Functional Kernel Estimation of the Conditional Extreme Quantile under Random Right Censoring

The study of estimation of conditional extreme quantile in incomplete data frameworks is of growing interest. Specially, the estimation of the extreme value index in a censorship framework has been the purpose of many investigations when finite dimension covariate information has been considered. In this paper, the estimation of the conditional extreme quantile of a heavy-tailed distribution is discussed when some functional random covariate (i.e. valued in some infinite-dimensional space) information is available and the scalar response variable is right-censored. A Weissman-type estimator of conditional extreme quantiles is proposed and its asymptotic normality is established under mild assumptions. A simulation study is conducted to assess the finite-sample behavior of the proposed estimator and a comparison with two simple estimations strategies is provided.

Using Extreme Value Theory Approaches to Estimate High Quantiles for Stroke Data

This paper aims to explore the application of Extreme Value Theory (EVT) in estimating the conditional extreme quantile for time-to-event outcomes by examining the functional relationship between ambulatory blood pressure trajectories and clinical outcomes in stroke patients. The study utilizes EVT to analyze the functional connection between ambulatory blood pressure trajectories and clinical outcomes in a sample of 297 stroke patients. The 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurement curves for every 15 minutes are considered, acknowledging a censored rate of 40%. The findings reveal that the sample mean excess function exhibits a positive gradient above a specific threshold, confirming the heavy-tailed distribution of data in stroke patients with a positive extreme value index. Consequently, the estimated conditional extreme quantile indicates that stroke patients with higher blood pressure measurements face an elevated risk of recurrent stroke occurrence at an early stage. This research contributes to the understanding of the relationship between ambulatory blood pressure and recurrent stroke, providing valuable insights for clinical considerations and potential interventions in stroke management.

Numerical Investigations on the Transient Behavior of Sand Waves in Beibu Gulf Under Normal and Extreme Sea Conditions

In this study, a morphodynamic numerical model is established with the Regional Ocean Modeling System(ROMS)to investigate the transient behavior of sand waves under realistic sea conditions. The simulation of sand wave evolution comprises two steps: 1) a regional-scale model is configured first to simulate the ocean hydrodynamics, i.e., tides and tidal currents, and 2) the transient behavior of sand waves is simulated in a small computational domain under the time-variant currents extracted from the large model. The evolution of sand waves on the continental shelf in the Beibu Gulf is specifically investigated. The numerical results of the two-year evolution of sand waves under normal sea conditions compare well with the field survey data. The transient behavior of sand waves in individual months shows that the sand waves are more stable in April and October than that in other months, which can be selected as the windows for seabed operations. The effects of sediment properties, including settling velocity, critical shear stress and surface erosion rate, on sand wave evolution are also analyzed. Then, the typhoon-induced currents are further superimposed on the tidal currents as the extreme weather conditions. Sand waves with the average wavelength generally have more active behavior than smaller or larger sand waves. The characteristics of the evolution of sand waves in an individual typhoon process are quite different for different hydrodynamic combinations. For the storm conditions, i.e., the real combination and maximum combination cases, the sand waves experience a significant migration together with a damping in height due to the dominant suspended sediment transport. For the mild conditions, i.e., the pure tidal current and minimum combination cases, the sand waves migrate less, but the heights continue growing due to the dominant bedload transport.

Dynamic Response of Offshore Wind Turbine on 3×3 Barge Array Floating Platform under Extreme Sea Conditions

Offshore wind farm construction is nowadays state of the art in the wind power generation technology.However,deep water areas with huge amount of wind energy require innovative floating platforms to arrange and install wind turbines in order to harness wind energy and generate electricity.The conventional floating offshore wind turbine system is typically in the state of force imbalance due to the unique sway characteristics caused by the unfixed foundation and the high center of gravity of the platform.Therefore,a floating wind farm for 3×3 barge array platforms with shared mooring system is presented here to increase stability for floating platform.The NREL 5 MW wind turbine and ITI Energy barge reference model is taken as a basis for this work.Furthermore,the unsteady aerodynamic load solution model of the floating wind turbine is established considering the tip loss,hub loss and dynamic stall correction based on the blade element momentum(BEM)theory.The second development of AQWA is realized by FORTRAN programming language,and aerodynamic-hydrodynamic-Mooring coupled dynamics model is established to realize the algorithm solution of the model.Finally,the 6 degrees of freedom(DOF)dynamic response of single barge platform and barge array under extreme sea condition considering the coupling effect of wind and wave were observed and investigated in detail.The research results validate the feasibility of establishing barge array floating wind farm,and provide theoretical basis for further research on new floating wind farm.

Highly efficient H-bonding charge-transfer complex for microsupercapacitors under extreme conditions of low temperatures

Owing to sluggish ionic mobility at low temperatures, supercapacitors, as well as other energy-storage devices, always suffer from severe capacity decay and even failure under extreme low-temperature circumstances. Solar-thermal-enabled self-heating promises an attractive approach to overcome this issue.Here, we report a unique H-bonding charge-transfer complex with a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 79.5% at 405 nm based on chloranilic acid and albendazole. Integrated with a microsupercapacitor, the chloranilic acid-albendazole complex(CAC) film prompts an apparent temperature increase of 22.7 °C under 1 sun illumination at-32.6 °C, effectively elevating the working temperature of devices.As a result, the rate capability of the microsupercapacitor has been significantly improved with a 17-fold increase in capacitance at a current density of 60 μA cm^(-2), leading to outstanding low-temperature performances. Importantly, the integrated device is capable of working at a low temperature of-30 °C in the open air, which demonstrates the potential of CAC in practical applications for low-temperature ultracapacitive energy-storage devices.

Ultrafast synthetic strategies under extreme heating conditions toward single-atom catalysts

Dispersing atomic metals on substrates provides an ideal method to maximize metal utilization efficiency, which is important for the production of cost-effective catalysts and the atomic-level control of the electronic structure. However, due to the high surface energy, individual single atoms tend to migrate and aggregate into nanoparticles during preparation and catalytic operation. In the past few years, various synthetic strategies based on ultrafast thermal activation toward the effective preparation of single-atom catalysts(SACs) have emerged, which could effectively solve the aggregation issue. Here, we highlight and summarize the latest developments in various ultrafast synthetic strategy with rapid energy input by heating shockwave and instant quenching for the synthesis of SACs, including Joule heating, microwave heating, solid-phase laser irradiation, flame-assisted method, arc-discharge method and so on,with special emphasis on how to achieve the uniform dispersion of single metal atoms at high metal loadings as well as the suitability for scalable production. Finally, we point out the advantages and disadvantages of the ultrafast heating strategies as well as the trends and challenges of future developments.

Raman scattering under extreme conditions

Raman scattering is a versatile and powerful technique and has been widely used in modern scientific research and vast industrial applications. It is one of the fundamental experimental techniques in condensed matter physics, since it can sensitively probe the basic elementary excitations in solids like electron, phonon, magnon, etc. The application of extreme conditions （low temperature, high magnetic field, high pressure, etc.） to Raman scattering, will push its capability up to an unprecedented level, because this enables us to look into new quantum phases driven by extreme conditions, trace the evolution of the excitations and their coupling, and hence uncover the underlying physics. This review contains two topics. In the first part, we will introduce the Raman facility under extreme conditions, belonging to the optical spectroscopy station of Synergetic Extreme Condition User Facilities （SECUF）, with emphasis on the system design and the capability the facility can provide. Then in the second part we will focus on the applications of Raman scattering under extreme conditions to a variety of condensed matter systems such as superconductors, correlated electron systems, charge density waves （CDW） materials, etc. Finally, as a rapidly developing technique, time-resolved Raman scattering will be highlighted here.

Crop yields and soil organic carbon dynamics in a long-term fertilization experiment in an extremely arid region of northern Xinjiang, China

A long-term fertilization experiment was set up in northern Xinjiang, China to evaluate the dynamics of crop production and soil organic carbon （SOC） from 1990 to 2012 with seven fertilization treatments. The seven treatments included an unfertilized control （CK） and six different combinations of phosphorus （P）, potassium （K）, nitrogen （N）, straw （S） and animal manure （M）. The balanced fertilization treatments had significantly （P〈0.05） higher average yields than the unbalanced ones. The treatment with 2/3 N from potassium sulfate （NPK） and 1/3 N from farmyard manure （NPKM） had a higher average yield than the other treatments. The average yields （over the 23 years） in the treatments of NPK, and urea, calcium superphosphate （NP） did not differ significantly （P〉0.05） but were higher than that in the treatment with urea and potassium sulfate （NK; P〈0.05）. The results also show that the highest increases in SOC （P〈0.05） occurred in NPKM with a potential increase of 1.2 t C/（hm2.a）. The increase in SOC was only 0.31, 0.30 and 0.12 t C/（hm2.a） for NPKS （9/10 N from NPK and 1/10 N from straw）, NPK and NP, respectively; and the SOC in the NP, NK and CK treatments were approaching equilibrium and so did not rise or fall significantly over the 23-year experiment. A complete NPK plus manure fertilization program is recommended for this extremely arid region to maximize both yields and carbon sequestration.

Structural eigenvalue analysis under the constraint of a fuzzy convex set model

In small-sample problems, determining and controlling the errors of ordinary rigid convex set models are difficult. Therefore, a new uncertainty model called the fuzzy convex set（FCS） model is built and investigated in detail. An approach was developed to analyze the fuzzy properties of the structural eigenvalues with FCS constraints. Through this method, the approximate possibility distribution of the structural eigenvalue can be obtained. Furthermore, based on the symmetric F-programming theory, the conditional maximum and minimum values for the structural eigenvalue are presented, which can serve as nonfuzzy quantitative indicators for fuzzy problems. A practical application is provided to demonstrate the practicability and effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Experimental study on energy characteristics and ignition performance of recessed multichannel plasma igniter

In the extreme conditions of high altitude,low temperature,low pressure,and high speed,the aircraft engine is prone to flameout and difficult to start secondary ignition,which makes reliable ignition of combustion chamber at high altitude become a worldwide problem.To solve this problem,a kind of multichannel plasma igniter with round cavity is proposed in this paper,the three-channel and five-channel igniters are compared with the traditional ones.The discharge energy of the three igniters was compared based on the electric energy test and the thermal energy test,and ignition experiments was conducted in the simulated high-altitude environment of the component combustion chamber.The results show that the recessed multichannel plasma igniter has higher discharge energy than the conventional spark igniter,which can increase the conversion efficiency of electric energy from 26%to 43%,and the conversion efficiency of thermal energy from 25%to 73%.The recessed multichannel plasma igniter can achieve greater spark penetration depth and excitation area,which both increase with the increase of height.At the same height,the inlet flow helps to increase the penetration depth of the spark.The recessed multichannel plasma igniter can widen the lean ignition boundary,and the maximum enrichment percentage of lean ignition boundary can reach 31%.

Skeletal muscle conditioning may be an effective rehabilitation intervention preceding functional electrical stimulation cycling

In our recent effort,we introduced a submaximal index that utilized ventilatory efficiency relative to CO2 production（VE/CO2）to evaluate the cardiovascular effectiveness to functional electrical stimulation lower-extremity cycling（FESLEC）in persons with spinal cord injury（SCI）（Gorgey and Lawrence,2016）.

Surface modification and functionalization by electrical discharge coating:a comprehensive review

Hard coatings are extensively required in industry for protecting mechanical/structural parts that withstand extremely high temperature,stress,chemical corrosion,and other hostile environments.Electrical discharge coating(EDC)is an emerging surface modification technology to produce such hard coatings by using electrical discharges to coat a layer of material on workpiece surface to modify and enhance the surface characteristics or create new surface functions.This paper presents a comprehensive overview of EDC technologies for various materials,and summarises the types and key parameters of EDC processes as well as the characteristics of resulting coatings.It provides a systematic summary of the fundamentals and key features of the EDC processes,as well as its applications and future trends.

Nonparametric Estimation of Extreme Conditional Quantiles with Functional Covariate

Estimation of the extreme conditional quantiles with functional covariate is an important problem in quantile regression. The existing methods, however, are only applicable for heavy-tailed distributions with a positive conditional tail index. In this paper, we propose a new framework for estimating the extreme conditional quantiles with functional covariate that combines the nonparametric modeling techniques and extreme value theory systematically. Our proposed method is widely applicable, no matter whether the conditional distribution of a response variable Y given a vector of functional covariates X is short, light or heavy-tailed. It thus enriches the existing literature.

PERFECT SPLINES WITH BOUNDARY CONDITIONS AND THEIR APPLICATION TO CERTAIN EXTREMAL PROBLEMS

In this paper we consider two problems. The first is connected with the optimal recovery of functions satisfyiog boundary conditions. The second is the characterization of the unique func- tion whose r-th derivative has minimum L_∞-norm, taking given values of alternating signs and satis fying boundary conditions.

Hydrodynamic modelling of flow impact on structures under extreme flow conditions

Apart from the direct threat to human lives, the flood waves as a result of the rapid catchment response to intense rainfall, breaches of flood defences, tsunamis or storm surges may induce huge impact forces on structures, causing structural damage or even failures. Most existing design codes do not properly account for these impact forces due to the limited understanding of the underlying physical processes and the lack of reliable empirical formulae or numerical approaches to quantifying them. This paper presents laboratory experiments to better understand the interaction between the extreme flow hydrodynamics and the hydraulic structures and uses the measured data to validate a numerical model. The model solves the two-dimensional shallow water equations using a finite volume Godunov-type scheme for the reliable simulation of complex flow hydrodynamics. New model components are developed for estimating the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure to quantify the flow impact on structures. The model is applied to reproduce two selected experiment tests with different settings and satisfactory numerical results are obtained, which confirms its predictive capability. The model will therefore provide a potential tool for wider and more flexible field-scale applications.

Real‑Time Predictive Control of Path Following to Stabilize Autonomous Electric Vehicles Under Extreme Drive Conditions

A novel real-time predictive control strategy is proposed for path following(PF)and vehicle stability of autonomous electric vehicles under extreme drive conditions.The investigated vehicle configuration is a distributed drive electric vehicle,which allows to independently control the torques of each in-wheel motor(IWM)for superior stability,but bringing control com-plexities.The control-oriented model is established by the Magic Formula tire function and the single-track vehicle model.For PF and direct yaw moment control,the nonlinear model predictive control(NMPC)strategy is developed to minimize PF tracking error and stabilize vehicle,outputting front tires’lateral force and external yaw moment.To mitigate the calcu-lation burdens,the continuation/general minimal residual algorithm is proposed for real-time optimization in NMPC.The relaxation function method is adopted to handle the inequality constraints.To prevent vehicle instability and improve steering capacity,the lateral velocity differential of the vehicle is considered in phase plane analysis,and the novel stable bounds of lateral forces are developed and online applied in the proposed NMPC controller.Additionally,the Lyapunov-based constraint is proposed to guarantee the closed-loop stability for the PF issue,and sufficient conditions regarding recursive feasibility and closed-loop stability are provided analytically.The target lateral force is transformed as front steering angle command by the inversive tire model,and the external yaw moment and total traction torque are distributed as the torque commands of IWMs by optimization.The validations prove the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in improved steering capacity,desirable PF effects,vehicle stabilization,and real-time applicability.

Failure Analysis of Power Electronic Devices and Their Applications under Extreme Conditions

Power electronic devices are the core components of modern power converters,not only for normal applications,but also for extreme conditions.Current design of power electronic devices require large redundancies for reliability.This results in huge volume and weight for a large-capacity power converter,especially for some extreme applications.Therefore,to optimize the power density,the reliability of power devices needs to be investigated first in order to obtain the accurate operational margin of a power device.Although much research on device failure analysis has been reported,there still lacks efficient failure evaluation methods.This paper first summarizes the current failure research.Then,a three-step failure analysis method of power electronic devices is proposed as:failure information collection,failure identification and mechanism,and failure evaluation.The physics-based modeling method is emphasized since it has a strong relationship with the device fundamentals.After that,power electronic device applications under extreme conditions are introduced and a design method of device under extreme conditions is proposed based on the thermal equilibrium idea.Finally,the challenges and prospects to improve the power device reliability under extreme conditions are concluded.

Performance-driven design methodology for habitation shell design in extreme conditions on Mars

The research project illustrates how performance-driven design tools can be conducted as an architectural design methodology that suggests an innovative approach to design a habitation shell in extreme environmental conditions without human assistance.This research study attempts to use environmental data revealed by NASA and its habitat design requirements to develop a conceptual design for an innovative habitation form and then simulate it with Mars conditions to analyze the habitation shell’s structural behavior according to finite element analysis.In this regard,research phases,including layout configuration,form-finding,and structural analysis,have been conducted to explore a habitation concept implemented with generative design tools as a decision-maker in extreme conditions.In conclusion,two generated typologies of proposed habitation forms will be compared in terms of their structural performance under extreme loads of the martian environment.Within this research project,due to the numerous extreme challenges of design and construction of habitation in extreme conditions using conventional approaches,a performance-driven design methodology will provide a rational and sustainable design methodology to tackle extreme barriers to Mars’s environment.

Bifunctional SiC/Si_(3)N_(4) aerogel for highly efficient electromagnetic wave absorption and thermal insulation

SiC ceramics are attractive electromagnetic(EM)absorption materials for the application in harsh environment because of their low density,good dielectric tunable performance,and chemical stability.However,the performance of current SiC-based materials to absorb EM wave is generally unsatisfactory due to poor impedance matching.Herein,we report ultralight SiC/Si3N4 composite aerogels(~15 mg·cm^(−3))consisting of numerous interweaving SiC nanowires and Si3N4 nanoribbons.Aerogels were prepared via siloxane pyrolysis and chemical vapor reaction through the template method.The optimal aerogel exhibits excellent EM wave absorption properties with a strong reflection loss(RL,−48.6 dB)and a wide effective absorption band(EAB,7.4 GHz)at a thickness of 2 mm,attributed to good impedance matching and multi attenuation mechanisms of waves within the unique network structure.In addition,the aerogel exhibits high thermal stability in air until 1000℃and excellent thermal insulation performance(0.030 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1)).These superior performances make the SiC/Si_(3)N_(4) composite aerogel promising to become a new generation of absorption material served under extreme conditions.

A novel two-way method for dynamically coupling a hydrodynamic model with a discrete element model(DEM)

The effect of floating objects has so far been little considered for hazard risk assessment and structure design, despite being an important factor causing structural damage in flood-prone and coastal areas. In this work, a novel two-way method is proposed to fully couple a shock-capturing hydrodynamic model with a discrete element model （DEM） for simulation of complex debris-enriched flow hydrodynamics. After being validated against an idealized analytical test, the new coupled model is used to reproduce flume experiments of floating debris driven by dam-break waves. The numerical results agree satisfactorily with the experimental measurements, demonstrating the model＇s capability and efficiency in simulating complex fluid-debris interactions induced by violent shallow flows.