As-cast structure of DC casting 7075 aluminum alloy obtained under dual-frequency electromagnetic field

We have experimentally determined the as-cast structures of semi-continuous casting 7075 aluminum alloy obtained in the pres-ence of dual-frequency electromagnetic field. Results suggest that the use of dual-frequency electromagnetic field during the semi-continuous casting process of 7075 aluminum alloy ingots reduces the thickness of the surface segregation layer, increases the height of the melt menis-cus, enhances the surface quality of the ingot, and changes the surface morphology of the melt pool. Moreover, low-frequency electromag-netic field was found to show the most obvious influence on improving the as-cast structure because of its high permeability in conductors.

AS-CAST STRUCTURE OF Fe-Mo-C ALLOY

The structure and morphology of as-cast Fe-13wt-% Mo-0.8wt-% C alloy have been ob- served under SEM and TEM.Few δ-eutectoid but certain minor eutectics appear in the core of dendrites of the alloy.The eutectic carbide is found as skeleton M_6C while the eutectoid carbide as rodlet M_6C.

Temperature-induced anomalous structural changes of Al-12wt.%Sn-4wt.%Si melt and its influence on as-cast structure

The temperature dependence of the viscosity of liquid Al-12wt.%Sn-4wt.%Si was studied with a hightemperature viscosity apparatus.Anomalous changes of viscosity of the melt were found at 1,103 K and 968 K in the cooling process,which indicates anomalous structural changes of the melt.It is calculated that the anomalous structural change is associated with an abrupt decrease of atomic clusters'size and activation energy in the melt.According to the temperature of the anomalous structural changes,melt heat treatment process(quenching from superheat to pouring temperature) was performed on Al-12wt.%Sn-4wt.%Si melt prior to pouring,aimed to keep the small atomic clusters from higher temperature to lower pouring temperature.The results suggest that relatively small atomic clusters at the pouring temperature in the melt could generate a deep under-cooling of nucleation in the subsequent solidification process,and refine the as-cast structure.After being quenched from superheating to pouring temperature,the relatively small atomic clusters,especially the Si-Si clusters in the melt will grow to equilibrium state(relatively big atomic clusters) with holding time,resulting in the prominent coarsening of the Si morphology in the as-cast structure.

Electron theory study on the effect of Mn on as-cast structure of Fe-C-Cr-Mn cast irons

The valence electron structure of alloying austenite of 3C-15Cr high chromium white cast iron with different Mn contents from 1% to 6% is analyzed by BLD method and EET. Results show that the addition of Mn has major influence on the valence electron structure of the alloying austenite, especially on that of Fe-C, Fe-C-Cr and Fe-C-Cr-Mn unit cells of it. The effect becomes weak when Mn content is over 4%. Based on the effect of nA, FcD, the weighting of each unit cell and the degree of undercooling on phase transition of the austenite, we can calculate the retained austenite content of as-cast structure of the high chromium white cast iron. The calculation results coincide well with those of the experiment. The phase transition characters of the austenite in high chromium white cast iron can be forecasted through valence electron structure analysis of alloying austenite by BLD method and EET on the basis of Fe-C-Cr equilibrium phase diagram.

Carbon Emission Effects Driven by Evolution of Chinese Dietary Structure from 1987 to 2020

Exploring carbon emission effects based on the evolution of residents’ dietary structure to achieve the carbon neutrality goal and mitigate climate change is an important task.This study took China as the research object(data excluding Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan) and used the carbon emission coefficient method to quantitatively measure the food carbon emissions from 1987–2020,then analyzed the carbon emission effects under the evolution of dietary structure.The results showed that during the study period,the Chinese dietary structure gradually changed to a high-carbon consumption pattern.The dietary structure of urban residents developed to a balanced one,while that of rural residents developed to a high-quality one.During the study period,the per capita food carbon emissions and total food consumption of Chinese showed an increasing trend.The per capita food carbon emissions of residents in urban and rural showed an overall upward trend.The total food carbon emissions in urban increased significantly,while that in rural increased first and then decreased.The influence of beef and mutton on carbon emissions is the highest in dietary structure.Compared with the balanced dietary pattern,the food carbon emissions of Chinese residents had not yet reached the peak,but were evolving to a high-carbon consumption pattern.

Tuning electronic structure of RuO_(2)by single atom Zn and oxygen vacancies to boost oxygen evolution reaction in acidic medium

The poor stability of RuO_(2)electrocatalysts has been the primary obstacles for their practical application in polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers.To dramatically enhance the durability of RuO_(2)to construct activity-stability trade-off model is full of significance but challenging.Herein,a single atom Zn stabilized RuO_(2)with enriched oxygen vacancies(SA Zn-RuO_(2))is developed as a promising alternative to iridium oxide for acidic oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Compared with commercial RuO_(2),the enhanced Ru–O bond strength of SA Zn-RuO_(2)by forming Zn-O-Ru local structure motif is favorable to stabilize surface Ru,while the electrons transferred from Zn single atoms to adjacent Ru atoms protects the Ru active sites from overoxidation.Simultaneously,the optimized surrounding electronic structure of Ru sites in SA ZnRuO_(2)decreases the adsorption energies of OER intermediates to reduce the reaction barrier.As a result,the representative SA Zn-RuO_(2)exhibits a low overpotential of 210 mV to achieve 10 mA cm^(-2)and a greatly enhanced durability than commercial RuO_(2).This work provides a promising dual-engineering strategy by coupling single atom doping and vacancy for the tradeoff of high activity and catalytic stability toward acidic OER.

Multi-Material Topology Optimization for Spatial-Varying Porous Structures

This paper aims to propose a topology optimization method on generating porous structures comprising multiple materials.The mathematical optimization formulation is established under the constraints of individual volume fraction of constituent phase or total mass,as well as the local volume fraction of all phases.The original optimization problem with numerous constraints is converted into a box-constrained optimization problem by incorporating all constraints to the augmented Lagrangian function,avoiding the parameter dependence in the conventional aggregation process.Furthermore,the local volume percentage can be precisely satisfied.The effects including the globalmass bound,the influence radius and local volume percentage on final designs are exploited through numerical examples.The numerical results also reveal that porous structures keep a balance between the bulk design and periodic design in terms of the resulting compliance.All results,including those for irregular structures andmultiple volume fraction constraints,demonstrate that the proposedmethod can provide an efficient solution for multiple material infill structures.

A comparison study on structure-function relationship of polysaccharides obtained from sea buckthorn berries using different methods:antioxidant and bile acid-binding capacity

In this study,the structural characters,antioxidant activities and bile acid-binding ability of sea buckthorn polysaccharides(HRPs)obtained by the commonly used hot water(HRP-W),pressurized hot water(HRP-H),ultrasonic(HRP-U),acid(HRP-C)and alkali(HRP-A)assisted extraction methods were investigated.The results demonstrated that extraction methods had significant effects on extraction yield,monosaccharide composition,molecular weight,particle size,triple-helical structure,and surface morphology of HRPs except for the major linkage bands.Thermogravimetric analysis showed that HRP-U with filamentous reticular microstructure exhibited better thermal stability.The HRP-A with the lowest molecular weight and highest arabinose content possessed the best antioxidant activities.Moreover,the rheological analysis indicated that HRPs with higher galacturonic acid content and molecular weight showed higher viscosity and stronger crosslinking network(HRP-C,HRP-W and HRP-U),which exhibited stronger bile acid binding capacity.The present findings provide scientific evidence in the preparation technology of sea buckthorn polysaccharides with good antioxidant and bile acid binding capacity which are related to the structure affected by the extraction methods.

Structure and immunomodulatory activity of Lentinus edodes polysaccharides modified by probiotic fermentation

Plant-based fermentations provide an untapped source for novel biotechnological applications.In this study,a probiotic named Lactobacillus fermentum 21828 was introduced to ferment Lentinus edodes.Polysaccharides were extracted from fermented and non-fermented L.edodes and purified via DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-100.The components designated F-LEP-2a and NF-LEP-2a were analyzed by FT-IR,HPGPC,HPAEC,SEM,GC-MS and NMR.The results revealed that probiotic fermentation increased the molecular weight from 1.16×10^(4) Da to 1.87×10^(4) Da and altered the proportions of glucose,galactose and mannose,in which glucose increased from 45.94%to 48.16%.Methylation analysis and NMR spectra indicated that F-LEP-2a and NF-LEP-2a had similar linkage patterns.Furthermore,their immunomodulatory activities were evaluated with immunosuppressive mice.NF-LEP and F-LEP improved immune organ indices,immunoglobulin(Ig G and Ig M)and cytokines concentrations;restored the antioxidation capacity of liver;and maintained the balance of gut microbiota.F-LEP displayed better moderating effects on the spleen index,immunoglobulin,cytokines and the diversity of gut microbiota than NF-LEP(200,400 mg/kg).Our study provides an efficient and environment-friendly way for the structural modification of polysaccharides,which helps to enhance their biological activity and promote their wide application in food,medicine and other fields.

An origami shield with supporting frame structures optimized by a feature-driven topology optimization method

In this paper,the design,manufacture and testing of an origami protective shield with a supporting frame structure are presented.It consists of an origami shield surface and a deployable supporting frame structure that needs to be portable and sufficiently stiff.First,for the design of the shield surface,a threestage origami crease pattern is developed to reduce the shield size in the folded state.The shield surface consists of several stiff modular panels and layered with flexible fabric.The modular panels are made of a multi-layer composite where a ceramic layer is made of small pieces to improve durability as those small pieces enable restriction of crack propagation.Then,the supporting frame structure is designed as a chain-of-bars structure in order to fold into a highly compact state as a bundle of bars and deploy in sequence.Thus,a feature-driven topology structural optimization method preserving component sequence is developed where the inter-dependence of sub-structures is taken into account.A bar with semi-circular ends is used as a basic design feature.The positions of the bar’s end points are treated as design variables and the width of the bars is kept constant.Then,a constraint on the total length of the chain of bars is introduced.Finally,the modular panels made of multi-layer composite and the full-scale prototype of the origami shield are fabricated and tested to verify the bullet-proof performance.

Drivers of spatial structure in thinned forests

Background:As is widely known,an increasing number of forest areas were managed to preserve and enhance the health of forest ecosystems.However,previous research on forest management has often overlooked the importance of structure-based.Aims:Our objectives were to define the direction of structure-based forest management.Subsequently,we investigated the relationships between forest structure and the regeneration,growth,and mortality of trees under different thinning treatments.Ultimately,the drivers of forest structural change were explored.Methods:On the basis of 92 sites selected from northeastern China,with different recovery time (from 1 to 15years) and different thinning intensities (0–59.9%) since the last thinning.Principal component analysis (PCA)identified relationships among factors determining forest spatial structure.The structural equation model (SEM)was used to analyze the driving factors behind the changes in forest spatial structure after thinning.Results:Light thinning (0–20%trees removed) promoted forest regeneration,and heavy thinning (over 35% of trees removed) facilitated forest growth.However,only moderate thinning (20%–35%trees removed) created a reasonable spatial structure.While dead trees were clustered,and they were hardly affected by thinning intensity.Additionally,thinning intensity,recovery time,and altitude indirectly improve the spatial structure of the forest by influencing diameter at breast height (DBH) and canopy area.Conclusion:Creating larger DBH and canopy area through thinning will promote the formation of complex forest structures,which cultivates healthy and stable forests.

Seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas under long-period earthquakes

At present,there is not much research on mid-story isolated structures in mountainous areas.In this study,a model of a mid-story isolated structure considering soil-structure interaction(SSI)in mountainous areas is established along with a model that does not consider SSI.Eight long-period earthquake waves and two ordinary earthquake waves are selected as inputs for the dynamic time history analysis of the structure.The results show that the seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas can be amplified when compared with a structure that does not consider SSI.The structure response under long-period earthquakes is larger than that of ordinary earthquakes.The structure response under far-field harmonic-like earthquakes is larger than that of near-fault pulse-type earthquakes.The structure response under near-fault pulse-type earthquakes is larger than that of far-field non-harmonic earthquakes.When subjected to long-period earthquakes,the displacement of the isolated bearings exceeded the limit value,which led to instability and overturning of the structure.The structure with dampers in the isolated story could adequately control the nonlinear response of the structure,effectively reduce the displacement of the isolated bearings,and provide a convenient,efficient and economic method not only for new construction but also to retrofit existing structures.

The Clumpy Structure of Five Star-bursting Dwarf Galaxies in the MaNGA Survey

The star-forming clumps in star-bursting dwarf galaxies provide valuable insights into understanding the evolution of dwarf galaxies.In this paper,we focus on five star-bursting dwarf galaxies featuring off-centered clumps in the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory survey.Using the stellar population synthesis software Fitting Analysis using Differential evolution Optimization,we obtain the spatially resolved distribution of the star formation history,which allows us to construct the g-band images of the five galaxies at different ages.These images can help us to probe the evolution of the morphological structures of these galaxies.While images of a stellar population older than 1 Gyr are typically smooth,images of a stellar population younger than 1 Gyr reveal significant clumps,including multiple clumps which appear at different locations and even different ages.To study the evolutionary connections of these five galaxies to other dwarf galaxies before their star-forming clumps appear,we construct the images of the stellar populations older than three age nodes,and define them to be the images of the"host"galaxies.We find that the properties such as the central surface brightness and the effective radii of the hosts of the five galaxies are in between those of dwarf ellipticals(dEs)and dwarf irregulars(dIrrs),with two clearly more similar to dEs and one more similar to dIrrs.Among the five galaxies,8257-3704 is particularly interesting,as it shows a previous starburst event that is not quite visible from its gri image,but only visible from images of the stellar population at a few hundred million years.The star-forming clump associated with this event may have appeared at around 600 Myr ago and disappeared at around 40 Myr ago.

Ingenious liquid-observed vapor exchange (LOVE) NMR method revealing how sugars protect dry protein structure

Recently,Gary et al.published an article elucidating how sugars contribute to the protection of dry protein structure.They utilized an ingenious liquid-observed vapor exchange(LOVE)nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)method,providing valuable insights into the protection mechanism of sugars during the drying process.The details of their study can be found in the article available at https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00692.

Laccase/caffeic acid-catalyzed crosslinking coupled with galactomannan alters the conformational structure of ovalbumin and alleviates Th2-mediated allergic asthma

Ovalbumin(OVA)is the major allergenic protein that can induce T helper 2(Th2)-allergic reactions,for which current treatment options are inadequate.In this study,we developed a polymerized hypoallergenic OVA product via laccase/caffeic acid(Lac/CA)-catalyzed crosslinking in conjunction with galactomannan(Man).The formation of high molecular weight crosslinked polymers and the Ig G-binding were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE)and Western blotting.The study indicated that Lac/CA-catalyzed crosslinking plus Man conjugation substantially altered secondary and tertiary structures of OVA along with the variation in surface hydrophobicity.Gastrointestinal digestion stability assay indicated that crosslinked OVA exhibited less resistance in simulated gastric fluid(SGF)and simulated intestinal fluid(SIF).Mouse model study indicated that Lac-Man/OVA ameliorated eosinophilic airway inflammatory response and efficiently downregulated the expression of Th2-related cytokines(interleukin(IL)-4,IL-5,and IL-13),and upregulated IFN-γand IL-10 expression.Stimulation of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells with Lac-Man/OVA suppressed the expression of phenotypic maturation markers(CD80 and CD86)and MHC class II molecules,and suppressed the expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines.The knowledge obtained in the present study offers an effective way to acquire a hypoallergenic OVA product that can have a therapeutic effect in alleviating OVA-induced allergic asthma.

Mechanical responses of underground carriageway structures due to construction of metro tunnels beneath the existing structure:A case study

To understand the mechanical response pattern of the existing structure and ground due to the construction of metro tunnels underneath,the finite difference method is adopted to study the torsional deformation and stress variation of the existing structure and the effect of underground carriageway structures on the surface subsidence.The curves of the maximum differential subsidence,torsion angle,and distortion of the cross-section of the existing structure show two peaks in succession during traversing of two metro tunnels beneath it.The torsion angle of the existing structure changes when the two tunnels traverse beneath it in opposite directions.The first traversing of the shield tunnel mainly induces the magnitude variation in torsional deformation of the existing structure,but the second traversing of the subsurface tunnel may cause a dynamic change in the magnitude and form of torsional deformation in the existing structure.The shielding effect can reduce the surface subsidence caused by metro tunnel excavation to a certain extent,and the development trend of subsidence becomes slower as the excavation continues.

Anomaly Detection Algorithm of Power System Based on Graph Structure and Anomaly Attention

In this paper, we propose a novel anomaly detection method for data centers based on a combination of graphstructure and abnormal attention mechanism. The method leverages the sensor monitoring data from targetpower substations to construct multidimensional time series. These time series are subsequently transformed intograph structures, and corresponding adjacency matrices are obtained. By incorporating the adjacency matricesand additional weights associated with the graph structure, an aggregation matrix is derived. The aggregationmatrix is then fed into a pre-trained graph convolutional neural network (GCN) to extract graph structure features.Moreover, both themultidimensional time series segments and the graph structure features are inputted into a pretrainedanomaly detectionmodel, resulting in corresponding anomaly detection results that help identify abnormaldata. The anomaly detection model consists of a multi-level encoder-decoder module, wherein each level includesa transformer encoder and decoder based on correlation differences. The attention module in the encoding layeradopts an abnormal attention module with a dual-branch structure. Experimental results demonstrate that ourproposed method significantly improves the accuracy and stability of anomaly detection.

Emerging Trends in Damage Tolerance Assessment:A Review of Smart Materials and Self-Repairable Structures

The discipline of damage tolerance assessment has experienced significant advancements due to the emergence of smart materials and self-repairable structures.This review offers a comprehensive look into both traditional and innovative methodologies employed in damage tolerance assessment.After a detailed exploration of damage tolerance concepts and their historical progression,the review juxtaposes the proven techniques of damage assessment with the cutting-edge innovations brought about by smart materials and self-repairable structures.The subsequent sections delve into the synergistic integration of smart materials with self-repairable structures,marking a pivotal stride in damage tolerance by establishing an autonomous system for immediate damage identification and self-repair.This holistic approach broadens the applicability of these technologies across diverse sectors yet brings forth unique challenges demanding further innovation and research.Additionally,the review examines future prospects that combine advanced manufacturing processes with data-centric methodologies,amplifying the capabilities of these‘intelligent’structures.The review culminates by highlighting the transformative potential of this union between smart materials and self-repairable structures,promoting a sustainable and efficient engineering paradigm.

Influence of Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) Ratio on the Structure and Properties of Na^(+)/K^(+)Ion Exchange Na_(2)O-MgO-Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) Glasses

In this work,the structure,viscosity and ion-exchange process of Na_(2)O-MgO-Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) glasses with different Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) molar ratios were investigated.The results showed that,with increasing Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) ratio,the simple structural units Q_(1) and Q_(2) transformed into highly aggregated structural units Q_(3) and Q_(4),indicating the increase of polymerization degree of glass network.Meanwhile,the coefficient of thermal expansion decreased from 9.23×10^(-6)℃^(-1) to 8.88×10^(-6)℃^(-1).The characteristic temperatures such as melting,forming,softening and glass transition temperatures increased with the increase of Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) ratio,while the glasses working temperature range became narrow.The increasing Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) ratio and prolonging ion-exchange time enhanced the surface compressive stress(CS)and depth of stress layer(DOL).However,the increase of ion exchange temperature increased the DOL and decreased the CS affected by stress relaxation.There was a good linear relationship between stress relaxation and surface compressive stress.Chemical strengthening significantly improved the hardness of glasses,which reached the maximum value of(622.1±10)MPa for sample with Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) ratio of 0.27 after heat treated at 410℃for 2 h.

Band structures of strained kagome lattices

Materials with kagome lattices have attracted significant research attention due to their nontrivial features in energy bands.We theoretically investigate the evolution of electronic band structures of kagome lattices in response to uniaxial strain using both a tight-binding model and an antidot model based on a periodic muffin-tin potential.It is found that the Dirac points move with applied strain.Furthermore,the flat band of unstrained kagome lattices is found to develop into a highly anisotropic shape under a stretching strain along y direction,forming a partially flat band with a region dispersionless along ky direction while dispersive along kx direction.Our results shed light on the possibility of engineering the electronic band structures of kagome materials by mechanical strain.