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.

Design,preparation,application of advanced array structured materials and their action mechanism analyses for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur battery(LSB)has brought much attention and concern because of high theoretical specific capacity and energy density as one of main competitors for next-generation energy storage systems.The widely commercial application and development of LSB is mainly hindered by serious“shuttle effect”of lithium polysulfides(Li PSs),slow reaction kinetics,notorious lithium dendrites,etc.In various structures of LSB materials,array structured materials,possessing the composition of ordered micro units with the same or similar characteristics of each unit,present excellent application potential for various secondary cells due to some merits such as immobilization of active substances,high specific surface area,appropriate pore sizes,easy modification of functional material surface,accommodated huge volume change,enough facilitated transportation for electrons/lithium ions,and special functional groups strongly adsorbing Li PSs.Thus many novel array structured materials are applied to battery for tackling thorny problems mentioned above.In this review,recent progresses and developments on array structured materials applied in LSBs including preparation ways,collaborative structural designs based on array structures,and action mechanism analyses in improving electrochemical performance and safety are summarized.Meanwhile,we also have detailed discussion for array structured materials in LSBs and constructed the structure-function relationships between array structured materials and battery performances.Lastly,some directions and prospects about preparation ways,functional modifications,and practical applications of array structured materials in LSBs are generalized.We hope the review can attract more researchers'attention and bring more studying on array structured materials for other secondary batteries including LSB.

A Hybrid Level Set Optimization Design Method of Functionally Graded Cellular Structures Considering Connectivity

With the continuous advancement in topology optimization and additive manufacturing(AM)technology,the capability to fabricate functionally graded materials and intricate cellular structures with spatially varying microstructures has grown significantly.However,a critical challenge is encountered in the design of these structures–the absence of robust interface connections between adjacent microstructures,potentially resulting in diminished efficiency or macroscopic failure.A Hybrid Level Set Method(HLSM)is proposed,specifically designed to enhance connectivity among non-uniform microstructures,contributing to the design of functionally graded cellular structures.The HLSM introduces a pioneering algorithm for effectively blending heterogeneous microstructure interfaces.Initially,an interpolation algorithm is presented to construct transition microstructures seamlessly connected on both sides.Subsequently,the algorithm enables the morphing of non-uniform unit cells to seamlessly adapt to interconnected adjacent microstructures.The method,seamlessly integrated into a multi-scale topology optimization framework using the level set method,exhibits its efficacy through numerical examples,showcasing its prowess in optimizing 2D and 3D functionally graded materials(FGM)and multi-scale topology optimization.In essence,the pressing issue of interface connections in complex structure design is not only addressed but also a robust methodology is introduced,substantiated by numerical evidence,advancing optimization capabilities in the realm of functionally graded materials and cellular structures.

Spatial structural characteristics of the Deda ancient landslide in the eastern Tibetan Plateau:Insights from Audio-frequency Magnetotellurics and the Microtremor Survey Method

It is of crucial importance to investigate the spatial structures of ancient landslides in the eastern Tibetan Plateau’s alpine canyons as they could provide valuable insights into the evolutionary history of the landslides and indicate the potential for future reactivation.This study examines the Deda ancient landslide,situated in the Chalong-ranbu fault zone,where creep deformation suggests a complex underground structure.By integrating remote sensing,field surveys,Audio-frequency Magnetotellurics(AMT),and Microtremor Survey Method(MSM)techniques,along with engineering geological drilling for validation,to uncover the landslide’s spatial feature s.The research indicates that a fault is developed in the upper part of the Deda ancient landslide,and the gully divides it into Deda landslide accumulation zoneⅠand Deda landslide accumulation zoneⅡin space.The distinctive geological characteristics detectable by MSM in the shallow subsurface and by AMT in deeper layers.The findings include the identification of two sliding zones in the Deda I landslide,the shallow sliding zone(DD-I-S1)depth is approximately 20 m,and the deep sliding zone(DD-I-S2)depth is 36.2-49.9 m.The sliding zone(DD-Ⅱ-S1)depth of the DedaⅡlandslide is 37.6-43.1 m.A novel MSM-based method for sliding zone identification is proposed,achieving less than 5%discrepancy in depth determination when compared with drilling data.These results provide a valuable reference for the spatial structural analysis of large-deepseated landslides in geologically complex regions like the eastern Tibetan Plateau.

Generalized response displacement methods for seismic analysis of underground structures with complex cross section

The response displacement method(RDM)is recommended for the seismic analysis of underground structures in the transverse direction for many codes,including bases for design of structures-seismic actions for designing geotechnical works(ISO 23469)and code for seismic design of urban rail transit structures(GB 50909-2014).However,there are some obvious limitations in the application of RDM.Springs and the shear stress of the soil could be approximately evaluated for the structures having a simple cross section,such as rectangular and circular structures.It is necessary to propose simplified seismic analysis methods for structures with complex cross sections.This paper refers to the idea of RDM and proposes three generalized response displacement methods(GRDM).In GRDM1,a part of the soil surrounding a structure is selected to generate a generalized underground structure with a rectangular cross section,and the same analysis model as RDM is applied to analyze the responses of the structure.In GRDM2,a hollow soil model without a generalized structure is used to compute the equivalent load caused by the relative displacement of the soil,and the soil-structure interaction model is applied to calculate the responses of the structure.In GRDM3,a continuous soil model is applied to compute the equivalent load caused by the relative displacement and shear stress of the soil,and the soil-structure interaction model is applied to analyze the responses of the structure,which is the same as the model used in GRDM2.The time-history analysis method(THAM)is used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed simplified methods.Results show that the error of GRDM1 is about 20%,while the error is only 5%for GRDM2 and GRDM3.Among the three proposed methods,GRDM3 has obvious advantages regarding calculation efficiency and accuracy.Therefore,it is recommended to use GRDM3 for the seismic response analysis of underground structures that have conventional simple or complex cross sections.

Current situation and development trend of design methods for subgrade structure of high speed railways

Purpose–This method will become a new development trend in subgrade structure design for high speed railways.Design/methodology/approach–This paper summarizes the structural types and design methods of subgrade bed for high speed railways in China,Japan,France,Germany,the United States and other countries based on the study and analysis of existing literature and combined with the research results and practices of high speed railway subgrade engineering at home and abroad.Findings–It is found that in foreign countries,the layered reinforced structure is generally adopted for the subgrade bed of high speed railways,and the unified double-layer or multi-layer structure is adopted for the surface layer of subgrade bed,while the simple structure is adopted in China;in foreign countries,different inspection parameters are adopted to evaluate the compaction state of fillers according to their respective understanding and practice,while in China,compaction coefficient,subsoil coefficient and dynamic deformation modulus are adopted for such evaluation;in foreign countries,the subgrade top deformation control method,the subgrade bottom deformation control method,the subsurface fill strength control method are mainly adopted in subgrade bed structure design of high speed railways,while in China,dynamic deformation control of subgrade surface and dynamic strain control of subgrade bed bottom layer is adopted in the design.However,the cumulative deformation of subgrade caused by train cyclic vibration load is not considered in the existing design methods.Originality/value–This paper introduces a new subgrade structure design method based on whole-process dynamics analysis that meets subgrade functional requirements and is established on the basis of the existing research at home and abroad on prediction methods for cumulative deformation of subgrade soil.

A Fine-Structure Constant Can Be Explained Using the Electrochemical Method

We proposed an empirical equation for a fine-structure constant: . Then, . where mp and me are the rest mass of a proton and the rest mass of an electron, respectively. In this report, using the electrochemical method, we proposed an equivalent circuit. Then, we proposed a refined version of our own old empirical equations about the electromagnetic force and gravity. Regarding the factors of 9/2 and π, we used 3.132011447 and 4.488519503, respectively. The calculated values of Tc and G are 2.726312 K and 6.673778 × 10-11 (m3⋅kg-1⋅s-2).

Non-Destructive Testing of Structures Using Optical and Other Methods: A Review

Non-destructive testing (NDT) of structures is one of the most important tasksof the proper maintenance and diagnosis of machines and constructions structuralcondition. NDT methods contribute to the damage tolerance philosophy used in theaircraft design methodology as well as many other operation and maintenance programsof machinery and constructions. The following study is focusing on overviewing animportant group of NDT methods: the optical and other ones, which found broadapplicability in scientific and industrial studies nowadays. The paper discusses theselected most widely applicable methods, namely, visual testing, ultrasonic testing,radiographic testing, infrared thermography as well as electronic speckle patterninterferometry and shearographic testing. Besides the basic principles of testing usingthese methods, their potential applications in various industrial and technologicalbranches are broadly discussed. The analysis as categorization of the NDT methodsprovided in this paper may help in selection of such methods in diagnosis of varioustypes of structures and defects and damage occurring in these structures.

Studies of Atomic Structure and Physical Properties of Metal Clusters in MgO by HREM and Nano-probe Methods

Nanometer-sized metal clusters were prepared inside single crystalline MgO films by vacuum co-deposition of metals and MgO. The atomic structure was studied by high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and nm-area electron diffraction. The size of the clusters is ranging from 1 nm to 3 nm without those larger than 5 nm, and most of them have definite epitaxial orientations with the MgO matrix films. The character of the composite films is very much useful for the studies of various kinds of physical properties with anisotroPy. The physical properties such as electric transport, magnetic, optical absorption, sintering and catalytic ones were thus measured on the same samples analyzed by HREM by using high sensitivity apparatus with interest of clarifying the retationship between the atomic structure and physical

Technical Analysis of Safety Monitoring and Evaluation of Existing Bridge Structures

Bridge structure safety monitoring and assessment has been a great concern for the government and the public,and bridge structure safety monitoring and assessment technology has also developed rapidly over the years.Its goal is to equip relevant organizations and professionals with a deep understanding of the principles and practical applications of these technologies.By doing so,it seeks to facilitate the effective implementation of safety monitoring and assessment practices in bridge management.Ultimately,the aim is to foster the constructive development of road and bridge construction and operational management at a broader level.

Numerical Simulation Investigation on Split Sleeve Cold Expansion of Ti-Al Stacked Structure

Split sleeve cold expansion(SSCX)can efiectively enhance fatigue life of holes by improving the field of residual stress.Numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the parameter influence mechanism and obtain higher compressive residual stress(CRS).Expansion method,degree of cold expansion(DCE),friction coefficient between laminations and depth-diameter ratio were analyzed.For Ti-Al stacked joint holes,two expansion methods are proposed,namely aluminum alloy first followed titanium alloy(Al first)and titanium alloy first followed aluminum alloy(Ti first).The results show that expansion method and DCE have significant efiects on the field of circumferential residual stress,and the friction has a negligible influence.A higher value of CRS and a wider layer of plastic deformation are induced with Ti first.Optimal DCE of TiAl stacked structure is 5.2%-5.6%.As the depth-diameter ratio is in the range of 0.5-1.25,a positive linear correlation between the maximum compressive residual stress(CRS_(max))and depth-diameter ratio is shown.

Galaxy Interactions in Filaments and Sheets:Effects of the Large-scale Structures Versus the Local Density

Major interactions are known to trigger star formation in galaxies and alter their color.We study the major interactions in filaments and sheets using SDSS data to understand the influence of large-scale environments on galaxy interactions.We identify the galaxies in filaments and sheets using the local dimension and also find the major pairs residing in these environments.The star formation rate(SFR) and color of the interacting galaxies as a function of pair separation are separately analyzed in filaments and sheets.The analysis is repeated for three volume limited samples covering different magnitude ranges.The major pairs residing in the filaments show a significantly higher SFR and bluer color than those residing in the sheets up to the projected pair separation of~50 kpc.We observe a complete reversal of this behavior for both the SFR and color of the galaxy pairs having a projected separation larger than 50 kpc.Some earlier studies report that the galaxy pairs align with the filament axis.Such alignment inside filaments indicates anisotropic accretion that may cause these differences.We do not observe these trends in the brighter galaxy samples.The pairs in filaments and sheets from the brighter galaxy samples trace relatively denser regions in these environments.The absence of these trends in the brighter samples may be explained by the dominant effect of the local density over the effects of the large-scale environment.

Constructing a hollow core-shell structure of RuO_(2) wrapped by hierarchical porous carbon shell with Ru NPs loading for supercapacitor

Hollow core-shell structure nanomaterials have been broadly used in energy storage, catalysis, reactor,and other fields due to their unique characteristics, including the synergy between different materials,a large specific surface area, small density, large charge carrying capacity and so on. However, their synthesis processes were mostly complicated, and few researches reported one-step encapsulation of different valence states of precious metals in carbon-based materials. Hence, a novel hollow core-shell nanostructure electrode material, RuO_(2)@Ru/HCs, with a lower mass of ruthenium to reduce costs was constructed by one-step hydrothermal method with hard template and co-assembled strategy, consisting of RuO_(2) core and ruthenium nanoparticles(Ru NPs) in carbon shell. The Ru NPs were uniformly assembled in the carbon layer, which not only improved the electronic conductivity but also provided more active centers to enhance the pseudocapacitance. The RuO_(2) core further enhanced the material’s energy storage capacity. Excellent capacitance storage(318.5 F·g^(-1)at 0.5 A·g^(-1)), rate performance(64.4%) from 0.5 A·g^(-1)to 20 A·g^(-1), and cycling stability(92.3% retention after 5000 cycles) were obtained by adjusting Ru loading to 0.92%(mass). It could be attributed to the wider pore size distribution in the micropores which increased the transfer of electrons and protons. The symmetrical supercapacitor device based on RuO_(2)@Ru/HCs could successfully light up the LED lamp. Therefore, our work verified that interfacial modification of RuO_(2) and carbon could bring attractive insights into energy density for nextgeneration supercapacitors.

Towards a Unified Single Analysis Framework Embedded with Multiple Spatial and Time Discretized Methods for Linear Structural Dynamics

We propose a novel computational framework that is capable of employing different time integration algorithms and different space discretized methods such as the Finite Element Method,particle methods,and other spatial methods on a single body sub-dividedintomultiple subdomains.This is in conjunctionwithimplementing thewell known Generalized Single Step Single Solve(GS4)family of algorithms which encompass the entire scope of Linear Multistep algorithms that have been developed over the past 50 years or so and are second order accurate into the Differential Algebraic Equation framework.In the current state of technology,the coupling of altogether different time integration algorithms has been limited to the same family of algorithms such as theNewmarkmethods and the coupling of different algorithms usually has resulted in reduced accuracy in one or more variables including the Lagrange multiplier.However,the robustness and versatility of the GS4 with its ability to accurately account for the numerical shifts in various time schemes it encompasses,overcomes such barriers and allows a wide variety of arbitrary implicit-implicit,implicit-explicit,and explicit-explicit pairing of the various time schemes while maintaining the second order accuracy in time for not only all primary variables such as displacement,velocity and acceleration but also the Lagrange multipliers used for coupling the subdomains.By selecting an appropriate spatialmethod and time scheme on the area with localized phenomena contrary to utilizing a single process on the entire body,the proposed work has the potential to better capture the physics of a given simulation.The method is validated by solving 2D problems for the linear second order systems with various combination of spatial methods and time schemes with great flexibility.The accuracy and efficacy of the present work have not yet been seen in the current field,and it has shown significant promise in its capabilities and effectiveness for general linear dynamics through numerical examples.

Failure characteristics and the damage evolution of a composite bearing structure in pillar-side cemented paste backfilling

A backfilling body-coal pillar-backfilling body(BPB)structure formed by pillar-side cemented paste backfilling can bear overburden stress and ensure safe mining.However,the failure response of BPB composite samples must be investigated.This paper examines the deformation characteristics and damage evolution of six types of BPB composite samples using a digital speckle correlation method under uniaxial compression conditions.A new damage evolution equation was established on the basis of the input strain energy and dissipated strain energy at the peak stress.The prevention and control mechanisms of the backfilling body on the coal pillar instability were discussed.The results show that the deformation localization and macroscopic cracks of the BPB composite samples first appeared at the coal-backfilling interface,and then expanded to the backfilling elements,ultimately appearing in the coal elements.The elastic strain energy in the BPB composite samples reached a maximum at the peak stress,whereas the dissipated energy continued to accumulate and increase.The damage evolution curve and equation agree well with the test results,providing further understanding of instability prevention and the control mechanisms of the BPB composite samples.The restraining effect on the coal pillar was gradually reduced with decreasing backfilling body element's volume ratio,and the BPB composite structure became more vulnerable to failure.This research is expected to guide the design,stability monitoring,instability prevention,and control of BPB structures in pillar-side cemented paste backfilling mining.

A framework for computer vision-based health monitoring of a truss structure subjected to unknown excitations

Computer vision(CV)methods for measurement of structural vibration are less expensive,and their application is more straightforward than methods based on sensors that measure physical quantities at particular points of a structure.However,CV methods produce significantly more measurement errors.Thus,computer vision-based structural health monitoring(CVSHM)requires appropriate methods of damage assessment that are robust with respect to highly contaminated measurement data.In this paper a complete CVSHM framework is proposed,and three damage assessment methods are tested.The first is the augmented inverse estimate(AIE),proposed by Peng et al.in 2021.This method is designed to work with highly contaminated measurement data,but it fails with a large noise provided by CV measurement.The second method,as proposed in this paper,is based on the AIE,but it introduces a weighting matrix that enhances the conditioning of the problem.The third method,also proposed in this paper,introduces additional constraints in the optimization process;these constraints ensure that the stiffness of structural elements can only decrease.Both proposed methods perform better than the original AIE.The latter of the two proposed methods gives the best results,and it is robust with respect to the selected coefficients,as required by the algorithm.

ANALYSIS OF 2-D THIN STRUCTURES BY THE MESHLESS REGULAR HYBRID BOUNDARY NODE METHOD

Thin structures are generally solved by the Finite Element Method(FEM),using plate orshell finite elements which have many limitations in applications,such as numerical locking,edge effects,length scaling and the cnvergence problem.Recently,by proposing a new approach to treating the nearly-siagnlar integrals,Liu et al.developed a BEM to successfully solve thin structures with the thickness-to-length ratios in the micro-or nano-scales.On the other hand,the meshless Regular Hybrid Boundary NodeMethod(RHBNM),which is proposed by the current authors and based on a modified functional and theMoving Least-Square(MIS)approximation,has very promising applications for engineering problems owingto its meshless nature and dimension-reduction advantage,and not involving any singular or nearly-singularintegrals.Test examples show that the RHBNM can also be applied readily to thin structures with high accu-racy without any modification.

Velocity-Free MS/AE Source Location Method for Three-Dimensional Hole-Containing Structures

Microseismic/acoustic emission(MS/AE)source localization method is crucial for predicting and controlling of potentially dangerous sources of complex structures.However,the locating errors induced by both the irregular structure and pre-measured velocity are poorly understood in existing methods.To meet the high-accuracy locating requirements in complex three-dimensional hole-containing structures,a velocity-free MS/AE source location method is developed in this paper.It avoids manual repetitive training by using equidistant grid points to search the path,which introduces A*search algorithm and uses grid points to accommodate complex structures with irregular holes.It also takes advantage of the velocity-free source location method.To verify the validity of the proposed method,lead-breaking tests were performed on a cubic concrete test specimen with a size of 10 cm
10 cm
10 cm.It was cut out into a cylindrical empty space with a size of/6cm
10 cm.Based on the arrivals,the classical Geiger method and the proposed method are used to locate lead-breaking sources.Results show that the locating error of the proposed method is 1.20 cm,which is less than 2.02 cm of the Geiger method.Hence,the proposed method can effectively locate sources in the complex three-dimensional structure with holes and achieve higher precision requirements.

Two-scale finite element method for piezoelectric problem in periodic structure

The prediction of the mechanical and electric properties of piezoelectric fibre composites has become an active research area in recent years. By means of introducing a boundary layer problem, some new kinds of two-scale finite element methods for solutions to the electric potential and the displacement for composite material in periodic struc- ture under the coupled piezoelectricity are derived. The coupled two-scale relation of the electric potential and the displacement is set up, and some finite element approximate es- timates and numerical examples which show the effectiveness of the method are presented.