Pedestrian dynamics at the running of the bulls evidence an inaccessible region in the fundamental diagram

We characterize the dynamics of runners in the famous “Running of the Bulls” Festival by computing the individual and global velocities and densities, as well as the crowd pressure. In contrast with all previously studied pedestrian systems, we unveil a unique regime in which speed increases with density that can be understood in terms of a time-dependent desired velocity of the runners. Also, we discover the existence of an inaccessible region in the speed–density state diagram that is explained by falls of runners. With all these ingredients, we propose a generalization of the pedestrian fundamental diagram for a scenario in which people with different desired speeds coexist.

Discharge and post-explosion behaviors of electrical explosion of conductors from a single wire to planar wire array

This work deals with an experimental study of a Cu planar wire array (PWA) in air and water under the stored energy 300–1200 J. A single Cu wire is adopted as a controlled trial. Four configurations of PWA and a wire with the same mass (cross-section area) but the different specific surface areas (15–223 cm2 /g) are exploded. The transient process is analyzed using high-speed photography in combination with the results of optical emission and discharge. Discharge characteristics revealed that PWA always has a higher electric power peak, early but higher voltage peak, as well as faster vaporization and ionization process than the single-wire case. Two to three times stronger optical emission could be obtained when replacing the single-wire with PWA, indicating a higher energy density state is reached. Phenomenologically, in both air and water, single-wire load tends to develop a transverse stratified structure, while PWA is dominated by the uneven energy deposition among wires. Finally, the synchronism and uniformity of the PWA explosion are discussed.

A Generalised Plastic Model for Gravelly Soils Considering Evolution of Void Ratio and Particle Breakage

Gravelly soils exhibit complicated mechanical behaviours closely related to particle breakage and relative density state. To better capture the mechanical responses of gravelly soils, a generalised plastic model considering evolution of void ratio and particle breakage was developed within the framework of critical state soil mechanics. In the model, particle breakage effect was described by incorporating breakage index to deviate the critical state line off the ideal position. A differential equation relating increment of void ratio to variation of volumetric strain was used to depict the evolution of current void ratio. It indirectly reflected the relative density state of gravelly soils. The model was applied to conducting numerical simulations for a series of triaxial tests on four types of gravelly soils. Comparisons between the test data and the modelling results indicated that considerations of void ratio evolution and particle breakage could better simulate the stress-dependent dilatation/contraction behaviours of gravelly soils.

Tumor-Derived Factors Differentially Affect the Recruitment and Plasticity of Neutrophils

Neutrophils play a key role in cancer biology. In contrast to circulating normal-density neutrophils (NDN), the amount of low-density neutrophils (LDN) significantly increases with tumor progression. The correlation between these neutrophil subpopulations and intratumoral neutrophils (TANs) is still under debate. Using 4T1 (breast) and AB12 (mesothelioma) tumor models, we aimed to elucidate the source of TANs and to assess the mechanisms driving neutrophils’ plasticity in cancer. Both NDN and LDN were found to migrate in response to CXCL1 and CXCL2 exposure, and co-infiltrate the tumor site ex vivo and in vivo, although LDN migration into the tumor was higher than NDN. Tumor-derived factors and chemokines, particularly CXCL1, were found to drive neutrophil phenotypical plasticity, inducing NDN to transition towards a low-density state (LD-NDN). LD-NDN appeared to differ from NDN by displaying a phenotypical profile similar to LDN in terms of nuclear morphology, surface receptor markers, decreased phagocytic abilities, and increased ROS production. Interestingly, all three subpopulations displayed comparable cytotoxic abilities towards tumor cells. Our data suggest that TANs originate from both LDN and NDN, and that a portion of LDN derives from NDN undergoing phenotypical changes. NDN plasticity resulted in a change in surface marker expression and functional activity, gaining characteristics of LDN.

Quorum Sensing and Cyclic di-GMP Exert Control Over Motility of Vibrio fischeri KB2B1

Bacterial motility is critical for symbiotic colonization by Vibrio fischeri of its host, the squid Euprymna scolopes, facilitating movement from surface biofilms to spaces deep inside the symbiotic organ. While colonization has been studied traditionally using strain ES114, others, including KB2B1, can outcompete ES114 for colonization for a variety of reasons, including superior biofilm formation. We report here that KB2B1 also exhibits an unusual pattern of migration through a soft agar medium: whereas ES114 migrates rapidly and steadily, KB2B1 migrates slowly and then ceases migration. To better understand this phenomenon, we isolated and sequenced five motile KB2B1 suppressor mutants. One harbored a mutation in the gene for the cAMP receptor protein (crp); because this strain also exhibited a growth defect, it was not characterized further. Two other suppressors contained mutations in the quorum sensing pathway that controls bacterial bioluminescence in response to cell density, and two had mutations in the diguanylate cyclase (DGC) gene VF_1200. Subsequent analysis indicated that (1) the quorum sensing mutations shifted KB2B1 to a perceived low cell density state and (2) the high cell density state inhibited migration via the downstream regulator LitR. Similar to the initial point mutations, deletion of the VF_1200 DGC gene increased migration. Consistent with the possibility that production of the second messenger c-di-GMP inhibited the motility of KB2B1, reporter-based measurements of c-di-GMP revealed that KB2B1 produced higher levels of c-di-GMP than ES114, and overproduction of a c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase promoted migration of KB2B1. Finally, we assessed the role of viscosity in controlling the quorum sensing pathway using polyvinylpyrrolidone and found that viscosity increased light production of KB2B1 but not ES114. Together, our data indicate that while the two strains share regulators in common, they differ in the specifics of the regulatory control over downstream phenotypes such as motility.

An updated skeleton void ratio for gravelly sand mixtures considering the effect of grain size distribution

Recent researches on the behavior of gravelly sands advocate for the use of skeleton void ratio to characterize their density state. Skeleton void ratio corresponds to the void ratio of grains constituting the stress-bearing skeleton. However, such a void ratio relies on parameters difficult to determine in practice, such as the fraction of fine grains that take part actively in the load bearing skeleton. Also, it fails to consider the effect of Grain Size Distribution (GSD) of gravel and sand grains. Therefore, the skeleton void ratio index introduced by Chang et al (2015) is revisited to account for the effect of GSD of both gravel and sand grains. Two semi-empirical equations are developed in this paper to connect GSD parameters with skeleton void ratio parameters. The validity of the proposed equations has been checked for a particular class of gravelly sand materials. A series of specially-designed drained triaxial tests on gravelly sands were then conducted. Test results show that it is essential to consider the effect of GSD when using skeleton void ratio index. It also verifies the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed updated skeleton void ratio, which shows advantages in characterizing critical state lines of gravelly sands.

The Impact of Solar Activity on Forecasting the Upper Atmosphere via Assimilation of Electron Density Data

<p>We present a comprehensive comparison of the impact of solar activity on forecasting the ionosphere and thermosphere. Here we investigate the response of physics-based TIE-GCM (thermosphere-ionosphere-electrodynamics general circulation model) in a data assimilation scheme through assimilating radio occultation (RO)-derived electron density (Ne) using an ensemble Kalman filter (KF). Constellation observations of Ne profiles offer opportunities to assess the accuracy of the model forecasted state on a global scale. In this study, we emphasise the importance of understanding how the assimilation results vary with solar activity, which is one of the primary drivers of thermosphere-ionosphere dynamics.</p><p>We validate the assimilation results with independent RO-derived GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment mission) Ne data. The main result is that the forecast Ne agree best with data during the solar minimum compared to solar maximum. The results also show that the assimilation scheme significantly adjusts both the nowcast and forecast states during the two solar activity periods. The results show that TIE-GCM significantly underestimate Ne in low altitudes below 250 km and the assimilation of Ne is not as effective in these lower altitudes compared to higher altitudes. The results demonstrate that assimilation of Ne significantly impacts the neutral mass density estimates via the KF state vector. This impact is larger during solar maximum than solar minimum relative to a control run. The results also demonstrate that the impact of assimilation of Ne on neutral mass density state persists through to forecast state better during solar minimum compared to solar maximum. The results are useful to explain the inherent model bias, to understand the limitations of the data, and to demonstrate the capability of the assimilation technique.</p>

Research on control effectiveness of fluidic thrust vectoring

In view of the control effects of fluidic thrust vector technology for low-speed aircraft at high altitude/low density and low altitude/high density are studied. The S-A model of FLUENT software is used to simulate the flow field inside and outside the nozzle with variable control surface parameters, and the relationship between the area of control surface and the deflection effect of main flow at different altitudes is obtained. It is found that the fluidic thrust vectoring nozzle can effectively control the internal flow in the ground state and the high altitude/low density state. and the mainstream deflection angle can be continuously adjusted. The maximum deflection angle of the flow in the ground state is 21.86°, and the maximum deviation angle of the 20 km high altitude/low density state is 18.80°. The deflecting of the inner flow of the nozzle is beneficial to provide more lateral force and lateral torque for the aircraft. The high altitude/low density state is taken as an example. When the internal flow deflects 18.80°, the lateral force is 0.32 times the main thrust. For aircraft with high altitude and low density, sufficient lateral and lateral torque can make the flying aircraft more flexible, which can make up the shortcomings of the conventional rudder failure and even replace the conventional rudder surface.