Reliability-based life-cycle cost seismic design optimization of coastal bridge piers with nonuniform corrosion using different materials

Reinforcement corrosion is the main cause of performance deterioration of reinforced concrete(RC)structures.Limited research has been performed to investigate the life-cycle cost(LCC)of coastal bridge piers with nonuniform corrosion using different materials.In this study,a reliability-based design optimization(RBDO)procedure is improved for the design of coastal bridge piers using six groups of commonly used materials,i.e.,normal performance concrete(NPC)with black steel(BS)rebar,high strength steel(HSS)rebar,epoxy coated(EC)rebar,and stainless steel(SS)rebar(named NPC-BS,NPC-HSS,NPC-EC,and NPC-SS,respectively),NPC with BS with silane soakage on the pier surface(named NPC-Silane),and high-performance concrete(HPC)with BS rebar(named HPC-BS).First,the RBDO procedure is improved for the design optimization of coastal bridge piers,and a bridge is selected to illustrate the procedure.Then,reliability analysis of the pier designed with each group of materials is carried out to obtain the time-dependent reliability in terms of the ultimate and serviceability performances.Next,the repair time of the pier is predicted based on the time-dependent reliability indices.Finally,the time-dependent LCCs for the pier are obtained for the selection of the optimal design.

Preventing the Immense Increase in the Life-Cycle Energy and Carbon Footprints of LLM-Powered Intelligent Chatbots

Intelligent chatbots powered by large language models(LLMs)have recently been sweeping the world,with potential for a wide variety of industrial applications.Global frontier technology companies are feverishly participating in LLM-powered chatbot design and development,providing several alternatives beyond the famous ChatGPT.However,training,fine-tuning,and updating such intelligent chatbots consume substantial amounts of electricity,resulting in significant carbon emissions.The research and development of all intelligent LLMs and software,hardware manufacturing(e.g.,graphics processing units and supercomputers),related data/operations management,and material recycling supporting chatbot services are associated with carbon emissions to varying extents.Attention should therefore be paid to the entire life-cycle energy and carbon footprints of LLM-powered intelligent chatbots in both the present and future in order to mitigate their climate change impact.In this work,we clarify and highlight the energy consumption and carbon emission implications of eight main phases throughout the life cycle of the development of such intelligent chatbots.Based on a life-cycle and interaction analysis of these phases,we propose a system-level solution with three strategic pathways to optimize the management of this industry and mitigate the related footprints.While anticipating the enormous potential of this advanced technology and its products,we make an appeal for a rethinking of the mitigation pathways and strategies of the life-cycle energy usage and carbon emissions of the LLM-powered intelligent chatbot industry and a reshaping of their energy and environmental implications at this early stage of development.

Evolution of United States Technology Alliance Strategy and Reshaping of International Strategic Landscape

Building a technology alliance is the main strategy for the United States to maintain its scientific and technological hegemony under its technopolitical strategic framework.After Joe Biden took office,the United States implemented“small yard with high fences”strategy for scientific and technological competition,as the first step toward building a technology alliance.The main goal is to restrict the flow of strategic emerging technologies and factors of innovation to rival countries.

Zero-determinant strategies in iterated multi-strategy games

Self-serving,rational agents sometimes cooperate to their mutual benefit.The two-player iterated prisoner′s dilemma game is a model for including the emergence of cooperation.It is generally believed that there is no simple ultimatum strategy which a player can control the return of the other participants.The zero-determinant strategy in the iterated prisoner′s dilemma dramatically expands our understanding of the classic game by uncovering strategies that provide a unilateral advantage to sentient players pitted against unwitting opponents.However,strategies in the prisoner′s dilemma game are only two strategies.Are there these results for general multi-strategy games?To address this question,the paper develops a theory for zero-determinant strategies for multi-strategy games,with any number of strategies.The analytical results exhibit a similar yet different scenario to the case of two-strategy games.The results are also applied to the Snowdrift game,the Hawk-Dove game and the Chicken game.

Construction of project quality health monitoring system based on life-cycle theory

In order to more effectively assess the health status of a project, the monitoring indices in a project＇s life cycle are divided into quality index, cost index, time index, satisfaction index, and sustainable development index. Based on the feature of qualitative and quantitative indices combining, the PCA-PR （principal component analysis and pattern recognition） model is constructed. The model first analyzes the principal components of the life-cycle indices system constructed above, and picks up those principal component indices that can reflect the health status of a project at any time. Then the pattern recognition model is used to study these principal components, which means that the real time health status of the project can be divided into five lamps from a green lamp to a red one and the health status lamp of the project can be recognized by using the PR model and those principal components. Finally, the process is shown with a real example and a conclusion consistent with the actual situation is drawn. So the validity of the index system and the PCA-PR model can be confirmed.

Characterization and evaluation of brittleness of deep bedded sandstone from the perspective of the whole life-cycle evolution process

The quantitative determination and evaluation of rock brittleness are crucial for the estimation of excavation efficiency and the improvement of hydraulic fracturing efficiency.Therefore,a“three-stage”triaxial loading and unloading stress path is designed and proposed.Subsequently,six brittleness indices are selected.In addition,the evolution characteristics of the six brittleness indices selected are characterized based on the bedding effect and the effect of confining pressure.Then,the entropy weight method(EWM)is introduced to assign weight to the six brittleness indices,and the comprehensive brittleness index Bcis defined and evaluated.Next,the new brittleness classification standard is determined,and the brittleness differences between the two stress paths are quantified.Finally,compared with the previous evaluation methods,the rationality of the proposed comprehensive brittleness index Bcis also verified.These results indicate that the proposed brittleness index Bccan reflect the brittle characteristics of deep bedded sandstone from the perspective of the whole life-cycle evolution process.Accordingly,the method proposed seems to offer reliable evaluations of the brittleness of deep bedded sandstone in deep engineering practices,although further validation is necessary.

Life-cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Capture for Enhanced Oil Recovery

The development and deployment of Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage （CCS） technology is a cornerstone of the Norwegian government＇s climate strategy. A number of projects are currently evaluated/planned along the Norwegian West Coast, one at Tjeldbergodden. COe from this project will be utilized in part for enhanced oil recovery in the Halten oil field, in the Norwegian Sea. We study a potential design of such a system. A combined cycle power plant with a gross power output of 832 MW is combined with CO2 capture plant based on a post-combustion capture using amines as a solvent. The captured CO2 is used for enhanced oil recovery （EOR）. We employ a hybrid life-cycle assessment （LCA） method to assess the environmental impacts of the system. The study focuses on the modifications and operations of the platform during EOR. We allocate the impacts connected to the capture of CO2 to electricity production, and the impacts connected to the transport and storage of CO2 to the oil produced. Our study shows a substantial reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions from power production by 80% to 75 g·（kW·h）^-1. It also indicates a reduction of the emissions associated with oil production per unit oil produced, mostly due to the increased oil production. Reductions are especially significant if the additional power demand due to EOR leads to power supply from the land.

Life-cycle failure probability analysis of deteriorated RC bridges under multiple hazards of earthquakes and strong winds

Engineering structures may be exposed to one or more extreme hazards during their life-cycles.Current structural design specifications usually treat multiple hazards separately in designing structures and there is a limited probabilistic basis on extreme load combinations.Additionally,the performance of engineering structures will be deteriorated by the aggressive environments during their service periods,such as chloride attack,concrete carbonation,and wind-induced fatigue.This study presents a probabilistic methodology to assess the time-dependent failure probability of RC bridges with chloride-induced corrosion under the multiple hazards of earthquakes and strong winds.The loss of cross-section area of reinforcements and the reduction in strength of reinforcing steel and concrete cover induced by the chloride attack are considered.Moreover,the Poisson model is employed to obtain the occurrence probabilities of the individual and concurrent earthquake and strong wind events.The convolution integral is used to determine the joint probability distribution of combined load effects under simultaneous earthquakes and strong winds.Numerical results indicate that the structural failure probability under multiple hazards increases significantly during the bridge′s life-cycle due to the chloride corrosion effect.The contribution of each hazard event on the total structural failure probability varies with time.Thus,neglecting the combined influences of multiple hazards and chloride-induced corrosion may bring erroneous predictions in failure probability estimates of RC bridges.

A Blockchain-Based Life-Cycle Environmental Management Framework for Hospitals in the COVID-19 Context

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency, many hospitals were built or renovated around the world to meet the challenges posed by the rising number of infected cases. Environmental management in the hospital life cycle is vital in preventing nosocomial infection and includes many infection control procedures. In certain urgent situations, a hospital must be completed quickly, and work process approval and supervision must therefore be accelerated. Thus, many works cannot be checked in detail. This results in a lack of work liability control and increases the difficulty of ensuring the fulfillment of key infection prevention measures. This study investigates how blockchain technology can transform the work quality inspection workflow to assist in nosocomial infection control under a fast delivery requirement. A blockchain-based life-cycle environmental management framework is proposed to track the fulfillment of crucial infection control measures in the design, construction, and operation stages of hospitals. The proposed framework allows for work quality checking after the work is completed, when some work cannot be checked on time. Illustrative use cases are selected to demonstrate the capabilities of the developed solution. This study provides new insights into applying blockchain technology to address the challenge of environmental management brought by rapid delivery requirements.

Influence of social capital on the livelihood strategies of farmers under China's rural revitalization strategy in poor mountain areas: A case study of the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture

Social capital in the form of social resources or social networks is one of the most important livelihood capital of farmers, which can increase the labor productivity of poor households and increase income. It is important to explore the reasons underlying the livelihood strategy choices of farmers from the perspective of social capital under China’s rural revitalization strategy. In this study, the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, a povertystricken mountainous area in southwestern China, was selected as the case study area, and multivariable linear regression models were constructed to analyze the influence of social capital on livelihood strategies.The results are as follows:(1) Individual social capital had a positive effect on non-agricultural livelihood strategies. On average, with a one-unit increase in individual social capital, the ratio of farmers’ nonagricultural income to total productive income(Income_Rto) increased by 0.002% and 0.062%,respectively. Collective social capital, with the Peasant Economic Cooperation Organization(PECO) as the carrier, had a negative effect on the non-agricultural livelihood strategies of farmers;on average, with a oneunit increase in PECO, Income_Rto decreased by approximately 0.053%. However, this effect was only significant in the river valley area.(2) The income differences among the different livelihood strategy types were explained by the livelihood strategy choices of farmers. As non-agricultural work can bring more benefits, the labor force exhibited one-way migration from villages to cities, resulting in a lack of the subject of rural revitalization. It is necessary to implement effective measures to highlight the role of PECO in increasing agricultural income for farmers. Finally,based on the above conclusions,policy recommendations with respect to livelihood transformation of farmers and rural sustainable development are discussed.

Significant risk factors for intensive care unit-acquired weakness:A processing strategy based on repeated machine learning

BACKGROUND Intensive care unit-acquired weakness(ICU-AW)is a common complication that significantly impacts the patient's recovery process,even leading to adverse outcomes.Currently,there is a lack of effective preventive measures.AIM To identify significant risk factors for ICU-AW through iterative machine learning techniques and offer recommendations for its prevention and treatment.METHODS Patients were categorized into ICU-AW and non-ICU-AW groups on the 14th day post-ICU admission.Relevant data from the initial 14 d of ICU stay,such as age,comorbidities,sedative dosage,vasopressor dosage,duration of mechanical ventilation,length of ICU stay,and rehabilitation therapy,were gathered.The relationships between these variables and ICU-AW were examined.Utilizing iterative machine learning techniques,a multilayer perceptron neural network model was developed,and its predictive performance for ICU-AW was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic curve.RESULTS Within the ICU-AW group,age,duration of mechanical ventilation,lorazepam dosage,adrenaline dosage,and length of ICU stay were significantly higher than in the non-ICU-AW group.Additionally,sepsis,multiple organ dysfunction syndrome,hypoalbuminemia,acute heart failure,respiratory failure,acute kidney injury,anemia,stress-related gastrointestinal bleeding,shock,hypertension,coronary artery disease,malignant tumors,and rehabilitation therapy ratios were significantly higher in the ICU-AW group,demonstrating statistical significance.The most influential factors contributing to ICU-AW were identified as the length of ICU stay(100.0%)and the duration of mechanical ventilation(54.9%).The neural network model predicted ICU-AW with an area under the curve of 0.941,sensitivity of 92.2%,and specificity of 82.7%.CONCLUSION The main factors influencing ICU-AW are the length of ICU stay and the duration of mechanical ventilation.A primary preventive strategy,when feasible,involves minimizing both ICU stay and mechanical ventilation duration.

Life-cycle CO_2 Emissions and Their Driving Factors in Construction Sector in China

As the construction sector is a major energy consumer and thus a significant contributor of CO_2 emissions in China,it is important to consider carbon reduction in this industry.This study analyzed six life-cycle stages and calculated the life-cycle CO_2 emissions of the construction sector in 30 Chinese provincial jurisdictions to understand the disparity among them.Results show that building materials production was the key stage for carbon reduction in the construction sector,followed by the building operation stage.External variables,e.g.,economic growth,industrial structure,urbanization,price fluctuation,and marketization,were significantly correlated with the emission intensity of the construction sector.Specifically,economic growth exhibited an inverted U-shaped relation with CO_2 emissions per capita and per area during the period examined.Secondary industry and land urbanization were negatively correlated with CO_2 emission intensity indicators from the construction sector,whereas tertiary industry and urbanization were positively correlated.Price indices and marketization had negative effects on CO_2 emission intensity.The policy implications of our findings are that cleaner technologies should be encouraged for cement providers,and green purchasing rules for the construction sector should also be established.Pricing tools(e.g.,resource taxes)could help to adjust the demand for raw materials and energy.

Engineering Strategies for Suppressing the Shuttle Effect in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur(Li–S)batteries are supposed to be one of the most potential next-generation batteries owing to their high theoretical capacity and low cost.Nevertheless,the shuttle effect of firm multi-step two-electron reaction between sulfur and lithium in liquid electrolyte makes the capacity much smaller than the theoretical value.Many methods were proposed for inhibiting the shuttle effect of polysulfide,improving corresponding redox kinetics and enhancing the integral performance of Li–S batteries.Here,we will comprehensively and systematically summarize the strategies for inhibiting the shuttle effect from all components of Li–S batteries.First,the electrochemical principles/mechanism and origin of the shuttle effect are described in detail.Moreover,the efficient strategies,including boosting the sulfur conversion rate of sulfur,confining sulfur or lithium polysulfides(LPS)within cathode host,confining LPS in the shield layer,and preventing LPS from contacting the anode,will be discussed to suppress the shuttle effect.Then,recent advances in inhibition of shuttle effect in cathode,electrolyte,separator,and anode with the aforementioned strategies have been summarized to direct the further design of efficient materials for Li–S batteries.Finally,we present prospects for inhibition of the LPS shuttle and potential development directions in Li–S batteries.

New Sino-US Strategic Gambling and China’s Strategy

Since confidence is fading and anxiety is increasing in the US,America’s China policy has become more radical. In the short term, the US has the upper hand and China is in a relatively passive position. In the medium-and long-term, there will be more balance between them. This current strategic gambling between China and the US will be the major issue of international politics in the first half of the 21 st century and the most prominent external challenge China faces. China needs to make strategic adjustments but the gamble may be worthwhile in correcting imbalance in the international order and in the co-evolution of the two countries.

How do the landslide and non-landslide sampling strategies impact landslide susceptibility assessment? d A catchment-scale case study from China

The aim of this study is to investigate the impacts of the sampling strategy of landslide and non-landslide on the performance of landslide susceptibility assessment(LSA).The study area is the Feiyun catchment in Wenzhou City,Southeast China.Two types of landslides samples,combined with seven non-landslide sampling strategies,resulted in a total of 14 scenarios.The corresponding landslide susceptibility map(LSM)for each scenario was generated using the random forest model.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and statistical indicators were calculated and used to assess the impact of the dataset sampling strategy.The results showed that higher accuracies were achieved when using the landslide core as positive samples,combined with non-landslide sampling from the very low zone or buffer zone.The results reveal the influence of landslide and non-landslide sampling strategies on the accuracy of LSA,which provides a reference for subsequent researchers aiming to obtain a more reasonable LSM.

Comparative Life-cycle Assessment of Sheet Molding Compound Reinforced by Natural Fiber vs. Glass Fiber

We present comparative life-cycle assessments of three fiber-reinforced sheet molding compounds （SMCs） using kenaf fiber, glass fiber and soy protein resin. Sheet molding compounds for automotive applications are typically made of unsaturated polyester and glass fibers. Replacing these with kenaf fiber or soy protein offers potential environmental benefits. A soy-based resin, maleated acrylated epoxidized soy oil （MAESO）, was synthesized from refined soybean oil. Kenaf fiber and polyester resins were used to make SMC 1 composites, while SMC2 composites were made from kenaf fiber and a resin blend of 20% MASEO and 80% unsaturated polyester. Both exhibited good physical and mechanical properties, though neither was as strong as glass fiber reinforced polyester SMC. The functional unit was defined as mass to achieve equal stiffness and stability for the manufacture of interior parts for automobiles. The life-cycle assessments were done on SMCI, SMC2 and glass fiber reinforced SMC. The material and energy balances from producing one functional unit of three composites were collected from lab experiments and the literature. Key environmental measures were computed using SimaPro software. Kenaf fiber-reinforced SMC composites （SMC1 and SMC2） performed better than glass fiber-reinforced SMC in every environmental category. The global warming potentials of kenaf fiber-reinforced SMC （SMCI） and kenaf soy resin-based SMC （SMC2） were 45% and 58%, respectively, of glass fiber-reinforced SMC. Thus, we have demonstrated significant ecological benefit from replacing glass fiber reinforced SMC with soy-based resin and natural fiber.

Drug resistance mechanisms in cancers:Execution of prosurvival strategies

One of the quintessential challenges in cancer treatment is drug resistance.Several mechanisms of drug resistance have been described to date,and new modes of drug resistance continue to be discovered.The phenomenon of cancer drug resistance is now widespread,with approximately 90% of cancer-related deaths associated with drug resistance.Despite significant advances in the drug discovery process,the emergence of innate and acquired mechanisms of drug resistance has impeded the progress in cancer therapy.Therefore,understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance and the various pathways involved is integral to treatment modalities.In the present review,I discuss the different mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer cells,including DNA damage repair,epithelial to mesenchymal transition,inhibition of cell death,alteration of drug targets,inactivation of drugs,deregulation of cellular energetics,immune evasion,tumor-promoting inflammation,genome instability,and other contributing epigenetic factors.Furthermore,I highlight available treatment options and conclude with future directions.

The Environmental Impacts and Economic Benefits on Comprehensively Promoting Alternative Fuel Buses in China: Life-Cycle and Scenario Analysis Based on LEAP Model

With the continuous development of urban public transportation, the harmful GHG emissions and pollutants generated by itself and the consequent issues such as the losses of residents’ health, economic value and residents’ welfare have become the focus of social attention. In order to study the impacts of promoting new energy vehicles on public transportation pollution mitigation and residents’ health benefits, this paper adopts the LEAP model to build some scenarios that fulfill different development needs to quantitatively analyze the ownership of new energy buses, the reduction of pollutants and the losses of residents’ health welfare. It is concluded that promoting new energy buses comprehensively can significantly reduce the emissions of atmospheric pollutants and the economic losses of residents’ health, but cannot fully realize the targets of greenhouse gas reduction under Life Cycle Analysis.

Overview of the immunological mechanisms in hepatitis B virus reactivation:Implications for disease progression and management strategies

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)reactivation is a clinically significant challenge in disease management.This review explores the immunological mechanisms underlying HBV reactivation,emphasizing disease progression and management.It delves into host immune responses and reactivation’s delicate balance,spanning innate and adaptive immunity.Viral factors’disruption of this balance,as are interac-tions between viral antigens,immune cells,cytokine networks,and immune checkpoint pathways,are examined.Notably,the roles of T cells,natural killer cells,and antigen-presenting cells are discussed,highlighting their influence on disease progression.HBV reactivation’s impact on disease severity,hepatic flares,liver fibrosis progression,and hepatocellular carcinoma is detailed.Management strategies,including anti-viral and immunomodulatory approaches,are critically analyzed.The role of prophylactic anti-viral therapy during immunosuppressive treatments is explored alongside novel immunotherapeutic interventions to restore immune control and prevent reactivation.In conclusion,this compre-hensive review furnishes a holistic view of the immunological mechanisms that propel HBV reactivation.With a dedicated focus on understanding its implic-ations for disease progression and the prospects of efficient management stra-tegies,this article contributes significantly to the knowledge base.The more profound insights into the intricate interactions between viral elements and the immune system will inform evidence-based approaches,ultimately enhancing disease management and elevating patient outcomes.The dynamic landscape of management strategies is critically scrutinized,spanning anti-viral and immunomodulatory approaches.The role of prophylactic anti-viral therapy in preventing reactivation during immunosuppressive treatments and the potential of innovative immunotherapeutic interventions to restore immune control and proactively deter reactivation.

Equilibrium Strategy of the Pursuit-Evasion Game in Three-Dimensional Space

The pursuit-evasion game models the strategic interaction among players, attracting attention in many realistic scenarios, such as missile guidance, unmanned aerial vehicles, and target defense. Existing studies mainly concentrate on the cooperative pursuit of multiple players in two-dimensional pursuit-evasion games. However, these approaches can hardly be applied to practical situations where players usually move in three-dimensional space with a three-degree-of-freedom control. In this paper,we make the first attempt to investigate the equilibrium strategy of the realistic pursuit-evasion game, in which the pursuer follows a three-degree-of-freedom control, and the evader moves freely. First, we describe the pursuer's three-degree-of-freedom control and the evader's relative coordinate. We then rigorously derive the equilibrium strategy by solving the retrogressive path equation according to the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman-Isaacs(HJBI) method, which divides the pursuit-evasion process into the navigation and acceleration phases. Besides, we analyze the maximum allowable speed for the pursuer to capture the evader successfully and provide the strategy with which the evader can escape when the pursuer's speed exceeds the threshold. We further conduct comparison tests with various unilateral deviations to verify that the proposed strategy forms a Nash equilibrium.