Modeling Transmission of Tuberculosis with MDR and Undetected Cases

This paper presents a novel mathematical model with multidrug-resistant (MDR) and undetected TB cases. The theoretical analysis indicates that the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if R0<1; otherwise, the system may exist a locally asymptotically stable endemic equilibrium. The model is also used to simulate and predict TB epidemic in Guangdong. The results imply that our model is in agreement with actual data and the undetected rate plays vital role in the TB trend. Our model also implies that TB cannot be eradicated from population if it continues to implement current TB control strategies

Non-Fragile H∞ Nonlinear Observer for State of Charge Estimation of Lithium-Ion Battery Based on a Fractional-Order Model

This paper deals with the state of charge (SOC) estimation of lithium-ion battery (LIB) in electric vehicles (EVs). In order to accurately describe the dynamic behavior of the battery, a fractional 2nd-order RC model of the battery pack is established. The factional-order battery state equations are characterized by the continuous frequency distributed model. Then, in order to ensure the effective function of nonlinear function, Lipschitz condition and unilateral Lipschitz condition are proposed to solve the problem of nonlinear output equation in the process of observer design. Next, the linear matrix (LMIS) inequality based on Lyapunov’s stability theory and H∞ method is presented as a description of the design criteria for non-fragile observer. Compared with the existing literature that adopts observers, the proposed method takes the advantages of fractional-order systems in modeling accuracy, the robustness of H∞ method in restricting the unknown variables, and the non-fragile property for tolerating slow drifts on observer gain. Finally, The LiCoO2 LIB module is utilized to verify the effectiveness of the proposed observer method in different operation conditions. Experimental results show that the maximum estimation accuracy of the proposed non-fragile observer under three different dynamic conditions is less than 2%

Effect of Cationic/Anionic Diffusion Dominated Passive Film Growth on Tribocorrosion

Tribocorrosion behaviours of nickel (Ni) and niobium (Nb) in sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) solution under potentiodynamic and potentiostatic conditions were studied. Under the potentiodynamic condition, the passivation was early broken, accompanied by a sharp increase in frictional coefficient on Nb. The current was more fluctuant, and larger material loss appeared at the higher potential in the potentiostatic condition. However, these phenomena did not occur for Ni, and it even showed lower material loss at the higher potential in the potentiostatic tribocorrosion test. The differences in tribocorrosion behaviour had a close relationship to the passive film growth mechanism, which decided the passive film/metal interface structure. Nb with anionic diffusion dominated mechanism in passive growth would cause the accumulation of oxygen vacancies at the passive film/metal interface. This may weaken the adhesion between the metal and the passive film. However, with the cationic diffusion dominated passive film growth on Ni, cation vacancies concentrated at the passive film/tribo-film interface, and this did not affect the adhesion between metal and passive film. Ni or other passive elements with the cationic diffusion-dominated mechanism in passive film growth were recommended as the alloying element for improving the tribocorrosion resistance of alloys

Effect of Cationic/Anionic Diffusion Dominated Passive Film Growth on Tribocorrosion

Tribocorrosion behaviours of nickel (Ni) and niobium (Nb) in sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) solution under potentiodynamic and potentiostatic conditions were studied. Under the potentiodynamic condition, the passivation was early broken, accompanied by a sharp increase in frictional coefficient on Nb. The current was more fluctuant, and larger material loss appeared at the higher potential in the potentiostatic condition. However, these phenomena did not occur for Ni, and it even showed lower material loss at the higher potential in the potentiostatic tribocorrosion test. The differences in tribocorrosion behaviour had a close relationship to the passive film growth mechanism, which decided the passive film/metal interface structure. Nb with anionic diffusion dominated mechanism in passive growth would cause the accumulation of oxygen vacancies at the passive film/metal interface. This may weaken the adhesion between the metal and the passive film. However, with the cationic diffusion dominated passive film growth on Ni, cation vacancies concentrated at the passive film/tribo-film interface, and this did not affect the adhesion between metal and passive film. Ni or other passive elements with the cationic diffusion-dominated mechanism in passive film growth were recommended as the alloying element for improving the tribocorrosion resistance of alloys

Tribocorrosion investigation of 316L stainless steel: the synergistic effect between chloride ion and sulfate ion

Tribocorrosion is a failure phenomenon which involves synergistic effect of electrochemical corrosion and mechanical wear. It usually results into early failure of mechanical components than simple wear and corrosion. Chloride (Cl ^− ) and sulfate ions $\left({{\rm{SO}}}_{4}^{{\rm{2}}-}\right)$ are often found together in corrosive media. In this study, the synergistic effect of Cl ^− and ${{\rm{SO}}}_{4}^{{\rm{2}}-}$ on tribocorrosion of 316L stainless steel was studied by changing the ratio of ${{\rm{SO}}}_{4}^{{\rm{2}}-}$ /Cl ^− in corrosive solution from 0.31 M : 0 to 0 : 0.62 M. The stainless steel was worn against with a ZrO _2 sphere. The coefficient of friction (COF), material loss volume, surface micro-topographies and surface chemical composition in different solutions were compared to explore the synergism between ${{\rm{SO}}}_{4}^{{\rm{2}}-}$ and Cl ^− . The results indicated that the mix of Cl ^− and ${{\rm{SO}}}_{4}^{{\rm{2}}-}$ reduced material loss volume by a quarter when compared with that in pure Na _2 SO _4 or NaCl solution. More than half of material loss was caused by the synergism between wear and corrosion in mixing solutions. The synergistic effect between ${{\rm{SO}}}_{4}^{{\rm{2}}-}$ and Cl ^− could promote the transmission of metal into oxides. This had two effects on tribocorrosion. First, the existence of oxides would cause abrasion which accelerated wear-affected corrosion and enhanced mechanical wear (corrosion-affected wear). On the other side, the transmission of metal into oxides benefited for the formation of tribo-film. The flexible stainless steel needed to coordinate deformation with the tribo-film which had relatively low deformability. This aggravated deformation of stainless steel and promoted surface work-hardening effect. It was helpful for stainless steel to resist wear, thus, the corrosion-affected wear was decreased

Particle-crushing characteristics and acoustic-emission patterns of crushing gangue backfilling material under cyclic loading

In solid backfilling coal mining (SBCM), the crushed gangue backfilling material (CGBM) is generally compacted circularly by a compaction machine in order to reduce its compressibility. In this cyclic compaction process, the particles are crushed, which has a significant effect on the deformation resistance of CGBM. However, the deformation resistance of CGBM is critical for controlling overburden strata movement and ground surface subsidence. This study implemented an experimental approach to investigate the particle-crushing characteristics and acoustic-emission (AE) characteristics of CGBM during constant-amplitude cyclic loading (CACL). At the same time, the relationship between particle crushing and AE signals was established. The results showed that the gangue particles were generally in the shape of irregular convex polyhedrons with more edges and angles that were prone to breakage. It also demonstrated that both the crushing ratio (Bg) and the newly produced fine granule content increased with the cyclic loading times. The content of newly generated fine particles can reflect the particle-crushing conditions to a certain extent. What is more, it was found that the CGBM samples exhibited an apparent Felicity effect during CACL, and AE signals were the most active during the first loading cycle. The crushing ratio of CGBM was highly correlated to the AE signals, which indicated that AE signals can be used to reflect the particle-crushing situation of CGBM. This study is of great significance for obtaining an in-depth understanding of the mechanical properties of CGBM, as well as providing guidance for the engineering practice of SBCM

High Repetition Rate, TEM₀₀ Mode, Compact Sub-Nanosecond 532 nm Laser

As a critical transmitter, compact 532 nm lasers operating on high repetition and short pulse widths have been used widely for airborne or space-borne laser active remote sensing. We developed a free space pumped TEM00 mode sub-nanosecond 532 nm laser that occupied a volume of less than 125 mm × 50 mm × 40 mm (0.25 L). The fundamental 1064 nm laser consists of a passively Q-switched composite crystal microchip laser and an off-axis, two-pass power amplifier. The pump sources were two single-emitter semiconductor laser diodes (LD) with 808 nm wavelengths and a maximum continuous wave (CW) power of 10 W each. The average power of the fundamental 1064 nm laser was 1.26 W, with the laser operating at 16 kHz repetition rates and 857 ps pulse widths. Since the beam distortion would be severe in microchip lasers due to the increase in heat load, in order to obtain a high beam quality of 532 nm, the beam distortion in our experiment amplifying the fundamental laser was compensated by adjusting the distribution of the pumping beam. Furthermore, in the critical phase matching (CPM) regime for the second harmonic generation (SHG), a Type I LiB3O5 (LBO) crystal obtained 770 ps, a beam quality of M2 < 1.2, and a 16 kHz pulse output at 532 nm, which was better than 0.6 W average power

Author Correction: A retrospective clinical analysis of pediatric paragonimiasis in a Chinese children’s hospital from 2011 to 2019

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper