Auxin-brassinosteroid crosstalk:Regulating rice plant architecture and grain shape

Rice(Oryza sativa)plant architecture and grain shape,which determine grain quality and yield,are modulatedby auxin and brassinosteroid via regulation of cell elongation and proliferation.We review the signaltransduction of these hormones and the crosstalk between their signals on the regulation of rice plantarchitecture and grain shape.

Study on the tunnel shape and soil-lining interaction influencing the lining behavior under seismic loading

The response of tunnels subjected to seismic loading is a complex mechanism and depends not only on the seismic nature but also on tunnel structure and surrounding soil properties.The individual behavior of circular,rectangular,and sub-rectangular tunnels subjected to seismic loadings has already been studied in the literature.In the present research,two case scenarios of circular,rectangular tunnels and four sub-rectangular shaped tunnels,with similar cross-section areas,were adopted to perform a comprehensive numerical investigation.The purpose of the study was to determine the mechanical behavior of tunnels of different shapes,depending upon seismic conditions.Analyses were performed by considering the influence of soil-lining interaction,soil parameters,and lining thickness,as well as lining rigidity.Computations were performed for no-slip and full-slip conditions.The results indicate that the tunnel shape design is of great importance when regarding the mechanical behavior of the surrounding soil.This concerns no-slip as well as full-slip soil-lining interaction,especially when the lining is subjected to seismic loading.Moreover,it is shown that changes in incremental bending moments for circular,rectangular and sub-rectangular tunnels that depend upon the soil-lining interaction conditions differ significantly.

Effect of solution treatment on the microstructure,phase transformation behavior and functional properties of NiTiNb ternary shape memory alloys fabricated via laser powder bed fusion in-situ alloying

Post-heat treatment is commonly employed to improve the microstructural homogeneity and enhance the mechanical performances of the additively manufactured metallic materials.In this work,a ternary(NiTi)91Nb9(at.%)shape memory alloy was produced by laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)using pre-alloyed NiTi and elemental Nb powders.The effect of solution treatment on the microstructure,phase transformation behavior and mechanical/functional performances was investigated.The in-situ alloyed(NiTi)91Nb9 alloy exhibits a submicron cellular-dendritic structure surrounding the supersaturated B2-NiTi matrix.Upon high-temperature(1273 K)solution treatment,Nb-rich precipitates were precipitated from the supersaturated matrix.The fragmentation and spheroidization of the NiTi/Nb eutectics occurred during solution treatment,leading to a morphological transition from mesh-like into rod-like and sphere-like.Coarsening of theβ-Nb phases occurred with increasing holding time.The martensite transformation temperature increases after solution treatment,mainly attributed to:(i)reduced lattice distortion due to the Nb expulsion from the supersaturated B2-NiTi,and(ii)the Ti expulsion from theβ-Nb phases that lowers the ratio Ni/Ti in the B2-NiTi matrix,which resulted from the microstructure changes from non-equilibrium to equilibrium state.The thermal hysteresis of the solutionized alloys is around 145 K after 20%pre-deformation,which is comparable to the conventional NiTiNb alloys.A short-term solution treatment(i.e.at 1273 K for 30 min)enhances the ductility and strength of the as-printed specimen,with the increase of fracture stress from(613±19)MPa to(781±20)MPa and the increase of fracture strain from(7.6±0.1)%to(9.5±0.4)%.Both the as-printed and solutionized samples exhibit good tensile shape memory effects with recovery rates>90%.This work suggests that post-process heat treatment is essential to optimize the microstructure and improve the mechanical performances of the L-PBF in-situ alloyed parts.

Shape and diffusion instabilities of two non-spherical gas bubbles under ultrasonic conditions

Ultrasonic cavitation involves dynamic oscillation processes induced by small bubbles in a liquid under the influence of ultrasonic waves. This study focuses on the investigation of shape and diffusion instabilities of two bubbles formed during cavitation. The derived equations for two non-spherical gas bubbles, based on perturbation theory and the Bernoulli equation, enable the analysis of their shape instability. Numerical simulations, utilizing the modified Keller–Miksis equation,are performed to examine the shape and diffusion instabilities. Three types of shape instabilities, namely, Rayleigh–Taylor,Rebound, and parametric instabilities, are observed. The results highlight the influence of initial radius, distance, and perturbation parameter on the shape and diffusion instabilities, as evidenced by the R_0–P_a phase diagram and the variation pattern of the equilibrium curve. This research contributes to the understanding of multiple bubble instability characteristics, which has important theoretical implications for future research in the field. Specifically, it underscores the significance of initial bubble parameters, driving pressure, and relative gas concentration in determining the shape and diffusive equilibrium instabilities of non-spherical bubbles.

Design and additive manufacturing of bionic hybrid structure inspired by cuttlebone to achieve superior mechanical properties and shape memory function

Lightweight porous materials with high load-bearing,damage tolerance and energy absorption(EA)as well as intelligence of shape recovery after material deformation are beneficial and critical for many applications,e.g.aerospace,automobiles,electronics,etc.Cuttlebone produced in the cuttlefish has evolved vertical walls with the optimal corrugation gradient,enabling stress homogenization,significant load bearing,and damage tolerance to protect the organism from high external pressures in the deep sea.This work illustrated that the complex hybrid wave shape in cuttlebone walls,becoming more tortuous from bottom to top,creates a lightweight,load-bearing structure with progressive failure.By mimicking the cuttlebone,a novel bionic hybrid structure(BHS)was proposed,and as a comparison,a regular corrugated structure and a straight wall structure were designed.Three types of designed structures have been successfully manufactured by laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)with NiTi powder.The LPBF-processed BHS exhibited a total porosity of 0.042% and a good dimensional accuracy with a peak deviation of 17.4μm.Microstructural analysis indicated that the LPBF-processed BHS had a strong(001)crystallographic orientation and an average size of 9.85μm.Mechanical analysis revealed the LPBF-processed BHS could withstand over 25000 times its weight without significant deformation and had the highest specific EA value(5.32 J·g^(−1))due to the absence of stress concentration and progressive wall failure during compression.Cyclic compression testing showed that LPBF-processed BHS possessed superior viscoelastic and elasticity energy dissipation capacity.Importantly,the uniform reversible phase transition from martensite to austenite in the walls enables the structure to largely recover its pre-deformation shape when heated(over 99% recovery rate).These design strategies can serve as valuable references for the development of intelligent components that possess high mechanical efficiency and shape memory capabilities.

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.

A Subdivision-Based Combined Shape and Topology Optimization in Acoustics

We propose a combined shape and topology optimization approach in this research for 3D acoustics by using the isogeometric boundary element method with subdivision surfaces.The existing structural optimization methods mainly contain shape and topology schemes,with the former changing the surface geometric profile of the structure and the latter changing thematerial distribution topology or hole topology of the structure.In the present acoustic performance optimization,the coordinates of the control points in the subdivision surfaces fine mesh are selected as the shape design parameters of the structure,the artificial density of the sound absorbing material covered on the structure surface is set as the topology design parameter,and the combined topology and shape optimization approach is established through the sound field analysis of the subdivision surfaces boundary element method as a bridge.The topology and shape sensitivities of the approach are calculated using the adjoint variable method,which ensures the efficiency of the optimization.The geometric jaggedness and material distribution discontinuities that appear in the optimization process are overcome to a certain degree by the multiresolution method and solid isotropic material with penalization.Numerical examples are given to validate the effectiveness of the presented optimization approach.

J-shaped association between dietary thiamine intake and the risk of cognitive decline in cognitively healthy,older Chinese individuals

Background The prospective association of dietary thiamine intake with the risk of cognitive decline among the general older adults remains uncertain.Aims To investigate the association between dietary thiamine intake and cognitive decline in cognitively healthy,older Chinese individuals.Methods The study included a total of 3106 participants capable of completing repeated cognitive function tests.Dietary nutrient intake information was collected through 3-day dietary recalls and using a 3-day food-weighed method to assess cooking oil and condiment consumption.Cognitive decline was defined as the 5-year decline rate in global or composite cognitive scores based on a subset of items from the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-modified.Results The median follow-up duration was 5.9 years.There was a J-shaped relationship between dietary thiamine intake and the 5-year decline rate in global and composite cognitive scores,with an inflection point of 0.68 mg/day(95%confidence interval(Cl):0.56 to 0.80)and a minimal risk at 0.60-1.00 mg/day of dietary thiamine intake.Before the inflection point,thiamine intake was not significantly associated with cognitive decline.Beyond the inflection point,each unit increase in thiamine intake(mg/day)was associated with a significant decrease of 4.24(95%Cl:2.22 to 6.27)points in the global score and 0.49(95%Cl:0.23 to 0.76)standard units in the composite score within 5 years.A stronger positive association between thiamine intake and cognitive decline was observed in those with hypertension,obesity and those who were non-smokers(all p<0.05).Conclusions This study revealed a J-shaped association between dietary thiamine intake and cognitive decline in cognitively healthy,older Chinese individuals,with an inflection point at 0.68 mg/day and a minimal risk at 0.60-1.00 mg/day of dietary thiamine intake.

The interaction between a shaped charge jet and a single moving plate

Reactive armour is a very efficient add-on armour against shaped charge threats.Explosive reactive armour consists of one or several plates that are accelerated by an explosive.Similar but less violent acceleration of plates can also be achieved in a completely inert reactive armour.To be efficient against elongated jets,the motion of the plates needs to be inclined against the jet such that a sliding contact between the jet and the plates is established.This sliding contact causes a deflection and thinning of the jet.Under certain circumstances,the contact will become unstable,leading to severe disturbances on the jet.These disturbances will drastically reduce the jet penetration performance and it is therefore of interest to study the conditions that leads to an unstable contact.Previous studies on the interaction between shaped charge jets and flyer plates have shown that it is mainly the forward moving plate in an explosive reactive armour that is effective in disturbing the jet.This is usually attributed to the higher plate-to-jet mass flux ratio involved in the collision of the forward moving plate compared to the backward moving plate.For slow moving plates,as occurs in inert reactive armour,the difference in mass flux for the forward and backward moving plate is much lesser,and it is therefore of interest to study if other factors than the mass flux influences on the protection capability.In this work,experiments have been performed where a plate is accelerated along its length,interacting with a shaped charge jet that is fired at an oblique angle to the plate’s normal,either against or along the plate’s velocity.The arrangement corresponds to a jet interacting with a flyer plate from a reactive armour,with the exception that the collision velocity is the same for both types of obliquities in these experiments.The experiments show that disturbances on the jet are different in the two cases even though the collision velocities are the same.Numerical simulations of the interaction support the observation.The difference is attributed to the character of the contact pressure in the interaction region.For a backward moving plate,the maximum contact pressure is obtained at the beginning of the interaction zone and the contact pressure is therefore higher upstream than downstream of the jet while the opposite is true for a forward moving plate.A negative interface pressure gradient with respect to the jet motion results in a more stable flow than a positive,which means that the jet-plate contact is more stable for a backward moving plate than for a forward moving plate.A forward moving plate is thus more effective in disturbing the jet than a backward moving plate,not only because of the higher jet to plate mass flux ratio but also because of the character of the contact with the jet.

Rockburst proneness considering energy characteristics and sample shape effects

Accurate prediction of rockburst proneness is one of challenges for assessing the rockburst risk and selecting effective control measures.This study aims to assess rockburst proneness by considering the energy characteristics and qualitative information during rock failure.Several representative rock types in cylindrical and cuboidal sample shapes were tested under uniaxial compression conditions and the failure progress was detected by a high-speed camera.The far-field ejection mass ratio(FEMR)was determined considering the qualitative failure information of the rock samples.The peak-strength energy impact index and the residual elastic energy index were used to quantitatively evaluate the rockburst proneness of both cylindrical and cuboidal samples.Further,the performance of these two indices was analyzed by comparing their estimates with the FEMR.The results show that the accuracy of the residual elastic energy index is significantly higher than that of the peak-strength energy impact index.The residual elastic energy index and the FEMR are in good agreement for both cylindrical and cuboidal rock materials.This is because these two indices can essentially reflect the common energy release mechanism characterized by the mass,ejection velocity,and ejection distance of rock fragments.It suggests that both the FEMR and the residual elastic energy index can be used to accurately measure the rockburst proneness of cylindrical and cuboidal samples based on uniaxial compression test.

Roll System and Stock's Multi-parameter Coupling Dynamic Modeling Based on the Shape Control of Steel Strip

The existence of rolling deformation area in the rolling mill system is the main characteristic which dis- tinguishes the other machinery. In order to analyze the dynamic property of roll system＇s flexural deformation, it is necessary to consider the transverse periodic movement of stock in the rolling deformation area which is caused by the flexural deformation movement of roll system simul- taneously. Therefore, the displacement field of roll system and flow of metal in the deformation area is described by kinematic analysis in the dynamic system. Through intro- ducing the lateral displacement function of metal in the deformation area, the dynamic variation of per unit width rolling force can be determined at the same time. Then the coupling law caused by the co-effect of rigid movement and flexural deformation of the system structural elements is determined. Furthermore, a multi-parameter coupling dynamic model of the roll system and stock is established by the principle of virtual work. More explicitly, the cou- pled motion modal analysis was made for the roll system. Meanwhile, the analytical solutions for the flexural defor- mation movement＇s mode shape functions of rolls are discussed. In addition, the dynamic characteristic of the lateral flow of metal in the rolling deformation area has been analyzed at the same time. The establishment ofdynamic lateral displacement function of metal in the deformation area makes the foundation for analyzing the coupling law between roll system and rolling deformation area, and provides a theoretical basis for the realization of the dynamic shape control of steel strip.

Significance of including lid thickness and particle shape factor in numerical modeling for prediction of particle trap efficiency of invert trap

Sediment accumulation on the bed of open sewers and drains reduces hydraulic efficiency and can cause localized flooding.Slotted invert traps installed underneath the bed of open sewers and drains can eliminate sediment build-up by catching sediment load.Previous three-dimensional(3D)computational studies have examined the particle trapping performance of invert traps of different shapes and depths under varied sediment and flow conditions,considering particles as spheres.For two-dimensional and 3D numerical modeling,researchers assumed the lid geometry to be a thin line and a plane,respectively.In this 3D numerical study,the particle trapping efficiency of a slotted irregular hexagonal invert trap fitted at the flume bottom was examined by incorporating the particle shape factor of non-spherical sewage solid particles and the thicknesses of upstream and downstream lids over the trap in the discrete phase model of the ANSYS Fluent 2020 R1 software.The volume of fluid(VOF)and the realizable k-turbulence models were used to predict the velocity field.The two-dimensional particle image velocimetry(PIV)was used to measure the velocity field inside the invert trap.The results showed that the thicknesses of upstream and downstream lids affected the velocity field and turbulent kinetic energy at all flow depths.The joint impact of the particle shape factor and lid thickness on the trap efficiency was significant.When both the lid thickness and particle shape factor were considered in the numerical modeling,trap efficiencies were underestimated,with relative errors of-8.66%to-0.65%in comparison to the experimental values of Mohsin and Kaushal(2017).They were also lower than the values predicted by Mohsin and Kaushal(2017),which showed an overall overestimation with errors of-2.3%to 17.4%.

Shape Analysis of Agricultural Parcels for Land Consolidation Priorities in Tekirdag Province,Turkey

Shape irregularity,a sub-factor of parcel fragmentation is a problem that hinders sustainable agriculture and is solved using land consolidation projects.Determination of the parcel shape degree contributes significantly to spatial prioritization where there is also a high probability of achieving positive effects of consolidation projects.This study aims to determine the shape degree of the agricultural parcels both at singular and rural county scales in Tekirdag Province,Turkey in 2020 by combining the parcel shape index(PSI) with the minimum bounding geometry index(MBG) to improve parcel scores.Hot-spot zones of the highly irregular and near optimum parcels were also determined using Getis-Ord G_(i)^(*) statistic.The parcel degrees were classified into four categories,namely highly irregular,irregular,regular and near optimum.The obtained unweighted scores of the parameters exhibit deviations from the expected values.After weighting by pairwise comparison,the values approached ideal scores.Among 346 740 parcels,53% were highly irregular and irregular and 47% were regular and near optimum shapes after weighting whereas these were 70% and 30%,respectively before weighting.The average parcel degree of 63 rural counties was regular while the average parcel degree of the remaining 264 rural counties was irregular.The combined use of PSI and MBG index improved the correctness of the parcel shape score.It could be suggested to use as a tool in land consolidation prioritization.

Optimal Shape Factor and Fictitious Radius in the MQ-RBF:Solving Ill-Posed Laplacian Problems

To solve the Laplacian problems,we adopt a meshless method with the multiquadric radial basis function(MQRBF)as a basis whose center is distributed inside a circle with a fictitious radius.A maximal projection technique is developed to identify the optimal shape factor and fictitious radius by minimizing a merit function.A sample function is interpolated by theMQ-RBF to provide a trial coefficient vector to compute the merit function.We can quickly determine the optimal values of the parameters within a preferred rage using the golden section search algorithm.The novel method provides the optimal values of parameters and,hence,an optimal MQ-RBF;the performance of the method is validated in numerical examples.Moreover,nonharmonic problems are transformed to the Poisson equation endowed with a homogeneous boundary condition;this can overcome the problem of these problems being ill-posed.The optimal MQ-RBF is extremely accurate.We further propose a novel optimal polynomial method to solve the nonharmonic problems,which achieves high precision up to an order of 10^(−11).

THE DESIGN OF AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR PREDICTING AND ANALYZING SOLDER JOINT SHAPE AND RELIABILITY INSMT

Solder joint reliability is one of critical problems detemining whether Sirface Mount Technology (SMT) can be used in the prohotion of important electronic products. Optimizing solder joint shape is one of effective ways to improve SMT solder joint reliability.In this paper. based on the theorem of minimum potential energy, an energy model of 3 - D solder joint shape is established,and the forma- tion of solder joint is numerically simulated by Surface Ecolver program. On the basis of the prediction of SMT solder joint shape,the mechanical model of analyzing solder joint reliability is established. An elasto - plasto - creep mateial model and its mechanical constitutive equaton are established for SnPb solder alloy, and the stress/strain response of SMT solder joint under thermal cyclical loabing is ana- lyzed with nonlinear 3 - D FEM. The fatigue life of solder joint is predicted according to Coffin- Manson fatigue life model. An integrated system for Predicting and analyzing SMT solder joint shape and reliability(PSAR) is developed.The system can analyze efficiently SMT solder joint reliability with the variation of structural parameters in the joint and give the optimal structure.

A TRIBAND SWASTIKA SHAPED PATCH ANTENNA WITH REDUCED MUTUAL COUPLING FOR WIRELESS MIMO SYSTEMS

A novel compact Swastika shaped patch antenna is designed in the present work,which can be used for Multiple Input Multiple Output(MIMO) systems.The proposed two element MIMO system resonates at a triband of 3.3 GHz,5.8 GHz,and 7.1 GHz with an improved impedance bandwidth of 37% and a reduced mutual coupling of-33 dB.These results are better compared to a normal E shaped patch antenna designed with same size and thickness,achieved without using any additional decoupling methods.A 2×2 MIMO system employing the Swastika shaped patch antennas is analyzed using computational electromagnetic ray tracing software for an indoor environment.The results show an improvement in the capacity compared to a 2×2 MIMO system developed with dipole antennas.The proposed antenna is a good choice for MIMO systems operating for several Ultra WideBand(UWB) applications.

Study on the Evolution of Plane Shape of Guangfu Ancestral Hall Buildings and the Construction of Type Genealogy in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

This paper studies the clan temples in four periods,namely,the development period(early Ming Dynasty and before),the shaping period(mid-Ming Dynasty to early Qing Dynasty),the maturity period(mid-Qing Dynasty),and the programmed period(late Qing Dynasty),analyzes and summarizes their prototypical planform features and attempts to summarize and construct a genealogy of the architectural characteristics of the plane shape of clan temples.During the Ming and Qing dynasties,Guangfu ancestral halls in general showed a journey of development from a centripetal-single-linear-multi-linear-grid pattern,forming the unique Guangsanlu classic pattern in the Guangfu area.

Analyzing Thermal Stratification and Nanoparticle Shapes Influence on an EMHD Ternary Nanofluid Flow amidst Two Spinning Disks

The present study examines the thermal distribution of ternary nanofluid flow amid two spinning disks influenced by electric and magnetic fields. Keeping in view the shape of the particles, the electrically conducting ternary nanofluid is analyzed with variable thermophysical features. Three types of nanoparticles namely Copper, Aluminum Oxide, and Graphene with spherical, cylindrical, and platelet shapes are taken respectively and are immersed in a (50-50)% ratio of water and ethylene glycol mixture which acts as a base fluid. The anticipated problem is addressed by employing a reliable and user-friendly numerical bvp4c built-in collocation scheme. This solution is then showcased through illustrations and tables. Strengthening the radiation results in an enhanced heat transfer rate. Radial and azimuthal velocities once rotation of disks is enhanced. The key findings provide a strong theoretical background in photovoltaic cells, solar collectors, radiators, solar water heaters, and many other applications.

DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY SYSTEM AND ITS VIBRATION CONTROL

A hysteric model is represented to describe the dependence of restoring force on deformation of pseudoelastic SMA.The dynamic response of the system is investigated by means of mathematical models.The result shows that this kind of vibration absorbing system can suppress vibration with large amplitude effectively.Furthermore,the vibration absorbing system can work in optimum state by adjusting temperature and using piezoelectric sensors and actuators.

Shear deformation and plate shape control of hot-rolled aluminium alloy thick plate prepared by asymmetric rolling process

Asymmetric rolling （ASR）, as one of severe plastic deformation （SPD） methods to make ultra-fine materials with enhanced performance is mainly used to prepare foil and thin strip. The asymmetrical rolling was achieved by adjusting the diameters of the upper roll and the bottom roll and was used to prepare hot-rolled thick plate of 5182 aluminium alloy. The shear deformation and plate shape control were experimentally studied. The experimental results show that asymmetrical rolling has a significant effect on metal deformation stream and can somehow refine microstructure and improve the uniformity of microstructure and properties. The asymmetrical rolling process can also reduce the rolling force. However, bending of rolling plate often happens during asymmetrical rolling process. The factors affecting the bending were discussed.