Theory and practice for assessing structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains

Purpose–The safety and reliability of high-speed trains rely on the structural integrity of their components and the dynamic performance of the entire vehicle system.This paper aims to define and substantiate the assessment of the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains in both theory and practice.The key principles and approacheswill be proposed,and their applications to high-speed trains in Chinawill be presented.Design/methodology/approach–First,the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains are defined,and their relationship is introduced.Then,the principles for assessing the structural integrity of structural and dynamical components are presented and practical examples of gearboxes and dampers are provided.Finally,the principles and approaches for assessing the dynamical integrity of highspeed trains are presented and a novel operational assessment method is further presented.Findings–Vehicle system dynamics is the core of the proposed framework that provides the loads and vibrations on train components and the dynamic performance of the entire vehicle system.For assessing the structural integrity of structural components,an open-loop analysis considering both normal and abnormal vehicle conditions is needed.For assessing the structural integrity of dynamical components,a closed-loop analysis involving the influence of wear and degradation on vehicle system dynamics is needed.The analysis of vehicle system dynamics should follow the principles of complete objects,conditions and indices.Numerical,experimental and operational approaches should be combined to achieve effective assessments.Originality/value–The practical applications demonstrate that assessing the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains can support better control of critical defects,better lifespan management of train components and better maintenance decision-making for high-speed trains.

Chromatin condensation but not DNA integrity of pig sperm is greater in the sperm-rich fraction

Background Protamination and condensation of sperm chromatin as well as DNA integrity play an essential role during fertilization and embryo development.In some mammals,like pigs,ejaculates are emitted in three separate fractions:pre-sperm,sperm-rich(SRF)and post sperm-rich(PSRF).These fractions are known to vary in volume,sperm concentration and quality,as well as in the origin and composition of seminal plasma(SP),with differences being also observed within the SRF one.Yet,whether disparities in the DNA integrity and chromatin condensation and pro-tamination of their sperm exist has not been interrogated.Results This study determined chromatin protamination(Chromomycin A3 test,CMA_(3)),condensation(Dibromobi-mane test,DBB),and DNA integrity(Comet assay)in the pig sperm contained in the first 10 m L of the SRF(SRF-P1),the remaining portion of the sperm-rich fraction(SRF-P2),and the post sperm-rich fraction(PSRF).While chromatin protamination was found to be similar between the different ejaculate fractions(P>0.05),chromatin condensation was seen to be greater in SRF-P1 and SRF-P2 than in the PSRF(P=0.018 and P=0.004,respectively).Regarding DNA integrity,no differences between fractions were observed(P>0.05).As the SRF-P1 has the highest sperm concentra-tion and ejaculate fractions are known to differ in antioxidant composition,the oxidative stress index(OSi)in SP,calcu-lated as total oxidant activity divided by total antioxidant capacity,was tested and confirmed to be higher in the SRF-P1 than in SRF-P2 and PSRF(0.42±0.06 vs.0.23±0.09 and 0.08±0.00,respectively;P<0.01);this index,in addition,was observed to be correlated to the sperm concentration of each fraction(Rs=0.973;P<0.001).Conclusion While sperm DNA integrity was not found to differ between ejaculate fractions,SRF-P1 and SRF-P2 were observed to exhibit greater chromatin condensation than the PSRF.This could be related to the OSi of each fraction.

Improving fatigue properties of normal direction ultrasonic vibration assisted face grinding Inconel 718 by regulating machined surface integrity

Fatigue properties are crucial for critical aero-engine components in extreme serviceenvironments,which are significantly affected by surface integrity(SI)indexes(especially surface topography,residual stressσ_(res),and microhardness)after machining processes.Normal-direction ultrasonic vibration-assisted face grinding(ND-UVAFG)has advantages in improving the machinability of Inconel 718,but there is a competitive relationship between higher compressiveσ_(res)and higher surface roughness R_(a)in affecting fatigue strength.The lack of a quantitative relationship between multiple SI indexes and fatigue strength makes theindeterminacy of a regulatory strategy for improving fatigue properties.In this work,a model of fatigue strength(σ_f)_(sur)considering multiple SI indexes was developed.Then,high-cycle fatigue tests were carried out on Inconel 718 samples with different SI characteristics,and the influence of ND-UVAFG process parameters on SI was analyzed.Based on SI indexes data,the(σ_f)_(sur)distribution in the grinding surface layer for ND-UVAFG Inconel 718 samples was determined using the developed model,and then the fatigue crack initiation(FCI)sites were furtherpredicted.The predicted FCI sites corresponded well with the experimental results,therebyverifying this model.A strategy for improving the fatigue life was proposed in this work,which was to transfer the fatigue source from the machined surface to the bulk material by controlling the SI indexes.Finally,a critical condition of SI indexes that FCI sites appeared on the surface or in bulk material was given by fitting the predicted results.According to the critical condition,an SI field where FCI sites appeared in the bulk material could be obtained.In this field,thefatigue life of Inconel 718 samples could be improved by approximately 140%.

Preserving Data Secrecy and Integrity for Cloud Storage Using Smart Contracts and Cryptographic Primitives

Cloud computing has emerged as a viable alternative to traditional computing infrastructures,offering various benefits.However,the adoption of cloud storage poses significant risks to data secrecy and integrity.This article presents an effective mechanism to preserve the secrecy and integrity of data stored on the public cloud by leveraging blockchain technology,smart contracts,and cryptographic primitives.The proposed approach utilizes a Solidity-based smart contract as an auditor for maintaining and verifying the integrity of outsourced data.To preserve data secrecy,symmetric encryption systems are employed to encrypt user data before outsourcing it.An extensive performance analysis is conducted to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed mechanism.Additionally,a rigorous assessment is conducted to ensure that the developed smart contract is free from vulnerabilities and to measure its associated running costs.The security analysis of the proposed system confirms that our approach can securely maintain the confidentiality and integrity of cloud storage,even in the presence of malicious entities.The proposed mechanism contributes to enhancing data security in cloud computing environments and can be used as a foundation for developing more secure cloud storage systems.

Aging impairs the osteocytic regulation of collagen integrity and bone quality

Poor bone quality is a major factor in skeletal fragility in elderly individuals.The molecular mechanisms that establish and maintain bone quality,independent of bone mass,are unknown but are thought to be primarily determined by osteocytes.We hypothesize that the age-related decline in bone quality results from the suppression of osteocyte perilacunar/canalicular remodeling(PLR),which maintains bone material properties.We examined bones from young and aged mice with osteocyte-intrinsic repression of TGFβsignaling(TβRII^(ocy−/−))that suppresses PLR.The control aged bone displayed decreased TGFβsignaling and PLR,but aging did not worsen the existing PLR suppression in male TβRII^(ocy−/−)bone.This relationship impacted the behavior of collagen material at the nanoscale and tissue scale in macromechanical tests.The effects of age on bone mass,density,and mineral material behavior were independent of osteocytic TGFβ.We determined that the decline in bone quality with age arises from the loss of osteocyte function and the loss of TGFβ-dependent maintenance of collagen integrity.

Sec-Auditor:A Blockchain-Based Data Auditing Solution for Ensuring Integrity and Semantic Correctness

Currently,there is a growing trend among users to store their data in the cloud.However,the cloud is vulnerable to persistent data corruption risks arising from equipment failures and hacker attacks.Additionally,when users perform file operations,the semantic integrity of the data can be compromised.Ensuring both data integrity and semantic correctness has become a critical issue that requires attention.We introduce a pioneering solution called Sec-Auditor,the first of its kind with the ability to verify data integrity and semantic correctness simultaneously,while maintaining a constant communication cost independent of the audited data volume.Sec-Auditor also supports public auditing,enabling anyone with access to public information to conduct data audits.This feature makes Sec-Auditor highly adaptable to open data environments,such as the cloud.In Sec-Auditor,users are assigned specific rules that are utilized to verify the accuracy of data semantic.Furthermore,users are given the flexibility to update their own rules as needed.We conduct in-depth analyses of the correctness and security of Sec-Auditor.We also compare several important security attributes with existing schemes,demonstrating the superior properties of Sec-Auditor.Evaluation results demonstrate that even for time-consuming file upload operations,our solution is more efficient than the comparison one.

A Fine-grained Building Height Control Method for Heritage Areas from the Perspective of Visual Integrity

This study proposes a refined methodology for controlling building heights in heritage areas.In order to protect the visual integrity of the heritage area,buildings should not obstruct the view from important site points and viewpoints to the periphery.By calculating the building height thresholds that buildings should not obscure the view from each viewpoint,the results of which are weighted and superimposed,and the values are extracted to each building unit as a refined building height control guideline.This study takes the Zhoukoudian area as a case study,applies the refined building height control criterion to the Zhoukoudian Site,and relies on this refined criterion to assess the visual integrity of the Zhoukoudian area,so as to realize the scientific planning and monitoring of the Zhoukoudian area.The refined building height control method can be applied to building height planning and visual landscape protection in large heritage areas.

Ethical framework for artificial intelligence in healthcare research:A path to integrity

The integration of Artificial Intelligence(AI)into healthcare research promises unprecedented advancements in medical diagnostics,treatment personalization,and patient care management.However,these innovations also bring forth significant ethical challenges that must be addressed to maintain public trust,ensure patient safety,and uphold data integrity.This article sets out to introduce a detailed framework designed to steer governance and offer a systematic method for assuring that AI applications in healthcare research are developed and executed with integrity and adherence to medical research ethics.

Reversible Semi-Fragile Watermarking Technique for Integrity Control of Relational Database

Reversible watermarking schemes for relational database are usually classified into two groups: robust schemes and fragile schemes. The main limitation of existing reversible fragile methods is that they cannot differentiate between legal and malicious modifications. In this paper, we introduce a novel lossless semi-fragile scheme based on prediction-error expansion for content protection of relational database. In the proposed method, all attributes in a database relation are first classified according to their sensitivity to legitimate updates. Then, the watermark is embedded by expanding the prediction error of the two least significant digits of securely selected attributes. At watermark extraction, the proposed method has the ability to fully restore the original data while detecting and localizing tampering. The applicability of our method is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally.

An unequal fracturing stage spacing optimization model for hydraulic fracturing that considers cementing interface integrity

Determining reasonable fracturing stage spacing is the key to horizontal well fracturing.Different from traditional stage spacing optimization methods based on the principle of maximum stimulated reservoir volume,in this paper,by considering the integrity of the wellbore interface,a fracture propagation model was established based on displacement discontinuity method and the competition mechanism of multifracture joint expansion,leading to the proposal of an unequal stage spacing optimization model.The results show that in the first stage,the interfacial fractures spread symmetrically along the axis of the central point during that stage,while in the second and subsequent stages,the interfacial fractures of each cluster extend asymmetrically along the left and right sides.There are two kinds of interface connectivity behaviour:in one,the existing fractures first extend and connect within the stage,and in the other,the fractures first extend in the direction close to the previous stage,with the specific behaviour depending on the combined effect of stress shadow and flow competition during hydraulic fracture expansion.The stage spacing is positively correlated with the number of fractures and Young’s modulus of the cement and formation and is negatively correlated with the cluster spacing and horizontal principal stress difference.The sensitivity is the strongest when the Young’s modulus of the cement sheath is 10-20 GPa,and the sensitivity of the horizontal principal stress difference is the weakest.

Determination of rock mass integrity coefficient using a non-invasive geophysical approach

Determination of rock mechanical parameters is the most important step in rock mass quality evaluation and has significant impacts on geotechnical engineering practice.Rock mass integrity coefficient(KV)is one of the most efficient parameters,which is conventionally determined from boreholes.Such approaches,however,are time-consuming and expensive,offer low data coverage of point measurements,require heavy equipment,and are hardly conducted in steep topographic sites.Hence,borehole approaches cannot assess the subsurface thoroughly for rock mass quality evaluation.Alternatively,use of geophysical methods is non-invasive,rapid and economical.The proposed geophysical approach makes useful empirical correlation between geophysical and geotechnical parameters.We evaluated the rock mass quality via integration between KV measured from the limited boreholes and inverted resistivity obtained from electrical resistivity tomography(ERT).The borehole-ERT correlation provided KV along various geophysical profiles for more detailed 2D/3D(two-/three-dimensional)mapping of rock mass quality.The subsurface was thoroughly evaluated for rock masses with different engineering qualities,including highly weathered rock,semi-weathered rock,and fresh rock.Furthermore,ERT was integrated with induced polarization(IP)to resolve the uncertainty caused by water/clay content.Our results show that the proposed method,compared with the conventional approaches,can reduce the ambiguities caused by inadequate data,and give more accurate insights into the subsurface for rock mass quality evaluation.

Failure mechanism and influencing factors of cement sheath integrity under alternating pressure

The failure of cement sheath integrity can be easily caused by alternating pressure during large-scale multistage hydraulic fracturing in shale-gas well.An elastic-plastic mechanical model of casing-cement sheath-formation(CSF)system under alternating pressure is established based on the Mohr-Coulomb criterion and thick-walled cylinder theory,and it has been solved by MATLAB programming combining global optimization algorithm with Global Search.The failure mechanism of cement sheath integrity is investigated,by which it can be seen that the formation of interface debonding is mainly related to the plastic strain accumulation,and there is a risk of interface debonding under alternating pressure,once the cement sheath enters plasticity whether in shallow or deep well sections.The matching relationship between the mechanical parameters(elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio)of cement sheath and its integrity failure under alternating pressure in whole well sections is studied,by which it has been found there is a“critical range”in the Poisson's ratio of cement sheath.When the Poisson's ratio is below the“critical range”,there is a positive correlation between the yield internal pressure of cement sheath(SYP)and its elastic modulus.However,when the Poisson's ratio is above the“critical range”,there is a negative correlation.The elastic modulus of cement sheath is closely related to its Poisson's ratio,and restricts each other.Scientific and reasonable matching between mechanical parameters of cement sheath and CSF system under different working conditions can not only reduce the cost,but also protect the cement sheath integrity.

Phytogenic feed additives alleviate pathogenic Escherichia coli-induced intestinal damage through improving barrier integrity and inhibiting inflammation in weaned pigs

Background:This study was conducted to investigate the effects of each phytogenic feed additive(PFA;PFA1,bitter citrus extract;PFA2,a microencapsulated blend of thymol and carvacrol;PFA3,a mixture of bitter citrus extract,thymol,and carvacrol;PFA4,a premixture of grape seed,grape marc extract,green tea,and hops;PFA5,fenugreek seed powder)on the growth performance,nutrient digestibility,intestinal morphology,and immune response in weaned pigs infected with Escherichia coli(E.coli).Results:A total of 634-week-old weaned pigs were placed in individual metabolic cages and assigned to seven treatment groups.The seven treatments were as follows:1)NC;basal diet without E.coli challenge,2)PC;basal diet with E.coli challenge,3)T1;PC+0.04%PFA1,4)T2;PC+0.01%PFA2,5)T3;PC+0.10%PFA3,6)T4;PC+0.04%PFA4,7)T5;PC+0.10%PFA5.The experiments lasted in 21 d,including 7 d before and 14 d after the first E.coli challenge.In the E.coli challenge treatments,all pigs were orally inoculated by dividing a total of 10 mL of E.coli F18 for 3 consecutive days.The PFA-added groups significantly increased(P<0.05)average daily gain and feed efficiency and decreased(P<0.05)the fecal score at d 0 to 14 post-inoculation(PI).Tumor necrosis factorαwas significantly lower(P<0.05)in the PFA-added groups except for T1 in d 14 PI compared to the PC treatment.The T3 had a higher(P<0.05)immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin A concentration compared to the PC treatment at d 7 PI.Also,T3 showed significantly higher(P<0.05)villus height:crypt depth and claudin 1 expression in ileal mucosa,and significantly downregulated(P<0.05)the expression of calprotectin compared to the PC treatment.Conclusions:Supplementation of PFA in weaned pigs challenged with E.coli alleviated the negative effects of E.coli and improved growth performance.Among them,the mixed additive of bitter citrus extract,thymol,and carvacrol showed the most effective results,improving immune response,intestinal morphology,and expression of tight junctions.

Perspectives from a publishing ethics and research integrity team for required improvements

It is imperative that all stakeholders within the research ecosystem take responsibility to improve research integrity and reliability of published research.Based on the unique experiences of a specialist publishing ethics and research integrity team within a major publisher,this article provides insights into the observed trends of misconduct and how those have evolved over time,and addresses key actions needed to improve the interface between researchers,funders,institutions and publishers to collectively improve research integrity on a global scale.

Passive Attack Detection for a Class of Stealthy Intermittent Integrity Attacks

This paper proposes a passive methodology for detecting a class of stealthy intermittent integrity attacks in cyberphysical systems subject to process disturbances and measurement noise.A stealthy intermittent integrity attack strategy is first proposed by modifying a zero-dynamics attack model.The stealthiness of the generated attacks is rigorously investigated under the condition that the adversary does not know precisely the system state values.In order to help detect such attacks,a backward-in-time detection residual is proposed based on an equivalent quantity of the system state change,due to the attack,at a time prior to the attack occurrence time.A key characteristic of this residual is that its magnitude increases every time a new attack occurs.To estimate this unknown residual,an optimal fixed-point smoother is proposed by minimizing a piece-wise linear quadratic cost function with a set of specifically designed weighting matrices.The smoother design guarantees robustness with respect to process disturbances and measurement noise,and is also able to maintain sensitivity as time progresses to intermittent integrity attack by resetting the covariance matrix based on the weighting matrices.The adaptive threshold is designed based on the estimated backward-in-time residual,and the attack detectability analysis is rigorously investigated to characterize quantitatively the class of attacks that can be detected by the proposed methodology.Finally,a simulation example is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed methodology.

Thermal integrity profiling of cast-in-situ piles in sand using fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing

Defects in cast-in-situ piles have an adverse impact on load transfer at the pile‒soil interface and pile bearing capacity. In recent years, thermal integrity profiling (TIP) has been developed to measure temperature profiles of cast-in-situ piles, enabling the detection of structural defects or anomalies at the early stage of construction. However, using this integrity testing method to evaluate potential defects in cast-in-situ piles requires a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of hydration heat transfer from piles to surrounding soils. In this study, small-scale model tests were conducted in laboratory to investigate the performance of TIP in detecting pile integrity. Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technology was used to monitor detailed temperature variations along model piles in sand. Additionally, sensors were installed in sand to measure water content and matric suction. An interpretation method against available DTS-based thermal profiles was proposed to reveal the potential defective regions. It shows that the temperature difference between normal and defective piles is more obvious in wet sand. In addition, there is a critical zone of water migration in sand due to the water absorption behavior of cement and temperature transfer-induced water migration in the early-age concrete setting. These findings could provide important insight into the improvement of the TIP testing method for field applications.

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.

THM coupled analysis of cement sheath integrity considering well

he cement sheath is the heart of any oil or gas well for providing zonal isolation and well integrity during the life of a well.Loads induced by well construction operations and borehole pressure and temperature changes may lead to the ultimate failure of cement sheath.This paper quantifies the potential of cement failure under mechanically and thermally induced stress during the life-of-well using a coupled thermalehydrologicalemechanical(THM)modeling approach.A staged finite-element procedure is presented considering sequential stress and displacement development during each stage of the well life,including drilling,casing,cementing,completion,production,and injection.The staged model quantifies the stress states and state variables,e.g.,plastic strain,damage,and debonding at cement/rock or cement/casing interface,in each well stage from simultaneous action of in-situ stress,pore pressure,temperature,casing pressure,and cement hardening/shrinkage.Thus,it eliminates the need to guess the initial stress and strain state before modeling a specific stage.Moreover,coupled THM capabilities of the model ensure the full consideration of the interaction between these influential factors.

Surface Integrity of Inconel 738LC Parts Manufactured by Selective Laser Melting Followed by High-speed Milling

This study is concerned with the surface integrity of Inconel 738LC parts manufactured by selective laser melting(SLM)followed by high-speed milling(HSM).In the investigation process of surface integrity,the study employs ultradepth three-dimensional microscopy,laser scanning confocal microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,electron backscatter diffractometry,and energy dispersive spectroscopy to characterize the evolution of material microstructure,work hardening,residual stress coupling,and anisotropic effect of the building direction on surface integrity of the samples.The results show that SLM/HSM hybrid manufacturing can be an effective method to obtain better surface quality with a thinner machining metamorphic layer.High-speed machining is adopted to reduce cutting force and suppress machining heat,which is an effective way to produce better surface mechanical properties during the SLM/HSM hybrid manufacturing process.In general,high-speed milling of the SLM-built Inconel 738LC samples offers better surface integrity,compared to simplex additive manufacturing or casting.

ZmDRR206 functions in maintaining cell wall integrity during maize seedling growth and defense response to external stresses

Plants adaptively change their cell wall composition and structure during their growth,development,and interactions with environmental stresses.Dirigent proteins(DIRs)contribute to environmental adaptations by dynamically reorganizing the cell wall and/or by generating defense compounds.A maize DIR,ZmDRR206,was previously reported to play a dominant role in regulation of storage nutrient accumulation in endosperm during maize kernel development.Here we show that ZmDRR206 mediates maize seedling growth and disease resistance by coordinately regulating biosynthesis of cell wall components for cell-wall integrity(CWI)maintenance.Expression of ZmDRR206 was induced in maize seedlings upon pathogen infection.ZmDRR206 overexpression in maize resulted in reduced seedling growth and photosynthetic activity but increased disease resistance and drought tolerance,revealing a tradeoff between growth and defense.Consistently,ZmDRR206 overexpression reduced the contents of primary metabolites and down-regulated genes involved in photosynthesis,while increasing the contents of major cell wall components,defense phytohormones,and defense metabolites,and up-regulated genes involved in defense and cell-wall biosynthesis in seedlings.ZmDRR206-overexpressing seedlings were resistant to cell-wall stress imposed by isoxaben,and ZmDRR206 physically interacted with ZmCesA10,which is a cellulose synthase unit.Our findings suggest a mechanism by which ZmDRR206 coordinately regulates biosynthesis of cell-wall components for CWI maintenance during maize seedling growth,and might be exploited for breeding strong disease resistance in maize.