A Generation of Special Triangular Boundary Element Shape Functions for 3D Crack Problems

This paper focuses on tackling the two drawbacks of the dual boundary element method (DBEM) when solving crack problems with a discontinuous triangular element: low accuracy of the calculation of integrals with singularity and crack front element must be utilized to model the square-root property of displacement. In order to calculate the integrals with higher order singularity, the triangular elements are segmented into several subregions which consist of subtriangles and subpolygons. The singular integrals in those subtriangles are handled by the singularity subtraction technique in the integration space and can be regularized and accurately calculated. For the nearly singular integrals in those subpolygons, the element subdivision technique is employed to improve the calculation accuracy. In addition, considering the location of the crack front in the element, special crack front elements are constructed based on a 6-node discontinuous triangular element, in which the displacement extrapolation method is introduced to obtain the stress intensity factors (SIFs) without consideration of orthogonalization of the crack front mesh. Several numerical results are investigated to fully verify the validation of the presented approach

Optimization of hinge beam of cylinder-beam integrated cubic press based on response surface method

Cubic press is the primary equipment for diamond production in China. Its key component, the hinge beam, bears continuous alternating loads in the working environment and is prone to failure and breakage. In this paper, a method combining response surface method (RSM) and multi-objective genetic algorithms (MOGA) is proposed to optimize the hinge beam of the new hexagon top press. Firstly, a parametric model of the hinge beam is established. The dimensions of key parts are treated as design parameters, while the maximum stress and displacement serve as objective functions. There is also a constraint on the maximum mass. Then, the optimal space-filling design (OSF) is used as the design of experiments (DOE) to obtain the design experimental points. The proxy model is obtained by the response surface method. Afterward, the global optimum solution is searched using the MOGA method, and the optimal result of the hinge beam is evaluated. The results show that the optimized hinge beam effectively improves stiffness and strength with a slight increase in weight. Stress concentration is also significantly reduced, providing a valuable reference for the design and development of the press

The Ponto-Geniculo-Occipital (PGO) Waves in Dreaming: An Overview

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the main sleep correlate of dreaming. Ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) waves are a signature of REM sleep. They represent the physiological mechanism of REM sleep that specifically limits the processing of external information. PGO waves look just like a message sent from the pons to the lateral geniculate nucleus of the visual thalamus, the occipital cortex, and other areas of the brain. The dedicated visual pathway of PGO waves can be interpreted by the brain as visual information, leading to the visual hallucinosis of dreams. PGO waves are considered to be both a reflection of REM sleep brain activity and causal to dreams due to their stimulation of the cortex. In this review, we summarize the role of PGO waves in potential neural circuits of two major theories, i.e., (1) dreams are generated by the activation of neural activity in the brainstem; (2) PGO waves signaling to the cortex. In addition, the potential physiological functions during REM sleep dreams, such as memory consolidation, unlearning, and brain development and plasticity and mood regulation, are discussed. It is hoped that our review will support and encourage research into the phenomenon of human PGO waves and their possible functions in dreaming

Cooperation between NSPc1 and DNA methylation represses HOXA11 expression and promotes apoptosis of trophoblast cells during preeclampsia

Accumulating evidence has shown that the apoptosis of trophoblast cells plays an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, and an intricate interplay between DNA methylation and polycomb group (PcG) protein-mediated gene silencing has been highlighted recently. Here, we provide evidence that the expression of nervous system polycomb 1 (NSPc1), a BMI1 homologous polycomb protein, is significantly elevated in trophoblast cells during preeclampsia, which accelerates trophoblast cell apoptosis. Since NSPc1 acts predominantly as a transcriptional inactivator that specifically represses HOXA11 expression in trophoblast cells during preeclampsia, we further show that NSPc1 is required for DNMT3a recruitment and maintenance of the DNA methylation in the HOXA11 promoter in trophoblast cells during preeclampsia. In addition, we find that the interplay of DNMT3a and NSPc1 represses the expression of HOXA11 and promotes trophoblast cell apoptosis. Taken together, these results indicate that the cooperation between NSPc1 and DNMT3a reduces HOXA11 expression in preeclampsia pathophysiology, which provides novel therapeutic approaches for targeted inhibition of trophoblast cell apoptosis during preeclampsia pathogenesis

Continuous renal replacement therapy with the adsorptive oXiris filter may be associated with the lower 28-day mortality in sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background The oXiris is a novel filter for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) featuring an adsorption coating to adsorb endotoxins and remove inflammatory mediators. Given that no consensus has been reached on its potential benefits in treating sepsis, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess its impact on the clinical outcomes of this patient population. Methods Eleven databases were retrieved to find relevant observational studies and randomized controlled trials. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool were used to assess the quality of the included studies. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) process was employed to assess the certainty of evidence. The 28-day mortality was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were 7-, 14-, and 90-day mortality, length of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay, ICU and hospital mortality, norepinephrine (NE) dose, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and lactate levels, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Results The meta-analysis, pooling data from 14 studies, involving 695 patients, showed significant reductions in 28-day mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.53; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36–0.77, p = 0.001] and length of ICU stay [weighted mean difference (WMD) − 1.91; 95% CI − 2.56 to − 1.26, p < 0.001)] in patients with sepsis using the oXiris filter compared to other filters. Besides, the SOFA score, NE dose, IL-6 and lactate levels, and 7- and 14-day mortalities were lower in the oXiris group. However, the 90-day mortality, ICU and hospital mortality, and length of hospital stay were comparable. The quality assessment of the ten observational studies indicated intermediate to high quality (average Newcastle–Ottawa score: 7.8). However, all four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) had an unclear risk of bias. The evidence for all outcomes had a low or very low level of certainty because the original study design was mainly observational studies and the RCTs included had an unclear risk of bias and a small sample size. Conclusion The treatment with the oXiris filter during CRRT in sepsis patients may be associated with lower 28-, 7-, and 14-day mortalities, lactate levels, SOFA score, NE dose, and shorter length of ICU stay. However, due to the low or very low quality of evidence, the effectiveness of oXiris filters was still uncertain. Besides, no significant difference was observed for the 90-day mortality, ICU and hospital mortality, and length of hospital stay

The impacts of lithium and silicon coating on the W source in EAST

Application of lithium (Li) or silicon (Si) wall coating in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) has proven to be an effective method to reduce fuel recycling and control impurity level, and also to improve the plasma performance. In 2014, the upper graphite divertor in EAST was upgraded into a full tungsten (W) one with ITER-like actively water-cooled monoblock structure. Note that there is still large surface area of first wall covered by graphite tiles, including the lower divertor, NBI shine through armor, the outboard guard limiters, etc. In 2016 spring campaign, both Li and Si were used to coat the first wall in experimental sequences that lasted more than one month each. The spectroscopic observation reveals that compared to Si coating, Li coating more effectively suppresses in-vessel impurities, thus mitigating the W source in upper divertor. This is further quantified by a reduction of the effective W sputtering yield calculation. Carbon (C) impurity is suggested as the main impurity governing W sputtering, and correlates inverselywith the wall coating evolution during both one-day experiments and the whole campaign. The impurity concentration increases measurably after every vacuum vessel exposure to air during the campaign; substantial time is required for impurities to return to baseline levels. Real-time Li aerosol injection into the upper divertor effectively reduces the W sputtering by cooling the edge plasma and dissipating the power flux to divertor target, consequently providing an active tool for radiation divertor control. Keywords: Lithium and silicon coating, Tungsten erosion, Impurity concentration, Spectroscopic diagnosi