WAVE LOCALIZATION IN RANDOMLY DISORDERED PERIODIC PIEZOELECTRIC RODS WITH INITIAL STRESS

The elastic wave localization in disordered periodic piezoelectric rods with initial stress is studied using the transfer matrix and Lyapunov exponent method. The electric field is approximated as quasi-static. The effects of the initial stress on the band gap characteristics are investigated. The numerical calculations of localization factors and localization lengths are performed. It can be observed from the results that the band structures can be tuned by exerting the suitable initial stress. For different values of the piezoelectric rod length and the elastic constant, the band structures and the localization phenomena are very different. Larger disorder degree can lead to more obvious localization phenomenon.

Distributed Hybrid Model Predictive Secondary Control of DC Microgrids with Random Communication Disorders

A reliable and robust communication network is essential to exchange information between distributed generators(DGs)and accurately calculate their control actions in microgrids(MGs).However,the integration of the communication network and MGs poses challenges related to the flexibility,availability,and reliability of the system.Furthermore,random communication disorders such as time delays and packet loss can negatively impact the system performance.Therefore,it is essential to design a suitable secondary controller(SC)with a fast dynamic response to restore voltage and appropriate powersharing,while ensuring that the effects of random communication disorders are eliminated.In this regard,an optimal distributed hybrid model predictive secondary control method is presented in this paper.Realistic simulations are carried out in a mixed simulation environment based on MATLAB and OMNET++,by considering IEEE 802.11(Wi Fi)using the recently developed Internet networking(INET)framework.In the implemented application layer,the recovery Unit is responsible for reducing the impact of random communication disorders.The effectiveness and performance of the proposed method in comparison with a conventional model predictive control are verified by simulation results.

Temperature-controlled mode selection of Er-doped random fiber laser with disordered Bragg gratings

In this paper, we proposed a way to realize an Er-doped random fiber laser(RFL) with a disordered fiber Bragg grating(FBG) array, as well as to control the lasing mode of the RFL by heating specific locations of the disordered FBG array. The disordered FBG array performs as both the gain medium and random distributed reflectors, which together with a tunable point reflector form the RFL. Coherent multi-mode random lasing is obtained with a threshold of between 7.5 and 10 mW and a power efficiency between 23% and 27% when the reflectivity of the point reflector changes from 4% to 50%. To control the lasing mode of random emission, a specific point of the disordered FBG array is heated so as to shift the wavelength of the FBG(s) at this point away from the other FBGs.Thus, different resonance cavities are formed, and the lasing mode can be controlled by changing the location of the heating point.

Effect of soothing-liver and nourishing-heart acupuncture on early selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment onset for depressive disorder and related indicators of neuroimmunology:a randomized controlled clinical trial

OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of soothing-liver and nourishing-heart acupuncture on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor(SSRIs) treatment effect onset in patients with depressive disorder and related indicators of neuroimmunology.METHODS:Overall,126 patients with depressive disorder were randomly divided into a medicine and acupuncture-medicine group using a random number table.Patients were treated for 6 consecutive weeks.The two groups were evaluated by the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale(MADRS) and Side Effects Rating Scale(SERS) to assess the effect of the soothing-liver and nourishing-heart acupuncture method on early onset of SSRI treatment effect.Changes in serum 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) and inflammatory cytokines before and after treatment were recorded and compared between the medicine group and the acupuncture-medicine group.RESULTS:The acupuncture-medicine group had significantly lower MADRS scores at weeks 1,2,4,and 6 after treatment compared with the medicine group(P < 0.01).The acupuncture group had significantly lower SERS scores at weeks 1,2,4,and 6 after treatment compared with the medicine group(P < 0.01).At 6 weeks after treatment,serum 5-HT in the acupuncture-medicine group was significantly higher compared with the medicine group(P <0.01).lnterleukin-6(IL-6) in the acupuncture-medicine group was significantly lower than that in the medicine group(P < 0.01),whereas there was no significant difference in IL-1(3 between the groups(P > 0.05).Anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly higher in the acupuncture-medicine group compared with the medicine group(P < 0.01,P < 0.05,respectively).CONCLUSION:The soothing-liver and nourishing-heart acupuncture method can effectively accelerate the onset of SSRI effects when treating depressive disorder and can significantly reduce the adverse reactions of SSRIs.Moreover,acupuncture can enhance serum 5-HT and regulate the balance of pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Quadric SFDI for Laplacian Discretisation in Lagrangian Meshless Methods

In the Lagrangian meshless(particle)methods,such as the smoothed particle hydrodynamics(SPH),moving particle semi-implicit(MPS)method and meshless local Petrov-Galerkin method based on Rankine source solution(MLPG_R),the Laplacian discretisation is often required in order to solve the governing equations and/or estimate physical quantities(such as the viscous stresses).In some meshless applications,the Laplacians are also needed as stabilisation operators to enhance the pressure calculation.The particles in the Lagrangian methods move following the material velocity,yielding a disordered(random)particle distribution even though they may be distributed uniformly in the initial state.Different schemes have been developed for a direct estimation of second derivatives using finite difference,kernel integrations and weighted/moving least square method.Some of the schemes suffer from a poor convergent rate.Some have a better convergent rate but require inversions of high order matrices,yielding high computational costs.This paper presents a quadric semi-analytical finite-difference interpolation(QSFDI)scheme,which can achieve the same degree of the convergent rate as the best schemes available to date but requires the inversion of significant lower-order matrices,i.e.3×3 for 3D cases,compared with 6×6 or 10×10 in the schemes with the best convergent rate.Systematic patch tests have been carried out for either estimating the Laplacian of given functions or solving Poisson’s equations.The convergence,accuracy and robustness of the present schemes are compared with the existing schemes.It will show that the present scheme requires considerably less computational time to achieve the same accuracy as the best schemes available in literatures,particularly for estimating the Laplacian of given functions.

Sub-diffusive scaling with power-law trapping times

Thermally driven diffusive motion of a particle underlies many physical and biological processes. In the presence of traps and obstacles, the spread of the particle is substantially impeded, leading to subdiffusive scaling at long times. The statistical mechanical treatment of diffusion in a disordered environment is often quite involved. In this short review, we present a simple and unified view of the many quantitative results on anomalous diffusion in the literature, including the scaling of the diffusion front and the mean first-passage time. Varioust analytic calculations and physical arguments are examined to highlight the role of dimensionality, energy landscape, and rare events in affecting the particle trajectory statistics. The general understanding that emerges will aid the interpretation of relevant experimental and simulation results.

Curative effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on insomnia: a randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on insomnia and explore its mechanism. METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients were randomly divided into an experiment group and a control group. Sixty patients in the experiment group were treated once a day with acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Shenmai (BL 62), and Zhaohai (KI 6) and with moxibustion at Baihui (GV 20) and Sishencong (EX-HN 1). Sixty patients in the control group were acupunctured once a day at Shenmen (HT 7), Neiguan (PC 6), and Sanyinjiao (SP 6).The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to compare sleep improvement between the two groups. RESULTS: The total effective rate was 87.7% in the experiment group and 76.3% in the control group. The PSQI scores and the total score were lower after treatment than before treatment in bothgroups. However, the reduction in the experiment group was greater than that in the control group in sleeping quality, time to fall asleep, sleeping disorder, and daytime function (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture and moxibustion at Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Shenmai (BL 62), and Zhaohai (KI 6) significantly improved insomnia symptoms in the experiment group compared with the control group.

Efficacy of Zhenjingdingzhi decoction in treating insomnia with Qi-deficiency of heart and gallbladder:a randomized,double-blind,controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Zhenjingdingzhi decoction in treating insomnia with Qi-deficiency of heart and gallbladder.METHODS: We conducted a double-blind,randomized,controlled trial involving 100 patients with insomnia of Qi-deficiency of heart and gallbladder.Patients were randomly divided into the treatment group(n = 50) and the control group(n = 50) according to a random number table. The treatment group was given Zhenjingdingzhi decoction,while the control group was treated with Suanzaoren decoction. the pharmacological treatment lasted for 8weeks. The clinical efficacy was assessed by using Spiegel scale,Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI)and Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) syndrome scores.RESULTS: Comparing Spiegel scores between the two groups at 4 and 8 weeks,the differences in curative effect between the two groups were both significant(both P < 0.05). The total effective rate was46% in the treatment group and 27.7% in the control group at 4 weeks,and 80% and 53.2% at 8weeks,respectively; After 8 weeks,PSQI scores showed that the total effective rates differed significantly between the two groups(P < 0.01): 84% in the treatment group and 59.6% in the control group; In improving sleep quality and sleep duration,the curative effect of the treatment group was better than that of the control group(P < 0.05).TCM syndrome,especially insomnia and palpitation,was improved better in the treatment group after 8 weeks as compared to that in the control group(P < 0.05). The total effective rate of the two groups was 84% and 66%,respectively.CONCLUSION: Zhenjingdingzhi decoction is effective and safe for the treatment of insomnia with Qi-deficiency of heart and gallbladder,especially for improving sleep quality and sleep duration.