A study on effective parameters of electric cortical stimulation for motor-sensory brain mapping

Objective The purpose of the study was to investigate the effective parameters of electric cortex stimulation (ECS) for functional brain mapping. Methods We collected 21 subjects who underwent epilepsy surgeries consecutively in Beijing Institute of Functional Neurosurgery with the epileptogenic zone located in perirolandic areas from

Study on thermal decomposition kinetics of azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid by using compensation parameter method and nonlinear fitting evaluation

Recently,azobenzene-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid(ADCA)has been produced gradually for use as an organic synthesis or pharmaceutical intermediate due to its eminent performance.With large quantities put into application in the future,the thermal stability of this substance during storage,transportation,and use will become quite important.Thus,in this work,the thermal decomposition behavior,thermal decomposition kinetics,and thermal hazard of ADCA were investigated.Experiments were conducted by using a SENSYS evo DSC device.A combination of differential iso-conversion method,compensation parameter method,and nonlinear fitting evaluation were also used to analyze thermal kinetics and mechanism of ADCA decomposition.The results show that when conversion rate α increases,the activation energies of ADCA's first and main decomposition peaks fall.The amount of heat released during decomposition varies between 182.46 and 231.16 J·g^(-1).The proposed kinetic equation is based on the Avrami-Erofeev model,which is consistent with the decomposition progress.Applying the Frank-Kamenetskii model,a calculated self-accelerating decomposition temperature of 287.0℃is obtained.

Retrieval of the effective constitutive parameters from metamaterial absorbers

The equivalent medium theory of metamaterials provides a way to obtain their effective constitutive parameters.However,because of its non-reciprocity,the complexity of the electromagnetic coupling,and a metallic bottom layer,it has been challenging to retrieve them from a metamaterial absorber.In this paper,we propose a method without any approximation to obtain them,in which the non-reciprocity and the strong electromagnetic coupling are included.Compared with the three methods such as symmetric metamaterial method,asymmetric metamaterial method and metasurface method,our method can reveal the metamaterial absorber’s electrical and magnetic resonance and show its electromagnetic coupling coefficients.To deal with a metamaterial absorber with a metallic bottom layer,four corners of the metallic bottom layer in the unit cell are removed,making it possible to retrieve the electromagnetic parameters.Surprisingly,these results show that the metamaterial absorber with a metallic bottom layer in our example operates in a negative refraction state at the half absorption frequencies,which helps further understand the absorbing mechanism of these metamaterial absorbers.

Infl uence of structural parameters on dynamic characteristics and wind-induced buffeting responses of a super-long-span cable-stayed bridge

A 3D finite element （FE） model for the Sutong cable-stayed bridge （SCB） is established based on ANSYS. The dynamic characteristics of the bridge are analyzed using a subspace iteration method. Based on recorded wind data, the measured spectra expression is presented using the nonlinear least-squares regression method. Turbulent winds at the bridge site are simulated based on the spectral representation method and the FFT technique. The influence of some key structural parameters and measures on the dynamic characteristics of the bridge are investigated. These parameters include dead load intensity, as well as vertical, lateral and torsional stiffness of the steel box girder. In addition, the influence of elastic stiffness of the connection device employed between the towers and the girder on the vibration mode of the steel box girder is investigated. The analysis shows that all of the vertical, lateral and torsional buffeting displacement responses reduce gradually as the dead load intensity increases. The dynamic characteristics and the structural buffeting displacement response of the SCB are only slightly affected by the vertical and torsional stiffness of the steel box girder, and the lateral and torsional buffeting displacement responses reduce gradually as the lateral stiffness increases. These results provide a reference for dynamic analysis and design of super-long-span cable-stayed bridges.

Cranny density parameters and porosity measured by elastic wave method in quasi-isotropic cranny rock masses

According to the characteristic of elastic waves propagation in medium and the application of elastic waves method in rock mass engineering, the cranny mass with random crannies was regarded as quasi-isotropic cranny mass. In accordance with the rock rupture mechanics, principle of energy balance and Castiglano＇s theorem, the relationship of effective dynamic parameters of elasticity （E, v, G） and cranny density parameters or porosity was put forward. On this basis, through the theory of elastic waves propagation in isotropic medium, the relationship between the elastic wave velocity and cranny density parameters and porosity was set up. The theoretical research results show that, in this kind of cranny rock masses, there is nonlinear relationships between the effective dynamic parameters of elasticity and wave velocities and the cranny density parameter or porosity; and with the increase of cranny density parameter or porosity of cranny rock masses, the effective dynamic modulus and the elastic wave velocities of cranny rock masses will decrease; and at the same time, when the cranny density parameter or porosity is very small, the effective dynamic modulus of elasticity and the elastic wave velocities change with the cranny density parameter, which can explain the sensitivity of effective elastic parameters and elastic wave velocities to cranny rock masses.

Calibration of Discrete Element Heat Transfer Parameters by Central Composite Design

The efficiency and precision of parameter calibration in discrete element method （DEM） are not satisfactory, and parameter calibration for granular heat transfer is rarely involved. Accordingly, parameter calibration for granular heat transfer with the DEM is studied. The heat transfer in granular assemblies is simulated with DEM, and the effective thermal conductivity （ETC） of these granular assemblies is measured with the transient method in simulations. The measurement testbed is designed to test the ETC of the granular assemblies under normal pressure and a vacuum based on the steady method. Central composite design （CCD） is used to simulate the impact of the DEM parameters on the ETC of granular assemblies, and the heat transfer parameters are calibrated and compared with experimental data. The results show that, within the scope of the considered parameters, the ETC of the granular assemblies increases with an increasing particle thermal conductivity and decreases with an increasing particle shear modulus and particle diameter. The particle thermal conductivity has the greatest impact on the ETC of granular assemblies followed by the particle shear modulus and then the particle diameter. The calibration results show good agreement with the experimental results. The error is less than 4%, which is within a reasonable range for the scope of the CCD parameters. The proposed research provides high efficiency and high accuracy parameter calibration for granular heat transfer in DEM.

Hyperon Effects on the Spin Parameter of Rotating Neutron Stars

Based on the equations of state from the relativistic mean field theory without and with the inclusion of strangeness-bearing hyperons, we study the dimensionless spin parameter j = cJ/（GM2） of uniformly rotat- ing neutron stars. It is shown that the maximum value of the spin parameter jmax of a neutron star rotating at the Keplerian frequency fK is .jmax - 0.7 when the star mass M 〉 0.SM⊙, which is sustained for various versions of equations of state without and with hyperons. The relationship between j and the scaled rotation frequency f /fK is found to be insensitive to the star mass or the adopted equation of state in the models without hyperons. However, the emergence of byperons in neutron stars will lead to an uncertainty of the spin parameter j, which in turn could generate a complexity in the theoretical study of the quasi-periodic oscillations observed in disk-accreting compact-star systems.

The Phenomena of Bifurcation and Catastrophe of Large-Scale Horizontal Motion in the Atmosphere under the Effect of Rossby Parameter

The stability question of large-scale horizontal motion in the atmosphere under the effect of Rossby parameter is discussed in this paper by using the qualitative analysis theory of ordinary differential equations. The following aspects are reviewed: The stability of large-scale horizontal motion in the atmosphere accords with the common inertial stability criterion when the effect of Rossby parameter is not considered (Yang, 1983), and that, on the other hand, the motion will bifurcate two times with the variation of absolute vorticity of basic Zephyr flow at the initial position under the effect of Rossby parameter. Furthermore, in the inertial stable region, if the effect of geostrophic deviation at the initial position is considered, the motion will not only bifurcate but also generate a catastrophe.

Influence of Structure Parameters on Performance of the Thermoelectric Module

A numerical model of thermoelectric module （TEM） is created by academic analysis,and the impacts of the resistance ratio and thermoelement size on the output power and thermoelectric efficiency of the TEM are analyzed by the MATLAB numerical calculation.The numerical model is validated by the ANSYS thermal,electrical,and structural coupling simulation.The effects of the variable physical property parameters and contact effect on the output power and thermoelectric efficiency are evaluated,and the concept of aspect ratio optimal domain is proposed,which provides a new design approach for the TEM.

Covalent bonding and J–J mixing effects on the EPR parameters of Er^(3+) ions in GaN crystal

The EPR parameters of trivalent Er（3＋） ions doped in hexagonal Ga N crystal have been studied by diagonalizing the 364×364 complete energy matrices. The results indicate that the resonance ground states may be derived from the Kramers doublet Γ6. The EPR g-factors may be ascribed to the stronger covalent bonding and nephelauxetic effects compared with other rare-earth doped complexes, as a result of the mismatch of ionic radii of the impurity Er（3＋）ion and the replaced Ga（3＋） ion apart from the intrinsic covalency of host Ga N. Furthermore, the J–J mixing effects on the EPR parameters from the high-lying manifolds have been evaluated. It is found that the dominant J–J mixing contribution is from the manifold 2K（15/2）, which accounts for about 2.5%. The next important J–J contribution arises from the crystal–field mixture between the ground state 4I（15/2） and the first excited state4I（13/2）, and is usually less than 0.2%. The contributions from the rest states may be ignored.

Effects of Maternal Linseed Oil Supplementation on Metabolic Parameters in Cafeteria Diet-induced Obese Rats

Because linseed oil may influence maternal and fetal metabolisms, we investigated its role in the modulation of lipid metabolism in cafeteria diet-induced obese rats and their offspring. Female Wistar rats were fed control or cafeteria food, which were either supplemented or not supplemented with linseed oil （5%） for I month before and during gestation. At parturition, serum and tissue lipids and enzyme activities were analyzed. Cafeteria diet induced adverse metabolic alterations in both mothers and offspring. Linseed oil improved metabolic status. In conclusion, linseed oil displayed health benefits by modulating tissue enzyme activities in both obese mothers and their newborns.

The Study of the Grit-blasting Parameters and Their Effects on the Adhesive Strength of the Plasma Sprayed Coatings

Surface Preparation is very important in adhesive b on ding of spray coatings to the surface of a work piece. The common practice is gr it-blasting of the surface before subjecting it to the spray coating process. In this study, grit-blasting of an AISI 4130 steel (of different heat treatmen ts) with Al 2O 3 particles was studied. Various grit-blasting parameters such as blasting particle size, the distance between blasting nozzle and the work pi ece (25, 30 and 40 cm.), blasting pressure (3,4,5,6 and 7 bars), blasting time ( 3, 6 and 10 seconds), and the blasting angle (45° and 90°) were examined in or der to find the optimum roughness. The mean roughness (Ra) of the grit-blasted surfaces were measured and the vari ations of the roughness with respect to the above mentioned variables were studi ed. The results show that by increasing blasting time, surface roughness increas es up to a maximum and then slightly decreases it with further duration of t he process. On the other hand a lengthy blasting causes some undesirable results such as an increase in residual particles between surface irregularities. There fore an optimum blasting time is of great importance. Increasing the blasting pr essure also provides a rougher surface, but in grit blasting of harder specimens the surface roughness decreases when the pressure reaches a certain limit. About the blasting angle, it was noticed that an angle of 45° results in less r esidual particles between the surface irregularities, in comparison to the angle of 90°. After grit-blasting, the specimens were plasma spray coated with 80% ZrO 2-20 % Y 2O 3 powder. The adhesive strength of the coating to the substrate was the n measured according to the DIN 50160 standard. The results show that for a certain base metal, the adhesive strength is directl y related to the surface roughness of the base material. Residual particles afte r grit-blasting the surface of the specimens can also have a strong deteriorati ng effect on adhesive strength. Finally, it was shown that the hardness of the b ase material had a direct effect on the adhesive strength of the sprayed coating s.

The K Method for Estimating Earthquake Activity Parameters and Effect of the Boundary Uncertainty of the Source Region:Discussion on the Seismic Zoning Method

Two aspects of a new method,which can be used for seismic zoning,are introduced in this paper.On the one hand,the approach to estimate b value and annual activity rate proposed by Kijko and Sellevoll needs to use the earthquake catalogue.The existing earthquake catalogue contains both historical and recent instrumental data sets and it is inadequate to use only one part.Combining the large number of historical events with recent complete records and taking the magnitude uncertainty into account,Kijko’s method gives the maximum likelihood estimation of b value and annual activity rate,which might be more realistic.On the other hand,this method considers the source zone boundary uncertainty in seismic hazard analysis,which means the earthquake activity rate across a boundary of a source zone changes smoothly instead of abruptly and avoids too large a gradient in the calculated results.

The Analysis of Peculiar Control Parameters of Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm on the Numerical Optimization Problems

Artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is one of the popular swarm intelligence algorithms. ABC has been developed by being inspired foraging and waggle dance behaviors of real bee colonies in 2005. Since its invention in 2005, many ABC models have been proposed in order to solve different optimization problems. In all the models proposed, there are only one scout bee and a constant limit value used as control parameters for the bee population. In this study, the performance of ABC algorithm on the numeric optimization problems was analyzed by using different number of scout bees and limit values. Experimental results show that the results obtained by using more than one scout bee and different limit values, are better than the results of basic ABC. Therefore, the control parameters of the basic ABC should be tuned according to given class of optimization problems. In this paper, we propose reasonable value ranges of control parameters for the basic ABC in order to obtain better results on the numeric optimization problems.

Assessment of parameters effectiveness in the reserve estimation methods applicable to coal bed methane reservoirs

The reserve estimation of coal bed methane(CBM)reservoirs is ascertained through the analytical methods(volumetric method,material balance equation and decline curve analysis).However,the adoption of reserve estimation methods depends on exploration stage and availability of the required parameters.This study deals with the analytical assessment of parameters that participate in effecting the reserve estimation of CBM reservoirs through the analytical techniques.The accurate measurement challenges always exist for the parameters which participate in the reserve estimation of the conventional and unconventional reservoirs because of the inclusion of limitations while measurement.Therefore,the impact of that measurement challenge must be assessed.The study specifies the impact of parametric change on the reserve estimation of CBM reservoirs so that the degree of parametric effectiveness is analyzed.Uncertain values are adopted which are associated during the evaluation of input parameters for each method to determine the overall impact on potential of CBM reserves.Results reveal that change in specific parameters considering each method provide relatively more effect on estimation of reserves.Thus,the measurement of parameters must be done accurately for assessing reserves of CBM reservoirs based on available methods.

Nitrate contamination in groundwater of Kabul Province,Afghanistan:Reasons behind and conceptual management framework discourse

Groundwater contamination has been on the rise in Afghanistan.It has become a major concern among the policy makers.This paper aims to propose practical options for the management of nitrate contamination in one of Afghanistan’s groundwater polluted provinces,Kabul.The management framework utilized Mann-Kendall and Sen Slope tests to detect nitrate trend and geostatistical analysis option in Arc GIS 10.5 to assess the nitrate change.To explore the impact of various management options,a number of legislative documents were reviewed.The results indicate a decline in the nitrate storage of Kabul aquifers from 108 mg/L in 2005 to 0.044 mg/L in 2010.Considering the whole period of the study,the results show that the nitrate volumes remain lower than the nitrate concentration range proposed by World Health Organization(50 mg/L).Groundwater dynamics in Kabul aquifers were influenced by nitrate derived from precipitation and nitrate input from root zones in agricultural areas.Finally,different management options for groundwater pollution from nitrate and corresponding authorities,incorporated urban,rural and agriculture,were proposed.It is expected that this study will help policy makers to better manage the nitrate storage of Kabul aquifers by implementing the proposed management options.

Analysis of Demagnetizer Operation Using the Finite Element Method

Permanent magnets with high energy products are widely used in a variety of electromagnetic devices. Such devices can be found in marine, aerospace, and robotic applications which require the minimization of weight and volume of the electromagnetic device. During the magnetizing process, the magnet may not be perfectly magnetized. Therefore, it needs to be demagnetized. Because of high coercivity of some permanent magnets, the demagnetization process requires the intense magnetic fields in close proximity with the magnetic material. The fields must be produced for a short period of time （millisecond range） and they also must be bidirectional in order to overcome the coercivity of magnetic material. Different parameters have been known to affect the demagnetizer operation such as the core shape, core material, turn number, cross section of air gap, magnet type and so on. The amplitude and waveform of the fixture current is obtained from PSPICE simulations and also from experimental measurement. A 2D finite element analysis is developed to simulate the magnetic fields and the mechanical forces. In this paper, the main parameters affecting the optimal design of the demagnetizer are discussed. Simulation results show that the core structure, air gap width, and turn numbers are the most important parameters when designing such a device.

Enhancement of UV-assisted TiO_2 degradation of ibuprofen using Fenton hybrid process at circumneutral pH

A synergistic UV/TiO2/Fenton(PCF)process is investigated for the degradation of ibuprofen(IBP)at circumneutral pH.The IBP decay in the PCF process is much faster than that with the conventional UV,UV/H2O2,Fenton,photo‐Fenton,and photocatalysis processes.The kinetics analysis showed that the IBP decay follows a two‐stage pseudo‐first order profile,that is,a fast IBP decay(k1)followed by a slow decay(k2).The effects of various parameters,including initial pH level,dosage of Fenton’s reagent and TiO2,wavelength of UV irradiation,and initial IBP concentration,are evaluated.The optimum pH level,[Fe2+]0,[Fe2+]0/[H2O2]0 molar ratio,and[TiO2]0 are determined to be approximately 4.22,0.20 mmol/L,1/40,and 1.0 g/L,respectively.The IBP decay at circumneutral pH(i.e.,6.0–8.0 for wastewater)shows the same IBP decay efficiency as that at the optimum pH of 4.22 after 30 min,which suggests that the PCF process is applicable for the treatment of wastewater in the circumneutral pH range.The lnk1 and lnk2 are observed to be linearly correlated to 1/pH0,[IBP]0,[H2O2]0,[H2O2]0/[Fe2+]0 and ln[TiO2]0.Mathematical models are therefore derived to predict the IBP decay.

Estimation of the PM_(2.5) effective hygroscopic parameter and water content based on particle chemical composition: Methodology and case study

Particle hygroscopicity plays a key role in understanding the mechanisms of haze formation and particle optical properties. The present study developed a method for predicting the effective hygroscopic parameter k and the water content of PM_(2.5) on the basis of the k-K?hler theory and bulk chemical components of PM_(2.5). Our study demonstrated that the effective hygroscopic parameter can be estimated using the PM_(2.5) mass concentration, water-soluble ions, and total water-soluble carbon. By combining the estimated k and ambient relative humidity, the water content of PM_(2.5) can be further estimated. As an example, the k and water content of PM_(2.5) in Beijing were estimated utilizing the method proposed in this study. The annual average value of k of PM_(2.5) in Beijing was 0.25±0.09, the maximum k value 0.26±0.08 appeared in summer, and the seasonal variation is insignificant. The PM_(2.5) water content was determined by both the PM_(2.5) hygroscopicity and the ambient relative humidity(RH). The annual average mass ratio of water content and PM_(2.5) was 0.18±0.20, and the maximum value 0.31±0.25 appeared in summer. Based on the estimated water content of PM_(2.5) in Beijing, the relationship between the PM_(2.5) water content and RH was parameterized as: m(%)=0.03+(5.73×10^(-8)) ×RH^(3.72).This parametric formula helps to characterize the relationship between the PM_(2.5) mass concentration and atmospheric visibility.