Transcranial pulse current stimulation improves the locomotor function in a rat model of stroke

Previous studies have shown that transcranial pulse current stimulation(tPCS) can increase cerebral neural plasticity and improve patients' locomotor function.However, the precise mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear.In the present study, rat models of stroke established by occlusion of the right cerebral middle artery were subjected to tPCS, 20 minutes per day for 7 successive days.tPCS significantly reduced the Bederson score, increased the foot print area of the affected limbs, and reduced the standing time of affected limbs of rats with stroke compared with that before intervention.Immunofluorescence staining and western blot assay revealed that tPCS significantly increased the expression of microtubule-associated protein-2 and growth-associated protein-43 around the ischemic penumbra.This finding suggests that tPCS can improve the locomotor function of rats with stroke by regulating the expression of microtubule-associated protein-2 and growth-associated protein-43 around the ischemic penumbra.These findings may provide a new method for the clinical treatment of poststroke motor dysfunction and a theoretical basis for clinical application of tPCS.The study was approved by the Animal Use and Management Committee of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China(approval No.PZSHUTCM190315003) on February 22, 2019.

Effect of Rectangle Wave Pulse Current on Solidification Structure of ZA27 Alloy

The effect of rectangle wave pulse current on solidification structure of ZA27 alloy was studied. The restdts show that the wave pattern relies on the frequency range of harmonic wave and the energy of pulse current within the frequency range of pulse current. Imposed pulse current could induce the solidification system to oscillate. The frequency range and the relevant energy distribution of pulse current exert an influence on the amount of atoms involved for forming critical nucleus, the surface states of dusters in melt, the oscillating state of melt on the surface of dusters, the active energy of atom diffusion , the frequnce response of the resonance of bulk melt and the absorbability of the solidification system to the external work. Rectangle wave pulse current involves rich harmonic waves ; the amplitudes of high order of harmonic waves are higher and reduce slowly, so it has a better effect on inoculation and modification.

Performance improvement of lithium-ion battery by pulse current

Periodically changed current is called pulse current.It has been found that using the pulse current to charge/discharge lithium-ion batteries can improve the safety and cycle stability of the battery.In this short review,the mechanisms of pulse current improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries are summarized from four aspects:activation,warming up,fast charging and inhibition of lithium dendrites.Related content may help us use the pulse current to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries and further optimize pulse current technology.

Temperature field at time of pulse current discharge in metal structure with elliptical embedding crack

Theoretical analysis is made on the temperature field at the time of pulse current discharge in a metal structure with an elliptical embedding crack. In finding the temperature field, analogy between the current flow through an elliptical embedding crack and the fluid flow through a barrier is made based on the similarity principle. Boundary conditions derived from this theory are introduced so that the distribution of current density and the temperature field expressions can be obtained. The study provides a theoretic basis to the applications of stopping spatial crack with electromagnetic heating.

Alternating Pulse Current in Eiectrocoagulation for Wastewater Treatment to Prevent the Passivation of Al Electrode

A novel current feed style, alternating pulse current, was proposed in electrocoagulation aiming at preventing the passivation of electrode materials. The open circuit potential （OCP） measurements after anodic and cathodic potentiodynamic polarization showed that cathodic polarization could activate Al electrode. The surface of Al electrode after alternating pulse current electrocoagulation was investigated by scanning electron microscope （SEM） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, and the results indicate that passivation of Al is not observed. Furthermore, the simulated wastewater treatment tests show that alternating pulse current electrocoagulation has a visible energy saving effect and is worthy of generalization.

Study on arc characteristics and behavior of metal transfer in pulse current flux-cored arc welding of mild steel

The variation in arc characteristics and behavior of metal transfer with the change in pulse parameters has been studied by high speed video camera during pulse current flux-cored arc weld deposition.A comparative study of similar nature has also been carried out during flux-cored arc weld deposition in globular and spray transfer modes.The effect of pulse parameters has been studied by considering their mean current and arc voltage.The arc characteristics studied by its root diameter,projected diameter and length,and the behavior of metal transfer noted by the metal transfer model and the droplet diameter have been found to vary significantly with the pulse parameters.The observation may help in understanding the arc characteristics with respect to the variation in pulse parameters which may be beneficial in using pulse current FCAW to produce desired weld quality.

Effects of Pulse Current on Solidification Structure of Austenitic Stainless Steel

The 1Cr18Ni9Ti specimens were treated respectively with pulse current under 520 V and 2 600 V during solidification and the solidification structure was observed.The results showed that pulse current can refine solidification grains,cut primary dentrities remarkably and reduce second dentritic arm spacing.The mechanism and effect are changed with operation parameters.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Submicron-grained NiAl-Al_2O_3 Composite Prepared by Pulse Current Auxiliary Sintering

Dense and submicron-grained NiAl-Al2O3 composite was fabricated by pulse current auxiliary sintering（PCAS）.Its microstructure was analyzed by XRD,SEM and TEM,and its mechanical behavior was evaluated through compression test and fracture toughness test.The average grain sizes of NiAl and Al2O3 are about 200 nm and 100 nm respectively.The Al2O3 particles dispersed in NiAl matrix,forming intergranular structure and intragranular structure.During sintering,Al2O3 particles were remarkably spherized due to the unique sintering mechanism of PCAS,which is beneficial to the improvement of toughness.The NiAl-Al2O3 composite exhibits high compressive yield strength,whether at room temperature or elevated temperature.Its room-temperature（23 ℃） and elevated-temperature（1 200 ℃） compressive yield strength are up to 2 050 MPa and 140 MPa,respectively.Meanwhile,its fracture toughness is significantly enhanced,which is up to 8.2 MPa？m1/2.It is suggested that the main strengthening-toughening mechanisms are grain refinement strengthening and Al2O3 dispersion strengthening.The fracture of larger NiAl grain is the transgranular cleavage and this is induced by crack tip deflection and grain boundary weakening which are caused by intergranular and intragranular Al2O3 particles,respectively.

Investigation on 10/350 Crowbar Pulse Current Circuit

Structure of main air discharging switch and a crowbar TVS （triggered vacuum switch） are designed and their triggering characteristics are investigated. The experimental results showed that for TVS the operating voltage range is from 1.3 kV to 120 kV, its maximum delay time is 400 ns and its jitter is 4-10 ns. Based on these results the crowbar 10/350μs （i.e., with a front time of 10μs and a duration of 350 μs） pulse current circuit and its controlling circuit are designed. With a 10μF stored capacitor C and a 6 μF waveform forming induction, a pulse current is generated with a maximum of 100 kA, front time of 10 ns and duration of 350μs. This pulse waveform can be used for testing SPD （surge protective devices）.

Effects of controlled pulse current waveform on key-holing condition in plasma arc welding

To overcome the shortcomings of conventional plasma arc welding （ PAW）, the ＇ controlled pulse key-holing＇ strategy is proposed and the keyhole PAW experiment system is developed. ＇The efflux plasma voltage signal is detected in realtime to characterize the keyhole size and dimension. The welding current waveform for controlled pulse key-holing strategy is implemented, and two slow-decreasing slopes are added at the dropping point from peak current to base current to further reduce both heat input and arc force so that the controllability of keyhole dynamics is improved. Two kinds of PAW tests are conducted, anti the different parameters of the controlled pulse current and the relevant efflux plasma voltage are measured in real-time to investigate ihe effects of welding current waveform parameters on the key-holing condition.

Fundamental research on refinement of solidification structure of metals with pulse current

A high-energy pulse power source applied for studying solidifieation of metals and a Rogowski coil for measuring strong pulse current were developed according to the requirement of the present experiment. The variation of electrical current during the discharge of pulse power source was analyzed. Furthermore, the quantitative relation between peak current, pulse width and pulse frequency etc. versus voltage, capacitance and transmission line of discharging circuit was examined.

Absolute Wall Thickness Measurement of Conducting Plates Using Pulsed Eddy Currents

The method using pulsed eddy currents to determine the thickness of a conduction plate is extended to enable the simultaneous measurement of the plate thickness and material properties. For optimal performance, a probe must be designed depending on the thickness range that should be accessible. The need for a calibration of the material properties of a conducting plate to enable the measurement of its thickness has been removed. All that is needed is a probe with known dimensions and suitable hardware to create a current pulse and measure a transient magnetic induction.

The current pulses characteristics of the negative corona discharge in SF_(6)/CF_(4)mixtures

This paper presents the results of numerical investigation of the current pulses characteristics in SF_(6)/CF_(4)mixtures for the negative point-plane corona discharge.The pressure and the temperature of gas mixtures are 0.4 MPa and 300 K,respectively.The CF_(4)content varies from20%to 80%.The 2D axisymmetric geometry with point-plane electrodes is investigated,and the three drift-diffusion equations are solved to predict the characteristics of the negative corona discharge.In addition,Poisson’s equation is coupled with the above three continuity equations to calculate the electric field.In order to calculate the electron impact coefficients,including the Townsend ionization and attachment coefficients,as well as the mobilities and diffusion coefficients for electrons,the two-term Boltzmann equation is solved.The characteristics of three ionic species at five stages of the first current pulse in 60%SF_(6)-40%CF_(4)and20%SF_(6)-80%CF_(4)mixtures are selected to discuss the development mechanism of current pulses.Moreover,the reduced electric field strengths at the corresponding time instants are presented to help understand the discharge process.The current waveform and the total number of three species are compared in all the cases to analyze the effects of the CF_(4)content on the discharge.The reduced electric field strength is also helpful in understanding the effects of CF_(4)content.When the CF_(4)content increases to 80%,the discharge is more intensive and the pulse frequency also increases.

Experimental Investigation on Formability of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy V-Bending Under Pulse Current

In this work, the influence of pulse current parameters on springback and bending force of magnesium alloy duringelectropulse-assisted （EPA） V-bending was investigated. The experimental results showed that pulse current can effec-tively reduce the springback and the bending force compared to the experiments without current. The frequency has a moresignificant influence on bending force and springback than electric current density. Electroplastic （EP） effect begins towork when pulse current parameters reach a threshold value. To explore the mechanism of EPA V-bending, themicrostructure evolution and fracture surface of the bending specimen were studied. It was found that pulse current canpromote the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization （DRX） of magnesium alloy compared to traditional hot formingprocess. The fracture mode of AZ31B under EPA V-bending evolves from brittle fracture to ductile fracture withincreasing pulse current parameters. Based on the discussion of athermal and thermal effects of EP effect, the mechanismof pulse current to promote DRX is studied and athermal effect is proved to exist.

Promotion mechanism of the pulse current on the superplastic deformation of AZ31 magnesium alloy

The effects of pulse current on the superplastic deformation of AZ31 magnesium alloy with different microstructures were examined. The results of TEM analysis showed that the dislocation movement was mainly glide, and the dislocation lines were approximate parallel with few dislocation tangles observed, which indicated that the dislocation movementwas promoted during the deformation, and therefore the formability of the coarse-grained AZ31 magnesium alloy was enhanced by the pulse current. This effect was also indicated by the asymmetrical contour of the free bulging sample, which was observed in the unidirectional pulses auxiliary equi-biaxial tensile test of coarse-grained alloy. In addition, the phenomenon of the restrained cavity growth caused by the thermoelectrical effect of the pulse current was discovered and studied.

Microstructure and properties of YG8 cemented carbide with different pulse currents

In order to study the effect of pulse current treatment on the mechanical properties,microstructure and cutting performance of YG8 cemented carbide,experiments were carried out by using self-made pulse current treatment device to treat cemented carbide samples with different current densities(J=5,10 and 15 A·mm^-2)After the treatment of pulse current,when the current density increased from 5 to 15 A·mm-2,the hardness of the sample was improved to HV 1605,HV 1629 and HV 1653from HV 1574;the transverse rupture strengths of the sample were 2136,2289 and 2364 MPa,which were all higher than that of the untreated sample(2062 MPa)increasing by 3.6%,11.0%and 14.6%,respectively;the corresponding cutting performance was increased by10.1%,13.9%and 19.4%,compared to that of the untreated tool.The tool’s life was also improved.After the treatmen of pulse current,pulse current provided the driving force for dislocation motion,making it more likely for the dislocation to multiply and slip,the dislocation density was increased,and the mechanical properties were significantly improved.

Mechanism and microstructure of nickel-ceria composite coatings prepared by pulse current deposition under the ultrasonic field

In recent research, a novel method combined with pulse current （PC） deposition and the ultrasonic （U） field was used to fabricate pure nickel and nickel-ceria composite coatings, respectively. Morphology, crack propagation, and crystal texture were observed and analysed by using environment scanning electron microscopy （E-SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. Orthogonal experiment [L16 （45）] was designed to optimize the parameters of pulsed power and the appropriate amount of RE addition based on microhardness. Effect of RE addition and pulsed current on the mechanism of co-electrodeposition was also investigated and compared. Experimental results indicated that it produced the alloying coatings, exhibiting compact grain and amorphous state. Nano-sized RE would preferentially occupy and pad at the edge of cracked gaps and micropore to limit the growing location and space for coarse Ni grain. Furthermore, during annealing at 480 ℃ for 2 h, a solid-solution precipitated phase named NiCexO1-x （0

Pulsed electrolysis of carbon dioxide by large-scale solid oxide electrolytic cells for intermittent renewable energy storage

CO_(2) electrolysis with solid oxide electrolytic cells(SOECs)using intermittently available renewable energy has potential applications for carbon neutrality and energy storage.In this study,a pulsed current strategy is used to replicate intermittent energy availability,and the stability and conversion rate of the cyclic operation by a large-scale flat-tube SOEC are studied.One hundred cycles under pulsed current ranging from -100 to -300 mA/cm^(2) with a total operating time of about 800 h were carried out.The results show that after 100 cycles,the cell voltage attenuates by 0.041%/cycle in the high current stage of−300 mA/cm^(2),indicating that the lifetime of the cell can reach up to about 500 cycles.The total CO_(2) conversion rate reached 52%,which is close to the theoretical value of 54.3% at -300 mA/cm^(2),and the calculated efficiency approached 98.2%,assuming heat recycling.This study illustrates the significant advantages of SOEC in efficient electrochemical energy conversion,carbon emission mitigation,and seasonal energy storage.

Numerical Calculation and Experimental Research on Crack Arrest by Detour Effect and Joule Heating of High Pulsed Current in Remanufacturing

The remanufacturing blanks with cracks were considered as irreparable. With utilization of detour effect and Joule heating of pulsed current, a technique to arrest the crack in martensitic stainless steel FV520B is developed. According to finite element theory, the finite element（FE） model of the cracked rectangular specimen is established firstly. Then, based on electro-thermo-structure coupled theory, the distributions of current density, temperature field, and stress field are calculated for the instant of energizing. Furthermore, the simulation results are verified by some corresponding experiments performed on high pulsed current discharge device of type HCPD-I. Morphology and microstructure around the crack tip before and after electro pulsing treatment are observed by optical microscope（OM） and scanning electron microscope（SEM）, and then the diameters of fusion zone and heat affected zone（HAZ） are measured in order to contrast with numerical calculation results. Element distribution, nano-indentation hardness and residual stress in the vicinity of the crack tip are surveyed by energy dispersive spectrometer（EDS）, scanning probe microscopy（SPM） and X-ray stress gauge, respectively. The results show that the obvious partition and refined grain around the crack tip can be observed due to the violent temperature change. The contents of carbon and oxygen in fusion zone and HAZ are higher than those in matrix, and however the hardness around the crack tip decreases. Large residual compressive stress is induced in the vicinity of the crack tip and it has the same order of magnitude for measured results and numerical calculation results that is 100 MPa. The relational curves between discharge energies and diameters of the fusion zone and HAZ are obtained by experiments. The difference of diameter of fusion zone between measured and calculated results is less than 18.3%. Numerical calculation is very useful to define the experimental parameters. An effective method to prevent further extension of the crack is presented and can provide a reference for the compressor rotor blade remanufacturing.

Plasticity and microstructure evolution of W-CeO2 rods with different short-duration pulse currents

To improve the formability of W-rare earth electrode, the influence of high-energy pulse on the plasticity property of W-CeOrods was investigated. The effects of current density(J), pulse width(tw), frequency(f), and strain rate on the plasticity of W-CeOrods were discussed in detail. Results of tensile tests show that the W-CeOrods applied with the electrical pulses obtain a maximum percentage total elongation at fracture(9.65 %), increased by118.7 % compared to that without pulses. This is owing to both the heat effect and the interaction of current between dislocations and rare earth additions. Electron back scattered diffraction(EBSD)-generated grain boundary(GB) maps suggest that the length of low-angle grain boundaries composed of high-density dislocations decreases after deformation while applying the pulse current. This demonstrates that the short-duration pulsed current enhances the mobility of dislocations. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) images of the rods after deformation with the pulse current show that the long fiber-shaped additions become discontinuous,which could reduce the stress concentration and hinder the crack propagation.