Macro-Micro Failure Mechanisms and Damage Modeling of a Bolted Rock Joint

The anchoring mechanism of a bolted joint subjected to a shear load was investigated using a bilinear constitutive model via the inner-embedded FISH language of particle flow code based on the discrete element method. The influences of the anchoring system on the macro-/micromechanical response were studied by varying the inclination angle of the bolt. The results indicate a clear relationship between the mechanical response of a bolted rock joint and the mechanical properties of the anchoring angle. By optimizing the anchorage angle, the peak strength can be increased by nearly 50% relative to that at an anchorage angle of 90°. The optimal anchorage angle ranges from 45° to 75°. The damage mechanism at the optimal anchorage angle joint is revealed from a macroscopic mechanical perspective. The concentration of the contact force between disks will appear in the joint and around the bolt, resulting in crack initiation. These cracks are mainly tensile cracks, which are consistent with the formation mechanism for compression-induced tensile cracks. Therefore, the macroscopic peak shear stress in the joint and the microscopic damage to the anchoring system should be considered when determining the optimal anchoring angle to reinforce a jointed rock mass

High-Throughput Screen Reveals sRNAs Regulating crRNA Biogenesis by Targeting CRISPR Leader to Repress Rho Termination

Discovery of CRISPR-Cas systems is one of paramount importance in the field of microbiology. Currently, how CRISPR-Cas systems are finely regulated remains to be defined. Here we use small regulatory RNA (sRNA) library to screen sRNAs targeting type I-F CRISPR-Cas system through proximity ligation by T4 RNA ligase and find 34 sRNAs linking to CRISPR loci. Among 34 sRNAs for potential regulators of CRISPR, sRNA pant463 and PhrS enhance CRISPR loci transcription, while pant391 represses their transcription. We identify PhrS as a regulator of CRISPR-Cas by binding CRISPR leaders to suppress Rho-dependent transcription termination. PhrS-mediated anti-termination facilitates CRISPR locus transcription to generate CRISPR RNA (crRNA) and subsequently promotes CRISPR-Cas adaptive immunity against bacteriophage invasion. Furthermore, this also exists in type I-C/-E CRISPR-Cas, suggesting general regulatory mechanisms in bacteria kingdom. Our findings identify sRNAs as important regulators of CRISPR-Cas, extending roles of sRNAs in controlling bacterial physiology by promoting CRISPR-Cas adaptation priming

Research on a Novel Kind of Dual Polarized Stacked Printed Antenna

This paper presents a dual polarized antenna with high isolation for a wide-angle scanning phased array radar. For the proposed antenna, the electronic and magnetic resources are realized through a printed monopole antenna and a slot ring antenna, respectively. A metal reflector ground was introduced to achieve the unidirectional pattern, and the ratio of front to back of the pattern was improved. The printed monopole and slot ring antenna are fed by the coaxial and electromagnetic couplings, respectively. The radiation fields emitted by the electronic current resource and magnetic current resource are approximately orthogonal to each other among large space ranges. The measured port isolation of the designed antenna is above 20 dB, and the wide beam performance can be observed. The feasibility of the proposed antenna scheme is verified

An Optimized Parallel FDTD Topology for Challenging Electromagnetic Simulations on Supercomputers

It may not be a challenge to run a Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) code for electromagnetic simulations on a supercomputer with more than 10 thousands of CPU cores; however, to make FDTD code work with the highest efficiency is a challenge. In this paper, the performance of parallel FDTD is optimized through MPI (message passing interface) virtual topology, based on which a communication model is established. The general rules of optimal topology are presented according to the model. The performance of the method is tested and analyzed on three high performance computing platforms with different architectures in China. Simulations including an airplane with a 700-wavelength wingspan, and a complex microstrip antenna array with nearly 2000 elements are performed very efficiently using a maximum of 10240 CPU cores

Analysis of the Air-Reversed Brayton Heat Pump with Different Layouts of Turbochargers for Space Heating

The air-reversed Brayton cycle produces charming, environmentally friendly effects by using air as its refrigerant and has potential energy efficiency in applications related to space heating and building heating. However, there exist several types of cycle that need to be discussed. In this paper, six types of air-reversed Brayton heat pump with a turbocharger, applicable under different heating conditions, are developed. The expressions of the heating coefficient of performance (COP) and the corresponding turbine pressure ratio are derived based on thermodynamic analysis. By using these expressions, the effects of turbine pressure ratio on the COP under different working conditions are theoretically analyzed, and the optimal COPs of different cycles under specific working conditions are determined. It is observed that Cycles A and C have the highest heating COPs, and there is an optimal pressure ratio for each cycle. The corresponding pressure ratio of the optimal COP is different, concentrated in the range of 1.5–1.9. When the pressure ratio reaches the optimal value, increasing the pressure ratio does not significantly improve the heating COP. Take Cycle F as an example: the maximum error between the calculated results and experimental observation is lower than 5.6%. These results will enable further study of the air-reversed Brayton heat pump with a turbocharger from a different perspective

Reservoir Permeability Evolution during the Process of CO₂-Enhanced Coalbed Methane Recovery

In this study, we have built a dual porosity/permeability model through accurately expressing the volumetric strain of matrix and fracture from a three-dimensional method which aims to reveal the reservoir permeability evolution during the process of CO2-enhanced coalbed methane (CO2-ECBM) recovery. This model has accommodated the key competing processes of mechanical deformation and adsorption/desorption induced swelling/shrinkage, and it also considered the effect of fracture aperture and effective stress difference between each medium (fracture and matrix). We then numerically solve the permeability model using a group of multi-field coupling equations with the finite element method (FEM) to understand how permeability evolves temporally and spatially. We further conduct multifaceted analyses to reveal that permeability evolution near the wells is the most dramatic. This study shows that the farther away from the well, the gentler the evolution of permeability. The evolution of reservoir permeability near the injection well (IW) and the production well (PW) are very different, due to the combined effects of effective stress changes and gas adsorption and desorption. Furthermore, adsorption is the main controlling factor for the change of permeability for regions near the IW, while the change in effective stress is the main cause for the change in permeability near the PW. Increasing the injection pressure of CO2 will cause the reservoir permeability to evolve more quickly and dynamically

Analysis of the Air-Reversed Brayton Heat Pump with Different Layouts of Turbochargers for Space Heating

The air-reversed Brayton cycle produces charming, environmentally friendly effects by using air as its refrigerant and has potential energy efficiency in applications related to space heating and building heating. However, there exist several types of cycle that need to be discussed. In this paper, six types of air-reversed Brayton heat pump with a turbocharger, applicable under different heating conditions, are developed. The expressions of the heating coefficient of performance (COP) and the corresponding turbine pressure ratio are derived based on thermodynamic analysis. By using these expressions, the effects of turbine pressure ratio on the COP under different working conditions are theoretically analyzed, and the optimal COPs of different cycles under specific working conditions are determined. It is observed that Cycles A and C have the highest heating COPs, and there is an optimal pressure ratio for each cycle. The corresponding pressure ratio of the optimal COP is different, concentrated in the range of 1.5–1.9. When the pressure ratio reaches the optimal value, increasing the pressure ratio does not significantly improve the heating COP. Take Cycle F as an example: the maximum error between the calculated results and experimental observation is lower than 5.6%. These results will enable further study of the air-reversed Brayton heat pump with a turbocharger from a different perspective