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The aim of this paper is to assess the effect of water temperature (room temperature -RT, 60 ℃ and 90 ℃) on fretting wear behavior of 690 alloy tubes against 405 stainless steel plates, and compare it with fretting in dry condition. Due to the lubrication effect, the presence of a thin water film likely precluded the metal-metal contact, and resulted in less wear. During the fretting process, water also washed the wear particles away from the contact zone leading to a decrease of abrasive wear. Consequently, the wear scars showed "U" shape profile along the fretting direction in water, while "W" shape in air.

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State-of-charge estimation and on-line model modification of lithium-ion batteries are more urgently required because of the great impact of the model accuracy on the algorithm performance. This study aims to propose an improved DUKF based on the state-parameter separation. Its characteristics include: (1) State-Of-Charge (SoC) is treated as the only state variable to eliminate the strong correlation between state and parameters. (2) Two filters are ranked to run the parameter modification only when the state estimation has converged. First, the double polarization (DP) model of battery is established, and the parameters of the model are identified at both the pulse discharge and long discharge recovery under Hybrid Pulse Power Characterization (HPPC) test. Second, the implementation of the proposed algorithm is described. Third, combined with the identification results, the study elaborates that it is unreliable to use the predicted voltage error of closed-loop algorithm as the criterion to measure the accuracy of the model, while the output voltage obtained by the open-loop model with dynamic parameters can reflect the real situation. Finally, comparative experiments are designed under HPPC and DST conditions. Results show that the proposed state-parameter separated IAUKF-UKF has higher SoC estimation accuracy and better stability than traditional DUKF.

The beneficial effects of metformin, especially its capacity to ameliorate insulin resistance (IR) in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), explains why it is widely prescribed. However, its effect on the offspring of patients with PCOS remains uncertain. This study investigated the impact of metformin treatment on the first- and second-generation female offspring born to letrozole-induced PCOS-IR rats. Forty-five female Wistar rats were implanted with continuous-release letrozole pellets or placebo and treated with metformin or vehicle control. Rats exposed to letrozole showed PCOS-like reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic phenotypes in contrast to the controls. Metformin significantly decreased the risk of body weight gain and increased INSR expression in F1 female offspring in PCOS-IR rats, contributing to the improvement in obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and IR. Decreased FSHR expression and increased LHCGR expression were observed in F1 female rats of the PCOS-IR and PCOS-IR+Metformin groups, suggesting that FSHR and LHCGR dysfunction might promote the development of PCOS. Nevertheless, we found no significant differences in INSR, FSHR, and LHCGR expression or other PCOS phenotypes in F2 female offspring of PCOS-IR rats. These findings indicated widespread reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic changes in the PCOS-IR rat model, but the PCOS phenotypes could not be stably inherited by the next generations. Metformin might have contributed to the improvement in obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and IR in F1 female offspring. The results of this study could be used as a theoretical basis in support of using metformin in the treatment of PCOS-IR patients.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the wear evolution of metro wheels under the conditions of different track sequences, track composition and vehicle load and then to predict wheel wear and to guide its maintenance. Methodology By using the SIMPACK and MATLAB software, numerical simulation analysis of metro wheel wear is carried out based on Hertz theory, the FASTSIM algorithm and the Archard model. First of all, the vehicle dynamics model is established to calculate the motion relationship and external forces of wheel-rail in the SIMPACK software. Then, the normal force of wheel-rail is solved based on Hertz theory, and the tangential force of wheel-rail is calculated based on the FASTSIM algorithm through the MATLAB software. Next, in the MATLAB software, the wheel wear is calculated based on the Archard model, and a new wheel profile is obtained. Finally, the new wheel profile is re-input into the vehicle system dynamics model in the SIMPACK software to carry out cyclic calculation of wear. Findings The results show that the setting order of different curves has an obvious influence on wear when the proportion of the straight track and the curve is fixed. With the increase in running mileage, the severe wear zone is shifted from tread to flange root under the condition of the sequence-type track, but the wheel wear distribution is basically stable for the unit-type track, and their wear growth rates become closer. In the tracks with different straight-curved ratio, the more proportion the curved tracks occupy, the closer the severe wear zone is shifted to flange root. At the same time, an increase in weight of the vehicle load will aggravate the wheel wear, but it will not change the distribution of wheel wear. Compared with the measured data of one city B type metro in China, the numerical simulation results of wheel wear are nearly the same with the measured data. Practical implications These results will be helpful for metro tracks planning and can predict the trend of wheel wear, which has significant importance for the vehicle to do the repair operation. At the same time, the security risks of the vehicle are decreased economically and effectively. Originality/value At present, many scholars have studied the influence of metro tracks on wheel wear, but mainly focused on a straight line or a certain radius curve and neglected the influence of track sequence and track composition. This study is the first to examine the influence of track sequence on metro wheel wear by comparing the sequence-type track and unit-type track. The results show that the track sequence has a great influence on the wear distribution. At the same time, the influence of track composition on wheel wear is studied by comparing different straight-curve ratio tracks; therefore, wheel wear can be predicted integrally under different track conditions.