Heterogeneous Lanes’ Saturation Flow Rates at Signalized Intersections

AbstractCorrect saturation flow rates are very important for the calculation of delays and level of service at intersections. However, the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) procedure and the related studies assumed ideal conditions and cannot be applicable under mixed traffic circumstances. A traffic survey on 36 signalized intersections inside the Beijing's 5th Ring was conducted and a large number of experimental data with different lane types were statistically analyzed in this paper. Results show that the saturation headways approximately follow the normal distributions and the following base saturation flow rates are appropriate for Beijing intersections: 1380 passenger cars per hour per lane (pc/h/ln) of the right-turn lane, 1520 pc/h/ln of the left-turn lane, 1535 pc/h/ln of the through lane, 1457 pc/h/ln of the through-right lane and 1411 pc/h/ln of the through-left lane. These results have been used and verified in the real-time traffic information systems of Beijing Traffic Management Bureau

OBMeshfree: An optimization-based meshfree solver for nonlocal diffusion and peridynamics models

We present OBMeshfree, an Optimization-Based Meshfree solver for compactly supported nonlocal integro-differential equations (IDEs) that can describe material heterogeneity and brittle fractures. OBMeshfree is developed based on a quadrature rule calculated via an equality constrained least square problem to reproduce exact integrals for polynomials. As such, a meshfree discretization method is obtained, whose solution possesses the asymptotically compatible convergence to the corresponding local solution. Moreover, when fracture occurs, this meshfree formulation automatically provides a sharp representation of the fracture surface by breaking bonds, avoiding the loss of mass. As numerical examples, we consider the problem of modeling both homogeneous and heterogeneous materials with nonlocal diffusion and peridynamics models. Convergences to the analytical nonlocal solution and to the local theory are demonstrated. Finally, we verify the applicability of the approach to realistic problems by reproducing high-velocity impact results from the Kalthoff-Winkler experiments. Discussions on possible immediate extensions of the code to other nonlocal diffusion and peridynamics problems are provided. OBMeshfree is freely available on GitHub.Comment: For associated code, see https://github.com/youhq34/meshfree_quadrature_nonloca

Expanding Person-to-Person Diplomacy with Overseas Chinese

In the current global context, with prominent multilateralism and multipolarity trends, China is seeing a rise in comprehensive strength and influence on the international stage. China has always upheld mutual respect, mutual benefits, and win-win situations for its diplomatic strategies and has launched the Belt and Road Initiative to actively unite neighboring countries and regions for common development and advancement. Person-to-person diplomacy is an important part of foreign affairs work, of which overseas Chinese are a force to be reckoned with. Overseas Chinese are also descendants of the Chinese nation, so it is easier to communicate with them concerning culture, language, characters, and ideas. Therefore, with Chinese in Indonesia as the research subjects, this paper provides a case study of the Confucius Institute jointly built by Xihua University and Universitas Sebelas Maret (Sebelas Maret University, UNS) to specifically explore how to expand person-to-person diplomacy, unite overseas Chinese, promote China-foreign exchanges and cooperation, and enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples with overseas Chinese as the bridge. Keywords: people-to-people diplomacy, confucius institute, overseas Chines

Surface Modification of Silicone Rubber by Ion Implantation to Improve Biocompatibility

Silicone Rubber (SR) and SR-based materials have been used as medical tissue implants in the field of plastic surgery for many years, but there are still some reports of adverse reactions to long-term implants. In our study, three types of carbon ion silicone rubber were obtained by implanting three doses of carbon ions. Then, the surface characteristics, the antibacterial adhesion properties and in vivo host responses were evaluated. These study shown that ion implantation change the surface roughness and zeta potential of virgin SR; it also inhibit bacterial adhesion. At the same time, ion implantation enhance the cell proliferation, adhesion and tissue compatibility. These data indicate that carbon ion implanted silicone rubber exhibits good antibacterial adhesion properties, cytocompatibility and triggers thinner and weaker tissue capsules. In addition, according to the surface characteristics, we speculate that high surface roughness and high zeta potential may be the main factors that induce the unique biocompatibility of carbon ion implanted silicone rubber. In this chapter, we will review these results above and propose that ion implantation should be considered for further investigation and application, and carbon ion silicone rubber could be a better biomaterial to decrease silicone rubber–initiated complications

Preparation, Characterization, and Preliminary Biocompatibility Evaluation of Carbon Ion-Implanted Silicone Rubber

Silicone rubber (SR) is a common soft tissue filler material used in plastic surgery. However, it suffers from poor biocompatibility. Previous studies have found that the ion implantation technology can be used to improve the biocompatibility of metal materials. However, it is not clear whether it can improve the biocompatibility of polymer materials. In this study, carbon ion SR was prepared by carbon ion implantation. After that, the characteristics of ion implanted SR were investigated. Then, Escherichia coli was utilized to test the antibacterial ability of the carbon ion implanted SR. Besides, the dermal fibroblasts were used to evaluate the cytocompatibility. From the results, carbon ion implantation had no significant effect on the hardness, tensile strength and elongation at break of SR. At the same time, there was no significant change in the surface morphology of SR. But the results show that the surface nano-morphology, surface element composition, hydrophobic and ζ potential of the surface of SR changed significantly. The changes further mediated the lower adhesion of bacteria and enhanced biocompatibility. In conclusion, the carbon ion implantation technology can improve the surface properties of silicone rubber, and further improve its biocompatibility

Load Characteristics of Wireless Power Transfer System with Different Resonant Types and Resonator Numbers

Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) has been the research focus and applied in many fields. Normally power is transferred wirelessly to charge the battery, which requires specific load characteristics. The load characteristics are essential for the design and operation of the WPT system. This paper investigates the load characteristics of the WPT system with different resonant types and resonator numbers. It is found that in a WPT system with series or LCL resonance under a constant voltage source, the load characteristic is determined by the number of inductors. Even number of inductors results in a constant current characteristic and odd number constant voltage characteristic. Calculations, simulations, and experiments verify the analysis