Yafei Zhang^1,2, Ping Tan^1,2,*, Haitao Ma^1,2, Marco Donà^1,2

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.124, No.2, pp. 415-431, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2020.09054 - 20 July 2020

Abstract A staircase provides the main escape way from a building in an emergency. Unfortunately, it may suffer severe damages or even collapse during an earthquake. For improving the seismic performance of staircases, this paper proposes an innovative staircase isolator with the features of lightweight, costeffective and ease of construction and replacement, which is formed by suitable engineering plastic shims between rubber layers. A connection construction scheme is also proposed for the isolated staircase. Systematic performance tests have been carried out to characterize the isolator in terms of mechanic behavior and ultimate states. The test results… More >

Nicolas Kluger^1,2, Philippe Charlier^3,4, Antonio Perciaccante^3,5,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.15, No.3, pp. 163-165, 2020, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2020.012394 - 15 July 2020

Abstract Introduction: Visual narratives such as manga, comics and cartoons can play an important role in educating readers on various aspects of life including medicine and disabilities. Methods: We reviewed the animated series entitled “Captain Tsubasa”, focusing our analysis on the episodes which introduced the character Jun Misugi, a football player suffering from an unspecified congenital heart disease (CHD). Discussion: For a child with a CHD, the practice of sports could be risky but also an opportunity to improve heart function and reach personal fulfillment. CHD have an important impact on children’s quality of life, and sports participation has More >

Jiuliang Liu^1,*, Xingming Sun¹, Ke Song²

Journal of Cyber Security, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 107-113, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jcs.2020.011222 - 14 July 2020

Abstract In recent years, food safety problems have become increasingly serious. The traditional supply chain traceability solution faces some serious problems, such as centralization, data tampering, and high communication costs. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a food traceability framework based on permissioned blockchain. The proposed framework is decentralized, and the supply chain data of the framework cannot be tampered with. The framework divides supply chain entities into five organizations, and each organization deploys its own chaincode onto the blockchain. The chaincode specifies the query permission of each organization, which can effectively protect the user’s More >

Haiming Sun^1,3, Quande Dong^2,*, Cuixia Zhang², Jianqing Chen^3,4

Energy Engineering, Vol.117, No.3, pp. 153-164, 2020, DOI:10.32604/EE.2020.010706 - 10 July 2020

Abstract The improvement of energy efficiency is considered as one of the keys to the sustainable development of manufacturing enterprises. This paper proposes an energy efficiency improvement method for the manufacturing process. Based on the analysis of the characteristics of energy consumption in the manufacturing process, a necessary energy consumption model, an assistant energy consumption model and an ineffective energy consumption model are constructed for identifying the energy consumption attributes of the manufacturing process. Then, the relationship model of energy consumption is built, and the energy efficiency improvement method for the manufacturing process is proposed based More >

Dongsheng Xu^*

Energy Engineering, Vol.117, No.3, pp. 143-152, 2020, DOI:10.32604/EE.2020.010335 - 10 July 2020

Abstract With the continuous development of society and the progress of science and technology, the living standards of the people also constantly improve, people pay more and more attention to the pursuit of material life, and the living space of everyday life and office space requirements are also rising, the air conditioning has become the essential in people’s daily life a kind of electrical equipment. The traditional optimal matching methods of heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system have common problems such as long matching time, low matching accuracy and many matching times. The application of the… More >

Bing Wang^1,2,*, Yao Yao¹, Liting He¹, Xiangqian Pei¹

Energy Engineering, Vol.117, No.3, pp. 111-128, 2020, DOI:10.32604/EE.2020.010474 - 10 July 2020

Abstract With the huge increase in natural gas consumption, the distortion of natural gas prices, especially in the residential sector, is prominently shaped into a heavy burden for public finance. Although city gate price and a price linkage mechanism have been established, the price tolerance of residential natural gas should be considered when the price of residential gas fluctuates with the upstream gas price. Determinants of the price affordability of residential natural gas consumption at different economic development levels (Beijing, Nanjing, Zhengzhou) are investigated by field survey and online investigation and analyzed by a factor analysis… More >

Xibo Qi¹, Yijie Huang^2,3,*, Xiaowei Li¹, Zhenhua Hu¹, Jingwei Ying³, Dayong Li¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 915-937, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.010991 - 10 July 2020

Abstract The mechanical properties of modified sea water sea sand coral concrete (SWSSCC) under axial compression were experimentally studied. Two different parameters were considered in this test: types of cement and fiber. An experimental campaign was developed involving uniaxial compression tests and the use of digital image correlation (DIC) method to analyze the strain distribution and crack propagation of specimen. Test results indicated that the compressive strength and elastic modulus of SWSSCC were improved by adding stainless steel fibers (SSF), while polypropylene fibers (PF) enhanced the SWSSCC peak deformation. It was found that the elastic modulus More >

Isamar Rosa¹, Henning Roedel¹, Maria I. Allende¹, Michael D. Lepech^1,*, David J. Loftus²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 845-861, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.09844 - 10 July 2020

Abstract Biopolymer-bound Soil Composites (BSC), are a novel bio-based construction material class, produced through the mixture and desiccation of biopolymers with inorganic aggregates with applications in soil stabilization, brick creation and in situ construction on Earth and space. This paper introduces a mixture design methodology to produce maximum strength for a given soil-biopolymer combination. Twenty protein and sand mix designs were investigated, with varying amounts of biopolymer solution and compaction regimes during manufacture. The ultimate compressive strength, density, and shrinkage of BSC samples are reported. It is observed that the compressive strength of BSC materials increases proportional More >

Xiaokan Wang^{1, 2, *}, Qiong Wang², Shuang Liang³

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.64, No.3, pp. 1859-1867, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2020.011032 - 30 June 2020

Abstract Urban rail transit has the advantages of large traffic capacity, high punctuality and zero congestion, and it plays an increasingly important role in modern urban life. Braking system is an important system of urban rail train, which directly affects the performance and safety of train operation and impacts passenger comfort. The braking performance of urban rail trains is directly related to the improvement of train speed and transportation capacity. Also, urban rail transit has the characteristics of high speed, short station distance, frequent starting, and frequent braking. This makes the braking control system constitute a… More >

Ningcheng Yuan¹, Chao Jia^{2, *}, Jizhao Lu³, Shaoyong Guo¹, Wencui Li³, Xuesong Qiu¹, Lei Shi⁴

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.64, No.3, pp. 1657-1671, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2020.09840 - 30 June 2020

Abstract Container is an emerging virtualization technology and widely adopted in the cloud to provide services because of its lightweight, flexible, isolated and highly portable properties. Cloud services are often instantiated as clusters of interconnected containers. Due to the stochastic service arrival and complicated cloud environment, it is challenging to achieve an optimal container placement (CP) scheme. We propose to leverage Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) for solving CP problem, which is able to learn from experience interacting with the environment and does not rely on mathematical model or prior knowledge. However, applying DRL method directly dose… More >