Research on Optimization of Climate Responsive Indoor Space Design in Residential Buildings

This paper first analyzes the climate characteristics of five typical cities in China, including Harbin, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Kunming. Then, based on Grasshopper, Ladybug and Honeybee analysis software, according to the indoor layout of typical residential buildings, this research extracts design parameters such as the depth and width of different rooms and their window-to-wall ratios etc., to establish a climate responsive optimization design process with indoor lighting environment comfort, with heating and cooling demand as the objective functions. Meanwhile, based on Monte Carlo simulation data, ANN (Artificial Neural Network) is used to establish a prediction model to analyze the sensitivity of interior design parameters under different typical cities’ climatic conditions. The study results show that the recommended values for the total width and total depth of indoor units under the climatic conditions of each city are both approximately 14.97 m and 7.88 m. Among them, under the climatic conditions of Harbin and Shenzhen, the design parameters of residential interiors can take the recommended value of UDI optimal or nZEB optimal. While the recommended values of window-to-wall ratios for the north bedroom, master bedroom and living room in Shanghai residential interiors are 0.26, 0.32 and 0.33, respectively. The recommended value of the window-to-wall ratio of the master bedroom in Kunming residences is 0.36, and that of the remaining rooms is between 0.15 and 0.18. The recommended values of window-to-wall ratios for the master bedroom and living room in Beijing residences are 0.41 and 0.59, respectively, and that for the remaining rooms are 0.15. The multi-objective optimization process based on parametric performance simulation used in the study can effectively assist architects in making energy-saving design decisions in the preliminary stage, allowing architects to have a case to follow in the actual design operation process.

Mining Hazards to the Safety of Segment Lining for Tunnel Boring Machine Inclined Tunnels

The segment lining is a new type of support structure for mining tunnels. The disturbance of coal excavation leads to the deformation of segment lining and has great hazards to the safety of the tunnels. Based on the tunnel boring machine (TBM) inclined tunnels in Xinjie mine, the ultimate span L0 of the rock beam on the top slab of the coal seam was calculated according to the bending (tension) damage theory. A numerical model was built to simulate the bottom area of the inclined tunnels. During the coal mining, the additional displacements and additional stresses of the segment lining were analyzed, and then the safety factors of the support structure were calculated. Finally, the width of the coal pillar to protect the inclined tunnels was determined. The results showed that the ultimate span of the rock beam on the top of the coal seam is 31.7 m, the deformation of the inclined tunnel has a fish-belly shape, and the deformation leads to the increase of maximum axial force and bending moment. For the inclined tunnels in Xinjie coalmine, a total width of 91.3 m of coal pillar must be reserved to keep the safety factor of the structure higher than 2.0 and prevent the inclined tunnels from the mining hazards.

Effect of geometrical structure on transport properties of silicene nanoconstrictions*

We study electrical modulation of transport properties of silicene nanoconstrictions with different geometrical structures. We investigate the effects of the position and width of the central scattering region on the conductance with increasing Fermi energy. It is found that the conductance significantly depends on the position and the width of the nanoconstriction. Interestingly, the symmetrical structure of the central constriction region can induce a resonance effect and significantly increase the systemʼs conductance. We also propose a novel two-channel structure with an excellent performance on the conductance compared to the one-channel structure with the same total width. Such geometrically-induced conductance modulation of silicene nanostructures can be achieved in practice via current nanofabrication technology.

Radial growth patterns of Siberian larch in plantations of the Republic Mari El

Based on the measurements of 83 wood cores, the main patterns of changes in the width of the early and late zones in the annual ring of Siberian larch trees (Larix sibirica Ledeb.), as well as their total radial growth indices in the conditions of the Republic of Mari El were identified. It was found that the width of the early wood zone varies in trees from 0.15 to 11.3 mm, late wood – from 0.05 to 4.15 mm, the proportion of latewood – from 1.2 to 82.8 %, and the annual growth indices - from 13 to 423 %. The main factor in the variability of the total width of the annual rings and the layer of early wood is the age of the trees, and the contribution of weather conditions and other unaccounted factors (noise) to the overall variance of the annual growth parameters is no more than 20 %. The variability of the total width of the annual ring also depends on their genotypic features, which determine up to 42.7% of the total variance of the parameter in some cenopopulations. In the dynamics of the growth indices of larch trees, despite the existing specifics of each cenopopulation, the general sharp decline in their values after the droughts of 1972 and 2010, as well as the alternation of the periods of growth and decline, is clearly distinguished.

Age estimation with cemental incremental lines in normal and periodontally diseased teeth using phase contrast microscope: an original research

Background Age estimation is an important factor in forensic science for human identification. Teeth are considered to play a vital role as they resist decomposition at death unlike other tissues. This resistance and the gradual structural changes that take place throughout the life of an individual have made teeth useful indicators for age estimation. Dental cementum shows continuous apposition throughout the life of an individual. Tooth cemental annulation is a microscopic method for the determination of an individual’s age based on the analysis of incremental lines of cementum. Light microscopy as well as specialized microscopic methods have been employed to enhance the assessment of the cemental annulations. Periodontal disease is the most common dental problem affecting millions of people. Assessing the efficiency of the tooth cemental annulations method in periodontally diseased teeth is an important requisite. This study aims at assessing and evaluating the tooth cemental annulations in normal and periodontally diseased teeth using phase contrast microscopic method for age determination. Results A total of 60 teeth were included in the study and out of which 30 teeth were normal (sound teeth without any associated pathologies) and 30 were periodontally involved teeth respectively. Longitudinal ground sections were prepared and observed under phase contrast microscope. Measurements were made using an image analyzer software. The total width of the cementum was divided by the distance between two incremental lines. The eruption age of the tooth was then added to this to obtain the chronologic age for each individual. The results in the present study showed that tooth cemental annulations are applicable to periodontally sound teeth as well as in periodontally diseased teeth. There was no significant difference of estimated age from the actual age in both periodontally sound and periodontally diseased teeth. Normal teeth showed a reliability value of 92% and periodontally compromised teeth showed 96% respectively. There was no substantial influence of periodontal health on the estimated age. Conclusions The study concludes that the use of phase contrast microscopy in conjunction with image enhancement procedures improves the accuracy of age estimation and may serve as a reliable aid in forensic identification.

A system approach to calculating the width of pedestrian communications in transportation hubs

Introduction. Pedestrian communications are not a single (elementary) entity; first, they are a set of elements that are interconnected, interact with each other and the external environment, have one common goal and measurable result, that is, width. Moreover, whether it is a large transport hub, a small stopping point within a land-based urban passenger transport system, or even a pedestrian path along a motor road, its space-planning solution must comply with three basic rules. They are safety, comfort and accessibility. Pedestrian communications are a set of elements whose parameters result from the proper process organization, or represent a system. The approach to the study, management, creation and development of pedestrian communications must be akin to the one applicable to a system. The purpose of the method is to develop a procedure for calcula­ting the main parameter of pedestrian communications — its total width b, in meters, and identify the conditions for a transition between various types of pedestrian communications. Materials and methods. The system approach allows to represent one complex problem as a set of simple problems that are solved faster and easier using mathematical modelling. Results. Thanks to mathematical modelling, a procedure was developed for calculating the main parameter of pedestrian communications, that is, width, with regard for low-mobility population groups in a pedestrian flow. Conclusions. Low-mobility population groups must be addressed when pedestrian communications are designed to ensure the safe and comfortable operation of transport hubs. This algorithm can also be used to analyze other directed linear pedestrian spaces.

Research on Novel CMUTs for Detecting Micro-Pressure with Ultra-High Sensitivity and Linearity

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have been indispensable owing to their resonance characteristics in the MHz frequency range. However, the inferior pressure sensitivity and linearity of traditional CMUTs themselves cannot meet the actual demands of micro-pressure measurements. In this paper, two novel CMUTs are proposed for the first time to improve the measuring performance of micro-pressure in the range of 0–10 kPa. The core concept of the enhancement is strengthening membrane deformability by partly adjusting the CMUT framework under the combined action of electrostatic force and uniform pressure. Two modified structures of an inverted frustum cone-like cavity and slotted membrane are presented, respectively, and a finite element model (FEM) of CMUT was constructed and analyzed using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.5. The results demonstrate that the maximum displacement and pressure sensitivity are improved by 16.01% and 30.79% for the frustum cone-like cavity and 104.22% and 1861.31% for the slotted membrane, respectively. Furthermore, the results show that the width uniformity of the grooves does not influence the characteristics of the membrane, which mainly depend on the total width of the grooves, greatly enriching design flexibility. In brief, the proposed structural designs can significantly improve the micro-pressure measurement performance of the CMUT, which will accelerate the rapid breakthrough of technical barriers in the fields of aerospace, industry control, and other sensing domains.

Comprehensive Study and Optimization of Implementing p-NiO in β-Ga2O3 Based Diodes via TCAD Simulation

In this paper, we carried out a comprehensive study and optimization of implementing p-NiO in the β-Ga2O3 based diodes, including Schottky barrier diode (SBD) with p-NiO guard ring (GR), p-NiO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction (HJ) barrier Schottky (HJBS) diode, and HJ-PN diode through the TCAD simulation. In particular, we provide design guidelines for future p-NiO-related Ga2O3 diodes with material doping concentrations and dimensions to be taken into account. Although HJ-PN has a ~1 V higher turn-on voltage (Von), its breakdown voltage (BV) is the highest among all diodes. We found that for SBD with p-NiO GRs and HJBS, their forward electrical characteristics and reverse leakage current are related to the total width and the doping concentration of p-NiO, the BV is only related to the doping concentration of p-NiO, and the optimal doping concentration of p-NiO is found to be 4 × 1017 cm−3. Compared with the SBD without p-NiO, the BV of the SBD with p-NiO and HJBS diode can be essentially improved by 3 times. As a result, HJ-PN diode, SBD with p-NiO GRs, and HJ-BS diode achieve a BV/specific on-resistance (Ron,sp) of 5705 V/4.3 mΩ·cm2, 3006 V/3.07 mΩ·cm2, and 3004 V/3.06 mΩ·cm2, respectively. Based on different application requirements, this work provides a useful insight about the diode selection with various structures.

Local Effects of a 1940 nm Thulium-Doped Fiber Laser and a 1470 nm Diode Laser on the Pulmonary Parenchyma: An Experimental Study in a Pig Model

The lungs are a common site of metastases from malignant tumors. Their removal with a minimal but safe tissue margin is essential for the long-term survival of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a 1940 nm thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) and a 1470 nm diode laser (DL) in a pig model of lung surgery that involved the incision and excision of lung tissue. Histopathological analysis was performed on days 0 and 7 after surgery. Neither TDFL nor DL caused significant perioperative or postoperative bleeding. Histological analysis revealed the presence of carbonized necrotic tissue, mixed fibrin–cellular exudate in the superficial zone of thermal damage and bands of deeper thermal changes. The mean total width of thermal damage on day 0 was 499.46 ± 61.44 and 937.39 ± 109.65 µm for TDFL and DL, respectively. On day 7, cell activation and repair processes were visible. The total width of thermal damage was 2615.74 ± 487.17 µm for TDFL vs. 6500.34 ±1118.02 µm for DL. The superficial zone of thermal damage was narrower for TDFL on both days 0 and 7. The results confirm the effectiveness of both types of laser in cutting and providing hemostasis in the lungs. TDFL caused less thermal damage to the lung parenchyma than DL.

Comparative anatomy of the conductive tissues of the scions of Pinus sibirica Du Tour, P. cembra L. and their rootstocks P. sylvest

To study the appearance of incompatibility in adult graft trees, we studied the anatomical characteristics ofconducting phloem and sapwood in 55-year-old scions of Pinus sibirica Du Tour and Pinus cembra L. and their rootstocks –Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). It was found that in all variants the width of the sapwood in the rootstock is significantlyhigher than in the scion; however, when only the early tracheids are taken into account, the differences between the scionand the rootstock are not significant, and the total width of the early tracheids from the sapwood is some higher in theP. cembra trees. In the place of rootstock and scion union, the width of the rootstock sapwood decreases due to a decreasein the proportion of late tracheids, while the sapwood of the scion remains almost unchanged. The variability of the sapwood width in scions and rootstocks of the P. cembra is lower and it is less sensitive to the reduction of increments thanin the P. sibirica, it indicates interspecific differences. The average width of the conducting phloem for the growing seasonalso varies less in the P. cembra, and in individuals of the P. sibirica with small xylem increments it approaches the widthof the current xylem increment. The relationship between the width of the conducting phloem and the width of the sapwood is weak; the width of the phloem depends more on the current growth of the xylem. The quantitative differencesin the width of the sapwood and the conducting phloem make it possible to judge the preservation of their species-specificity during long-term coexistence of the scion and the rootstock, as well as the effect of the scion on to the rootstock.