Broadband surface wave manipulation by periodic barriers in unsaturated soil.

Periodic wave barriers have been widely used to manipulate elastic waves propagating in saturated and single-phase soil due to their attenuation zone properties. However, it is difficult to promote application of periodic barriers in unsaturated soils due to their complex constitutive relationship. In this study, manipulation of surface waves by periodic in-filled trench barriers in unsaturated soil has been studied based on the periodic theory. The dispersion relations of a periodic structure for surface waves in unsaturated soil are determined. The attenuation mechanism of evanescent surface waves is revealed. Next, the effects of several key parameters of unsaturated soil on the attenuation zones of the periodic in-filled trench barriers are comprehensively discussed. It is found that in a particular range for material parameter, the surface waves are attenuated over the entire frequency range due to the viscosity of fluid. Finally, a periodic in-filled trench barrier is designed according to a field test of ground vibration induced by a train, and its performances in mitigating surface waves propagating in unsaturated and saturated soils are conducted and compared by conducting analysis in time domain. This investigation provides a new insight for manipulating surface waves by periodic barriers. This article is part of the theme issue 'Current developments in elastic and acoustic metamaterials science (Part 1)'.

Surface wave mitigation by periodic wave barriers under a moving load: theoretical analysis, numerical simulation and experimental validation.

Periodic wave barriers (PWB) open a new window for vibration mitigation. However, the Doppler effect is rarely considered in most of the previous investigations on the control of ambient vibration induced by moving loads. This article reveals the significance of the speed and frequency of moving loads on surface waves, and improves the design method of PWB for ambient vibration reduction and isolation. First, the theoretical expression of the main frequency band of surface waves propagating in an elastic half-space caused by a moving load was obtained. Comparisons with the numerical results under three different types of traffic loads were also conducted and good agreement was found. Second, the theoretical expression and numerical results were verified by experimental studies. Some inherent properties of wave propagation caused by a moving load in an elastic half-space were also revealed. Third, two kinds of PWBs, i.e. periodic empty trench barrier and periodic pile barrier, were introduced to mitigate wave propagation. It has been confirmed that if the attenuation zones of PWB match the target frequency bands given by the theoretical expression, good vibration mitigation can be achieved. This article is part of the theme issue 'Current developments in elastic and acoustic metamaterials science (Part 1)'.

Unreprogrammed H3K9me3 prevents minor zygotic genome activation and lineage commitment in SCNT embryos.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) can be used to reprogram differentiated somatic cells to a totipotent state but has poor efficiency in supporting full-term development. H3K9me3 is considered to be an epigenetic barrier to zygotic genomic activation in 2-cell SCNT embryos. However, the mechanism underlying the failure of H3K9me3 reprogramming during SCNT embryo development remains elusive. Here, we perform genome-wide profiling of H3K9me3 in cumulus cell-derived SCNT embryos. We find redundant H3K9me3 marks are closely related to defective minor zygotic genome activation. Moreover, SCNT blastocysts show severely indistinct lineage-specific H3K9me3 deposition. We identify MAX and MCRS1 as potential H3K9me3-related transcription factors and are essential for early embryogenesis. Overexpression of Max and Mcrs1 significantly benefits SCNT embryo development. Notably, MCRS1 partially rescues lineage-specific H3K9me3 allocation, and further improves the efficiency of full-term development. Importantly, our data confirm the conservation of deficient H3K9me3 differentiation in Sertoli cell-derived SCNT embryos, which may be regulated by alternative mechanisms.

Electromechanical Characteristics of Radially Layered Piezoceramic/Epoxy Cylindrical Composite Transducers: Theoretical Solution, Numerical Simulation, and Experimental Verification.

This paper derives theoretical solutions for three radially layered piezoceramic/epoxy cylindrical composite transducers, which are composed of a solid epoxy disk, two axially polarized piezoceramic rings, and two epoxy rings. Two piezoceramic rings are the functional components, which can actuate and adjust the composite's performance. According to different functions, three typical transducers are developed. The first one involves both of the two piezoceramic rings acting as actuating elements with parallel connections electrically. The other two involve only one piezoceramic ring as an actuating element, while the other ring that is connected to a resistor acts as a sensing element to adjust the electromechanical characteristics. Based on the plane stress assumption, theoretical solutions of these three transducers in radial vibration are derived, and performance differences of their electromechanical characteristics are analyzed and discussed. Furthermore, the solutions are validated by comparing with the ANSYS simulation results and the experimental data. The simulated and the measured first resonance and antiresonance frequencies are in a good agreement with the theoretical results, which validates the accuracy of the directed solution. This paper contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the proposed cylindrical composite's electromechanical performance, which is helpful for further application in underwater sound and ultrasonic fields.

Dispersion Differences and Consistency of Artificial Periodic Structures.

Dispersion differences and consistency of artificial periodic structures, including phononic crystals, elastic metamaterials, as well as periodic structures composited of phononic crystals and elastic metamaterials, are investigated in this paper. By developing a K(ω) method, complex dispersion relations and group/phase velocity curves of both the single-mechanism periodic structures and the mixing-mechanism periodic structures are calculated at first, from which dispersion differences of artificial periodic structures are discussed. Then, based on a unified formulation, dispersion consistency of artificial periodic structures is investigated. Through a comprehensive comparison study, the correctness for the unified formulation is verified. Mathematical derivations of the unified formulation for different artificial periodic structures are presented. Furthermore, physical meanings of the unified formulation are discussed in the energy-state space.

Multi-mass-spring model and energy transmission of one-dimensional periodic structures.

This paper deals with a classical problem on a linear elastic lattice. A multi-mass-spring model is proposed to build the unit cell. Based on this multi-mass-spring model, a detailed investigation on the band of frequency gaps of one-dimensional periodic structures is conducted. A unified formulation to study the band structures of one-dimensional periodic structures is obtained. To determine the bound frequencies of the bands of frequency gaps, a very simple method without investigating the dispersion curves is proposed based on the modal analytical method. The method presented in this paper is applicable to general cases and is much more convenient than that proposed by other related investigations. In addition, the dynamic property of a finite periodic structure is investigated from the view of energy input, energy distribution, and interactions between the external excitation and the finite periodic structure, from which the energy flow pattern is illustrated clearly.

Dynamic characteristics of an axially polarized multilayer piezoelectric/elastic composite cylindrical transducer.

An analytical model of the dynamic characteristics of an axially polarized multilayer piezoelectric/elastic composite cylindrical transducer is proposed in this paper. Based on the plane stress assumption, the dynamic analytical solution of the transducer under an external harmonic voltage load is obtained, and the electric admittance is also derived analytically. Inherent properties of the transducer, such as resonance and anti-resonance frequencies, are presented and discussed. In addition, comparisons with other related investigations are also given, and good agreement is found. The present investigation is very helpful for the design of axially polarized multilayer piezoelectric/elastic composite cylindrical transducers, which can be used in applications related to ultrasonic and underwater sound waves.

The resonance frequency of laminated piezoelectric rectangular plates.

Based on the theory of elasticity and piezoelectricity, a dynamic model of laminated elastic-piezoelectric rectangular plates is considered. The bending equations are established and solved, taking the nonlinear behavior of the piezoelectric material into account. The resonance frequency of a laminated piezoelectric rectangular plate with four kinds of different boundary conditions is then investigated. The present results agree very well with the experimental findings and can be extended to practical applications, such as considering the effect of an epoxy package on the resonance of piezoceramic plate.

The primary resonance of laminated piezoelectric rectangular plates.

Based on Hamilton's principle and the Rayleigh-Ritz method, a model of a nonlinear dynamic laminated piezoelectric rectangular plate was established, and the governing equations were derived and solved for both the thin-plate and thick-plate models. In the present investigation, the nonlinear constitutive relations of piezoelectric materials were considered and the effects of the nonlinearity on the response of the plate were discovered. The primary resonance of rectangular plate is investigated with the use of the method of multiple scales. The results obtained in the present paper agree very well with the experiment results.

Neural mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment in depression and cognitive benefits of exercise intervention.

Depression is associated with functional brain impairments, although comprehensive studies remain limited. This study reviews neural mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment in depression and identifies associated activation abnormalities in brain regions. The study also explores the underlying neural processes of cognitive benefits of exercise intervention for depression. Executive function impairments, including working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility are associated with frontal cortex and anterior cingulate areas, especially dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Depression is associated with certain neural impairments of reward processing, especially orbitofrontal cortex, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens and other striatal regions. Depressed patients exhibit decreased activity in the hippocampus during memory function. Physical exercise has been found to enhance memory function, executive function, and reward processing in depression patients by increasing functional brain regions and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a nutritional factor also plays a key role in exercise intervention. The study documents neurophysiological mechanisms behind exercise intervention's improved functions. In summary, the study provides insights into neural mechanisms underlying cognitive impairments in depression and the effectiveness of exercise as a treatment.