Lateral spreading-induced abutment rotation in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake: Observations and analysis

A series of strong earthquakes near Christchurch, New Zealand, occurred between September 2010 and December 2011, causing widespread liquefaction throughout the city's suburbs. Lateral spreading developed along the city's Avon River, damaging many of the bridges east of the city centre. The short-to medium-span bridges exhibited a similar pattern of deformation, involving back-rotation of their abutments and compression of their decks. By explicitly considering the rotational equilibrium of the abutments about their point of contact with the rigid bridge decks, it is shown that relatively small kinematic demands from the laterally spreading backfill soil are needed to initiate pile yielding, and that this mode of deformation should be taken into account in the design of the abutments and abutment piles.

Behaviour of cast-iron tunnel segmental joint from the 3D FE analyses and development of a new bolt-spring model

The behaviour of cast-iron tunnel segments used in London Underground tunnels was investigated using the 3-D finite element (FE) method. A numerical model of the structural details of cast-iron segmental joints such as bolts, panel and flanges was developed and its performance was validated against a set of full-scale tests. Using the verified model, the influence of structural features such as caulking groove and bolt pretension was examined for both rotational and shear loading conditions. Since such detailed modelling of bolts increases the computational time when a full scale segmental tunnel is analysed, it is proposed to replace the bolt model to a set of spring models. The parameters for the bolt-spring models, which consider the geometry and material properties of the bolt, are proposed. The performance of the combined bolt-spring and solid segmental models are evaluated against a more conventional shell-spring model. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Enlarging regions of stable running with segmented legs

In human and animal running spring-like leg behavior is found, and similar concepts have been demonstrated by various robotic systems in the past. In general, a spring-mass model provides self-stabilizing characteristics against external perturbations originated in leg-ground interactions and motor control. Although most of these systems made use of linear spring-like legs. The question addressed in this paper is the influence of leg segmentation (i.e. the use of rotational joint and two limb-segments) to the self-stability of running, as it appears to be a common design principle in nature. This paper shows that, with the leg segmentation, the system is able to perform self-stable running behavior in significantly broader ranges of running speed and control parameters (e.g. control of angle of attack at touchdown, and adjustment of spring stiffness) by exploiting a nonlinear relationship between leg force and leg compression. The concept is investigated by using a two-segment leg model and a robotic platform, which demonstrate the plausibility in the real world. ©2008 IEEE.

Quantum-confined Stark effects in a single GaN quantum dot

Using analytical expressions for the polarization field in GaN quantum dot, and an approximation by separating the potential into a radial and an axial, we investigate theoretically the quantum-confined Stark effects. The electron and hole energy levels and optical transition energies are calculated in the presence of an electric field in different directions. The results show that the electron and hole energy levels and the optical transition energies can cause redshifts for the lateral electric field and blueshifts for the vertical field. The rotational direction of electric field can also change the energy shift.

Polymerization of ionic liquid-based microemulsions: A versatile method for the synthesis of polymer electrolytes

电子邮箱fyan@suda.edu.cn

Structuring by multi-beam interference using symmetric pyramids

A method for producing optical structures using rotationally symmetric pyramids is proposed. Two-dimensional structures can be achieved using acute prisms. They form by multi-beam interference of plane waves that impinge from directions distributed symmetrically around the axis of rotational symmetry. Flat-topped pyramids provide an additional beam along the axis thus generating three-dimensional structures. Experimental results are consistent with the results of numerical simulations. The advantages of the method are simplicity of operation, low cost, ease of integration, good stability, and high transmittance. Possible applications are the fabrication of photonic micro-structures such as photonic crystals or array waveguides as well as multi-beam optical tweezers. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.

Near-Infrared Femtosecond Laser for Studying the Strain in Si1-xGex Alloy Films via Second-Harmonic Generation

The second-harmonic generation (SHG) from Si1-xGex alloy films has been investigated by near-infrared femtosecond laser. Recognized by s-out polarized SHG intensity versus rotational angle of sample, the crystal symmetry of the fully strained Si0.83Ge0.17 alloy is found changed from the O-h to the C-2 point group due to the inhomogeneity of the strain. Calibrated by double crystal X-ray diffraction, the strain-induced chi((2)) is estimated at 5.7 x 10(-7) esu. According to the analysis on p-in/s-out SHG, the strain-relaxed Si0.10Ge0.90 alloy film is confirmed to be not fully relaxed, and the remaining strain is quantitatively determined to be around 0.1%.

CO2浓度升高和氮肥管理对土壤线虫群落的影响

大气CO2浓度升高能够对农田生态系统产生一系列的影响。土壤线虫在农田生态系统腐屑食物网中占有重要的地位，能够对外界环境变化作出较迅速的响应。本文利用江苏省江都市小记镇的稻-麦轮作FACE系统研究平台，在2007-2008年小麦生长季，研究了大气CO2浓度升高和不同氮肥处理（高N和低N）对农田土壤线虫群落的影响。 研究结果表明：高氮肥施用情况下, CO2浓度升高显著降低了麦田土壤铵态氮和硝态氮含量。不同氮肥处理中CO2浓度升高条件下土壤可溶性碳的含量显著低于对照，而土壤总有机碳和微生物量碳含量高于对照。 大气CO2浓度升高条件下，麦田土壤线虫群落组成和多样性与对照相比表现出显著差异。CO2浓度升高显著增加了麦田土壤线虫总数、食细菌线虫、食真菌线虫和植物寄生线虫数量。在小麦拔节期和成熟期，低N和高N施用条件下，FACE处理中土壤线虫多样性指数（H’）、成熟度指数（MI和PPI）均低于对照处理，而结构指数（SI）高于对照处理。线虫生态指数的结果表明，大气CO2浓度升高条件下，土壤线虫群落多样性降低，土壤环境受到一定的干扰，食物网趋于结构化。

Parallel Fully-Implicit Computation of Magnetohydrodynamics Acceleration Experiments

A three-dimensional MHD solver is described in the paper. The solver simulates reacting flows with nonequilibrium between translational-rotational, vibrational and electron translational modes. The conservation equations are discretized with implicit time marching and the second-order modified Steger-Warming scheme, and the resulted linear system is solved iteratively with Newton-Krylov-Schwarz method that is implemented by PETS,: package. The results of convergence tests arc plotted, which show good scalability and convergence around twice faster when compared with the DPLR method. Then five test runs are conducted simulating the experiments done at the NASA Ames MHD channel, and the calculated pressures, temperatures, electrical conductivity, back EMF, load factors and flow accelerations are shown to agree with the experimental data. Our computation shows that the electrical conductivity distribution is not uniform in the powered section of the MHD channel, and that it is important to include Joule heating in order to calculate the correct conductivity and the MHD acceleration.

钮子瓜和袋花忍冬的化学成分研究

钮子瓜（Zehneria maysorensis Arn.）是一种常用的中草药，其性味苦、凉，主要功效为清热利湿、散风止痛，主治膀胱炎、头痛。体外活性筛选实验表明，袋花忍冬（Lonicera saccata Rehd.）95%乙醇提取物的乙酸乙酯部分对血管紧张素转化酶显示较强的抑制活性。为明确钮子瓜的药用物质基础和袋花忍冬中具有ACE抑制活性的成分，首次对两个植物的成分进行了研究。 1. 从钮子瓜95%乙醇提取物中主要通过色谱方法首次分离了14个化合物，通过波谱方法鉴定为(2S,3S,4R,10E)-2-[(2R)-2-羟基二十四烷酰基氨基]-10-十八烷-1,3,4-三醇（1）、(2S,3S,4R)-2-二十四烷酰基氨基-十八烷-1,3,4-三醇 （2）、胡萝卜苷（3）、swertish （4）、苯甲酸（5）、水杨酸（6）、loliolide （7）、胸腺嘧啶（8）、尿嘧啶（9）、(23Z)-9,19-环阿尔廷-23-烯-3β,25-二醇（10）、(20S,22E,24R)-5α,8α-表二氧-麦角甾-6,22-二烯-3β-醇（11）、十六烷酸 1-甘油酯（12）、大豆脑苷Ⅰ（13）和(22E,24S)-24-甲基-5α-胆甾-7,22-二烯-3β,5α,6β-三醇（14）。其中化合物4为一黄酮碳苷，具有旋转异构现象，有止痛作用；化合物6具有抗炎、镇痛、减热的活性，它们可能是钮子瓜药用物质基础的一部分。 2. 从袋花忍冬95%乙醇提取物中首次分离并鉴定了16个已知化合物：胡萝卜苷（3）、(20S,22E,24R)-5α,8α-表二氧-麦角甾-6,22-二烯-3β-醇（11）、十六烷酸 1-甘油酯（12）、E-p-coumaryl behenate (15)、谷甾醇（16）、2,6-dihydroxyhumula-3(12), 7(13),9(E)-triene (17)、环阿尔廷-25-烯-3β,24ξ-二醇 (18)、二十四烷酸 (19)、2,4-二羟基-3,6-二甲基苯甲酸甲酯 (20)、乌苏酸 (21)、柚皮素 (22)、木犀草素 (23)、柏双黄酮（24）咖啡酸 (25)、洋芹素（26）和木犀草素-7-O-β-D-葡萄糖苷 (27)。其中木犀草素（23）和咖啡酸（25）含量较高，它们为抑制ACE活性的成分。 3．综述了黄酮碳苷的旋转异构现象。 Zehneria maysorensis is a folk medicine for the treatment of cystitis and headache. The ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the 95% ethanol extract of Lonicera saccata showed obvious ACE inhibitory activity in vitro. To reveal their active constitutents, they were subjected to chemically study. From the 95% ethanol extract of the whole plants of Zehneria maysroensis fourteen compounds were isolated for the first time. On the basis of spectral data and/or by comparison with authentic samples, they were characterized to be (2S,3S,4R,10E)-2-[(2R)-2-hydroxytetracosanoylamino]-10-octadecene-1,3,4-triol (1), (2S,3S,4R)-2-tetracosanoylamino-1,3,4-octadecanetriol (2), daucosterol (3), swertish (4), benzoic acid (5), salicylic acid (6), loliolide (7), thymine (8), uracil (9), (23Z)-9,19-cycloart-23-ene-3β,25-diol (10), (20S,22E,24R)-5α,8α-epidioxy-ergosta- 6,22-diene-3β-ol (11), 2,3-dihydroxypropyl hexadecoate (12), soya-cerebroside (13) and (22E,24S)-24-methyl-5α-cholesta-7,22-diene-3β,5α,6β-triol (14). Compound 4, a C-glycosylflavone, showed a very interesting rotational isomerism. Compounds 4 and 6 may be the active constituents of Zehneria maysorensis considering their sedative and anti-inflammation activity, respectively. From the whole plants of Lonicera saccata, sixteen compounds were isolated for the first time. On the basis of spectral data and/or by comparison with authentic samples, they were identified to be daucosterol (3), (20S,22E,24R)-5α,8α-epidioxy- ergosta-6,22-diene-3β-ol (11), 2,3-dihydroxypropyl hexadecoate (12), E-p-coumaryl behenate (15), β-sitosterol (16), 2,6-dihydroxyhumula-3(12),7(13),9(E)-triene (17), cycloart-25-ene-3β,24ξ-diol (18), tetracosanoic acid (19), methyl 2,4-dihydroxy- 3,6-dimethylbenzoate (20), ursolic acid (21), naringenin (22), luteolin (23), cupressuflavone (24), caffeic acid (25), apigenin (26) and luteolin-7-O-β-D- glucopyranoside (27). Luteolin (23) and caffeic acid (25) were the ACE inhibitory active constituents. Rotational isomerism for C-glycosylflavonoid was reviewed.