Deformation and Failure Behavior of Wooden Sandwich Composites with Taiji Honeycomb Core under a Three-Point Bending Test

A new type of Taiji honeycomb structure bonded outside with wood-based laminates was characterized from a mechanical standpoint. Both theoretical and experimental methods were employed to analyze comprehensively the deformation behavior and failure mechanism under a three-point bending test. The analytical analysis reveals that a Taiji honeycomb has 3.5 times higher strength in compression and 3.44 times higher strength in shear compared with a traditional hexagonal honeycomb. Considering the strength-weight issue, the novel structure also displays an increase in compression strength of 1.75 times and shear strength of 1.72 times. Under a three-point bending test, indentation and core shear failure played the dominant role for the total failure of a wooden sandwich with Taiji honeycomb core. Typical face yield was not observed due to limited thickness-span ratio of specimens. Large spans weaken the loading level due to the contribution of global bending stress in the compressive skin to indentation failure. A set of analytical equations between mechanical properties and key structure parameters were developed to accurately predict the threshold stresses corresponding to the onset of those deformation events, which offer critical new knowledge for the rational structure design of wooden sandwich composites

A Two-Stage GIS-Based Suitability Model for Siting Biomass-to-Biofuel Plants and its Application in West Virginia, USA

Woody biomass has been considered of low value because the cost of removal generally exceeded market price. New, valued-added markets to offset removal costs are necessary for utilization to be effective. In recent years the use of biomass as feedstock for biofuel production in the United States has been on the rise. A variety of liquid fuels can be produced from woody biomass; ethanol is one of the most promising. This study presents a two-stage approach to selecting woody biomass-based biofuel plants using Geographical Information System (GIS) spatial analysis and the multi-criteria analysis ranking algorithm of compromise programming. Site suitability was evaluated to minimize direct cost for investors and potential negative environmental impacts. The first step was to create a site suitability index using a linear fuzzy logic prediction model. The model involved 15 variables in three factor groups: (1) general physical conditions, (2) costs, and (3) environmental factors. The weights of the cost factors were determined using pairwise comparisons in the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The value of site suitability was reclassified into three categories (non-suitable, low-suitable, and high-suitable) using different classification methods. With a feasible plant location defined as an industrial site within the most suitable area, the second stage of the analysis used compromise programming to compare the potential sites. The criteria used to rank the potential sites included fuzzy distance to woody biomass, highways, railways, commercial airports, communities, and available parcel size. The AHP was used to compute the relative importance of each criterion. The top ten suitable sites were determined, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to derive the most preferred sites. The approach was successful in taking a large amount of non-commensurate spatial data and integrating a site-based ranking algorithm to find the top locations for biomass plants. It also has great potential and applicability to other suitability and site selection studies

Observation of the Effect of Gait-induced Functional Electrical Stimulation on Stroke Patients with Foot Drop

Objective: To explore the effects of functional electrical stimulation and functional mid frequency electrical stimulation on lower limb function and balance function in stroke patients. Methods: 20 cases of stroke patients with foot drop after admission were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group, 10 cases in each group. On the basis of the two groups of patients, the observation group used the gait induced functional electrical stimulation to stimulate the peroneal nerve and the pretibial muscle in the observation group. The control group used the computer medium frequency functional electrical stimulation to stimulate the peroneal nerve and the anterior tibial muscle for 2 weeks. Before and after treatment, the lower extremity simple Fugl-Meyer scale (FMA), the Berg balance scale (BBS) and the improved Ashworth scale were evaluated respectively, and the comparative analysis was carried out in the group and between the groups. Results: After 2 weeks of treatment, the scores of FMA and BBS in the two groups were significantly higher than those before the treatment (P < 0.05), and the scores of FMA and BBS in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05), and the flexor muscle tension of the ankle plantar flexor muscle of the observed group was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Exercise therapy combined with gait induced functional electrical stimulation or computer intermediate frequency functional electrical stimulation can significantly improve lower limb function and balance function in patients with ptosis, and the therapeutic effect of functional electrical stimulation combined with gait is better.

Development and validation of a cancer-associated fibroblast-derived lncRNA signature for predicting clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are actively involved in cancer progression through generating extracellular matrix and orchestrating the crosstalk within the tumor microenvironment (TME). This study aimed to develop and validate a CAF-derived lncRNA (long non-coding RNA) (CAFDL) signature for predicting clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer (CRC). Clinical data and transcriptomic profiles of 2,320 patients with CRC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-COAD and TCGA-READ datasets and 16 Gene Expression Omnibus datasets were included in this study. CAFDLs were identified using weighted gene co-expression network analysis. The CAFDL signature was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis in the TCGA-CRC training set. Multiple CRC cohorts and pan-cancer cohorts were used to validated the CAFDL signature. Patients with high CAFDL scores had significantly worse overall survival and disease-free survival than patients with low CAFDL scores in all CRC cohorts. In addition, non-responders to fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX)/fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, bevacizumab, and immune checkpoint inhibitors had significantly higher CAFDL scores compared with responders. Pan-cancer analysis showed that CAFDL had prognostic predictive power in multiple cancers such as lung adenocarcinoma, breast invasive carcinoma, stomach adenocarcinoma, and thyroid carcinoma. The CAFDL signature was positively correlated with transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and angiogenesis pathways but negatively correlated with the expression of immune checkpoints such as PDCD1, CD274, and CTLA4. The CAFDL signature reflects CAF properties from a lncRNA perspective and effectively predicts clinical outcomes in CRC and across pan-cancer. The CAFDL signature can serve as a useful tool for risk stratification and provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms of CAFs in cancer immunity