A constitutive model for AS4/PEEK thermoplastic composites under cyclic loading

Based on the basic and essential features of the elastic-plastic response of the AS4/PEEK thermoplastic composite subjected to off-axis cyclic loadings, a simple rate-independent constitutive model is proposed to describe the orthotropic material behavior for cyclic loadings. A one-parameter memory surface is introduced to distinguish the virgin deformation and the subsequent deformation process and to characterize the loading range effect. Cyclic softening is characterized by the change of generalized plastic modulus. By the vanishing yield surface assumption, a yield criterion is not needed and it is not necessary to consider loading and unloading separately. The model is compared with experimental results and good agreement is obtained

An investigation of the pharmacological effects of Nao Xin Qing (NXQ), a standardised herbal extract, for ischaemic stroke : in vitro and in vivo

Stroke is one of the major causes of death and disability worldwide. Ischaemic stroke constitutes 80% of stroke incidents. Reperfusion injury following ischaemic stroke has been shown to contribute to major neurological damages. Current conventional treatments for ischaemic stroke, whether surgical or pharmaceutical, focus on restoring cerebral blood flow and preventing expansion of ischaemic damage, but have limited impact on neuron damage or restoring damaged neurological functionalities. Nao Xin Qing (NXQ), a standardised, patented herbal extract derived from Diospyros kaki L., offers potential therapeutic for apoplexy syndrome, including ischaemic stroke. However, NXQ’s effects on ischaemic stroke are unclear. In particular, the mechanisms underlying NXQ’s effects and the key active components responsible for these effects, are not fully understood. This study aims to determine the effects of NXQ and its role in the treatment of ischaemic stroke. The study comprised of two parts. First part to determine the effects of NXQ for ischaemic stroke by evaluating its vascular protective effects and angiogenic effects. This study further identifies the chemical profiles of the NXQ extract and determines which compound/s are responsible for the therapeutic functions for ischaemic stroke. The second part of the study aimed to evaluate the clinical effects of NXQ on ischaemic stroke patients. A study protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was developed to facilitate future studies on the clinical efficacy and safety profile of NXQ for ischaemic stroke patients. NXQ possesses vascular protective effects against H2O2-induced damage that may protect endothelial cells from reperfusion-induced damage. Additionally, NXQ possesses potential angiogenesis and revascularisation properties, which may contribute to its therapeutic action during ischaemic stroke recovery

A Day Stood Still

The Brooklyn Navy Yard is an important industrial historic site in New York City. It was established in the 1810s as a private shipyard and became a military property in the late nineteenth century. It provided significant production capacity for the Pacific battlefield during World War II. After the war, the entire campus closed in the 1960s as military orders declined and transportation changed. The Brooklyn Navy Yard was later sold to New York City and repurposed. After the city government took over the park, unlike other industrial sites that were developed as real estate, manufacturing is still the main goal of the development of the region, to provide more adequate employment and the memory of the national industrial heritage. This presents a trend contrary to the evolution of ordinary urban industries. In the heart of Brooklyn, the survival of the manufacturing industry stands here like a living monument, remembering the history of the industrial age. Continuing the industrial production function of industrial space is a relatively rare type compared to other types of adaptive reuse (such as transformation into workplace, commercial, residential). It faces many challenges in terms of economic sustainability and protection of the surrounding environment. This paper will focus on this often-overlooked subdivision and explore a discussion. In a society dominated by capital, spaces such as factories and shipyards were only used to create economic value at the beginning of their birth. After they lose their ability to create economic value, how should the collective memory of the citizens they carry continue to exist? The article will use Brooklyn Navy Yard as a sample to explore the possibility of coexistence of monumental space and industrial production, and to explore the reasonable future of current urban manufacturing. The research process also pays attention to the impact of sea level rise caused by climate change on waterfront and heritage preservation. In the end, to create a system in which the industry and the environment promote each other

Contribution Index Based on Green Building Certification Systems

Green Building Certification Systems (GBCS) are carried out in many countries due to the rising awareness of the importance of sustainability in the building industry. The intention should have motivated participants to construct and operate buildings sustainably, however, there is not yet a method developed to investigate the motivation of the participants. Based on the GBCS, this paper proposes the contribution index as a standard global method to analyze the performance of participants in the green building industry. Three contribution indices, namely Frequency Contribution Index (FCI), Intensity Contribution Index (ICI) and Comprehensive Contribution Index (CCI) that concern each different category of participant, have been formulated. Three further analyses based on the index were undertaken to investigate some features of the industry. A case study of Singapore was conducted to show how the contribution index could be used to extract industry patterns and trends and assess the participants’ performance in the green building industry. Interviews with experts provide some suggested applications and support for the findings

The Global Attractors For The Higher-order Kirchhoff-type Equation With Nonlinear Strongly Damped Term

The paper studies the longtime behavior of solutions to the initial boundary value problem for a class of Higher-order Kirchhoff models: For strong nonlinear damping and , we make assumptions (H1)-(H3). are nonlinear function specified later , we make assumptions (G1)-(G3). Under of the proper assume, the main results are existence and uniqueness of the solution are proved , and deal with the global attractors in natural energy space

Arriving at Employment

The Detroit Future City (DFC) strategic framework of 2012 proposes that industrial redevelopment in the Mt. Elliott and Southwest industrial employment districts will provide jobs for the greatest number of unemployed and underemployed residents of Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit Economic Growth Association has used the industrial employment district concept as the basis of an ongoing planning process in the Mt. Elliott area. The existing industrial and freight infrastructure paired with investment from non-profit groups in the Mt. Elliott and Southwest districts makes them prime locations for additional industrial investment. The goal of our study is to evaluate whether new manufacturing jobs in these areas will be accessible to working-age Detroiters who do not have access to a personal vehicle. Using geographic information system (GIS) software, we estimated the number of Detroiters who can reach either industrial district via bus service or walking within an hour of a typical industrial shift.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120305/1/Auerbach-Reilly-Sun_ArrivingAtEmployment.pd

Targeting and exploitation of tumor-associated neutrophils to enhance immunotherapy and drug delivery for cancer treatment

Neutrophils, the most abundant leukocytes in human blood, are essential fighter immune cells against microbial infection. Based on the finding that neutrophils can either restrict or promote cancer progression, tumor-associated neutrophils (TAN) are classified into anti-tumor N1 and pro-tumor N2 subsets. One of the major mechanisms underlying the tumor-promoting function of N2-TANs is suppression of adaptive immune cells, in particular, cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Currently, no established methodologies are available that can unequivocally distinguish immunosuppressive TANs and granulocytic/polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (G/PMN-MDSC). In view of the critical role of PMN-MDSCs in immune evasion and resistance to cancer immunotherapy, as established from data obtained with diverse cancer models, therapeutic strategies targeting these cells have been actively developed to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy. Here, we have reviewed the available literature on strategies targeting PMN-MDSCs and summarized the findings into four categories: (1) depletion of existing PMN-MDSCs, (2) blockade of the development of PMN-MDSCs, (3) blockade of PMN-MDSC recruitment, (4) inhibition of immunosuppressive function. Owing to their high mobility to inflamed organs and ability to trespass the blood-brain barrier, neutrophils are outstanding candidate carriers in nanoparticle-based therapies. Another attractive application of neutrophils in cancer therapy is the use of neutrophil membrane-derived nanovesicles as a surrogate of extracellular vesicles for more efficient and scalable drug delivery. In the second part of the review, we have highlighted recent advances in the field of neutrophil-based cancer drug delivery. Overall, we believe that neutrophil-based therapeutics are a rapidly growing area of cancer therapy with significant potential benefits