The loaded matrix:neurotrophin-enriched hydrogels for stem cell brain repair in Parkinson's disease

More than 200 years after Parkinson's disease was first described by the English surgeon whose name would eventually be given to the condition,available treatments remain purely symptomatic,leaving a critical unmet clinical need for a diseasemodifying therapy.

High Fe‑Loading Single‑Atom Catalyst Boosts ROS Production by Density Effect for Efficient Antibacterial Therapy

The current single-atom catalysts(SACs)for medicine still suffer from the limited active site density.Here,we develop a synthetic method capable of increasing both the metal loading and mass-specific activity of SACs by exchanging zinc with iron.The constructed iron SACs(h^(3)-FNC)with a high metal loading of 6.27 wt%and an optimized adjacent Fe distance of~4 A exhibit excellent oxidase-like catalytic performance without significant activity decay after being stored for six months and promising antibacterial effects.Attractively,a“density effect”has been found at a high-enough metal doping amount,at which individual active sites become close enough to interact with each other and alter the electronic structure,resulting in significantly boosted intrinsic activity of single-atomic iron sites in h^(3)-FNCs by 2.3 times compared to low-and medium-loading SACs.Consequently,the overall catalytic activity of h^(3)-FNC is highly improved,with mass activity and metal mass-specific activity that are,respectively,66 and 315 times higher than those of commercial Pt/C.In addition,h^(3)-FNCs demonstrate efficiently enhanced capability in catalyzing oxygen reduction into superoxide anion(O_(2)·^(−))and glutathione(GSH)depletion.Both in vitro and in vivo assays demonstrate the superior antibacterial efficacy of h^(3)-FNCs in promoting wound healing.This work presents an intriguing activity-enhancement effect in catalysts and exhibits impressive therapeutic efficacy in combating bacterial infections.

A proposed directional function and wind-wave directional spectrum

A directional function for frequencies equal to and larger than the peak frequency of a wind-wave frequency spectrum is constructed by fitting the angular spreading based on the analytically derived directional spectrum of Wen et al. (1993, Journal of Oceanography, 49(2), 131～147, 149～172). For frequencies smaller than the peak frequency, the directional function is obtained by comparing and analyzing existing formulas. The nondimensional wind-wave frequency spectrum of Wen et al. (1994, Progress in Natural Seience, 4(4). 407～427;4 (5), 586～596) has been used together with the directional function just mentioned to obtain the directional spectrum for easier application.

Examination of wind-wave interaction source term in WAVEWATCH Ⅲ with tropical cyclone wind forcing

Results of drag coefficient（CD） from field observations and laboratory wave tank experiments indicate that the operational wave model can overestimate wind energy input under high wind conditions. The wind-wave interaction source term in WAVEWATCH Ⅲ has been modified to examine its behavior with tropical cyclone wind forcing. Using high resolution wind input,numerical experiments under idealized wind field and tropical cyclone Bonnie（1998） were designed to evaluate performance of the modified models. Both experiments indicate that the modified models with reduced CD significantly decrease wind energy input into the wave model and then simulate lower significant wave height（SWH） than the original model. However,the effects on spatial distribution of SWH,mean wavelength,mean wave direction,and directional wave spectra are insignificant. Due to the reduced wind energy input,the idealized experiment shows that the modified models simulate lower SWH than the original model in all four quadrants. The decrease in the front quadrants is significantly larger than that in the rear quadrants;it is larger under higher winds than lower winds. The realistic experiment on tropical cyclone Bonnie shows that the modified model with the various downward trends of CD in high winds creates a simulation that agrees best with scanning radar altimeter observations.

Dependence of sea surface drag coefficient on wind-wave parameters

The relationships between sea surface roughness z 0 and wind-wave parameters are analyzed,and spurious self-correlations are found in all of the parameterization schemes.Sea surface drag coefficient C D is fitted by four wind-wave parameters that are wave age,wave steepness,windsea Reynolds number R B and R H ,and the analyzed data are divided into laboratory,field and combined data sets respectively.Comparison and analysis of dependence of C D on wind-wave parameters show that R B can fit the C D most appropriately.Wave age and wave steepness are not suitable to fit C D with a narrow range data set.When the value of wave age has a board range,R H is not suitable to fit C D either.Three relationships between C D and R B are integrated into the bulk algorithm COARE to calculate the observational friction velocity,and the results show that the relationship between C D and R B which is fitted with field data set can describe the momentum transfer in the open ocean,under low-moderate wind speed condition,most appropriately.

Parameters in wind-wave frequency spectra and their bearings on spectrum forms and growth

The spectrum variance m0, peak frequency ω0 and peakness factor p are expressed in terms of nondimensional fetch and duration by making use of relations which are derived through comparing and analyzing existing empirical formulas for the growth of significant wave height and period. The main features of spectrum growth as specified by these parameters agree with those of the JONS-WAP experiments. For given wind speed and fetch, the high frequency parts beyond the peaks of shallow water spectra almost coincide with that of the corresponding deep water spectrum, whereas the low frequency parts differ appreciably. The method developed in this paper predicts smaller significant wave height as well as smaller wave period for shallow water spectra in contrast to the theoretical result of Kitaigorodskii ef al, in which the peak frequency, and consequently the significant wave period, remains basically unchanged for different water depths. Spectra are further reduced to a form in which only significant wave height and period are left as parameters, the peakness factor being replaced by the wave steepness through an empirical relation between them. Spectra in this form have been verified by observations.

EFFECT OF WATER DEPTH ON WIND-WAVE FREQUENCY SPECTRUM I. SPECTRAL FORM

Wen et al.'s method developed to obtain wind-wave frequency spectrum in deep water was used to derive the spectrum in finite depth water. The spectrum S(ω) (ω being angular frequency) when normalized with the zeroth moment m0 and peak frequency ω0, contains in addition to the peakness factor P= ω0S(ω0)/m0, a depth parameter ω= (2πm0)1/2/d (d being water depth), so the spectrum behavior can be studied for different wave growth stages and water depths.

EFFECT OF WATER DEPTH ON WIND-WAVE FREQUENCY SPECTRUM Ⅱ. VERIFICATION AND COMPARISON

The spectrum derived in Part 1 of the presert paper is here systematically verified with field data andcompared at some length with that obtained by multiplying the deep-water spectrum with theKitaigorodskii factor.

Effects of Wind-Wave Misalignment on a Wind Turbine Blade Mating Process:Impact Velocities,Blade Root Damages and Structural Safety Assessment

Most wind turbine blades are assembled piece-by-piece onto the hub of a monopile-type offshore wind turbine using jack-up crane vessels.Despite the stable foundation of the lifting cranes,the mating process exhibits substantial relative responses amidst blade root and hub.These relative motions are combined effects of wave-induced monopile motions and wind-induced blade root motions,which can cause impact loads at the blade root’s guide pin in the course of alignment procedure.Environmental parameters including the wind-wave misalignments play an important role for the safety of the installation tasks and govern the impact scenarios.The present study investigates the effects of wind-wave misalignments on the blade root mating process on a monopile-type offshore wind turbine.The dynamic responses including the impact velocities between root and hub in selected wind-wave misalignment conditions are investigated using multibody simulations.Furthermore,based on a finite element study,different impact-induced failure modes at the blade root for sideways and head-on impact scenarios,developed due to wind-wave misalignment conditions,are investigated.Finally,based on extreme value analyses of critical responses,safe domain for the mating task under different wind-wave misalignments is compared.The results show that although misaligned wind-wave conditions develop substantial relative motions between root and hub,aligned wind-wave conditions induce largest impact velocities and develop critical failure modes at a relatively low threshold velocity of impact.

Mechanical responses of anchoring structure under triaxial cyclic loading

Dynamic load on anchoring structures(AS)within deep roadways can result in cumulative damage and failure.This study develops an experimental device designed to test AS under triaxial loads.The device enables the investigation of the mechanical response,failure mode,instability assessment criteria,and anchorage effect of AS subjected to combined cyclic dynamic-static triaxial stress paths.The results show that the peak bearing strength is positively correlated with the anchoring matrix strength,anchorage length,and edgewise compressive strength.The bearing capacity decreases significantly when the anchorage direction is severely inclined.The free face failure modes are typically transverse cracking,concave fracturing,V-shaped slipping and detachment,and spallation detachment.Besides,when the anchoring matrix strength and the anchorage length decrease while the edgewise compressive strength,loading rate,and anchorage inclination angle increase,the failure intensity rises.Instability is determined by a negative tangent modulus of the displacement-strength curve or the continued deformation increase against the general downward trend.Under cyclic loads,the driving force that breaks the rock mass along the normal vector and the rigidity of the AS are the two factors that determine roadway stability.Finally,a control measure for surrounding rock stability is proposed to reduce the internal driving force via a pressure relief method and improve the rigidity of the AS by full-length anchorage and grouting modification.

Spectral Characteristics of Wind-Waves in Laboratory

Spectral characteristics of wind-generated waves in labortaory are presented on the basis of a systematic measurement in a large-scale wind-wave channel and compared with those in the field. A marked characteristics of the measured spetra is the existence of secondary spectrum-peak. The dependence of spectral peak-frequency, peak-value and zeroth-order moment on wind speed and fetch are presented and found roughly similar to those in the field represented by the JONSWAP spectrum, regardless of the differences in coefficient. The spectral slope beta at high-frequencies are found somewhat greater than those of field wind-waves in both cases of deep and shallow waters. Except for the low-frequency part, the spectral forms measured in different wind conditions are similar and fit for the JONSWAP spectrum with gamma = 6 and beta = 5.5. Some relevant problems are discussed.

Overtopping Discharge of Wind-Waves on Simple Slope Dikes

An empirical formula for estimating the overtopping discharge of wind-waves on a smooth-impermeable-simple slope dyke is derived through model tests in this paper, it can be adopted by related design departments in the determination of the crest elevation of the dyke.

Energy mechanism of bolt supporting effect to fissured rock under static and dynamic loads in deep coal mines

The stability control of fissured rock is difficult,especially under static and dynamic loads in deep coal mines.In this paper,the dynamic mechanical properties,strain rate evolution and energy dissipation of fissured and anchored rocks were respectively obtained by SHPB tests.It was found that bolt can provide supporting efficiency-improving effect for fissured rock against dynamic disturbance,and this effect increased quadratically with decrease in anchoring angles.Then,the energy dissipation mechanism of anchored rock was obtained by slipping model.Furthermore,bolt energy-absorbing mechanism by instantaneous tensile-shear deformation was expressed based on material mechanics,which was the larger the anchoring angle,the smaller the energy absorption,and the less the contribution to supporting efficiency improvement.On this basis,the functional relationship between energy dissipation of anchored rock and energy absorption of bolt was established.Taking the coal-gangue separation system of Longgu coal mine as an example,the optimal anchoring angle can be determined as 57.5°–67.5°.Field monitoring showed fissured rock with the optimal anchoring angle,can not only effectively control the deformation,but also fully exert the energy-absorbing and efficiency-improving effect of bolt itself.This study provides guidance to the stability control and supporting design for deep engineering under the same or similar conditions.

State-of-the-art on the anchorage performance of rock bolts subjected to shear load

Rock bolts are extensively utilized in underground engineering as a means of offering support and stability to rock masses in tunnels,mines,and other underground structures.In environments of high ground stress,faults or weak zones can frequently arise in rock formations,presenting a significant challenge for engineering and potentially leading to underground engineering collapse.Rock bolts serve as a crucial structural element for the transmission of tensile stress and are capable of withstanding shear loads to prevent sliding of weak zones within rock mass.Therefore,a complete understanding of the behavior of rock bolts subjected to shear loads is essential.This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of the research progress of rock bolts subjected to shear load in three categories:experiment,numerical simulation,and analytical model.The review focuses on the research studies and developments in this area since the 1970s,providing a comprehensive overview of numerous factors that influence the anchorage performance of rock bolts.These factors include the diameter and angle of the rock bolt installation,rock strength,grouting material,bolt material,borehole diameter,rock bolt preload,normal stress,joint surface roughness and joint expansion angle.The paper reviews the improvement of mechanical parameter setting in numerical simulation of rock bolt shear.Furthermore,it delves into the optimization of the analytical model concerning rock bolt shear theory,approached from the perspectives of both Elastic foundation beam theory coupled with Elastoplasticity theory and Structural mechanic methods.The significance of this review lies in its ability to provide insights into the mechanical behavior of rock bolts.The paper also highlights the limitations of current research and guidelines for further research of rock bolts.

Mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of rock bolts subjected to static-dynamic loads

This study explores the effects of dynamic and static loading on rock bolt performance a key factor in maintaining the structural safety of coal mine roadways susceptible to coal bursts.Employing a housemade load frame to simulate various failure scenarios,pretension-impact-pull tests on rock bolts were conducted to scrutinize their dynamic responses under varied static load conditions and their failure traits under combined loads.The experimental results denote that with increased impact energy,maximum and average impact loads on rock bolts escalate significantly under pretension,initiating plastic deformation beyond a certain threshold.Despite minor reductions in the yield load due to impactinduced damage,pretension aids in constraining post-impact deformation rate and fluctuation degree of rock bolts.Moreover,impact-induced plastic deformation causes internal microstructure dislocation,fortifying the stiffness of the rock bolt support system.The magnitude of this fortification is directly related to the plastic deformation induced by the impact.These findings provide crucial guidance for designing rock bolt support in coal mine roadway excavation,emphasizing the necessity to consider both static and dynamic loads for improved safety and efficiency.

A drug-loaded flexible substrate improves the performance of conformal cortical electrodes

Cortical electrodes are a powerful tool for the stimulation and/or recording of electrical activity in the nervous system.However,the inevitable wound caused by surgical implantation of electrodes presents bacterial infection and inflammatory reaction risks associated with foreign body exposure.Moreover,inflammation of the wound area can dramatically worsen in response to bacterial infection.These consequences can not only lead to the failure of cortical electrode implantation but also threaten the lives of patients.Herein,we prepared a hydrogel made of bacterial cellulose(BC),a flexible substrate for cortical electrodes,and further loaded antibiotic tetracycline(TC)and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone(DEX)onto it.The encapsulated drugs can be released from the BC hydrogel and effectively inhibit the growth of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.Next,therapeutic cortical electrodes were developed by integrating the drug-loaded BC hydrogel and nine-channel serpentine arrays;these were used to record electrocorticography(ECoG)signals in a rat model.Due to the controlled release of TC and DEX from the BC hydrogel substrate,therapeutic cortical electrodes can alleviate or prevent symptoms associated with the bacterial infection and inflammation of brain tissue.This approach facilitates the development of drug delivery electrodes for resolving complications caused by implantable electrodes.

Reinforcing effects of polypropylene on energy absorption and fracturing of cement-based tailings backfill under impact loading

Polypropylene(PP)fiber-reinforced cement-based tailings backfill(FRCTB)is a green compound material with superior crack resistance and has good prospects for application in underground mining.However,FRCTB exhibits susceptibility to dynamic events,such as impact ground pressure and blast vibrations.This paper investigates the energy and crack distribution behavior of FRCTB under dynamic impact,considering the height/diameter(H/D)effect.Split Hopkinson pressure bar,industrial computed tomography scan,and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)experiments were carried out on six types of FRCTB.Laboratory outcomes confirmed fiber aggregation at the bottom of specimens.When H/D was less than 0.8,the proportion of PP fibers distributed along theθangle direction of80°-90°increased.For the total energy,all samples presented similar energy absorption,reflectance,and transmittance.However,a rise in H/D may cause a rise in the energy absorption rate of FRCTB during the peak phase.A positive correlation existed between the average strain rate and absorbed energy per unit volume.The increase in H/D resulted in a decreased crack volume fraction of FRCTB.When the H/D was greater than or equal to 0.7,the maximum crack volume fraction of FRCTB was observed close to the incidence plane.Radial cracks were present only in the FRCTB with an H/D ratio of 0.5.Samples with H/D ratios of 0.5 and 0.6 showed similar distributions of weakly and heavily damaged areas.PP fibers can limit the emergence and expansion of cracks by influencing their path.SEM observations revealed considerable differences in the bonding strengths between fibers and the FRCTB.Fibers that adhered particularly well to the substrate were attracted together with the hydration products adhering to surfaces.These results show that FRCTB is promising as a sustainable and green backfill for determining the design properties of mining with backfill.

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.

Conservation genomic investigation of an endangered conifer,Thuja sutchuenensis,reveals low genetic diversity but also low genetic load

Endangered species generally have small populations with low genetic diversity and a high genetic load.Thuja sutchuenensis is an endangered conifer endemic to southwestern China.It was once considered extinct in the wild,but in 1999 was rediscovered.However,little is known about its genetic load.We collected 67 individuals from five wild,isolated T.sutchuenensis populations,and used 636,151 SNPs to analyze the level of genetic diversity and genetic load in T.sutchuenensis to delineate the conservation units of T.sutchuenensis,based on whole transcriptome sequencing data,as well as target capture sequencing data.We found that populations of T.sutchuenensis could be divided into three groups.These groups had low levels genetic diversity and were moderately genetically differentiated.Our findings also indicate that T.sutchuenensis suffered two severe bottlenecks around the Last Glaciation Period and Last Glacial Maximum.Among Thuja species,T.sutchuenensis presented the lowest genetic load and hence might have purged deleterious mutations efficiently through purifying selection.However,distribution of fitness effects analysis indicated a high extinction risk for T.sutchuenensis.Multiple lines of evidence identified three management units for T.sutchuenensis.Although T.sutchuenensis possesses a low genetic load,low genetic diversity,suboptimal fitness,and anthropogenic pressures all present an extinction risk for this rare conifer.This might also hold true for many endangered plant species in the mountains all over the world.

Transient response of doubly-curved bio-inspired composite shells resting on viscoelastic foundation subject to blast load using improved first-order shear theory and isogeometric approach

Investigating natural-inspired applications is a perennially appealing subject for scientists. The current increase in the speed of natural-origin structure growth may be linked to their superior mechanical properties and environmental resilience. Biological composite structures with helicoidal schemes and designs have remarkable capacities to absorb impact energy and withstand damage. However, there is a dearth of extensive study on the influence of fiber redirection and reorientation inside the matrix of a helicoid structure on its mechanical performance and reactivity. The present study aimed to explore the static and transient responses of a bio-inspired helicoid laminated composite(B-iHLC) shell under the influence of an explosive load using an isomorphic method. The structural integrity of the shell is maintained by a viscoelastic basis known as the Pasternak foundation, which encompasses two coefficients of stiffness and one coefficient of damping. The equilibrium equations governing shell dynamics are obtained by using Hamilton's principle and including the modified first-order shear theory,therefore obviating the need to employ a shear correction factor. The paper's model and approach are validated by doing numerical comparisons with respected publications. The findings of this study may be used in the construction of military and civilian infrastructure in situations when the structure is subjected to severe stresses that might potentially result in catastrophic collapse. The findings of this paper serve as the foundation for several other issues, including geometric optimization and the dynamic response of similar mechanical structures.