Relationship between Muscle Flexibility and Characteristics of Muscle Contraction in Healthy Women during Different Menstrual Phases

Objective: Skeletal muscle function is vital for preventing injury during exercise. It has been reported that skeletal muscle function fluctuates with the menstrual cycle and is considered one of the causes of injury. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between muscle flexibility and muscle contraction characteristics and their changes with the menstrual cycle. Methods: The subjects were healthy women who voluntarily participated in the study through recruitment posters. Muscle flexibility was measured with the passive knee extension (PKE) test, isokinetic knee flexor strength, and the maximum muscle strength exertion angle under two conditions of 60°/s and 120°/s in dominant hamstrings. Additionally, their correlations were analyzed and compared between the menstrual and ovulatory phases. Results: Sixteen subjects (mean age: 20.56 ± 0.73 years; body mass index: 20.21 ± 1.60) participated in the study. Correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between PKE and the maximum muscle strength exertion angle under the condition of 60°/s during the menstrual phase (r = –0.54; p = 0.03). No significant difference was observed in the two-group comparison of the variables measured during the menstrual and ovulatory phases. Conclusion: This study confirmed that the more flexible muscles generate the maximum strength at a more contracted position during the menstrual phase in women. In the future, it is necessary to examine the relationship between the results of this study and exercise performance and injury occurrence.     

Applications of Nanomaterials in Microbial Fuel Cells: A Review

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are an environmentally friendly technology and a source of renewable energy. It is used to generate electrical energy from organic waste using bacteria, which is an effective technology in wastewater treatment. The anode and the cathode electrodes and proton exchange membranes (PEM) are important components affecting the performance and operation of MFC. Conventional materials used in the manufacture of electrodes and membranes are insufficient to improve the efficiency of MFC. The use of nanomaterials in the manufacture of the anode had a prominent effect in improving the performance in terms of increasing the surface area, increasing the transfer of electrons from the anode to the cathode, biocompatibility, and biofilm formation and improving the oxidation reactions of organic waste using bacteria. The use of nanomaterials in the manufacture of the cathode also showed the improvement of cathode reactions or oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). The PEM has a prominent role in separating the anode and the cathode in the MFC, transferring protons from the anode chamber to the cathode chamber while preventing the transfer of oxygen. Nanomaterials have been used in the manufacture of membrane components, which led to improving the chemical and physical properties of the membranes and increasing the transfer rates of protons, thus improving the performance and efficiency of MFC in generating electrical energy and improving wastewater treatment.     

Modified and Optimized Glass Electrode for pH Measurements in Hydrated Ethanol Fuel

One of the quality control parameters of ethanol fuel is pH, established by the Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 10891, whose scope is specific for hydrated ethanol fuel, and by the American standard ASTM D 6423, which focuses on anhydrous ethanol fuel. This study presented a modified and optimized structure using a single solvent, both for the glass electrode and the external reference electrode, to minimize the presence of the liquid junction potential for measuring the pH of hydrated ethanol fuel. The Box–Behnken design enabled us to determine the optimal condition expected for the new measurement system, which was compared with the systems proposed by the standard references and the turning range of acid–base indicators using parametric and nonparametric tests. The results revealed that the pH values obtained by the different systems are statistically different, and that only the values obtained by this proposal are suitable for the pH range found by the indicators. The optimized electrode presented an adequate response sensitivity to the Nernst equation, having an operational behavior adequate for the modified and optimized glass electrode for pH measurements in hydrated ethanol fuel.     

Aerial Oxygen-Driven Selenocyclization of O-Vinylanilides Mediated by Coupled Fe3+/Fe2+ and I2/I− Redox Cycles

In the past decade, selenocyclization has been extensively exploited for the preparation of a wide range of selenylated heterocycles with versatile activities. Previously, selenium electrophile-based and FeCl₃-promoted methods were employed for the synthesis of selenylated benzoxazines. However, these methods are limited by starting material availability and low atomic economy, respectively. Inspired by the recent catalytic selenocyclization approaches based on distinctive pathways, we rationally constructed an efficient and greener double-redox catalytic system for the access to diverse selenylated benzoxazines. The coupling of I₂/I⁻ and Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ catalytic redox cycles enables aerial O₂ to act as the driving force to promote the selenocyclization. Control and test redox experiments confirmed the roles of each component in the catalytic system, and a PhSeI-based pathway is proposed for the selenocyclization process.     

基于平面度的燃料电池电化学性能模拟

固体氧化物燃料电池的翘曲会影响电极-盖板界面的接触情况,从而影响电化学性能,对相关制造工艺提出了很大的挑战.为了分析燃料电池平面度对放电过程的影响,揭示其潜在的风险,我们建立了两个基于有限元法的仿真模型,对考虑平面度缺陷的燃料电池封装和放电进行分析.在对固体氧化物燃料电池进行平面度测量的基础上,首先建立了具有真实燃料电池翘曲特性的几何模型,分析封装过程中接触压力的分布情况.然后将接触电阻的仿真结果导入到三维多物理场耦合模型中,模拟具有平面度缺陷的燃料电池电化学性能.计算结果展示了燃料电池两侧封装过程中接触压力的分布情况.通过对比有接触电阻和无接触电阻的燃料电池电流密度,分析了电池与盖板的接触对放电过程的影响.结果表明,燃料电池的凹陷面较难达到满意的接触状态,需要比凸起面更大的封装压力.燃料电池表面接触电阻的变化将引起电流传导路径的变化,产生局部高电流或低电流.这项工作强调了在燃料电池中保持均匀分布的接触电阻的重要性,为今后的优化工作奠定了基础.     

柴油爆炸性能外场实验研究

通过Ø30 mm杀爆燃弹外场炮击实验,模拟车辆、装备油箱被炮火击中后二次爆炸场景,采用高速照相机、红外热成像仪分别记录引爆柴油过程和爆炸火球的温度场,对比评估普通柴油、含水型柴油和抑爆型柴油的爆炸特性。实验结果显示：炮弹射击油箱瞬间,柴油液滴被抛撒出油箱,与空气快速混合形成气溶胶,并在炸药能量作用下引发爆炸,形成爆炸火球;不同类型柴油的爆炸火球均经历3个发展阶段,但其尺寸、扩展速率和表面温度等有较大差别,普通柴油和含水型柴油的火球这3个参数比较接近,都大于抑爆型柴油;含水型柴油的油箱毁伤容积为108.00 dm³,远高于普通柴油的57.65 dm³和抑爆型柴油的38.15 dm³。研究表明,抑爆柴油中的高分子聚合物能起到较好的抑爆作用。

     

次临界能源堆物理设计进展

聚变-裂变混合能源堆包括聚变中子源和次临界能源堆,主要目标是生产电能。回顾了国内外混合堆的发展历史,给出混合能源堆设计的边界条件和约束条件,说明次临界能源堆以铀锆合金为燃料、水为冷却剂的设计思想。利用输运燃耗耦合程序 MCORGS 计算了混合能源的燃耗,给出了中子有效增殖因数、能量放大倍数和氚增殖比等物理量随时间的变化。通过分析能谱和重要核素随燃耗时间的变化,说明混合能源堆与核燃料增殖、核废料嬗变混合堆的不同特点。论述了混合堆的热工设计并进行了安全分析。对于燃耗数值模拟程序,通过多家对算,保证其计算结果的可信性。针对次临界能源堆的特点,利用贫铀球壳建立了贫铀聚乙烯装置和贫铀LiH装置,并且专门设计加工了天然铀装置,开展铀裂变率、造钚率、产氚率等中子学积分实验,验证了数值模拟的可靠性。     

增殖剂球床载气体流动特性

增殖剂球床是聚变堆或混合堆产氚包层可选结构之一,准确把握增殖剂球床中载带气体的流动特性有助于提高对球床载氚过程的认识并优化包层设计。采用离散元程序PFC3D模拟增殖剂小球的填充行为,在球床内不同位置随机截取不同尺寸的控制体,利用布尔运算中的差集得到孔隙范围,建立孔隙分布的三维几何模型,进一步划分网格并用计算流体力学（CFD）方法求解,得出控制体上单位长度的压降以及单元体内的速度分布特征,计算结果发现载带气体速度分布与分布很类似,且只要选取恰当的控制体,通过计算流体力学方法可以较好地分析整个球床孔隙内流体的流动,有利于进一步研究载氚及相关过程。     

大型飞机操纵面极限环颤振特性研究1)

操纵面间隙会引起结构非线性,容易诱发极限环颤振。根据设计需要,考虑操纵面中心间隙的影响,采用最小状态拟合技术对频域非定常 气动力进行有理函数拟合,采用分段函数描述间隙引起的非线性刚度,研究操纵面在间隙作用下的极限环颤振响应的行为特点。结果表明,由于 中心间隙的影响,系统会在低于线性颤振速度时就产生极限环振荡,同时,振荡幅值随飞行速度或中心间隙的增大而增大。