Factors Affecting the Relation of Fracture Toughness V_(GC) with Critical Void Growth Ratio R_C/R_O

The relationship between fracture toughness VGC and critical void growth RC/RO was studied for ten kinds of Steel. The macroscopic fracture toughness VGC was determined by using notched tensile specimens. and the microscopic parameters of critical void growth ratio RC/RO were quantitatively measured under SEM. Then, the coefhcient C in the relation VGC = C In(RC/RO) proposed in author's past work was specifically explored. The correlation of C with tensile proderty parameter φ=σyδ/(Eφn) was presented for the Steel investigated, and the effects of low temperature on C were also discussed. Results show that the coefficient C is linearly related to the parameter and insensitive to low temperature.

Effects of dietary protein/energy ratio on growth performance,carcass trait,meat quality,and plasma metabolites in pigs of different genotypes

Background： The protein/energy ratio is important for the production performance and utilization of available feed resources by animals. Increased protein consumption by mammals leads to elevated feed costs and increased nitrogen release into the environment. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary protein/energy ratio on the growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and plasma metabolites of pigs of different genotypes. Methods： Bama mini-pigs and Landrace pigs were randomly assigned to two dietary treatment groups （Chinese conventional diet with low protein/energy ratio or National Research Council diet with high protein/energy ratio; n = 24 per treatment） in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. Blood and muscle samples were collected at the end of the nursery, growing, and finishing phases. Results： We observed significant interactions （P 〈 0.05） between breed and diet for total fat percentage, intramuscular fat （IMF） content, protein content in biceps femoris （BF） muscle, and plasma urea nitrogen （UN） concentration in the nursery phase; for average daily gain （ADG）, average daily feed intake （ADFI）, dry matter, IMF content in psoas major （PM） muscle, and plasma total protein and albumin concentrations in the growing phase; and for drip loss and plasma UN concentration in the finishing phase. Breed influenced （P 〈 0.05） growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality, but not plasma metabolites. Throughout the trial, Landrace pigs showed significantly higher （P 〈 0.0_5） ADG, ADFI, dressing percentage, lean mass rate, and loin-eye area than did Bama mini-pigs, but significantly lower （P 〈 0.0.5） feed/gain ratio, fat percentage, backfat thickness, and IMF content. Dietary protein/energy ratio influenced the pH value, chemical composition of BF and PM muscles, and plasma activities of glutamic-pyruvic transaminase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, and plasma concentration of UN. Conclusions： Compared with Landrace pigs, Bama mini-pigs showed slower growth and lower carcass performance, but had better meat quality. Moreover, unlike Landrace pigs, the dietary protein/energy ratio did not affect the growth performance of Bama mini-pigs. These results suggest that, in swine production, low dietary protein/energy ratio may be useful for reducing feed costs and minimizing the adverse effects of ammonia release into the environment.

Effects of soil nitrate:ammonium ratio on plant carbon:nitrogen ratio and growth rate of Artemisia sphaerocephala seedlings

Can soil nitrate： ammonium ratios influence plant carbon： nitrogen ratios of the early succession plant？ Can plant carbon： nitrogen ratios limit the plant growth in early succession？ To address these two questions, we performed a two-factor （soil nitrate： ammonium ratio and plant density） randomized block design and a uniform-precision rotatable central composite design pot experiments to examine the relationships between soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, the carbon： nitrogen ratios and growth rate of Artemisia sphaerocephala seedlings. Under adequate nutrient status, both soil nitrate： ammonium ratios and plant density influenced the carbon： nitrogen ratios and growth rate of A. sphaerocephala seedlings. Under the lower soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, with the increase of soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, the growth rates of plant height and shoot biomass of A. sphaerocephala seedlings decreased significantly; with the increase of plant carbon： nitrogen ratios, the growth rates of shoot biomass of A. sphaerocephala seedlings decreased significantly. Soil nitrate： ammonium ratios affected the carbon： nitrogen ratios of A. sphaerocephala seedlings by plant nitrogen but not by plant carbon. Thus, soil nitrate： ammonium ratios influenced the carbon： nitrogen ratios of A. sphaerocephala seedlings, and hence influenced its growth rates. Our results suggest that under adequate nutrient environment, soil nitrate： ammonium ratios can be a limiting factor for the growth of the early succession plant.

Effects of N:P ratio of Artemisia ordosica on growth influenced by soil calcium carbonate

Soil calcium carbonate(CaCO_3) has a strong solid phosphorus effect, and high content of CaCO_3 can significantly reduce the effectiveness of soil phosphorus. To reveal the limiting effect of soil CaCO_3 on the growth of plants on sand land and its mechanism of plant physiology, we performed pot experiments with a two-factor randomized block design and a three-factor orthogonal design for different soil CaCO_3 content treatments using Artemisia ordosica seedlings. In the experiments, we surveyed plant height, aboveground biomass, root length and root weight and analyzed N, P concentrations and RNA content of the seedlings, and discussed the relationships between relative growth rate(RGR) of the seedlings and N:P ratio as well as RNA. Results show that, the RGRs of plant height and above-ground biomass of the seedlings decreased significantly with the increase of soil CaCO_3 content, and those for root length and root weight decreased. The RGRs of plant height and above-ground biomass of the seedlings were significantly negatively correlated with leaf N:P ratios, but significantly positively correlated with leaf RNA content and leaf P concentrations. It can be seen that soil CaCO_3 is a stress factor for the growth of A. ordosica seedlings, and the growth response of the seedlings under the influence of soil CaCO_3 is in line with the Growth Rate Hypothesis.

Effect of carbon and nitrogen ratio control on Artemia growth, water quality, biofloc microbial diversity under high salinity and zero-water exchange culture condition

Biofloc technology has been applied successfully in the intensive aquaculture of several fish and shrimp species. The growth of heterotrophic microorganisms can be stimulated through adding extra carbon, which reduces the nitrogen level in the water and provides microbial protein to the animals. However, most of the studies and practical applications have been conducted in freshwater and marine environment. This paper focused on brine shrimp Artemia that lives in high salinity environment together with other halophilic or halotolerant microorganisms. The effect of carbon supplementation on Artemia growth, water quality, and microbial diversity of biofl ocs was studied in the closed culture condition without any water exchange. The salinity of the culture medium was 100. A 24-d culture trial was conducted through supplementing sucrose at carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 5, 15, and 30 (Su5, Su15, and Su30), respectively. The culture without adding sucrose was used as a control. Artemia was fed formulated feed at a feeding ration of 60% recommended feeding level. The results showed that sucrose supplementation at higher C/N ratio (15 and 30) signifi cantly improved the Artemia survival, growth and water quality ( P <0.05). Addition of sucrose at C/N ratio of 15 and 30 significantly increased biofloc volume (BFV)( P <0.05). The Illumina MiSeq sequencing analysis showed that supplementing carbon at C/N ratio of 15 had a better total bacterial diversity and richness, and shaped the microbial composition at genera level. This study should provide information for studying the mechanism of biofloc technology and its application in high salinity culture conditions.

EFFECTS OF STRESS RATIO AND FREQUENCY ON CORROSION FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH MECHANISM IN LOW ALLOY STEELS

Based on theoretical analysis about local strain,strain rate and dissolving rate at crack tip, the corrosion fatigue crack growth rate of steels ZG20SiMn and SM50B-Zc in fresh water and 3.5% NaCl solution were measured experimentally,and the PH and electrode potential within crack were also measured continuously along with crack propagating.It showed that the increase of crack growth rate,caused by both decreasing frequency and raising stress ratio,was mainly accelerated by hydrogen embrittlement.

Effects of soil nitrogen:phosphorus ratio on growth rate of Artemisia ordosica seedlings

To address how the ratios of nitrogen and phosphorus (N:P ratios) in soil affect plant growth, we performed a two-factor (soil available N:P ratios and plant density) randomized block pot experiment to examine the relationships between soil N:P ratios, and the N:P ratios and growth rate of Artemisia ordosica seedlings. Under moderate water stress and adequate nutrient status, both soil N:P and plant density influenced the N:P ratios and growth rates of A. ordosica. With the increase of soil N:P ratios, the growth rates of A. ordosica seedlings decreased significantly. With the increase of soil N:P ratios, N:P ratios in A. ordosica seedlings increased significantly. While the nitrogen concentrations in the plant increased slightly, the phosphorus concentrations significantly decreased. With the increase of plant density, the shoot N:P ratios and growth rates significantly decreased, which resulted from soil N:P ratios. Thus, soil N:P ratios influenced the N:P ratios in A. ordosica seedlings, and hence, influenced its growth. Our results suggest that, under adequate nutrient environment, soil N:P ratios can be a limiting factor for plant growth.

Correlation of crack growth rate and stress ratio for fatigue damage containing very high cycle fatigue regime

A model is proposed to correlate the crack growth rate and stress ratio containing very high cycle fatigue regime.The model is verified by the experimental data in literature.Then a formula is derived for the effect of mean stress on fatigue strength,and it is used to estimate the fatigue strength of a bearing steel in very high cycle fatigue regime at different stress ratios.The estimated results are also compared with those by Goodman formula.

Therapeutic effect of nerve growth factor on cerebral infarction in dogs using the hemisphere anomalous volume ratio of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

A model of focal cerebral ischemic infarction was established in dogs through middle cerebral artery occlusion of the right side.Thirty minutes after occlusion,models were injected with nerve growth factor adjacent to the infarct locus.The therapeutic effect of nerve growth factor against cerebral infarction was assessed using the hemisphere anomalous volume ratio,a quantitative index of diffusion-weighted MRI.At 6 hours,24 hours,7 days and 3 months after modeling,the hemisphere anomalous volume ratio was significantly reduced after treatment with nerve growth factor. Hematoxylin-eosin staining,immunohistochemistry,electron microscopy and neurological function scores showed that infarct defects were slightly reduced and neurological function significantly improved after nerve growth factor treatment.This result was consistent with diffusion-weighted MRI measurements.Experimental findings indicate that nerve growth factor can protect against cerebral infarction,and that the hemisphere anomalous volume ratio of diffusion-weighted MRI can be used to evaluate the therapeutic effect.

Effects of elevated CO_2 concentration on growth and water usage of tomato seedlings under different ammonium/nitrate ratios

Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is generally expected to enhance photosynthesis and growth of agricultural C3 vegetable crops, and therefore results in an increase in crop yield. However, little is known about the combined effect of elevated CO2 and N species on plant growth and development. Two growth-chamber experiments were conducted to determine the effects of NH4^＋/NO3^- ratio and elevated CO2 concentration on the physiological development and water use of tomato seedlings. Tomato was grown for 45 d in containers with nutrient solutions varying in NH4^＋/NO3^- ratios and CO2 concentrations in growth chambers. Results showed that plant height, stem thickness, total dry weight, dry weight of the leaves, stems and roots, G value （total plant dry weight/seedling days）, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, leaf-level and whole plant-level water use efficiency and cumulative water consumption of tomato seedlings were increased with increasing proportion of NO3- in nutrient solutions in the elevated CO2 treatment. Plant biomass, plant height, stem thickness and photosynthetic rate were 67%, 22%, 24% and 55% higher at elevated CO2 concentration than at ambient CO2 concentration, depending on the values of NH4^＋/NO3^- ratio. These results indicated that elevating CO2 concentration did not mitigate the adverse effects of 100% NH4^＋-N （in nutrient solution） on the tomato seedlings. At both CO2 levels, NH4^＋/NO3^- ratios of nutrient solutions strongly influenced almost every measure of plant performance, and nitrate-fed plants attained a greater biomass production, as compared to ammonium-fed plants. These phenomena seem to be related to the coordinated regulation of photosynthetic rate and cumulative water consumption of tomato seedlings.

Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate-lipid Ratio on Growth, Body Composition and Digestive Enzyme Activities of Juvenile Peanut Worm,Sipunculus nudus

[Objective] This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary carbohydrate-lipid( C / L) ratios on growth performance,body composition and digestive enzyme activities of juvenile peanut worm. [Methods]Juvenile peanut worm with average body weight of( 16. 77 ± 0. 40) mg were fed with five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets formulated to contain different carbohydrate / lipid( C / L) ratios( 0. 68,1. 02,1. 62,2. 61 or 4. 35) for 8 weeks. [Results] The dietary C / L ratios had no significant effects on survival of juvenile peanut worm( P 】 0. 05). With the increasing of dietary C / L ratios,weight growth rate( WGR)and specific growth rate( SGR) increased when dietary C / L ratios were between 0. 68 and 2. 61,and then decreased significantly with dietary C / L ratio further increased. When the dietary C / L ratio was 2. 61( carbohydrate level was 20. 64%,lipid level was 7. 92%) both WGR and SGR produced the maximum value,they were 451. 78 ± 16. 85% and 3. 41 ± 0. 06 % / d,respectively. The dietary C / L ratios had significant effects on body moisture,body protein content and body lipid content( P 【 0. 05),but no significant effects on body ash content of juvenile peanut worm( P 】 0. 05). Different C / L ratios had significant effects on amylase activity and lipases activity of juvenile peanut worm( P 【 0. 05),but no significant effects on protease activity( P 】 0. 05). [Conclusion]The regression model analysis showed that the most suitable dietary C / L ratio which can make juvenile peanut worm acquire the best weight growth rate is 2. 42.

Modeling of Fatigue Crack Growth Closure Considering the Integrative Effect of Cyclic Stress Ratio,Specimen Thickness and Poisson's Ratio

Key components of large structures in aeronautics industry are required to be made light and have long enough fatigue lives.It is of vital importance to estimate the fatigue life of these structures accurately.Since the FCG process is affected by various factors,no universal model exists due to the complexity of the mechanisms.Most of the existing models are obtained by fitting the experimental data and could hardly describe the integrative effect of most existing factors simultaneously.In order to account for the integrative effect of specimen parameters,material property and loading conditions on FCG process,a new model named integrative influence factor model（IIF） is proposed based on the plasticity-induced crack closure theory.Accordingly to the predictions of crack opening ratio（γ） and effective stress intensity factor range ratio（U） with different material under various loading conditions,predictions of γ and U by the IIF model are completely identical to the theoretical results from the plane stress state to the plane strain state when Poisson＇s ratio equals 1/3.When Poisson＇s ratio equals 0.3,predictions of γ and U by the IIF model are larger than the predictions by the existing model,and more close to the theoretical results.In addition,it describes the influence of R ratios on γ and U effectively in the whole region from-1.0 to 1.0.Moreover,several sets of test data of FCG rates in 5 kinds of aluminum alloys with various specimen thicknesses under different loading conditions are used to validate the IIF model,most of the test data are situated on the predicted curves or between the two curves that represent the specimen with different thicknesses under the same stress ratio.Some of the test data slightly departure from the predictions by the IIF model due to the surface roughness and errors in measurement.Besides,based on the analysis of the physical rule of crack opening ratios,a relative thickness of specimen is defined to describe the influence of material property,specimen thickness and so forth on FCG characteristics conveniently.In conclusion,the relative thickness of specimen simplifies the expression of FCG characteristic and provides a general parameter to analyze the fatigue characteristics of different materials with various thicknesses under different loading conditions.The IIF model describes the integrative effect of existing influence factors explicitly and quantitatively,and provides a helpful tool for fatigue property estimation of practical component and experiment design.

Effects of Feeding Time on the Growth Performance and Variation of RNA/DNA Ratio of the Chinese Soft-shelled Turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis

The present study was to investigate the effects of feeding time on growth of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle. The experiment was carried out with a photoperiod of 12L （light）： 12D （dark） with lights on at 06：00 and off at 18：00. Turtles were maintained at a temperature of 32 - 0.2 ℃ in tanks throughout the length of the experiment. The turtles in group 1 to group 6 were fed respectively at 00：00, 04：00, 08：00, 12：00, 16：00 and 20：00 with 60 turtles each （Initial body weight 88.27 - 0.09 g）. Acrophases of postprandial RNA/DNA ratio in liver in each group was shown between 5h and 7h after feeding. A positive linear correlation could be seen between specific growth rate （SGR） and RNA/ DNA：SGR=t.1586RNA/DNA-0.7097 （r = 0.9328, P = 0.0066）. The results indicated that the values at the acrophases of about 6h after feeding might be used as an instantaneous growth index in the Chinese soft-shelled turtle. The turtles in group 1 grew better than group 3, group 4, group 5, group 6, because they ate more, but they ate more and grew slower than group 2, whose feed conversion rate was also higher. Meanwhile, the SGR and feeding rate of turtles fed at 12：00 were the lowest from the six groups （P 〈 0.05）. Turtles fed in group 1, group 2 and group 6 developed more heavy final body weight （FBW）, higher feeding rate and SGR than the other three groups. This probably suggested that turtles fed in scotophase grew better than that fed at photophase in total.

Effect of stress ratio on fatigue crack growth of Ti40 alloy

The effect of stress ratio on fatigue crack growth(FCG) behavior of Ti40 alloy was analyzed. A unified approach,developed by VASUDEVAN and SADANANDA was used. The approach is based on the realization that fatigue requires two load parameters for unambiguous description. They are two fracture mechanics parameters:the maximum stress intensity factor Kmax and the stress intensity amplitude △K. The results show that there are two mechanisms controlling the FCG behavior of Ti40 alloy. The curves of the two mechanisms in trajectory map are similar. They deviate to Kmax axial more strongly compared with other titanium alloy,which indicates that Ti40 alloy is more sensitive to environment.

Fatigue Crack Growth Rate of Ti-6Al-4V Considering the Effects of Fracture Toughness and Crack Closure

Fatigue fracture is one of the main failure modes of Ti-6A1-4V alloy,fracture toughness and crack closure have strong effects on the fatigue crack growth（FCG）rate of Ti-6A1-4V alloy.The FCG rate of Ti-6A1-4V is investigated by using experimental and analytical methods.The effects of stress ratio,crack closure and fracture toughness on the FCG rate are studied and discussed.A modified prediction model of the FCG rate is proposed,and the relationship between the fracture toughness and the stress intensity factor（SIF）range is redefined by introducing a correcting coefficient.Notched plate fatigue tests（including the fracture toughness test and the FCG rate test）are conducted to investigate the influence of affecting factors on the FCG rate.Comparisons between the predicted results of the proposed model,the Paris model,the Walker model,the Sadananda model,and the experimental data show that the proposed model gives the best agreement with the test data particularly in the near-threshold region and the Paris region,and the corresponding calculated fatigue life is also accurate in the same regions.By considering the effects of fracture toughness and crack closure,the novel FCG rate prediction model not only improves the estimating accuracy,but also extends the adaptability of the FCG rate prediction model in engineering.

Effects of irradiance on pigment signatures of harmful algae during growth process

Three harmful algal bloom （HAB） species, Phaeocystis globosa, Thalassiosira rotula, and Prorocentrum donghaiense were isolated from the coast of China and cultured in batches at three light intensities （40, 70 and 150 μmol photons · m -2 · s -1 ）. The variation patterns of cell numbers and growth rates with light intensity during growth process were different among species. In P. globosa and T. rotula, maximum growth rates were found at 150 μmol photons · m -2 · s -1 and ranged from 0.60 divisions per day in T. rotula, to 1.17 divisions per day in P. globosa. The highest growth rate of P. donghaiense, however, was found at 70 μmol photons · m -2 · s -1 （0.36 divisions per day）. In general, all the three HAB species showed adaptation to increasing light intensity by decreasing cellular concentrations of chlorophyll a （Chl a）, but the variation patterns during the growth process were species-specific. The cellular concentrations of Chl a in P. donghaiense and T. rotula increased gradually with incubation time, but the opposite trend was found in P. globosa. Most of the pigment ratios and pigment indices of these three species were nearly constant during the growth process and showed small changes at different light intensities illustrating the applicability of chemotaxonomy during the initial and developing stages of HAB events, which is very important to study the ecological issues related to HAB species. Ratios of photoprotective carotenoids, such as diadinoxanthin, diatoxanthin and β, β-carotene to total chlorophylls a （Tchl a） showed the trend of increasing with the increase of light intensity during growth process. The species-specific and pigment-specific variations in pigment ratios/indices at different light intensities during growth process probably reflected the differences in the pigment composition as well as the adaption capabilities of different species to the changes of physical conditions.

Investigation in Crack Growth of A537 Steel and Its Weld Metal in Artificial Sea Water

The crack growth rates of A537 c1.1 steel and its weld metal have been investigated both in air and in artificial sea water.The effects of stress ratio,frequency,residual stress of welds as well as corrosion products on cor- rosion fatigue crack growth rate have been exa- mined.Some electrochemical reactions occurred during tests and models for describing the cor- rosion fatigue crack growth process in low strength of offshore structural steel were discussed.

Study on the Bubble Growth and Departure with A Lattice Boltzmann Method

For the growth and departure of bubbles from an orifice, a free energy lattice Boltzmann model is adopted to deal with this complex multiphase flow phenomenon. A virtual layer is set at the boundary of the flow domain to deal with the no-slip boundary condition. Effects of the viscosity, surface tension, gas inertial force and buoyancy on the characteristics of bubbles when they grow and departure from an orifice in quiescent liquid are studied. The releasing period and departure diameter of the bubble are influenced by the residual gas at the orifice, and the interaction between bubbles is taken into consideration. The relations between the releasing period or departure diameter and the gravity acceleration show fair agreements with previous numerical and theoretical results. And the influence of the gas outflow velocity on bubble formation is discussed as well. For the bubbles growing in cross-flow field, effects of the cross-flow speed and the gas outflow velocity on the bubble formation are discussed, which is related to the application in ship resistance reduction. And optimal choice of the ship speed and gas outflow velocity is studied. Cases in this paper also prove that this high density ratio LBM model has its flexibility and effectiveness on multiphase flow simulations.

Cluster planting impact on cotton growth, yield and biomass accumulation in an arid region oasis

The cluster planting pattern （3 plants per hole） for cotton （Gossypium hirsutum L.） may increase economic yield over those of the traditional planting pattern （1 plant per hole） in arid regions of China. This increase in yield depends on either increased biomass production or greater partitioning to fruit. This study was conducted to determine whether differences in biomass accumulation or partitioning to reproductive growth contributed to higher yield in the cluster planting pattern compared with the traditional one. Growth parameters, biomass accumulation, crop growth rate and partitioning between cluster planting pattern and traditional planting pattern was compared in northwest of China. The biomass production and partitioning in cluster planting plot was higher than in traditional planting one. Biomass accumulation was faster early in the clustered treatment, and it was also higher at harvest time. Total dry matter production per unit area was significantly higher than in the traditional planting. On a per plant basis, dry matter accumulation was faster and total biomass production was significantly higher in the cluster planting pattern. Numbers of sympodia and boll sizes were also larger, indicating that facilitation among plants was promoting crop yield. The increase in yield in the cluster planting treatment occurred through increased partitioning of dry matter to fruits than in the traditional planting pattern, resulting in more bolls and increased lint yield in arid regions.