• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제40권2호
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• pp.103-109
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• 2015

Growing evidence suggests that mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in various pain states. This study was performed to investigate whether ROS-induced changes in neuronal excitability in trigeminal subnucleus caudalis are related to ROS generation in mitochondria. Confocal scanning laser microscopy was used to measure ROS-induced fluorescence intensity in live rat trigeminal caudalis slices. The ROS level increased during the perfusion of malate, a mitochondrial substrate, after loading of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate ($H_2DCF-DA$), an indicator of the intracellular ROS; the ROS level recovered to the control condition after washout. When pre-treated with phenyl N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) and 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidene-1-oxyl (TEMPOL), malate-induced increase of ROS level was suppressed. To identify the direct relation between elevated ROS levels and mitochondria, we applied the malate after double-loading of $H_2DCF-DA$ and chloromethyl-X-rosamine (CMXRos; MitoTracker Red), which is a mitochondria-specific fluorescent probe. As a result, increase of both intracellular ROS and mitochondrial ROS were observed simultaneously. This study demonstrated that elevated ROS in trigeminal subnucleus caudalis neuron can be induced through mitochondrial-ROS pathway, primarily by the leakage of ROS from the mitochondrial electron transport chain.

• 한국항해항만학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국항해항만학회 2006년도 International Symposium on GPS/GNSS Vol.2
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• pp.329-334
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• 2006

Rail clamps are mechanical components installed to fix the container crane to its bottoms from wind blast or slip. Rail clamps should be designed to survive the harsh wind loading condition. In this study, the jaw structure that is one part of wedge-typed rail clamp is optimized, considering strength under the severe wind loading condition. According to the classification of structural optimization, the structural optimization of a jaw belongs to shape optimization. In the conventional structural optimization methods, they have difficulties in defining complex shape design variables and preventing mesh distortions. To overcome the difficulties, the metamodel using kriging interpolation method is introduced, replacing true response by approximate one. This research presents the shape optimization of a jaw using iterative kriging interpolation models and simulated annealing algorithm. The new kriging models are iteratively constructed by refining the former kriging models. This process is continued until the convergence criteria are satisfied. The optimum results obtained by the suggested method are compared with those obtained by the DOE (design of experiments) and VT (variation technology) methods built in ANSYS WORKBENCH.

• Journal of Computing Science and Engineering
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.211-232
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• 2007

In this paper we investigate some issues and solutions related to the design of a Data Warehouse (DW), storing several aggregate measures about trajectories of moving objects. First we discuss the loading phase of our DW which has to deal with overwhelming streams of trajectory observations, possibly produced at different rates, and arriving in an unpredictable and unbounded way. Then, we focus on the measure presence, the most complex measure stored in our DW. Such a measure returns the number of distinct trajectories that lie in a spatial region during a given temporal interval. We devise a novel way to compute an approximate, but very accurate, presence aggregate function, which algebraically combines a bounded amount of measures stored in the base cells of the data cube. We conducted many experiments to show the effectiveness of our method to compute such an aggregate function. In addition, the feasibility of our innovative trajectory DW was validated with an implementation based on Oracle. We investigated the most challenging issues in realizing our trajectory DW using standard DW technologies: namely, the preprocessing and loading phase, and the aggregation functions to support OLAP operations.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.311-327
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• 2015

Employing discrete elements for considering bond-slip effects in reinforced concrete structures is very time consuming. In this study, a new modified embedded element method is used to consider the bond-slip phenomenon in structural behavior of reinforced concrete structures. A comprehensive parametric study of RC slabs is performed to determine influence of different variables on structural behavior. The parametric study includes a set of simple models accompanied with complex models such as multi-storey buildings. The procedure includes the decrease in the effective stiffness of steel bar in the layered model. Validation of the proposed model with existing experimental results demonstrates that the model is capable of considering the bond-slip effects in embedded elements. Results demonstrate the significant effect of bond-slip on total behavior of structural members. Concrete characteristic strengths, steel yield stress, bar diameter, concrete coverage and reinforcement ratios are the parameters considered in the parametric study. Results revealed that the overall behavior of slab is significantly affected by bar diameter compared with other parameters. Variation of steel yield stress has insignificant impact in static response of RC slabs; however, its effect in cyclic behavior is important.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제23권6호
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• pp.377-398
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• 2019

Behavior of RC beam-column joint is very complex as the composite material behaves differently in elastic and inelastic range. The approaches generally used for predicting joint shear strength are either based on theoretical, strut-and-tie or empirical methods. These approaches are incapable of predicting the accurate response of the joint for entire range of loading. In the present study a new generalized RC beam-column joint shear strength model based on hybrid approach i.e. combined strut-and-tie and empirical approach has been proposed. The contribution of governing parameters affecting the joint shear strength under compression has been derived from compressive strut approach whereas; the governing parameters active under tension has been extracted from empirical approach. The proposed model is applicable for various conditions such as, joints reinforced either with or without shear reinforcement, joints with wide beam or wide column, joints with transverse beams and slab, joints reinforced with X-bars, different anchorage of beam bar, and column subjected to various axial loading conditions. The joint shear strength prediction of the proposed model has been compared with 435 experimental results and with eleven popular models from literature. In comparison to other eleven models the prediction of the proposed model is found closest to the experimental results. Moreover, from statistical analysis of the results, the proposed model has the least coefficient of variation. The proposed model is simple in application and can be effectively used by designers.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.291-301
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• 2019

Pure torsion loading conditions were not frequently occurred in practical engineering, but the torsional researches were important since it's the basis of mechanical property researches under complex loading. Then a 3D finite element model with precise material constitutive models was established, and the effectiveness was verified with test data. Parametric studies with varying factors as steel yield strength, concrete strength and sectional height-width ratio, were performed. Internal stress state and the interaction effect between encased steel tube and the core concrete were analyzed. Results indicated that due to the confinement effect between steel tube and core concrete, the torsional strength of CFT columns was greatly improved comparing to plain concrete columns. The steel ratio would greatly influence the torque share between the steel tube and the core concrete. Then the torsional strength calculation formulas for core concrete and the whole CFT column were proposed. The proposed formula could be simpler and easier to use with guaranteed accuracy. Related design codes were more conservative than the proposed formula, but the proposed formula presented more satisfactory agreement with experimental results.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제28권6호
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• pp.585-598
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• 2022

The monopile-friction wheel hybrid foundation is an innovative solution for offshore structures which are mainly subjected to large lateral eccentric load induced by winds, waves, and currents during their service life. This paper presents an extensive numerical analysis to investigate the lateral load and moment bearing performances of hybrid foundation, considering various potential influencing factors in sand-overlaying-clay soil deposits, with the complex lateral loads being simplified into a resultant lateral load acting at a certain height above the mudline. Finite element models are generated and validated against experimental data where very good agreements are obtained. The failure mechanisms of hybrid foundations under lateral loading are illustrated to demonstrate the effect of the friction wheel in the hybrid system. Parametric study shows that the load bearing performances of the hybrid foundation is significantly dependent of wheel diameter, pile embedment depth, internal friction angle of sand, loading eccentricity (distance from the load application point to the ground level), and the thickness of upper sandy layer. Simplified empirical formulae is proposed based on the numerical results to predict the corresponding lateral load and moment bearing capacities of the hybrid foundation for design application.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제35권5호
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• pp.475-486
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• 2023

Ballast particles have an irregular shape and are discrete in nature. Due to the discrete nature of ballast, it exhibits complex mechanical behaviour under loading conditions. The discrete element method (DEM) can model the behaviour of discrete particles under a multitude of loading conditions. DEM is used in this paper to simulate a series of three-dimensional direct shear tests in order to investigate the shear behaviour of railway ballast and its interaction at the microscopic level. Particle flow code in three dimension (PFC3D) models the irregular shape of ballast particles as clump particles. To investigate the influence of particle size distribution (PSD), real PSD of Indian railway ballast specification IRS:GE:1:2004, China high-speed rail (HSR) and French rail specifications are generated. PFC3D built-in linear contact model is used to simulate the interaction of ballast particles under various normal stresses, shearing rate and shear box sizes. The results indicate how shear resistance and volumetric changes in ballast assembly are affected by normal stress, shearing rate, PSD and shear box size. In addition to macroscopic behaviour, DEM represents the microscopic behaviour of ballast particles in the form of particle displacement at different stages of the shearing process.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제91권1호
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• pp.103-121
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• 2024

The smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is a numerical technique used in dynamic analysis to simulate the fluid-like behavior of materials under extreme conditions, such as those encountered in explosions or high velocity impacts. In SPH, fluid or solid materials are discretized into particles. These particles interact with each other based on certain smoothing kernels, allowing the simulation of fluid flows and predict the response of solid materials to shock waves, like deformation, cracking or failure. One of the main advantages of SPH is its ability to simulate these phenomena without a fixed grid, making it particularly suitable for analyzing complex geometries. In this study, the structural damage to a masonry arch bridge subjected to blast loading was investigated. A high-fidelity micro-model was created and the explosives were modeled using the SPH approach. The Johnson-Holmquist II damage model and the Mohr-Coulomb material model were considered to evaluate the masonry and backfill properties. Consistent with the principles of the JH-II model, the authors developed a VUMAT code. The explosive charges (50 kg, 168 kg, 425 kg and 1000 kg) were placed in close proximity to the deck and pier of a bridge. The results showed that the 50 kg charges, which could have been placed near the pier by a terrorist, had only a limited effect on the piers. Instead, this charge caused a vertical displacement of the deck due to the confinement effect. Conversely, a 1000 kg TNT charge placed 100 cm above the deck caused significant damage to the bridge.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.397-408
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• 2024

Buried box culverts are crucial elements of transportation infrastructure. However, their behavior under foundation loads is not well understood, indicating a significant gap in existing research. This study aims to bridge this gap by conducting a detailed numerical analysis using the Finite Element Method and Abaqus software. The research evaluates the behavior of buried box culverts by examining their interaction with surrounding soil and the pressures from surface foundation loads. Key variables such as embedment depth, culvert wall thickness, concrete material properties, foundation pressure, foundation width, soil elastic modulus, and friction angle are altered to understand their combined effects on structural response. The methodology employs a validated 2D numerical model under plane strain conditions. Parametric studies highlight the critical role of culvert depth (H) in influencing earth pressure and bending moments. Foundation pressure and width demonstrate complex interdependencies affecting culvert behavior. Variations in culvert materials' elastic modulus show minimal impact. It was found that the lower wall of the buried culvert experiences higher average pressure compared to the other two walls, due to the combined effects of the culvert's weight and down drag forces on the side walls. Furthermore, while the pressure distribution on the top and bottom walls is parabolic, the pressure on the side walls follows a different pattern, differing from that of the other two walls.