WEAR Sustain Network: wearable technology innovation

Purpose: As wearable technologies and eTextile sectors mature they are being increasingly used in couture and high street fashion. However, much of the innovation in this space has been driven by technological and commercial imperatives. It is time to re-consider this technological landscape in the bigger picture of a sustainable human-centred world. Approach: This paper reports on initial findings from 48 projects supported through the EU funded WEAR Sustain network to examine sustainable and ethical approaches to wearable technology design. Case studies of collaborations between artists and technologists in designing and realising sustainable and ethical wearable technologies are presented. Findings: An initial set of themes emerging from detailed analysis of WEAR Sustain network project updates are outlined highlighting the importance of cross-disciplinary hubs, mentors, and networks. A survey of wearable and eTextile stakeholders highlights the challenges faced in ethical manufacturing and production of wearable and eTextile products which blur the boundaries between digital and physical. Value: This paper offers the reader insight into challenges and opportunities in the emergent Creative Economy sector of wearables and eTextiles which have the potential to transform the fashion industry. By reporting on case studies of recent near-to-market projects this paper grounds concerns of ethics and sustainability in wearable and eTextile design and production in real-word experience

Genome-wide analysis and identification of stress-responsive genes of the CCCH zinc finger family in Capsicum annuum L.

The CCCH zinc finger gene family encodes a class of proteins that can bind to both DNA and RNA, and an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that the CCCH gene family plays a key role in growth and development and responses to environmental stress. Here, we identified 57 CCCH genes in the pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) genome and explored the evolution and function of the CCCH gene family in C. annuum. Substantial variation was observed in the structure of these CCCH genes, and the number of exons ranged from one to fourteen. Analysis of gene duplication events revealed that segmental duplication was the main driver of gene expansion in the CCCH gene family in pepper. We found that the expression of CCCH genes was significantly up-regulated during the response to biotic and abiotic stress, especially cold and heat stress, indicating that CCCH genes play key roles in stress responses. Our results provide new information on CCCH genes in pepper and will aid future studies of the evolution, inheritance, and function of CCCH zinc finger genes in pepper

Blade Sorting Method for Unbalance Minimization of an Aeroengine Concentric Rotor

This paper proposes a blade sorting method based on the cloud adaptive genetic algorithm (CAGA), which is used to optimize the unbalanced of asymmetric rotor of aero-engine. Firstly, by analyzing the unbalance of the arrangement caused by the deviation of the mass moment of the blade, and considering the concentricity of the disk, an optimization model of the unbalanced amount of the blade assembly was established. Secondly, the selection operator, crossover operator, and mutation operator of the algorithm were designed, and the cloud adaptive genetic algorithm was used to optimize the assembly unbalance. Thirdly, the mass moments of a group of aero-engine blades were weighed using a moment scale (MW0), and the blade mass moment distribution and assembly unbalance under the six blade arrangements were analyzed. Finally, by setting different disk concentricity, the corresponding blade arrangement and the final rotor unbalance were obtained. Through analysis, it was found that the unbalance of GA is at least 57.5% optimized relative to the weight sorted, sorting type 2, sorting type 4, and sorting-1/4 skip method, and the unbalance optimized by the CAGA is 95.7% optimized relative to GA. In the case of different initial concentricity of the disk, the effective algorithm accuracy is still maintained, which proves the effectiveness of the method for the arrangement of asymmetric rotor blades. This method establishes an effective asymmetric rotor blade arrangement model, uses the cloud adaptive genetic algorithm to sort the blade assembly, and effectively reduces the unbalanced amount of the asymmetric rotor

Study on Propagation Depth of Ultrasonic Longitudinal Critically Refracted (LCR) Wave

The accurate measurement of stress at different depths in the end face of a high-pressure compressor rotor is particularly important, as it is directly related to the assembly quality and overall performance of aero-engines. The ultrasonic longitudinal critically refracted (LCR) wave is sensitive to stress and can measure stress at different depths, which has a prominent advantage in stress non-destructive measurements. In order to accurately characterize the propagation depth of LCR waves and improve the spatial resolution of stress measurement, a finite element model suitable for the study of LCR wave propagation depths was established based on a wave equation and Snell law, and the generation and propagation process of LCR waves are analyzed. By analyzing the blocking effect of grooves with different depths on the wave, the propagation depth of the LCR wave at seven specific frequencies was determined in turn. On this basis, the LCR wave propagation depth model is established, and the effects of wedge materials, piezoelectric element diameters, and excitation voltages on the propagation depth of LCR waves are discussed. This study is of great significance to improve the spatial resolution of stress measurements at different depths in the end face of the aero-engine rotor

Aqueous pulsed electrochemistry promotes C−N bond formation via a one-pot cascade approach

Abstract Electrocatalytic C − N bond formation from inorganic nitrogen wastes is an emerging sustainable method for synthesizing organic amines but is limited in reaction scope. Integrating heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis for one-pot reactions to construct C − N bonds is highly desirable. Herein, we report an aqueous pulsed electrochemistry-mediated transformation of nitrite and arylboronic acids to arylamines with high yields. The overall process involves nitrite electroreduction to ammonia over a Cu nanocoral cathode and subsequent coupling of NH3 with arylboronic acids catalyzed by in situ dissolved Cu(II) under a switched anodic potential. This pulsed protocol also promotes the migration of nucleophilic ArB(OH)3 − and causes the consumption of OH− near the cathode surface, accelerating C − N formation and suppressing phenol byproducts. Cu(II) can be recycled via facile electroplating. The wide substrate scope, ready synthesis of 15N-labelled arylamines, and methodological expansion to cycloaddition and Click reactions highlight the great promise

Design and Research of Symmetrical Multi-Throttle Thrust Hydrostatic Bearing Based on Comparative Analysis of Various Meshes

Due to the advantages of high rotation accuracy and long life, hydrostatic air bearings are widely used in precision rotation equipment, such as machine tools and turntables. It is imperative to reasonably design the structural size of the bearing, especially as the size of the bearing in the precision turntable determines the bearing capacity of the turntable. At present, commercial CFD software is used chiefly for simulation verification for the design of air bearings. The mesh divided in the simulation calculation has a significant impact on the efficiency of the calculation and determines the accuracy of the final simulation results. Therefore, this paper takes the symmetrical multi-throttle thrust bearing in the precision turntable as the research object and compares and studies the advantages and disadvantages of sliced structured meshes, continuous structured meshes, and unstructured meshes. On this basis, simulation analysis of bearing capacity for different radial equalizing groove lengths, widths, and depths and explores the influence of the structure size of the thrust bearing on its bearing capacity. The study shows that the length and depth of the throttle groove significantly influence the bearing capacity, while the width has little influence on the bearing capacity. Therefore, under the specific cavity volume to ensure the dynamic characteristics of the bearing, the width of the throttling groove should be reduced first, and the length and depth of the throttling groove should be increased to improve the bearing capacity

Design and Research of Symmetrical Multi-Throttle Thrust Hydrostatic Bearing Based on Comparative Analysis of Various Meshes

Due to the advantages of high rotation accuracy and long life, hydrostatic air bearings are widely used in precision rotation equipment, such as machine tools and turntables. It is imperative to reasonably design the structural size of the bearing, especially as the size of the bearing in the precision turntable determines the bearing capacity of the turntable. At present, commercial CFD software is used chiefly for simulation verification for the design of air bearings. The mesh divided in the simulation calculation has a significant impact on the efficiency of the calculation and determines the accuracy of the final simulation results. Therefore, this paper takes the symmetrical multi-throttle thrust bearing in the precision turntable as the research object and compares and studies the advantages and disadvantages of sliced structured meshes, continuous structured meshes, and unstructured meshes. On this basis, simulation analysis of bearing capacity for different radial equalizing groove lengths, widths, and depths and explores the influence of the structure size of the thrust bearing on its bearing capacity. The study shows that the length and depth of the throttle groove significantly influence the bearing capacity, while the width has little influence on the bearing capacity. Therefore, under the specific cavity volume to ensure the dynamic characteristics of the bearing, the width of the throttling groove should be reduced first, and the length and depth of the throttling groove should be increased to improve the bearing capacity