Explore the vast range of titles available.

The mode superposition method has been widely used for the seismic response analysis of two-dimensional (2D) sites to enhance computational efficiency. However, this method lacks a guideline of modal truncation to control errors of acceleration responses. In this paper, the mode contribution coefficient of acceleration is proposed to be used as a criterion for modal truncation in the seismic acceleration response analysis of soil layers. Comparative analysis with the modal participation mass and modal contribution factor demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed factor for the modal truncation of acceleration responses. The computational accuracy of the method for calculating acceleration from displacement using the central difference scheme is verified, which would further improve the computational efficiency in calculating site acceleration responses. A homogeneous soil site and a scarp topography site show that the proposed factor for modal truncation effectively controls the computational error of soil acceleration responses. Additionally, computing acceleration time histories from displacement time histories via the central difference method yields errors comparable to those from directly computing generalized coordinate accelerations. However, modal truncation based on modal participation mass or modal contribution factor results in fewer modes retained and larger computational errors.

Soil mixtures with various materials such as scraps of rubber tire, iron powder, and synthetic fibers have been widely used in civil engineering for experimental research or infrastructure construction and maintenance. However, these materials are not only expensive, but may also result in environmental concerns. In recent years, sawdust, because of its light-weight, inexpensive, and environmental friendly characteristics, has frequently been used in the shaking table test to adjust the dynamic properties of experimental soil. However, the dynamic properties of a sand-sawdust mixture for the shaking table test are still unclear. In this paper, the dynamic properties and the hysteresis curve characteristics of the sand-sawdust mixture as well as the influence of the sawdust content and confining pressure on the dynamic properties were studied using a series of consolidated drained dynamic triaxial tests. The test results show that, with the increase of the shear strain, the shape of the hysteresis loops changes from symmetrical willow-leaf to asymmetry sharp-leaf. For a given confining pressure, both the shear modulus and damping ratio decreases as the sawdust percentage increases. It was observed that, with an increase in confining pressure, the shear modulus increased while the damping ratio decreased slightly in the shear strain range of 10−3 to 7 × 10−3. It was also observed that the maximum shear modulus increased as the confining pressure increased, while the maximum damping ratio remained nearly constant. In addition, both the maximum shear modulus and the maximum damping ratio decreased as the sawdust content increased. Finally, the normalized shear modulus and damping ratio were established, which can be used in simulations using the shaking table test.

PurposeThe main objectives of this paper are to develop a novel perturbation method (PM) to solve the complex-orthogonal eigenvalue problem and further propose an exact complex mode superposition method (CMSM) for the non-proportionally rate-independent damped systems.Design/methodology/approachA novel PM is developed to solve the eigenvalue problem. The PM reduced the N-order generalized complex eigenvalue problem into a set of n algebraic equations by the perturbation theory. The convergence and accuracy of the PM are demonstrated by several numerical examples. Further, an exact CMSM is presented. The influences of the imaginary part response of the modal coordinate and the off-diagonal elements of the damping matrix as well as the modal truncation on the solution by CMSM are discussed to illustrate the effectiveness of the developed CMSM.FindingsThe eigenvalues obtained by PM would converge to the exact ones with the increase of the modal numbers. For seismic response, the influence of the imaginary part solutions of the modal coordinate would increase with the increase of the coupling factor. The contribution of higher modes to acceleration response is greater than that to the displacement. The cumulative mode contribution coefficient of acceleration is developed to estimate the numbers of the complex modes for the acceleration seismic response by the CMSM.Originality/value1. An eigenvalue perturbation method for a rate-independent damped system is proposed. 2. PM is carried out by the real mode and accomplishes the reduction of the matrix. 3. CMSM is established for rate-independent damped systems. 4. CMSM considers the effect of imaginary part solutions of the modal coordinate. 5. Modal truncation index is developed to estimate the complex mode number for CMSM.

A modularized and air adjustable constructed submerged plant bed (CSPB) which can be used to restore the eutrophic water is introduced in this paper. This plant bed helps hydrophyte grow under poor conditions such as frequently changed water depth, impaired water transparency, algae bloom and substantial duckweed in summer, which are not naturally suitable for growing hydrophyte. This pilot study in Waihuan River of Tianjin, China, revealed that reduction of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) by the use of CSPB could be reached 30%-35%, 35%-40%, 30%-40% respectively in the growing season (from March to October) and 5%-10%, 5%-15%, 7%-20% respectively in the winter (from November to February) when the detention time was 6 d. The relationships between the concentration of COD, TN, TP and the detention time fit the first-order kinetic equation well and the coefficients of determination ( R 2) were all above 0.9. The attenuation coefficients k of the kinetic equation were a function of the water temperature. When the water temperature was quite low or quite high, k was not significantly changed with increasing or decreasing water temperature. While when the temperature was in a moderate range, an increase or decrease of water temperature would lead to a rapid increase or decrease in k.

Large, distributed collections of miniaturized, wireless electronic devices 1 , 2 may form the basis of future systems for environmental monitoring 3 , population surveillance 4 , disease management 5 and other applications that demand coverage over expansive spatial scales. Aerial schemes to distribute the components for such networks are required, and—inspired by wind-dispersed seeds 6 —we examined passive structures designed for controlled, unpowered flight across natural environments or city settings. Techniques in mechanically guided assembly of three-dimensional (3D) mesostructures 7 – 9 provide access to miniature, 3D fliers optimized for such purposes, in processes that align with the most sophisticated production techniques for electronic, optoelectronic, microfluidic and microelectromechanical technologies. Here we demonstrate a range of 3D macro-, meso- and microscale fliers produced in this manner, including those that incorporate active electronic and colorimetric payloads. Analytical, computational and experimental studies of the aerodynamics of high-performance structures of this type establish a set of fundamental considerations in bio-inspired design, with a focus on 3D fliers that exhibit controlled rotational kinematics and low terminal velocities. An approach that represents these complex 3D structures as discrete numbers of blades captures the essential physics in simple, analytical scaling forms, validated by computational and experimental results. Battery-free, wireless devices and colorimetric sensors for environmental measurements provide simple examples of a wide spectrum of applications of these unusual concepts. With a design inspired by wind-dispersed seeds, a series of three-dimensional passive fliers at the macro-, meso- and microscale are realized that can bear active electronic payloads.

Beta-2 microglobulin (β2M) is acknowledged as a prognostic biomarker for B-cell malignancies. However, insights into the impact of β2M on B-cell malignancy risk, and vice versa, are limited. We conducted a genome-wide meta-analysis (GWMA), bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) analysis, and pathway enrichment analysis to explore the causal relationship between β2M and B-cell malignancies and the underlying biological processes. The GWMA identified 55 lead SNPs across five genomic regions (three novel: WDR72, UMOD, and NLRC5) associated with β2M. In the UKB, genetically predicted β2M showed a positive association with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL; odds ratio [OR]: 1.742 per standard deviation increase in β2M; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.215-2.498; = 3.00 × 10 ; FDR = 7.50× 10 ) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL; OR: 2.270; 95% CI: 1.525-3.380; = 5.15 × 10 ; FDR =2.58 × 10 ). However, no associations were found with follicular lymphoma (FL), chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL), or multiple myeloma (MM). Reverse TSMR analysis revealed no association between genetically predicted B-cell malignancies and β2M. In FinnGen, β2M was found to be associated with an increased risk of DLBCL (OR: 2.098; 95% CI: 1.358-3.242; = 8.28 × 10 ; FDR = 4.14 × 10 ), HL (OR: 1.581; 95% CI: 1.167-2.142; = 3.13 × 10 ; FDR = 5.22 × 10 ), and FL (OR: 2.113; 95% CI: 1.292-3.455; = 2.90 × 10 ; FDR = 5.22 × 10 ). However, no association was found with CLL or MM. Reverse TSMR analysis indicated that genetically predicted DLBCL, FL, and MM may perturb β2M levels. Pathway enrichment analysis suggested that the innate immune system represents a convergent biological process underlying β2M, DLBCL, and HL. Our findings suggested that elevated levels of β2M were associated with an increased risk of DLBCL and HL, which is potentially linked to dysfunction of the innate immune system.

Obesity is a global epidemic in the industrialized and developing world, and many children suffer from obesity-related complications. Gut microbiota dysbiosis might have significant effect on the development of obesity. The microbiota continues to develop through childhood and thus childhood may be the prime time for microbiota interventions to realize health promotion or disease prevention. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the structure and function of pediatric gut microbiota. According to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, twenty-three normal weight and twenty-eight obese children were recruited from Nanjing, China. Genomic DNA was extracted from fecal samples. The V4 region of the bacterial 16S rDNA was amplified by PCR, and sequencing was applied to analyze the gut microbiota diversity and composition using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. The number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) showed a decrease in the diversity of gut microbiota with increasing body weight. The alpha diversity indices showed that the normal weight group had higher abundance and observed species than the obese group (Chao1: < 0.001; observed species: < 0.001; PD whole tree: < 0.001; Shannon index: = 0.008). Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) revealed significant differences in gut microbial community structure between the normal weight group and the obese group. The liner discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) analysis showed that fifty-five species of bacteria were abundant in the fecal samples of the normal weight group and forty-five species of bacteria were abundant in the obese group. In regard to phyla, the gut microbiota in the obese group had lower proportions of Bacteroidetes (51.35%) compared to the normal weight group (55.48%) ( = 0.030). There was no statistical difference in Firmicutes between the two groups ( = 0.436), and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes between the two groups had no statistical difference ( = 0.983). At the genus level, , , and were significantly more abundant in the obese group than in the normal weight group ( = 0.048, = 0.018, < 0.001, = 0.040, and = 0.003, respectively). The fecal microbiota of children in the obese group had lower proportions of and compared to the normal weight group ( = 0.002 and = 0.002, respectively). Our results showed a decrease in gut microbiota abundance and diversity as the BMI increased. Variations in the bacterial community structure were associated with obesity. Gut microbiota dysbiosis might play a crucial part in the development of obesity in Chinese children.

Wearable and implantable bioelectronics that can interface for extended periods with highly mobile organs and tissues across a broad pH range would be useful for various applications in basic biomedical research and clinical medicine. The encapsulation of these systems, however, presents a major challenge, as such devices require superior barrier performance against water and ion penetration in challenging pH environments while also maintaining flexibility and stretchability to match the physical properties of the surrounding tissue. Current encapsulation materials are often limited to near-neutral pH conditions, restricting their application range. In this work, we report a liquid-based encapsulation approach for bioelectronics under extreme pH environments. This approach achieves high optical transparency, stretchability, and mechanical durability. When applied to implantable wireless optoelectronic devices, our encapsulation method demonstrates outstanding water resistance in vitro, ranging from extremely acidic environments (pH = 1.5 and 4.5) to alkaline conditions (pH = 9). We also demonstrate the in vivo biocompatibility of our encapsulation approach and show that encapsulated wireless optoelectronics maintain robust operation throughout 3 months of implantation in freely moving mice. These results indicate that our encapsulation strategy has the potential to protect implantable bioelectronic devices in a wide range of research and clinical applications. Medical devices face stability challenges in extreme pH conditions. Here, the authors report a liquid-based encapsulation approach that achieves year-long encapsulation in acidic conditions

Overexpression of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) in tumor cells is often associated with poor prognosis. The established mechanisms through which MCT1 and its mediated lactate transport drive tumor progression are manifold. The classical mechanisms include fostering metabolic symbiosis among tumor cells, dampening the immune function of immune cells, and spurring tumor angiogenesis. Beyond these, new findings of MCT1’s role in tumor progression have emerged. These new findings highlight MCT1’s involvement in mediating the reverse Warburg effect, inhibiting ferroptosis, promoting protective autophagy, and augmenting tumor glycolysis. When acetate serves as a transport substrate for MCT1, additional mechanisms come into play. These encompass MCT1’s participation in the acetylation of histone H3K27 and its role in upregulating c-Myc levels. Several studies have demonstrated that while selective MCT1 inhibitors can effectively impede tumor progression, they also face notable challenges. To address these, combining MCT1 inhibitors with other drugs appears to hold more promise.

PurposePlasma spraying is a mature, efficient, and widely applied surface treatment technology. However, the high-energy consumption and harmful gas emissions are still obstacles to achieving clean production by plasma spraying. Considering that the various process parameters of plasma spraying have great impacts on both on coating performance and environmental impact, this study attempts to improve the greenness of plasma spraying including environmental and mechanical properties, through optimizing the process parameters.MethodsThe greenness of plasma spraying means to achieve the balance of reducing environmental impact and improving the mechanical performance of coating. In this work, a Fe-based coating is prepared by plasma spraying on the basis of an L9 (34) orthogonal experiment with various process parameters, i.e., power, powder feeding speed, gun speed, and track pitch. A complete life cycle assessment (LCA) study is conducted to quantify and evaluate the environmental impact of plasma spraying. In addition, the microhardness and porosity of the Fe-based coating are investigated to evaluate the mechanical performance. Finally, grey relational analysis (GRA) is used to realize multiobjective decision-making and improve the greenness of plasma spraying.Results and discussionLCA results show that electricity contributes most to the environmental impact of plasma spraying. When hydropower is supplied, the environmental impacts can be significantly reduced by 46.65%. Based on the L9 (34) orthogonal experiment and GRA, five optimized plasma spraying schemes are proposed, i.e., microhardness optimality, porosity optimality, environmental optimality, greenness optimality, and enhanced greenness optimality. The verification shows that the enhanced greenness optimality of plasma spraying is improved by 11.83% compared with the greenness optimality.ConclusionIn this study, we propose a method to evaluate and improve the greenness of plasma spraying both in environmental and mechanical performance through the integration of LCA and GRA, which can be adopted to optimize the spraying process parameters in real sustainable production.