Analysis of Wear Performance of Two Finger Seal Structure

To reveal the wear law of parabola-shaped and arc-shaped finger seals (FSs), the wear characteristics of parabola-shaped and arc-shaped FSs were studied in this paper. Firstly, a formula for calculating the contact stress of finger boot/rotor is established according to bootlace theory. Secondly, based on the mathematical model of wear rate in related literature, the influence of structural parameters on FS wear was investigated. Results showed that when the rotor speed is less than 1700 r/min, the contact stress of the parabolic FS is less than that of the arc-shaped FS; when the rotation speed is greater than 1700 r/min, the contact stresses of the parabolic and arc-shaped FSs increase rapidly. Furthermore, when the speed is greater than 4000 r/min, the contact stresses of the two structures are similar. When the rotor speed is less than 3000 r/min, the trends of the wear rate of the parabolic and arc-shaped FS structures are irregular; when the rotor speed is greater than 3000 r/min, the wear rate of the parabolic FS structure is greater than the arc-shaped FS, and the wear rates of the two structures increase exponentially. Our results provide theoretical basis and reference for the wear performance of PFS and AFS

Theoretical and numerical investigation into brush seal hysteresis without pressure differential

Brush seal is a novel type contact seal, and it is well-known due to its excellent performance. However, there are many intrinsic drawbacks, such as hysteresis, which need to be solved. This article focused on modeling hysteresis in both numerical way and analytic way without pressure differential. The numerical simulation was solved by the finite element method. General contact method was used to model the inter-bristle contact, bristle-rotor contact, and bristle-backplate contact. Bristle deformation caused by both vertical and axial tip force was used to validate the numerical model together with reaction force. An analytic model in respect of the strain energy was created. The influence of structure parameters on the hysteresis ratio, with the emphasis on the derivation of hysteresis ratio formula for brush seals, was also presented. Both numerical model and analytic model presented that cant angle is the most influential factor. The aim of the article is to provide a useful theoretical and numerical method to analyze and predict the hysteresis. This work contributes the basis for future hysteresis investigation with pressure differential.open access</p

Incentive-Boosted Federated Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is a favorable computing paradigm for processing computer-hard tasks by harnessing human intelligence. However, generic crowdsourcing systems may lead to privacy-leakage through the sharing of worker data. To tackle this problem, we propose a novel approach, called iFedCrowd (incentive-boosted Federated Crowdsourcing), to manage the privacy and quality of crowdsourcing projects. iFedCrowd allows participants to locally process sensitive data and only upload encrypted training models, and then aggregates the model parameters to build a shared server model to protect data privacy. To motivate workers to build a high-quality global model in an efficacy way, we introduce an incentive mechanism that encourages workers to constantly collect fresh data to train accurate client models and boosts the global model training. We model the incentive-based interaction between the crowdsourcing platform and participating workers as a Stackelberg game, in which each side maximizes its own profit. We derive the Nash Equilibrium of the game to find the optimal solutions for the two sides. Experimental results confirm that iFedCrowd can complete secure crowdsourcing projects with high quality and efficiency

Prog. Chem.

Ionic liquids, which are considered as the sustainable &quot;green product&quot;, are gaining increasing interest due to their physical and chemical characteristics. Although a lot of efforts have been focused on the investigation of their syntheses and applications, structure-property/activity relationships of ionic liquids are poorly known to us. The quantitative structure-property/activity relationships (QSPR/QSAR) research methods and steps are described systematically in this article. The latest researches of quantitative structure-property/activity relationships on the melting points of ionic liquids, the infinite dilution activity coefficients of organic compounds, surface tensions of ionic liquids, conductivities of ionic liquids, solubility of organic solutes in ionic liquids, viscosities of ionic liquids and biological toxicity and degradation of ionic liquids are reviewed. Both advantages and disadvantages of the QSPR/QSAR used in the ionic liquid property prediction are discussed, and the prospective of this research area is proposed.Ionic liquids, which are considered as the sustainable "green product", are gaining increasing interest due to their physical and chemical characteristics. Although a lot of efforts have been focused on the investigation of their syntheses and applications, structure-property/activity relationships of ionic liquids are poorly known to us. The quantitative structure-property/activity relationships (QSPR/QSAR) research methods and steps are described systematically in this article. The latest researches of quantitative structure-property/activity relationships on the melting points of ionic liquids, the infinite dilution activity coefficients of organic compounds, surface tensions of ionic liquids, conductivities of ionic liquids, solubility of organic solutes in ionic liquids, viscosities of ionic liquids and biological toxicity and degradation of ionic liquids are reviewed. Both advantages and disadvantages of the QSPR/QSAR used in the ionic liquid property prediction are discussed, and the prospective of this research area is proposed

A Bibliometric Analysis of Food-Energy-Water Nexus: Progress and Prospects

Food, energy and water are important basic resources that affect the sustainable development of a region. The influence of food–energy–water (FEW) nexus on sustainable development has quickly become a frontier topic since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were put forward. However, the overall context and core issues of the FEW nexus contributions to SDGs are still unclear. Using co-citation analysis, this paper aims to map the knowledge domains of FEW nexus research, disentangles its evolutionary context, and analyzes the core issues in its research, especially the progress of using quantitative simulation models to study the FEW nexus. We found that (1) studies within the FEW nexus focused on these following topics: correlation mechanisms, influencing factors, resource footprints, and sustainability management policies; (2) frontier of FEW studies have evolved from silo-oriented perspective on single resource system to nexus-oriented perspective on multiple systems; (3) quantitative research on the FEW nexus was primarily based on spatiotemporal evolution analysis, input–output analysis and scenario analysis; (4) the resource relationship among different sectors was synergies and tradeoffs within a region. In general, current research still focuses on empirical data, mostly qualitative and semiquantitative analyses, and there is a lack of research that can systematically reflect the temporal and spatial contribution of the FEW nexus to multiple SDGs. We believe that future research should focus more on how FEW nexus can provide mechanistic tools for achieving sustainable development

Multi-Attribute Group Decision Making Based on Multigranulation Probabilistic Models with Interval-Valued Neutrosophic Information

In plenty of realistic situations, multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) is ubiquitous and significant in daily activities of individuals and organizations. Among diverse tools for coping with MAGDM, granular computing-based approaches constitute a series of viable and efficient theories by means of multi-view problem solving strategies. In this paper, in order to handle MAGDM issues with interval-valued neutrosophic (IN) information, we adopt one of the granular computing (GrC)-based approaches, known as multigranulation probabilistic models, to address IN MAGDM problems. More specifically, after revisiting the related fundamental knowledge, three types of IN multigranulation probabilistic models are designed at first. Then, some key properties of the developed theoretical models are explored. Afterwards, a MAGDM algorithm for merger and acquisition target selections (M&amp;A TSs) with IN information is summed up. Finally, a real-life case study together with several detailed discussions is investigated to present the validity of the developed models

Effects of the Implementation of Intelligent Technology for Hand Hygiene in Hospitals: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BackgroundThe World Health Organization recommends regular hand hygiene monitoring and feedback to improve hand hygiene behaviors and health care–associated infection rates. Intelligent technologies for hand hygiene are increasingly being developed as alternative or supplemental monitoring approaches. However, there is insufficient evidence regarding the effect of this type of intervention, with conflicting results in the literature. ObjectiveWe conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of using intelligent technology for hand hygiene in hospitals. MethodsWe searched 7 databases from inception to December 31, 2022. Two reviewers independently and blindly selected studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. A meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan 5.3 and STATA 15.1 software. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were also conducted. Overall certainty of evidence was appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. The systematic review protocol was registered. ResultsThe 36 studies comprised 2 randomized controlled trials and 34 quasi-experimental studies. The included intelligent technologies involved 5 functions: performance reminders，electronic counting and remote monitoring，data processing，feedback，and education. Compared with usual care, the intelligent technology intervention for hand hygiene improved health care workers’ hand hygiene compliance (risk ratio 1.56, 95% CI 1.47-1.66; P<.001), reduced health care–associated infection rates (risk ratio 0.25, 95% CI 0.19-0.33; P<.001), and was not associated with multidrug-resistant organism detection rates (risk ratio 0.53, 95% CI 0.27-1.04; P=.07). Three covariates, including publication year, study design, and intervention, were not factors of hand hygiene compliance or hospital-acquired infection rates analyzed by meta-regression. Sensitivity analysis showed stable results except for the pooled outcome of multidrug-resistant organism detection rates. The caliber of 3 pieces of evidence suggested a dearth of high-caliber research. ConclusionsIntelligent technologies for hand hygiene play an integral role in hospital. However, low quality of evidence and important heterogeneity were observed. Larger clinical trials are required to evaluate the impact of intelligent technology on multidrug-resistant organism detection rates and other clinical outcomes