• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.237-248
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• 2022

Nowadays, more and more subway tunnels were planed and constructed underneath the ground of urban cities to relieve the congested traffic. Potential damage may occur in existing tunnel if the new tunnel is constructed too close. So far, previous studies mainly focused on the tunnel-tunnel interactions with circular shape. The difference between circular and horseshoe shaped tunnel in terms of deformation mechanism is not fully investigated. In this study, three-dimensional numerical parametric studies were carried out to explore the effect of different tunnel shapes on the complicated tunnel-tunnel interaction problem. Parameters considered include volume loss, tunnel stiffness and relative density. It is found that the value of volume loss play the most important role in the multi-tunnel interactions. For a typical condition in this study, the maximum invert settlement and gradient along longitudinal direction of horseshoe shaped tunnel was 50% and 96% larger than those in circular case, respectively. This is because of the larger vertical soil displacement underneath existing tunnel. Due to the discontinuous hoop axial stress in horseshoe shaped tunnel, significant shear stress was mobilized around the axillary angles. This resulted in substantial bending moment at the bottom plate and side walls of horseshoe shaped tunnel. Consequently, vertical elongation and horizontal compression in circular existing tunnel were 45% and 33% smaller than those in horseshoe case (at monitored section X/D = 0), which in latter case was mainly attributed to the bending induced deflection. The radial deformation stiffness of circular tunnel is more sensitive to the Young's modulus compared with horseshoe shaped tunnel. This is because of that circular tunnel resisted the radial deformation mainly by its hoop axial stress while horseshoe shaped tunnel do so mainly by its flexural rigidity. In addition, the reduction of soil stiffness beneath the circular tunnel was larger than that in horseshoe shaped tunnel at each level of relative density, indicating that large portion of tunneling effect were undertaken by the ground itself in circular tunnel case.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.271-282
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• 2022

Seismic resisting self-centering bridge piers with high energy dissipation and negligible residual displacement after an earthquake event are focus topics of current structural engineering. The energy dissipation components of typical bridge piers are often relatively single; and exhibit a certain level of damage under earthquakes, leading to large residual displacements and low cumulative energy dissipation. In this paper, a novel socket self-centering bridge pier with a hybrid energy dissipation system is proposed. The seismic resilience of bridge piers can be improved through the rational design of annular grooves and rubber cushions. The seismic response was evaluated through the finite element method. The effects of rubber cushion thickness, annular groove depth, axial compression ratio, and lateral strength contribution ratio of rubber cushion on the seismic behavior of bridge piers are systematically studied. The results show that the annular groove depth has the greatest influence on the seismic performance of the bridge pier. Especially, the lateral strength contribution ratio of the rubber cushion mainly depends on the depth of the annular groove. The axial compression ratio has a significant effect on the ultimate bearing capacity. Finally, the seismic design method is proposed according to the influence of the above research parameters on the seismic performance of bridge piers, and the method is validated by an example. It is suggested that the range of lateral strength contribution ratio of rubber cushion is 0.028 ~ 0.053.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

Due to climate change and aging of reservoirs, damage to embankment slopes is increasing. However, the safety diagnosis of the reservoir slope is mainly conducted by visual observation, and the time and economic cost are formidable to apply soil mechanical tests and slope stability analysis. Accordingly, this study presented a predicting method for the compaction and strength characteristics of the reservoir embankment soil using a portable static cone penetration test. The predicted items consisted of dry density, cohesion, and internal friction angle, which are the main factors of slope stability analysis. Portable static cone penetration tests were performed at 19 reservoir sites, and prediction equations were constructed from the correlation between penetration resistance data and test results of soil samples. The predicted dry density and strength parameters showed a correlation with test results between R² 0.40 and 0.93, and it was found to replace the test results well when used as input data for slope stability analysis (R² 0.8134 or more, RMSE 0.0320 or less). In addition, the prediction equations for the minimum safety factor of the slope were presented using the penetration resistance and gradient. As a result of comparing the predicted safety factor with the analysis results, R² 0.5125, RMSE 0.0382 in coarse-grained soil, R² 0.4182 and RMSE 0.0628 in fine-grained soil. The results of this study can be used as a way to improve the existing slope safety diagnosis method, and are expected to be used to predict the characteristics of various soils and inspect slopes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. Carvacrol (CAR) has demonstrated the potential to mitigate dyslipidemia. This study aims to investigate whether CAR can modulate blood glucose and lipid levels in a T2DM rat model by regulating short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the GPR41/43 pathway. The T2DM rat model was induced by a high-fat diet combined with low-dose streptozocin injection and treated with oral CAR and/or mixed antibiotics. Fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance, and insulin tolerance tests were assessed. Serum lipid parameters, hepatic and renal function indicators, tissue morphology, and SCFAs were measured. In vitro, high glucose (HG)-induced IEC-6 cells were treated with CAR, and optimal CAR concentration was determined. HG-induced IEC-6 cells were treated with SCFAs or/and GPR41/43 agonists. CAR significantly reduced blood lipid and glucose levels, improved tissue damage, and increased SCFA levels in feces and GPR41/43 expression in colonic tissues of T2DM rats. CAR also attenuated HG-induced apoptosis of IEC-6 cells and enhanced GPR41/43 expression. Overall, these findings suggest that CAR alleviates blood lipid and glucose abnormalities in T2DM rats by modulating SCFAs and the GPR41/43 pathway.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.90 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2024

In recent years, an increasing number of experimental studies have shown that the practical application of mature active control systems requires consideration of robustness criteria in the design process, including the reduction of tracking errors, operational resistance to external disturbances, and measurement noise, as well as robustness and stability. Good uncertainty prediction is thus proposed to solve problems caused by poor parameter selection and to remove the effects of dynamic coupling between degrees of freedom (DOF) in nonlinear systems. To overcome the stability problem, this study develops an advanced adaptive predictive fuzzy controller, which not only solves the programming problem of determining system stability but also uses the law of linear matrix inequality (LMI) to modify the fuzzy problem. The following parameters are used to manipulate the fuzzy controller of the robotic system to improve its control performance. The simulations for system uncertainty in the controller design emphasized the use of acceleration feedback for practical reasons. The simulation results also show that the proposed H∞ controller has excellent performance and reliability, and the effectiveness of the LMI-based method is also recognized. Therefore, this dynamic control method is suitable for seismic protection of civil buildings. The objectives of this document are access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services, promotion of inclusive and sustainable urbanization, implementation of sustainable disaster-resilient construction, sustainable planning, and sustainable management of human settlements. Simulation results of linear and non-linear structures demonstrate the ability of this method to identify structures and their changes due to damage. Therefore, with the continuous development of artificial intelligence and fuzzy theory, it seems that this goal will be achieved in the near future.

• ALGAE
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.109-127
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• 2024

High production and efficient harvesting of microalgae containing high omega-3 levels are critical concerns for industrial use. Aeration can elevate production of some microalgae by providing CO₂ and O₂. However, it may lower the production of others by generating shear stress, causing severe cell damage. The mixotrophic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium smaydae is a new, promising microalga for omega-3 fatty acid production owing to its high docosahexaenoic acid content, and determining optimal conditions and methods for high omega-3 fatty acid production and efficient harvest using G. smaydae is crucial for its commercial utilization. Therefore, to determine whether continuous aeration is required, we measured densities of G. smaydae and the dinoflagellate prey Heterocapsa rotundata in a 100-L semi-continuous cultivation system under no aeration and continuous aeration conditions daily for 9 days. Furthermore, to determine the optimal conditions for harvesting through centrifugation, different rotational speeds of the continuous centrifuge and different flow rates of the pump injecting G. smaydae + H. rotundata cells into the centrifuge were tested. Under continuous aeration, G. smaydae production gradually decreased; however, without aeration, the production remained stable. Harvesting efficiency and the dry weights of omega-3 fatty acids of G. smaydae + H. rotundata cells at a rotational speed of 16,000 rpm were significantly higher than those at 2,000-8,000 rpm. However, these parameters did not significantly differ at injection pump flow rates of 1.0-4.0 L min^-1. The results of the present study provide a basis for optimized production and harvest conditions for G. smaydae and other microalgae.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.4367-4381
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• 2023

Nuclear power plants are increasingly being equipped with digital I&C systems. Although some probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) models for the digital I&C of nuclear power plants have been constructed, there is currently no specific internationally agreed guidance for their modeling. This paper presents an initiative by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency called "Digital I&C PSA - Comparative application of DIGital I&C Modelling Approaches for PSA (DIGMAP)", which aimed to advance the field towards practical and defendable modeling principles. The task, carried out in 2017-2021, used a simplified description of a plant focusing on the digital I&C systems important to safety, for which the participating organizations independently developed their own PSA models. Through comparison of the PSA models, sensitivity analyses as well as observations throughout the whole activity, both qualitative and quantitative lessons were learned. These include insights on failure behavior of digital I&C systems, experience from models with different levels of abstraction, benefits from benchmarking as well as major contributors to the core damage frequency and those with minor effect. The study also highlighted the challenges with modeling of large common cause component groups and the difficulties associated with estimation of key software and common cause failure parameters.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.203-218
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• 2024

Beam-column joints in the frame structure are at high risk of brittle shear failure which would lead to significant residual deformation and even the collapse of the structure during an earthquake. In order to improve the damage issue and enhance the recoverability of the beam-column joints, a sector lead rubber damper (SLRD) has been developed. The SLRD can increase the bearing capacity and energy dissipation capacity, and also demonstrating recoverability of seismic performance following cyclic loading. In this paper, the hysteretic behavior of SLRD was experimentally investigated in terms of the regular hysteretic behavior, large deformation behavior and fatigue behavior. Furthermore, a parametric analysis was performed to study the influence of the primary design parameters on the hysteretic behavior of SLRD. The results show that SLRD resist the exerted loading through the shear capacity of both rubber parts coupled with the lead cores in the pre-yielding stage of lead cores. In the post-yielding phase, it is only the rubber parts of the SLRD that provide the shear capacity while the lead cores primarily dissipate the energy through shear deformation. The SLRD possesses a robust capacity for large deformation and can sustain hysteretic behavior when subjected to a loading rotation angle of 1/7 (equivalent to 200% shear strain of the rubber component). Furthermore, it demonstrates excellent fatigue resistance, with a degradation of critical behavior indices by no more than 15% in comparison to initial values even after 30 cycles. As for the designing practice of SLRD, it is recommended to adopt the double lead core scheme, along with a rubber material having the lowest possible shear modulus while meeting the desired bearing capacity and a thickness ratio of 0.4 to 0.5 for the thin steel plate.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.511-525
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• 2024

Underground openings significantly affect the mechanical stability of underground spaces and create damaged zones. This study investigated the acoustic emission (AE) characteristics associated with the formation of damaged zones around circular openings. Uniaxial compression experiments were conducted on three types of rock specimens, namely, granite (GN-1 and GN-2), gabbro (GB), and slate (SL), containing a circular opening. AE and digital image correlation (DIC) techniques were used to monitor and evaluate the damaged zones near the circular openings. The AE characteristics were evaluated using AE parameters, including count, energy, amplitude, average frequency, and RA value. The DIC results revealed that the estimated diameters of the damaged zones of GN-1, GN-2, GB, and SL were 1.66D, 1.53D, 1.49D, and 1.9D, respectively. The average displacements at the surface of the damaged zones for these specimens were 0.814, 0.786, 0.661, and 0.673 mm, respectively, thus demonstrating a strong correlation with Young's modulus. The AE analysis with DIC revealed that tensile failure occurred in the direction parallel to the maximum compression axis as the load increased. Thus, this study provides fundamental data for a comprehensive analysis of damaged zones in underground openings and will facilitate the optimization of rock engineering projects and safety assessments thereof.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.90 no.6
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• pp.577-590
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• 2024

Considering the Column-Supported Group Silos (CSGSs) often arranged by rows in practical applications, earthquake responses will be affected by group effect. Since group effect presenting uncertainties, establishing the analytic model and evaluating characteristics of CSGSs seems necessary. This study aimed at providing a simplified method to evaluate seismic performances of the CSGSs. Firstly, the CSGSs with different storage granule heights are used as numerical examples to derive the base shear formula for three-particle dynamic analytical model. Then, the base shear distribution coefficient is defined as the group effect index. The simplified calculation method of the group silos based on the distribution coefficients is proposed. Finally, based on the empty, half, and full granular storage conditions, the empirical design parameters for the group silos system are given by combining finite element simulation with shaking table test. The group effect of storage granule heights of group silos on its frequency and base shear are studied by comparative analysis between group silos and independent single silo. The results show that the frequency of CSGSs decreases with the increasing weight of the stored granule. The connection between the column top and silo bottom plate is vulnerable, and structural measures should be strengthened to improve its damage resistance. In case of different storage granule heights, distribution coefficients are effective to reconstruction the group effect. The complex calculations of seismic response for CSGSs can be avoided by adopting the empirical distribution coefficients obtained in this study. The proposed method provides a theoretical reference for evaluation on the seismic performances of the CSGSs.