Estimating Highway Pavement Damage Costs Attributed to Truck Traffic

Kansas is one of the leaders in meat production in the United States. In the southwest Kansas region, there are more than three hundred feed yards and several of the biggest meat processing plants in the nation. Heavy trucks (e.g., tractor-trailers) have been used primarily for transporting processed meat, meat byproducts, grain, and other related products. With the continuous growth of these industries, there will be more trucks on highways transporting meat and meat-related products in southwest Kansas. These trucks cause noteworthy damage to Kansas highway pavements, which in turn leads to more frequent maintenance actions and ultimately more traffic delays and congestion. The primary objective of this research was to estimate the highway damage costs attributed to the truck traffic associated with the processed meat (beef) and related industries in southwest Kansas. The researchers developed a systematic pavement damage estimation procedure that synthesized several existing methodologies including Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) methods. In this research project, the highway section of US 50/400 between Dodge City and Garden City in Kansas was selected and its pavement data were collected for analysis. Outcomes of this research will be beneficial for the selection of cost-effective transportation modes for the meat processing and related industries in southwest Kansas. It will also help government agents to assess highway maintenance needs and to set up maintenance priorities. Meanwhile, the analysis results will be valuable for the determination of reasonable user costs. Based on findings of this research, recommendations on the selection of transportation modes are provided and promising future research tasks are suggested as well. PowerPoint presentation attached below as Related File. Link to Webinar video: http://vimeo.com/3739719

Estimating Highway Pavement Damage Costs Attributed to Truck Traffic

Kansas is one of the leaders in meat production in the United States. In the southwest Kansas region, there are more than three hundred feed yards and several of the biggest meat processing plants in the nation. Heavy trucks (e.g., tractor-trailers) have been used primarily for transporting processed meat, meat byproducts, grain, and other related products. With the continuous growth of these industries, there will be more trucks on highways transporting meat and meat-related products in southwest Kansas. These trucks cause noteworthy damage to Kansas highway pavements, which in turn leads to more frequent maintenance actions and ultimately more traffic delays and congestion. The primary objective of this research was to estimate the highway damage costs attributed to the truck traffic associated with the processed meat (beef) and related industries in southwest Kansas. The researchers developed a systematic pavement damage estimation procedure that synthesized several existing methodologies including Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) methods. In this research project, the highway section of US 50/400 between Dodge City and Garden City in Kansas was selected and its pavement data were collected for analysis. Outcomes of this research will be beneficial for the selection of cost-effective transportation modes for the meat processing and related industries in southwest Kansas. It will also help government agents to assess highway maintenance needs and to set up maintenance priorities. Meanwhile, the analysis results will be valuable for the determination of reasonable user costs. Based on findings of this research, recommendations on the selection of transportation modes are provided and promising future research tasks are suggested as well. PowerPoint presentation attached below as Related File. Link to Webinar video: http://vimeo.com/3739719

Estimating Highway Pavement Damage Costs Attributed to Truck Traffic

Kansas is one of the leaders in meat production in the United States. In the southwest Kansas region, there are more than three hundred feed yards and several of the biggest meat processing plants in the nation. Heavy trucks (e.g., tractor-trailers) have been used primarily for transporting processed meat, meat byproducts, grain, and other related products. With the continuous growth of these industries, there will be more trucks on highways transporting meat and meat-related products in southwest Kansas. These trucks cause noteworthy damage to Kansas highway pavements, which in turn leads to more frequent maintenance actions and ultimately more traffic delays and congestion. The primary objective of this research was to estimate the highway damage costs attributed to the truck traffic associated with the processed meat (beef) and related industries in southwest Kansas. The researchers developed a systematic pavement damage estimation procedure that synthesized several existing methodologies including Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) methods. In this research project, the highway section of US 50/400 between Dodge City and Garden City in Kansas was selected and its pavement data were collected for analysis. Outcomes of this research will be beneficial for the selection of cost-effective transportation modes for the meat processing and related industries in southwest Kansas. It will also help government agents to assess highway maintenance needs and to set up maintenance priorities. Meanwhile, the analysis results will be valuable for the determination of reasonable user costs. Based on findings of this research, recommendations on the selection of transportation modes are provided and promising future research tasks are suggested as well

Shaping the Future of Animation towards Role of 3D Simulation Technology in Animation Film and Television

The application of 3D simulation technology has revolutionized the field of animation film and television art, providing new possibilities and creative opportunities for visual storytelling. This research aims to explore the various aspects of applying 3D simulation technology in animation film and television art. It examines how 3D simulation technology enhances the creation of realistic characters, environments, and special effects, contributing to immersive and captivating storytelling experiences. The research also investigates the technical aspects of integrating 3D cloud simulation technology into the animation production pipeline, including modeling, texturing, rigging, and animation techniques. This paper explores the application of these optimization algorithms in the context of cloud-based 3D environments, focusing on enhancing the efficiency and performance of 3D simulations. Black Widow and Spider Monkey Optimization can be used to optimize the placement and distribution of 3D assets in cloud storage systems, improving data access and retrieval times. The algorithms can also optimize the scheduling of rendering tasks in cloud-based rendering pipelines, leading to more efficient and cost-effective rendering processes. The integration of 3D cloud environments and optimization algorithms enables real-time optimization and adaptation of 3D simulations. This allows for dynamic adjustments of simulation parameters based on changing conditions, resulting in improved accuracy and responsiveness. Moreover, it explores the impact of 3D cloud simulation technology on the artistic process, examining how it influences the artistic vision, aesthetics, and narrative possibilities in animation film and television. The research findings highlight the advantages and challenges of using 3D simulation technology in animation, shedding light on its potential future developments and its role in shaping the future of animation film and television art

Quality of fresh organic matter affects priming of soil organic matter and substrate utilization patterns of microbes

Changes in biogeochemical cycles and the climate system due to human activities are expected to change the quantity and quality of plant litter inputs to soils. How changing quality of fresh organic matter (FOM) might influence the priming effect (PE) on soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization is still under debate. Here we determined the PE induced by two (13)C-labeled FOMs with contrasting nutritional quality (leaf vs. stalk of Zea mays L.). Soils from two different forest types yielded consistent results: soils amended with leaf tissue switched faster from negative PE to positive PE due to greater microbial growth compared to soils amended with stalks. However, after 16 d of incubation, soils amended with stalks had a higher PE than those amended with leaf. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) results suggested that microbial demand for carbon and other nutrients was one of the major determinants of the PE observed. Therefore, consideration of both microbial demands for nutrients and FOM supply simultaneously is essential to understand the underlying mechanisms of PE. Our study provided evidence that changes in FOM quality could affect microbial utilization of substrate and PE on SOM mineralization, which may exacerbate global warming problems under future climate change

Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation and Cigarette Smoking in a Chinese Population

Background: Smoking is a risk factor for many human diseases. DNA methylation has been related to smoking, but genome-wide methylation data for smoking in Chinese populations is limited. Objectives: We aimed to investigate epigenome-wide methylation in relation to smoking in a Chinese population. Methods: We measured the methylation levels at > 485,000 CpG sites (CpGs) in DNA from leukocytes using a methylation array and conducted a genome-wide meta-analysis of DNA methylation and smoking in a total of 596 Chinese participants. We further evaluated the associations of smoking-related CpGs with internal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) biomarkers and their correlations with the expression of corresponding genes. Results: We identified 318 CpGs whose methylation levels were associated with smoking at a genome-wide significance level (false discovery rate < 0.05), among which 161 CpGs annotated to 123 genes were not associated with smoking in recent studies of Europeans and African Americans. Of these smoking-related CpGs, methylation levels at 80 CpGs showed significant correlations with the expression of corresponding genes (including RUNX3, IL6R, PTAFR, ANKRD11, CEP135 and CDH23), and methylation at 15 CpGs was significantly associated with urinary 2-hydroxynaphthalene, the most representative internal monohydroxy-PAH biomarker for smoking. Conclusion: We identified DNA methylation markers associated with smoking in a Chinese population, including some markers that were also correlated with gene expression. Exposure to naphthalene, a byproduct of tobacco smoke, may contribute to smoking-related methylation. Citation: Zhu X, Li J, Deng S, Yu K, Liu X, Deng Q, Sun H, Zhang X, He M, Guo H, Chen W, Yuan J, Zhang B, Kuang D, He X, Bai Y, Han X, Liu B, Li X, Yang L, Jiang H, Zhang Y, Hu J, Cheng L, Luo X, Mei W, Zhou Z, Sun S, Zhang L, Liu C, Guo Y, Zhang Z, Hu FB, Liang L, Wu T. 2016. Genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation and cigarette smoking in Chinese. Environ Health Perspect 124:966–973; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.150983

Distribution and occurrence of trace elements in the No.14 coal from the Huolinhe mine

Abstract Optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersed X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX), have been used to study the minerals and the concentrations of 12 trace elements in the No.14 coal from the Huolinhe mine, Inner Mongolia China. The distribution, affinity and removability of the trace elements were studied by float-sink experiments and petrological methods. A high mineral content, dominated by clay minerals, was found in the No.14 coal from the Huolinhe mine. The concentrations of As, Sb and Hg are relatively high compared to the average values for Chinese coals. As, Cr, Hg, Li, Mn, Pb are mainly associated with the minerals while Cd, Co, Ni, Sb, and Se are evenly distributed between the minerals and the organic matter. Be and Ba are mainly distributed in the minerals with a minor proportion in the organic matter. Most elements have a low organic affinity, although Sb, Se, Co, Cd, Ni are closely integrated with the organic matter. High theoretical removabilities are indicated for most trace elements. So it may be possible to lower the concentrations of trace elements during coal preparation

The distribution and occurrence of mercury in Chinese coals

Abstract Mercury is one of the most concerned hazardous elements in coals. 1018 coal samples of different coal-forming periods, coal-accumulating areas and coal ranks all over the country were collected to study the distributions of mercury in Chinese coals. The modes of occurrence of mercury were studied with float-sink experiments of 10 coals from different basins in China and correlation analyses were conducted between concentrations of mercury and maceral and sulfur contents, as well as the ash yield. The theoretic concentrations and affinities of mercury in vitrinite, inertinite, clay and pyrite were then calculated following the methods proposed by Solari. The weighted average concentration of mercury in Chinese coals is 0.154 µg/g, which is similar to that in the word coals in general. The mercury concentrations vary largely in the coals of different coal-forming period and coal-accumulating areas as geological settings play key roles in determining the geochemistry of mercury. The concentrations of mercury in coals from south and southwest China and those from North China of C3–P1 are relatively higher while those from North China of J1–2 and Northeast of J3–K1 relatively lower. The general distribution trends of mercury are very similar to that of ash yield, sulfur contents in coals. Pyrite is the dominant carrier of mercury in most coals, especially in some high-sulfur coals with abundant epigenetic pyrite formed during diagenesis and metamorphism. Mercury has higher affinity to vitrinite than to inertinite in most coals, which accords with the geological origin of macerals and geochemistry of mercury

An study on the application of blockchain based 5G Technology in the Power IoT

Based on some key characteristics of 5G and blockchain, we analyze the technical feasibility and necessity of combining 5G and blockchain in IoT construction. We prove that the combination of 5G and blockchain can effectively improve network and data security of 5G by discussing the practical problems that can be solved by this method(including distributed deployment of network platforms, slicing management, network security authentication, spectrum resource management, data sharing security), while moderately reducing network complexity. Finally, we discuss the application of 5G and blockchain combined technical architecture in the construction of the Internet of Things (IoT), focusing on the requirements of power transmission, substation, distribution and consumption. We analyze the 5G network slicing management based on blockchain technology, which can realize the dynamic selection of the best resources among multiple resources to create end-to-end network slices that meet business needs and security isolation requirements, and enhance the security of the network and the data in multiple scenarios and applications, it will provide a strong network infrastructure support for the Energy IoT service system