Prediction of dynamic responses of FSRU-LNGC side-by-side mooring system

Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) becomes one of the most popular equipment in the industry for providing clean energy because of its technical, economic and environmental features. The interaction between the FSRU and Liquified Natural Gas Carrier (LNGC) under the combined loads from wind, wave and current is quite complex to model. In this paper, a configuration for the offloading operation of the FSRU-LNGC side-by-side mooring system is proposed to predict the motion responses, forces on the cables and fenders of the multi-floating mooring system. The damping lid method is adopted to improve the overestimated hydrodynamic coefficients calculated from conventional potential flow theory in the frequency domain. The dynamic response of the side-by-side mooring system including six degrees of freedom motion, relative motions, cable tensions and fender forces are provided and analyzed. The numerical results are validated using the experimental data. The proposed coupled analysis model and the numerical analysis can properly predict the dynamic response of the multi-floating mooring. The sensitivity analysis of pretension of the connecting cables on the dynamic responses of the two vessels are provided. Moreover, the non-dimensional damping parameters can be acted as a good reference to the dynamic response analysis of similar multi-floating mooring systems

Chironomid (Insecta: Chironomidae) community structure response to hydrological changes in the mid-1950s in lake Nam Co, Tibetan Plateau

The recent rise in air temperatures detected at high altitudes of the Tibetan Plateau has accelerated glacier melt and retreat. Moreover, enhanced monsoonal precipitation has increased runoff and transport of allochthonous material to the lakes. Consequently, water levels are rising, modifying the spatial distribution and composition of local aquatic biota. To infer these environmental and biological changes in recent decades, a 30-cm-long sediment core, representing the past ~160 years, from Nam Co, an endorheic lake, was analyzed for subfossil chironomid assemblages and sediment geochemistry. In total, 25 chironomid morphotypes were identified. Nineteen were considered as non-rare taxa (abundances ≥2%) and six as rare taxa (abundances <2%). Since 1956 ce, higher chironomid richness (S = 19) is evident compared to the previous 100 years. The simultaneous decrease in the abundance of profundal Micropsectra radialis-type and increase of both Chironomus and Procladius, taxa adapted to more eurytopic and slightly warmer water bodies, indicate increasing water temperatures and intensified primary productivity. The dominance of littoral chironomid assemblages reflects increasing lake water levels, flooded shorelines and expansion of littoral areas driven by increased precipitation and glacial meltwater input both resulting from the increase in air temperatures. This scenario is confirmed by increases in total nitrogen and Zr/Rb ratios, indicating higher productivity and coarser grain size as a consequence of increased runoff via the Niya Qu. These hydrological changes have resulted in a positive water balance that can be linked to an increase in moisture supply from the Indian summer monsoon and glacier melt, reflecting increasing temperatures and precipitation since 1956 ce, ultimately driven by anthropogenic warming

Sub-fossil chironomids as indicators of hydrological changes in the shallow and high-altitude lake Shen Co, Tibetan Plateau, over the past two centuries

Understanding climate and monsoonal dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau is crucial, as recent hydrological changes, evidenced by rising lake levels, will be accelerated by current global warming and may alter aquatic habitats and species inventories. This study combines chironomid assemblages with sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical data of a short sediment core (37.5 cm) from the high-altitude (> 4,733 m asl), saline (9 g L-1) and shallow (~5 m water depth) Shen Co, located in the southern part of the central Tibetan Plateau. The predominantly littoral, species-poor (10 chironomid morphotypes) chironomid assemblages are dominated by salt-tolerant taxa, that are highly sensitive to lake level fluctuations and macrophyte vegetation dynamics, making them ideally suited for tracking lake level changes over time. Results indicate a period (from ca. 1830 to 1921 CE) of drier conditions with low runoff and high evaporation rates in the Shen Co catchment, as indicated by a dominance of low-Mg calcite and dolomite and increased Ca/Fe and Sr/Rb ratios. This resulted in a decline in lake levels, an increase in salinity and the periodic occurrence of desiccation events at the sampling site. The first chironomid morphotype to appear after the dry period is Acricotopus indet. morphotype incurvatus, which indicate still low (<2 m) but rising lake levels after 1921 CE due to increasing runoff and a lower evaporation/precipitation ratio, as reflected by coarser grain size, higher quartz content and increased TN, TOC and Al/Si ratios. A replacement of A. indet. morphotype incurvatus by Procladius is observed as lake level rise continued after 1950 CE. The highest lake level is proposed for the period since 2006 CE. From 1955 to 1960 CE and from 2011 to 2018 CE, the presence of the phytophilic taxon Psectrocladius sordidellus-type supported abundant macrophyte growth. These changes are consistent with climate reconstructions from the northern and central Tibetan Plateau, indicating warmer and wetter climate conditions since the beginning of the 20th century, which have led to an increase in lake level in a number of Tibetan lakes. Our study specifically highlights 1920 and 1950 as years with enhanced precipitation. This can be attributed to the strong, with overlapping multidecadal cycles of Westerlies and monsoon systems. This study demonstrates the significance of studying small, shallow lakes, as they frequently contain aquatic communities that respond more rapidly to the changes in the lake system. In addition, this study expands our understanding of the ecology of Tibetan chironomid morphotypes, highlighting this group’s potential as paleolimnological proxies for investigating past environmental and climatic changes

Sedimentary ancient DNA reveals past ecosystem and biodiversity changes on the Tibetan Plateau: Overview and prospects

Alpine ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau are being threatened by ongoing climate warming and intensified human activities. Ecological time-series obtained from sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) are essential for understanding past ecosystem and biodiversity dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau and their responses to climate change at a high taxonomic resolution. Hitherto only few but promising studies have been published on this topic. The potential and limitations of using sedaDNA on the Tibetan Plateau are not fully understood. Here, we (i) provide updated knowledge of and a brief introduction to the suitable archives, region-specific taphonomy, state-of-the-art methodologies, and research questions of sedaDNA on the Tibetan Plateau; (ii) review published and ongoing sedaDNA studies from the Tibetan Plateau; and (iii) give some recommendations for future sedaDNA study designs. Based on the current knowledge of taphonomy, we infer that deep glacial lakes with freshwater and high clay sediment input, such as those from the southern and southeastern Tibetan Plateau, may have a high potential for sedaDNA studies. Metabarcoding (for microorganisms and plants), metagenomics (for ecosystems), and hybridization capture (for prehistoric humans) are three primary sedaDNA approaches which have been successfully applied on the Tibetan Plateau, but their power is still limited by several technical issues, such as PCR bias and incompleteness of taxonomic reference databases. Setting up high-quality and open-access regional taxonomic reference databases for the Tibetan Plateau should be given priority in the future. To conclude, the archival, taphonomic, and methodological conditions of the Tibetan Plateau are favorable for performing sedaDNA studies. More research should be encouraged to address questions about long-term ecological dynamics at ecosystem scale and to bring the paleoecology of the Tibetan Plateau into a new era

Extensive Crosstalk between O-GlcNAcylation and Phosphorylation Regulates Akt Signaling

O-linked N-acetylglucosamine glycosylations (O-GlcNAc) and O-linked phosphorylations (O-phosphate), as two important types of post-translational modifications, often occur on the same protein and bear a reciprocal relationship. In addition to the well documented phosphorylations that control Akt activity, Akt also undergoes O-GlcNAcylation, but the interplay between these two modifications and the biological significance remain unclear, largely due to the technique challenges. Here, we applied a two-step analytic approach composed of the O-GlcNAc immunoenrichment and subsequent O-phosphate immunodetection. Such an easy method enabled us to visualize endogenous glycosylated and phosphorylated Akt subpopulations in parallel and observed the inhibitory effect of Akt O-GlcNAcylations on its phosphorylation. Further studies utilizing mass spectrometry and mutagenesis approaches showed that O-GlcNAcylations at Thr 305 and Thr 312 inhibited Akt phosphorylation at Thr 308 via disrupting the interaction between Akt and PDK1. The impaired Akt activation in turn resulted in the compromised biological functions of Akt, as evidenced by suppressed cell proliferation and migration capabilities. Together, this study revealed an extensive crosstalk between O-GlcNAcylations and phosphorylations of Akt and demonstrated O-GlcNAcylation as a new regulatory modification for Akt signaling

Frictional behavior of quartz gouge during slide-hold-slide considering normal stress oscillation

Abstract Slide-hold-slide (SHS) test is an essential experimental approach for studying the frictional stability of faults. The origin SHS framework was established based on  a consistent constant normal stress, which cannot truly reflect the stress disturbance around fault zones. In this paper, we conducted a series of ‘dynamic SHS tests’, which includes normal stress oscillations in the relaxation stage with different oscillation amplitudes and frequencies on synthetic quartz gouge using a double direct shear assembly. The experimental results reveal that the amplitude of the normal load oscillation has a remarkable effect on the frictional relaxation and healing patterns. However, the frequency of the normal load oscillation has a minor effect. Additionally, the shear loading rate is proportional to the normal loading rate during the relaxation stage, and the normal stiffness of the quartz layer remains nearly constant under various loading conditions. The creep rate during the hold phase is not obviously affected by the normal load oscillation, while the precursory slip is also sensitive to the oscillation amplitude. This study provides insights into the evolution of frictional stability in discontinuities and is beneficial for controlling relative disasters in fault zones

Numerical Study on Motion Response of FSRU-LNGC Side-by-Side Mooring System

Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) becomes one of the most popular equipment in the industry for providing clean energy due to its technical, economic and environmental features. Under the combined loads from wind, wave and current, it is difficult for the prediction of the dynamic response for such FSRU-LNGC (Liquified Natural Gas Carrier) side-by- side mooring system, because of the complicated hydrodynamic interaction between the two floating bodies. In this paper, a non-dimensional damping parameter of the two floating bodies is obtained from a scaled model test. Then the numerical analysis is carried out based on the test results, and the damping lid method is applied to simulate the hydrodynamic interference between floating bodies. The dynamic response of the side-by- side mooring system including six degrees of freedom motion, cable tension and fender force are provided and analyzed. According to the comparisons between numerical results and the test results, it is shown that the proposed coupled analysis model is reliable, and the numerical analysis can properly describe the dynamic response of the multi-floating mooring system in the marine environment. Moreover, the non- dimensional damping parameter which is used in numerical analysis can act as a good reference to the dynamic response analysis of similar multi-floating mooring systems

Experimental study on the slip evolution of planar fractures subjected to cyclic normal stress

Abstract The frictional rupture mechanisms of rock discontinuities considering the dynamic load disturbance still remain unclear. This paper investigates the transitional behaviors of slip events happened on a planar granite fracture under cyclic normal stress with different oscillation amplitudes. The experimental results show that the activations of fast slips always correlate with unloading of normal stress. Besides, the intensive normal stress oscillation can weaken the shear strength which is recoverable when the normal stress return to constant. The rupture patterns are quantified by stress drop, slip length and slip velocity. With the effect of small oscillation amplitudes, the slip events show chaotic shapes, compared to the regular and predictable style under constant normal stress. When the amplitude is large enough, the big and small slip events emerge alternately, showing a compound slip style. Large amplitude of the cyclic normal stress also widens the interval differences of the slip events. This work provides experimental supports for a convincible link between the dynamic stress disturbance and the slip behavior of rock fractures

Experimental and numerical study on dynamic response of fsru-lngc side-by-side mooring system

Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) becomes one of the most popular equipment in the industry for providing clean energy due to its technical, economic and environmental features. Under the combined loads from wind, wave and current, it is difficult for the prediction of the dynamic response for such FSRU-LNGC (Liquified Natural Gas Carrier) side-byside mooring system, because of the complicated hydrodynamic interaction between the two floating bodies. In this paper, a non-dimensional damping parameter of the two floating bodies is obtained from a scaled model test. Then the numerical analysis is carried out based on the test results, and the damping lid method is applied to simulate the hydrodynamic interference between floating bodies. The dynamic response of the side-byside mooring system including six degrees of freedom motion, cable tension and fender force are provided and analyzed. According to the comparisons between numerical results and the test results, it is shown that the proposed coupled analysis model is reliable, and the numerical analysis can properly describe the dynamic response of the multi-floating mooring system in the marine environment. Moreover, the nondimensional damping parameter which is used in numerical analysis can act as a good reference to the dynamic response analysis of similar multi-floating mooring systems