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.

Electromechanical Transient Modeling Analysis of Large-Scale New Energy Grid Connection

The synchronous virtual machine uses inverter power to imitate the performance of the conventional synchronous machine.It also has the same inertia,damping,frequency,voltage regulation,and other external performance as the generator.It is the key technology to realize new energy grid connections’stable and reliable operation.This project studies a dynamic simulation model of an extensive new energy power system based on the virtual synchronous motor.A new energy storage method is proposed.The mathematical energy storage model is established by combining the fixed rotor model of a synchronous virtual machine with the charge-discharge power,state of charge,operation efficiency,dead zone,and inverter constraint.The rapid conversion of energy storage devices absorbs the excess instantaneous kinetic energy caused by interference.The branch transient of the critical cut set in the system can be confined to a limited area.Thus,the virtual synchronizer’s kinetic and potential energy can be efficiently converted into an instantaneous state.The simulation of power system analysis software package(PSASP)verifies the correctness of the theory and algorithm in this paper.This paper provides a theoretical basis for improving the transient stability of new energy-connected power grids.

Multiscale Characteristics and Connection Mechanisms of Attraction Networks:A Trajectory Data Mining Approach Leveraging Geotagged Data

Urban tourism is considered a complex system,and multiscale exploration of the organizational patterns of attraction networks has become a topical issue in urban tourism,so exploring the multiscale characteristics and connection mechanisms of attraction networks is important for understanding the linkages between attractions and even the future destination planning.This paper uses geotagging data to compare the links between attractions in Beijing,China during four different periods:the pre-Olympic period(2004–2007),the Olympic Games and subsequent‘heat period’(2008–2013),the post-Olympic period(2014–2019),and the COVID-19(Corona Virus Disease 2019)pandemic period(2020–2021).The aim is to better understand the evolution and patterns of attraction networks at different scales in Beijing and to provide insights for tourism planning in the destination.The results show that the macro,meso-,and microscales network characteristics of attraction networks have inherent logical relationships that can explain the commonalities and differences in the development process of tourism networks.The macroscale attraction network degree Matthew effect is significant in the four different periods and exhibits a morphological monocentric structure,suggesting that new entrants are more likely to be associated with attractions that already have high value.The mesoscale links attractions according to the common purpose of tourists,and the results of the community segmentation of the attraction networks in the four different periods suggest that the functional polycentric structure describes their clustering effect,and the weak links between clusters result from attractions bound by incomplete information and distance,and the functional polycentric structure with a generally more efficient network of clusters.The pattern structure at the microscale reveals the topological transformation relationship of the regional collaboration pattern,and the attraction network structure in the four different periods has a very similar importance profile structure suggesting that the attraction network has the same construction rules and evolution mechanism,which aids in understanding the attraction network pattern at both macro and micro scales.Important approaches and practical implications for planners and managers are presented.

The Gut Brain Connection

The gut-brain connection is a bidirectional communication system that links the gut microbiome to the central nervous system (CNS). The gut-brain axis communicates through a variety of mechanisms, including the release of hormones, neurotransmitters, and cytokines. These signaling molecules can travel from the gut to the brain and vice versa, influencing various physiological and cognitive functions. Emerging therapeutic strategies targeting the gut-brain connection include probiotics, prebiotics, and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Probiotics are live microorganisms that are similar to the beneficial bacteria that are naturally found in the gut. Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut. FMT is a procedure in which faecal matter from a healthy donor is transplanted into the gut of a person with a diseased microbiome. Probiotics, prebiotics, and FMT have been shown to be effective in treating a variety of gastrointestinal disorders, and there is growing evidence that they may also be effective in treating neurological and psychiatric disorders. This review explores the emerging field of the gut-brain connection, focusing on the communication pathways between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system. We summarize the potential roles of gut dysbiosis in various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Additionally, we discuss potential therapeutic strategies, research limitations, and future directions in this exciting area of research. More research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying the gut-brain connection and to develop safe and effective therapies that target this pathway. However, the findings to date are promising, and there is the potential to revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

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.

Cost Optimization of Steel Beam-to-Column Connections using AVOA

The joint-bolt-African Vulture optimization algorithm(AVOA)model is proposed for the design of building connections to improve the stability of steel beam-to-column connections.For this algorithm,the type of steel is first determined,and the number of bolts needed by the corresponding steel type is referenced in Eurocode 3.Then,the bearing capacity of the joint can be calculated.The joint-bolt-AVOA model is established by substituting the bolt number required by the steel into the algorithm to obtain the optimal bolt number required while ensuring joint stability.The results show that the number of bolts required by the joint-bolt-AVOA model based on the stability of steel is lower than that calculated by Eurocode 3.Therefore,AVOA can effectively optimize the number of bolts needed in building connections and save resources.

Topological Aspects of Dendrimers via Connection-Based Descriptors

Topological indices(TIs)have been practiced for distinct wide-ranging physicochemical applications,especially used to characterize and model the chemical structures of various molecular compounds such as dendrimers,nanotubes and neural networks with respect to their certain properties such as solubility,chemical stability and low cytotoxicity.Dendrimers are prolonged artificially synthesized or amalgamated natural macromolecules with a sequential layer of branches enclosing a central core.A present-day trend in mathematical and computational chemistry is the characterization of molecular structure by applying topological approaches,including numerical graph invariants.Among topological descriptors,Zagreb connection indices(ZCIs)have much importance.This manuscript involves the establishment of general results to calculate ZCIs,namely first ZCI(FZCI),second ZCI(SZCI),third ZCI(TZCI),modified FZCI,modified SZCI and modified TZCI of two special types of dendrimers nanostars,namely,poly propylene imine octamin(PPIO)dendrimer and poly(propyl)ether imine(PPEtIm)dendrimer.Furthermore,we provide the numerical and graphical comparative analysis of our calculated results for both types of dendrimers with each other.

Asymptotic Properties of a Dynamic Neural System with Asymmetric Connection Weights

In this paper, based on new Lyapunov function, the asymptotic properties of the dynamic neural system with asymmetric connection weights are investigated. Since the dynamic neural system with asymmetric connection weights is more general than that with symmetric ones, the new results are significant in both theory and applications. Specially the new result can cover the asymptotic stability results of linear systems as special cases.

CONNECTIONS AND GEODESIC CHARACTERISTIC OF EQUATIONSOF MOTION FOR CONSTRAINED MECHANICAL SYSTEMS

The geodesic characteristic of equations of motion for nonautonomous constrained mechanical systems is studied in the modern setting of global differential geometry. A necessary and sufficient condition for the dynamical flow of a nonautonomous mechanical system with geodesic characteristic was obtained with respect to a connection of 1-jet bundle. The dynamical flow concerning the non-autonomous case motion of an nonautonomous mechanical system with constraints can be always represented by the motion along the geodesic line of torsion-free connection on 1-jet bundle, which is different from the case in an autonomous mechanical system.

Age-related hearing loss accelerates the decline in fast speech comprehension and the decompensation of cortical network connections

Patients with age-related hearing loss face hearing difficulties in daily life.The causes of age-related hearing loss are complex and include changes in peripheral hearing,central processing,and cognitive-related abilities.Furthermore,the factors by which aging relates to hearing loss via changes in audito ry processing ability are still unclear.In this cross-sectional study,we evaluated 27 older adults(over 60 years old) with age-related hearing loss,21 older adults(over 60years old) with normal hearing,and 30 younger subjects(18-30 years old) with normal hearing.We used the outcome of the uppe r-threshold test,including the time-compressed thres h old and the speech recognition threshold in noisy conditions,as a behavioral indicator of auditory processing ability.We also used electroencephalogra p hy to identify presbycusis-related abnormalities in the brain while the participants were in a spontaneous resting state.The timecompressed threshold and speech recognition threshold data indicated significant diffe rences among the groups.In patients with age-related hearing loss,information masking(babble noise) had a greater effect than energy masking(speech-shaped noise) on processing difficulties.In terms of resting-state electroencephalography signals,we observed enhanced fro ntal lobe(Brodmann’s area,BA11) activation in the older adults with normal hearing compared with the younger participants with normal hearing,and greater activation in the parietal(BA7) and occipital(BA19) lobes in the individuals with age-related hearing loss compared with the younger adults.Our functional connection analysis suggested that compared with younger people,the older adults with normal hearing exhibited enhanced connections among networks,including the default mode network,sensorimotor network,cingulo-opercular network,occipital network,and frontoparietal network.These results suggest that both normal aging and the development of age-related hearing loss have a negative effect on advanced audito ry processing capabilities and that hearing loss accele rates the decline in speech comprehension,especially in speech competition situations.Older adults with normal hearing may have increased compensatory attentional resource recruitment represented by the to p-down active listening mechanism,while those with age-related hearing loss exhibit decompensation of network connections involving multisensory integration.

Synchronization of N different coupled chaotic systems with ring and chain connections

Synchronization of N different coupled chaotic systems with ring and chain connections is investigated. The New system, the Chen system, the Lii system, the Lorenz system, and the Rossler system are used as examples in verifying effectiveness of the method. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory, the form of the controller is designed and the area of the coupling coefficients is determined. Simulations indicate that global synchronization of the N different chaotic systems can be realized by choosing appropriate coupling coefficients by using the controller.

Response Mechanism of Water Ecosystem under the Influence of Urbanization: A Case Study of the Connection Zone between Shenyang and Fushun

Taking the connection zone between Shenyang and Fushun as an example,urbanization indicator system was established from the aspects of population,economy,space and society,and the comprehensive evaluation indicator system of water ecological environment was also established from the aspects of water ecological environmental pressure,state and response. Based on the evaluation of comprehensive level of urbanization and the comprehensive quality of water ecological environment,their changing trends during 2000-2014 were analyzed,and the response model between them was established. The composite index of urbanization in the connection zone between Shenyang and Fushun always increased from 2000 to 2014,and urbanization developed rapidly after 2004. The comprehensive quality of water ecological environment decreased firstly and then increased during 2000-2014. The response relationship between urbanization comprehensive index and water ecological comprehensive index during 2000-2014 could be expressed by a cubic curve.

State feedback stabilization of cascaded nonlinear systems with discontinuous connection

In practical engineering, many phenomena are described as a discontinuous function of a state variable, and the discontinuity is usually the main reason for the degradation of the control performance. For example, in the set-point control problem of mechanical systems, the static friction （described by a sgn function of velocity of the contacting faces） causes undesired positioning error. In this paper, we will investigate the stabilization problem for a class of nonlinear systems that consist of two subsystems with cascaded connection. We will show the basic idea with a special case first, and then the result will be extended to more general cases. Some interesting numerical examples will be given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design approach.

Study Hybrid Compensation Cophase Traction Power Supply System Schemes for High-Speed and Heavy Haul Electrical Railway with V Connection Transformer

In order to solve negative phase sequence problem of V connection transformer in the high speed and heavy haul electrical railway of China, the hybrid compensative co-phase traction power supply system which based on passive and active compensation is proposed. Firstly, There construction and capacity distribution are analyzed, and the compensation current of active equipment is gave;Second, the feature of the hybrid compensative schemes are discussed. In the end, the related simulation results have confirmed the effectiveness of the compensation schemes in this paper.

Effects of connection types and elevated temperature on the impact behaviour of restrained beam in portal steel frame

Based on the background of structural protection and Disaster Reduction Engineering, the dynamic behaviour and failure mechanism of restrained beams in portal steel frames in localised fire are investigated via experimental measurement and numerical simulation techniques. Comprehensive parametric studies are carried out to discuss the influence of end connection types, temperature, impact velocity,impact mass and span-to-depth ratio(SDR) on the dynamic response of the beams. The characteristics of deformation, internal force and energy distribution about the restrained beams and its joints are investigated. A temperature dependent criterion for evaluating the frame joint performance is proposed to measure the degree of performance degradation and impact resistance of the joint. The dynamic displacement amplification factor in different temperature environments are proposed for the different beam end constraint types and SDRs. Results of the experimental and numerical analysis show that the welded connection(WC) of three typical joint types is the strongest, and the extended endplate connection(EEC) is the weakest in terms of the impact resistance performance. With regard to the failure mode of the joint, the failure positions of the WC and the welded-bolted connection are located in the inner web of the column. Meanwhile, the EEC is located in the connection position between the beam and the endplate. Three different internal force stages and two obvious critical temperature boundaries of the restrained beams emerge with the increase in temperature, and they have significant characteristics in terms of deformation trend, internal force transfer and energy distribution. During the impact, a phenomenon known as “compression arch action” develops into “catenary action” with the increase in deflection in the frame beam mechanism.

A new approach for flow simulation in complex hydraulic fracture morphology and its application:Fracture connection element method

Efficient flow simulation and optimization methods of hydraulic fracture morphology in unconventional reservoirs are effective ways to enhance oil/gas recovery.Based on the connection element method(CEM)and distribution of stimulated reservoir volume,the complex hydraulic fracture morphology was accurately described using heterogeneous node connection system.Then a new fracture connection element method(FCEM)for fluid flow in stimulated unconventional reservoirs with complex hydraulic fracture morphology was proposed.In the proposed FCEM,the arrangement of dense nodes in the stimulated area and sparse nodes in the unstimulated area ensures the calculation accuracy and efficiency.The key parameter,transmissibility,was also modified according to the strong heterogeneity of stimulated reservoirs.The finite difference and semi-analytical tracking were used to accurately solve the pressure and saturation distribution between nodes.The FCEM is validated by comparing with traditional numerical simulation method,and the results show that the bottom hole pressure simulated by the FCEM is consistent with the results from traditional numerical simulation method,and the matching rate is larger than 95%.The proposed FCEM was also used in the optimization of fracturing parameters by coupling the hydraulic fracture propagation method and intelligent optimization algorithm.The integrated intelligent optimization approach for multi-parameters,such as perforation number,perforation location,and displacement in hydraulic fracturing is proposed.The proposed approach was applied in a shale gas reservoir,and the result shows that the optimized perforation location and morphology distribution are related to the distribution of porosity/permeability.When the perforation location and displacement are optimized with the same fracture number,NPV increases by 70.58%,which greatly improves the economic benefits of unconventional reservoirs.This work provides a new way for flow simulation and optimization of hydraulic fracture morphology of multi-fractured horizontal wells in unconventional reservoirs.

Height connection across sea by using satellite altimetry data sets,ellipsoidal heights,astrogeodetic deflections of the vertical,and an Earth Gravity Model

Islands and the mainland are separated by seas,and the distances between them might be so long that the height on the mainland cannot be exactly translated to the islands,resulting in different height systems on the mainland and the islands.In this study,we used astrogeodetic deflections of the vertical and ellipsoidal heights of points on the mainland and island near their coastlines to implement height connection across sea areas.First,the modeled gravity and modeled astrogeodetic vertical deflections of segmentation points along connecting routes over the sea between the mainland and the island were determined by Earth Gravity Model(EGM),and the ellipsoidal heights of segmentation points were determined by the satellite altimetry data sets.Second,we used a linear interpolation model to increase the precision of the vertical deflections of segmentation points.Third,we computed the geopotential difference of points between the mainland and the island using a method derived from geopotential theory and the astronomical leveling principle.Finally,we estimated the normal height of the point on the island using the geopotential-difference iterative computation approach.Using observed data of normal heights,ellipsoidal heights,and astrogeodetic vertical deflections referring to height sites in Qingdao,Shandong Province,we conducted a numerical experiment involving the normal height connection across sea regions.We determined the data of the ellipsoidal heights and gravity of segmentation points along the connecting route across the water in the numerical experiment using DTU10.The distance of the height connection across the sea was approximately 10.5 km.According to China's official leveling specifications,the experimental results met the criterion of third-class leveling precision.

Analytical Investigation into the Rotational Performance of Glulam Bolted Beam-Column Connections under Coupled Bending Moment and Shear Force

Considering the glulam beam-column connection form and the number of bolts,monotonic loading test and finite element analysis was carried out on 9 connection specimens in 3 groups to study the rotational performance and failure mode of the connection.The test results revealed that compared with U-shaped connectors,T-shaped connectors can effectively improve the ductility of connections,and the increase in the number of bolts can reduce the initial stiffness and ductility of connections.By theoretical analysis,formulas for calculating the initial stiffness and ultimate moment of connections were deduced.Subsequently,the moment-rotation theoretical model of connections was established based on the formulas,which were validated according to the test data and simulation results.The proposed model can not only improve the current theoretical system of heavy-duty glulam beam-column structure but also provide a theoretical basis for calculating the mechanical properties of the glulam beam-column connection.

The impact of political connections on firm pollution: New evidence based on heterogeneous environmental regulation

Increasing attention has been focused on the extent to which corporate political connections influence the growing pollution due to the rapid growth in the popularity of firm pollution in developing countries.We adopt a static threshold regression model to investigate the effects of heterogeneous environmental regulation on political connections and firm pollution based on the panel data from China’s A-share listed companies from 2012 to 2019.The empirical results show a non-linear relationship between the degree of political connection of listed company executives and the level of firm pollution.And the relationship between the two roughly presents a U-shaped relationship under the action of the marketincentive environmental regulation threshold.However,it roughly presents an inverted N-shaped relationship under the action of the command-control environmental regulation threshold.Additionally,the group test results show that the existence of regional and ownership heterogeneity causes certain differences in the environmental behaviour of politically connected enterprises.These findings indicate that diverse environmental regulations are needed to promote sustainable green development and to further expand the theoretical and practical exploration of political connections on firm pollution.

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.