Performance analysis of vehicle magnetorheological semi-active air suspension based on S-QFSMC control

The performance of the suspension is a crucial criterion for evaluating both vehicle handling and passenger comfort. To enhance suspension performance, this study proposes the design of a Quantum Genetic Fuzzy Sliding Mode Controller (S-QFSMC) based on the Smith predictor estimator, building upon the foundation of the vehicle magneto-rheological semi-active air suspension. According to the physical model of the vehicle suspension, a mechanical model of a quarter-vehicle magneto-rheological semi-active air suspension with time delay is established. On this basis, a conventional sliding mode controller is designed, and quantum genetic algorithm and fuzzy control principles are employed to optimize the chattering issue associated with sliding mode control. The Smith predictor estimator is utilized to effectively compensate for the time delay in the suspension system. Subsequently, a simulation analysis of the vehicle suspension performance is conducted. The results indicate that, compared to passive suspension control, both the QFSMC controller and the S-QFSMC controller improve the suspension performance, with the S-QFSMC controller exhibiting superior comprehensive improvement. This validates the effectiveness of the designed controllers

Mapping of Cu and Pb Contaminations in Soil Using Combined Geochemistry, Topography, and Remote Sensing: A Case Study in the Le’an River Floodplain, China

Heavy metal pollution in soil is becoming a widely concerning environmental problem in China. The aim of this study is to integrate multiple sources of data, namely total Cu and Pb contents, digital elevation model (DEM) data, remote sensing image and interpreted land-use data, for mapping the spatial distribution of total Cu and Pb contamination in top soil along the Le’an River and its branches. Combined with geographical analyses and watershed delineation, the source and transportation route of pollutants are identified. Regions at high risk of Cu or Pb pollution are suggested. Results reveal that topography is the major factor that controls the spatial distribution of Cu and Pb. Watershed delineation shows evidence that the streamflow resulting from rainfall is the major carrier of metal pollutants

Polydatin Prevents Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Induced Parkinson's Disease via Regulation of the AKT/GSK3β-Nrf2/NF-κB Signaling Axis

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Neuroinflammation induced by over-activation of microglia leads to the death of dopaminergic neurons in the pathogenesis of PD. Therefore, downregulation of microglial activation may aid in the treatment of PD. Polydatin (PLD) has been reported to pass through the blood-brain barrier and protect against motor degeneration in the SN. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of PLD in the treatment of PD remain unclear. The present study aimed to determine whether PLD protects against dopaminergic neurodegeneration by inhibiting the activation of microglia in a rat model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced PD. Our findings indicated that PLD treatment protected dopaminergic neurons and ameliorated motor dysfunction by inhibiting microglial activation and the release of pro-inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, PLD treatment significantly increased levels of p-AKT, p-GSK-3βSer9, and Nrf2, and suppressed the activation of NF-κB in the SN of rats with LPS-induced PD. To further explore the neuroprotective mechanism of PLD, we investigated the effect of PLD on activated microglial BV-2 cells. Our findings indicated that PLD inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and the activation of NF-κB pathways in LPS-induced BV-2 cells. Moreover, our results indicated that PLD enhanced levels of p-AKT, p-GSK-3βSer9, and Nrf2 in BV-2 cells. After BV-2 cells were pretreated with MK2206 (an inhibitor of AKT), NP-12 (an inhibitor of GSK-3β), or Brusatol (BT; an inhibitor of Nrf2), treatment with PLD suppressed the activation of NF-κB signaling pathways and the release of pro-inflammatory mediators in activated BV-2 cells via activation of the AKT/GSK3β-Nrf2 signaling axis. Taken together, our results are the first to demonstrate that PLD prevents dopaminergic neurodegeneration due to microglial activation via regulation of the AKT/GSK3β-Nrf2/NF-κB signaling axis

Degradation of Potassium Rock by Earthworms and Responses of Bacterial Communities in Its Gut and Surrounding Substrates after Being Fed with Mineral

BACKGROUND: Earthworms are an ecosystem's engineers, contributing to a wide range of nutrient cycling and geochemical processes in the ecosystem. Their activities can increase rates of silicate mineral weathering. Their intestinal microbes usually are thought to be one of the key drivers of mineral degradation mediated by earthworms,but the diversities of the intestinal microorganisms which were relevant with mineral weathering are unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this report, we show earthworms' effect on silicate mineral weathering and the responses of bacterial communities in their gut and surrounding substrates after being fed with potassium-bearing rock powder (PBRP). Determination of water-soluble and HNO(3)-extractable elements indicated some elements such as Al, Fe and Ca were significantly released from mineral upon the digestion of earthworms. The microbial communities in earthworms' gut and the surrounding substrates were investigated by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and the results showed a higher bacterial diversity in the guts of the earthworms fed with PBRP and the PBRP after being fed to earthworms. UPGMA dendrogram with unweighted UniFrac analysis, considering only taxa that are present, revealed that earthworms' gut and their surrounding substrate shared similar microbiota. UPGMA dendrogram with weighted UniFrac, considering the relative abundance of microbial lineages, showed the two samples from surrounding substrate and the two samples from earthworms' gut had similarity in microbial community, respectively. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicated earthworms can accelerate degradation of silicate mineral. Earthworms play an important role in ecosystem processe since they not only have some positive effects on soil structure, but also promote nutrient cycling of ecosystem by enhancing the weathering of minerals

Assessing spatial heterogeneous response of ecosystem service relationships to land use intensification

Sustainable land use should balance the competing needs for development and protection. Land-use intensification facilitates material benefits from ecosystem, while potentially undermining the capacity of regulate the life-support environment and thus altering trade-offs between ecosystem services (ES). However, there remains a limited understanding of how land-use intensity (LUI) affects the spatial heterogeneity of ES relationships. To address this issue, we first propose an ES synergies (ESS) index, to clarify site-specific ES relationships, based on a combination of the production possibility frontier (PPF) and the technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS). Then, we assess the nonlinear impacts of LUI on ESS, using the generalized additive models (GAMs). A case study was conducted in the Three Gorges region of central China, due to the dilemma between intensive development for poverty alleviation and water-soil retention for ecological protection. The results showed that an increase in LUI caused different rates of decline in ESS. Land-use intensification increased resource inputs and anthropogenic disturbances within entire land parcels, thus disrupting the synergistic relationships between several ES. Specifically, the synergies between water retention and carbon sequestration or biodiversity conservation decreased by more than three times as much as those between water retention and food production. Excessive LUI will reduce the provision of carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation compared to that of food production for the same level of water retention. However, moderate LUI can promote the synergistic provision of multiple services. For example, an LUI threshold of 2.5, which maximized the synergies of water-soil retention with other ES, showed the optimal balance of diverse ecological benefits at the highest level of intensity. Our study is expected to extend existing knowledge on the spatial heterogeneity of ES relationships by considering site-specific land use, and to mitigate the costs of land management due to ES trade-offs

The Effect of HOPSCA on Residential Property Values: Exploratory Findings from Wuhan, China

Mixed-use development is theoretically considered to enhance the residential value of an area. However, limited empirical research has focused on European and North American cities. HOPSCA is a real estate project that integrates hotels, offices, parks, shopping malls, conference centers, and apartments. As an important mixed-use development project in Chinese cities, HOPSCA is designed to improve the quality of urban life and to enhance the residential value of an area. Few studies have explicitly examined the effect of HOPSCA on residential property values, let alone linked this question to particular types of HOPSCA. To bridge this research gap, we selected Wuhan City in China as a case study to explore the effects of HOPSCA on residential property values. Specifically, we used the potential model to quantify the effects of HOPSCA and used the geographically weighted regression (GWR) method to estimate the relationship between HOPSCA variables and residential property values. The results are as follows: (1) the effects of HOPSCA on residential property values are statistically significant with positive and negative effects. The balanced-development HOPSCA generated the greatest effects, with the highest premium of 10.76% placed on residential properties. Moderate price premiums of 3.57% and 1.83% were generated under the influence of the commerce-oriented HOPSCA and housing-oriented HOPSCA, respectively. By contrast, the business-oriented HOPSCA exerted a negative effect on residential property (−2.43%). (2) Significant spatial heterogeneity exists on the effect of HOPSCA on residential property values. The results showed that the influence of different types of HOPSCA, viz. the higher the compatibility between the HOPSCA type and the socioeconomic context of Wuhan, the higher the premium captured by residential properties within the city areas. HOPSCA benefits the improvement of the quality of urban life, which promotes urban development. For policy makers and real estate developers, our findings suggest that matching the development types and the spatial layouts of HOPSCA with the regional socioeconomic contexts is critical for enhancing the value performance of such projects

A Least Cumulative Ventilation Cost Method for Urban Ventilation Environment Analysis

The correct urban building layout is an important influencing factor in urban ventilation, and the heat island effect has become an important factor affecting the quality of urban life. Optimization of the urban building layout can play a role in mitigating the heat island effect. The traditional ventilation corridor analysis method, based on a least-cost path analysis, can only generate a few main ventilation corridors. It is difficult to obtain global ventilation results covering the whole study area using this method of analysis. On the basis of urban morphology and a least-cost path analysis, this study proposes a “least cumulative ventilation cost” method for analyzing urban ventilation. Taking Wuhan downtown as a research area, the urban ventilation environment under different wind directions and seasons was analyzed. This method can effectively express the ventilation conditions throughout the whole study area and can simultaneously express the quality of the generated corridors effectively. The results show that Wuhan has three levels of ventilation corridor. Moreover, the ventilation conditions in Wuchang (Wuchang, Qingshan, and Hongshan) are better than those in Hankou (Qiaokou, Jianghan, and Jiang’an)

Thematic maps for land consolidation planning in Hubei Province, China

Land consolidation is the most effective land management approach to optimize land-use structure and improve the natural environment. This study aims to shed light on land consolidation planning processes in China, and to highlight the characteristics and contents of thematic maps in provincial-level planning. The study area, Hubei Province, has an area of 1,85,900 km2 and is located in Central China. The land consolidation potential, that is, the net increase area of arable land was calculated according to the land consolidation types in each county. The spatial characteristics of land consolidation potential, key areas, and key engineering and projects were presented on a scale of 1: 5,00,000 utilizing counties as evaluation units. The thematic maps can provide important information for policymakers and planning workers, and guide any subsequent land consolidation planning at the county level in China. © 2013 Yaolin Liu.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

AITSO: A Tool for Spatial Optimization Based on Artificial Immune Systems

A great challenge facing geocomputation and spatial analysis is spatial optimization, given that it involves various high-dimensional, nonlinear, and complicated relationships. Many efforts have been made with regard to this specific issue, and the strong ability of artificial immune system algorithms has been proven in previous studies. However, user-friendly professional software is still unavailable, which is a great impediment to the popularity of artificial immune systems. This paper describes a free, universal tool, named AITSO, which is capable of solving various optimization problems. It provides a series of standard application programming interfaces (APIs) which can (1) assist researchers in the development of their own problem-specific application plugins to solve practical problems and (2) allow the implementation of some advanced immune operators into the platform to improve the performance of an algorithm. As an integrated, flexible, and convenient tool, AITSO contributes to knowledge sharing and practical problem solving. It is therefore believed that it will advance the development and popularity of spatial optimization in geocomputation and spatial analysis

Exploring Differentiated Conservation Priorities of Urban Green Space Based on Tradeoffs of Ecological Functions

Urban green space (UGS) can simultaneously provide social and ecological benefits for humans. Although numerous studies have evaluated the multifunctional benefits of urban green space, few of them have determined the differentiated conservation priorities of UGS towards the tradeoff relationship of multiple UGS functions. Here, we proposed an integrated framework to explore the targeted conservation strategies of UGS patches. Specifically, the circuit theory model and gravity floating catchment area method were adopted to evaluate ecological connectivity and spatial accessibility of UGS under multiple scenarios in terms of different species dispersal distances and resident travelling modes, and Pareto ranking analysis was utilized to identify conservation priorities of UGS. Wuhan City in central China was taken as a case study. The results show that Wuhan exhibits low synergic relationship of ecological connectivity and spatial accessibility of UGS, and only approximately 7.51% of UGS patches on average rank high. Based on the frequency of UGS Pareto ranks under different scenarios, the differentiated conservation strategy was developed, which identified 10 key green areas that need to be protected and 11 green areas that need to be restored. This work is expected to provide an applicable framework to identify key UGS patches and assist in urban planning and layout optimization of multifunctional UGS in Wuhan, China