A Strain Transfer Model for Detection of Pitting Corrosion and Loading Force of Steel Rebar with Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor.

Steel rebar corrosion is one of the predominant factors influencing the durability of marine and offshore reinforced concrete structures, resulting in economic loss and the potential threat to human safety. Distributed fiber optic sensors (DFOSs) have gradually become an effective method for structural health monitoring over the past two decades. In this work, a strain transfer model is developed between a steel rebar and a DFOS, considering pitting-corrosion-induced strain variation in the steel rebar.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell Extracellular Vesicle-derived activates the Wnt/Β-catenin Pathway by Targeting SMAD4 and Aggravates Hepatic Ischemia-reperfusion Injury.

Background: To investigate the roles of extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and (highly expressed in BMSC EVs) in hepatic ischemia‒ reperfusion injury (HIRI).

Approaches And Results: We constructed a HIRI mouse model and pretreated it with an injection of agomir-, agomir-NC, BMSC-EVs or control normal PBS into the abdominal cavity. Compared with the HIRI group, HIRI mice preinjected with BMSC-EVs had significantly decreased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and alleviated liver necrosis (P<0.

BMSC-exosomes miR-25-3p Regulates the p53 Signaling Pathway Through PTEN to Inhibit Cell Apoptosis and Ameliorate Liver Ischemia‒reperfusion Injury.

Background: Hepatic ischemia‒reperfusion injury (HIRI) is a pathological phenomenon during liver surgery, and bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) exosomes (BMSC-Exos) regulate cell apoptosis and reduce ischemia‒reperfusion injury. We aimed to investigate the roles of BMSC-Exos and miR-25b-3p (enriched in BMSC-Exos) in HIRI and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Approaches And Results: An HIRI mouse model was constructed and preinjected with BMSC-Exos, agomir-miR-25, agomir-miR-NC, or PBS via the tail vein.

Deflection Estimation of Truss Structures Using Inverse Finite Element Method.

It is well recognized that strain and deflection data are important indexes to judge the safety of truss structures. Specifically, the shape sensing technology can estimate the deformation of a structure by exploiting the discrete strain data without considering the material property conditions. To fill the gap in which most of the methods in SHM (structural health monitoring) cannot be directly used to predict the displacement field, this paper proposed a novel inverse finite element method (iFEM) algorithm based on the equivalent stiffness theory.

Bayesian-Inference Embedded Spline-Kerneled Chirplet Transform for Spectrum-Aware Motion Magnification.

The ability to discern subtle image changes over time is useful in applications such as product quality control, civil engineering structure evaluation, medical video analysis, music entertainment, and so on. However, tiny yet useful variations are often combined with large motions, which severely distorts current video amplification methods bounded by external constraints. This paper presents a novel use of spectra to make motion magnification robust to large movements.

A Hierarchical Copper Oxide-Germanium Hybrid Film for High Areal Capacity Lithium Ion Batteries.

Self-supported electrodes represent a novel architecture for better performing lithium ion batteries. However, lower areal capacity restricts their commercial application. Here, we explore a facial strategy to increase the areal capacity without sacrificing the lithium storage performance.

Effect of Particle Size on Microstructure and Element Diffusion at the Interface of Tungsten Carbide/High Strength Steel Composites.

The microstructure and micro-hardness of tungsten carbide/high strength steel (WC/HSS) composites with different particle sizes were analyzed by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultra-high temperature laser confocal microscopy (UTLCM) and micro-hardness testing. The composites were prepared by cold pressing and vacuum sintering. The results show that WC density tends to increase as the average grain size of WC decreases and the micro-hardness of WC increases with the decrease of WC particle size.

Looseness Monitoring of Bolted Spherical Joint Connection Using Electro-Mechanical Impedance Technique and BP Neural Networks.

The bolted spherical joint (BSJ) has wide applications in various space grid structures. The bar and the bolted sphere are connected by the high-strength bolt inside the joint. High-strength bolt is invisible outside the joint, which causes the difficulty in monitoring the bolt looseness.

A Novel Embeddable Tubular Piezoceramics-Based Smart Aggregate for Damage Detection in Two-Dimensional Concrete Structures.

Due to their multiple advantages, piezoceramic materials have been widely used in structural health monitoring (SHM). Piezoceramic patch-based smart aggregate (SA) and spherical piezoceramic-based smart aggregate (SSA) have been developed for damage detection of concrete structures. However, the stress waves generated by these two types of transducers are limited by their geometry and are unsuitable for use in two-dimensional concrete structures (e.

A Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG)-Enabled Smart Washer for Bolt Pre-Load Measurement: Design, Analysis, Calibration, and Experimental Validation.

A washer is a common structural element that is directly used along the loading path of a bolted connection. Pre-load on a bolted connection directly impacts its load bearing capacity and pre-load monitoring is an important aspect of structural health monitoring (SHM). With the change of the pre-load on a bolted connection, the loading force on the washer will change and, therefore, the outer diameter and outer circumferential length of the washer will change.

Health Monitoring of Bolted Spherical Joint Connection Based on Active Sensing Technique Using Piezoceramic Transducers.

Bolted spherical joints are widely used to form space steel structures. The stiffness and load capacity of the structures are affected by the looseness of bolted spherical joint connections in the structures. The looseness of the connections, which can be caused by fabrication error, low modeling accuracy, and "false twist" in the installation process, may negatively impact the load capacity of the structure and even lead to severe accidents.

Dynamic Modelling of Embeddable Piezoceramic Transducers.

Embedded Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) transducers have been widely used in research related to monitoring the health status of concrete structures. This paper presents a dynamic model of an embeddable PZT transducer with a waterproof layer and a protecting layer. The proposed model is verified by finite-element method (FEM).

Structural Health Monitoring for a Z-Type Special Vehicle.

Nowadays there exist various kinds of special vehicles designed for some purposes, which are different from regular vehicles in overall dimension and design. In that case, accidents such as overturning will lead to large economical loss and casualties. There are still no technical specifications to follow to ensure the safe operation and driving of these special vehicles.

Biodegradation of two organophosphorus pesticides in whole corn silage as affected by the cultured Lactobacillus plantarum.

Biodegradation of the pesticides is considered as one of the safest and cheapest ways. The aim of the present study was to reveal if the inoculated Lactic acid bacteria widely used in silage could provide beneficial safety to guarantee dairy feedstuffs and fresh milk. Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) degradation in whole corn silage was investigated.

Study on dynamic response measurement of the submarine pipeline by full-term FBG sensors.

The field of structural health monitoring is concerned with accurately and reliably assessing the integrity of a given structure to reduce ownership costs, increase operational lifetime, and improve safety. In structural health monitoring systems, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is a promising measurement technology for its superior ability of explosion proof, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and high accuracy. This paper is a study on the dynamic characteristics of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors applied to a submarine pipeline, as well as an experimental investigation on a laboratory model of the pipeline.

π-π stacking, spin density and magnetic coupling strength.

The π-π stacking interaction, one of the main intermolecular forces, sometimes leads to amazing magnetic properties. Although the concept has been raised that spin density is one of the main factors that contribute to the magnetic coupling strength in intermolecular magnetic coupling systems, it has not been confirmed either experimentally or theoretically to date. Herein we present a study on the magnetostructural data of seven unpublished Cu(II) complexes and ten reported radicals.

Noise smoothing for structural vibration test signals using an improved wavelet thresholding technique.

In structural vibration tests, one of the main factors which disturb the reliability and accuracy of the results are the noise signals encountered. To overcome this deficiency, this paper presents a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) approach to denoise the measured signals. The denoising performance of DWT is discussed by several processing parameters, including the type of wavelet, decomposition level, thresholding method, and threshold selection rules.

Fiber Bragg grating displacement sensor for movement measurement of tendons and ligaments.

Biomechanical studies often involve measurements of the strains developed in tendons or ligaments in posture or locomotion. Fiber-optic sensors present an attractive option for the measurement of strains in tendons and ligaments because of their low cost, ease of implementation, and increased accuracy compared with other implantable transducers. A new displacement sensor based on a fiber Bragg grating and shape memory alloy technology is proposed for the monitoring of tendon and ligament strains in different postures and in locomotion.