• BMB Reports
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.167-175
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• 2024

Cancer progression is driven by genetic mutations, environmental factors, and intricate interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME comprises of diverse cell types, such as cancer cells, immune cells, stromal cells, and neuronal cells. These cells mutually influence each other through various factors, including cytokines, vascular perfusion, and matrix stiffness. In the initial or developmental stage of cancer, neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor are associated with poor prognosis of various cancers by communicating with cancer cells, immune cells, and peripheral nerves within the TME. Over the past decade, research has been conducted to prevent cancer growth by controlling the activation of neurotrophic factors within tumors, exhibiting a novel attemt in cancer treatment with promising results. More recently, research focusing on controlling cancer growth through regulation of the autonomic nervous system, including the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, has gained significant attention. Sympathetic signaling predominantly promotes tumor progression, while the role of parasympathetic signaling varies among different cancer types. Neurotransmitters released from these signalings can directly or indirectly affect tumor cells or immune cells within the TME. Additionally, sensory nerve significantly promotes cancer progression. In the advanced stage of cancer, cancer-associated cachexia occurs, characterized by tissue wasting and reduced quality of life. This process involves the pathways via brainstem growth and differentiation factor 15-glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor receptor alpha-like signaling and hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin neurons. Our review highlights the critical role of neurotrophic factors as well as central nervous system on the progression of cancer, offering promising avenues for targeted therapeutic strategies.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.107-122
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• 2024

Following an internal column failure, adjacent double-span beams above the failed column will play a critical role in the load transfer and internal force redistribution within the remaining structure, and the span-to-depth ratios of double-span beams significantly influence the structural resistance capacity against progressive collapse. Most existing studies have focused on the collapse-resistant performances of single-story symmetric structures, whereas limited published works are available on the collapse resistances of multi-story steel frames with unequal spans. To this end, in this study, numerical models based on shell elements were employed to investigate the structural behavior of multi-story steel frames with unequal spans. The simulation models were validated using the previous experimental results obtained for single- and two-story steel frames, and the load-displacement responses and internal force development of unequal-span three-story steel frames under three cases were comprehensively analyzed. In addition, the specific contributions of the different mechanism resistances of unequal-span, double-span beams of each story were separated quantitatively using the energy equilibrium theory, with an aim to gain a deeper level of understanding of the load-resistance mechanisms in the unequal-span steel frames. The results showed that the axial and flexural mechanism resistances were determined by the span ratio and linear stiffness ratio of double-span beams, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.64-75
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• 2017

The role of a track subgrade is to provide bearing capacity and distribute load transferred to lower foundation soils. Track subgrade soils are usually compacted by heavy mechanical machines in the field, such that sometimes they are attributed to progressive residual settlement during the service after construction completion of the railway track. The progressive residual settlement generated in the upper part of a track subgrade is mostly non-recoverable plastic deformation, which causes unstable conditions such as track irregularity. Nonetheless, up to now no design code for allowable residual settlement of subgrade in a railway trackbed has been proposed based on mechanical testing, such as repetitive triaxial testing. At this time, to check the DOC or stiffness of the soil, field test criteria for compacted track subgrade are composed of data from RPBT and field compaction testing. However, the field test criteria do not provide critical design values obtained from mechanical test results that can offer correct information about allowable permanent deformation. In this study, a test procedure is proposed for permanent deformation of compacted subgrade soil that is used usually in railway trackbed in the laboratory using repetitive triaxial testing. To develop the test procedure, an FEA was performed to obtain the shear stress ratio (${\tau}/{\tau}_f$) and the confining stress (${\sigma}_3$) on the top of the subgrade. Comprehensive repetitive triaxial tests were performed using the proposed test procedure on several field subgrade soils obtained in construction sites of railway trackbeds. A permanent deformation model was proposed using the test results for the railway track.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.121-130
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• 2011

Space frame structures have the advantage of constructing a large space structures without column and it may be considered as a shell structure. Nevertheless, with the characteristics of thin and long term of spacing, the unstable problem of space structure could not be set up clearly, and there is a huge difference between theory and experiment. Therefore, in this work, the tangential stiffness matrix of space frame structures is studied to solve the instability problem, and the nonlinear incremental analysis of the structures considering rise-span ratio(${\mu}$) and the ratio of load($R_L$) is performed for searching unstable points. Basing on the results of the example, global buckling can be happened by low rise-span ratio(${\mu}$), nodal buckling can be occurred by high rise-span ratio(${\mu}$). And in case of multi node space structure applying the ratio of load($R_L$), the nodal buckling phenomenon occur at low the ratio of load($R_L$), the global buckling occur a1 high the ratio of load($R_L$). In case of the global buckling, the load of bifurcation is about from 50% to 70% of perfect one's snap-through load.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.337-348
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• 2012

This study investigated the characteristics of bifurcation and the instability due to the initial imperfection of the space truss, which is sensitive to the initial conditions, and the calculated buckling load by the analysis of Eigen-values and the determinant of tangential stiffness. A two-free nodes model, a star dome, and a three-ring dome model were selected as case studies in order to examine the unstable phenomenon due to the sensitivity to Eigen mode, and the influence of the rise-span ratio and the load parameter on the buckling load were analyzed. The sensitivity to the imperfection of the two-free nodes model changed the critical path after reaching the limit point through the bifurcation mode, and the buckling load level was reduced by the increase in the amount of imperfection. The two sensitive buckling patterns for the model can be explained by investigating the displaced position of the free node, and the asymmetric Eigen mode was a major influence on the unstable behavior due to the initial imperfection. The sensitive mode was similar to the in-extensional mechanism basis of the simplified model. Since the rise-span ratio was higher, the effect of local buckling is more prominent than the global buckling in the star dome, and bifurcation on the equilibrium path occurring as the value of the load parameter was higher. Additionally, the buckling load levels of the star dome and the three-ring model were about 50-70% and 80-90% of the limit point, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.261-271
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• 2003

A condition evaluation procedure for the pavement foundations using multi-load level Falling Weight Deflectometer(FWD) deflections is presented in this paper. A dynamic finite element program incorporating a stress-dependent material model, was used to generate the synthetic deflection database. Based on this synthetic database, the relationships between surface deflections and critical responses, such as stresses and strains in base and subgrade layers, have been established. FWD deflection data, Dynamic Cone Penetrometer(UP) data, and repeated load resilient modulus testing results used in developing this procedure were collected from the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) and North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) database. Research effort focused on investigation of the effect of the FWD load level on the condition evaluation procedures. The results indicate that the proposed procedure can estimate the pavement foundation conditions. It is also found that structurally adjusted Base Damage Index (BDI) and Base Curvature Index (BCI) are good indicators for the prediction of stiffness characteristics of aggregate base and subgrade respectively. A FWD test with a load of 66.7 kN or less does not improve the accuracy of this procedure. Results from the study for the nonlinear behavior of a pavement foundations indicate that the deflection ratio obtained from multi-load level deflections can predict the type and quality of the pavement foundation materials.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.69-89
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• 2009

Reinforced and prestressed concrete (RC and PC) thin walls are crucial to the safety and serviceability of structures subjected to shear. The shear strengths of elements in walls depend strongly on the softening of concrete struts in the principal compression direction due to the principal tension in the perpendicular direction. The past three decades have seen a rapid development of knowledge in shear of reinforced concrete structures. Various rational models have been proposed that are based on the smeared-crack concept and can satisfy Navier's three principles of mechanics of materials (i.e., stress equilibrium, strain compatibility and constitutive laws). The Cyclic Softened Membrane Model (CSMM) is one such rational model developed at the University of Houston, which is being efficiently used to predict the behavior of RC/PC structures critical in shear. CSMM for RC has already been implemented into finite element framework of OpenSees (Fenves 2005) to come up with a finite element program called Simulation of Reinforced Concrete Structures (SRCS) (Zhong 2005, Mo et al. 2008). CSMM for PC is being currently implemented into SRCS to make the program applicable to reinforced as well as prestressed concrete. The generalized program is called Simulation of Concrete Structures (SCS). In this paper, the CSMM for RC/PC in material scale is first introduced. Basically, the constitutive relationships of the materials, including uniaxial constitutive relationship of concrete, uniaxial constitutive relationships of reinforcements embedded in concrete and constitutive relationship of concrete in shear, are determined by testing RC/PC full-scale panels in a Universal Panel Tester available at the University of Houston. The formulation in element scale is then derived, including equilibrium and compatibility equations, relationship between biaxial strains and uniaxial strains, material stiffness matrix and RC plane stress element. Finally the formulated results with RC/PC plane stress elements are implemented in structure scale into a finite element program based on the framework of OpenSees to predict the structural behavior of RC/PC thin-walled structures subjected to earthquake-type loading. The accuracy of the multiscale modeling technique is validated by comparing the simulated responses of RC shear walls subjected to reversed cyclic loading and shake table excitations with test data. The response of a post tensioned precast column under reversed cyclic loads has also been simulated to check the accuracy of SCS which is currently under development. This multiscale modeling technique greatly improves the simulation capability of RC thin-walled structures available to researchers and engineers.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.17-29
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• 2003

This paper preliminarily investigates the effectiveness of various control systems, such as passive, active, semiactive and hybrid control, for seismic protection of cable-stayed bridges by examining the ASCE first generation benchmark problem for a cable-stayed bridge. This benchm.0.00000ark problem considers the cable-stayed bridge that is scheduled for completion in Missouri, USA In 2003. Seismic considerations were strongly considered in the design of this bridge due to location of the bridge and its critical role as a principal crossing of the Mississippi River. Based on detailed drawings of this cable-stayed bridge, a three-dimensional linearized evaluation model has been developed to represent the complex behavior of the bridge. A set of eighteen evaluation criteria has been developed to evaluate the capability of each control system. In this study, four passive control systems, one active control system, two semiactive control systems and three hybrid control systems are considered. Numerical simulation results show that all the control systems are effective in reducing the responses of the benchmark cable-stayed bridge under the historical earthquakes. To get good performance, however, the passive control systems need quite large control forces compared to other control systems. The simulation results also demonstrate that the passive, semiactive and hybrid control systems are robust to the stiffness uncertainty of the structure. Therefore, the semiactive and hybrid control systems are more appropriate in real applications for full-scale civil infrastructures.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.109-120
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• 2007

Auxiliary support systems such as the reinforced protective umbrella method have been applied before tunnel excavation to increase ground stiffness and to prevent the large deformation. However, determination procedure of geotechnical parameters along the construction sequence contains various errors. This study suggests a method to characterize the time-dependent behavior of pre-reinforced zones around the tunnel using elastic waves. Experimental results show that shear strength as well as elastic wave velocities increase with the curing time. Shear strength and strength parameters can be uniquely correlated to elastic wave velocities. Obtained results from the laboratory tests are applied to numerical simulation of tunnel considering its construction sequences. Based on numerical analysis, initial installation part of pre-reinforcement and portal of tunnel are critical for tunnel stability. Result of the time-dependent condition is similar to the results of for $1{\sim}2$ days of the constant time conditions. Finally, suggested simple analysis method combining experimental and numerical procedure which considering time-dependent behavior of pre-reinforced zone on tunnel would provide reliable and reasonable design and analysis for tunnel.

• Composites Research
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.379-383
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• 2017

A study on the low Earth orbit (LEO) space environment have been conducted as a use of composites have increased. Among the LEO environmental factors, atomic oxygen is one of the most critical factors because atomic oxygen can react and erode a surface of polymer-based composite materials. POSS (Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane) materials have been widely studied as an atomic oxygen-resistant nanomaterial. In this study, nanocomposites, which are composed of OG (Octaglycidyldimethylsilyl) POSS nanomaterials and DGEBA/DDM epoxy, were fabricated to find out its thermal and mechanical properties. FT-IR results showed that the nanocomposites were fully cured and contained OG POSS enough. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were performed to measure the thermal properties of the nanocomposites. The initial mass loss temperature and char yield were increased through the filling of OG POSS. As the content of OG POSS increased, glass transition temperature tended to increase to 5 wt.% of OG POSS, but the temperature decreased significantly at 10 wt.% of OG POSS. The tensile test results showed that the content of OG POSS did not affect tensile strength and tensile stiffness.