• Title/Summary/Keyword: Heterogeneous damage

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Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion and plasticity of the posterior cerebral artery following permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion

  • Cho, Kyung-Ok;Kim, Seul-Ki;Kim, Seong Yun
    • The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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    • v.21 no.6
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    • pp.643-650
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    • 2017
  • Vascular dementia (VaD) is a group of heterogeneous diseases with the common feature of cerebral hypoperfusion. To identify key factors contributing to VaD pathophysiology, we performed a detailed comparison of Wistar and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats subjected to permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAo). Eight-week old male Wistar and SD rats underwent BCCAo, followed by a reference memory test using a five-radial arm maze with tactile cues. Continuous monitoring of cerebral blood flow (CBF) was performed with a laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI) system. A separate cohort of animals was sacrificed for evaluation of the brain vasculature and white matter damage after BCCAo. We found reference memory impairment in Wistar rats, but not in SD rats. Moreover, our LDPI system revealed that Wistar rats had significant hypoperfusion in the brain region supplied by the posterior cerebral artery (PCA). Furthermore, Wistar rats showed more profound CBF reduction in the forebrain region than did SD rats. Post-mortem analysis of brain vasculature demonstrated greater PCA plasticity at all time points after BCCAo in Wistar rats. Finally, we confirmed white matter rarefaction that was only observed in Wistar rats. Our studies show a comprehensive and dynamic CBF status after BCCAo in Wistar rats in addition to severe PCA dolichoectasia, which correlated well with white matter lesion and memory decline.

Numerical Homogenization in Concrete Materials Using Multi-Resolution Analysis (다중해상도해석을 이용한 콘크리트 재료의 수치적 동질화)

  • Rhee In-Kyu;Roh Young-Sook
    • Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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    • v.17 no.6 s.90
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    • pp.939-946
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    • 2005
  • The stiffness properties of heterogeneous concrete materials and their degradation were investigated at different-levels of observations with aids of the opportunities and limitations of multi-resolution wavelet analysis. The successive Haw transformations lead to a recursive separation of the stiffness properties and the response into coarse-and fine-scale features. In the limit, this recursive process results in a homogenization parameter which is an average measure of stiffness and strain energy capacity at the coarse scale. The basic concept of multi-resolution analysis is illustrated with one and two-dimensional model problems of a two-phase particulate composite representative of the morphology of concrete materials. The computational studies include the meso-structural features of concrete in the form of a hi-material system of aggregate particles which are immersed in a hardened cement paste taking due to account of the mismatch of the two elastic constituents.

Impact of rock microstructures on failure processes - Numerical study based on DIP technique

  • Yu, Qinglei;Zhu, Wancheng;Tang, Chun'an;Yang, Tianhong
    • Geomechanics and Engineering
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    • v.7 no.4
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    • pp.375-401
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    • 2014
  • It is generally accepted that material heterogeneity has a great influence on the deformation, strength, damage and failure modes of rock. This paper presents numerical simulation on rock failure process based on the characterization of rock heterogeneity by using a digital image processing (DIP) technique. The actual heterogeneity of rock at mesoscopic scale (characterized as minerals) is retrieved by using a vectorization transformation method based on the digital image of rock surface, and it is imported into a well-established numerical code Rock Failure Process Analysis (RFPA), in order to examine the effect of rock heterogeneity on the rock failure process. In this regard, the numerical model of rock could be built based on the actual characterization of the heterogeneity of rock at the meso-scale. Then, the images of granite are taken as an example to illustrate the implementation of DIP technique in simulating the rock failure process. Three numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the impact of actual rock heterogeneity due to spatial distribution of constituent mineral grains (e.g., feldspar, quartz and mica) on the macro-scale mechanical response, and the associated rock failure mechanism at the meso-scale level is clarified. The numerical results indicate that the shape and distribution of constituent mineral grains have a pronounced impact on stress distribution and concentration, which may further control the failure process of granite. The proposed method provides an efficient tool for studying the mechanical behaviors of heterogeneous rock and rock-like materials whose failure processes are strongly influenced by material heterogeneity.

Analysis on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Fault Materials using Laboratory Tests (실내시험을 통한 단층물질의 물리·역학적 특성 분석)

  • Moon, Seong-Woo;Yun, Hyun-Seok;Seo, Yong-Seok;Chae, Byung-Gon
    • The Journal of Engineering Geology
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    • v.27 no.1
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    • pp.91-101
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    • 2017
  • Fault materials has various properties depending on their areas, rock types, and components because they are formed by heterogeneous and complicated mechanisms. In this study, to understand the physical and mechanical properties of fault materials, 109 fault materials distributed in South Korea were collected to conduct various laboratory tests with them and analyze their physical and mechanical properties (unit weight, specific gravity, porosity, gravel content, silt/clay content, clay mineral content, friction angle, and cohesion) according to areas, rock types, and components. As for the physical and mechanical properties by rock type, gneiss shows the highest medians in the unit weight ($17.1kN/m^3$) and specific gravity (2.73), granite does so in the porosity (45.5%), schist does so in the gravel content (20.0 wt.%) and cohesion (38.1 kPa), and phyllite does so in the silt/clay content (54.4 wt.%), clay mineral content (30.1 wt.%), and friction angle ($38.2^{\circ}$). With regard to the physical and mechanical properties by component, fault gouge was shown to have lower values than cataclasite and damage zones in all factors other than porosity and silt/clay contents.

Seepage Behaviors of Enlargement Levee Containing Box Culvert Constructed on Soft Ground (연약지반에 설치된 배수통문을 포함하는 하천 보축제체의 수문 위치에 따른 침투 거동)

  • Yang, Hak-Young;Kim, Young-Muk
    • Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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    • v.34 no.3
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    • pp.29-41
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    • 2018
  • In the case of the enlargement levee on the soft foundation, the existing levee and the enlargement levee connection can be damaged due to heterogeneous subsidence such as differential settlement at the joint of the box culvert passing through the levee. This study selected the downstream region of the Geum River and then confirmed the influence of the piping possibility on the levee by performing a 2D seepage analysis and analyzing the seepage tendency according to the position of the box culvert's gate. As a result, the flow velocity and the hydraulic gradient are larger in the upper breakage than the lower breakage, and the upper leak was more vulnerable to the piping than the lower leak. If leaks occur in the gate located on the riverside land, the risk of piping is increased when the water level rises and is maintained highly. In the case of the gate located on the inland, it could be predicted that the leakage could damage the stability of levee by increasing the water pressure inside the levee. As a result, if leakage occurs at any position in the box culvert, the pore water pressure is increased or decreased compared with the case when no leakage occurs. Therefore, if the pore water pressure is drastically reduced or increased compared with the normal case, leakage may occur. However, the result of this study is based on a 2D seepage analysis, and it is likely to be different from actual cases. Therefore, more detailed analysis by 3D analysis is recommended.

Hepatitis C Virus - Proteins, Diagnosis, Treatment and New Approaches for Vaccine Development

  • Keyvani, Hossein;Fazlalipour, Mehdi;Monavari, Seyed Hamid Reza;Mollaie, Hamid Reza
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.13 no.12
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    • pp.5917-5935
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    • 2012
  • Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes acute and chronic human hepatitis infection and as such is an important global health problem. The virus was discovered in the USA in 1989 and it is now known that three to four million people are infected every year, WHO estimating that 3 percent of the 7 billion people worldwide being chronically infected. Humans are the natural hosts of HCV and this virus can eventually lead to permanent liver damage and carcinoma. HCV is a member of the Flaviviridae family and Hepacivirus genus. The diameter of the virus is about 50-60 nm and the virion contains a single-stranded positive RNA approximately 10,000 nucleotides in length and consisting of one ORF which is encapsulated by an external lipid envelope and icosahedral capsid. HCV is a heterogeneous virus, classified into 6 genotypes and more than 50 subtypes. Because of the genome variability, nucleotide sequences of genotypes differ by approximately 31-34%, and by 20-23% among subtypes. Quasi-species of mixed virus populations provide a survival advantage for the virus to create multiple variant genomes and a high rate of generation of variants to allow rapid selection of mutants for new environmental conditions. Direct contact with infected blood and blood products, sexual relationships and availability of injectable drugs have had remarkable effects on HCV epidemiology. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year from hepatitis and liver cancer caused by HCV virus infection. Approximately 80% of patients with acute hepatitis C progress into a chronic disease state leading to serious hepatic disorders, 10-20% of which develop chronic liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The incubation period of HCV is 6-8 weeks and the infection is often asymptomatic so it is very hard to detect at early stages, making early treatment very difficult. Therefore, hepatitis C is called a "silent disease". Neutralizing antibodies are produced against several HCV proteins during infection but the virus mutates to escape from antibodies. Some patients with chronic hepatitis C may have some symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, nausea and pain. Autoimmune and immunecomplex-mediated diseases have also been reported with chronic HCV infection.

Potential Welfare Loss from Using Imperfect Environmental Taxes (불완전한 환경세 사용에 따른 잠재적 후생 손실)

  • Hong, Inkee
    • Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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    • v.24 no.1
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    • pp.1-53
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    • 2015
  • In environmental policy areas, a greater use of economic instruments (EIs) has recently been observed in many countries. However, EIs are heterogeneous policy tools. The textbook case of a Pigouvian tax is far from widely used, mainly due to the information requirements and other structural and institutional constraints. The successful implementation of EIs might heavily depend on pre-existing structural and institutional conditions. Moreover, these institutional conditions are particularly unfavorable in developing countries. Using a simple analytical general equilibrium model, this paper examines how these constraints affect the welfare gain from the introduction of environmental taxes in developing countries. First, this paper solves for the second-best optimal Pigouvian tax and output tax in the presence of a distortionary tax on market use of labor. The result confirms that an environmental output tax achieves a socially-efficient level of emissions in the least-cost manner only if the nature of the linkage between the tax base and the environmental damage is fixed. Second, incorporating structural and institutional constraints into the model through a set of parameter values from China and the US, this paper calculates the net welfare effects of either using the ideal Pigouvian tax or instead using an output tax. The numerical simulation results show that the net welfare gain from the use of an ideal Pigouvian tax could be more than six times larger than that of an output tax in developing countries. On the other hand, the welfare gain is only 50 percent in developed countries. This means that the potential welfare disadvantage from using output taxes instead emissions tax for environmental purposes could be much greater in the case of developing countries.

Inhibitory Effect of DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity and Hydroxyl Radicals (OH) Activity of Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides Lamarck (피막이풀의 DPPH 라디칼과 hydroxyl radicals (OH) 항산화 활성 및 리폭시게나아제 저해 효과)

  • Cho, Kyung-Soon
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.26 no.9
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    • pp.1022-1026
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    • 2016
  • In this study the hot water extract was prepared from Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides (Araliaceae) leaves and stems to study antioxidant activities and lipoxygenase inhibition. The extract showed the protective hydroxyl radical (-OH) which can damage virtually all types of macromolecules: carbohydrates, nucleic acids (mutations), lipids (lipid peroxidation), and amino acids. Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of H. sibthorpioides was 78.6%. The extract showed strong activity against 1, 1- diphenyl 2-picrylhyorazyl (DPPH) which is a well-known radical and a trap (scavenger) for other radicals. DPPH scavenging activity of leaves of H. sibthorpioides was evaluated at 8.0 mg/ml was 86.0%. Lipoxygenases (LOXs) constitute a heterogeneous family of lipid peroxidizing enzymes capable of oxygenating polyunsaturated fatty acids to their corresponding hydroperoxy derivatives. The inhibitory effect of 15-LOX by H. sibthorpioides was assayed using a Morgan microplate assay. The extract of H. sibthorpioides was 55.5% inhibitory effects on the inhibition of LOX at 8.0 mg/ml. The IC50 values for OH activity, DPPH activity, and LOX inhibition from leaves 5.23 mg/ml, 6.44 mg/ml, and 3.71 mg/ml, respectively. Antioxidative activity assay showed that the water extracts from leaf and stem had a strong reducing power. These results show that H. sibthorpioides has some phytochemical constituents which may be active against the free radicals (OH and DPPH) and lipoxygenase enzyme.

Detection of Collapse Buildings Using UAV and Bitemporal Satellite Imagery (UAV와 다시기 위성영상을 이용한 붕괴건물 탐지)

  • Jung, Sejung;Lee, Kirim;Yun, Yerin;Lee, Won Hee;Han, Youkyung
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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    • v.38 no.3
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    • pp.187-196
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    • 2020
  • In this study, collapsed building detection using UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and PlanetScope satellite images was carried out, suggesting the possibility of utilization of heterogeneous sensors in object detection located on the surface. To this end, the area where about 20 buildings collapsed due to forest fire damage was selected as study site. First of all, the feature information of objects such as ExG (Excess Green), GLCM (Gray-Level Co-Occurrence Matrix), and DSM (Digital Surface Model) were generated using high-resolution UAV images performed object-based segmentation to detect collapsed buildings. The features were then used to detect candidates for collapsed buildings. In this process, a result of the change detection using PlanetScope were used together to improve detection accuracy. More specifically, the changed pixels acquired by the bitemporal PlanetScope images were used as seed pixels to correct the misdetected and overdetected areas in the candidate group of collapsed buildings. The accuracy of the detection results of collapse buildings using only UAV image and the accuracy of collapse building detection result when UAV and PlanetScope images were used together were analyzed through the manually dizitized reference image. As a result, the results using only UAV image had 0.4867 F1-score, and the results using UAV and PlanetScope images together showed that the value improved to 0.8064 F1-score. Moreover, the Kappa coefficiant value was also dramatically improved from 0.3674 to 0.8225.

An Experimental Environment for Simulation of Stealthy Deception Attack in CPS Using PLCitM (PLC in the Middle) (중간자 PLC를 이용한 CPS 은닉형 공격 실험환경 구축 방안)

  • Chang, Yeop;Lee, Woomyo;shin, Hyeok-Ki;Kim, Sinkyu
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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    • v.28 no.1
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    • pp.123-133
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    • 2018
  • Cyber-Physical System (CPS) is a system in which a physical system and a cyber system are strongly integrated. In order to operate the target physical system stably, the CPS constantly monitors the physical system through the sensor and performs control using the actuator according to the current state. If a malicious attacker performs a forgery attack on the measured values of the sensors in order to conceal their attacks, the cyber system operated based on the collected data can not recognize the current operation status of the physical system. This causes the delay of the response of the automation system and the operator, and then more damage will occur. To protect the CPS from increasingly sophisticated and targeted attacks, countermeasures must be developed that can detect stealthy deception attacks. However, in the CPS environment composed of various heterogeneous devices, the process of analyzing and demonstrating the vulnerability to actual field devices requires a lot of time. Therefore, in this study, we propose a method of constructing the experiment environment of the PLCitM (PLC in the middle) which can verify the performance of the techniques to detect the CPS stealthy deception attack and present the experimental results.