Thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) coupled simulation of the land subsidence due to aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system in soft soils

Aquifer thermal energy storage(ATES)system has received attention for heating or cooling buildings.However,it is well known that land subsidence becomes a major environmental concern for ATES projects.Yet,the effect of temperature on land subsidence has received practically no attention in the past.This paper presents a thermo-hydro-mechanical(THM)coupled numerical study on an ATES system in Shanghai,China.Four water wells were installed for seasonal heating and cooling of an agriculture greenhouse.The target aquifer at a depth of 74e104.5 m consisted of alternating layers of sand and silty sand and was covered with clay.Groundwater level,temperature,and land subsidence data from 2015 to 2017 were collected using field monitoring instruments.Constrained by data,we constructed a field scale three-dimensional(3D)model using TOUGH(Transport of Unsaturated Groundwater and Heat)and FLAC3D(Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua)equipped with a thermo-elastoplastic constitutive model.The effectiveness of the numerical model was validated by field data.The model was used to reproduce groundwater flow,heat transfer,and mechanical responses in porous media over three years and capture the thermo-and pressure-induced land subsidence.The results show that the maximum thermoinduced land subsidence accounts for about 60%of the total subsidence.The thermo-induced subsidence is slightly greater in winter than that in summer,and more pronounced near the cold well area than the hot well area.This study provides some valuable guidelines for controlling land subsidence caused by ATES systems installed in soft soils.

Why The Constitution Should Protect Personal Credit Information?——An Approach of Right Argumentation

Protecting personal credit information through constitutional rights is not only essemtial for individuals to defend against infringements on their personal credit information rights and interests by public power in the social credit system,but also a requirement for unified legislation on social credit to explore the basis for constitutional norms.In the era of the credit economy,personal credit information has become a vital resource for realizing personal autonomy.Along with the increase in the state’s supervision and control of personal credit,the realization of the autonomous value in the interests related to personal credit information has also set more obligations for the state.Therefore,interests related to personal credit information should be regarded as a constitutional right.Because of its significant economic interest and value,the right to personal credit information should be classified as a constitutional property right.As a constitutional property right,the right to personal credit information can not only help protect people’s economic interests,but also achieve the goal of safeguarding their personality interests.

Comparative Study on Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Through the Perspective of Constitution Theory in Huangdi Neijing and Hippocrates Corpus

This article compares the constitution theory of Huangdi Neijing 《黄帝内经》 and Hippocrates Corpus 《希波克拉底文集》 from three aspects:theory,philosophical ideas,and influence on later generations,to analyze the similarities and differences between two medical systems representing TCM and Western medicine in their early stages of origin.From the comparison and analysis of two books’ history,specific theories in constitution,philosophical characteristics and values in history,we can have a deeper perspective to compare TCM and Western medicine,and have a clearer idea for the development of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

Tuning mechanical behaviors of highly entangled hydrogels with the random distribution of mobile entanglements

Highly entangled hydrogels exhibit excellent mechanical properties,including high toughness,high stretchability,and low hysteresis.By considering the evolution of randomly distributed entanglements within the polymer network upon mechanical stretches,we develop a constitutive theory to describe the large stretch behaviors of these hydrogels.In the theory,we utilize a representative volume element(RVE)in the shape of a cube,within which there exists an averaged chain segment along each edge and a mobile entanglement at each corner.By employing an explicit method,we decouple the elasticity of the hydrogels from the sliding motion of their entanglements,and derive the stress-stretch relations for these hydrogels.The present theoretical analysis is in agreement with experiment,and highlights the significant influence of the entanglement distribution within the hydrogels on their elasticity.We also implement the present developed constitutive theory into a commercial finite element software,and the subsequent simulations demonstrate that the exact distribution of entanglements strongly affects the mechanical behaviors of the structures of these hydrogels.Overall,the present theory provides valuable insights into the deformation mechanism of highly entangled hydrogels,and can aid in the design of these hydrogels with enhanced performance.

An improved strain-softening constitutive model of granite considering the effect of crack deformation

This paper presents an improved strain-softening constitutive model considering the effect of crack deformation based on the triaxial cyclic loading and unloading test results.The improved model assumes that total strain is a combination of plastic,elastic,and crack strains.The constitutive relationship between the crack strain and the stress was further derived.The evolutions of mechanical parameters,i.e.strength parameters,dilation angle,unloading elastic modulus,and deformation parameters of crack,with the plastic strain and confining pressure were studied.With the increase in plastic strain,the cohesion,friction angle,dilation angle,and crack Poisson's ratio initially increase and subsequently decrease,and the unloading elastic modulus and the crack elastic modulus nonlinearly decrease.The increasing confining pressure enhances the strength and unloading elastic modulus,and decreases the dilation angle and Poisson's ratio of the crack.The theoretical triaxial compressive stress-strain curves were compared with the experimental results,and they present a good agreement with each other.The improved constitutive model can well reflect the nonlinear mechanical behavior of granite.

Experimental study of the damage characteristics of rocks containing non-penetrating cracks under cyclic loading

The damage evolution process of non-penetrating cracks often causes some unexpected engineering disasters.Gypsum specimens containing non-penetrating crack(s)are used to study the damage evolution and characteristics under cyclic loading.The results show that under cyclic loading,the relationship between the number of non-penetrating crack(s)and the characteristic parameters(cyclic number,peak stress,peak strain,failure stress,and failure strain)of the pre-cracked specimens can be represented by a decreasing linear function.The damage evolution equation is fitted by calibrating the accumulative plastic strain for each cycle,and the damage constitutive equation is proposed by the concept of effective stress.Additionally,non-penetrating cracks are more likely to cause uneven stress distribution,damage accumulation,and local failure of specimen.The local failure can change the stress distribution and relieve the inhibition of non-penetrating crack extension and eventually cause a dramatic destruction of the specimen.Therefore,the evolution process caused by non-penetrating cracks can be regarded as one of the important reasons for inducing rockburst.These results are expected to improve the understanding of the process of spalling formation and rockburst and can be used to analyze the stability of rocks or rock structures.

The Concept of Human Rights in the Constitution and Its Functional Significance

To practice the constitutional provision that “The state respects and protects human rights”, we should clarify its connotation. The understanding of human rights is a natural requirement and the key. In domestic academia, human rights are considered natural rights and interpreted as “moral rights that everyone should enjoy as a human being”, hoping to provide theoretical support for the development of the system centered on the basic rights of citizens in China.Although it reveals the universal moral connotation of human rights, it does not cover the normative connotation of human rights as common international standards. Therefore, it is impossible to fully clarify the functional significance of the provision. It is conducive to scientifically clarifying the relationship between human rights and basic civil rights,better improving the institutional protection of human rights in China,and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind to interpret human rights as common international standards that everyone should enjoy for human dignity based on the development of the international legal order under the Charter of the United Nations since the end of the World War Ⅱ.

Nonlinear constitutive models of rock structural plane and their applications

Structural planes play an important role in controlling the stability of rock engineering,and the influence of structural planes should be considered in the design and construction process of rock engineering.In this paper,mechanical properties,constitutive theory,and numerical application of structural plane are studied by a combination method of laboratory tests,theoretical derivation,and program development.The test results reveal the change laws of various mechanical parameters under different roughness and normal stress.At the pre-peak stage,a non-stationary model of shear stiffness is established,and threedimensional empirical prediction models for initial shear stiffness and residual stage roughness are proposed.The nonlinear constitutive models are established based on elasto-plastic mechanics,and the algorithms of the models are developed based on the return mapping algorithm.According to a large number of statistical analysis results,empirical prediction models are proposed for model parameters expressed by structural plane characteristic parameters.Finally,the discrete element method(DEM)is chosen to embed the constitutive models for practical application.The running programs of the constitutive models have been compiled into the discrete element model library.The comparison results between the proposed model and the Mohr-Coulomb slip model show that the proposed model can better describe nonlinear changes at different stages,and the predicted shear strength,peak strain and shear stiffness are closer to the test results.The research results of the paper are conducive to the accurate evaluation of structural plane in rock engineering.

A thermodynamics-based three-scale constitutive model for partially saturated granular materials

A three-scale constitutive model for unsaturated granular materials based on thermodynamic theory is presented.The three-scale yield locus,derived from the explicit yield criterion for solid matrix,is developed from a series of discrete interparticle contact planes.The three-scale yield locus is sensitive to porosity changes;therefore,it is reinterpreted as a corresponding constitutive model without phenomenological parameters.Furthermore,a water retention curve is proposed based on special pore morphology and experimental observations.The features of the partially saturated granular materials are well captured by the model.Under wetting and isotropic compression,volumetric compaction occurs,and the degree of saturation increases.Moreover,the higher the matric suction,the greater the strength,and the smaller the volumetric compaction.Compared with the phenomenological Barcelona basic model,the proposed three-scale constitutive model has fewer parameters;virtually all parameters have clear physical meanings.

Investigation of FRP and SFRC Technologies for Efficient Tunnel Reinforcement Using the Cohesive Zone Model

Amid urbanization and the continuous expansion of transportation networks,the necessity for tunnel construction and maintenance has become paramount.Addressing this need requires the investigation of efficient,economical,and robust tunnel reinforcement techniques.This paper explores fiber reinforced polymer(FRP)and steel fiber reinforced concrete(SFRC)technologies,which have emerged as viable solutions for enhancing tunnel structures.FRP is celebrated for its lightweight and high-strength attributes,effectively augmenting load-bearing capacity and seismic resistance,while SFRC’s notable crack resistance and longevity potentially enhance the performance of tunnel segments.Nonetheless,current research predominantly focuses on experimental analysis,lacking comprehensive theoretical models.To bridge this gap,the cohesive zone model(CZM),which utilizes cohesive elements to characterize the potential fracture surfaces of concrete/SFRC,the rebar-concrete interface,and the FRP-concrete interface,was employed.A modeling approach was subsequently proposed to construct a tunnel segment model reinforced with either SFRC or FRP.Moreover,the corresponding mixed-mode constitutive models,considering interfacial friction,were integrated into the proposed model.Experimental validation and numerical simulations corroborated the accuracy of the proposed model.Additionally,this study examined the reinforcement design of tunnel segments.Through a numerical evaluation,the effectiveness of innovative reinforcement schemes,such as substituting concrete with SFRC and externally bonding FRP sheets,was assessed utilizing a case study from the Fuzhou Metro Shield Tunnel Construction Project.

Parameter calibration of the tensile-shear interactive damage constitutive model for sandstone failure

The tensile-shear interactive damage(TSID)model is a novel and powerful constitutive model for rock-like materials.This study proposes a methodology to calibrate the TSID model parameters to simulate sandstone.The basic parameters of sandstone are determined through a series of static and dynamic tests,including uniaxial compression,Brazilian disc,triaxial compression under varying confining pressures,hydrostatic compression,and dynamic compression and tensile tests with a split Hopkinson pressure bar.Based on the sandstone test results from this study and previous research,a step-by-step procedure for parameter calibration is outlined,which accounts for the categories of the strength surface,equation of state(EOS),strain rate effect,and damage.The calibrated parameters are verified through numerical tests that correspond to the experimental loading conditions.Consistency between numerical results and experimental data indicates the precision and reliability of the calibrated parameters.The methodology presented in this study is scientifically sound,straightforward,and essential for improving the TSID model.Furthermore,it has the potential to contribute to other rock constitutive models,particularly new user-defined models.

The Dynamic System Theory of Legal Protection for Personal Information Rights Infringement

The advent of the big data era has presented unprecedented challenges to remedies for personal information infringement in areas such as damage assessment,proof of causation,determination of illegality,fault assessment,and liability.Traditional tort law is unable to provide a robust response for these challenges,which severely hinders human rights protection in the digital society.The dynamic system theory represents a third path between fixed constitutive elements and general clauses.It both overcomes the rigidity of the“allor-nothing”legal effect evaluation mechanism of the“element-effect”model and avoids the uncertainty of the general clause model.It can effectively enhance the flexibility of the legal system in responding to social changes.In light of this,it is necessary to construct a dynamic foundational evaluation framework for personal information infringement under the guidance of the dynamic system theory.By relying on the dynamic interplay effect of various foundational evaluation elements,this framework can achieve a flexible evaluation of the constitutive elements of liability and the legal effects of liability for personal information infringement.Through this approach,the crisis of personal information infringement in the era of big data can be mitigated,and the realization of personal information rights as digital human rights can be promoted.

Research Status of Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution Theory in Insomnia

With the development of modern bio-psycho-social medical model and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitution theory,we gradually realize that the exploration of the constitution characteristics of insomnia is of great significance for the reveal of the origin of insomnia and the innovation of its treatment and nursing methods.This paper focused on the analysis of the investigation of TCM constitution classification of insomnia and the application of TCM constitution theory in the treatmentand nursing of insomnia.Moreover,the research prospect of insomnia in TCM constitution was discussed.The purpose is to provide theoretical basis for the treatment and nursing of patients with insomnia based on analysis of constitution differentiationin the future,and to better serve the clinic.

Reliability and validity of the Tibetan medicine constitution scale: a cross-sectional study of the general population in Beijing, China

Background:The constitutional theory is an important aspect of Tibetan medicine,however a quantitative measurement tool for constitution identification still does not exist.The objective of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of a Tibetan medicine constitution scale(TMCS)that consists of three sub-scales and 31 items.Methods:From June to July 2019,622 people from the general population in Beijing,China,aged 18 to 60 were investigated.We employed Cronbach’s alpha(α),split-half reliability,and test-retest reliability to determine the reliability of the scale.The content validity and contract validity of the TMCS were evaluated using factor analysis and correlation analysis based on Tibetan medicine theory.The items were screened according to the reliability test results.Results:After the items were screened,22 items remained in the scale.The Cronbach’s alpha value for the internal consistency reliability of the TMCS was 0.754(95%confidence interval(CI):0.700–0.761).The correlation coefficient for the two-week test-retest of the total score was 0.726(95%CI:0.571–0.834).The split-half coefficient was 0.689(95%CI:0.640–0.734).The scale can be explained by eight potential factors,including morphological structure,physiological function,personality,adaptability,etc.The body mass index was negatively correlated with the score of the sub-rlung scale(r=−0.376),slightly positively correlated with the sub-mkhris pa scale(r=0.099),and positively correlated with the sub-bad kan scale(r=0.362).Conclusion:The TMCS is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used to assess the body constitution of the general population in Beijing,China.Future studies are needed to explore the differences in biological characteristics among the constitutional types and the association between constitution and disease.

The theory development of traditional Chinese medicine constitution: a review

Traditional Chinese medicine constitution (TCMC),as one of the most important parts of Chinese medicine theory,attracted the attention of more and more researchers and many research projects were conducted during past several decades in China's Mainland.This review provided a historic overview of TCMC theory and research progress in its classification,evaluation criteria and epidemiology,so as to give people through a different lens to understand human health.

Correlation between Tibetan and traditional Chinese medicine body constitutions: A cross-sectional study of Tibetan college students in the Tibet Autonomous Region

Objective:To evaluate the correlation between the body constitution types of Tibetan medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).Methods:The cluster sampling method was employed to recruit participants from a university in the Tibet Autonomous Region.Tibetan medicine and TCM questionnaires were respectively used to assess the participants' constitution information.Descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the baseline and constitution characteristics of the participants.Two-factor correlation analysis and the paired chi-square test were applied to analyze the correlation between Tibetan and TCM constitution types.Results:Data from 466 Tibetan students were analyzed.The mean scores of the rlung,mkhris pa,and bad kan constitution types in Tibetan medicine were 43.2 (11.1),42.1 (10.1),and 45.0 (8.0),respectively;participants with the three-factor convergence body constitution type accounted for 13.7% of the whole population.Among the TCM constitution types,qi stagnation was the most common (21.5%),followed by the balance type (16.5%);the other constitutions detected were qi deficiency,yin deficiency,and yang deficiency.The rate of consistency for the identification of the three-factor convergence constitution in Tibetan medicine and the balance constitution in TCM was 89.1%,with a Kappa coefficient of 0.57 (P >.05).The rlung constitution in Tibetan medicine was associated with the yin deficiency,yang deficiency,and blood stasis constitutions in TCM.The mkhhris pa constitution in Tibetan medicine was associated with the damp heat and yin deficiency constitutions in TCM.The bad kan constitution in Tibetan medicine was associated with the phlegm dampness,qi deficiency,and yin deficiency constitutions in TCM.Conclusion:There is a correlation between the body constitution types of Tibetan medicine and TCM.The reliability and validity of the Questionnaire for TibetanMedicine Constitution requires improvement,and more studies with larger sample sizes and more varied populations are warranted to verify the correlation between Tibetan medicine and TCM constitutions.

Association between body-constitution type and vascular endothelial dysfunction: A cross-sectional study in an adult obese/ overweight population

Objective:To measure vascular endothelial function (VED) in obese/overweight people grouped according to the constitutional theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).We wished to predict the risk of VED and cardiovascular diseases in obese/overweight populations.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study.Eighty-six obese/overweight volunteers from Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital were enrolled and divided into four groups based on body-constitution type:phlegm dampness (PD);phlegm dampness with blood stasis (PDBS);qi-deficiency (QD);balance (BA).Height,weight,waist circumference and hip circumference were measured,and percent body fat and reactive hyperemia index (RHI) calculated.Levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF),von Willebrand factor (vWF) and plasma endothelial-1 (ET-1) were detected by immunohistochemistry.Results:The RHI and vWF levels in the PDBS group were significantly lower than those in the BA group and QD group (P <.05),but there was no significant difference compared with the PD group (P >.05).These two indicators displayed no significant differences among BA,QD,and PD groups (P >.05).There was no significant difference among the four groups in level of ET-1 or VEGF (P >.05).Conclusion:Of the four indicators selected,the RHI and vWF displayed significant differences between the PDBS group and BA group,and between the PDBS group and QD group.Hence,in an obese/overweight population with different constitutional types,compared with BA and QD groups,a relatively higher risk of suffering from VED was detected in the PDBS group.Meanwhile,this study provides the experimental basis for confirming the feasibility of constitutional classification in obese/overweight population.

On the New Constitution of Cuba

Recently, Cuba, the only socialist country in the Western Hemisphere,approved its second constitution, the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, since the victory of the 1959 revolution. On the surface, this constitution is the fourth revision of the 1976 Constitution. However, due to the wide scope of the revision and the significant content involved, it is essentially a brand new constitution.The new constitution not only reflects major changes in Cuba’s political,economic, social and diplomatic fields over the past 40 years, but also marks the Cuban Communist government’s thinking and planning on the sustainable development of Cuban socialism in the 21 st century so as to ensure that it is irreversible and will not radically change. This revision of the Constitution is the most significant political reform since the victory of the Cuban Revolution in1959 and will lead to a major and far-reaching impact on Cuba’s future development in the fields of politics, economy, society and diplomacy.

Structure and function of the fecal-associated microbiome in qi stagnation constitution

Objective:To clarify the structural and functional characteristics of the gut microbiota in individuals with qi stagnation constitution(QSC)and identify the potential biomarkers related to QSC.Methods:This cross-sectional study involved individuals with QSC and balanced constitution(BC)confirmed by TCM clinicians.The clinical features were recorded,and fecal samples were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing.The structure of the fecal-associated microbiome(FAM)was described by the alpha-diversity indexes,beta-distances,and relative abundances of dominant taxa.The differences in FAM distribution were analyzed by the Wilcoxon rank-sum test,MetagenomeSeq,and LEfSe analysis.The 16S rDNA gene sequences were assigned to the KEGG dataset to predict the functional information of bacterial metabolic pathways by using PICRUSt.Differences in functional pathways between groups were assessed with the Wilcoxon rank-sum test.The ROC curve based on specific operational taxonomic units(OTUs)was constructed,and the AUC was calculated.Results:Twenty-two individuals with BC and 8 with QSC were recruited.Significant differences between the two groups were found in body mass index,health status,and low-density lipoprotein,etc.There was no significant difference in the alpha-diversity index.PCoA showed no evident clustering of bacterial communities according to constitutions.Bacteroidaceae,Lachnospiraceae,Ruminococcaceae,and Prevotellaceae were the four common bacteria with high abundances.Notably,MetagenomeSeq,LEfSe analysis,and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test identified significantly different distributions of 66,42,and 36 OTUs,respectively.Predictive function analysis showed that 13 metabolic pathways were significantly differentially distributed,including those related to fatty acid synthesis.Five specific OTUs were selected as potential biomarkers of a QSC,and the AUC was 0.94.Conclusion:Individuals with QSC have unique FAM structure and related functional characteristics.Five specific OTUs were identified to serve as potentially effective biomarkers related to QSC.

Unified description of different soils based on the superloading and subloading concepts

Geotechnical engineering often involves different types of geomaterials,such as sandy soil and clayey soil.Existing studies have confirmed that these soils have some common features,i.e.their mechanical behaviors depend not only on the inherent characteristics but also on their initial states.To describe the main mechanical behaviors of different soils within a simple and reasonable constitutive framework is of great significance for the numerical analysis on geotechnical engineering.This paper first introduces a model based on the concepts of superloading and subloading,which considers the“state dependence”(effects of overconsolidation and structure)of soil and only adds two material parameters compared with the Cam-Clay model.Secondly,conventional triaxial tests are systematically carried out on four types of soils(i.e.sand,silty clay,clay,and intermediate soil)with different initial void ratios,and the mechanical similarities and differences of these soils are discussed uniformly.After that,six material parameters of these soils are uniformly determined based on the concepts of superloading and subloading,and then used in constitutive calculations to verify the feasibility.The calculated results show a good agreement with test data,indicating that the model based on the concepts of superloading and subloading has great potential for describing the general mechanical behaviors of different soils within a unified framework.This work is expected to be applied to constitutive selection and parameter determination in the geotechnical numerical analysis of complex soil profiles.