Fengping Li¹, Dong Sun^1,*, Qiaolin Zhang^1,2,3, Hairong Chen^1,2,3, István Bíró^2,3, Zhiyi Zheng⁴, Yaodong Gu^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.20, No.1, pp. 35-47, 2023, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2023.041016

Abstract Background: A children’s backpack is one of the important school supplies for school-age children. Long-term excessive weight can cause spinal deformity that cannot be reversed. This study compared a double helical spring decompression structure backpack (DHSB) with a traditional backpack (TB) to explore the optimization of decompression devices on upper body pressure. The finite element (FE) method was then used to explore the simulation of lumbar stress with different backpacks, in order to prove that DHSB can reduce the influence of backpack weight on lumbar vertebrae, avoid the occurrence of muscle discomfort and spinal deformity in children; Methods: 18 male… More > Graphic Abstract

Fatiha Daoudi^1,*, Abdelkrim Naas¹, Omar Meglali^1,2, Radia Boudaira³, Ahmed Gueddim¹, A. M. Saeed⁴

Energy Engineering, Vol.120, No.8, pp. 1803-1815, 2023, DOI:10.32604/ee.2023.028423

Abstract The numerical simulations were performed using the AMPS-1D simulator to study the effects of the CZTS as an absorber layer and the contacts’ barrier height on the performance of four ZnO/CdS/CZTS solar cells. To obtain the best cell performances, the barrier heights of the back and front contacts were adjusted between 0.01, 0.77, 0.5, and 1.55 eV, respectively. For simulations, we used the lifetime mode, and the device performances were evaluated under AM1.5 illumination spectra. We found that the efficiency, fill factor, and open-circuit voltage were almost constant at a front contact barrier height of less than 0.31 eV. The… More > Graphic Abstract

Yuanyuan Li^1,#, Jinze Mu^2,#, Qingliang Li¹, Huabing Liu³, Xuefeng Yuan^2,*, Deya Wang^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.7, pp. 2079-2085, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.028237

Abstract Infection of plum bark necrosis stem pitting associated virus (PBNSPaV) has been reported in many Prunus species in several countries, causing significant economic losses. The very small proteins encoded by plant viruses are often overlooked due to their short sequences and uncertain significance. However, numerous studies have indicated that they might play important roles in the pathogenesis of virus infection. The role of small hydrophobic protein P6, encoded by the open reading frame 2 of PBNSPaV, has not been well explored. In this study, we amplified the P6 fragment from a PBNSPaV isolate by RT-PCR using specific primers and found… More >

B. Gangadhara Rao^a,*, K. Elangovan^b, K. Hema Chandra Reddy^a, M. Arulprakasajothi^c

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol.16, pp. 1-8, 2021, DOI:10.5098/hmt.16.15

Abstract In this research, the 3-D coupled thermal electric model analyses on a sandwich bus bar are presented for the comparison of F Class & B Class of insulation. IEC defines the maximum temperature limit at the conductor based on the class of insulation. This paper gives the clarity on the variation on the current density i.e, the size of the conductor by varying the class of insulation. The study is conducted on tin plated 2000 A sandwich busbar system. The sandwich bus bar is made of copper conductors with tin plating and enclosed by an aluminum cover along its length.… More >

Liefei Pei^1,2, Xiangyun Zhang¹, Zizhou Yuan^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.6, pp. 2969-2983, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.025760

Abstract Iron-based amorphous crystalline powder Fe₇₈Si₉B₁₃^AP is used as a permeability reaction barrier (PRB) combined with an electrokinetic method (EK-PRB) to study the removal rate of Cu in contaminated soil. After treating Cucontaminated soil for 5 days under different voltage gradients and soil water content, the soil pH is between 3.1 and 7.2. The increase of voltage gradient and soil water content can effectively promote the movement of Cu²⁺ to the cathode. The voltage gradient is 3 V/cm, and the water content of 40% is considered to be an optional experimental condition. Therefore, under this condition, the effects of Fe₇₈Si₉B₁₃^AP and… More >

Shah Mohammad Naimul Islam¹, Niloy Paul¹, Md. Mezanur Rahman², Md. Ashraful Haque¹, Md. Motiar Rohman³, Mohammad Golam Mostofa^4,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.5, pp. 1513-1537, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.025175

Abstract Drought is a severe environmental constraint, causing a significant reduction in crop productivity across the world. Salicylic acid (SA) is an important plant growth regulator that helps plants cope with the adverse effects induced by various abiotic stresses. The current study investigated the potential effects of SA on drought tolerance efficacy in two barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes, namely BARI barley 5 and BARI barley 7. Ten-day-old barley seedlings were exposed to drought stress by maintaining 7.5% soil moisture content in the absence or presence of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mM SA. Drought exposure led to severe damage to both genotypes,… More >

Xuan Wang^1,2, Yuankun Shi², Van-Nam Hoang³, Zeng Meng^2,*, Kai Long^4,*, Yuesheng Wang¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.136, No.3, pp. 3173-3195, 2023, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2023.025501

Abstract This paper proposes an effective reliability design optimization method for fail-safe topology optimization (FSTO) considering uncertainty based on the moving morphable bars method to establish the ideal balance between cost and robustness, reliability and structural safety. To this end, a performance measure approach (PMA)-based double-loop optimization algorithm is developed to minimize the relative volume percentage while achieving the reliability criterion. To ensure the compliance value of the worst failure case can better approximate the quantified design requirement, a p-norm constraint approach with correction parameter is introduced. Finally, the significance of accounting for uncertainty in the fail-safe design is illustrated by… More > Graphic Abstract

Zhenguo Wang, Lenan Wang, Yejing Meng^*, Yong Wen, Jianzhong Pei

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.5, pp. 2469-2489, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.025497

Abstract In the field of roads, due to the effect of vehicle loads, piezoelectric materials under the road surface can convert mechanical vibration into electrical energy, which can be further used in road facilities such as traffic signals and street lamps. The barium titanate/polyvinylidene fluoride (BaTiO₃/PVDF) composite, the most common hybrid ceramic-polymer system, was widely used in various fields because the composite combines the good dielectric property of ceramic materials with the good flexibility of PVDF material. Previous studies have found that conductive particles can further improve the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of other composites. However, few studies have investigated the… More >

Luli Li^1,2, Nigel G. Halford³, Huihui Wang⁴, Yingjie Zong¹, Zhenzhu Guo¹, Ruiju Lu¹, Chenghong Liu¹, Zhiwei Chen^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.4, pp. 1275-1287, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.026946

Abstract Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important economic crop for food, feed and industrial raw materials. In the present research, 112 barley landraces from the Shanghai region were genotyped using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), and the genetic diversity and population structure were analyzed. The results showed that 210,268 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) were present in total, and the average poly-morphism information content (PIC) was 0.1642. Genetic diversity and population structure analyses suggested that these barley landraces were differentiated and could be divided into three sub-groups, with morphological traits of row-type and adherence of the hulls the main distinguishing factors between groups. Genotypes… More >

Sasa Jing¹, Yuan Tian¹, Heng Zhang², John T. Hancock³, Ying Zhu^2,*, Ping Li^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.4, pp. 1203-1214, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.026305

Abstract The crop seeds have been a staple food for humans, and seed yield is important for sustaining agriculture development and enhancing human adaptability to food risks. The phenomenon of pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), caused by seed dormancy deficiency, and the phenomenon of low seedling emergence caused by seed deep dormancy, will lead to a reduction in agricultural production. Therefore, it is particularly important to understand the regulation mechanisms of seed dormancy. There are many studies on the regulation of seed dormancy in rice, but there are few studies on the regulation of seed dormancy in other crops, and the research on… More >