Examining the influence of the implementation of Major Function-oriented Zones on built-up area expansion in China

China had implemented the national strategies for Major Function-oriented Zones （MFOZs） to realize the goal of national sustainable development since 2010. This study analyzed and compared spatio-temporal characteristics and differences in built-up area for China＇s MFOZs using a China＇ s Land Use Database （CLUD） derived from high-resolution remotely sensed images in the periods of 2000-2010 and 2010-2013. To sum up： （1） The percentage of built-up area in each of the MFOZs was significantly different, revealing the gradient feature of national land development based on the distribution of the main functions. （2） Annual growth in built-up area in optimal development zones （ODZs） decreased signifi- cantly during 2010-2013 compared with the period 2000-2010, while annual growth in built-up area in key development zones （KDZs）, agricultural production zones （APZs） and key ecological function zones （KEFZs） increased significantly. （3） In ODZs, the average annual increase in built-up area in the Yangtze River Delta region was significantly higher than in other regions; the average area increase and rate of increase of built-up area in KDZs was faster in the western region than in other regions; average annual area growth of built-up area in APZs in the northeast, central and western regions was twice as high as the previous decade on average; the annual rate of change and increase in the dynamic degree of built-up area were most notable in KEFZs in the central region. （4） The spatial pattern and charac- teristics of built-up area expansions in the period 2010-2013 reflected the gradient feature of the plan for MFOZs. But the rate of increase locally in built-up area in ODZs, APZs and KEFZs is fast, so the effective measures must be adopted in the implementation of national and regional policies. The conclusions indicated these methods and results were meaningful for future regulation strategies in optimizing national land development in China.

Effects of Grassland Restoration Approaches in Different Major Function-oriented Zones of the Headwater Region of the Yellow River in China

Given the high alpine grassland coverage and intensive animal grazing activity, the ecosystem and livelihood of the herders are extremely vulnerable in the headwater region of the Yellow River. A series of programs have been implemented by the Chinese government to restore degraded grasslands in this region, and major function-oriented zones(MFOZs) applied in 2014, have divided the region into three zones, i.e., the development prioritized, restricted, and prohibited zones, based on environmental carrying capacity, as well as the utilization intensity of grassland. This study identified various restoration approaches adopted in different MFOZs, and assessed the effects of the approaches in order to determine the most effective approaches. We collected 195 questionnaires from herders to analyze the effects of the various restoration approaches, and additional remote sensing and statistical data were also used for the analysis. Four distinct differences in the ecological and socioeconomic characteristics were found in three MFOZs.(1) Five technologies were applied in the study areas.(2) The grassland recovery rate was higher in development prioritized zones than in restricted and prohibited zones during 2000 and 2016, and especially high and very high coverage grasslands increased in the areas where crop-forage cultivation and grass seeding dominated in the prioritized zones.(3) The net income of households in the development prioritized zone was the best of all three zones.(4) The degree of awareness and willingness of herders to restore grassland was more positive in development prioritized zones than in restricted zones, where more herders adopted approaches with a combination of enclosure + deratization + crop-forage cultivation + warm shed. Based on these findings, it is recommended that decision-makers need to increase their efforts to narrow the gap of willingness and behavior between herders and other stakeholders, such as researchers and grassland administrators, in order to ensure grassland sustainability in the MFOZs. It is also beneficial to understand the effects of restoration on the ecological carrying capacities in different zones depending on the different development goals.

Dynamic Identification and Evolution of Urban-suburban-rural Transition Zones Based on the Blender of Natural and Humanistic Factors: A Case Study of Chengdu, China

Urban-suburban-rural(U-S-R)zones exhibit distinctive transitional characteristics in interaction between human and nature.U-S-R transition zones(U-S-RTZ)are also highlighting the function diversity and landscape heterogeneity across territorial spaces.As a super megacity in western China,Chengdu’s rapid urbanization has driven the evolution of U-S-R spaces,resulting in a sequential structure.To promote the high-quality spatial development of urban-rural region in a structured and efficient manner,it is essential to con-duct a scientific examination of the multidimensional interconnection within the U-S-RTZ framework.By proposing a novel identifica-tion method of U-S-RTZ and taking Chengdu,China as a case study,grounded in a blender of natural and humanistic factors,this study quantitatively delineated and explored the spatial evolutions of U-S-RTZ and stated the optimization orientation and sustainable devel-opment strategies of the production-living-ecological spaces along the U-S-R gradients.The results show that:1)it is suitable for the quantitative analysis of U-S-RTZ by established three-dimensional identification system in this study.2)In 1990-2020,the urban-sub-urban transition zones(U-STZ)in Chengdu have continuously undergone a substantial increase,and the scale of the suburban-rural transition zones(S-RTZ)has continued to expand slightly,while the space of rural-ecological transition zones(R-ETZ)has noticeably compressed.3)The landuse dynamics within U-S-RTZ has gradually increased in 1990-2020.The main direction of landuse transition was from farmland to construction land or woodlands,with the expansion of construction land being the most significant.4)R-ETZ primarily focus on ecological functions,and there is a trade-off relationship between the production-ecological function within the S-RTZ,and in the U-STZ,production-living composite functions are prioritized.This study emphasizes the importance of elastic planning and precise governance within the U-S-RTZ in a rapid urbanization region,particularly highlighting the role of suburbs as landscape corridors and service hubs in urban-rural integration.It elucidates to the practical implications for achieving high-quality development of integrated U-S-R territorial spaces.

Formation mechanism of fault accommodation zones under combined stress in graben basin:Implications from geomechanical modeling

A fault accommodation zone is a type of structure that is defined as regulating displacement and strain between faults structure.Increasing numbers of fault accommodation zones are being identified in graben basins,indicating the potential exploration target and petroleum accumulation areas.This study aims to analyze the formation mechanism and development of fault accommodation zones under combined stress by a numerical simulation method considering geomechanical modeling.Using three-dimensional(3-D)seismic interpretation and fractal dimension method,exampled with the Dongxin fault zone,the fault activity and fault combination pattern were conducted to quantitatively characterize the activity difference in fault accommodation zones.Combined with mechanical experiment test,a geomehcanical model was established for fault accommodation zones in a graben basin.Integrating the paleostress numerical simulations and structural physical simulation experiment,the developmental characteristics and genetic mechanism of fault accommodation zones were summarized.Influenced by multi movements and combined stresses,three significant tectonic evolution stages of the Dongxing Fault Zone(DXFZ)were distinguished:During the E_(s)^(3)sedimentary period,the large difference in the stress,strain,and rupture distribution in various faults were significant,and this stage was the key generation period for the prototype of the DXFZ,including the FAZ between large-scale faults.During the E_(s)^(2)sedimentary period,the EW-trending symmetric with opposite dipping normal faults and the NE-SW trending faults with large scale were furtherly developed.The junction area of two secondary normal faults were prone to be ruptured,performing significant period for inheriting and developing characteristics of fault accommodation zones.During the Es1 sedimentary period,the high-order faults in the DXFZ exhibited the obvious fault depressions and strike-slip activity,and the fault accommodation zones were furtherly inherited and developed.This stage was the molded and formative period of the FAZ,the low-order faults,and the depression in the DXFZ.

Twenty-Three Years of Insect Pollinator-Dependent Crop Studies in Agro-Ecological Zones of Cameroon (2011-2020)

Cultivation of pollinator-dependent crops has expanded globally, increasing our reliance on insect pollination. This essential ecosystem service is provided by a wide range of managed and wild pollinators whose abundance and diversity are thought to be in decline, threatening sustainable food production. In Cameroon, several studies on pollinator-dependent crops carried out in different agro-ecological zones (AEZ) have been published in national and international journals, in order to present the importance and impact of flowering insects on fruit and seed yields of plant species. We proposed to produce a review article highlighting the different flowering insects and their importance for different plants according to AEZ, without however focusing on the quality of the journal (predator or non-predator) and how the different insects were identified (scientific names given in the publications). Thus, from 1997 to 2020, we collected 116 published papers from which only 26 were kept for this review. The results show that Hymenoptera, including the Apidae, followed by Megachilidae, are the most excellent pollinators of plant species in Cameroon, and they are present in different agro-ecological zones. The majority of publications focused on bees, particularly the honeybee Apis mellifera.

Disparities in Prevalence and Determinants of Hypertension amongst Bamiléké Adults Residing in Two Different Agroecological Zones of Cameroon

Background: Cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension (HTN) are one of the main causes of death in Cameroon. This study aimed at assessing prevalence disparities and determinants of hypertension amongst Bamiléké adults residing in two different agroecological zones of Cameroon. Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive survey was conducted among Bamiléké population living in the Highlands zone (Western region) and in the Monomodal Rainforest zone (Littoral region) of Cameroon from August 2016 to August 2017. Participants (962) were aged at least 20 years old. Data on sociodemographic, hemodynamic, anthropometric, and biochemical parameters and lifestyle of the participants were collected. Results: Results obtained revealed that 34.2% were hypertensive and those residing in the highland zone were more affected than those living in the monomodal rainforest zone (44.5% vs 22.9%). The different subtypes of HTN (Isolated systolic hypertension (14.1%), isolated diastolic hypertension (7.2%) and Systo-diastolic hypertension (23.3%)) were also more prevalent in the Highlands Zone. The most prevalent stage of HTN was pre-HTN (31.5%). However, people living in the monomodal rainforest zone were more affected by pre-HTN compared to Bamiléké living in the highland zone (33.6% vs. 29.6%). Results also showed that high consumption (≥ 3 times/week) of carbohydrate- and fat-rich foods, ageing, obesity, and marital status were associated with high blood pressure in both agroecological zones. Besides, secondary education (OR = 0.68;95% CI: 0.42 - 0.99) in the Highlands Zone and high (≥3 times/week) vegetable consumption (OR = 0.66;95% CI: 0.44 - 0.98) in the Monomodal Rainforest Zone had a protective effect on elevated blood pressure of population. Conclusion: There is a disparity in the prevalence of hypertension and some of its determinants among Bamiléké adults residing in different agroecological zones. This work highlights the need to advocate for local and ethno-cultural health policies to prevent, diagnose and manage hypertension.

Numerical investigation of geostress influence on the grouting reinforcement effectiveness of tunnel surrounding rock mass in fault fracture zones

Grouting is a widely used approach to reinforce broken surrounding rock mass during the construction of underground tunnels in fault fracture zones,and its reinforcement effectiveness is highly affected by geostress.In this study,a numerical manifold method(NMM)based simulator has been developed to examine the impact of geostress conditions on grouting reinforcement during tunnel excavation.To develop this simulator,a detection technique for identifying slurry migration channels and an improved fluid-solid coupling(FeS)framework,which considers the influence of fracture properties and geostress states,is developed and incorporated into a zero-thickness cohesive element(ZE)based NMM(Co-NMM)for simulating tunnel excavation.Additionally,to simulate coagulation of injected slurry,a bonding repair algorithm is further proposed based on the ZE model.To verify the accuracy of the proposed simulator,a series of simulations about slurry migration in single fractures and fracture networks are numerically reproduced,and the results align well with analytical and laboratory test results.Furthermore,these numerical results show that neglecting the influence of geostress condition can lead to a serious over-estimation of slurry migration range and reinforcement effectiveness.After validations,a series of simulations about tunnel grouting reinforcement and tunnel excavation in fault fracture zones with varying fracture densities under different geostress conditions are conducted.Based on these simula-tions,the influence of geostress conditions and the optimization of grouting schemes are discussed.

Evaluation of excavation damaged zones(EDZs)in Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory(URL)

Excavation of underground caverns,such as mountain tunnels and energy-storage caverns,may cause the damages to the surrounding rock as a result of the stress redistribution.In this influenced zone,new cracks and discontinuities are created or propagate in the rock mass.Therefore,it is effective to measure and evaluate the acoustic emission(AE)events generated by the rocks,which is a small elastic vibration,and permeability change.The authors have developed a long-term measurement device that incorporates an optical AE(O-AE)sensor,an optical pore pressure sensor,and an optical temperature sensor in a single multi-optical measurement probe(MOP).Japan Atomic Energy Agency has been conducting R&D activities to enhance the reliability of high-level radioactive waste(HLW)deep geological disposal technology.In a high-level radioactive disposal project,one of the challenges is the development of methods for long-term monitoring of rock mass behavior.Therefore,in January 2014,the long-term measurements of the hydro-mechanical behavior of the rock mass were launched using the developed MOP in the vicinity of 350 m below the surface at the Horonobe Underground Research Center.The measurement results show that AEs occur frequently up to 1.5 m from the wall during excavation.In addition,hydraulic conductivity increased by 2e4 orders of magnitude.Elastoplastic analysis revealed that the hydraulic behavior of the rock mass affected the pore pressure fluctuations and caused micro-fractures.Based on this,a conceptual model is developed to represent the excavation damaged zone(EDZ),which contributes to the safe geological disposal of radioactive waste.

Characteristics of transfer zones under the influence of preexisting faults and regional stress transformation:Wenchang A subsag,Zhujiang River Mouth Basin,northern South China Sea

A transfer zone in rift basins preserves important information on regional tectonic evolution and plays significant roles in hydrocarbon accumulation.Based on the systematic analysis of 3D seismic data and hydrocarbon accumulation conditions,the geometry,kinematics,and reservoir control of a large synthetic overlapping transfer zone in the south of the Wenchang A subsag in the Zhujiang(Pearl)River Mouth basin were investigated.Results indicate that the development and evolution of the transfer zone was controlled by the interaction between pre-existing faults and regional stress transformation.The intense rifting of the main faults of the transfer zone controlled the development of source rocks and faultcontrolled slope break paleogeomorphology.The strike-slip overprint since the Oligocene is conducive to the formation of a large-scale fault-anticline trap,and the secondary faults in the transfer zone contribute to the hydrocarbon transportation.The conjugate intersection area of the NE-and NW-trending faults offers more opportunity for hydrocarbon migration and accumulation.

Comparative Study of the Types of Photovoltaic Panels Used in Solar Pumping Systems in Dry Tropical Zones: Case of Adamawa Region in Cameroon

In the dry tropical zone where access to water is increasingly difficult for populations, solar pumping units are increasingly installed to provide water to population. In the local market, there are essentially two types of solar panels, namely monocrystalline and polycrystalline. However, the part of the local market is more dominated by the polycrystalline panel. In this work, comparative studies are carried out in order to characterize the two types of solar panels with regard to local constraints. Tests were carried out over the course of the sun to establish the performance of each type. The panels used have the same electrical characteristics and are connected to loads with same characteristics. Under the set operating conditions, the monocrystalline panel presents more performance than the polycrystalline panel. Although the local market is dominated by the polycrystalline panel, dust deposition tests on the surface of the panels show that the performance of the polycrystalline panel is more affected compared to the performance of the monocrystalline panel.

The Tenth Anniversary of Free Trade Pilot Zones in China:Fundamental Experiences and Enhancement Strategies

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China,the country has established 21 Free Trade Pilot Zones(FTZs),achieving significant pioneering results in reform and opening up and creating a strong demonstrative effect nationwide.The basic experience from a decade of FTZs includes:adhering to the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee;combining top-level design with encouragement of grassroots innovation;leveraging the distinct characteristics and strengths of FTZs to form a differentiated development pattern;maintaining the integration of opening up with domestic reforms;using openness to drive reforms;and organically combining openness with national security assurance.Under the current and future new circumstances,China’s FTZs face new challenges and tasks.In accordance with the directives of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China,an enhancement strategy for the FTZs needs to be implemented.This involves the following:First,accurately understanding and responding to the changing situation to create strategic opportunities.Second,shifting paradigms to implement innovation-driven strategies,using the new development pattern concept to guide the reform experiments and construction of the FTZs.Third,granting more autonomy to FTZs for reforms,pursuing progress while maintaining stability,and solidly advancing the reform experiments in the FTZs.Fourth,orderly expanding the opening up of the service sector and cautiously advancing the internationalization of the renminbi.Fifth,promoting innovative development in trade to build a strong trade nation.Sixth,establishing synergy with bilateral FTZs,Belt and Road cooperation,and national diplomatic strategies to enhance the linkage effect.

Research on Disciplines in China’s Local Universities from the Perspective of Special Zones

China's local colleges and universities are the main force of China's higher education.Due to the limited construction funds,weak discipline foundation and other reasons,China's local colleges and universities generally face the embarrassment of weak discipline.How to break the constraints of the traditional management system,concentrate and efficiently allocate limited resources to achieve the overall improvement of the discipline construction level,the successful experience of China's special economic zones provides model reference and construction guidance for Chinese local universities.This study takes the subject special zones of local universities in China as the research object,chooses the theoretical system of economics and institutional theory as the logical starting point of the research,constructs the research framework of three dimensions of idea value,system design and action strategy,takes the reform of special economic zones as the institutional model and practice reference,and carries out the research from five dimensions of reform subject,logic,path,idea and strategy.Explore the effective development path of the rise of discipline construction.

Zones of Openness China’s reforms in its free trade zones offer opportunities to the world

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in 2012,the construction of pilot free trade zone has emerged as a strategically important approach for China’s reform and opening up efforts.These zones exemplify China’s proactive and open strategy,serving as a key driver for promoting high-quality development.In September 2013,China launched its first pilot free trade zone,China(Shanghai)Pilot Free Trade Zone.Over the past decade,21 additional pilot free trade zones have been established across the country.This expansion has created a comprehensive reform and opening up innovation agenda that spans the eastern,western,southern,northern,and central regions,while integrating coastal,inland,and border areas.

Numerical analysis of water-alternating-CO_(2) flooding for CO_(2)-EOR and storage projects in residual oil zones

Residual oil zones(ROZs)have high residual oil saturation,which can be produced using CO_(2) miscible flooding.At the same time,these zones are good candidates for CO_(2) sequestration.To evaluate the coupled CO_(2)-EOR and storage perfor-mance in ROZs for Water-Alternating-CO_(2)(WAG)flooding,a multi-compositional CO_(2) miscible model with molecular diffusion was developed.The effects of formation parameters(porosity,permeability,temperature),operation parameters(bottom hole pressure,WAG ratio,pore volume of injected water),and diffusion coeffcient on the coupled CO_(2)-EOR and storage were investigated.Five points from the CO_(2) sequestration curve and the oil recovery factor curve were selected to help better analyze coupled CO_(2)-EOR and storage.The results demonstrate that enhanced performance is observed when formation permeability is higher and a larger volume of water is injected.On the other hand,the performance diminishes with increasing porosity,molecular diffusion of gas,and the WAG ratio.When the temperature is around 100℃,coupled CO_(2)-EOR and storage performance is the worst.To achieve optimal miscible flooding,it is recommended to maintain the bottom hole pressure(BHP)of the injection well above 1.2 minimum miscibility pressure(MMP),while ensuring that the BHP of the production well remains sufficiently high.Furthermore,the tapered WAG flooding strategy proves to be profitable for enhanced oil recovery,as compared to a WAG ratio of 0.5:1,although it may not be as effective for CO_(2) sequestration.

Reservoir heterogeneity controls of CO_(2)-EOR and storage potentials in residual oil zones:Insights from numerical simulations

Residual oil zones(ROZs)have large potential for CO_(2)enhanced oil recovery(EOR)and geologic storage.During CO_(2)injection,the migration of CO_(2)in ROZs controls the performance of both EOR and storage.However,it has not been clearly visualized and understood that how geological heterogeneity factors control the transport of CO_(2)in ROZs.In this study,the oil recovery performance and geologic storage potential during continuous CO_(2)injection in a representative ROZ are studied based on geostatistical modelling and high-fidelity three-phase flow simulation.We examined the influence of autocorrelation length of permeability,global heterogeneity(DykstraeParsons coefficient),and permeability anisotropy on cumulative oil recovery and CO_(2)retention fraction.Simulation results indicate that,as the permeability autocorrelation length increases,the cumulative oil recovery and CO_(2)storage efficiency decrease.This results from the accelerated migration of CO_(2)along high permeability zones(i.e.,gas channeling).The increase in global heterogeneity and permeability anisotropies can lead to low oil recovery and poor CO_(2)sequestration performance,depending on the degree of CO_(2)channeling.The net utilization ratio of CO_(2)(CO_(2)retained/oil produced)unfavorably increases with both autocorrelation length and Dykstra eParsons coefficient,but decreases with the increase in kv/kh.Such a decrease is attributed to enlarged swept volume induced by gravity override.The study provides important implications for fieldscale CO_(2)EOR and storage applications in ROZs.

Characterizing large-scale weak interlayer shear zones using conditional random field theory

The shear behavior of large-scale weak intercalation shear zones(WISZs)often governs the stability of foundations,rock slopes,and underground structures.However,due to their wide distribution,undulating morphology,complex fabrics,and varying degrees of contact states,characterizing the shear behavior of natural and complex large-scale WISZs precisely is challenging.This study proposes an analytical method to address this issue,based on geological fieldwork and relevant experimental results.The analytical method utilizes the random field theory and Kriging interpolation technique to simplify the spatial uncertainties of the structural and fabric features for WISZs into the spatial correlation and variability of their mechanical parameters.The Kriging conditional random field of the friction angle of WISZs is embedded in the discrete element software 3DEC,enabling activation analysis of WISZ C2 in the underground caverns of the Baihetan hydropower station.The results indicate that the activation scope of WISZ C2 induced by the excavation of underground caverns is approximately 0.5e1 times the main powerhouse span,showing local activation.Furthermore,the overall safety factor of WISZ C2 follows a normal distribution with an average value of 3.697.

Variations in Surface Urban Heat Island and Urban Cool Island Intensity:A Review Across Major Climate Zones

The climate has an impact on the urban thermal environment,and the magnitude of the surface urban heat island(SUHI)and urban cool island(UCI)vary across the world’s climatic zones.This literature review investigated:1)the variations in the SUHI and UCI intensity under different climatic backgrounds,and 2)the effect of vegetation types,landscape composition,urban configuration,and water bodies on the SUHI.The SUHI had a higher intensity in tropical(Af(tropical rainy climate,Köppen climate classification),Am(tropical monsoon climate),subtropical(Cfa,subtropical humid climate),and humid continental(Dwa,semi-humid and semi-arid monsoon climate)climate zones.The magnitude of the UCI was low compared to the SUHI across the climate zones.The cool and dry Mediterranean(Cfb,temperate marine climate;Csb,temperate mediterranean climate;Cfa)and tropical climate(Af)areas had a higher cooling intensity.For cities with a desert climate(BWh,tropical desert climate),a reverse pattern was found.The difference in the SUHI in the night-time was greater than in the daytime for most cities across the climate zones.The extent of green space cooling was related to city size,the adjacent impervious surface,and the local climate.Additionally,the composition of urban landscape elements was more significant than their configuration for sustaining the urban thermal environment.Finally,we identified future research gaps for possible solutions in the context of sustainable urbanization in different climate zones.

Early Triassic Volcanic Rocks in the Western Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone:Implications for the Opening of the Neo-Tethys Ocean

In this study,zircon U-Pb dating of volcanic rocks from the Zhongba ophiolite of the Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone(YZSZ)in southern Xizang(Tibet)yielded an age of 247±3 Ma.According to whole rock geochemical and Sr-NdPb isotopic data,the Early Triassic samples could be divided into two groups:Group 1 with P-MORB affinity,showing initial^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios of 0.70253–0.70602,ε_(Nd)(t)values of 4.2–5.3,(^(206)Pb/^(204)Pb)_(t)ratios of 16.353–18.222,(^(207)Pb/^(204)Pb)_(t)ratios of 15.454–15.564,and(^(208)Pb/^(204)Pb)_(t)ratios of 35.665–38.136;Group 2 with OIB affinity,showing initial^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios of 0.70249–0.70513,ε_(Nd)(t)values of 4.4–4.9,(^(206)Pb/^(204)Pb)_(t)ratios of 17.140–18.328,(^(207)Pb/^(204)Pb)_(t)ratios of 15.491–15.575,and(^(208)Pb/^(204)Pb)_(t)ratios of 36.051–38.247.Group 2 rocks formed by partial melting of the mantle source enriched by a former plume,and assimilated continental crustal material during melt ascension.The formation of Group 1 rocks corresponds to the mixing of OIB melts,with the same components as Group 2 and N-MORBs.The Zhongba Early Triassic rocks belong to the continental margin type ophiolite and formed in the continental–oceanic transition zone during the initial opening of the Neo-Tethys in southern Xizang(Tibet).

Improving creep strength of the fine-grained heat-affected zone of novel 9Cr martensitic heat-resistant steel via modified thermo-mechanical treatment

The infamous type Ⅳ failure within the fine-grained heat-affected zone (FGHAZ) in G115 steel weldments seriously threatens the safe operation of ultra-supercritical (USC) power plants.In this work,the traditional thermo-mechanical treatment was modified via the replacement of hot-rolling with cold rolling,i.e.,normalizing,cold rolling,and tempering (NCT),which was developed to improve the creep strength of the FGHAZ in G115 steel weldments.The NCT treatment effectively promoted the dissolution of preformed M_(23)C_(6)particles and relieved the boundary segregation of C and Cr during welding thermal cycling,which accelerated the dispersed reprecipitation of M_(23)C_(6) particles within the fresh reaustenitized grains during post-weld heat treatment.In addition,the precipitation of Cu-rich phases and MX particles was promoted evidently due to the deformation-induced dislocations.As a result,the interacting actions between precipitates,dislocations,and boundaries during creep were reinforced considerably.Following this strategy,the creep rupture life of the FGHAZ in G115 steel weldments can be prolonged by 18.6%,which can further push the application of G115 steel in USC power plants.

Vibration Control of A Flexible Marine Riser System Subject to Input Dead Zone and Extraneous Disturbances

An observer-based adaptive backstepping boundary control is proposed for vibration control of flexible offshore riser systems with unknown nonlinear input dead zone and uncertain environmental disturbances.The control algorithm can update the control law online through real-time data to make the controller adapt to the environment and improve the control precision.Specifically,based on the adaptive backstepping framework,virtual control laws and Lyapunov functions are designed for each subsystem.Three direction interference observers are designed to track the timevarying boundary disturbance.On this basis,the inverse of the dead zone and linear state transformation are used to compensate for the original system and eliminate the adverse effects of the dead zone.In addition,the stability of the closed-loop system is proven by Lyapunov stability theory.All the system states are bounded,and the vibration offset of the riser converges to a small area of the initial position.Finally,four examples of flexible marine risers are simulated in MATLAB to verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller.