Subsequent Consolidation Process Research Articles

Flexibility and Stability in Lexical Tone Recalibration: Evidence from Tone Perceptual Learning.

Listeners adjust their perception of sound categories when confronted with variations in speech. Previous research on speech recalibration has primarily focused on segmental variation, demonstrating that recalibration tends to be specific to individual speakers and situations and often persists over time. In this study, we present findings on the perceptual learning of lexical tone in Standard Chinese, a suprasegmental feature signaled primarily through pitch variations to distinguish morpheme/word meanings. Native speakers of Standard Chinese showed a recalibration of tone category boundaries immediately following exposure to ambiguous tonal pitch contours. However, this recalibration effect significantly weakened after 12 hours. Furthermore, participants trained at night did not exhibit delayed stabilization, a phenomenon commonly observed during sleep-induced consolidation. Our results replicate previous findings and provide new evidence suggesting that while our perceptual system can flexibly adapt to real-time sensory inputs, subsequent consolidation processes, such as those occurring during sleep, may exhibit selectivity and, under certain conditions, may be ineffective.

Soil disturbance evaluation of soft clay based on stress-normalized small-strain stiffness

Soil disturbance includes the change of stress state and the damage of soil structure. The field testing indices reflect the combined effect of both changes and it is difficult to identify the soil structure disturbance directly from these indices. In the present study, the small-strain shear modulus is used to characterize soil structure disturbance by normalizing the effective stress and void ratio based on Hardin equation. The procedure for evaluating soil sampling disturbance in the field and the further disturbance during the subsequent consolidation process in laboratory test is proposed, and then validated by a case study of soft clay ground. Downhole seismic testing in the field, portable piezoelectric bender elements for the drilled sample and bender elements in triaxial apparatus for the consolidated sample were used to monitor the shear wave velocity of the soil from intact to disturbed and even remolded states. It is found that soil sampling disturbance degree by conventional thin-wall sampler is about 30% according to the proposed procedure, which is slightly higher than that from the modified volume compression method proposed by Hong and Onitsuka (1998). And the additional soil disturbance induced by consolidation in laboratory could reach about 50% when the consolidation pressure is far beyond the structural yield stress, and it follows the plastic volumetric strain quite well.

The Effect of the Milling Vial Shape on the In-Situ Consolidation of a Nanocrystalline Al-Li-GNPs Nanocomposite Synthesized by Room Temperature Ball-Milling

Several studies investigating the ball-milling of ductile face-centered cubic metals have reported a so-called in-situ consolidation phenomenon where the milled powder is also consolidated during the milling process. Thus, instead of refined powders or agglomerated particles, the formation of spherical bulk particles of the milled material is reported using a combination of cryomilling and room temperature milling processes. In this study, we studied the effect of the milling vial shape on the in-situ consolidation of a graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) reinforced aluminum-lithium (Al-Li) matrix nanocomposite for the first time. An in-situ consolidated nanometric Al-Li-GNPs nanocomposite with an average grain size of 48 nm and high hardness of 1.48 GPa was attained after only 8 h of room-temperature milling. The results presented suggest that dense nanostructured composites can be prepared by in-situ consolidation during a one-step milling process and subsequently investigated in order to analyze their mechanical behavior. This allows for the intrinsic mechanical behavior of the synthesized material to be examined without the interference of subsequent high-temperature consolidation processes, thus avoiding unwanted structural changes such as grain growth and second phase formations.

Process optimization of caustic scrubber and iodine-129 immobilization in sodalite-based waste forms

Caustic scrubbers are proposed to remove vaporized iodine from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. Resulting caustic slurries of radioactive iodine (129I) and other anions can be captured and immobilized into the cage structures of sodalite-type minerals. Here, mixed-anion sodalites were hydrothermally synthesized from a simulated caustic scrubber solution containing hydroxide/water, carbonate, chloride, bromide, iodide, nitrate, and nitrite ions with added kaolinite. Experiments were conducted with twenty-five different sets of process conditions. Resulting powders were characterized by quantitative x-ray diffraction (XRD) and multi-functional thermal analysis, including gravimetry, calorimetry, and mass spectrometry. Using statistical analysis, process variables were tailored to maximize conversion of kaolinite into cage silicates, immobilize caustic scrubber anions, and minimize amorphous content. Chemical analysis showed the incorporation of all the targeted ions into the solids. Detailed investigation of a batch characterized after washing (creating secondary waste) and one without washing but subsequent calcination is given. This work contributes to defining the constraints required for subsequent consolidation process steps of the waste form to avoid volatilization.Graphical Abstract

SHS-Derived Powders by Reactions' Coupling as Primary Products for Subsequent Consolidation.

The capability of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) to produce powders that are characterized by a high sintering ability, owing to high heating and cooling rates inherent to the exothermic reaction, is of a special interest for the industry. In particular, SHS-derived powders comprise a significant defect concentration in order to effectively enhance the mass transfer processes during the sintering, which allows for the successful consolidation of difficult-to-sinter materials at relatively low sintering temperatures. From this perspective, the design of precursors suitable for sintering, synthesis in a controlled temperature regime and the optimization of geometrical and structural parameters of SHS powders as a potential feedstock for the consolidation is of key importance. Here, we report on the comparative studies concerning the SHS processing of composites for advanced powder metallurgy techniques. The synthesis and sintering peculiarities of the SHS through coupled reactions in the Me’O3(WO3,MoO3)-Me’’O(CuO,NiO)-Mg-C, Ti-B-Al12Mg17 systems are comparatively reviewed. The SHS coupling approach was used for the preparation of powders with a tuned degree of fineness (a high specific surface area of particles), a high-homogeneity and a controllable distribution of elements via both the regulation of the thermal regime of combustion in a wide range and the matching of the thermal and kinetic requirements of two interconnected reactions. Microstructural features of the powder feedstock greatly contributed to the subsequent consolidation process.

Numerical investigation of the behaviour of hydraulically dredged fine-grained soils during and after filling of the containment facility of the port of Gaeta

Fine-grained dredged sediments can be efficiently and sustainably handled by hydraulically filling containment facilities, which can then be reclaimed. This study presents two numerical modelling strategies, characterized by markedly different levels of complexity, that simulate the gradual filling and subsequent consolidation process. Both numerical models employ hydro-mechanical constitutive relations apt to cover wide state ranges, starting from very low effective stresses. Class A predictions of a well-documented case study, where an articulated construction sequence was implemented, are reported and the effectiveness of the two proposed strategies is compared. After updating the numerical predictions according to the recorded construction timeline, the numerical results are validated against field data, specifically versus the monitored height of dredged mud. Finally, the monitoring data are back-analysed, emphasizing the influence of the hydro-mechanical behaviour at high void ratios. The results show that both modelling strategies are sufficiently accurate and can provide substantial benefits to the design of the filling works and to the evaluation of the actual storage capacity of the impoundments, especially if the available volume is limited or if complex construction procedures are implemented.

Critical Dynamics Mediate Learning of New Distributed Memory Representations in Neuronal Networks

We explore the possible role of network dynamics near a critical point in the storage of new information in silico and in vivo, and show that learning and memory may rely on neuronal network features mediated by the vicinity of criticality. Using a mean-field, attractor-based model, we show that new information can be consolidated into attractors through state-based learning in a dynamical regime associated with maximal susceptibility at the critical point. Then, we predict that the subsequent consolidation process results in a shift from critical to sub-critical dynamics to fully encapsulate the new information. We go on to corroborate these findings using analysis of rodent hippocampal CA1 activity during contextual fear memory (CFM) consolidation. We show that the dynamical state of the CA1 network is inherently poised near criticality, but the network also undergoes a shift towards sub-critical dynamics due to successful consolidation of the CFM. Based on these findings, we propose that dynamical features associated with criticality may be universally necessary for storing new memories.

General Synthesis Approach for Hierarchically Porous Materials via Reverse Microemulsion System

A well-ordered hierarchically micromesoporous carbon has been successfully fabricated in a reverse microemulsion system via a heated evaporation-induced self-assembly (HISA) method. An additional heat accelerates the rate of the solvent evaporation for accomplishing the self-assembly process of the surfactant. Interestingly, it only takes about 7 min for the preparation of polymer by using this facile HISA. The tedious prepolymerization process between phenol and resorcinol can be saved by directly mixing them together in the system, and the subsequent thermal consolidation process at 100 °C for about 24 h in the usual method can also be eliminated. Meanwhile, evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) and hydrothermal (HT) approaches have also been employed to prepare the porous carbon in F127/MMA reverse microemulsion. Hierarchically porous carbon materials prepared by using reverse microemulsion as the electrode of supercapacitors exhibit an excellent performance in electrochemical application. Hierarchi...

A novel conceptual model of fracture evolution patterns in the overlying strata during horizontal coal seam mining

The dynamic evolution of mining-induced fractures in overlying strata caused by mining has non-ignorable effects on engineering safety and water loss from an overlying aquifer. To clarify the evolutionary patterns of fractures due to the first and periodic weighting induced by coal mining, W-shaped fracture arch models are developed to explain and prevent water leakage during the mining process. With the conceptual hypothesis of a lopsided W-shaped fracture arch that may or may not consider the subsequent consolidation process from caving of the overlying strata, this model shows the evolutionary process of the morphological tendency in fracture arches and characteristics in different directions. Mining-induced fractures are found to evolve in W-shaped mode and develop both upward and forward with the advance of the mining face. Based on these models, we can identify the best developed parts of the overall fracture evolution, which are the key fracture paths for water to leak after the closure phase of fractures. Combined with a creative simulation experiment on similar materials including two comparative mining models, the normal mining model and the model of prefabricated fracture arches, the dome-shaped morphological evolution of this conceptual model is reflected well in the range of 20~40 m away from the initial mining location. The present models may help settle conflicts related to the dynamic evolution of mining-induced fractures and the loss of water resources during the mining process.

Glucocorticoid response to stress induction prior to learning is negatively related to subsequent motor memory consolidation.

Hippocampal activity during early motor sequence learning is critical to trigger subsequent sleep-related consolidation processes. Based on previous evidence that stress-induced cortisol release modulates hippocampal activity, the current study investigates whether exposure to stress prior to motor sequence learning influences the ensuing learning and overnight consolidation process. Seventy-four healthy young adults were exposed to a stressor (i.e., the socially evaluated cold pressor test, SECPT) or a control procedure before initial training on a bimanual motor sequence learning task. Participants were retested on the motor task 24 h (including a night of sleep) after training to assess memory consolidation. Our results indicate that the SECPT, as compared to the control condition, induced significant physiological stress responses as evidenced by increased heart rate and blood pressure as well as elevated salivary cortisol concentrations. Cortisol concentration in the stress group reached peak levels immediately before and stayed significantly elevated for the full duration of initial motor learning before returning to baseline during the consolidation period. Stress induction prior to learning did not, on average, influence initial performance nor subsequent motor memory consolidation as indicated by similar overnight gains in performance in both groups. However, higher levels of stress-induced cortisol prior to training were correlated to smaller overnight gains in performance speed. These results indicate that the glucocorticoid response to a stressful encounter experienced prior to hippocampal-mediated motor learning is negatively related to subsequent memory consolidation processes.

A general semi-analytical solution for consolidation around an expanded cylindrical and spherical cavity in modified Cam Clay

This paper presents a general semi-analytical solution for undrained cylindrical and spherical cavity expansion in Modified Cam Clay (MCC) and subsequent consolidation. The undrained cylindrical and spherical cavity expansion response in MCC model is obtained through the similarity solution technique. Then, the subsequent consolidation process around the cavity is governed by the classical partial differential equation for consolidation. Finite Difference Method (FDM) is selected for solving the consolidation equation numerically. The proposed semi-analytical solution is validated by comparing the prediction of the dissipations of the pore pressure with Randolph’s closed-form solution for elastic-perfectly plastic soil. Parametric study shows that G0/p0′, R and M have significant influence on the cavity wall excess pore pressure dissipation curve, while it is not sensitive to the value of ν′. It is also found that the negative pore pressure generates around the expanded cylindrical and spherical cavity wall during the consolidation process when R>5 for typical Boston blue clay. The developed solution has potential applications in geotechnical problems, such as the pile foundation, in-situ test, tunnel construction, compaction grouting, and so forth.

Spacing Repetitions Over Long Timescales: A Review and a Reconsolidation Explanation.

Recent accounts of the spacing effect have proposed molecular explanations that explain spacing over short, but not long timescales. In the first half of this paper, we review research on the spacing effect that has employed spaces of 24 h or more across skill-related tasks, language-related tasks and generalization for adults and children. Throughout this review, we distinguish between learning and retention by defining learning (or acquisition) as performance at the end of training and retention as performance after a delay period. Using this distinction, we find age- and task-related differences in the manifestation of the spacing effect over long timescales. In the second half of this paper, we discuss a reconsolidation account of the spacing effect. In particular, we review the evidence that suggests the spacing of repetitions influences the subsequent consolidation and reconsolidation processes; we explain how a reconsolidation account may explain the findings for learning; the inverted-U curve for retention; and compare the reconsolidation account with previous consolidation accounts of the spacing effect.

Awake reactivation of emotional memory traces through hippocampal–neocortical interactions

Emotionally arousing experiences are typically well remembered not only due to immediate effects at encoding, but also through further strengthening of subsequent consolidation processes. A large body of research shows how neuromodulatory systems promote synaptic consolidation. However, how emotionally arousing experiences alter systems-level interactions, presumably a consequence of modifications at a synaptic level, remains unclear. Animal models predict that memory traces are maintained by spontaneous reactivations across hippocampal–neocortical circuits during “offline” periods such as post-learning rest, and suggest this might be stronger for emotional memories. The present study was designed to test this hypothesis in humans using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Participants underwent a two-category localizer paradigm followed by a categorical differential delay fear conditioning paradigm interleaved with blocks of awake rest. Counterbalanced across participants, exemplars of one category (CS+), but not the other (CS−), were paired with mild electrical shocks. Fear recall (differential conditioned pupil dilation) was tested 24h later. Analyses of the localizer paradigm replicate earlier work showing category-specific response patterns in neocortical higher-order visual regions. Critically, we show that during post-learning rest, spontaneous reactivation of these neocortical patterns was stronger for the CS+ than the CS− category. Furthermore, hippocampal connectivity with the regions exhibiting these reactivations predicted strength of fear recall 24h later. We conclude that emotional arousal during learning promotes spontaneous post-learning reactivation of neocortical representations of recent experiences, which leads to better memory when coinciding with hippocampal connectivity. Our findings reveal a systems-level mechanism that may explain the persistence of long-term memory for emotional experiences.

Effects of preloading and consolidation on the uplift capacity of skirted foundations

Centrifuge tests investigating the effect of compressive preloading and consolidation on the subsequent uplift capacity of shallow skirted foundations that rest on lightly over-consolidated kaolin clay are reported. The uplift resistance, total and pore pressures at the foundation invert were monitored during the installation, consolidation and uplift. The results show that uplift performed immediately after the preloading generates a lower capacity due to the remoulding of the clay and reduction in soil strengths that result from the application of preloading. The soil strength can be recovered and eventually enhanced by the subsequent consolidation process. A theoretical framework, where the variation of the soil operative strength with preloading and consolidation is interpreted using the critical state concept, is proposed to explain and justify the experimental observations. The framework is validated through retrospective prediction of the uplift resistance of the centrifuge model tests with good agreement for a wide range of levels of preloading and degrees of consolidation demonstrated.

Production of a sintered alloy based on the TiAl intermetallic compound. Part 1: Calcium-hydride fabrication technology of the Ti–47Al–2Nb–2Cr powder alloy and its properties

Alloy powder of the Ti–47Al–2Nb–2Cr composition (at %) with a structure of TiAl (60 wt %) and Ti3Al (40 wt %) is prepared by the calcium-hydride method. The mode of calcium-hydride synthesis is optimized for the Ti–50Al (at %) model alloy. It is established that the reduction temperature should be no lower than 1100°C, while the excess of the CaH2 reducing agent should be no lower than 15 wt %. The main physicochemical and manufacturing properties of the synthesized Ti–47Al–2Nb–2Cr powder alloy, which provide the formation of dense compact items during its subsequent consolidation processes, are determined using modern analytical methods.

Producing the Sintered Alloy Based on the TiAl Intermetallic Compound. Part 1: Calcium-Hydride Fabrication Technology of the Ti–47Al–2Nb–2Cr Powder Alloy and Its Properties

Alloy powder of the Ti–47Al–2Nb–2Cr composition (at.%) with the structure of TiAl (60 wt.%) and Ti3Al (40 wt.%) is prepared by the calcium-hydride method. The mode of the calcium-hydride synthesis is optimized for the Ti–50Al (at.%) model alloy. It is established that the reduction temperature should be no lower than 1100 °C, while the excess of the CaH2 reducing agent should be no lower than 15 wt.%. The main physicochemical and manufacturing properties of the synthesized Ti–47Al–2Nb–2Cr powder alloy, which provide the formation of dense compacts during its subsequent consolidation processes, are determined using modern analytical methods.

Consolidation Parameters Interpretation of CPTU Dissipation Data Based on Strain Path Theory for Soft Jiangsu Quaternary Clays

When a piezocone (CPTU) penetrates the ground, pore pressures are set up due to the stress changes. Pore pressure dissipation occurs in the subsequent consolidation process in a manner dependent on the initial stress distribution. The process of analysis can be used to interpret the consolidation parameters from CPTU data based on strain path approach. For the two approaches to the CPTU analysis, the Houlsby and Teh method used an elastic-plastic model, while the Levadoux and Baligh solution used parameters specifically appropriate for Boston Blue Clay. This article discusses a comparison between the two theoretical predictions and field CPTU measurements deployed in Jiangsu (China) Quaternary clays. The values of the coefficient of consolidation calculated from the two methods are then compared with high-quality laboratory tests. Both theoretical predictions provide good agreement for the shape of the dissipation curve, but the predicted c h values are different and thought should indeed be given to the use of an appropriate value of G/s u.

Reinforcement of Conducting Silver-based Materials

Silver is a well-known material in the field of contact materials because of its high electrical and thermal conductivity. However, due to its bad mechanical and switching properties, silver alloys or reinforcements of the ductile silver matrix are required. Different reinforcements, e. g. tungsten, tungsten carbide, nickel, cadmium oxide or tin oxide, are used in different sectors of switches. To reach an optimal distribution of these reinforcements, various manufacturing techniques (e. g. powder blending, preform infiltration, wet-chemical methods, internal oxidation) are being used for the production of these contact materials. Each of these manufacturing routes offers different advantages and disadvantages. The mechanical alloying process displays a successful and efficient method to produce particle-reinforced metal-matrix composite powders. This contribution presents the obtained fine disperse microstructure of tungsten-particle-reinforced silver composite powders produced by the mechanical alloying process and displays this technique as possible route to provide feedstock powders for subsequent consolidation processes. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.20.3.4889

Different Types of Materials Used for Stone Column

The degree of improvement of a soft soil by stone column is due to the inclusion of a stiffer column material and the densification of the surrounding soft soil during the installation of the vibrocompacted stone column itself and the subsequent consolidation process occurring in the soft soil before the final loading of improved soil. Research study on different materials for stone column has not attracted much attention. A systematic verification of the effectiveness of different materials for stone column need to be carried out. It is an important output to be presented as a general guidelines for the selection of proper stone column material which can be used effectively and economically.

From likes to dislikes: conditioned taste aversion in the great pond snail (Lymnaeastagnalis)

The neural circuitry comprising the central pattern generator (CPG) that drives feeding behavior in the great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis (L., 1758)) has been worked out. Because the feeding behavior undergoes associative learning and long-term memory (LTM) formation, it provides an excellent opportunity to study the causal neuronal mechanisms of these two processes. In this review, we explore some of the possible causal neuronal mechanisms of associative learning of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) and its subsequent consolidation processes into LTM in L. stagnalis. In the CTA training procedure, a sucrose solution, which evokes a feeding response, is used as the conditioned stimulus (CS) and a potassium chloride solution, which causes a withdrawal response, is used as the unconditioned stimulus (US). The pairing of the CS–US alters both the feeding response of the snail and the function of a pair of higher order interneurons in the cerebral ganglia. Following the acquisition of CTA, the polysynaptic inhibitory synaptic input from the higher order interneurons onto the feeding CPG neurons is enhanced, resulting in suppression of the feeding response. These changes in synaptic efficacy are thought to constitute a “memory trace” for CTA in L. stagnalis.