat flux and directional heat flux of the four connecting rods made with titanium alloy, grey cast iron, structural steel and aluminium 7075 alloy respectively. The connecting rod was modelled using Autodesk inventor2017 software using the calculated parameters. The steady-state thermal analysis was used to determine the induced heat flux and directional heat flux. The study found that Aluminium 7075 alloy deformed more than the remaining three other materials but has superior qualities in terms of vibrational natural frequency, total heat flux and lightweight compared to structural steel, grey cast iron and titanium alloy.

Panorama, Reasons for Seeking Care and Evolution of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases in Benin Hospitals in 2021

Introduction: Systemic autoimmune diseases have been poorly studied in sub-Saharan Africa and their frequency is not well known. This study provided an overview of the main reasons for the use of care and their evolution in the main hospitals in Benin. Methods: This was a multi-centric descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the internal medicine, rheumatology, dermatology and nephrology departments of nine (09) public and private hospital centers in Benin over a 57-month period, from January 1st, 2017 to September 30th, 2021. It involved patients followed for a systemic autoimmune disease. The data was collected with a digital survey sheet and then processed and analyzed with the R software (version 3.4). Results: Two hundred and three (203) patients were recorded, which represents a hospital frequency of 0.13%. The mean age was 44 years and the sex ratio (M/F) was 0.29. Connective tissue disease accounted for 95.07% of systemic autoimmune diseases which were dominated by rheumatoid arthritis (40.9%) and systemic lupus (37.4%). Ten cases of vasculitis have been reported and dominated by Behçet’s disease (40%). The main reasons for seeking care were asthenia, weight loss and fever. Arthralgia and skin lesions are the main guiding signs. Six deaths (3.1%) were recorded among connective tissue disease and 1 death (10%) among vasculitis. Conclusion: In spite of being rare, systemic autoimmune diseases are a reality in Benin. A general population study would provide a better understanding of clinical characteristics and identify prognostic factors.

Structural and functional connectivity of the whole brain and subnetworks in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury:predictors of patient prognosis

Patients with mild traumatic brain injury have a diverse clinical presentation,and the underlying pathophysiology remains poorly understood.Magnetic resonance imaging is a non-invasive technique that has been widely utilized to investigate neuro biological markers after mild traumatic brain injury.This approach has emerged as a promising tool for investigating the pathogenesis of mild traumatic brain injury.G raph theory is a quantitative method of analyzing complex networks that has been widely used to study changes in brain structure and function.However,most previous mild traumatic brain injury studies using graph theory have focused on specific populations,with limited exploration of simultaneous abnormalities in structural and functional connectivity.Given that mild traumatic brain injury is the most common type of traumatic brain injury encounte red in clinical practice,further investigation of the patient characteristics and evolution of structural and functional connectivity is critical.In the present study,we explored whether abnormal structural and functional connectivity in the acute phase could serve as indicators of longitudinal changes in imaging data and cognitive function in patients with mild traumatic brain injury.In this longitudinal study,we enrolled 46 patients with mild traumatic brain injury who were assessed within 2 wee ks of injury,as well as 36 healthy controls.Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging data were acquired for graph theoretical network analysis.In the acute phase,patients with mild traumatic brain injury demonstrated reduced structural connectivity in the dorsal attention network.More than 3 months of followup data revealed signs of recovery in structural and functional connectivity,as well as cognitive function,in 22 out of the 46 patients.Furthermore,better cognitive function was associated with more efficient networks.Finally,our data indicated that small-worldness in the acute stage could serve as a predictor of longitudinal changes in connectivity in patients with mild traumatic brain injury.These findings highlight the importance of integrating structural and functional connectivity in unde rstanding the occurrence and evolution of mild traumatic brain injury.Additionally,exploratory analysis based on subnetworks could serve a predictive function in the prognosis of patients with mild traumatic brain injury.

MET receptor tyrosine kinase promotes the generation of functional synapses in adult cortical circuits

Loss of synapse and functional connectivity in brain circuits is associated with aging and neurodegeneration,however,few molecular mechanisms are known to intrinsically promote synaptogenesis or enhance synapse function.We have previously shown that MET receptor tyrosine kinase in the developing cortical circuits promotes dendritic growth and dendritic spine morphogenesis.To investigate whether enhancing MET in adult cortex has synapse regenerating potential,we created a knockin mouse line,in which the human MET gene expression and signaling can be turned on in adult(10–12 months)cortical neurons through doxycycline-containing chow.We found that similar to the developing brain,turning on MET signaling in the adult cortex activates small GTPases and increases spine density in prefrontal projection neurons.These findings are further corroborated by increased synaptic activity and transient generation of immature silent synapses.Prolonged MET signaling resulted in an increasedα-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid/N-methyl-Daspartate(AMPA/NMDA)receptor current ratio,indicative of enhanced synaptic function and connectivity.Our data reveal that enhancing MET signaling could be an interventional approach to promote synaptogenesis and preserve functional connectivity in the adult brain.These findings may have implications for regenerative therapy in aging and neurodegeneration conditions.

A divergent pattern in functional connectivity: a transdiagnostic perspective

Functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)is a popular tool used to investigate not only how the brain responds to specific stimuli during sensorimotor or cognitive tasks,but also brain activity at rest.The physics beyond this approach is based on the analysis of the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal.

Erratum to: Page numbers for articles in Journal of Mountain Science Volume 21 Issue 3

The original online version of this issue has wrong page range(361-716).The correct page range for this issue should be 719-1074.The page number for every article in this issue has also been corrected as follows:719-733 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-023-8333-x Article title:Floristic composition and edaphic relationships in ferruginous campo rupestre reference ecosystems 734-753 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-023-8399-5 Article title:Assessment of sediment connectivity using modelling and field-based approaches in the SlavíčRiver catchment(MoravskoslezskéBeskydy Mts,Czech Republic).

Call for Papers——Feature Topic Vol.22,No.3,2025 Special Issue of China Communications:Convergence of 6G empowered Edge Intelligence and Generative AI:Theories,Algorithms,and Applications

Generative artificial intelligence(AI),as an emerging paradigm in content generation,has demonstrated its great potentials in creating high-fidelity data including images,texts,and videos.Nowadays wireless networks and applications have been rapidly evolving from achieving“connected things”to embracing“connected intelligence”.Generative AI has been recognized as a fundamentally innovative technology to drive the advancement of intelligent wireless communications and networks.

Unveiling the brain’s symphony:exploring the necessity and sufficiency of neural networks in behavior control

Since the pioneering work by Broca and Wernicke in the 19th century,who examined individuals with brain lesions to associate them with specific behaviors,it was evident that behaviors are complex and cannot be fully attributable to specific brain areas alone.Instead,they involve connectivity among brain areas,whether close or distant.At that time,this approach was considered the optimal way to dissect brain circuitry and function.These pioneering efforts opened the field to explore the necessity or sufficiency of brain areas in controlling behavior and hence dissecting brain function.However,the connectivity of the brain and the mechanisms through which various brain regions regulate specific behaviors,either individually or collaboratively,remain largely elusive.Utilizing animal models,researchers have endeavored to unravel the necessity or sufficiency of specific brain areas in influencing behavior;however,no clear associations have been firmly established.

FADSF:A Data Sharing Model for Intelligent Connected Vehicles Based on Blockchain Technology

With the development of technology,the connected vehicle has been upgraded from a traditional transport vehicle to an information terminal and energy storage terminal.The data of ICV(intelligent connected vehicles)is the key to organically maximizing their efficiency.However,in the context of increasingly strict global data security supervision and compliance,numerous problems,including complex types of connected vehicle data,poor data collaboration between the IT(information technology)domain and OT(operation technology)domain,different data format standards,lack of shared trust sources,difficulty in ensuring the quality of shared data,lack of data control rights,as well as difficulty in defining data ownership,make vehicle data sharing face a lot of problems,and data islands are widespread.This study proposes FADSF(Fuzzy Anonymous Data Share Frame),an automobile data sharing scheme based on blockchain.The data holder publishes the shared data information and forms the corresponding label storage on the blockchain.The data demander browses the data directory information to select and purchase data assets and verify them.The data demander selects and purchases data assets and verifies them by browsing the data directory information.Meanwhile,this paper designs a data structure Data Discrimination Bloom Filter(DDBF),making complaints about illegal data.When the number of data complaints reaches the threshold,the audit traceability contract is triggered to punish the illegal data publisher,aiming to improve the data quality and maintain a good data sharing ecology.In this paper,based on Ethereum,the above scheme is tested to demonstrate its feasibility,efficiency and security.

Insights into the dwarfing mechanism of pear(Pyrus betulaefolia) based on anatomical and structural analysis using X-ray scanning

The lack of a suitable rootstock to control scion growth has limited the development of high-density plantations in pear production, which is partly attributed to poor understanding of the dwarfing mechanism. In the present study, the rootstock of the dwarf-type pear (Pyrus betulaefolia)PY-9’ was identified and used as the material for anatomical analysis.PY-9’ grew to half the tree height of the normal cultivar Zhengdu’, along with fewer internodes and shorter length. Significant differences in growth rate betweenPY-9’ andZhengdu’ were detected at approximately 30 days after full bloom, which corresponded with the time of the greatest difference in water potential between the dwarf and normal cultivar.PY-9’ showed a higher photosynthetic rate thanZhengdu’. Anatomical analysis showed thatPY-9’ had higher area ratios of both phloem and xylem and more developed vascular tissues thanZhengdu’. The three-dimensional reconstructed skeleton of the xylem from X-ray computed tomography scanning revealed greater intervessel connectivity inZhengdu’ than inPY-9’, which could contribute to the more vigorous growth ofZhengdu’. This study thus provides the first comparison of the microstructural properties of xylem elements between a dwarfing-type and vigorous-type pear rootstock, providing new insights into the dwarfing mechanism in pear and facilitating breeding of dwarf pear rootstocks to increase crop productivity.