• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.169-184
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• 2006

A close form solution of the maximum deflection for cracked columns with rectangular cross-sections was developed and thus the elastic buckling behavior and ultimate bearing capacity were studied analytically. First, taking into account the effect of the crack in the potential energy of elastic systems, a trigonometric series solution for the elastic deflection equation of an arbitrary crack position was derived by use of the Rayleigh-Ritz energy method and an analytical expression of the maximum deflection was obtained. By comparison with the rotational spring model (Okamura et al. 1969) and the equivalent stiffness method (Sinha et al. 2002), the advantages of the present solution are that there are few assumed conditions and the effect of axial compression on crack closure was considered. Second, based on the above solutions, the equilibrium paths of the elastic buckling were analytically described for cracked columns subjected to both axial and eccentric compressive load. Finally, as examples, the influence of crack depth, load eccentricity and column slenderness on the elastic buckling behavior was investigated in the case of a rectangular column with a single-edge crack. The relationship of the load capacity of the column with respect to crack depth and eccentricity or slenderness was also illustrated. The analytical and numerical results from the examples show that there are three kinds of collapse mechanisms for the various states of cracking, eccentricity and slenderness. These are the bifurcation for axial compression, the limit point instability for the condition of the deeper crack and lighter eccentricity and the fracture for higher eccentricity. As a result, the conception of critical transition eccentricity $(e/h)_c$, from limit-point buckling to fracture failure, was proposed and the critical values of $(e/h)_c$ were numerically determined for various eccentricities, crack depths and slenderness.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.79-96
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• 2005

The use of high-strength concrete (HSC) has significantly increased over the last decade, especially in offshore structures, long-span bridges, and tall buildings. The behavior of such concrete is noticeably different from that of normal-strength concrete (NSC) due to its different microstructure and mode of failure. In particular, the shear capacity of structural members made of HSC is a concern and must be carefully evaluated. The shear fracture surface in HSC members is usually trans-granular (propagates across coarse aggregates) and is therefore smoother than that in NSC members, which reduces the effect of shear transfer mechanisms through aggregate interlock across cracks, thus reducing the ultimate shear strength. Current code provisions for shear design are mainly based on experimental results obtained on NSC members having compressive strength of up to 50MPa. The validity of such methods to calculate the shear strength of HSC members is still questionable. In this study, a new approach based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) was used to predict the shear capacity of NSC and HSC beams without shear reinforcement. Shear capacities predicted by the ANN model were compared to those of five other methods commonly used in shear investigations: the ACI method, the CSA simplified method, Response 2000, Eurocode-2, and Zsutty's method. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the ability of ANNs to capture the effect of main shear design parameters (concrete compressive strength, amount of longitudinal reinforcement, beam size, and shear span to depth ratio) on the shear capacity of reinforced NSC and HSC beams. It was found that the ANN model outperformed all other considered methods, providing more accurate results of shear capacity, and better capturing the effect of basic shear design parameters. Therefore, it offers an efficient alternative to evaluate the shear capacity of NSC and HSC members without stirrups.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.343-351
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• 2018

Brazilian disc test is one of the most widely used experiments in the literature of geo-mechanics. In this work, the pre-holed concrete Brazilian disc specimens are numerically modelled by a two-dimensional discrete element approach. The cracks initiations, propagations and coalescences in the numerically simulated Brazilian discs (each containing a single cylindrical hole and or multiple holes) are studied. The pre-holed Brazilian discs are numerically tested under Brazilian test conditions. The single-holed Brazilian discs with different ratios of the diameter of the holes to that of the disc radius are modelled first. The breakage load in the ring type disc specimens containing an internal hole with varying diameters is measured and the crack propagation mechanism around the wall of the ring is investigated. The crack propagation and coalescence mechanisms are also studied for the case of multi-holes' concrete Brazilian discs. The numerical and experimental results show that the breaking mechanism of the pre-holed disc specimens is mainly due to the initiation of the radially induced tensile cracks which are growth from the surface of the central hole. Radially cracks propagated toward the direction of diametrical loading. It has been observed that for the case of disc specimens with multiple holes under diametrical compressive loading, the breaking process of the modelled specimens may occur due to the simultaneous cracks propagation and cracks coalescence phenomena. These results also show that as the hole diameter and the number of the holes increases both the failure stress and the crack initiation stress decreases. The experimental results already exist in the literature are quit agree with the proposed numerical simulation results which validates this simulation procedure.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.571-582
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• 2020

Aiming at the mechanical and structural characteristics of the contact zone composite rock, the uniaxial compression tests and numerical studies were carried out. The interaction forms and formation mechanisms at the contact interfaces of different materials were analyzed to reveal the effect of interaction on the mechanical behavior of composite samples. The research demonstrated that there are three types of interactions between the two materials at the contact interface: constraint parallel to the interface, squeezing perpendicular to the interface, and shear stress on the interface. The interaction is mainly affected by the differences in Poisson's ratio and elastic modulus of the two materials, stronger interface adhesion, and larger interface inclination. The interaction weakens the strength and stiffness of the composite sample, and the magnitude of weakening is positively correlated with the degree of difference in the mechanical properties of the materials. The tensile-shear stress derived from the interaction results in the axial tensile fracture perpendicular to the interface and the interfacial shear facture. Tensile cracks in stronger material will propagation into the weaker material through the bonded interface. The larger inclination angle of the interface enhances the effect of composite tensile/shear failure on the overall sample.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.251-263
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• 2020

Flagellin, a major structural protein of the flagellum found in all motile bacteria, activates the TLR5- or NLRC4 inflammasome-dependent signaling pathway to induce innate immune responses. Flagellin can also serve as a specific antigen for the adaptive immune system and stimulate anti-flagellin antibody responses. Failure to recognize commensal-derived flagellin in TLR5-deficient mice leads to the reduction in anti-flagellin IgA antibodies at steady state and causes microbial dysbiosis and mucosal barrier breach by flagellated bacteria to promote chronic intestinal inflammation. Despite the important role of anti-flagellin antibodies in maintaining the intestinal homeostasis, regulatory mechanisms underlying the flagellin-specific antibody responses are not well understood. In this study, we show that flagellin induces interferon-β (IFN-β) production and subsequently activates type I IFN receptor signaling in a TLR5- and MyD88-dependent manner in vitro and in vivo. Internalization of TLR5 from the plasma membrane to the acidic environment of endolysosomes was required for the production of IFN-β, but not for other pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, we found that anti-flagellin IgG2c and IgA responses were severely impaired in interferon-alpha receptor 1 (IFNAR1)-deficient mice, suggesting that IFN-β produced by the flagellin stimulation regulates anti-flagellin antibody class switching. Our findings shed a new light on the regulation of flagellin-mediated immune activation and may help find new strategies to promote the intestinal health and develop mucosal vaccines.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.75-81
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• 2016

Tendon corrosion reliability in KICT-ultra high performance concrete (K-UHPC) bridges is assessed and predicted considering uncertainties in flexural bending capacity and corrosion occurrence. In post-tensioning bridge systems, corrosion is a one of most critical failure mechanisms due to strength reduction by it. During the entire service life, those bridges may experience lifetime corrosion deterioration initiated and propagated in tendons which are embedded not only in normal concrete but also in K-UHPC. For this reason, the time-variant corrosion performance has to be assessed. In the absence of in-depth researches associated with K-UHPC tendon corrosion, a reliability-based prediction model is developed to evaluate lifetime corrosion performance of tendon in K-UHPC bridges. In 2015, KICT built a K-UHPC pilot bridge at 168/5~168/6 milestone on Yangon-Mandalay Expressway in Myanmar, by using locally produced tendons which post-tensioned in longitudinal and lateral ways of K-UHPC girders. For an illustrative purpose, this K-UHPC bridge is used to identify the time-variant corrosion performance.

• Journal of KIISE:Computer Systems and Theory
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.533-543
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• 2003

With the increase of interests in cluster, there have been a number of research efforts to address the high availability issues on cluster. However, there are no kernel-level group communication systems to support the development of kernel-level application programs and it is not easy to use traditional user-level group communication systems for the kernel-level applications. This paper presents the design and implementation issues of KCGCS(Kernel-level Cluster Group Communication System), which is a kernel-level group communication module for linux cluster. Unlike traditional user-level group communication systems, the KCGCS uses light-weight heartbeat messages and a ring-based heartbeat mechanism, which allows users to implement scalable failure detection mechanisms. Moreover, the KCGCS improves the reliability by using distributed coordinators to maintain membership information.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.253-258
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• 2004

Stress is a global menace exacerbated by the advancement of industrialization. Failure of stress management is to a breakdown of the psychological and physiological protection mechanisms against stress. The aim of present study was to investigate the anti-stress potential of ginseng against immobilization stress. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=24) were divided into three groups; (i) control, (ii) immobilization stress (2hr daily, for 2 weeks), and (iii) immobilization stress (2 hr daily, for 2 weeks) plus oral administration of ginseng (200 mg/kg BW Id). Immobilization stress resulted in a significant inhibition of body weight gain by 45 % and a significant decrease in the tissue weights of thymus and spleen (p < 0.05). The concentrations of blood GOT and GPT were significantly increased in the immobilization-stressed group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). There were no differences in the blood cholesterol levels among groups. Ginseng administration in the immobilization-stressed group tended to reverse the lack of body weight gain and food intake, though not significantly. The ginseng-administered group showed a significant reversal in the stress-induced effect on spleen and thymus weight, increasing the tissue weights by 16% and 20%, respectively, compared to immobilization-stressed group (p<0.05). The plasma corticosterone level was significantly increased in the stressed group by 39 % compared to the control group (p<0.05), but ginseng administration significantly reversed the stress-induced increase in plasma corticosterone by 15 % compared to the immobilization-stressed group. The present study suggests that the anti-stress effect of ginseng is mediated by normalization of stress-induced changes in the circulating hormones and a reversal of tissue weight loss, thereby returning the body to normal homeostasis.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• v.50 no.11
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• pp.14.1-14.14
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• 2018

The link between antibiotic treatment and IF-associated liver disease (IFALD) is unclear. Here, we study the effect of antibiotic treatment on bile acid (BA) metabolism and investigate the involved mechanisms. The results showed that pediatric IF patients with cholestasis had a significantly lower abundance of BA-biotransforming bacteria than patients without cholestasis. In addition, the BA composition was altered in the serum, feces, and liver of pediatric IF patients with cholestasis, as reflected by the increased proportion of primary BAs. In the ileum, farnesoid X receptor (FXR) expression was reduced in patients with cholestasis. Correspondingly, the serum FGF19 levels decreased significantly in patients with cholestasis. In the liver, the expression of the rate-limiting enzyme in bile salt synthesis, cytochrome P450 7a1 (CYP7A1), increased noticeably in IF patients with cholestasis. In mice, we showed that oral antibiotics (gentamicin, GM or vancomycin, VCM) reduced colonic microbial diversity, with a decrease in both Gram-negative bacteria (GM affected Eubacterium and Bacteroides) and Gram-positive bacteria (VCM affected Clostridium, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus). Concomitantly, treatment with GM or VCM decreased secondary BAs in the colonic contents, with a simultaneous increase in primary BAs in plasma. Moreover, the changes in the colonic BA profile especially that of tauro-beta-muricholic acid ($T{\beta}MCA$), were predominantly associated with the inhibition of the FXR and further altered BA synthesis and transport. In conclusion, the administration of antibiotics significantly decreased the intestinal microbiota diversity and subsequently altered the BA composition. The alterations in BA composition contributed to cholestasis in IF patients by regulating FXR signaling.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2019

Graphene is a fascinating material for fabricating flexible and transparent devices owing to its thickness and mechanical properties. To utilize graphene as a core material for devices, the transfer process of graphene is an inevitable step. The transfer process can be classified into wet and dry methods depending on the surrounding environment. The adhesion between graphene and a target substrate determines the success or failure of the transfer process. As the surface energy of graphene is an important parameter that provides adhesion, it is useful to estimate the surface energy to understand the mechanisms of the transfer process. However, the exact surface energy of graphene is still disputed because the wetting transparency of graphene depends on the polarity of the liquid and target substrate. Previously reported results use graphene transferred by the wet method. However, there are few reports on the surface energy of graphene transferred by the dry method. In this study, the surface energy of graphene transferred by the wet and dry methods is estimated. Wetting transparency occurs for certain combinations of liquids and substrates. For graphene on a polar substrate, the surface energy decreases by 25 and 35% for the wet and dry transfer methods, respectively. However, the surface energy of graphene on dispersive substrates decreases by ~10% regardless of the transfer method. In conclusion, the surface energy of graphene is $36{\sim}38mJ/m^2$, and differs depending on the transfer method and polarity of the substrate.