Analytical model for predicting time-dependent lateral deformation of geosynthetics-reinforced soil walls with modular block facing

To date,few models are available in the literature to consider the creep behavior of geosynthetics when predicting the lateral deformation(d)of geosynthetics-reinforced soil(GRS)retaining walls.In this study,a general hyperbolic creep model was first introduced to describe the long-term deformation of geosynthetics,which is a function of elapsed time and two empirical parameters a and b.The conventional creep tests with three different tensile loads(Pr)were conducted on two uniaxial geogrids to determine their creep behavior,as well as the a-Pr and b-Pr relationships.The test results show that increasing Pr accelerates the development of creep deformation for both geogrids.Meanwhile,a and b respectively show exponential and negatively linear relationships with Pr,which were confirmed by abundant experimental data available in other studies.Based on the above creep model and relationships,an accurate and reliable analytical model was then proposed for predicting the time-dependent d of GRS walls with modular block facing,which was further validated using a relevant numerical investigation from the previous literature.Performance evaluation and comparison of the proposed model with six available prediction models were performed.Then a parametric study was carried out to evaluate the effects of wall height,vertical spacing of geogrids,unit weight and internal friction angle of backfills,and factor of safety against pullout on d at the end of construction and 5 years afterwards.The findings show that the creep effect not only promotes d but also raises the elevation of the maximum d along the wall height.Finally,the limitations and application prospects of the proposed model were discussed and analyzed.

Effect of Bogie Cavity End Wall Inclination on Flow Field and Aerodynamic Noise in the Bogie Region of High-Speed Trains

Combining the detached eddy simulation(DES)method and Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings(FW-H)equation,the effect of bogie cavity end wall inclination on the flow field and aerodynamic noise in the bogie region is numerically studied.First,the simulation is conducted based on a simplified cavity-bogie model,including five cases with different inclination angles of the front and rear walls of the cavity.By comparing and analyzing the flow field and acoustic results of the five cases,the influence of the regularity and mechanism of the bogie cavity end wall inclination on the flow field and the aerodynamic noise of the bogie region are revealed.Then,the noise reduction strategy determined by the results of the simplified cavity-bogie model is applied to a three-car marshaling train model to verify its effectiveness when applied to the real train.The results reveal that the forward inclination of the cavity front wall enlarges the influence area of shear vortex structures formed at the leading edge of the cavity and intensifies the interaction between the vortex structures and the front wheelset,frontmotor,and front gearbox,resulting in the increase of the aerodynamic noise generated by the bogie itself.The backward inclination of the cavity rear wall is conducive to guiding the vortex structures flow out of the cavity and weakening the interaction between the shear vortex structures and the cavity rear wall,leading to the reduction of the aerodynamic noise generated by the bogie cavity.Inclining the rear end wall of the foremost bogie cavity of the head car is a feasible aerodynamic noise reduction measure for high-speed trains.

Upregulation of the glycine-rich protein-encoding gene GhGRPL enhances plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stressors by promoting secondary cell wall development

Abiotic and biotic stressors adversely affect plant survival,biomass generation,and crop yields.As the global availability of arable land declines and the impacts of global warming intensify,such stressors may have increasingly pronounced effects on agricultural productivity.Currently,researchers face the overarching challenge of comprehensively enhancing plant resilience to abiotic and biotic stressors.The secondary cell wall plays a crucial role in bolstering the stress resistance of plants.To increase plant resistance to stress through genetic manipulation of the secondary cell wall,we cloned a cell wall protein designated glycine-rich protein-like(GhGRPL)from cotton fibers,and found that it is specifically expressed during the period of secondary cell wall biosynthesis.Notably,this protein differs from its Arabidopsis homolog,AtGRP,since its glycine-rich domain is deficient in glycine residues.GhGRPL is involved in secondary cell wall deposition.Upregulation of GhGRPL enhances lignin accumulation and,consequently,the thickness of the secondary cell walls,thereby increasing the plant’s resistance to abiotic stressors,such as drought and salinity,and biotic threats,including Verticillium dahliae infection.Conversely,interference with GhGRPL expression in cotton reduces lignin accumulation and compromises that resistance.Taken together,our findings elucidate the role of GhGRPL in regulating secondary cell wall development through its influence on lignin deposition,which,in turn,reinforces cell wall robustness and impermeability.These findings highlight the promising near-future prospect of adopting GhGRPL as a viable,effective approach for enhancing plant resilience to abiotic and biotic stress factors.

Restraint effect of partition wall on the tunnel floor heave in layered rock mass

The presence of horizontal layered rocks in tunnel engineering significantly impacts the stability and strength of the surrounding rock mass,leading to floor heave in the tunnel.This study focused on preparing layered specimens of rock-like material with varying thickness to investigate the failure behaviors of tunnel floors.The results indicate that thin-layered rock mass exhibits weak interlayer bonding,causing rock layers near the surface to buckle and break upwards when subjected to horizontal squeezing.With an increase in the layer thickness,a transition in failure mode occurs from upward buckling to shear failure along the plane,leading to a noticeable reduction in floor heave deformation.The primary cause of significant deformation in floor heave is upward buckling failure.To address this issue,the study proposes the installation of a partition wall in the middle of the floor to mitigate heave deformation of the rock layers.The results demonstrate that the partition wall has a considerable stabilizing effect on the floor,reducing the zone of buckling failure and minimizing floor heave deformation.It is crucial for the partition wall to be sufficiently high to prevent buckling failure and ensure stability.Through simulation calculations on an engineering example,it is confirmed that implementing a partition wall can effectively reduce floor heave and enhance the stability of tunnel floor.

THERMAL EFFECTS OF BUILDING′S EXTERNAL SURFACES IN CITY——Characteristics of Heat Flux into and out of External Wall Surfaces

This study examined the thermal effects of building′s external wall surfaces, using observational data of spatial-temporal distribution of surface temperature, air temperature, and heat flux into and out of external surface. Results indicate that external wall surface temperature and nearby air temperature vary with the change of orientation, height and season. In general, the external wall surface temperature is lower near the ground, and is higher near the roof, than nearby air temperature. But north wall surface temperature is mostly lower than nearby air temperature at the same height; south wall surface temperature during the daytime in December, and west wall surface temperature all day in August, is respectively higher than nearby air temperature. The heat fluxes into and out of external wall surfaces show the differences that exist in the various orientations, heights and seasons. In December, south wall surface at the lower sites emits heat and north wall surface at the higher sites absorbs heat. In April, all external wall surfaces, emit heat near the ground and absorb heat near the roof. In August, west wall surface all day emits heat, and other wall surfaces just show the commensurate behavior with that in April.

Influence of Various Earth-Retaining Walls on the Dynamic Response Comparison Based on 3D Modeling

The present work aims to assess earthquake-induced earth-retaining(ER)wall displacement.This study is on the dynamics analysis of various earth-retaining wall designs in hollow precast concrete panels,reinforcement concrete facing panels,and gravity-type earth-retaining walls.The finite element(FE)simulations utilized a 3D plane strain condition to model full-scale ER walls and numerous nonlinear dynamics analyses.The seismic performance of differentmodels,which includes reinforcement concrete panels and gravity-type and hollowprecast concrete ER walls,was simulated and examined using the FE approach.It also displays comparative studies such as stress distribution,deflection of the wall,acceleration across the wall height,lateral wall displacement,lateral wall pressure,and backfill plastic strain.Three components of the created ER walls were found throughout this research procedure.One is a granular reinforcement backfill,while the other is a wall-facing panel and base foundation.The dynamic response effects of varied earth-retaining walls have also been studied.It was discovered that the facing panel of the model significantly impacts the earthquake-induced displacement of ER walls.The proposed analytical model’s validity has been evaluated and compared with the reinforcement concrete facing panels,gravity-type ER wall,scientifically available data,and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials(AASHTO)guidelines results based on FE simulation.The results of the observations indicate that the hollow prefabricated concrete ER wall is the most feasible option due to its lower displacement and high-stress distribution compared to the two types.The methodology and results of this study establish standards for future analogous investigations and professionals,particularly in light of the increasing computational capabilities of desktop computers.

Malignant triton tumor in the abdominal wall:A case report

BACKGROUND Malignant triton tumors(MTTs)comprise a subgroup of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors(MPNSTs)that exhibits rhabdomyosarcomatous differen-tiation and follow an aggressive course.MTTs are primarily located along peripheral nerves.Cases of MTTs in the abdominal wall have not been reported.MTT has a poorer prognosis than classic MPNSTs,and accurate diagnosis necessitates a keen understanding of the clinical history and knowledge of its differential diagnosis intricacies.Treatment for MTTs mirrors that for MPNSTs and is predominantly surgical.CASE SUMMARY A 49-year-old woman presented with a subcutaneous mass in her lower abdo-minal wall and a pre-existing surgical scar that had grown slowly over 3-4 months before the consultation.She had previously undergone radical hysterectomy and concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for cervical cancer approximately 5 years prior to the consultation.Abdominal computed tomography(CT)showed a 1.3 cm midline mass in the lower abdomen with infiltration into the rectus abdominis muscle.There was no sign of metastasis(T1N0M0).An incisional biopsy identified sporadic MTT of the lower abdomen.A comprehensive surgical excision with a 3 cm margin inclusive of the peritoneum was executed.Subse-quently,the general surgeon utilized an approach akin to the open peritoneal onlay mesh technique.The patient underwent additional treatment with an excision shaped as a mini-abdominoplasty for the skin defect.No complications arose,and annual follow-up CTs did not show signs of recurrence or metastasis.CONCLUSION An abdominal MTT was efficaciously treated with extensive excision and abdominal wall reconstruction,eliminating the need for postoperative radiotherapy.

Investigating the relationship between intracranial atherosclerotic plaque remodelling and diabetes using high-resolution vessel wall imaging

BACKGROUND Intracranial atherosclerosis,a leading cause of stroke,involves arterial plaque formation.This study explores the link between plaque remodelling patterns and diabetes using high-resolution vessel wall imaging(HR-VWI).AIM To investigate the factors of intracranial atherosclerotic remodelling patterns and the relationship between intracranial atherosclerotic remodelling and diabetes mellitus using HR-VWI.METHODS Ninety-four patients diagnosed with middle cerebral artery or basilar artery INTRODUCTION Intracranial atherosclerotic disease is one of the main causes of ischaemic stroke in the world,accounting for approx-imately 10%of transient ischaemic attacks and 30%-50%of ischaemic strokes[1].It is the most common factor among Asian people[2].The adaptive changes in the structure and function of blood vessels that can adapt to changes in the internal and external environment are called vascular remodelling,which is a common and important pathological mechanism in atherosclerotic diseases,and the remodelling mode of atherosclerotic plaques is closely related to the occurrence of stroke.Positive remodelling(PR)is an outwards compensatory remodelling where the arterial wall grows outwards in an attempt to maintain a constant lumen diameter.For a long time,it was believed that the degree of stenosis can accurately reflect the risk of ischaemic stroke[3-5].Previous studies have revealed that lesions without significant luminal stenosis can also lead to acute events[6,7],as summarized in a recent meta-analysis study in which approximately 50%of acute/subacute ischaemic events were due to this type of lesion[6].Research[8,9]has pointed out that the PR of plaques is more dangerous and more likely to cause acute ischaemic stroke.Previous studies[10-13]have found that there are specific vascular remodelling phenomena in the coronary and carotid arteries of diabetic patients.However,due to the deep location and small lumen of intracranial arteries and limitations of imaging techniques,the relationship between intracranial arterial remodelling and diabetes is still unclear.In recent years,with the development of magnetic resonance technology and the emergence of high-resolution(HR)vascular wall imaging,a clear and multidimensional display of the intracranial vascular wall has been achieved.Therefore,in this study,HR wall imaging(HR-VWI)was used to display the remodelling characteristics of bilateral middle cerebral arteries and basilar arteries and to explore the factors of intracranial vascular remodelling and its relationship with diabetes.

Using laparoscope to remove an ectopic intrauterine device in the anterior wall of urinary bladder:A case report

BACKGROUND An intrauterine device(IUD)is a contraceptive device placed in the uterine cavity and is a common contraceptive method for Chinese women.However,an IUD may cause complications due to placement time,intrauterine pressure and other factors.Ectopic IUDs are among the most serious complications.Ectopic IUDs are common in the myometrium and periuterine organs,and there are few reports of ectopic IUDs in the urinary bladder,especially in the anterior wall.CASE SUMMARY A 52-year-old woman was hospitalized due to a urinary bladder foreign body found via abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography(CT)examination.The patient had a 2-year history of recurrent abdominal distension and lower abdominal pain,accompanied by frequent urination,urgency,dysuria and other discomfort.Ultrasound examination revealed foreign bodies in the bladder cavity,with calculus on the surface of the foreign bodies.CT revealed a circular foreign body on the anterior wall of the urinary bladder,suggesting the possibility of an ectopic IUD.After laparoscopic exploration,an annular IUD was found in the anterior wall of urinary bladder,and an oval calculus with a diameter of approximately 2 cm was attached to the surface of the bladder cavity.The IUD and calculus were successfully and completely removed.The patient recovered well after surgery.CONCLUSION Abdominal ultrasound and CT are effective methods for detecting ectopic IUDs.The IUD is located in the urinary bladder and requires early surgical treatment.The choice of surgical method is determined by comprehensively considering the depth of the IUD in the bladder muscle layer,the situation of complicated calculus,the situation of intravesical inflammation and medical technology and equipment.

Reinforced tissue matrix to strengthen the abdominal wall following reversal of temporary ostomies or to treat incisional hernias

BACKGROUND Abdominal wall deficiencies or weakness are a common complication of tem-porary ostomies,and incisional hernias frequently develop after colostomy or ileostomy takedown.The use of synthetic meshes to reinforce the abdominal wall has reduced hernia occurrence.Biologic meshes have also been used to enhance healing,particularly in contaminated conditions.Reinforced tissue matrices(R-TMs),which include a biologic scaffold of native extracellular matrix and a syn-thetic component for added strength/durability,are designed to take advantage of aspects of both synthetic and biologic materials.To date,RTMs have not been reported to reinforce the abdominal wall following stoma reversal.METHODS Twenty-eight patients were selected with a parastomal and/or incisional hernia who had received a temporary ileostomy or colostomy for fecal diversion after rectal cancer treatment or trauma.Following hernia repair and proximal stoma closure,RTM(OviTex®1S permanent or OviTex®LPR)was placed to reinforce the abdominal wall using a laparoscopic,robotic,or open surgical approach.Post-operative follow-up was performed at 1 month and 1 year.Hernia recurrence was determined by physical examination and,when necessary,via computed tomo-graphy scan.Secondary endpoints included length of hospital stay,time to return to work,and hospital readmissions.Evaluated complications of the wound/repair site included presence of surgical site infection,seroma,hematoma,wound dehiscence,or fistula formation.RESULTS The observational study cohort included 16 male and 12 female patients with average age of 58.5 years±16.3 years and average body mass index of 26.2 kg/m^(2)±4.1 kg/m^(2).Patients presented with a parastomal hernia(75.0%),in-cisional hernia(14.3%),or combined parastomal/incisional hernia(10.7%).Using a laparoscopic(53.6%),robotic(35.7%),or open(10.7%)technique,RTMs(OviTex®LPR:82.1%,OviTex®1S:17.9%)were placed using sublay(82.1%)or intraperitoneal onlay(IPOM;17.9%)mesh positioning.At 1-month and 1-year follow-ups,there were no hernia recurrences(0%).Average hospital stays were 2.1 d±1.2 d and return to work occurred at 8.3 post-operative days±3.0 post-operative days.Three patients(10.7%)were readmitted before the 1-month follow up due to mesh infection and/or gastrointestinal issues.Fistula and mesh infection were observed in two patients each(7.1%),leading to partial mesh removal in one patient(3.6%).There were no complications between 1 month and 1 year(0%).CONCLUSION RTMs were used successfully to treat parastomal and incisional hernias at ileostomy reversal,with no hernia recurrences and favorable outcomes after 1-month and 1-year.

Analytical and Numerical Study of the Hydro-Mechanical Behavior of a Cantilever Retaining Wall in Upward Seepage Conditions

Poor design of ground water evacuation mechanisms is often blocked and leads to the rise of ground water behind the wall. As a result, free water behind the wall that is not quickly evacuated, increases the lateral pressure and thus favors overturning failure. The resolution of the overturning problem in cantilever retaining walls caused by hydro-mechanical interaction was studied. An analytical and numerical method was used to study this type of wall-floor interaction. Then Coulomb’s design criterion against overturning to develop a mathematical model that compute analytical factor of safety against overturning in different water conditions and heel lengths was used. The modeling and simulation of this system in the Cast3m software which took into account a wide variety of floor and wall properties were performed. The numerical factor of safety against rollover was obtained, and the graphs for the factor of safety versus heel length and immersion depth for both methods were plotted. From (0 ≤ Hw ≤ H/3), water effect is not dangerous to wall stability against overturning and from (H/3 Hw ≤ H), water effect is very dangerous to wall stability against overturning. For analytical and numerical methods, the heel can be predimensioned against overturning as: Lc: [0.27H 0.38H], [0.29H 0.43H] for 0 ≤Hw ≤ H/3;[0.33H 0.45H], [0.39H 0.53H] for H/3 Hw ≤ 2H/3;[0.5H 0.6H], [0.50H 0.67H] for 2H/3 Hw≤ H. The numerical method guaranteeing more safety than the analytical method, Cantilever retaining walls can thus be pre-dimensioned considering Clayey-Sand soil in hydro-mechanical conditions.

Performance of Thermal Insulation of Different Composite Walls and Roofs Materials Used for Energy Efficient Building Construction in Iraq

This study numerically involves the performance of thermal insulation of different types of composite walls and roofs to demonstrate the best model that can be used for energy-efficient building construction in Iraq.The mathematical model is solved by building its code using the Transmission Matrix Method in MATLAB software.The weather data of 21st July 2022 in Baghdad City/Iraq is selected as a test day.The wall types are selected:the first type consists of cement mortar,brick,and gypsum,the second type consists of cement mortar,brick,gypsum,and plaster and the third type consists of cement mortar,brick,gypsum,air cavity,and sheathing timber.The roof types are chosen:the first type consists of reinforced concrete,gypsum,and plaster,and the second type consists of the precast concrete flag,river sand,tar,reinforced concrete,gypsum,and plaster.The obtained solutions are compared with previous studies for the same city but with different types of walls and roofs.The findings display that the second and third types of walls reduce the entry heat flux by 4%and 10%as compared to the first type of wall.Also,the results indicate that the second type of roof reduces the entry heat flux by 21%as compared to the first type of roof.The results confirm that the best models of walls and roofs in Iraq are the third and second types,respectively,as compared to other models and hence,the performance of insulation material strongly depends on the materials used while building them.

Insights into the relations between cell wall integrity and in vitro digestion properties of granular starches in pulse cotyledon cells after dry heat treatment

Natural foods,such as whole pulses,are recommended in the dietary guidelines of the US and China.The plant cell wall structure in whole pulses has important implications for the nutritional functionalities of starch.In this study,garbanzo bean cells with varying degrees of cell wall integrity were subjected to dry heat treatment(DHT)and used to elucidate the food structure-starch digestion properties of pulse food.The morphological features suggested that all cell samples do not exhibit remarkable changes after being subjected to DHT.Molecular rearrangement and the crystallite disruption of starch granules entrapped in cells occurred during DHT as assessed by the crystal structure and thermal properties.DHT decreased the inhibitory effects of enzymes of both the soluble and insoluble components,but the digestion rate and extent of slightly and highly damaged cell samples did not exhibit significant differences compared with their native counterparts.We concluded that the starch digestion of pulse cotyledon cells is primarily determined by the intactness of the cellular structure.This study reveals the role of food structure on the ability to retain the desirable nutritional properties of starch after subjection to physical modification.

Theory of Flexural Shear, Bending and Torsion for a Thin-Walled Beam of Open Section

Aspects of the general Vlasov theory are examined separately as applied to a thin-walled channel section cantilever beam under free-end end loading. In particular, the flexural bending and shear that arise under transverse shear and axial torsional loading are each considered theoretically. These analyses involve the location of the shear centre at which transverse shear forces when applied do not produce torsion. This centre, when taken to be coincident with the centre of twist implies an equivalent reciprocal behaviour. That is, an axial torsion applied concentric with the shear centre will twist but not bend the beam. The respective bending and shear stress conversions are derived for each action applied to three aluminium alloy extruded channel sections mounted as cantilevers with a horizontal principal axis of symmetry. Bending and shear are considered more generally for other thin-walled sections when the transverse loading axes at the shear centre are not parallel to the section = s centroidal axes of principal second moments of area. The fixing at one end of the cantilever modifies the St Venant free angular twist and the free warping displacement. It is shown from the Wagner-Kappus torsion theory how the end constrained warping generates an axial stress distribution that varies with the length and across the cross-section for an axial torsion applied to the shear centre. It should be mentioned here for wider applications and validation of the Vlasov theory that attendant papers are to consider in detail bending and torsional loadings applied to other axes through each of the centroid and the web centre. Therein, both bending and twisting arise from transverse shear and axial torsion applied to each position being displaced from the shear centre. Here, the influence of the axis position upon the net axial and shear stress distributions is to be established. That is, the net axial stress from axial torsional loading is identified with the sum of axial stress due to bending and axial stress arising from constrained warping displacements at the fixing. The net shear stress distribution overlays the distributions from axial torsion and that from flexural shear under transverse loading. Both arise when transverse forces are displaced from the shear centre.

Evaluation of the Clinical Advantages of Laparoscopic Transverse Abdominal Wall Suspension in the Treatment of Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Objective:To evaluate the clinical advantages of laparoscopic transverse abdominal wall suspension in treating pelvic organ prolapse.Methods:Sixty patients diagnosed with moderate to severe pelvic organ prolapse and underwent surgical treatment in our hospital between January 2022 and December 2023 were selected.According to different surgical methods,they were divided into an observation group(given laparoscopic transverse abdominal wall suspension)and a control group(given transvaginal mesh implantation),with 30 subjects/group.The data on perioperative-related indicators,quality of life scores,postoperative recurrence,and complications of the two groups of patients were collected.Results:The postoperative hospitalization days and intraoperative bleeding volume of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group,but had longer operation time than that of the control group(P<0.05).The differences between the two groups were statistically significant 6 months after surgery,and the Pelvic Floor Disease Quality of Life Impact Questionnaire(PFIQ-7)score of the observation group was significantly higher than the control group(P<0.05).Both groups of patients completed 12 months of follow-up without any postoperative recurrence.The number of complications in the observation group was slightly lower than that of the control group(P>0.05).Conclusion:Laparoscopic transverse abdominal wall suspension was more effective in treating pelvic organ prolapse and is an ideal surgical procedure.

On Discrete Hopf Fibrations, Grand Unification Groups, the Barnes-Wall, Leech Lattices, and Quasicrystals

A discrete Hopf fibration of S15 over S8 with S7 (unit octonions) as fibers leads to a 16D Polytope P16 with 4320 vertices obtained from the convex hull of the 16D Barnes-Wall lattice Λ16. It is argued (conjectured) how a subsequent 2-1 mapping (projection) of P16 onto a 8D-hyperplane might furnish the 2160 vertices of the uniform 241 polytope in 8-dimensions, and such that one can capture the chain sequence of polytopes 241,231,221,211in D=8,7,6,5dimensions, leading, respectively, to the sequence of Coxeter groups E8,E7,E6,SO(10)which are putative GUT group candidates. An embedding of the E8⊕E8and E8⊕E8⊕E8lattice into the Barnes-Wall Λ16 and Leech Λ24 lattices, respectively, is explicitly shown. From the 16D lattice E8⊕E8one can generate two separate families of Elser-Sloane 4D quasicrystals (QC’s) with H4 (icosahedral) symmetry via the “cut-and-project” method from 8D to 4D in each separate E8 lattice. Therefore, one obtains in this fashion the Cartesian product of two Elser-Sloane QC’s Q×Qspanning an 8D space. Similarly, from the 24D lattice E8⊕E8⊕E8one can generate the Cartesian product of three Elser-Sloane 4D quasicrystals (QC’s) Q×Q×Qwith H4 symmetry and spanning a 12D space.

Hexagon-Islands Density and Size Distribution on Growing Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in the Kinetic 5-Vertex Model

A kinetic 5-vertex model is used to investigate hexagon-islands formation on growing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). In the model, carbon atoms adsorption and migration processes on the SWCNT edge are considered. These two dynamic processes are assumed to be mutually independent as well as mutually dependent as far as the whole growth of the nanotube is concerned. Key physical parameters of the model are the growth time t, the diffusion length Γ defined as the ratio of the diffusion rate D to the carbon atomic flux F and the SWCNT chiral angle. The kinetic equation that describes the nanotube edge dynamics is solved using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations with the Bortz, Kalos and Lebowitz update algorithm. The behaviors of islands density and size distribution are investigated within the growth parameters’ space. Our study revealed key mechanisms that enable the formation of a new ring of hexagons at the SWCNT edge. The growth occurs either by pre-existing steps propagation or by hexagon-islands growth and coalescence on terraces located between dislocation steps, depending on values of model parameters. This should offer a road map for edge design in nanotubes production. We also found that in appropriate growth conditions, the islands density follows Gaussian and generalized Wigner distributions whereas their size distribution at a given growth time shows a decreasing exponential trend.

Ultrastructural Study of Secondary Wall Formation in the Stem Fiber of Phyllostachys pubescens

Ultrastructural changes in secondary wall formation of Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel fiber were investigated with transmission electron microscopy. Fiber developed initially with the elongation of cells containing ribosomes, mitochondria and Golgi bodies in the dense cytoplasm. During the wall thickening, the number of rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi bodies increased apparently. There were two kinds of Golgi vesicles, together with the ones from endoplasmic reticulum formed transport vesicles. Many microtubules were arranged parallel to the long axis of the cell adjacent to the plasmalemma. Along with the further development of fiber, polylamellate structure of the secondary wall appeared, with concurrent agglutination of chromatin in the nucleus, swelling and disintegration of organelles, while cortical microtubules were still arranged neatly against the inner side of plasmalemma. Lomasomes could be observed between the wall and plasmalemma. The results indicated that the organelles, such as Golgi bodies together with small vesicles, rough endoplasmic reticulum and lomasomes, played the key role in the thickening and lignification of the secondary wall of bamboo fiber, though cortical microtubules were correlative with the process as well.

Voltammetric Method Using Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode for the Determination of Terbutaline Sulfate in Pork Sample

Electrochemical properties of terbutaline sulfate (TBS) at the glassy carbon electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were explored by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The response was evaluated with respect to pH, scan rate and other variables. Some electrochemical parameters, such as the charge number and proton number, were calculated. The results indicated that TBS underwent irreversible oxidation at the modified electrode, which was an adsorption-controlled process with two protons and two electrons. The reductive peak current of TBS significantly increased and the peak potential shifted negatively at the modified electrode, thus resulting in an electrode for TBS. The current was proportional to the concentration of TBS over 1.12 and 141 μM with a detection limit of 0.34 μM (at S/N = 3). The modified electrode showed good sensitivity, selectivity and stability for the determination of TBS in pork sample.

Integrating Virtual Reality and Energy Analysis with BIM to Optimize Window-to-Wall Ratio and Building’s Orientation for Age-in-Place Design at the Conceptual Stage

This study unfolds an innovative approach aiming to address the critical role of building design in global energy consumption, focusing on optimizing the Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR), since buildings account for approximately 30% of total energy consumed worldwide. The greatest contributors to energy expenditure in buildings are internal artificial lighting and heating and cooling systems. The WWR, determined by the proportion of the building’s glazed area to its wall area, is a significant factor influencing energy efficiency and minimizing energy load. This study introduces the development of a semi-automated computer model designed to offer a real-time, interactive simulation environment, fostering improving communication and engagement between designers and owners. The said model serves to optimize both the WWR and building orientation to align with occupants’ needs and expectations, subsequently reducing annual energy consumption and enhancing the overall building energy performance. The integrated model incorporates Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR), and Energy Analysis tools deployed at the conceptual design stage, allowing for the amalgamation of owners’ inputs in the design process and facilitating the creation of more realistic and effective design strategies.