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Existing studies have proved that the incorporation of polypropylene fiber can effectively improve the impact resistance of concrete. In this paper, the split Hopkinson pressure bar and digital pulse shaping technology are used to further study the dynamic compression performance and constitutive relationship of concrete in the cold regions under the deteriorating effect of freeze-thaw cycle, and obtain the dynamic increase factor. Studies have shown that polypropylene fiber-reinforced high-strength concrete has a strain rate enhancement effect. The number of freeze-thaw cycle times at low strain rates has an obvious effect on concrete deterioration, and the effect is weaker at higher strain rates. By comparing three typical dynamic strength growth factor models with the test results, after revising the model, the dynamic increase factor equations under different freeze-thaw circulation times were fitted. This research provides a basis for the design of durability and robustness of building structures in cold regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the dynamic response and damage evolution of coal under multiple high-pressure air blasting (HPAB), simulated coal specimens were used in the HPAB experiments, and the variation laws of stress field, vibration field, damage field, and cumulative fracture failure process in specimens were analyzed from a macro point of view. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) were used to observe the pore distribution near the blasthole of the specimen and analyze the variation law of pore structure parameters under multiple HPAB from the microscopic point of view. The test results show that (1) the stress wave generated by HPAB has a great impact on the near zone. After multiple HPAB, the damage value at the place 50 mm away from the blasthole increases by 3.91 times compared with the one shock from HPAB, and the strain peak and vibration velocity are reduced by 17.86% and 63.05%, respectively. With the increase of distance, the internal damages of the specimens in the middle and far zones are mainly driven by the stress wave and the high-pressure air, and the strain peak, vibration velocity, and damage degree gradually decrease. (2) With the increase of shock times in HPAB tests, the stress wave attenuation index decreases at first and then increases, and the damages degree of the middle and far zones increase slowly in the first few shocks and then increase rapidly. The site coefficient (k) shows an overall decreasing trend, whereas the attenuation coefficient (α) tends to increase. (3) The multiple HPABs have a great impact on the pore structure of the specimens. Compared with unshocked specimen, the cumulative mercury injection and pore volume increased by 152.04% and 135.05%, respectively. The number of connecting pores with large pore diameter is significantly increased. The multiple HPAB can effectively improve the pore and fracture structure in the specimens and form a relatively developed fracture network channel. The study results have certain guiding value for solving practical engineering problems of low extraction efficiency in low permeability coal seams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the freeze-thaw damage characteristics of concrete, the uniaxial compressive tests of concrete under different number of freeze-thaw cycles were conducted, and the damage variable of freeze-thaw was obtained. The test results showed that the stress was a function of strain and freeze-thaw damage variable, and it can describe the degradation of concrete strength. Meanwhile, the equation for the stress-strain curved surface about strain and freeze-thaw damage variable was also proposed in this paper. The derivative function of the stress-strain curved surface equation with respect to strain presented the change of elastic modulus with the increase of freeze-thaw cycle number. Equation proposed in this paper can be used for predicting the concrete lifetime effectively in cold and large temperature difference regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The propagation and attenuation rule of blasting vibration wave parameters is the most important foundation of blasting vibration prediction and control. In this work, we pay more attention to the influence of the damage accumulation effect on the propagation and attenuation rule of vibration wave parameters. A blasting damage accumulation experiment was carried out, the ultrasonic wave velocity of the specimens was measured, and the damage value was calculated during the experiment. The blasting vibration wave was monitored on the surface of the specimens, and its energy was calculated by using the sym8 wavelet basis function. The experimental results showed that with the increase in the number of blasts, the damage continues to increase; however, the vibration velocity and the main frequency decrease continuously, the unfocused vibration wave energy in the zone near to the blasting source is rapidly concentrated in the low-frequency band (frequency bands 1 to 3), and the energy is further concentrated in the low-frequency band in the intermediate zone and zone far from the blasting source. There is a distortion process in which the vibration velocity and the main frequency increase slightly and the energy of the blasting vibration wave converges to the high-frequency band (the 5th band) before the sudden unstable fracture failure of the specimens. The experimental results indicate that the prediction and evaluation of blasting vibration should consider the variation rule of blasting vibration wave parameters synthetically based on the cumulative damage effect, and it is not safe to use only one fixed vibration control standard for the whole blasting operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the blasting construction of underground engineering in layered rock mass, the mechanism of cut blasting and the propagation law of blasting vibration waves are very complex. In this paper, a new method for predicting the blasting vibration velocity of layered rock mass under multihole cut blasting is proposed. The key steps include determining the equivalent elastic boundary and load, establishing the multidegree freedom model of blasting vibration and its motion differential equation, and solving the motion differential equation by time-history analysis method. Two multihole cut blasting tests of different schemes were carried out in the construction site of layered rock mass, and the measured results of blasting vibration waves were obtained. By comparing the time-history curves of the predicted and measured blasting vibration velocity, it can be seen that the time-history curves predicted by the proposed method can reflect the characteristics and attenuation law of blasting vibration waves, and the predicted waveforms are similar to the measured waveforms. By using the proposed method, the prediction accuracy for the peak velocity of blasting vibration in the two tests is 93% and 94%, respectively, and the prediction accuracy for the dominant frequency of blasting vibration in the two tests is 86% and 94%, respectively. The prediction accuracy of the main characteristic parameters of blasting vibration waves is high. So it can be proved that the prediction method proposed in this paper is feasible in effectiveness and accuracy, which can provide important theoretical guidance for the optimization of blasting design and the control of blasting vibration in underground engineering in layered rock mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder often associated with intractable epilepsy, and surgical resection is the effective therapeutic approach to alleviate seizures in TSC patients. Scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) is a noninvasive method used to diagnose epilepsy; however, the relationship between scalp video-EEG findings and postsurgical seizure outcomes has not been fully evaluated in TSC patients. Materials and Methods. The relationship between clinical characteristics and seizure outcomes of TSC patients with 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year follow-ups was retrospectively analyzed. We explored the association of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) with postsurgical seizure outcomes. Further, the differences in clinical characteristics among four IED patterns (focal, lateralized, multifocal, and generalized IEDs) were assessed. Results. A total of 82 patients were enrolled in this study. There were 82 patients with 1-year follow-up, 75 patients with 5-year follow-up, and 57 patients with 10-year follow-up, and the IEDs were associated with the postsurgical outcomes. Patients with focal, lateralized, and generalized IEDs had seizure freedom (SF) in 1-year follow-up, respectively. Intriguingly, patients with lateralized IEDs had long-term SF in 5-year and 10-year follow-ups. Conclusions. A significant association existed between IEDs and long-term postsurgical outcomes in TSC patients. TSC patients with lateralized IEDs often showed long-term SF and mild clinical epileptic characteristics. According to our study, IEDs may guide clinical care for TSC patients with intractable epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid development of medicine has led to increased use of leech (Whitmania pigra). The suitable feeding technology is the key factor for successful breeding leeches. However, there is little information available to concern the effect of prey size on predatory behaviour of the leeches. In this study, we conducted predation trials by two sizes of W. pigra preying on three sizes of snails (Cipangopaludina cathayensis), and then analysed predation rate, feeding rate, searching time and handling time. Our results demonstrated that there were higher predation rate of small‐size W. pigra preying on small‐size snails compared with medium or large ones, and the predation rates gradually decreased with prolongation of the predation time. In addition, the small‐size W. pigra had higher feeding rates than larger size among three treatments. However, snail sizes did no have significant effects on the feeding rates of the leeches. Furthermore, we found that it took longer time of small‐size leeches to search snails than large‐size leeches, while the handling time of two sizes of W. pigra increased with the snail size. This study suggests that farmers should take smaller amount and more frequent feeding approach for leech larva in the artificial breeding processes. On the other hand, adult leeches should be provided with enough feeding in one time. Due to the size‐specific feeding characteristics of the leeches, we suggest that leeches should be raised based on size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vibration caused by the tunnel blasting and excavation will harm the surrounding rock and lining structure of the adjacent existing tunnels. This paper takes a two-lane large-span highway tunnel as the research object, conducts on-site monitoring tests on the impact of vibration caused by the blasting and excavation of new tunnels on the existing tunnels under different blasting schemes, and analyses in detail the three-dimension vibration velocity by different excavation footages. From the vibration speed, it is concluded that the influence of the existing tunnel of the newly built tunnel blasting team is affected by various factors, such as distance, free surface, charge, and blasthole distribution. With different blasting schemes, the greater the amount of charge, the greater the vibration caused by blasting. Existing tunnels correspond to the front of the tunnel, and the axial and radial vibration peaks are greater than the vertical. Although the cut segment uses a less amount of explosive and has a less blasthole layout, there is only one free surface. Because of the clamping of the rock, it is compared with the other two segments. The vibration caused is the largest. Although the peripheral holes are filled with a large amount of explosive, the arrangement of the blast holes is relatively scattered and there are many free surfaces. Hence, the vibration caused is the smallest. Corresponding to the back of the tunnel face, since there is no rock clamp, the vibration caused by the cut segment is the smallest, and the vibration caused by the peripheral segment and the floor segment is relatively large. The vibration caused by the front explosion side is significantly greater than the vibration caused by the back explosion side. The vibration velocity caused by the unit charge of 1.5 m footage is greater than that of the 3.0 m footage. The vibration velocity caused by the unit charge of the cut segment is the largest, and the vibration velocity caused by the peripheral segment and the floor segment is smaller. The research results provide a reference for the blasting control of similar engineering construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blasting vibration signals show obvious zoning propagation characteristics. Because of not considering the specific influences of geological and topographical conditions, the existing zoning methods of blasting vibration cannot fully describe the internal details of blasting vibration signals. Therefore, a new zoning method of blasting vibration based on energy proportion was proposed in this paper, in which the energy proportion in low, medium, and high frequency bands after multiresolution wavelet analysis is used as the zoning index to distinguish the different characteristics of blasting vibration signals in different zones. Based on the proposed zoning method, 343 sets of measured blasting vibration signals were used to train and test the SVM classification models with four different types of kernel functions. The testing results demonstrate that the zoning method of blasting vibration based on energy proportion has high feasibility, flexibility, and reliability, and the SVM classification models with RBF have higher accuracy than models with other kernel functions in blasting vibration zoning prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]