Recent progress on the discrete element method simulations for powder transport systems: A review

Powder transport systems are ubiquitous in various industries, where they can encounter single powder flow, two-phase flow with solids carried by gas or liquid, and gas–solid–liquid three-phase flow. System geometry, operating conditions, and particle properties have significant impacts on the flow behavior, making it difficult to achieve good transportation of granular materials. Compared to experimental trials and theoretical studies, the numerical approach provides unparalleled advantages over the investigation and prediction of detailed flow behavior, of which the discrete element method (DEM) can precisely capture complex particle-scale information and attract a plethora of research interests. This is the first study to review recent progress in the DEM and coupled DEM with computational fluid dynamics for extensive powder transport systems, including single-particle, gas–solid/solid–liquid, and gas–solid–liquid flows. Some important aspects (i.e., powder electrification during pneumatic conveying, pipe bend erosion, non-spherical particle transport) that have not been well summarized previously are given special attention, as is the application in some new-rising fields (ocean mining, hydraulic fracturing, and gas/oil production). Studies involving important large-scale computation methods, such as the coarse grained DEM, graphical processing unit-based technique, and periodic boundary condition, are also introduced to provide insight for industrial application. This review study conducts a comprehensive survey of the DEM studies in powder transport systems.     

具有保护肠上皮细胞HT-29免受大肠杆菌和H2O2损伤潜力的植物乳杆菌的筛选

益生菌可在肠道定植从而发挥抗炎或抗氧化活性，有利于宿主肠道健康。本实验研究了从新疆传统发酵乳制品中分离得到的8?株植物乳杆菌对大肠杆菌侵袭和过氧化氢刺激肠上皮细胞HT-29的保护作用。结果表明：在8?株植物乳杆菌中，植物乳杆菌35具有最高的黏附能力。植物乳杆菌35可通过取代、竞争、排阻的方式抑制大肠杆菌对HT-29细胞的黏附，抑制率分别为42.60%、59.17%、60.19%。植物乳杆菌35及其多糖可抑制大肠杆菌刺激HT-29细胞产生白细胞介素-8；同时保护HT-29细胞免受过氧化氢的损伤，增加超氧化物歧化酶、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶活力水平并降低丙二醛含量。结论：植物乳杆菌35及其粗胞外多糖具有抑制大肠杆菌O157诱导的炎症性肠病的潜力。     

Cognitive and metabolic workload assessment techniques: A review in automotive manufacturing context

Ergonomics assessment in the automotive industry has, to date, focused mainly on physical ergonomics, for example, manual handling and posture. However, workload and, in particular, metabolic and cognitive workload, contributes to worker efficiency but has not received sufficient attention to yield practical guidance for industry. Successful workload assessment requires in-depth understanding of the context in which it will be conducted and of the various assessment techniques which will be applied, with consideration given to factors such as feasibility, resources, and skill of the assessor. These requirements are met with challenges within large and complex organizations and are often dealt with in a piecemeal and isolated matter (i.e., reactive workload assessment). The present paper explores these challenges within the automotive manufacturing industry and aims to develop a decision matrix to guide effective selection of workload assessment techniques focused on metabolic and cognitive demands. It also presents the requirements for time, equipment, and knowledge to implement these techniques as part of a participatory ergonomics approach. Early findings suggest that most assessment techniques reviewed require further development, for example, to establish the acceptance criteria for the specific workload scenario. However, five methods (Garg, Borg RPE, IPAQ, SWAT, and NASA-TLX) are ready to use in certain applications. Ultimately, the findings suggest that it is possible to implement a participatory workload evaluation program within large and complex manufacturing plants.     

四氢姜黄素经PI3K/Akt信号通路对人血小板活化和聚集的调控作用

目的：探讨姜黄素的主要肠道代谢物四氢姜黄素（tetrahydrocurcumin，THC）对血小板活化和聚集的影响及其可能的分子机制。方法：在体外实验中，用不同浓度的THC（0、0.5、1、10 μmol/L）提前与健康人纯化血小板共同孵育40 min，然后加入凝血酶激活血小板2 min，用流式细胞术测定血小板表面CD62P和CD63的表达量，用酶联免疫吸附法测定血小板释放血小板因子-4（platelet factor-4，PF4）和趋化因子配体-5（chemokine ligand 5，CCL5）水平，用血小板聚集仪检测血小板释放ATP水平和血小板最大聚集率，用Western blot蛋白免疫印迹法检测血小板磷酸肌醇-3-激酶（phosphoinositide 3-kinase，PI3K）和Akt蛋白的磷酸化水平。结果：与模型组（血小板悬液中加入0.05%二甲基亚砜）相比，THC能抑制凝血酶诱导的血小板表面CD62P和CD63的表达，抑制PF4、CCL5和ATP的释放，降低血小板最大聚集率，下调PI3K和Akt蛋白的磷酸化水平，且呈浓度依赖效应，其中10 μmol/L的浓度下作用效果显著（P＜0.01、P＜0.001）。PI3K的特异性激动剂740 Y-P可部分逆转THC对PF4和CCL5释放和血小板聚集的抑制作用（P＜0.05、P＜0.01）。结论：THC具有显著抑制血小板活化和聚集的作用，其机制可能是THC可下调PI3K/Akt介导的信号通路。     

IRS辅助的SWIPT系统中基于能效优先的波束成形设计与优化

以智能反射面(intelligent reflecting surface,IRS)辅助的无线携能通信(simultaneous wireless information and power transfer,SWIPT)系统为背景,研究了该系统中基于能效优先的多天线发送端有源波束成形与IRS无源波束成形联合设计与优化方法。以最大化接收端的最小能效为优化目标,构造在发送端功率、接收端能量阈值、IRS相移等多约束下的非线性优化问题,用交替方向乘子法(alternating direction method of multipliers,ADMM)求解。采用Dinkelbach算法转化目标函数,通过奇异值分解(singular value decomposition,SVD)和半定松弛(semi-definite relaxation,SDR)得到发送端有源波束成形向量。采用SDR得到IRS相移矩阵与反射波束成形向量。结果表明,该系统显著降低了系统能量收集(energy harvesting,EH)接收端的能量阈值。当系统总电路功耗为?15 dBm时,所提方案的用户能效为300 KB/J。当IRS反射阵源数与发送天线数均为最大值时,系统可达最大能效。     

基于有限元法的石油射孔枪弹间干扰研究

石油射孔弹顺序起爆后,弹间冲击波相互作用是一个高度非线性的力学过程。基于有限元法对这一过程进行显式动力分析,由计算结果得知,高孔密射孔枪弹间干扰产生的主要原因是下位弹在不对称的压力场起爆。设计的不同孔密和不同爆速的导爆索两种情形的爆轰试验结果表明,弹间间距越小(即孔密的增加),弹间干扰越严重;随着导爆索爆速的降低,下位弹射流头部质量集中的"中间"偏转角度增大,上位弹对其干扰越明显。以上结论可用于高孔密射孔枪的优化设计。     

Chemically complex intermetallic alloys: A new frontier for innovative structural materials

Intermetallic materials are bestowed by diverse ordered superlattice structures together with many unusual properties. In particular, the advent of chemically complex intermetallic alloys (CCIMAs) has received considerable attention in recent years and offers a new paradigm to develop novel metallic materials for advanced structural applications. These newly emerged CCIMAs exhibit synergistic modulations of structural and chemical features, such as self-assembled long-range close-packed ordering, complex sublattice occupancy, and interfacial disordered nanoscale layer, potentially allowing for superb physical and mechanical properties that are unmatched in conventional metallic materials. In this paper, we critically review the historical developments and recent advances in ordered intermetallic materials from the simple binary to chemically complex alloy systems. We are focused on the unique multicomponent superlattice microstructures, nanoscale grain-boundary segregation, and disordering, as well as the various extraordinary mechanical and functional properties of these newly developed CCIMAs. Finally, perspectives on the future research orientation, challenges, and opportunities of this new frontier are provided.     

Structure engineering of amorphous P–CoS hollow electrocatalysts for promoted oxygen evolution reaction

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a key process involved in many energy-related conversion systems. An ideal OER electrocatalyst should possess rich active sites and optimal binding strength with oxygen-containing intermediates. Although numerous endeavors have been devoted to the modification and optimization of transition-metal-based OER electrocatalysts, they are still operated with sluggish kinetics. Herein, an ion-exchange approach is proposed to realize the structure engineering of amorphous P–CoS hollow nanomaterials by utilizing the ZIF-67 nanocubes as the precursors. The precise structure control of the amorphous hollow nanostructure contributes to the large exposure of surface active sites. Moreover, the introduction of phosphorus greatly modifies the electronic structure of CoS₂, which is thus favorable for optimizing the binding energies of oxygenated species. Furthermore, the incorporation of phosphorus may also induce the formation of surface defects to regulate the local electronic structure and surface environment. As a result of this, such P–CoS hollow nanocatalysts display remarkable electrocatalytic activity and durability towards OER, which require an overpotential of 283 mV to afford a current density of 10 mA cm^?2, outperforming commercial RuO₂ catalyst.     

Predictive process mapping for laser powder bed fusion: A review of existing analytical solutions

One of the main challenges in the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process is making dense and defect-free components. These porosity defects are dependent upon the melt pool geometry and the processing conditions. Power-velocity (PV) processing maps can aid in visualizing the effects of LPBF processing variables and mapping different defect regimes such as lack-of-fusion, under-melting, balling, and keyholing. This work presents an assessment of existing analytical equations and models that provide an estimate of the melt pool geometry as a function of material properties. The melt pool equations are then combined with defect criteria to provide a quick approximation of the PV processing maps for a variety of materials. Finally, the predictions of these processing maps are compared with experimental data from the literature. The predictive processing maps can be computed quickly and can be coupled with dimensionless numbers and high-throughput (HT) experiments for validation. The present work provides a boundary framework for designing the optimal processing parameters for new metals and alloys based on existing analytical solutions.     

Adenine-functionalized conjugated polymer as an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution from water

Conjugated polymers have emerged as a promising class of organic photocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water splitting due to their adjustable chemical structures and electronic properties. However, developing highly efficient organic polymer photocatalysts with high photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution remains a significant challenge. Herein, we present an efficient approach to enhance the photocatalytic performance of linear conjugated polymers by modifying the surface chemistry via introducing a hydrophilic adenine group into the side chain. The adenine unit with five nitrogen atoms could enhance the interaction between the surface of polymer photocatalyst and water molecules through the formation of hydrogen bonding, which improves the hydrophilicity and dispersity of the resulting polymer photocatalyst in the photocatalytic reaction solution. In addition, the strong electron-donating ability of adenine group with plentiful nitrogen atoms could promote the separation of light-induced electrons and holes. As a result, the adenine-functionalized conjugated polymer PF6A-DBTO2 shows a high photocatalytic activity with a hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of 25.21 mmol g^?1 h^?1 under UV-Vis light irradiation, which is much higher than that of its counterpart polymer PF6-DBTO2 without the adenine group (6.53 mmol g^?1 h^?1). More importantly, PF6A-DBTO2 without addition of a Pt co-catalyst also exhibits an impressive HER of 21.93 mmol g^?1 h^?1 under visible light (λ > 420 nm). This work highlights that it is an efficient strategy to improve the photocatalytic activity of conjugated polymer photocatalysts by the modification of surface chemistry.