A Mixed-Variable Experimental Design Method

Mixed-variable problems are inevitable in engineering. However, few researches pay attention to discrete variables. This paper proposed a mixed-variable experimental design method (ODCD): first, the design variables were divided into discrete variables and continuous variables;then, the DVD method was employed for handling discrete variables, the LHD method was applied for continuous variables, and finally, a Columnwise-Pairwise Algorithm was used for the overall optimization of the design matrix. Experimental results demonstrated that the ODCD method outperforms in terms of the sample space coverage performance.

Experimental validation method of elastic thin rod model for simulating the motional cable harness

To analyze the spring disturbance torque caused by motionai cable harness in a stabilized platform, the Kirchhoff theory based cable harness model has been previously developed to dynamically simulate the motional cable harness. In this paper, this model was validated by comparing the simulation results with the experiment results （ both the spring force and the deformed profile of the motional cable harness）. In the experiment, a special optical measuring instrument based on binocular vision was developed and the motion and deformation of cable harness were measured. A simpli- fied stabilized platform system was constructed, and the absolute value of spring disturbance force during the motion of this simplified frame was obtained by using a force gauge （0. 02 N precision）. The physical parameters of experimental specimen were also measured. The experimental and simulated results showed good agreement. These results should be useful for better motional cable harness layout design and reliable evaluation of the spring disturbance torque.

RECONSTRUCTION OF PART OF AN ACTUAL BLAST-WAVE FLOW FIELD TO AGREE WITH EXPERIMENTAL DATA BY USING NUMERICAL METHOD WITH HIGH IDENTIFICATION

In this paper, on the basis of experimental data of two kinds of chemical explosions, the piston-pushing model of spherical blast-waves and the second-order Godunov-type scheme of finite difference methods with high identification to discontinuity are used to the numerical reconstruction of part of an actual hemispherical blast-wave flow field by properly adjusting the moving bounary conditions of a piston. This method is simple and reliable. It is suitable to the evaluation of effects of the blast-wave flow field away from the explosion center.

Visual Passive Ranging Method Based on Re-entrant Coaxial Optical Path and Experimental Verification

To overcome the shortcomings of the traditional passive ranging technology based on image, such as poor ranging accuracy, low reliability and complex system, a new visual passive ranging method based on re-entrant coaxial optical path is presented. The target image is obtained using double cameras with coaxial optical path. Since there is imaging optical path difference between the cameras, the images are different. In comparison of the image differences, the target range could be reversed. The principle of the ranging method and the ranging model are described. The relationship among parameters in the ranging process is analyzed quantitatively. Meanwhile,the system composition and technical realization scheme are also presented. Also, the principle of the method is verified by the equivalent experiment. The experimental results show that the design scheme is correct and feasible with good robustness. Generally, the ranging error is less than 10% with good convergence. The optical path is designed in a re-entrant mode to reduce the volume and weight of the system. Through the coaxial design,the visual passive range of the targets with any posture can be obtained in real time. The system can be widely used in electro-optical countermeasure and concealed photoelectric detection.

Finite Element Simulation of Flexible Roll Forming with Supplemented Material Data and the Experimental Verification

Flexible roll forming is a promising manufacturing method for the production of variable cross section products. Considering the large plastic strain in this forming process which is much larger than that of uniform deformation phase of uniaxial tensile test, the widely adopted method of simulating the forming processes with non-supplemented material data from uniaxial tensile test will certainly lead to large error. To reduce this error, the material data is supplemented based on three constitutive models. Then a finite element model of a six passes flexible roll forming process is established based on the supplemented material data and the original material data from the uniaxial tensile test. The flexible roll forming experiment of a B pillar reinforcing plate is carried out to verify the proposed method. Final cross section shapes of the experimental and the simulated results are compared. It is shown that the simulation calculated with supplemented material data based on Swift model agrees well with the experimental results, while the simulation based on original material data could not predict the actual deformation accurately. The results indicate that this material supplement method is reliable and indispensible, and the simulation model can well reflect the real metal forming process. Detailed analysis of the distribution and history of plastic strain at different positions are performed. A new material data supplement method is proposed to tackle the problem which is ignored in other roll forming simulations, and thus the forming process simulation accuracy can be greatly improved.

VIRTUAL EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS ON CLEANING ELEMENT OF SUGARCANE HARVESTER

The laws of influence of different factors have been analyzed in order to enhance the working efficiency and fatigue life of the cleaning element in brush shape of the sugarcane harvester. Based on the principle of orthogonal experiment design, the virtual-orthogonal-experimental analysis for the cleaning element is carried out on the finite element analysis （FEA） software-ANSYS after analyzing the nonlinear structural behavior in the working procedure. The results are analyzed with the overall balancing method, and then the optimal combination is got, which is made up of different levels of different factors. Also the optimal combination of design parameters of the cleaning element received fiom the virtual experimental analysis is conducted an experiment to confirm that the virtual analysis model and results are right, and the effect of factors on the function of the cleaning element is obtained by more analysis and further optimizing.

Protein-protein interactions: Methods, databases, and applications in virus-host study

Almost all the cellular processes in a living system are controlled by proteins:They regulate gene expression,catalyze chemical reactions,transport small molecules across membranes,and transmit signal across membranes.Even,a viral infection is often initiated through virus-host protein interactions.Protein-protein interactions(PPIs)are the physical contacts between two or more proteins and they represent complex biological functions.Nowadays,PPIs have been used to construct PPI networks to study complex pathways for revealing the functions of unknown proteins.Scientists have used PPIs to find the molecular basis of certain diseases and also some potential drug targets.In this review,we will discuss how PPI networks are essential to understand the molecular basis of virus-host relationships and several databases which are dedicated to virus-host interaction studies.Here,we present a short but comprehensive review on PPIs,including the experimental and computational methods of finding PPIs,the databases dedicated to virus-host PPIs,and the associated various applications in protein interaction networks of some lethal viruses with their hosts.

Diversified Teaching Methods in Nursing:Using Animal Experimentation to Promote Core Professional Competencies in Basic Nursing Training

Objective： The aim of this project was to train highly professional and specialized nursing students from medical colleges to adapt to bedside clinical care by exploring and discussing various methods of injection and IV infusion in animal experimentation to hone the core professional nursing competencies. Methods： Two classes from the 2012 senior graduating nursing class were randomly selected by a computer to conduct the diversified practical teaching methods based on animal experimentation. A hospital environment was simulated by requiring students to perform different types of injections and practical IV infusion techniques. A comprehensive evaluation of the core professional competencies, as well as other integrated competencies, was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the teaching methods. Results： Two-sampled, pairwise u-tests were performed between the scores of the experimental （nursing class 2） and control （nursing class 1） groups. These findings showed that the overall test scores were significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group and that the average P-values for the competencies in various categories were 〈0.01, which indicated statistically significant results. Conclusions： Based on the data from this project, diversified teaching methods for basic nursing training founded on animal experimentation can help nursing students perfect their core professional competencies and improve their overall professional standing. The introduction of animal experimentation requires further verification, and an increased acknowledgement of its benefits through the widespread dissemination of this information.

Sediment Erosion on Pelton Turbines:A Review

The Pelton turbine has been widely used to develop high-head water resources with sediments because of its advantages in life cycle costs.When a flood or monsoon season occurs,the sediment concentration in the river increases suddenly,causing severe erosion to the nozzle,needle,and runner of Pelton turbines.After decades of development,researchers have developed practical engineering experience to reduce the sediment concentration of the flow through the turbine and ensure the safety and efficiency of power generation.Research on the mechanism of sediment erosion,development of anti-erosion materials,and establishment of erosion prediction models have attracted scholarly interest in recent years.Extensive research has been conducted to determine a complete and valuable syndication erosion model.However,owing to the complexity of the flow and wear mechanisms,the influence of specific parameters of erosion and the syndication effect is still difficult to determine.Computational fluid dynamics and erosion monitoring technology have also been evaluated and applied.This paper presents a comprehensive review of the erosion of Pelton turbines,some of the latest technical methods,and possible future development directions.

Natural Monopoly and Mixed Ownership Reform--Based on Natural Experiment and Cost Function Analysis Method

Despite a multitude of theoretical discussions on China's mixed ownership reform, very few studies have addressed realistic questions concerning the implementation of the reform. The Resolutions of the Third Plenum of the 18 th CPC Central Committee and other reform strategies have outlined the reform of sectors with natural monopoly, including urban public utility sectors. The question is how mixed ownership reform should be carried out in sectors of natural monopoly, or which public utilities sectors should enjoy priority of mixed ownership reform. To answer this question, this paper employs data of large public utility enterprises in China from 1998 to 2008, and estimates the natural monopoly attribute at the industry level and corporate total factor productivity(TFP) using cost function analysis method excluding the impact of product price factor. Based on the difference-indifferences-in-differences(DDD) method of natural experiment, an empirical test is carried out for the relationship among natural monopoly, mixed ownership reform and corporate productivity. Our results suggest that:(1) Statistically, mixed ownership reform cannot significantly increase corporate TFP in sectors with natural monopoly;(2) mixed ownership reform should not be carried out indiscriminately on a nationwide basis and for all public utilities sectors. Such an attempt of reform without distinguishing natural monopoly and the level of competitiveness is fraught with policy uncertainties;(3) relative to sectors with natural monopoly, corporate productivity in competitive sectors after mixed ownership reform will improve more significantly and enjoy greater "policy dividends" of institutional reform. Therefore, mixed ownership reform should be carried out first in competitive sectors.

A Study on the Factors Influencing Value-Added in the Cruise Ship Value Chain Based on the DEMATEL-ISM Model

Cruise value chain is to take the exchange of cruise products and services as the core in a certain spatial scope,and enterprises with core advantages within or between different industries establish associations in accordance with certain technical and economic conditions,so as to realise the multi-dimensional extension and value appreciation of the cruise value chain in the vertical and horizontal links,and ultimately establish a chain-network type of enterprise strategic alliance.This paper tries to analyse the value-added factors of the cruise industry chain by constructing a multi-level hierarchical structural model with reference to the influencing factor analysis methods of relevant literature-DEMATEL(Decision Making Experiment and Evaluation Experiment)and ISM(Interpretative Structural Model).The study shows that the innovation and scale value-added module in the upstream of the cruise industry chain is the core module of value-added of the whole cruise industry chain,and the value-added mainly originates from the design and manufacturing of cruise ships.The middle reaches of the cruise industry chain are mainly cruise operation enterprises,and the specificity of cruise operation determines that its brand value-added is mainly accomplished through the global layout of multinational corporations,and the cruise brand is able to drive the consumption demand and has value-added ability.The downstream value-added of the cruise industry chain is mainly realised through the increase in profits of cruise tourism service products.

Field experimental study on the effect of thawed depth of frozen alpine meadow soil on rill erosion by snowmelt waterflow

Soil erosion by snow or ice melt waterflow is an important type of soil erosion in many high-altitude and high-latitude regions and is further aggravated by climate warming.The snowmelt waterflow erosion process is affected by soil freeze-thaws and is highly dynamically variable.In this study,a methodology was developed to conduct in situ field experiments to investigate the effects of the thawed depth of the frozen soil profile on snowmelt waterflow erosion.The method was implemented on an alpine meadow soil slope at an altitude of 3700 m on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.The erosion experiments involved five thawed soil depths of 0,10,30(35),50,and 80(100)mm under two snowmelt waterflow rates(3 and 5 L/min).When the topsoil was fully frozen or shallow-thawed(≤10 mm),its hydrothermal and structural properties caused a significant lag in the initiation of runoff and delayed soil erosion in the initial stage.The runoff and sediment concentration curves for fully frozen and shallow-thawed soil showed two-stage patterns characteristic of a sediment supply limited in the early stage and subject to hydrodynamic-controlled processes in the later stage.However,this effect did not exist where the thawed soil depth was greater than 30 mm.The deep-thawed cases(≥30 mm)showed normal hydrograph and sedigraph patterns similar to those of the unfrozen soil.The findings of this study are important for understanding the erosion rates of partially thawed soil and for improving erosion simulations in cold regions.

Dynamic analysis of a deployable/retractable damped cantilever beam

Deployable/retractable damped cantilever beams are a class of time-varying parametric structures which have attracted considerable research interest due to their many potential applications in the intelligent robot field and aerospace.In the present work,the dynamic characteristics of a deployable/retractable damped cantilever beam are investigated experimentally and theoretically.The time-varying damping,as a function of the beam length,is obtained by both the enveloped fitting method and the period decrement method.Furthermore,the governing equation of the deployable/retractable damped cantilever beam is derived by introducing the time-varying damping parameter,and the corresponding closed-form solution and vibration principles are investigated based on the averaged method.The theoretical predictions for transient dynamic responses are in good agreement with the experimental results.The dynamic mechanism analysis on time-varying damping offers flexible technology in mechanical and aerospace fields.

High-temperature characteristics of SiC module and 100 kW SiC AC–DC converter at a junction temperature of 180 ℃

High-temperature,high-power converters have gained importance in industrial applications given their ability to operate in adverse environments,such as in petroleum exploration,multi-electric aircrafts,and electric vehicles.SiC metaloxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor(MOSFET),a new,wide bandgap,high-temperature device,is the key component of these converters.In this study,the static and dynamic characteristics of the SiC MOSFET,half-bridge module,are investigated at the junction temperature of 180℃.A simplified experimental method is then proposed pertaining to the power operation of the SiC module at 180℃.This method is based on the use of a thermal resistance test platform and is proven convenient for the study of heat dissipation characteristics.The high-temperature characteristics of the module are verified based on the conducted experiments.Accordingly,a 100 kW high-temperature converter is built,and the test results show that the SiC converter can operate at a junction temperature of 180℃in a stable manner in compliance with the requirements of high-temperature,high-power applications.

Tuning PID Parameters Based on a Combination of the Expert System and the Improved Genetic Algorithms

a new strategy combining an expert system and improved genetic algorithms is presented for tuning proportional-integral-derivative （PID） parameters for petrochemical processes. This retains the advantages of genetic algorithms, namely rapid convergence and attainment of the global optimum. Utilization of an orthogonal experiment method solves the determination of the genetic factors. Combination with an expert system can make best use of the actual experience of the plant operators. Simulation results of typical process systems examples show a good control performance and robustness.

Predictive Modeling and Parameter Optimization of Cutting Forces During Orbital Drilling

To optimize cutting control parameters and provide scientific evidence for controlling cutting forces,cutting force modeling and cutting control parameter optimization are researched with one tool adopted to orbital drill holes in aluminum alloy 6061.Firstly,four cutting control parameters(tool rotation speed,tool revolution speed,axial feeding pitch and tool revolution radius)and affecting cutting forces are identified after orbital drilling kinematics analysis.Secondly,hybrid level orthogonal experiment method is utilized in modeling experiment.By nonlinear regression analysis,two quadratic prediction models for axial and radial forces are established,where the above four control parameters are used as input variables.Then,model accuracy and cutting control parameters are analyzed.Upon axial and radial forces models,two optimal combinations of cutting control parameters are obtained for processing a13mm hole,corresponding to the minimum axial force and the radial force respectively.Finally,each optimal combination is applied in verification experiment.The verification experiment results of cutting force are in good agreement with prediction model,which confirms accracy of the research method in practical production.

Preparation and Performance of Geopolymers

The influence of each factor on the reaction of geopolymers material was investigated by using the orthogonal experimental design method, which got the optimal condition of reaction. Based on this results the performances of geopolymers were investigated. The results are as follows： （1） The effect of each factor on the compressive strength of geopolymers was different; （2） For paste the optimal condition of reaction is that the modulus and the concentration of sodium silicate solution are 1.2 and 40%, the calcined temperature and calcined time of kaolin are 800 ℃ and 2 h, and the liquid-solid ratio is 1.25; （3） When the pH value of solution is higher than l, the compressive strength of Geopolymers will not decrease as that in the water; （4） As the calcined temperature of samples were lower than 700 ℃ the heat-resistant of geopolymers was good;（5） Geopolymers is unlikely to react with the active aggregate.

SCATTERING OF A GRAZING LONGITUDINAL WAVE PULSE BY A RIBBON-TYPE CRACK—EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION BY THE PHOTOELASTIC METHOD

By using the dynamic photoelastic method and our technique of fabricating an internal crack in solid , the scattered waves of incident grazing longitudinal ultrasonic wave pulse by a ribbon-type crack are ob-served and analyzed . In particular, the distribution of the intensity of the scattered head wave is measured quantitatively . The experimental results fairly agree with the theoretical ones given in ref. [ 1 ] .

Trends in gravity changes from 2009 to 2013 derived from ground-based gravimetry and GRACE data in North China

North China is a key region for studying geophysical progress. In this study, ground-based and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment（GRACE） gravity data from 2009 to 2013 are used to calculate the gravity change rate（GCR） using the polynomial fitting method. In general, the study area was divided into the Shanxi rift, Jing-Jin-Ji（Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Province）, and Bohai Bay Basin（BBB） regions. Results of the distribution of the GCR determined from ground-based gravimetry show that the GCR appears to be ＂negativepositive-negative＂ from west to east, which indicates that different geophysical mechanisms are involved in the tectonic activities of these regions. However, GRACE solutions are conducted over a larger spatial scale and are able to show a difference between southern and northern areas and a mass redistribution of land water storage.

Prediction of Seaward Slope Recession in Berm Breakwaters Using M5＇ Machine Learning Approach

In the design process of berm breakwaters, their front slope recession has an inevitable rule in large number of model tests, and this parameter being studied. This research draws its data from Moghim＇s and Shekari＇s experiment results. These experiments consist of two different 2D model tests in two wave flumes, in which the berm recession to different sea state and structural parameters have been studied. Irregular waves with a JONSWAP spectrum were used in both test series. A total of 412 test results were used to cover the impact of sea state conditions such as wave height, wave period, storm duration and water depth at the toe of the structure, and structural parameters such as berm elevation from still water level, berm width and stone diameter on berm recession parameters. In this paper, a new set of equations for berm recession is derived using the M5＇ model tree as a machine learning approach. A comparison is made between the estimations by the new formula and the formulae recently given by other researchers to show the preference of new M5＇ approach.