Search

Typhoon-induced rockslide-debris avalanches are among the most dramatic geohazard in coastal mountainous regions, which commonly result in serious casualties and economic loss. In September 2016, typhoon "Catfish" attacked the Su Village in Southeastern China and triggered a devastating rockslide-debris avalanche. The detached mass traveled 1000 m, generated a powerful air blast, and resulted in 27 deaths. In this study, we performed a thorough survey to investigate the avalanche characteristics and damages caused by air blasts. Meanwhile, numerical modeling and video analysis were conducted to investigate the avalanche dynamics and impacts of the air blast. Results indicated that the avalanche movement lasted for approximately 60 s with a maximum velocity of 42 m/s. The entrainment effect greatly enlarged the avalanche volume and extended the avalanche runout. Moreover, the generated air blast indicated a maximum pressure of 2.5 kPa and caused tree breakage beyond the avalanche runout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow avalanche‐induced air‐blasts are capable of breaking trees, damaging buildings and causing fatalities. Predicting their destructive properties is an essential part of snow avalanche hazard mitigation. Here, we propose a depth‐averaged model that involves turbulent fluctuations to simulate the air‐blast dynamics. The turbulent energy of the air‐blast arises from that of dust‐mixed air transferred from the avalanche core, shearing work in the cloud and entrained air, and is exploited to improve the air entrainment and drag relationships. We further present a unique data set of air blast‐induced tree breakage, providing type, status, diameter and falling direction of the measured trees. Through case studies of two artificially released avalanches with measured powder heights and three natural avalanches with tree‐breakage information, we test the model and investigate the turbulence effect on air‐blast dynamics. The proposed model and tree‐breakage data set quantify the air‐blast destructiveness and can be applied for avalanche hazard assessment. Plain Language Summary: Snow avalanche‐induced air‐blasts are common natural hazards in high‐altitude regions. They are fully turbulent mixtures of ice dust and gases capable of causing damage and human fatalities far beyond the avalanche deposits, representing a major threat to societies in avalanche‐prone environments. In this study, we propose a robust numerical model that accounts for the turbulent fluctuations to simulate the air‐blast dynamics. An unprecedented data set of air blast‐induced tree breakage in three natural snow avalanches is further presented. Using five case studies in Switzerland, of which two artificial avalanches and three natural avalanches with tree‐breakage data, we test the model and investigate the impact of turbulence on air‐blast dynamics. Results suggest great performances of the proposed model in calculating the air‐blast height, impact area and dynamic pressure. Turbulent fluctuations play an important role in the travel resistance and air entrainment of the air‐blast, and can magnify the maximum pressure several times larger than the mean value. The new air‐blast hazard model gives promising perspectives for estimations of snow avalanche hazards, and the tree‐breakage data set can serve as a calibration basis for future more accurate numerical avalanche models. Key Points: An unprecedented tree breakage data set is presented to quantify the magnitude and reach of the air‐blast generated by three snow avalanchesThe forest destruction is simulated with a depth‐averaged avalanche model to calculate the pressures induced by snow avalanche air‐blastsTurbulence can magnify the air‐blast pressure several times larger than the mean value, acting at frequencies near the tree frequencies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock collapse with large volumes can attain high speeds during their freefall motion. The impact of such a falling mass on the ground surface can initiate a powerful air blast with far-field destructive impact. To investigate the formation, disaster-causing mechanism and dynamic characteristics of rock collapse-induced air blasts, an existing coupled discrete-element method (DEM)–computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is employed on a rock collapse-generated air blast in Zengziyan, China (ZRC). The generated air blast shows a maximum velocity of over 50 m/s and subsequently dissipated rapidly. The high consistency between the simulated air blast dynamics and the video verified the DEM–CFD coupled method in the air blast modeling. Combined with the ZRC-induced air blast analysis, a simplified generalized model was designed to observe the potential effect of geomorphology. Results highlight the great contribution of geomorphology, to both air blast initiation and propagation. Collapsed rock mass with a free fall motion is prone to generate significant air blasts when colliding with the slope surface. Tremendous energy was transferred to the surrounding air at the moment. Compared with falling straight down, air blasts resulting from an airborne trajectory case show a longer propagation because the collapsed materials impart air a higher initial momentum parallel to the slope surface. In addition, air blast propagation in wide distribution areas in comparison to narrow valleys shows greater attenuation. This study will aid in understanding the mechanism of a rock collapse-induced air blast as well as the forward simulation of similar events for risk assessment. Highlights: DEM-CFD coupled method provides good performance in simulating the air blast dynamics. Large rock collapse with a free fall motion is prone to generate powerful air blasts when colliding with the slope surface. Geomorphology is greatly influential in both air blast initiation and propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On August 10, 2019, typhoon "Lekima" and the associated heavy rainfall triggered a large landslide in Yongjia County, Zhejiang, China. The sliding mass blocked the river, resulted in an air blast and barrier lake disaster chain, and caused 32 deaths. A thorough survey was performed to investigate the characteristics and possible failure mechanisms of the event. The landslide initiation is caused by the combination of rock mass characteristics, wind load, heavy rainfall, and human activities. The presence of roots and cracks in the strongly weathered tuff provides preferential infiltration channels for the rainwater penetration, causing the rapid destabilization of the slope. Furthermore, we used the dynamic model RAMMS and empirical equations to analyze the disaster-causing process of the landslide. Results indicated that the landslide movement lasted for about 30 s with a maximum velocity of 21 m/s. The generated air blast shows a maximum pressure of 1.7 kPa and caused tree breakage on the opposite side of the river. Subsequently, the sliding mass blocked the river and generated a landslide dam with a maximum thickness of about 14 m. Its combination with heavy rainfall led to the rise of the upstream water level and the submersion of houses in the Shanzao village within 20 min. Our work is expected to improve the understanding of typhoon-induced large landslides and promote the risk assessment of this type of geohazard in coastal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the issues of complex manufacturing processes and unstable bonding after individual manufacturing in current soft manipulator forming methods, this study investigated the mechanical characteristics of a pneumatically driven soft-picking manipulator formed by the stereolithography (SLA) process and evaluated its application in grasping fruits and vegetables. The soft-picking manipulator mainly consists of three soft actuators designed in an integrated folded structure to simplify the manufacturing process compared to a conventional one. A finite element model (FEM) of the actuator was created to analyze the bending deformation capability under different pressures, and the simulated results match well with the experimental ones. Under the 60 kPa pressure, the maximum grasping force for fingertip- and envelope-grasping is 3.94 N and 8.87 N, respectively. The grasping tests of several fruits and vegetables of different weights and sizes by the soft manipulator were examined, and the results showed that the manipulator has strong adaptability. For spherical and elongated fruits and vegetables, the completion time for grasping is approximately 8.59 ± 1.26 s and 10.99 ± 1.79 s, respectively, and for irregularly shaped ones, the pressure is increased accordingly to the increased grasping stability. This study may provide a basis for the development of a soft manipulator for sorting and picking fruits and vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intravenous-cardiac leiomyomatosis is an uncommon tumor arising from invasive uterine leiomyomata, with nodular masses extending into the inferior vena cava, right heart chamber, and even pulmonary arteries or lung. This report describes two cases of intravenous leiomyomatosis invading the right heart. A total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and intravenous leiomyomata was performed. However, the intracardiac tumor was pulled apart, and the residual tumor remained unchanged at the 4-year follow-up in one patient. Its early diagnosis might be difficult because cardiac symptoms only develop once the tumor extends into the right heart or pulmonary arteries, resulting in cardiac insufficiency. The treatment depends on radical resection of pelvic and intravenous leiomyomatosis and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aromatization mechanisms of ligustilide (1), a versatile monomeric phthalide, were investigated. DFT calculations combined with control experiments prove that the aromatization could result from direct oxidation by triplet oxygen in mild conditions with no catalyst, which is generally thought to be difficult. Moreover, it is predicted that the aromatization could rapidly clear away the harmful-to-organism singlet oxygen, which may be relevant to the general antioxidation activity of phthalides, providing a new point of view to understand the bioactivity from chemical reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An end-to-end network combining deep learning and broad learning system. • The network has an incremental learning ability. • A pose estimation method based on a cooperative mark with concentric circles. • Superior computing speed on CPU. This paper proposes an efficient relative localization and object detection network (AeroNet) based on incremental learning for minimalistic high-speed cooperative navigation of aerial-ground unmanned vehicles in cluttered environments. Due to highly limited computation capability and memory resources in micro-UAVs, YOLO series are applied as the baseline of object detection network, and a lightweight backbone is built based on the depthwise separable convolution. To improve the real-time performance, the detection head is formulated with broad learning system. Besides, 6D relative pose estimation is achieved via equation fitting of an elliptical cooperative mark. To verify the effectiveness of AeroNet, experiments are conducted on Intel NUC and NVIDIA TX2 with our self-collected dataset. Results show that AeroNet can progressively increase the accuracy of object detection to 89%, and the computational time is only 76ms on Intel NUC and 28ms on Nvidia TX2, respectively, which meet the need of real-time requirement of on-board calculation in micro-UAV avionics systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a prevalent cancer type with a poor prognosis. As a form of programmed cell death, pyroptosis has been implicated in cancer growth, invasion, and metastasis. To investigate the relationship between pyroptosis and the prognosis of ESCC, we analyzed the expression profiles and clinical data of patients with ESCC, obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases, using bioinformatics analysis. Univariate Cox, multivariate Cox, and LASSO Cox regression analyses were conducted to develop a pyroptosis-related prognostic model (riskScore). CIBERSORT and MCPcounter algorithm evaluated the proportion of various immune infiltrating cells. Tissues from 16 patients were collected to verify the expression of key pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), western blot, and immunohistochemical assays. Additionally, functional assays were performed in ESCC cell lines KYSE-150 and ECA-109 to examine the role of key PRGs. Among 25 pyroptosis-related regulators, 12 genes exhibited differential expression between tumor and normal tissues. Based on the differential expression of PRGs, we identified two subgroups with distinct clinical and molecular features. We further established a pyroptosis-related model with high prognostic value. In addition, we found a significant association of PRGs and riskScore with immune cell infiltration and the response rate of immunotherapy. Furthermore, we confirmed the low expression of WFDC12 in ESCC. Cellular assays demonstrated that the knockdown of WFDC12 in ESCC cell lines promoted cell proliferation and migration. Collectively, our findings highlight the critical role of PRGs in the development and prognosis of ESCC, while our riskScore could accurately predict the prognosis and immunogenicity of ESCC. Finally, our preliminary evidence suggests a protective role of WFDC12 in ESCC in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of hydrogen gases has expanded significantly in chemical industry due to its contribution to the decarbonization. The temperatures and pressures of hydrogen gases should be managed to satisfy the different hydrogen consumers that leads to considerable energy consumption. Such a serious challenge highlights the importance of work-heat integration for energy savings of hydrogen networks. Towards this end, a superstructure-based method is proposed for the work-heat integration specific to hydrogen allocation network, wherein the complex thermophysical properties of hydrogen are represented via an accurate surrogate model derived from the data of process simulation. To perform the optimal design of the system, a mixed integer nonlinear programming model is formulated to reflect all considered work-heat interactive relationship and constraints in hydrogen networks. Two examples are studied. The 10.8% reduction in the net power consumption and 44.3% decrease in the total annual cost have shown the superiority of the proposed method. [Display omitted] • Work-heat integration is combined with the hydrogen allocation network. • A surrogate model was developed for hydrogen allocation network. • The surrogate model considers the rigorous thermophysical properties of hydrogen. • Two cases were investigated to prove advantages of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment and construction of energy and transport-related infrastructure are closely linked to the achievement of sustainable development goals. China's infrastructure-led foreign investment, technical integration, and tourism with Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries have maintained exponential growth. This growth certainly has an impact on economic development mode and environmental sustainability. Therefore, this study examines the impact of infrastructure-led Chinese outward foreign direct investment, tourism development, and technology innovation on carbon emissions across the selected BRI node countries and respective regions. This study employs cross-sectional autoregressive distributive lag model to deal with parameters and cross-sectional heterogeneity. The results exhibit that foreign direct investment and technology innovation reduces carbon emissions in the long run, while tourism development and its interaction with foreign direct investment led to higher emissions in the overall BRI sample. In contrast, the regional estimates show significant variations in the magnitude and direction of the relationship, where foreign direct investment produces an emissions-increasing effect in South Asian and MENA countries. Moreover, the results support the validity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in overall and regional samples. These results are also endorsed by common correlated effects means group estimator and imply relevant policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large ice/rock avalanches have been known to generate extremely powerful air blasts capable of causing fatalities and destruction far beyond the runout of the movement mass. Thus, an appraisal of their possible destructive air blast should be considered during the risk assessments. However, much less is known about how avalanche-induced air blasts occur and how destructive they are. Here an existing DEM-CFD coupled method was innovatively employed to quantitatively analyze the initiation and propagation mechanism of the air blast caused by the largest ice-rock avalanche during Nepal's 2015 Gorkha earthquake, and compared the results with some recorded events. Our results highlighted the contribution of valley morphology to air blast generation. Large high-velocity ice/rock avalanches that have an airborne trajectory or a travel path with turning points can suddenly release tremendous energy and more probably cause destructive air blasts. Additionally, the Langtang air blast presented a propagation of 1 km from the avalanche impact point and equivalent destruction to an EF2–EF5 tornado, causing mass casualties. The large impact region and destructive force of avalanche-induced air blasts suggests their disastrous consequences that should provoke assessment of such type of cascading effect during the landslide risk assessment, especially for the long-term sustainability of planned infrastructure in high-altitude regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This bedside-to-bench study aimed to systematically investigate the value of applying BMP2-loaded calcium phosphate cement (BMP2-CPC) in the restoration of large-scale alveolar bone defects. Compared to deproteinized bovine bone (DBB), BMP2-CPC was shown to be capable of inducing a favorable pattern of bone regeneration and bone remodeling accompanied by active osteoclastogenesis and optimized biomaterial resorption when applied in reconstructive periodontally accelerated osteogenic orthodontics (PAOO) surgery. To verify the regulatory role of osteoclasts in the BMP2-CPC-induced pattern of bone regeneration, in vitro and in vivo studies were designed to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Our results revealed that osteoclasts played a multifaceted role (facilitating osteogenesis, bone remodeling and biomaterial resorption) in the BMP2-CPC-induced bone regeneration. Osteoclasts contributed to the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by secreting calcium ions, CTHRC1 and PDGF-B. Moreover, the increased osteoclasts promoted the remodeling of new bone and BMP2-CPC resorption, leading to a harmonized replacement of biomaterials with mature bone. In conclusion, the in vitro and in vivo experimental results corresponded with the clinical results and showed the optimized properties of BMP2-CPC in activating osteoclast-driven bone regeneration and remodeling, thus indicating the highly promising prospects of BMP2-CPC as an ideal therapeutic for alveolar bone defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reaction and distillation separation processes are two indispensable operating units in the chemical industry. However, a large amount of waste heat can be produced due to the presence of the reaction and distillation processes with high-temperature nature. Thus, it is of great significance to improve the economic performances of the reaction-separation processes via recovering waste heat. In the work, the recovery of waste heat from different heat sources in the reaction and distillation processes using the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system with different working fluids is investigated taking the cumene synthesis process as an example. First, two streams with higher temperature and larger flowrates from the reaction section and distillation section are determined as the driving heat sources, while the conceptual design of the ORC system assisted reaction-separation process is completed. And then, the operation parameters of the ORC system with two heat sources and eight working fluids including R113, R123, R245ca, R245fa, R600, R600a, R601, and R601a selected by heuristic rules are optimized, aiming to maximize the annual net economic revenues (NER) using the genetic algorithm. Following, the corresponding exergy analysis of the ORC schemes driven by two heat sources with different working fluids is performed. The results illustrate that the heat of heat sources from both reaction section and separation section should be utilized since the ORC system with mentioned eight working fluids can produce positive NER, and the stream from the reaction section is more suitable as the driving heat source of the ORC system compared to that from the distillation section due to higher temperature, greater flowrates, and the coexistence of both latent heat and sensible heat. Overall, working fluids R113 and R123 are the worthiest of consideration among mentioned eight working fluids in terms of NER produced and the thermodynamic efficiency (η) of the corresponding ORC system. However, the environmental damage factors of the working fluids R113 and R123 are not preferred compared to other working fluids. Comprehensively considering economic, environmental, and thermodynamic performances, R601 are the preferred working fluid to perform the recovery of waste heat from the cumene synthesis process using the ORC system. The corresponding NER are 17.98 × 104$/a and 1.90 × 104$/a, which are 9.78% and 5.00% lower than that of the ORC system using the most economic working fluid R113, and at least 8.44% (R601a) and 2.70% (R123) higher than that of the ORC system using other working fluids for two heat sources, respectively. The η of the ORC system with R601 as working fluid can reach 17.73% and 11.15% for two heat sources, respectively, are slightly lower than that of the ORC system using R113 (19.41%) and R123 (11.49%) as working fluids. • Waste heat recovery in reactive-separation process of cumene synthesis is studied. • Organic Rankine cycle is introduced to perform waste heat recovery. • Two driving heat resources are selected from the reaction and separation sections. • Eight pure working liquids are optimized to maximum net economic revenues. • Genetic algorithm is used to perform economic optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow avalanche run-out is controlled by flow regime, which is heavily dependent on snow temperature and water content. Existing avalanche models calculate temperature change and snow melting arising from frictional work, snowcover entrainment and particle collisions, but ignore the influence of the ambient air temperature. Here, we propose an experimentally-based relationship to describe the sensible heat flux between the flowing avalanche and the ambient air. A snow avalanche case study and a sensitivity analysis are performed using the proposed model. Modeling results suggest a marginal contribution of heat to the avalanche core, but one, that nonetheless can have significant effect on avalanche runout. For wet (warm) avalanches, higher air temperature will amplify water lubrication effects, leading to longer avalanche run-out. Warmer air temperatures also influence the behaviour of dry, cold avalanches, as the presence of meltwater increases snow cohesion, restricting the formation of strong powder clouds and reducing the avalanche run-out. Colder air temperatures facilitate the formation of more fluidized powder snow avalanches with long run-out and strong air-blasts. The proposed model quantifies the temperature change in the avalanche and can be included in avalanche hazard assessments in which temperature and flow regime are important elements, including the understanding of air temperature and avalanche flow in a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a hybrid waveguide-grating vortex laser emitter processed based on femtosecond laser direct writing of the Nd:YVO4 crystal. The cladding waveguide together with the fork grating features both excellent single-mode guidance and vortex diffraction properties. The confocal micro-Raman characterization results reveal the mechanism of the periodic refractive index modulation of the fork grating. Vortex lasers at the milliwatt level are achieved at a wavelength of 1064.7 nm under optical pump laser at 809.3 nm. The numerical simulation of the near-field diffraction propagation demonstrates the generation process of the vortex beams. Our results suggest that the waveguide-grating configuration is of great potential for optical-field steering applications in integrated photonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although coronary artery recanalization after myocardial infarction improves patient outcomes, inadequate ventricular remodeling following ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury and secondary cardiac fibrosis (CF) are common and can lead to heart failure. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in cardiovascular disorders. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of miRNAs in the occurrence and progression of CF has not been fully elucidated. Herein, through the construction of an I/R rat model and an angiotensin II-induced CF cell model, we evaluated the role of miR-375-3p in the progression of CF. In the I/R rat model and CF cell model, miR-375-3p promoted fibrosis by accelerating the ferroptosis of cardiomyocytes through mediating glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). Furthermore, we treated the rats or cell model with miR-375-3p antagomir (or inhibitor) and ferroptosis inhibitor Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1). The results showed that miR-375-3p antagomir (or inhibitor) and Fer-1 promoted the antioxidant capacity of cardiac fibroblasts, reduced GPX4-mediated ferroptosis process and alleviated I/R-induced CF. In conclusion, this study revealed that miR-375-3p directly targeted GPX4—an inhibitor of the ferroptosis pathway. Meanwhile, miR-375-3p can be a new potential biomarker for the prevention and treatment of CF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Series of poly(styrene sulphonic acid)-based graphene oxide liquid crystals (GOLCs) were synthesised by use of graphene oxide (GO), poly(styrene sulphonic acid), cholesteryl-containing liquid crystal and pyridinyl-based compounds in a self-assembly process. The chemical structure, liquid crystalline behaviour and antistatic property were investigated using appropriate analytical instrument and various experimental techniques. The GOLCs exhibited smectic A phase on heating cycles. The antistatic property was performed by use of a four-probe measuring instrument at different humidity conditions after a liquid crystalline ordering structure were well developed in these GOLC films. All the GOLC films show surface resistivity on the same order of magnitude (kΩ sq−1) at different relative humidity, suggesting that the humidity of the environment is not dominant in the antistatic property. In the microstructure, the GOLC layers are aligned in a liquid-crystalline ordering structure, a hydrogen bonding area of the sulphonic acid- and carboxylic acid-pyridyl linkages around GO is formed continuously without interruption, leading to conduction pathways from the interior cores to the whole surface. It indicates that antistatic property of these GOLCs is not completely dependent on the surface humidity derived from water absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xijiao Dihuang decoction (XDT), a famous formula, was usually used to improve the prognosis of patients with blood-heat and blood-stasis syndrome-related diseases. There were some mutual promotion and mutual assistance herb pairs in XDT. However, the exact functions of these herb pairs in the compatibility of XDT were not elucidated due to the lack of appropriate methodologies. Based on the theory of serum pharmacochemistry, a systematic method was established for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of characteristic components in the extracts and drug-containing plasma samples of XDT and its relational mutual promotion/assistance herb pairs. For qualitative analysis, 85 characteristic components were identified using the liquid chromatography with triple time-of-flight mass/mass spectrometry (LC-Triple QTOF-MS/MS) based on the mass defect filtering, product ion filtering, neutral loss filtering and isotope pattern filtering techniques. For quantitative detection, a relative quantitation assay using an extract ion chromatogram (EIC) of the full scan MS experiment was validated and employed to assess the quantity of the 85 identified compounds in the test samples of single herb, herb pairs and XDT. The results of multivariate statistical analyses indicated that both the assistant and guide herbs could improve the solubilization of active compounds from the sovereign and minister herbs in XDT in vitro , might change the trans-membrane transportation, and regulate metabolism in vivo. The methods used in present study might be also valuable for the investigation of multiple components from other classic TCM formulas for the purpose of compatibility feature study. • LC-QTOF-MS/MS for holistic evaluation of TCM formula and drug-containing plasma. • Multiple filtering method was used to classify and screen multi-components. • A total of 85 compounds were identified in the test samples. • The quantity of the 85 identified compounds using a relative quantitation assay. • Serum pharmacochemistry was used to study the compatibility feature of TCM formula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock avalanche-induced air blasts are widespread, damaging, and deadly. They can add to the destructive potential of avalanches far beyond the avalanche zone, but no landslide risk assessment in practice to date has accounted for the potential air blast danger. Here, field investigations and numerical studies were employed to quantitively analyze the initiation and propagation mechanism of air blasts triggered by the 2008 Wenjia Valley rock avalanche in Sichuan, China. Our findings indicate that the most significant air blast triggered by the Wenjia Valley avalanche was near bends in the valley, with a maximum pressure of over 25 kPa and a maximum velocity of 73 m/s. The avalanche violently collided with the valley wall at bends, generating multiple destructive air blasts and avalanche deflection. Subsequently, the separated air blast propagated as inertia flows and caused huge forest destruction. A systematic parametric study combined with case studies was further performed to investigate the possible contribution of topography and sliding mass properties to the air blast power. Large avalanche volume and high velocity both appear to be necessary conditions to generate a destructive air blast, while the sudden topography change is also greatly influential. Our work provides new insights into the initiation and propagation of rock avalanche-induced air blasts, compelling to consider this sort of cascading effect during landslide risk assessment in mountainous regions. • Rock avalanche-induced air blasts can cause damage far beyond the sliding mass. • Large avalanche volume and high velocity are necessary conditions to generate powerful air blasts. • Geomorphology is influential in both air blast initiation and propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great significance to design a sustainable extractive distillation separation configuration that can implement efficient separation of the ternary multi-azeotropic mixtures with a large single component content and propose a feasible and accuracy sustainable evaluation method. This is because the extractive distillation separation scheme with preconcentration should be designed for the particularity of such ternary multi-azeotropic azeotropes. To fill this gap, the paper designs a novel and sustainable three-column extractive distillation process containing one integrated distillation column (TCED-IDC) with both preconcentration and solvent recovery functions and two extractive distillation columns taking the separation of the tetrahydrofuran/ethanol/water ternary multi-azeotropic mixtures containing large amounts of water as an example. Simultaneously, economic optimization of the TCED-IDC process as well as the conventional three-column extractive distillation (TCED) process and the four-column extractive distillation (FCED) process is implemented to determine economically optimal design parameters via minimizing the total annual costs (TAC) using genetic algorithm. Following that, environmental and thermodynamic evaluations are comprehensively conducted to prove the advantages of the TCED-IDC process. The TCED-IDC separation schemes achieves 79.05%/8.47% reduction in CO 2 emissions and 71.92%/9.57% economic cost savings compared to the TCED and the FCED schemes, and the corresponding thermodynamic efficiency is 7.87%. Moreover, an extended Eco-efficiency Comparison Index (ECI) method is proposed to perform the eco-efficiency analysis covering economic, environmental, and thermodynamic aspects for the three extractive distillation separation processes proposed. The analysis results demonstrate that the integration of preconcentration and solvent recovery functions improve the eco-efficiency compared to the other two separation schemes, and the corresponding ECI reaches 91.57% and achieves 1.42% points increase compared to the FCED scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the aging assessment method of the oil–paper insulation in power transformers, the polarization and depolarization current (PDC) characteristics of oil–paper composite insulation samples are investigated under high applied voltage. Based on the asymmetry of polarization absorption current and depolarization current and the polarity effect of insulation pressboard, the repeated polarization current test method is proposed. A novel aging characteristic parameter, which is the ratio of the normalized charge for the first polarization and the normalized charge for the second polarization, is extracted. The difference between the decay rates of the first polarization current and the second polarization current increases at first and then decreases with the polarization time, and decreases with increasing aging degree of the pressboard. The more serious the insulation aging is, the smaller the variation range of aging characteristic parameter with polarization time is, and the closer the value is to 1. With decrease in the DP, the maximum of aging characteristic parameter changes in a decreasing trend. The aging condition of the oil–paper composite insulation can be assessed by the repeated polarization current method and the relationship between the aging characteristic parameter and the polarization time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tailings ponds are composed of residual mining sediments and represent a high risk due to their mechanical instability. A tailings dam break can cause extensive damage to the safety of downstream residents and the surrounding environment. This paper introduces a collapse of the tailings dam that occurred in Tonglüshan, Daye, Hubei, China. To examine the rheological properties and evolutionary mechanism of the tailings slurry from initiation to run-out, a numerical simulation was conducted through a dynamic model (DAN3D) to simulate the run-out behaviors of the tailings slurry based on the models and parameters obtained from the rheology tests. The results indicate that the slurry properties are highly consistent with the Bingham model during the movement process, and the rheological parameters of a slurry with a solid mass concentration of 74% provide the best performance in simulating this catastrophe. During the process of the Tonglüshan tailings dam break, the duration of the movement is estimated at approximately 100 s, with a maximum velocity of 22 m/s. The final distribution of the tailings deposit obtained from simulated results is in good agreement with the actual situation, indicating the validity of the selected rheological models and parameters. It is expected that the method of combining the DAN3D model with rheology tests could help clarify the propagation process of the similar tailings dam break and thus improve the accuracy of hazard prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complications affect the outcome of patients with cirrhosis. The favorable prognosis of patients with Wilson disease (WD)-related cirrhosis suggests that its complications differ from those of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection-related cirrhosis. We aimed to delineate the differences in complications between WD-related and HBV-related cirrhosis. The electronic-medical data from patients with WD-related and HBV-related cirrhosis were extracted and analyzed. In total, 211 patients with WD-related cirrhosis and 374 patients with HBV-related cirrhosis were enrolled. Most patients with WD progressed to cirrhosis <10 years after disease onset, whereas those with HBV infection often progressed after >10 years. Patients with WD-related cirrhosis had a markedly lower prevalence of ascites (8.5% vs. 38.5%), gastroesophageal varices/variceal bleeding (13.3% vs. 47.6%), renal impairment (0 vs. 7.6%) and primary liver cancer (0 vs. 39.3%; all p <.001) than those with HBV-related cirrhosis. After adjustment for potential confounders, patients with WD-related cirrhosis carried a lower risk of varices/variceal bleeding. Although patients with WD progressed to cirrhosis much faster, the prevalence of complications from WD-related cirrhosis was low. Patients with WD-related cirrhosis were less likely to develop gastroesophageal varices/variceal bleeding than those with HBV-related cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A large number of biological studies have shown that miRNAs are inextricably linked to many complex diseases. Studying the miRNA-disease associations could provide us a root cause understanding of the underlying pathogenesis in which promotes the progress of drug development. However, traditional biological experiments are very time-consuming and costly. Therefore, we come up with an efficient models to solve this challenge. Results: In this work, we propose a deep learning model called EOESGC to predict potential miRNA-disease associations based on embedding of embedding and simplified convolutional network. Firstly, integrated disease similarity, integrated miRNA similarity, and miRNA-disease association network are used to construct a coupled heterogeneous graph, and the edges with low similarity are removed to simplify the graph structure and ensure the effectiveness of edges. Secondly, the Embedding of embedding model (EOE) is used to learn edge information in the coupled heterogeneous graph. The training rule of the model is that the associated nodes are close to each other and the unassociated nodes are far away from each other. Based on this rule, edge information learned is added into node embedding as supplementary information to enrich node information. Then, node embedding of EOE model training as a new feature of miRNA and disease, and information aggregation is performed by simplified graph convolution model, in which each level of convolution can aggregate multi-hop neighbor information. In this step, we only use the miRNA-disease association network to further simplify the graph structure, thus reducing the computational complexity. Finally, feature embeddings of both miRNA and disease are spliced into the MLP for prediction. On the EOESGC evaluation part, the AUC, AUPR, and F1-score of our model are 0.9658, 0.8543 and 0.8644 by 5-fold cross-validation respectively. Compared with the latest published models, our model shows better results. In addition, we predict the top 20 potential miRNAs for breast cancer and lung cancer, most of which are validated in the dbDEMC and HMDD3.2 databases. Conclusion: The comprehensive experimental results show that EOESGC can effectively identify the potential miRNA-disease associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A large number of biological studies have shown that miRNAs are inextricably linked to many complex diseases. Studying the miRNA-disease associations could provide us a root cause understanding of the underlying pathogenesis in which promotes the progress of drug development. However, traditional biological experiments are very time-consuming and costly. Therefore, we come up with an efficient models to solve this challenge.Results: In this work, we propose a deep learning model called EOESGC to predict potential miRNA-disease associations based on embedding of embedding and simplified convolutional network. Firstly, integrated disease similarity, integrated miRNA similarity, and miRNA-disease association network are used to construct a coupled heterogeneous graph, and the edges with low similarity are removed to simplify the graph structure and ensure the effectiveness of edges. Secondly, the Embedding of embedding model (EOE) is used to learn edge information in the coupled heterogeneous graph. The training rule of the model is that the associated nodes are close to each other and the unassociated nodes are far away from each other. Based on this rule, edge information learned is added into node embedding as supplementary information to enrich node information. Then, node embedding of EOE model training as a new feature of miRNA and disease, and information aggregation is performed by simplified graph convolution model, in which each level of convolution can aggregate multi-hop neighbor information. In this step, we only use the miRNA-disease association network to further simplify the graph structure, thus reducing the computational complexity. Finally, feature embeddings of both miRNA and disease are spliced into the MLP for prediction. On the EOESGC evaluation part, the AUC, AUPR, and F1-score of our model are 0.9658, 0.8543 and 0.8644 by 5-fold cross-validation respectively. Compared with the latest published models, our model shows better results. In addition, we predict the top 20 potential miRNAs for breast cancer and lung cancer, most of which are validated in the dbDEMC and HMDD3.2 databases.Conclusion: The comprehensive experimental results show that EOESGC can effectively identify the potential miRNA-disease associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the tensile strength of selective laser sintering thermoplastic polyurethane/carbon nanotube (TPU/CNT) composites was improved, and reasonable process parameters, addressing the delamination of TPU/CNT parts, smoke and other problems caused by materials' decomposition in the processing process, were determined. First, the TPU/CNT powder was processed by a single-factor experiment. The effects of laser power, scan spacing and layer thickness on the tensile strength were analysed, and the optimisation range of each process parameter was determined. The quadratic regression model of tensile strength was established based on Box-Behnken design scheme results, and its rationality was verified through analysis of variance. Finally, according to the target range of tensile strength, the selection conditions of each response value were determined, the process parameters were optimised and the measured data verified the predicted values. The test results show that the optimal combination of process parameters is 26 W laser power, 0.10 mm scan spacing and 0.10 mm layer thickness, and the relative error of the actual tensile strength of the optimised part compared with the predicted value is 0.096%. Compared with that before the optimisation, the tensile strength of the parts was increased by 4.42%. Besides, problems of parts' delamination and material decomposition causing smoke were solved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 23rd July 2019, a catastrophic long-runout basalt landslide was triggered by a heavy rainfall in Shuicheng county, Guizhou, China. The sliding mass transformed into a debris avalanche during the runout process traveled approximately 1250 m with an elevation difference of 465 m and finally caused 52 casualties. To improve the ability of risk assessment of such a basalt long-runout landslide, scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests combined with detailed field investigation were conducted to investigate the failure mechanism of the Shuicheng landslide in terms of micro and macro perspectives. The results indicated that the cause of the Shuicheng landslide is the combination of rock mass characteristics (differential weathering and fragmented cataclastic structure), weak tuff intercalation, tectonic structural plane, and human activities, while rainfall is the primary inducing factor. Moreover, a RAMMS simulation and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) tests were performed to research the disaster-causing behaviors and deposit characteristics of this event. The selected rheological parameters are determined based on multi-source data collaboration. The total duration of the landslide movement was estimated at 60 s with a maximum velocity of approximately 36 m/s, and the final deposit distribution was in good agreement with the ERT test results and seismic signal analysis results. The work conducted in this study is expected to help improve the understanding of the initiation and disaster-causing mechanisms of basalt long-runout landslides and provide valuable information for the prediction of long runout landslides movement distance in the Guizhou, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authentication is critical for Internet-of-Things. The traditional approach of using cryptographic keys is subject to invasive attacks. Being unclonable even by the manufacturers, physical unclonable functions (PUFs) leverage integrated circuits' manufacturing variations to produce responses unique for individual devices, and hence are of great potential as security primitives. While physically unclonable, many PUFs were reported to be mathematically cloneable by machine learning-based modeling methods. The feed-forward arbiter PUFs (FF PUFs) are among the PUFs with strong resistance against machine learning attacks. Existing studies revealed that only a very small group of FF PUFs with special loop patterns had been broken, and the vast majority of FF PUFs are still secure against all machine learning attack methods tried so far. In this paper, we introduce a neural network that can successfully attack FF PUFs with any loop patterns, with training time even magnitudes lower than existing methods attacking PUFs of the restrictive loop patterns. Experimental results show that, on the one hand, FF PUFs are not secure against attacks even with a large number of complex feed-forward loops, hence susceptible to attacks by response-prediction-based malicious software. On the other hand, the new approach of designing problem-tailored attack methods points to a new way to identify PUF security risks which might be difficult to discover by general-purpose machine learning methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A surrogate-based optimization method is proposed for simultaneous synthesis. • An ANN-based surrogate model is established for process unit modeling. • An enhanced MINLP model is introduced to address the variable HEN. • Two examples are studied to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Heat-integrated process synthesis is fundamental to achieve higher energy efficiency. The well-known sequential-conceptual methods have been widely adopted to solve the synthesis problem in a hierarchical manner. However, the natural hierarchy fails to consider complex interactions between the unit operation and the heat integration. To address this issue, a surrogate-based optimization framework is proposed for simultaneous synthesis of chemical process and heat exchanger network. An artificial neural network (ANN)-based surrogate model, derived from the simulation data generated via rigorous mechanism modelling approach, is established for process units to replace their complex realistic models. With surrogate model formulation incorporated into heat integration, an enhanced transshipment-based mixed integer nonlinear programming model is introduced to synthesize heat exchanger network with variable flowrates and temperatures, aiming at the maximized annual profit. Finally, two example studies are investigated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An intensity demodulated fiber optic hot wire sensing method is proposed. • Fiber optic hot-wire sensing devices can sensitively measure thermal field changes caused by weak airflow and ambient temperature changes by monitoring changes in laser power. • The fiber hot-wire sensing device consists of a distributed feedback fiber laser and a cobalt-doped fiber with a power demodulation method, which greatly improves the measurement sensitivity. • With a sensitivity of 25.74 μW/(m/s) and a wind speed measurement resolution of up to 0.00039 m/s, the fiber-optic hot-wire sensing device is expected to measure microscopic air flow. In this paper, we propose an intensity demodulated fiber-optic hot-wire sensing method based on the thermally induced chirp effect of distributed feedback fiber lasers. The cobalt-doped fiber is fused at the rear end of the erbium-doped distributed feedback fiber laser to constitute a hot fiber wire with a gradient temperature distribution. The cobalt-doped fiber is heated up under the excitation of the residual pump light. Then the thermally chirp of the erbium-doped phase-shifted fiber grating brings out the change of the lasing threshold condition of the distributed feedback cavity and a significant reduction of the output power. When this structure is further altered by thermal induced chirp under external thermal field, the lasing output power will be further changed. The experimental results of the dynamic fluid thermal field and the static thermal field shows that, the fiber-optic hot-wire structure can sensitively detect the weak airflow and the thermal field of the environment by monitoring the laser power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control schemes based on electromyography (EMG) have demonstrated their superiority in human-robot cooperation due to the fact that motion intention can be well estimated by EMG signals. However, there are several limitations due to the noisy nature of EMG signals and the inaccuracy of EMG-force/torque estimation, which might deteriorate the stability of human-robot cooperation movement. To improve the movement stability, an EMG-based admittance control scheme (EACS) was proposed, comprised of an EMG-driven musculoskeletal model (EDMM), an admittance filter and an inner position controller. To investigate the performance of EACS, a series of sinusoidal tracking tasks were conducted with 12 healthy participants and 4 stroke survivors in an ankle exoskeleton in comparison with the EMG-based open-loop control scheme (EOCS). The experimental results indicated that both EACS and EOCS could improve stroke survivors’ ankle range of motion (ROM). The experimental results of both healthy participants and stroke survivors showed that the assistance torque, tracking error and jerk values of EACS were lower than those of EOCS. The interaction torque of EACS decreased towards the increasing assistance ratio while that of EOCS increased. Moreover, the EMG levels of tibialis anterior (TA) decreased towards the increasing assistance ratio but were higher than those of EOCS. EACS was effective in improving movements stability, and had the potential to be applied in robot-assisted rehabilitation training to address the foot-drop problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) combining with specific microstructures (micropores, microcracks, etc.) can exhibit unique resistance response changes, which can be widely regarded as an effective way to improve sensing performance. This study takes advantage of the characteristics of the formation of tiny pores between crystal grains during selective laser sintering (SLS) processing to introduce a microporous structure into the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/carbon nanotube (CNT) sensing element to prepare a three-dimensional porous conductive structure. The effect of the SLS process on sensing sensitivity, accuracy, and density was studied, and its sensing and forming mechanism were discussed. By adjusting SLS process parameters to control the performance of porous structure sensor elements, a final TPU/CNT sensor element with a wide pressure detection range, high sensitivity, a fast response time, and good stability and durability was developed. Finally, the optimal performance of the developed flexible pressure sensor was successfully used to detect the pressure distribution of the human foot. This study provided a simple and effective research method to develop high-performance flexible pressure sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a hybrid demultiplexer for mode and dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) based on photonic crystal (PhC) and nanowire waveguides. The designed demultiplexer consists of DWDM module using PhC cavities that are defined by an effective Aubry-André-Harper (AAH) bichromatic potential and mode division multiplexing module constructing of asymmetric directional coupler using nanowire waveguides. The performance parameters of the demultiplexer are analysed by two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method. The results show that the fundamental transverse electric (TE0) modes and first-order TE (TE1) modes of 1573.0 and 1572.2 nm can be demultiplexed simultaneously. The insertion loss is smaller than 0.6 dB, and the crosstalk is smaller than −18.6 dB. Besides, the demultiplexer has a large free spectral range up to 250 nm, which can almost cover the whole range of DWDM system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how a compact finite difference Hessian approximation scheme can be proficiently implemented into semiclassical initial value representation molecular dynamics. Effects of the approximation on the monodromy matrix calculation are tested by propagating initial sampling distributions to determine power spectra for analytic potential energy surfaces and for 'on the fly' carbon dioxide direct dynamics. With the approximation scheme the computational cost is significantly reduced, making ab initio direct semiclassical dynamics computationally more feasible and, at the same time, properly reproducing important quantum effects inherent in the monodromy matrix and the pre-exponential factor of the semiclassical propagator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On April 9, 2000, a long run-out landslide occurred in Yigong, Bomi county, Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, China. The displaced materials traveled approximately 10 km with an elevation difference of 3 km, and finally generated a barrier lake at the toe of the mountain. The landslide and the collapse of the associated landslide dam killed 30 people, left more than 100 people missing, and destroyed several bridges. A combined debris avalanche-dam break flood simulation was performed in this study to better understand the long run-out mechanism and behaviors of such an event. The dynamic model DAN3D was used to simulate the run-out process of the sliding mass, while the Computational Fluid Dynamics software FLOW-3D was used to simulate the duration of landslide dam break and subsequent outburst flood propagation. Output data from the DAN3D simulation were used as input parameters for landslide dam modeling in FLOW-3D. Simulated results indicated that the duration of the landslide movement was estimated at 300 s with a maximum velocity of 90 m/s. Also, the maximum flow of the outburst flood at the Tongmai bridge was approximately 130,000 m3/s. The observed phenomena and measured data in situ verified the validity of the numerical simulation. It is expected that the work conducted in this study could help improve the understanding of the chain disaster of the rock slide-debris avalanche and subsequent dam-break flood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A superstructure-based model is built for simultaneous integration of heat and work. • Thermal identity of streams is found for the cost-effective design of direct WHEN. • H eat integration is conducted by an improved superstructure-based synthesis of HEN. • Our approach can effectively achieve the specific network configuration. The optimal work and heat integration for pressure and temperature manipulation has been brought into sharp focus due to its paramount significance in reaching considerable energy and expenditure savings. This article proposes an upgraded stage-wise superstructure that simultaneously performs heat integration among unclassified hot/cold streams and direct work integration between pre-classified high/low-pressure streams. An efficiently innovative optimization model for the cost-effective synthesis of direct work and heat exchanger networks (WHENs) is established. A key strategy is to implement the identification of stream types (hot/cold). To this end, an improved superstructure-based model is presented for heat exchanger networks synthesis, combined with an optimized selection of multiple pressure-manipulation units in each stage of the WHEN superstructure. Besides, the proposed method can surpass certain limitations in previous studies that the coupling of direct work integration and heat integration is not considered. Our approach can effectively design preferable WHEN configurations and offer an alternative for enhancing thermal and mechanical energy recovery at the lowest total annual cost. Two case studies are conducted to assess the effectiveness of our proposed methodology, in which the better configurations can be obtained with considerable cost savings of 39.2% and 6.8% when compared to the corresponding literature solutions, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A thermo-economic multi-objective model is proposed for HEN design with compression. • The model is formulated as an enhanced superstructure-based MINLP model. • The superstructure simultaneously allows heat integration and compressor placement. • The presented model can effectively synthesize sub- and above-ambient HEN. • Our model can successfully cope with HEN design with multi-stream compression. Two significant forms of energy widely used in chemical industries are heat and work related to temperature and pressure manipulation. Since complex relationship exists in these strongly interacting properties (heat, work, temperature, pressure), it is essential to investigate work and heat integration as a whole. In this paper, an enhanced stage-wise superstructure is proposed that involves simultaneous optimization of compressor placement and heat integration for each pressure-changing sub-stream in stages. It explicitly considers non-isothermal mixing in each stage and enables the optimized selection of pre-coolers, end-heaters as well as end-coolers to adjust temperature requirements. A novel thermo-economic multi-objective mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model is formulated to synthesize sub and above-ambient heat exchanger networks between constant-pressure streams and pressure-changing streams with multi-stream compression. The new model aims to achieve the optimal balance between thermodynamic and economic performances, with the objective of minimizing exergy consumption and total annual cost (TAC), respectively. Three case studies are conducted, where the results illustrate the well-known trade-off between thermodynamic and economic objective that is a decrease of 12.6%, 7.6%, 23.8% in TAC, while exergy consumption is increased by 14.8%, 12.8%, 4%. The Pareto curve is plotted for decision-makers to determine the optimal alternatives in terms of process requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A catastrophic loess flow slide was triggered by the 2013 Minxian–Zhangxian earthquake in Yongguang village, Minxian County, Gansu Province, China. The landslide destroyed eight houses and killed 12 persons. The landslide involved the failure of 14.0 × 104 m3 of loess deposits from the source area. The displaced materials traveled 1000 m with an elevation descent of 180 m, covering an area of 4.2 × 104 m2. A numerical model (DAN3D) is used to simulate the post-failure behavior of the landslide based on a detailed field investigation. A combination of the frictional model and Voellmy model provides the best performance in simulating the landslide using trial and error. The simulation results indicate that the landslide lasted approximately 120 s and had an average velocity of 8.3 m/s. The final runout distance and deposit distribution are in a good agreement with the actual situation, indicating the accuracy of the simulated results. Therefore, it is expected that the models and parameters could improve the precision of hazard zonation for areas with geological, topographical, and climatic features similar to the Yongguang landslide area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 12 May 2008, a catastrophic rock avalanche was triggered by an earthquake in Mianyang, Sichuan, China. This catastrophic event killed 48 people and destroyed some houses at the mouth of Wenjia valley. The sliding mass caused a powerful air blast that blew down the trees on both sides and front margin. To better understand the possible mechanism of the air blast generated by the Wenjia valley rock avalanche and provide information for the assessment of this type of disasters in southwestern China, a numerical simulation was performed through a computational fluid dynamics software (Fluent) to simulate the runout behavior of the sliding mass and dynamic characteristics of the air blast. The frictional rheology is used for the source area and the Voellmy model is selected for the erosion and deposition areas. Simulated results indicate that the movement process of Wenjia valley rock avalanche lasted approximately 210 s with a maximum velocity of 65 m/s. The maximum velocity and relative pressure of the air blast are 35 m/s and 2.25 kPa, respectively. Furthermore, the variation of topography has a significant effect on the distribution of relative pressure for the air blast. The work conducted in this study is expected to make people deeply realize the disaster caused by the air blast and establish a risk assessment system in the southwestern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid urbanization in cities around the world, new towns that are close to the existing urban fringe have been developed to accommodate the increasing population. However, due to the long development time of the infrastructure systems in these new towns, the establishment of public transportation services usually lags behind the population expansion. Therefore, to ensure urban accessibility, governments utilize bus networks to bridge the connectivity gaps of metro systems. To assist the design and decision-making required for bus and metro interconnectivity and optimize public transportation networks, this study proposed a quantitative network-based framework. The proposed framework extended the existing social network analysis theory and identified five indicators to assess and optimize the network design. To validate the proposed method, nine typical cases in Shanghai were examined. The results based on the proposed analysis framework suggest that more edges between access points (bus stops within the walkable area of a metro station entrance) and other nodes can improve the accessibility of the study area and create a well-integrated system. Therefore, this study is able to provide an insightful understanding of intermodal transportation coordination and transport facility arrangement. • The study considers the integration of bus and mass transportation to improve the bus-to-metro accessibility of new town. • The study proposes a novelframework to evaluate and optimize the local bus network based on social network analysis. • The methodology developed in the study can generate links between bus stops with significant improvement of accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A model is proposed for describing two-dimensional diffusion of Ti into an initially congruent LiNbO3 crystal under a Li-enriched atmosphere created by a mixed two-phase (Li3NbO4 and LiNbO3) powder at elevated temperature [vapor transport equilibration (VTE)]. The influence of VTE treatment on Ti diffusivity is considered in the model. To solve the model, four key input parameters including Li-concentration-dependent Li and Ti diffusivities and two switching times t1 and t2 were determined. Prior to solve the Ti-diffusion model, a one-dimensional VTE model is solved at first to obtain the dynamic Li2O concentration depth profile. Both the Li-diffusion and Ti-diffusion models were solved by using finite difference method. Based on secondary-ion-mass spectrometry analysis, the validity of the VTE and Ti-diffusion models as well as the numerical method employed are confirmed. After that, diffusion at 1100 °C of an 8-μm-wide, 100-nm-thick Ti strip defined on the surface of a Z-cut or an X-cut substrate was simulated for the VTE duration up to 130 h. Based on the numerical results, the Ti-(Li-)diffusion characteristics are discussed in the aspects of (1) the relation of depth and width profile function of Ti concentration to the VTE duration, (2) the substrate cut effect on both the Ti and Li diffusions, (3) the relation of the 1/e Ti-concentration depth and half-width to the VTE duration, and (4) the VTE duration dependence of the mean [Li]/[Nb] ratio within the Ti-diffused layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was short and rare, making the detection performance of the current targeted sequencing methods unsatisfying. We developed the One-PrimER Amplification (OPERA) system and examined its performance in detecting mutations of low variant allelic frequency (VAF) in various samples with short-sized DNA fragments. In cell line-derived samples containing sonication-sheared DNA fragments with 50-150 bp, OPERA was capable of detecting mutations as low as 0.0025% VAF, while CAPP-Seq only detected mutations of >0.03% VAF. Both single nucleotide variant and insertion/deletion can be detected by OPERA. In synthetic fragments as short as 80 bp with low VAF (0.03%-0.1%), the detection sensitivity of OPERA was significantly higher compared to that of droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. The error rate was 5.9×10-5 errors per base after de-duplication in plasma samples collected from healthy volunteers. By suppressing "single-strand errors", the error rate can be further lowered by >5 folds in EGFR T790M hotspot. In plasma samples collected from lung cancer patients, OPERA detected mutations in 57.1% stage I patients with 100% specificity and achieved a sensitivity of 30.0% in patients with tumor volume of less than 1 cm3. OPERA can effectively detect mutations in rare and highly-fragmented DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strontium incorporation activated Erk1/2 MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways for vascularized bone regeneration. [Display omitted] • Strontium incorporation promoted osteogenesis coupled with angiogenesis. • Strontium incorporation activated Erk1/2 MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways for vascularized bone regeneration. • Strontium incorporation mediated crosstalk between bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell and umbilical vein endothelial cells. Angiogenesis, well-coupled with osteogenesis, plays an indispensable and vital role in modulating hard tissue regeneration. Thus, simultaneously promoting osteogenesis and angiogenesis in bone reconstruction process is important. Essential trace elements have shown great potential in enhancing osteogenesis and angiogenesis, providing an effective strategy to design grafts for vascularized bone regeneration. In this study, four types of bioactive bioceramic, including hydroxyapatite (HA), strontium (Sr)-incorporated hydroxyapatite (Sr5-HA, Sr10-HA, Sr20-HA) with Sr ions concentrations of 0, 5, 10 and 20%, were investigated for their osteogenic and angiogenic properties. The in vitro results showed that Sr-HA could enhance the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs via Erk1/2 MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, and promote the proliferation and angiogenic gene expression of HUVECs via PI3K/AKT pathways. Moreover, HUVECs conditioned medium could apparently promote the osteogenesis of BMSCs, and BMSCs conditioned medium could enhance the angiogenic capacity of HUVECs. Furthermore, in vivo angiogenesis evaluation and bone formation estimation indicated that enhanced newly-formed vessels and new bone formation were observed in Sr-HA porous scaffolds compared to pure HA scaffold. Thus, this study suggests that Sr-incorporation is a promising modification strategy for bone implants to achieve enhanced angiogenic and osteogenic capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triethylene glycol (TEG) is widely applied to the removal of water in shale gas. This study presents a framework of economic evaluation and environmental assessment for two TEG-based dehydration approaches, namely, conventional dehydration process and stripping gas dehydration process. The latter one features a higher solvent concentration, at the expense of extra shale gas loss. On the basis of process simulation, the effects of theoretical stage and solvent concentration on economic and environmental performances are investigated for process optimization. A hybrid life cycle inventory (LCI) model that consists of input-output and process-based methods is developed to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with shale gas dehydration. The results show that utility consumption and shale gas loss are dominant sources for the emissions of CO 2 and NO x , while soot is mainly derived from embodied emissions. Based on the tradeoff between the total annual cost and environmental impacts, the optimal case with superior economic and environmental performances is acquired. Ultimately, sensitivity analyses are conducted for systematic comparison of two approaches under different compositions of raw shale gas and specifications of water removal. • Two TEG-based shale gas dehydration processes are investigated and compared. • A hybrid LCI model is established to assess the environmental impacts by sources. • Utility consumption and shale gas loss are dominant sources for pollutant emissions. • The stripping gas approach is more flexible with dehydrating specification. • The effects of composition and specification on process performance are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nm23 gene has been acknowledged to play a crucial role in lung cancer metastasis inhibitory cascades controlled by multiple factors. Low expression or allelic deletion of nm23-H1 is strongly linked to widespread metastasis and poor differentiation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, nm23-H1 was down regulated in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness enhancement under cobalt chloride (CoCl2)-induced hypoxia in NSCLC cells. Moreover, knocking down of nm23-H1 by shRNA apparently promoted hypoxia induced EMT and stemness, which was entirely suppressed via over expression of nm23-H1. Mechanistically, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was found to participate in the nm23-H1-mediated process. Besides, XAV939 prohibited cell EMT and stemness which could be impaired by knocking down of nm23-H1, while stable transfection of nm23-H1 attenuated hypoxia phonotype induced by lithium chloride (LiCl). Generally, our experiment provided evidence that nm23-H1 can reverse hypoxia induced EMT and stemness through the inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which may furnish a deeper perspective into the better treatment or prognosis for NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An appraisal on economic and environmental performance of shale gas processing is significant for energy utilization. A framework on economic evaluation and environmental assessment of the shale gas sweetening process is proposed. The sweetening process is simulated by Aspen Plus, coupled with Claus sulfur recovery by energy integration. The economic evaluation is conducted by purchased cost curves. In environmental assessment, a hybrid life cycle inventory model is established to investigate the emissions from upstream manufacture and process operation. The results demonstrate that exhaust gas is the dominant source in carbon emission while utility consumption produces more SO2 and NOx. The study provides guidance in energy management and pollution control for shale gas plants. Shale gas is an emerging unconventional energy with enormous reserves. The shale gas sweetening process and Claus process are coupled by energy integration. A framework of economic evaluation and environmental assessment on the coupled process is established. The economic and environmental performance is investigated and distributions of different pollutant emissions by sources are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • An extended superstructure-based model for simultaneous synthesis of direct WEN. • Aiming at optimal trade-offs between equipment investment and operational expenditure. • Utility compressor/expander and valve in parallel at each stage of the superstructure. • Utility compressors in series for low-pressure streams prior to entering the superstructure. Abstract Work integration is a significantly promising strategy to achieve notable reduction in energy consumption. Work recovery has been performed by graphical integrating method and transhipment model in open literatures, but the economic performance is ignored. To overcome the limitations, this paper proposes an extended superstructure-based optimization model for simultaneous synthesis of direct work exchanger networks (WEN), which aims at the optimal trade-off between capital investment and operational expenditure. The operational expense involves electricity generated by expanders and electricity consumed by compressors. The developed stage-wise superstructure, which is different from that of heat exchanger networks (HEN), should consider utility compressors/expanders as well as valves in parallel at each stage of the superstructure, and utility compressors in series for low-pressure streams prior to entering the superstructure. The direct WEN superstructure is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model with the objective of minimizing total annual cost (TAC). Three example studies are conducted to assess the efficacy of the proposed model. The results indicate better direct WEN configurations can be obtained with considerable savings in TAC, in which the minimum pressure difference sensitivity study is conducted to further confirm the effectiveness and importance for the effect of pressure manipulation on output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]