Impact resistance performance and optimization of the sand-EPE composite cushion in rock sheds

Rock sheds are widely used to prevent rockfall disasters along roads in mountainous areas.To improve the capacity of rock sheds for resisting rockfall impact,a sand and expandable polyethylene(EPE)composite cushion was proposed.A series of model experiments of rockfall impact on rock sheds were conducted,and the buried depth of the EPE foam board in the sand layer was considered.The impact load and dynamic response of the rock shed were investigated.The results show that the maximum impact load and dynamic response of the rock shed roof are all significantly less than those of the sand cushion.Moreover,as the distance between the EPE foam board and rock shed roof decreases,the maximum rockfall impact force and impact pressure gradually decrease,and the maximum displacement,acceleration and strain of the rock shed first decrease and then change little.In addition,the vibration acceleration and vertical displacement of the rock shed roof decrease from the centre to the edge and decrease faster along the longitudinal direction than that along the transverse direction.In conclusion,the buffering effect of the sand-EPE composite cushion is better than that of the pure sand cushion,and the EPE foam board at a depth of 1/3 the thickness of the sand layer is appropriate.

Coupled DEM-FDM analyses of the effects of falling rock’s shape and impact angle on response of granular cushion and rock shed

Rock shed is an effective protection measure against rockfall.To investigate the influences of falling rock’s shape and impact angle on the impact effect of the cushioned rock shed,a modeling approach for a rock shed with a cushion layer using PFC-FLAC.The granular cushion is modeled as an aggregate of discrete non-cohesion particles,while the concrete plate and the beam are modeled as zones.The falling rock with different sphericities and impact angles is modeled as a rigid assembly.The numerical model is validated by comparing the simulation results with experimental and numerical results from previous literature.This model is applied to analyze the effects of rock shape and impact angle on the dynamic interaction effects between falling rock and cushioned rock shed,including the impact force,transmitted bottom force,penetration depth,and plate deflection.The numerical results show that the variation in the falling rock’s shape has different effects on the falling rock with different impact angles.These findings could support rock shed design by revealing the limitations of the assumptions in the past research,which may result in unsafe rock sheds for some rockfall cases.

PbrARF4 contributes to calyx shedding of fruitlets in ‘Dangshan Suli’ pear by partly regulating the expression of abscission genes

Fruitlet calyx shedding in pear plants is apparently regulated via numerous pathways that involve both environmental triggers and phytohormones cues such as auxin. In this study, we found at 10 days after full bloom (DAFB) higher levels of indoleacetic acid (IAA) and tryptophan (Trp) in calyx persistence fruitlet (CPF) than calyx shedding fruitlet (CSF) ofDanshan Suli’ pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rhed.). Consisting with this, the activity of indolealdehyde oxidase (IAAIdO), which promotes IAA synthesis, was remarkably increased, and that of peroxidase(POD), which degrades IAA, dropped markedly in CPF but not in CSF. Further, qRT-PCR results revealed that most of 31 PbrARFs (encoding auxin response factors) in Pyrus bretschneideri were highly expressed in CPF, whereas PbrARF4, PbrARF24 and PbrARF26 were significantly downregulated in CPF vis-a-vis CSF. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 6 PbrARFs clustered in the group III, where PbrARF4 showed the closest affinity with AtARF1 that promotes organ abscission, indicating a putative role of PbrARF4 in mediating the process of calyx shedding in pear. In fact, the ectopic overexpression of PbrARF4 in Solanum lycopersicum resulted in an earlier-formed and deeper abscission layer (AL) in the transgenic plants, whose calyxes were more prone to wilt at the mature red stage (MR) compared with the control plants (wild-type). More importantly, expression levels of the abscission genes SILS and Sl Cel2 in transgenic plants overexpressing PbrARF4 were significantly upregulated in comparation with the WT, whereas those of Sl BI and Sl TAPG2 were considerably inhibited. Further, PbrJOINTLESS and PbrIDA,the two genes related to calyx shedding in pear, were up-regulated more in CSF than CPF. The findings contribute to a better understanding of PbrARFs involved in fruitlet calyx shedding of pear, which could prove beneficial to improving the quality of pear fruit.

Load Profile Analysis for Mitigating Load-Shedding in Central Africa: Case of Kinshasa

Load shedding is a major problem in Central Africa, with negative consequences for both society and the economy. However, load profile analysis can help to alleviate this problem by providing valuable information about consumer demand. This information can be used by power utilities to forecast and reduce power cuts effectively. In this study, the direct method was used to create load profiles for residential feeders in Kinshasa. The results showed that load shedding on weekends results in significant financial losses and changes in people’s behavior. In November 2022 alone, load shedding was responsible for $ 23,4 08,984 and $ 2 80,9 07,808 for all year in losses. The study also found that the SAIDI index for the southern direction of the Kinshasa distribution network was 122.49 hours per feeder, on average. This means that each feeder experienced an average of 5 days of load shedding in November 2022. The SAIFI index was 20 interruptions per feeder, on average, and the CAIDI index was 6 hours, on average, before power was restored. This study also proposes ten strategies for the reduction of load shedding in the Kinshasa and central Africa power distribution network and for the improvement of its reliability, namely: Improved load forecasting, Improvement of the grid infrastructure, Scheduling of load shedding, Demand management programs, Energy efficiency initiatives, Distributed Generation, Automation and Monitoring of the Grid, Education and engagement of the consumer, Policy and regulatory assistance, and Updated load profile analysis.

Modeling ash deposition and shedding during oxy-combustion of coal/rice husk blends at 70%inlet O_(2)

Co-firing rice husk(RH)and coal with carbon capture using oxy-combustion presents a net carbon negative energy produc-tion opportunity.In addition,the high fusion temperature of the non-sticky,silica rich,RH can mitigate ash deposition as well as promote shedding of deposits.To identify the optimum operating conditions,fuel particle sizes,and blend ratios that minimize ash deposition,a Computational Fluid Dynamic methodology with add-on ash deposition and shedding models were employed to predict outer ash deposition and shedding rates during co-combustion of coal/RH in AIR and O2/CO_(2)(70/30 vol%,OXY70)oxidizer compositions.After ensuring that the fly-ash particle size distributions and particle Stokes numbers near the deposition surface were accurately represented(to model impaction),appropriate models for coal ash and RH ash viscosities that were accurate in the temperature region(1200-1300 K)of interest in this study were identified.A particle viscosity and kinetic energy(PKE)based capture criterion was enforced to model the ash capture.An erosion/shed-ding criterion that takes the deposit melt fraction and the energy consumed during particle impact into account was also implemented.Deposition rate predictions as well as the deposition rate enhancement(OXY70/AIR)were in good agreement with measured values.While the OXY70 scenario was associated with a significant reduction(60%-70%)in flue gas velocities,it also resulted in larger fly-ash particles.As a result,the PKE distributions of the erosive RH ash were similar in both scenarios and resulted in similar shedding rates.

Discussion on the Main Reasons for a Large Number of Père David s Deer ( Elaphurus davidianus ) with Abnormal Antler Shedding

[Objectives]This study was conducted to find out the causes of abnormal antler shedding in Père David s deer(Elaphurus davidianus).[Methods]Abnormally-shed antlers were compared with normally-shed antlers in terms of light condition,antler development and bone nutritional status during the abnormal shedding season in the growth area of Père David s deer.[Results]Abnormally-shed antlers had no significant differences in the development of shed antlers,or even in the overall composition of antlers,from those of normal Père David s deer.[Conclusions]Insufficient light was the main cause of abnormal antler shedding in Père David s deer.

Energy Efficiency in Periods of Load Shedding and Detrimental Effects of Energy Dependence in the City of Maroua, Cameroon

During the years 2021 and 2022, the city of Maroua experienced repeated power blackouts. However, this locality has significant photovoltaic energy potential. Nevertheless, the evaluation of the electrical performance showed the dependence of the population on these fluctuations, which could be bypassed or suppressed. In most cases, the blackout occurs during high energy demand. In this paper, a method for evaluating electrical efficiency is proposed and its credibility has been demonstrated on the one hand, and on the other hand, a renewable energy production system is proposed. The Homer software has made possible the analysis of the proposed system and its impact on the environment has also been carried out. The techno-economic study of the system has proved that a solar photovoltaic farm associated with an energy storage system, with a capacity of 47 MW, can meet the energy demand of the town of Maroua. This alternative is profitable for this locality which lives in a precarious situation and a continuous need.

Optimal integration of solar home systems and appliance scheduling for residential homes under severe national load shedding

In developing countries like South Africa,users experienced more than 1030 hours of load shedding outages in just the first half of 2023 due to inadequate power supply from the national grid.Residential homes that cannot afford to take actions to mitigate the challenges of load shedding are severely inconvenienced as they have to reschedule their demand involuntarily.This study presents optimal strategies to guide households in determining suitable scheduling and sizing solutions for solar home systems to mitigate the inconvenience experienced by residents due to load shedding.To start with,we predict the load shedding stages that are used as input for the optimal strategies by using the K-Nearest Neighbour(KNN)algorithm.Based on an accurate forecast of the future load shedding patterns,we formulate the residents’inconvenience and the loss of power supply probability during load shedding as the objective function.When solving the multi-objective optimisation problem,four different strategies to fight against load shedding are identified,namely(1)optimal home appliance scheduling(HAS)under load shedding;(2)optimal HAS supported by solar panels;(3)optimal HAS supported by batteries,and(4)optimal HAS supported by the solar home system with both solar panels and batteries.Among these strategies,appliance scheduling with an optimally sized 9.6 kWh battery and a 2.74 kWp panel array of five 550 Wp panels,eliminates the loss of power supply probability and reduces the inconvenience by 92%when tested under the South African load shedding cases in 2023.

Pilomatrixoma causing irreversible peripheral eyebrow shedding:A case report

Pilomatrixomas are benign tumors derived from hair stromal cells;however,their exact etiology is unknown.A 31-year-old woman presented with a subcutaneous mass located precisely above the left eyebrow,with shedding of eyebrow hair around the mass,and the shedding area gradually expanded.Surgical removal of the mass failed to prevent eyebrow loss,and the entire left eyebrow shed 6 months postoperatively.Pathology and histology of the biopsy specimen revealed a pilomatrixoma comprising basaloid cells and ghost cells,with basaloid cells expressing high bcl-2 levels.Instead of apoptosis,the emergence and growth of pilomatrixoma-induced microinflammation around the hair follicles of the eyebrow may lead to eyebrow loss.

Dynamic Characteristics Analysis of Ice-Adhesion Transmission Tower-Line System under Effect of Wind-Induced Ice Shedding

The tower line system will be in an unsafe status due to uniform or uneven fall of ice coating which is attached to the surface of tower and lines.The fall of ice could be caused by wind action or thermal force.In order to study the dynamic characteristics of the self-failure of the transmission line under the action of dynamicwind load,a finite elementmodel of the two-span transmission tower line system was established.The birth and death element methods are used to simulate the icing and shedding of the line.Tensile failure strength is the shedding criterion for ice coating.The fluctuating wind speed time history of the tower line systemis first simulated,and then the fluctuating wind and the average wind are superimposed to generate the instantaneous wind speed and converted into wind load.The dynamic response of the transmission tower line systemunder iced coupling with different wind speeds and different thicknesses of ice coating was studied.This is the first attempt that the coupling dynamic response of the icing shedding and wind load for the transmission tower-line system is discussed in this paper.In addition,the dynamic characteristics of wind are included.In particular,the limiting mechanical conditions are considered.According to the simulation results,it is found:because of the ice shedding,the stress of the conductor changes obviously in the first 20 seconds,and the ground wire changes sharply in the first two seconds;the icing of the conductor(ground)wire is gradually deicing under the action of wind vibration;the displacement of tower top increases with the increase of wind speed and icing thickness.

Design and Construction of Removable DeepLitter Breeding Shed

The pig-on-litter system is characterized by reduced environmental pollution and high-quality pork. It has won the support of the government and the acceptance of market. It is urgent to develop the supporting facilities and products to promote the comprehensive promotion of this technology. Based on the climatic and hydro- logical conditions in Jiangsu Province, we designed the removable deep-litter breed- ing shed. Its construction costs were lower than that of ordinary water-flushed pig- gery. In addition, this breeding system would not consolidate the land. The indoor ventilation and heat-conservation performances also met the requirements by pig-on- litter system. The removable shed can be promoted as an important supporting technology for the deep-litter breeding model in the eastern China.

Effects of Different Upland Seedling Nurturing Modes on Shed Temperature and Rice Seedling Quality

In order to compare the advantages and disadvantages of large-shed,middle-shed and small-shed upland seedling nurturing modes in japonica rice planting regions of North China, in this study, Tongyin 58, Tonghe 836 and Tonghe 835 were used as experimental materials and cultivated with large-shed, middle-shed and small-shed upland seedling nurturing modes to investigate active and effective accumulated temperature and rice seedling quality. According to the results, active and effective accumulated temperature in three different upland seedling nurturing treatments during seedling nurturing period were generally in a descending order of large shed 〉 middle shed 〉 small shed. The occurrence frequency of temperature exceeding the biological upper limit for rice growth in different upland seedling nurturing treatments demonstrated a descending order of large shed 〉 small shed 〉middle shed; the occurrence frequency of temperature below the biological lower limit demonstrated a descending order of small shed 〉 middle shed 〉 large shed.Plant height, root number, aboveground dry weight, underground dry weight and emergence rate varied significantly among different upland seedling nurturing modes,which showed a descending order of large shed 〉 middle shed 〉 small shed; leaf age and stem number in large shed was significantly higher than that in middle and small sheds, but there was no significant difference in leaf age and stem number between middle and small sheds; underground dry weight varied slightly between large and middle shed, but underground dry weight in large and middle shed was remarkably higher than that in small shed. In production, large-shed upland seedling nurturing is most appropriate technique, followed by middle-shed upland seedling nurturing. In large-shed upland seedling nurturing, ventilation and seedling hardening should be strengthened. Small-shed upland seedling nurturing technique is not recommended to be used in regions with low accumulated temperature at night. In small-shed upland seedling nurturing, the minimum temperature at night should be concerned, and heat preservation measures should be taken immediately when there is a sudden drop in temperature.

SHEDS-PM模型模拟杭州市人群PM_(10)暴露水平

以杭州市为例,利用美国国家环境保护局(US EPA)国家暴露研究实验室(NERL)所开发的颗粒物人类暴露剂量随机模拟模型(SHEDS-PM),考察了人群在不同微环境中的PM10暴露水平.结合室外环境ρ(PM10)模拟结果、相关微环境参数和人群活动特征,对研究区域2004年不同季节室外环境、室内环境(住宅、办公室、学校、商店、餐馆)以及机动车内PM10暴露水平进行了模拟.结果表明:PM10暴露量、吸入量和沉积量与ρ(PM10)日均值呈正相关;1月PM10暴露量、吸入量和沉积量最大,分别为18.22,326.99和277.46μg/m3,三者在住宅环境中的剂量最大;不同微环境PM10平均沉积速率有明显差异.

Effect of perforation on flow past a conic cylinder at Re=100:vortex-shedding pattern and force history

The flow past a circular-section cylinder with a conic shroud perforated with four holes at the peak was simulated numerically at Re = 100, considering two factors, viz.the angle of attack and the diameter of the holes. The effects of the perforated conic shroud on the vortex shedding pattern in the near wake was mainly investigated, as well as the time history of the drag and lift forces. In the investigated parameter space, three flow regimes were generally identified, corresponding to weak, moderate, and strong disturbance effects.In regime I, the wake can mainly be described by alternately shedding Kármán or Kármán-like vortices. In regime II, the spanwise vortices are obviously disturbed along the span due to the appearance of additional vorticity components and their interactions with the spanwise vortices, but still shed in synchronization along the spanwise direction. In regime III,the typical Kármán vortices partially or totally disappear,and some new vortex shedding patterns appear, such as-type, obliquely shedding, and crossed spanwise vortices with opposite sign. Corresponding to these complex vortex shedding patterns in the near wake, the fluid forces no longer oscillate regularly at a single vortex shedding frequency, but rather with a lower modulation frequency and multiple amplitudes. An overview of these flow regimes is presented.

Dynamic response and optimization of an inclined steel rock shed by the graded energy dissipating method

Blocking rockfalls directly by reinforced concrete(RC) flat sheds with thick sand cushions is an outdated method. Such conventional sheds typically accumulate rock heavily, and become progressively damaged and are difficult to repair, and are very costly. To address these problems, we propose a new structure called a Graded Dissipating Inclined Steel Rock(GDISR) shed that utilizes the graded energy dissipation method. Here, we study the dynamic response of the GDISR shed with model test and numerical simulation, and give its optimization design combining with a practical engineering case. Our results show that the optimized modular E-block and corrugated steel tube can deform to sufficiently absorb the energy of different impact intensities. This efficiently and economically provides GDISR sheds with two security lines. Compared with conventional RC sheds, GDISR sheds with optimal incline have a more efficient anti-impact function, are faster and easier to repair, and are much simpler and cheaper to build.

The transmembrane domain of TACE regulates protein ectodomain shedding

Numerous membrane proteins are cleaved by tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme （TACE）, which causes the release of their ectodomains. An ADAM （a disintegrin and metalloprotease domain） family member, TACE contains several noncatalytic domains whose roles in ectodomain shedding have yet to be fully resolved. Here, we have explored the function of the transmembrane domain （TM） of TACE by coupling molecular engineering and functional analysis. A TM-free TACE construct that is anchored to the plasma membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol （GPI）-binding polypeptide failed to restore shedding of transforming growth factor-or （TGF-α）, tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and L-selectin in cells lacking endogenous TACE activity. Substitution of the TACE TM with that of the prolactin receptor or platelet-derived growth factor receptor （PDGFR） also resulted in severe loss of TGF-α shedding, but had no effects on the cleavage of TNF-α and L-selectin. Replacement of the TM in TGF-α with that of L-selectin enabled TGF-α shedding by the TACE mutants carrying the TM of prolactin receptor and PDGFR. Taken together, our observations suggest that anchorage of TACE to the lipid bilayer through a TM is required for efficient cleavage of a broad spectrum of substrates, and that the amino-acid sequence of TACE TM may play a role in regulatory specificity among TACE substrates.

THE EFFECT OF HYPO－OSMOLAR SOLUTIONS WITH HIBITANE ON SHED CANCER CELLS IN PERITONEAL CAVITY OF PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC CANCER

For 100 patients with gastric cancer, intraoperative intraperitoneal perfusion(IOIPP)using double-distilled water(D.D.W)with hibitane 37℃ for 5 minutes was performed.The anticancer effects were assessed cytologically in pre-IOIPP and post-IOPP specimens of the abdominal effusion and/or lavaged peritoneal fluid.The radical gastrectomy was performed in 65 of 93 cases with advanced gastric cancer, shed cancer cells in peritoneal cavity were detected in 16 of 65 cases with pre-IOIPP(24.62%)and to 3 of post-IOIPP cases(4.62%).There was significant difference between the two groups(P<0.01) . Shed cancer cells were inactivated in vivo estimated by the trypan-blue staining technique in 7 cases with radical surgery.But the effect of the IOIPP on shed cancer calls was not significant in cases with peritoneal metastasis. Also there were shed cancer cells in peritoneal cavity of patients with SS cancer histologically before the IOIPP(15. 56%)and iatrogenic diffusion of cancer cells during operation(7/24)in thisarticle.The above results indicated that the IOIPP with hypo-osmolar solution containing hibitane, 37℃ for 5 min was indispensable and useful for the killing of peritoneal shed cancer cells in order to prevent postoperative peritoneal recurrence in patients with radical surgery of advanced gastric cancer regardless of conditions of serosal invasion.

Inhibitory role of TACE/ADAM17 cytotail in protein ectodomain shedding

AIM:To determine if the cytotail of the principal sheddase tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme (TACE;ADAM17) controls protein ectodomain shedding.METHODS:Site-directed mutagenesis was performed to derive TACE variants. The resulting TACE expression plasmids with amino acid substitutions in the extracel-lular,cysteine-rich disintegrin domain (CRD) and/or deleted cytotail,along with an expression vector for the enhanced green fluorescence protein were transfected into shedding-defective M1 mutants stably expressing transmembrane L-selectin or transforming growth factor (TGF)-α. The expression levels of the TACE substrates at the cell surface were determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS:Consistent with published data,a single point mutation (C600Y) in the CRD led to shedding defi-ciency. However,removal of the cytotail from the C600Y TACE variant partially restored ectodomain cleavage of TGF-α and L-selectin. Cytotail-deleted mutants with any other substituting amino acid residues in place of Cys600 displayed similar function compared with tail-less C600Y TACE.CONCLUSION:The cytotail plays an inhibitory role,which becomes evident when it is removed from an enzyme with another mutation that affects the enzyme function.

INVESTIGATION OF VORTEX SHEDDING INDUCED HYDRODYNAMIC VIBRATION IN VORTEX STREET FLOWMETER

Vortex street flowmeter has been used in steady flow measurement for about three decades The benefits of this type of flowmeter include high accuracy,good linearty,wide measuring range,and excellent reliability However,in unsteady flow measurement,the pressure disturbance as well as the noise from the system or surrounding can reduce the signal to noise ratio of the flowmeter seriously Aimed to use vortex street flowmeters in unsteady flow measurement,the characteristics of the vortex shedding induced hydrodynamic vibration around the prism bluff body in a vortex street flowmeter are investigated numerically and by expriments The results show that the hydrodynamic vibrations with 180° phase shift occur at the axisymmetric points of the channel around the bluff body The most intense vibration occurs at the points on the lateral faces close to the base of the prism The results provide therefore a useful reference for developing an anti interference vortex flowmeter using the different ial sensing technique.

Experimental Investigation on Cavitating Flow Shedding over an Axisymmetric Blunt Body

Nowadays,most researchers focus on the cavity shedding mechanisms of unsteady cavitating flows over different objects,such as 2D/3D hydrofoils,venturi-type section,axisymmetric bodies with different headforms,and so on.But few of them pay attention to the differences of cavity shedding modality under different cavitation numbers in unsteady cavitating flows over the same object.In the present study,two kinds of shedding patterns are investigated experimentally.A high speed camera system is used to observe the cavitating flows over an axisymmetric blunt body and the velocity fields are measured by a particle image velocimetry（PIV）technique in a water tunnel for different cavitation conditions.The U-type cavitating vortex shedding is observed in unsteady cavitating flows.When the cavitation number is 0.7,there is a large scale cavity rolling up and shedding,which cause the instability and dramatic fluctuation of the flows,while at cavitation number of 0.6,the detached cavities can be conjunct with the attached part to induce the break-off behavior again at the tail of the attached cavity,as a result,the final shedding is in the form of small scale cavity and keeps a relatively steady flow field.It is also found that the interaction between the re-entrant flow and the attached cavity plays an important role in the unsteady cavity shedding modality.When the attached cavity scale is insufficient to overcome the re-entrant flow,it deserves the large cavity rolling up and shedding just as that at cavitation number of 0.7.Otherwise,the re-entrant flow is defeated by large enough cavity to induce the cavity-combined process and small scale cavity vortexes shedding just as that of the cavitation number of0.6.This research shows the details of two different cavity shedding modalities which is worthful and meaningful for the further study of unsteady cavitation.