Composition-tunable PtCu porous nanowires as highly active and durable catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

To accelerate the commercialization of fuel cells, many efforts have been made to develope highly active and durable Pt-based catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, PtCu porous nanowires (PNWs) with controllable composition are synthesized through an ultrasound-assisted galvanic replacement reaction. The porous structure, surface strain, and electronic property of PtCu PNWs are optimized by tuning composition, which can improve activity for ORR. Electrochemical tests reveal that the mass activity of Pt_0.5Cu_0.5 PNWs (Pt/Cu atomic ratio of 1:1) reaches 0.80 A mg_Pt^?1, which is about 5 times higher than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Notably, the improved activity of the porous nanowire catalyst is also confirmed in the single-cell test. In addition, the large contact area with the carrier and internal interconnection structure of Pt_0.5Cu_0.5 PNWs enables them to exhibit much better durability than the commercial Pt/C catalyst and Pt_0.5Cu_0.5 nanotubes in accelerated durability test.     

Characterisation of a novel laminarinase from Microbulbifer sp. ALW1 and the antioxidant activity of its hydrolysates

Laminarin and its derived oligosaccharides have diverse bioactivities. The β-1,3-glucanase in marine bacteria can be employed as a tool to digest laminarin in the cell wall of brown algae. Here, we cloned, expressed and characterised a β-1,3-glucanase (laminarinase), MaLamNA, from the previously characterised marine bacterium Microbulbifer sp. ALW1, phylogenetically distinct from the glycoside hydrolase families of characterised laminarinases. The recombinant laminarinase was heterologously expressed and purified from Pichia pastoris GS115 cells with a molecular mass of 57.3 kDa. MaLamNA exerted its hydrolytic activity specifically against laminarin, with the highest activity at 45 °C and pH 4.5–5.5, respectively, and demonstrated high stability against extreme acidic and alkaline pH exposure. The addition of reducing agent dithiothreitol could significantly enhance the activity of MaLamNA. The hydrolytic products of laminarin by MaLamNA exhibited more effective antioxidant activities than the undigested laminarin. These characteristics of MaLamNA provide clues to its industrial application for laminarin bioresource development.     

Parameter identification of proton exchange membrane fuel cell via Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation algorithm

It is essential to develop an accurate model of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) for a reliable operation and analysis, in which unknown parameters usually need to be determined. The inherent nonlinear, strong coupling, and diversification of PEMFC model seriously hinder traditional methods to identify the parameters. For the sake of overcoming these thorny obstacles, Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation (LMBP) algorithm based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) is proposed for PEMFC parameter identification. Furthermore, the performance of LMBP is thoroughly evaluated and compared with four typical meta-heuristic algorithms under three cases. Simulation results indicate that LMBP performs a higher accuracy and faster speed for parameter identification. In particular, accuracy and convergence speed can achieve as much as 99.8% and 95.9% growth via LMBP, respectively.     

Fuzzy approximation-based adaptive control of nonstrict feedback stochastic nonlinear systems with time-varying state constraints

This article develops an approximation-based fuzzy control scheme for nonstrict feedback stochastic nonlinear systems (NFSNS) with time-varying state constraints. The difficulty in constructing controller is how to conquer the algebraic loop problem caused by nonstrict feedback structure, as well as prevent the state constraints from violating. To dispose the time-varying state constraints, time-varying barrier Lyapunov function is incorporated into the backstepping design framework. The lumped uncertainties of NFSNS are approximated by the fuzzy logic systems. By virtue of fuzzy basis function, the algebraic loop problem is effectively handled. Theoretical analysis shows that the predefined state constraints are not violated and all signals of the closed-loop systems are bounded. Finally, simulation results substantiate the validity of the devised method.     

2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde inhibits the growth of Aspergillus flavus via damaging cell wall,cell membrane,manipulating respiration thus creating a promising antifungal effect on corn kernels

This study investigated the antifungal activity and the potential antifungal mechanisms of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (HMB) against Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of HMB in preventing spore germination was 70 μg mL⁻¹. HMB at MIC disrupted cell wall integrity by reducing the number of septa by 86.66% (P < 0.05) in mycelia and increased cell membrane permeability by about 14-fold (P < 0.05) evidenced by propidium iodide (PI) staining. Furthermore, HMB at MIC inhibited respiration by 33.33%. These results revealed that the antifungal activity of HMB against A. flavus could be attributed to the damaged cell wall integrity, cell membrane permeability and respiration metabolism. What’s more, A. flavus was completely restrained in corn kernels due to HMB. Therefore, HMB could be applied as an effective antifungal agent.     

钢管RPC边框密肋复合剪力墙轴压性能研究

为研究新型钢管RPC边框密肋复合剪力墙的轴压性能,基于统一强度理论,考虑中间主应力及拉压异性效应,推导出此类构件的轴压承载力计算公式并进行试验验证;采用有限元分析软件ABAQUS,建立钢管RPC边框密肋复合剪力墙的有限元模型,对轴压力学性能进行分析,探讨了中间主应力、钢管壁厚和高宽比对构件轴压承载力的影响.结果表明:钢管RPC边框密肋复合剪力墙具有较高的轴压承载力,ABAQUS数值模拟结果与理论分析结果吻合良好,同时验证了理论计算方法的准确性及有限元模型的可靠性.最后总结分析荷载位移曲线与应力曲线的变化规律,可知钢管RPC边框密肋复合剪力墙表现出良好的协同工作能力.     

Creep damage characterization of UNS N10003 alloy based on a numerical simulation using the Norton creep law and Kachanov–Rabotnov creep damage model

The calculation of inelastic creep damage is important for the structural integrity evaluation of the elevated temperature structure in a thorium molten salt reactor(TMSR). However, a creep damage theory model and numerical simulation method have not been proposed for the key materials(UNS N10003 alloy) in the TMSR. In this study, creep damage characterization of UNS N10003 alloy is investigated using the Norton creep law and Kachanov–Rabotnov(K–R) creep damage model. First, the creep experimental data of the UNS N10003 alloy at 650 °C were adopted to fit the material constants of the two models. Then, the creep damage behavior of the UNS N10003 alloy was analyzed and discussed under uniaxial and multi-axial stress states. The results indicated that the K–R creep damage model is more suitable for the UNS N10003 alloy than the Norton model. Finally, the numerical simulation method was developed by a user-defined UMAT subroutine and subsequently verified through a finite element analysis(FEA). The FEA results were in agreement with the theoretical solutions. This study provides an effective method for the inelastic creep damage analysis of the elevated temperature structure in the TMSR.     

Numerical simulation of flow separation over a backward-facing step with high Reynolds number

Large eddy simulation(LES)explicitly calculates the large-scale vortex field and parameterizes the small-scale vortices.In this study,LES and κ-ε models were developed for a specific geometrical configuration of backward-facing step(BFS).The simulation results were validated with particle image velocimetry(PIV)measurements and direct numerical simulation(DNS).This LES simulation was carried out with a Reynolds number of 9000 in a pressurized water tunnel with an expansion ratio of 2.00.The results indicate that the LES model can reveal largescale vortex motion although with a larger grid-cell size.However,the LES model tends to overestimate the top wall separation and the Reynolds stress components for the BFS flow simulation without a sufficiently fine grid.Overall,LES is a potential tool for simulating separated flow controlled by large-scale vortices.