• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.65 no.6
• /
• pp.1194-1204
• /
• 2023

Meat quality comprises a set of key traits such as pH, meat color, water-holding capacity, tenderness and marbling. These traits are complex because they are affected by multiple genetic and environmental factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular genetic basis underlying nine meat quality-related traits in a Yorkshire pig population using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and subsequent biological pathway analysis. In total, 45,926 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers from 543 pigs were selected for the GWAS after quality control. Data were analyzed using a genome-wide efficient mixed model association (GEMMA) method. This linear mixed model-based approach identified two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for meat color (b^*) on chromosome 2 (SSC2) and one QTL for shear force on chromosome 8 (SSC8). These QTLs acted additively on the two phenotypes and explained 3.92%-4.57% of the phenotypic variance of the traits of interest. The genes encoding HAUS8 on SSC2 and an lncRNA on SSC8 were identified as positional candidate genes for these QTLs. The results of the biological pathway analysis revealed that positional candidate genes for meat color (b^*) were enriched in pathways related to muscle development, muscle growth, intramuscular adipocyte differentiation, and lipid accumulation in muscle, whereas positional candidate genes for shear force were overrepresented in pathways related to cell growth, cell differentiation, and fatty acids synthesis. Further verification of these identified SNPs and genes in other independent populations could provide valuable information for understanding the variations in pork quality-related traits.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.17-30
• /
• 2024

Earthquakes can lead to substantial damage to buildings, with long-period ground motion being particularly destructive. The design of high-performance building structures has become a prominent focus of research. The double-story isolated structure is a novel type of isolated structure developed from base isolated structure. To delve deeper into the building performance of double-story isolated structures, the double-story isolated structure was constructed with the upper isolated layer located in different layers, alongside a base isolated structure for comparative analysis. Nonlinear elastoplastic analyses were conducted on these structures using different ground motion inputs, including ordinary ground motion, near-field impulsive ground motion, and far-field harmonic ground motion. The results demonstrate that the double-story isolated structure can extend the structural period further than the base isolated structure under three types of ground motions. The double-story isolated structure exhibits lower base shear, inter-story displacement, base isolated layer displacement, story shear, and maximum acceleration of the top layer, compared to the base isolated structure. In addition, the double-story isolated structure generates fewer plastic hinges in the frame, causes less damage to the core tube, and experiences smaller overturning moments, demonstrating excellent resistance to overturning and a shock-absorbing effect. As the upper isolated layer is positioned higher, the compressive stress on the isolated bearings of the upper isolated layer in the double-story isolated structure gradually decreases. Moreover, the compressive stress on the isolated bearings of the base isolated layer is lower compared to that of the base isolated structure. However, the shock-absorbing capacity of the double-story isolated structure is significantly increased when the upper isolated layer is located in the middle and lower section. Notably, in regions exposed to long-period ground motion, a double-story isolated structure can experience greater seismic response and reduced shock-absorbing capacity, which may be detrimental to the structure.

• Advances in nano research
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.111-125
• /
• 2024

Recently, a lot of research has been done on the analysis of axial vibrations of homogeneous and FG nanotubes (nanorods) with various aspects of vibrations that have been fully mentioned in history. However, there is a lack of investigation of the dynamic internal resonances of FG nanotubes (nanorods) between them. This is one of the essential or substantial characteristics of nonlinear vibration systems that have many applications in various fields of engineering (making actuators, sensors, etc.) and medicine (improving the course of diseases such as cancers, etc.). For this reason, in this study, for the first time, the dynamic internal resonances of FG nanorods in the simultaneous presence of large-amplitude size dependent behaviour, inertial and shear effects are investigated for general state in detail. Such theoretical patterns permit as to carry out various numerical experiments, which is the key point in the expansion of advanced nano-devices in different sciences. This research presents an AFG novel nano resonator model based on the axial vibration of the elastic nanorod system in terms of derivation from large-amplitude size dependent internal modals interactions. The Hamilton's Principle is applied to achieve the basic equations in movement and boundary conditions, and a harmonic deferential quadrature method, and a multiple scale solution technique are employed to determine a semi-analytical solution. The interest of the current solution is seen in its specific procedure that useful for deriving general relationships of internal resonances of FG nanorods. The numerical results predicted by the presented formulation are compared with results already published in the literature to indicate the precision and efficiency of the used theory and method. The influences of gradient index, aspect ratio of FG nanorod, mode number, nonlinear effects, and nonlocal effects variations on the mechanical behavior of FG nanorods are examined and discussed in detail. Also, the inertial and shear traces on the formations of internal resonances of FG nanorods are studied, simultaneously. The obtained valid results of this research can be useful and practical as input data of experimental works and construction of devices related to axial vibrations of FG nanorods.

• Coupled systems mechanics
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.293-310
• /
• 2024

This paper investigates the dynamic response of structures during earthquakes and provides a clear understanding of soil-structure interaction phenomena. It analyses various parameters, comprising ground shear wave velocity and structure properties. The effect of soil impedance function form on the structural response of the system through the use of springs and dashpots with two frequency cases: independent and dependent frequencies. The superstructure and the ground were modeled linearly. Using the substructure method, two different approaches are used in this study. The first is an analytical formulation based on the dynamic equilibrium of the soil-structure system modeled by an analog model with three degrees of freedom. The second is a numerical analysis generated with 2D finite element modeling using ABAQUS software. The superstructure is represented as a SDOF system in all the SSI models assessed. This analysis establishes the key parameters affecting the soil-structure interaction and their effects. The different results obtained from the analysis are compared for each studied case (frequency-independent and frequency-dependent impedance functions). The achieved results confirm the sensitivity of buildings to soil-structure interaction and highlight the various factors and effects, such as soil and structure properties, specifically the shear wave velocity, the height and mass of the structure. Excitation frequency, and the foundation anchoring height, also has a significant impact on the fundamental parameters and the response of the coupled system at the same time. On the other hand, it have been demonstrated that the impedance function forms play a critical role in the accurate evaluation of structural behavior during seismic excitation. As a result, the evaluation of SSI effects on structural response must take into account the dynamic properties of the structure and soil accordingly.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.52 no.3
• /
• pp.273-291
• /
• 2024

This paper presents a three-dimensional displacement-based formulation to investigate the free vibration of functionally graded nanoplates resting on a Winkler-Pasternak foundation based on the nonlocal elasticity theory. The material properties of the FG nanoplate are considered to vary continuously through the thickness of the nanoplate according to the power-law distribution model. A general three-dimensional displacement field is considered for the plate, which takes into account the out-of-plane strains of the plate as well as the in-plane strains. Unlike the shear deformation theories, in the present formulation, no predetermined form for the distribution of displacements and transverse strains is considered. The equations of motion for functionally graded nanoplate are derived based on Hamilton's principle. The solution is obtained for simply-supported nanoplate, and the predicted results for natural frequencies are compared with the predictions of shear deformation theories which are available in the literature. The predictions of the present theory are discussed in detail to investigate the effects of power-law index, length-to-thickness ratio, mode numbers and the elastic foundation on the dynamic behavior of the functionally graded nanoplate. The present study presents a three-dimensional solution that is able to determine more accurate results in predicting of the natural frequencies of flexural and thickness modes of nanoplates. The effects of parameters that play a key role in the analysis and mechanical design of functionally graded nanoplates are investigated.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.35 no.7
• /
• pp.1069-1079
• /
• 2022

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of 4-month intensive feeding on the meat quality, fatty acid profile, flavor, and growth performance of grazing Hulunbuir sheep (HBS). Methods: The HBS were selected 4-months after birth in a pasture rearing system as the experimental animals (n = 44, female, average body weight 23.8±2.2 kg) then divided equally into pasture-based grazing fattening (PAS) and concentrate-included intensive fattening (CON) groups for another 4-month finishing. When finished fattening, all animals were slaughtered to collect musculus longissimus dorsi subcutaneous adipose tissue and to investigate the influences on meat quality, fatty acid profile, flavor and growth performance. Results: The results showed lambs in CON group got significantly higher live weight, hot carcass weight, and dressing percentage. The CON group had significantly higher value of redness (a^*), lightness (L^*) and water holding capacity (p<0.05), significantly lower value of Warner-Bratzler shear force than the PAS group (p<0.05). The subcutaneous fat from CON group lambs demonstrated a significantly higher content of C18:1 and C18:2 (p<0.05), but lower C14:0 and C16:0, indicating an increased degree of unsaturated fatty acid. The content of 4-methyloctanoic acid, 4-ethyloctanoic acid and 4-methylnonanoic acid had increased 2 to 4 times, representing a more intense odor in the CON group. However, the values were still lower than most sheep breeds reported, indicating the indoor feeding system could not fundamentally deteriorate the excellent meat characteristic of HBS. Conclusion: It was evident that lambs in CON group exhibited a better meat production performance, improved in meat color, texture and healthier fatty acid profile through pasture-weaned concentrate included intensive fattening system, which offers a good alternative regimen for lamb finishing and has a wide prospection in the HBS meat industry.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.34-41
• /
• 2014

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) are commonly used techniques to evaluate the flow characteristics in the development stage of blood pumps. CFD technique allows rapid change to pump parameters to optimize the pump performance without having to construct a costly prototype model. These techniques are used in the construction of a bi-ventricular assist device (BVAD) which combines the functions of LVAD and RVAD in a compact unit. The BVAD construction consists of two separate chambers with similar impellers, volutes, inlet and output sections. To achieve the required flow characteristics of an average flow rate of 5 l/min and different pressure heads (left - 100mmHg and right - 20mmHg), the impellers were set at different rotating speeds. From the CFD results, a six-blade impeller design was adopted for the development of the BVAD. It was also observed that the fluid can flow smoothly through the pump with minimum shear stress and area of stagnation which are related to haemolysis and thrombosis. Based on the compatible Reynolds number the flow through the model was calculated for the left and the right pumps. As it was not possible to have both the left and right chambers in the experimental model, the left and right pumps were tested separately.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.60 no.4
• /
• pp.633-653
• /
• 2016

One of the major threats to the stability of classical columns and colonnades are earthquakes. The behavior of columns under high seismic excitation loads is non-linear and complex since rocking, wobbling and sliding failure modes can occur. Therefore, three dimensional simulation approaches are essential to investigate the in-plane and out-of-plane response of such structures during harmonic and seismic loading excitations. Using a software based on the Distinct Element Method (DEM) of analysis, a three dimensional numerical study has been performed to investigate the parameters affecting the seismic behaviour of colonnades' structural systems. A typical section of the two-storey colonnade of the Forum in Pompeii has been modelled and studied parametrically, in order to identify the main factors affecting the stability and to improve our understanding of the earthquake behaviour of such structures. The model is then used to compare the results between 2D and 3D simulations emphasizing the different response for the selected earthquake records. From the results analysis, it was found that the high-frequency motion requires large base acceleration amplitude to lead to the collapse of the colonnade in a shear-slip mode between the drums. However, low-frequency harmonic excitations are more prominent to cause structural collapse of the two-storey colonnade than the high-frequency ones with predominant rocking failure mode. Finally, the 2D analysis found to be unconservative since underestimates the displacement demands of the colonnade system when compared with the 3D analysis.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.541-560
• /
• 2017

In this research, experimental and numerical simulations were adopted to investigate the effects of ligament angle on compressive strength and failure mode of rock-like material specimens containing two non-coplanar filled fissures under uniaxial compression. The experimental results show that with the increase of ligament angle, the compressive strength decreases to a nadir at the ligament angle of $60^{\circ}$, before increasing to the maximum at the ligament angle of $120^{\circ}$, while the elastic modulus is not obviously related to the ligament angle. The shear coalescence type easily occurred when ${\alpha}$ < ${\beta}$, although having the same degree difference between the angle of ligament and fissure. Numerical simulations using $PFC^{2D}$ were performed for flawed specimens under uniaxial compression, and the results are in good consistency with the experimental results. By analyzing the crack evolution process and parallel bond force field of rock-like material specimen containing two non-coplanar filled fissures, we can conclude that the coalescence and propagation of crack are mainly derived from parallel bond force, and the crack initiation and propagation also affect the distribution of parallel bond force. Finally, the displacement vectors in ligament region were used to identify the type of coalescence, and the results coincided with that obtained by analyzing parallel bond force field. These experimental and numerical results are expected to improve the understanding of the mechanism of flawed rock engineering structures.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.337-344
• /
• 2018

The study of the mining effect influenced by a normal fault has great significance concerning the prediction and prevention of fault rock burst. According to the occurrence condition of a normal fault, the stress evolution of the working face and fault plane, the movement characteristics of overlying strata, and the law of fault slipping when the working face advances from footwall to hanging wall are studied utilizing UDEC numerical simulation. Then the inducing-mechanism of fault rock burst is revealed. Results show that in pre-mining, the in situ stress distribution of two fault walls in the fault-affected zone is notably different. When the working face mines in the footwall, the abutment stress distributes in a "double peak" pattern. The ratio of shear stress to normal stress and the fault slipping have the obvious spatial and temporal characteristics because they vary gradually from the higher layer to the lower one orderly. The variation of roof subsidence is in S-shape which includes slow deformation, violent slipping, deformation induced by the hanging wall strata rotation, and movement stability. The simulation results are verified via several engineering cases of fault rock burst. Moreover, it can provide a reference for prevention and control of rock burst in a fault-affected zone under similar conditions.