Tracheal compliance and limit flow rate changes in a murine model of asthma

Trachea is the unique passage for air to flow in and out. Its tone is of importance for the respiration system. However, investigation on how tracheal tone changes due to asthma is limited. Aiming at studying how the mechanical property changes due to asthma as well as the compliance and flow limitation, the following methods are adopted. Static and passive pressure-volume tests of rats' trachea of the asthmatic and control groups are carried out and a new type of tube law is formulated to fit the experimental data, based on which changes of compliance and limit flow rate are investigated. In order to give explanation to such changes, histological examinations with tracheal soft tissues are made. The results show that compliance, limit flow rate and material constants included in the tube law largely depend on the longitudinal stretching ratio. Compared with the control group, the tracheal compliance of asthmatic animals decreases significantly, which results in an increased limit flow rate. Histological studies indicate that asthma can lead to hyperplasia/hypertrophy of smooth muscle cells, and increase elastin and collagen fibres in the muscular membrane. Though decreasing compliance increases sta- bility, during the onset of asthma, limit flow rate is much smaller due to the lower transmural pressure. Asthma leads to a stiffer trachea and the obtained results reveal some aspects relevant to asthma-induced tracheal remodelling.

CHAOTIC MOTIONS AND LIMIT CYCLE FLUTTER OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL WING IN SUPERSONIC FLOW

Based on the piston theory of supersonic flow and the energy method, the flutter motion equations of a two-dimensional wing with cubic stiffness in the pitching direction are established. The aeroelastic system contains both structural and aerodynamic nonlinearities. Hopf bifurcation theory is used to analyze the flutter speed of the system. The effects of system parameters on the flutter speed are studied. The 4th order Runge-Kutta method is used to calculate the stable limit cycle responses and chaotic motions of the aeroelastic system. Results show that the number and the stability of equilibrium points of the system vary with the increase of flow speed. Besides the simple limit cycle response of period 1, there are also period-doubling responses and chaotic motions in the flutter system. The route leading to chaos in the aeroelastic model used here is the period-doubling bifurcation. The chaotic motions in the system occur only when the flow speed is higher than the linear divergent speed and the initial condition is very small. Moreover, the flow speed regions in which the system behaves chaos axe very narrow.

Experimental test and theoretical calculation of the fracture height limit of gas pipe flow to Darcy flow

Low-speed flow experiments in which ultra-fine copper tubes are used to simulate micro-fractures in carbonate strata are conducted to analyze the variations of gas flow state in fractures of different fracture heights,determine flow state transition limit and transition interval,and establish the calculation method of flow state transition limit.The results show that the ideal Hagen-Poiseuille flow is the main form of gas flow in large fractures.Due to the decrease of fracture height,the gas flow in the fracture changes from Hagen-Poiseuille flow with ideal smooth seam surface to non-Hagen-Poiseuille flow,and the critical point of the transition is the boundary of flow state transition.After the fracture height continues to decrease to a certain extent below the boundary of the flow state transition fracture height,the form of gas flow gradually changes to the ideal Darcy flow,thus the transition interval of the gas flow state in the closing process of fracture can be determined.Based on the three-dimensional microconvex body scanning of the fracture surface,the material properties of fracture and properties of fluid in the fracture,a method for calculating the boundary of flow state transition is established.The experimental test and theoretical calculation show that the limit of the fracture height for the transition from pipe flow to Darcy flow is about twice the sum of the maximum height of the microconvex bodies on the upper and lower sides of the fracture.

Expiratory flow-limitation in mechanically ventilated patients: A risk for ventilator-induced lung injury?

Expiratory flow limitation(EFL), that is the inability of expiratory flow to increase in spite of an increase of the driving pressure, is a common and unrecognized occurrence during mechanical ventilation in a variety of intensive care unit conditions. Recent evidence suggests that the presence of EFL is associated with an increase in mortality, at least in acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS) patients, and in pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery. EFL is a major cause of intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure(PEEPi), which in ARDS patients is heterogeneously distributed, with a consequent increase of ventilation/perfusion mismatch and reduction of arterial oxygenation. Airway collapse is frequently concomitant to the presence of EFL.When airways close and reopen during tidal ventilation, abnormally high stresses are generated that can damage the bronchiolar epithelium and uncouple small airways from the alveolar septa, possibly generating the small airways abnormalities detected at autopsy in ARDS. Finally, the high stresses and airway distortion generated downstream the choke points may contribute to parenchymal injury, but this possibility is still unproven. PEEP application can abolish EFL, decrease PEEPi heterogeneity, and limit recruitment/derecruitment.Whether increasing PEEP up to EFL disappearance is a useful criterion for PEEP titration can only be determined by future studies.

Flux Limiter Lattice Boltzmann Scheme Approach to Compressible Flows with Flexible Specific-Heat Ratio and Prandtl Number

We further develop the lattice Boltzmann (LB) model [Physica A 382 (2007) 502] for compressible flows fromtwo aspects.Firstly,we modify the Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (BGK) collision term in the LB equation,which makes themodel suitable for simulating flows with different Prandtl numbers.Secondly,the flux limiter finite difference (FLFD)scheme is employed to calculate the convection term of the LB equation,which makes the unphysical oscillations atdiscontinuities be effectively suppressed and the numerical dissipations be significantly diminished.The proposed modelis validated by recovering results of some well-known benchmarks,including (i) The thermal Couette Row;(ii) One- andtwo-dimensional Riemann problems.Good agreements are obtained between LB results and the exact ones or previouslyreported solutions.The Rexibility,together with the high accuracy of the new model,endows the proposed modelconsiderable potential for tracking some long-standing problems and for investigating nonlinear nonequilibrium complexsystems.

A new geometrical and mechanical relation in the respiratory system with airflow limitation—From the perspective of analytical respiratory mechanics

Classic respiratory mechanics is a branch of vectorial mechanics, which aims to recognize all forces acting on the respiratory system. Another branch of mechanics, analytical mechanics, has been used for analyzing the motions of complicated systems with constraints through equilibrium among scalar quantities such as kinetic energy and potential energy. However, until now, there have not been any studies concerning about analytical respiratory mechanics. In this paper, the author has obtained two types of motion equations (linear and nonlinear) for the airflow limitation from formulation of the analytical respiratory mechanics. Reconstructed flow-volume trajectories of the linear equation revealed a new relationship among the slope of the linear portion of trajectory, the coefficient of the dissipation function and the coefficient of the potential function. Reconstructed trajectories of the nonlinear equation suggested that a curved flow-volume trajectory would be caused by the emergence of regional hypoventilated clusters with airtrapped lobules. In conclusion, analytical respiratory mechanics will provide the basis for analyzing the mechanical properties of the respiratory system con cerning pulmonary functional images made by newly developed technologies.

Metro passenger flow control with station-to-station cooperation based on stop-skipping and boarding limiting

Metro passenger flow control problem is studied under given total inbound demand in this work,which considers passenger demand control and train capacity supply.Relevant connotations are analyzed and a mathematical model is developed.The decision variables are boarding limiting and stop-skipping strategies and the objective is the maximal passenger profit.And a passenger original station choice model based on utility theory is built to modify the inbound passenger distribution among stations.Algorithm of metro passenger flow control scheme is designed,where two key technologies of stopping-station choice and headway adjustment are given and boarding limiting and train stopping-station scheme are optimized.Finally,a real case of Beijing metro is taken for example to verify validity.The results show that in the three scenarios with different ratios of normal trains to stop-skipping trains,the total limited passenger volume is the smallest and the systematic profit is the largest in scenario 3.

Hybrid Discrete Harmony Search Algorithm for Flow Shop Scheduling with Limited Buffers

The flow shop scheduling problem with limited buffers( LBFSP) widely exists in manufacturing systems. A hybrid discrete harmony search algorithm is proposed for the problem to minimize total flow time. The algorithm presents a novel discrete improvisation and a differential evolution scheme with the jobpermutation-based representation. Moreover,the discrete harmony search is hybridized with the problem-dependent local search based on insert neighborhood to balance the global exploration and local exploitation. In addition, an orthogonal experiment design is employed to provide a receipt for turning the adjustable parameters of the algorithm. Comparisons based on the Taillard benchmarks indicate the superiority of the proposed algorithm in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.

Flux Limiter Lattice Boltzmann for Compressible Flows

In this paper,a new flux limiter scheme with the splitting technique is successfully incorporated into amultiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for shacked compressible Hows.The proposed flux limiter schemeis efficient in decreasing the artificial oscillations and numerical diffusion around the interface.Due to the kinetic nature,some interface problems being difficult to handle at the macroscopic level can be modeled more naturally through theLB method.Numerical simulations for the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability show that with the new model the computedinterfaces are smoother and more consistent with physical analysis.The growth rates of bubble and spike present asatisfying agreement with the theoretical predictions and other numerical simulations.

Expiratory Flow Limitation and Its Relation to Dyspnea and Lung Hyperinflation in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Analysis Using the Forced Expiratory Flow-Volume Curve and Critique

Background: Tidal expiratory flow limitation (tEFL) is defined as absence of increase in air flow during forced expiration compared to tidal breathing and is related to dyspnea at rest and minimal exertion in patients with chronic airflow limitation (CAL). Tidal EFL has not been expressed as a continuous variable (0% - 100%) in previous analyses. Objective: To relate the magnitude of tEFL to spirometric values and Modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) score and Asthma Control Test (ACT). Methods: Tidal EFL was computed as percent of the tidal volume (0% - 100%) spanned (intersected) by the forced expiratory-volume curve. Results: Of 353 patients screened, 192 (114 M, 78 F) patients (136 with COPD, 56 with asthma) had CAL. Overall characteristics: (mean ± SD) age 59 ± 11 years, BMI 28 ± 7, FVC (% pred) 85 ± 20, FEV1 (% pred) 66 ± 21, FEV1/FVC 55% ± 10%, RV (% pred) 147 ± 42. Tidal EFL in patients with tEFL was 53% ± 39%. Using univariate analysis, strongest correlations were between tEFL and FVC and between tEFL and RV in patients with BMI < 30 kg/m2. In patients with nonreversible CAL, tEFL was positively associated with increasing MMRC, negatively with spirometric measurements, and positively with RV/TLC. In asthmatics, ACT scores were higher in patients with mean BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2 (p < 0.00014) and RV/TLC values > 40% (p < 0.03). Conclusions: Dyspnea is strongly associated with tEFL and lung function, particularly in patients with nonreversible CAL. Air trapping and BMI contribute to tEFL.

A LIMITING VISCOSITY APPROACH TO THE RIEMANN PROBLEM FOR TRANSONIC FLOW

In this paper we have obtained the existence of weak solutions of the small disturbance equations of steady two-dimension flow [GRAPHICS] with Riemann date [GRAPHICS] where v+ greater-than-or-equal-to 0, v- greater-than-or-equal-to 0 and u- less-than-or-equal-to u+ by introducing 'artificial' viscosity terms and employing Helley's theorem. The setting under our consideration is a nonstrictly hyperbolic system. our analysis in this article is quite fundamental.

The Continuation Power Flow Considering Both Generator Excitation Current Limits and Armature Current Limits

在传统连续潮流算法中,发电机无功限制采用定上、下限值来处理,随着有功负荷增加,无功限值通常不变,得到的电压稳定裕度偏大。根据同步发电机的无功出力特性,提出同时计及发电机励磁电流约束和电枢电流约束的连续潮流模型和方法。当相应参数越限时,将发电机节点转换为励磁恒定模型或者电枢电流恒定模型进行计算。所提PV、PEq、PIa节点类型双向转换逻辑可在潮流迭代内进行发电机限制模式的转换,模拟实际系统无功能力的变化。分岔点类型识别模块可以识别崩溃点类型及关键约束。通过新英格兰39节点算例的仿真,证明所提算法是有效的。

Tubular limiting stream surface: “tornado” in three-dimensional vortical flow

A new physical structure of vortical flow, i.e., tubular limiting stream surface(TLSS), is reported. It is defined as a general mathematical structure for the physical flow field in the neighborhood of a singularity, and has a close relationship with limit cycles.The TLSS is a tornado-like structure, which separates a vortex into two regions, i.e., the inner region near the vortex axis and the outer region further away from the vortex axis.The flow particles in these two regions can approach to(or leave) the TLSS, but never could reach it.

My Limiting Behavior of MHD Flow with Hall Current, Due to a Porous Stretching Sheet

An electrically conducting fluid is driven by a stretching sheet, in the presence of a magnetic field that is strong enough to produce significant Hall current. The sheet is porous, allowing mass transfer through suction or injection. The limiting behavior of the flow is studied, as the magnetic field strength grows indefinitely. The flow variables are properly scaled, and uniformly valid asymptotic expansions of the velocity components are obtained through parameter straining. The leading order approximations show sinusoidal behavior that is decaying exponentially, as we move away from the surface. The two-term expansions of the surface shear stress components, as well as the far field inflow speed, compare well with the corresponding finite difference solutions;even at moderate magnetic fields.

Study of total variation diminishing (TVD) slope limiters in dam-break flow simulation

A two-dimensional （2D） dam-break flow numerical model was developed based on the finite-volume total variation diminishing （TVD） and monotone upstream-centered scheme for conservation laws （MUSCL）-Hancock scheme, which has second-order accuracy in both time and space. A Harten-Lax-van Leer-contact （HLLC） approximate Riemann solver was used to evaluate fluxes. The TVD MUSCL-Hancock numerical scheme utilizes slope limiters, such as the minmod, double minmod, superbee, van Albada, and van Leer limiters, to prevent spurious oscillations and maintain monotonicity near discontinuities. A comparative study of the impact of various slope limiters on the accuracy of the numerical flow model was conducted with several dam-break examples including wet and dry bed cases. The numerical results of the superbee and double minmod limiters agree better with the theoretical solution and have higher accuracy than other limiters in one-dimensional （1D） space. The ratio of the downstream water depth to the upstream water depth was used to select the proper slope limiter. For the 2D numerical model, the superbee limiter should not be used, owing to significant numerical dispersion.

基于流固耦合的压气机转子叶片非同步振动分析

压气机转子叶片非同步振动是近年来发现的一类新气动弹性问题,表现为叶片振动频率与转频不同步且具有锁频现象,严重影响航空发动机的可靠性和运行安全,目前对其产生机理并不完全清楚.为了深入研究压气机内不稳定流动与叶片非同步振动之间的耦合机制,基于时间推进的方法建立了多级压气机转子叶片全环的双向流固耦合模型,数值研究了刚性叶片与非同步振动柔性叶片的非定常流场、气流激励频率和结构响应特征,揭示了压气机转子叶片非同步振动的流固耦合机制.结果表明:近失速工况下,转子叶尖吸力面径向分离涡的周期性脱落及再附过程是导致叶尖压力剧烈波动的主要原因,其3倍谐波激励频率与转子一阶弯曲固有频率接近,提供了叶片非同步振动的初始气流激励源.叶片非同步振动发生时,位移响应表现为等幅值的极限环特征,振动以一阶弯曲模态主导,径向分离涡产生的非整数倍气流激励频率及其谐波频率最终锁定为叶片一阶弯曲固有频率,非同步振动的运动胁迫使得相邻通道叶尖流场周向趋于一致.研究成果及对叶片非同步振动流固耦合机制的认识可为压气机内部不稳定流动诱发的叶片振动失效分析提供有益参考.

基于水流牵引力的河道岸坡稳定性分析

基于极限平衡理论,结合水平条分法,将Bishop法的竖直条间力关系转换到水平土条上,推导出水流牵引力作用下均质岸坡稳定安全系数的理论计算公式,将其结果与ABAQUS有限元软件的强度折减法模拟的计算结果进行对比分析。结合工程实际,分析水流牵引力对不同坡比河流岸坡的稳定性影响规律。结果表明,理论计算公式与软件模拟的结果基本吻合,误差不超过2.1%。河流中水流牵引力会增大岸坡土体的下滑力矩,降低河流岸坡土体稳定安全系数;当岸坡土体遭受降雨、坡脚土体劣化作用等多因素作用下而处于临界稳定状态时,水流牵引力可能成为滑坡启动的关键因素;在河流岸坡失稳滑动时,水流牵引力将导致滑体向河道方向滑移更远距离,加重滑坡对河流航道安全的危害;坡度越陡,岸坡稳定安全系数受水流牵引力的影响越大。在进行高陡河流岸坡稳定性分析时,水流牵引力是与强降雨、泥石流等因素同样重要且不可忽视的导致岸坡灾变失稳的外部荷载作用。

基于海洋捕食者算法的波浪能转换装置模型预测控制

该文提出一种基于智能海洋捕食者算法的模型预测控制策略,实现了波浪能转换装置的动态最大能量捕获。提出的模型预测控制策略利用海洋捕食者算法来获取最优控制力,并采用非线性限制来控制功率的单向流动。通过相应的对比分析验证了海洋捕食者算法的优化准确性和快速收敛性。该方法还利用控制域来处理最优控制变量以便在算法的计算负担和优化准确度之间进行平衡。所提出的方法证明在处理多维的波浪能转换系统方面,特别是系统的非凸和非线性限制问题,具有较好的利用价值。仿真与实验结果证明提出的方法能较好地提高波浪能转换装置的输出功率,并满足典型海域工况下的实时需求。

有限缓冲区下多汽车工厂协同混流排产研究

为解决汽车整车制造企业多厂区多车间联动生产下计划不准确和协调困难的问题,基于精益生产中的平准化思想对该问题进行研究,并考虑有限容量的缓冲区中库存积压或不足对生产稳定性的影响,建立了多汽车工厂协同混流排产双层规划模型。上层以最小化厂区间的转运量为目标建立跨厂区转运量分配模型,下层以最小化缓冲区中的储备偏差为目标建立车间班次选择模型。设计了双层遗传算法对该模型进行求解,并采用最小影响策略对转运量和车间产量进行标准化。通过算例将双层优化与单层优化的结果进行对比分析,并扩大算例规模。仿真实验结果表明,双层优化的求解质量更佳,从而验证了设计的模型和算法的有效性和可行性。

面向有功潮流最优问题的配电网集群划分策略

新能源大规模馈入配电网的背景下,集群划分是配电网实现海量数据分析和设备调控的重要手段,但当前集群划分研究存在划分结果不合理、划分算法准确度低的问题。针对上述问题,文中阐述了分布式电源高渗透的配电网集群划分时应考量的因素,设计了规模限制指标;对遗传算法迭代过程进行观察记录,分析遗传算法全局寻优能力受限的原因,并利用遗传过程中个体趋同的特征对算法进行机理改进。经过仿真实验验证,可知文中所提出的规模限制指标能够有效规避不合理分区,避免人为筛选结果的弊端;所提出的改进遗传算法较大程度地提高了计算的准确度,并降低了迭代次数。但由于遗传算法缺少收敛判据,降低迭代次数暂时不能减少单次实验耗时。综上,文中所提策略能有效提高配电网集群划分结果的准确度及配电网分区控制的效率。