Louis Francois Marie^1,*, Sunkara Prudhvi Raj², Policherla Venkata Sai³, Tara MacLeod¹, Morapakala Srinivas², K. Srinivas Reddy³, Tadhg Seán O’Donovan⁴

Energy Engineering, Vol.117, No.5, pp. 323-342, 2020, DOI:10.32604/EE.2020.011035 - 07 September 2020

Abstract Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS), known as Jaggery, is a form of unre- fined sugar which contains molasses. The integration of renewable energy resources in the production of NCS, have been analysed. The work investigates the energy requirements of a system incorporating a freeze-concentrator and a solar thermal heater to reduce the reliance on the combustion of bagasse or other fuels in a Jaggery production process. Depending on the extent to which freeze concentration can be incorporated into the process, results show that the minimum theoretical energy required to produce Jaggery can be reduced by 91.30%… More >

Linlin Zhang^*

Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing, Vol.26, No.3, pp. 577-583, 2020, DOI:10.32604/iasc.2020.013936

Abstract The change of entrepreneurial social relations will have a negative impact on the enterprise performance. There is a significant positive correlation between the change of entrepreneurs' social relations and the negative impact of corporate performance. In order to reduce the negative impact of the social relationship of entrepreneurs and improve the profitability of the enterprises, a communication model of the entrepreneur social relationship change and the negative influence of the enterprise performance is proposed based on the closeness decision. The communication model of the negative impact of the enterprise performance and the enterprise performance are… More >

Wenxuan Wang^*, Xiaoyi Wang

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.124, No.3, pp. 985-1000, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2020.09006 - 21 August 2020

Abstract The importance analysis method represents a powerful tool for quantifying the impact of input uncertainty on the output uncertainty. When an input variable is described by a specific interval rather than a certain probability distribution, the interval importance measure of input interval variable can be calculated by the traditional non-probabilistic importance analysis methods. Generally, the non-probabilistic importance analysis methods involve the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) and the optimization-based methods, which both have high computational cost. In order to overcome this problem, this study proposes an interval important analytical method avoids the time-consuming optimization process. First,… More >

Hao Dang^*

Oncologie, Vol.22, No.1, pp. 35-42, 2020, DOI:10.32604/oncologie.2020.012485

Abstract This study aimed to explore the expression and diagnostic performance of miR-586 and miR-493 in patients with osteosarcoma. We enrolled 63 patients with osteosarcoma treated between May 2016 and May 2019 as the experimental group and 55 healthy volunteers who underwent physical examination during the same period as the control group. We detected miR-586 and miR-493 expression in serum, normal bone tissue, and tumor samples. We also evaluated the relationship between clinical indicators and the miR-586 and miR-493 expression levels. The correlation between the serum and osteosarcoma tissue expression of miR-586 and miR-493 was examined… More >

Katharina Müller^1,*, Walter Sonderegger², Oliver Kläusler², Michael Klippel¹, Edwin Zea Escamilla^3,4

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.9, pp. 1091-1109, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.09483 - 03 August 2020

Abstract The demand for high-performance, yet eco-friendly materials is increasing on all scales from small applications in the car industry, instrument or furniture manufacturing to greater dimensions like floorings, balcony furnishings and even construction. Wood offers a good choice on all of these scales and can be modified and improved in many different ways. In this study, two common European hardwood species, Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) were densified in radial direction by thermo-mechanical treatment and the densified product was investigated in an extensive characterisation series to determine all relevant mechanical properties. Compression in… More >

Lei Li^1,2,3,*, Leren Tao^2,3, Yanan Gou¹, Shan Zhang¹

Energy Engineering, Vol.117, No.4, pp. 225-235, 2020, DOI:10.32604/EE.2020.010892 - 31 July 2020

Abstract The scroll expander used in organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system is improved, and its performance is analyzed experimentally. The modified profile and inlet hole of the scroll expander are enhanced, and the performance of the scroll expander before and after the improvement is analyzed. The results show that when the inlet pressure exceeds 0.7 MPa, the waist-shaped hole with a larger area is preferable. The scroll expander with a waist-shaped hole has a larger output power and wider optimal pressure range, and when the inlet pressure is 1.6 MPa, the maximum output power increases by More >

Lanting Zhang, Laifu Guo, Qiang Rong^*

Energy Engineering, Vol.117, No.4, pp. 195-207, 2020, DOI:10.32604/EE.2020.010617 - 31 July 2020

Abstract The various ply parameters of composite wind turbine blade have crucial influence, of respectively varying degree, on the static strength and stiffness of the blade, elements closely related to its performance. In this article, the method of the single-parameter sensitivity analysis is presented. A 1.5 MW wind turbine blade is considered as the study object, where the load of the blade is calculated and the respective finite element model is established. According to engineering practice, the investigation range of ply parameters is determined, and the test design scheme of ply parameter for the blade is… More >

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 >

Shivani M. Bhatt^1,*, Michael L. O’Byrne², Michael McBride², Stephen M. Paridon², Elizabeth Goldmuntz², Laura Mercer-Rosa²

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.15, No.2, pp. 101-115, 2020, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2020.011287 - 23 June 2020

Abstract Objective: The determinants of exercise capacity in repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) are multifactorial and remain incompletely understood. This study sought to evaluate the association of chronotropic response with exercise parameters and investigate the determinants of heart rate reserve (HRR) in a cohort of children and adolescents with rTOF. Design: We retrospectively analyzed patients with rTOF, age 8–18 years, who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) for research purposes. Linear regression models were performed to test associations among clinical, CMR and CPET parameters. Outcomes included percent-predicted maximum VO₂ (%mVO₂) and HRR. Results: A total… More >

Hui Wang^1,2, Shiqin He^1,*, Xiaoqiang Yin³, Zeyang Cao¹

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.14, No.2, pp. 95-108, 2020, DOI:10.32604/sdhm.2020.06595 - 23 June 2020

Abstract In marine environments, reinforced concrete bridge structures are subjected to cyclic loads and chloride ingress, which results in corrosion of the reinforcing bars, early deterioration, durability loss, and a considerable reduction in the fatigue strength. Owing to the complexity of the problem and the difficulty of testing, there are few studies on the fatigue performance of concrete structures under the combined action of corrosion environment and cyclic load. Therefore, a coupling test device for corrosion and cyclic load is designed and fatigue tests of reinforced concrete beams in air environments and chlorine salt corrosive environments… More >