Seismic Performance of a Full-Scale Precast Concrete L-Shaped Column Frame Structure with a Grouted Connection

Wei-Bin Ni,De-Hao Qiao,Hong-Wei Sun,Xu Zhang,Zhong-Wen Zhang,Shao-Jie Wang 대한토목학회 2022 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.26 No.2

Precast concrete frame structure with nonrectangular columns are becoming attractive to researchers and engineers owing to advantages such as avoiding column protrusion from walls and saving space. This paper presents the experimental investigation of a full-scale precast concrete frame structure with L-shaped columns (PCFS) subjected to reverse cyclic loading. The precast connection adopted grouted anchor connection. As a comparison and benchmark, one full-scale monolithic sample (RCFS) was also tested. The results indicates that the greater steel ratio in the grouted anchor connection region leads to a high local stiffness of the elements, which contributed to delaying occurrence of the first crack at the grouting holes. The failure mode, lateral load capacity, stiffness degradation, load-carrying capacity degradation, energy-dissipating capacity, ductility and interlayer residual deformation were compared between two specimens. PCFS specimen exhibited comparatively better hysteretic behavior, energy-dissipating capacity, residual deformation-resisting capacity and ductility. For RCFS and PCFS specimens, the peak load difference was within 7%. About 15% increases in ductility were observed for PCFS specimen compared with RCFS specimen. The test results would provide reference for the application of the precast concrete structure with nonrectangular columns in the new residential buildings.

Clinical Efficacy and Prognosis Factors for Advanced Hepatoblastoma in Children: A 6-year Retrospective Study

Zhang, Yi,Zhang, Wei-Ling,Huang, Dong-Sheng,Hong, Liang,Wang, Yi-Zhuo,Zhu, Xia,Hu, Hui-Min,Zhang, Pin-Wei,Yi, You,Han, Tao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.8

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of multimodality treatment of advanced paediatric hepatoblastoma (HB) and the factors affecting prognosis. Methods: A total of 35 children underwent multimodality treatments consisting of chemotherapy, surgery, interventional therapy, and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. The patients were followed up every month. Results: Serum AFP levels in 33 out of 35 patients in this study were significantly increased (P = 0.0002). According to the statistical scatter plot, the values of serum AFP on the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentages were 1,210, 1,210 and 28,318 ng/dl, respectively. Of the 35 cases, 21 were stage IV. 18 cases were treated with systemic chemotherapy before surgery, and 3 cases with locally interventional chemotherapy before surgery. Statistical analysis showed that the preferred interventional treatment affected prognosis, and that there was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.024). Some 33 patients completed the follow-up, of which 17 were in complete remission (CR), 5 were in partial remission (PR), 1 became disease progressive (DP), and 10 died. The remission and overall survival rates were 66.7% (22/33) and 69.7% (23/33), respectively. Patients with the mixed HB phenotypes had worse prognoses than the epithelial phenotype (P < 0.001), and patients in stage IV had a lower survival rate than those in stage III (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Multimodality treatment can effectively improve remission rate and prolong the survival of children with advanced HB. In addition, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a tumor marker of liver malignant tumors, HB pathological classification, and staging are highly useful in predicting prognosis.

The MTHFR C677T Polymorphism and Prostate Cancer Risk: New Findings from a Meta-analysis of 7306 Cases and 8062 Controls

Zhang, Wei-Bing,Zhang, Jun-Hong,Pan, Zheng-Qi,Yang, Qi-Sheng,Liu, Bo Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.6

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is an essential enzyme involved in folate metabolism; a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) C677T has been reported to be linked with altered incidences of several diseases. We here conducted a meta-analysis of 15 published epidemiological studies with a total of 7306 cases and 8062 controls to evaluate its association with prostate cancer risk with overall and subgroup analyses. No statistical relationship was found overall with any genetic model (TT vs. CC: OR = 0.80, 95%CI = [0.62, 1.04], P = 0.094; CT vs. CC: OR = 0.97, 95%CI = [0.84; 1.12], P = 0.667; Dominant: OR = 0.94, 95%CI = [0.82; 1.07], P = 0.343; Recessive: OR = 0.81, 95%CI = [0.64; 1.04], P = 0.104), but after the exclusion of several studies, we could observe the homozygote TT to confer less susceptibility to prostate cancer in carriers; moreover, different effects of the polymorphism on prostate cancer risk was detected from subgroup analysis stratified by participants' residential region: significant reduced prostate cancer risk was found to be associated with the polymorphism from Asian studies (TT vs. CC: OR = 0.47, 95%CI = [0.33; 0.67], P < 0.001; CT vs. CC: OR = 0.73, 95%CI = [0.60; 0.90], P = 0.002; Dominant: OR = 0.67, 95%CI = [0.56; 0.82], P < 0.001; Recessive: OR = 0.55, 95%CI = [0.40; 0.76], P < 0.001) while studies from Europe indicated a slight increased risk under dominant model with marginal significance (OR = 1.14, 95%CI = [0.99; 1.30], P = 0.064). Moreover, the protective effect of the polymorphism against prostate cancer was also shown by studies performed in yellow Asians (TT vs. CC: OR = 0.48, 95%CI = [0.31; 0.75], P = 0.001; CT vs. CC: OR = 0.68, 95%CI = [0.51; 0.90], P = 0.006; Dominant: OR = 0.63, 95%CI = [0.48; 0.82], P < 0.001; Recessive: OR = 0.57, 95%CI = [0.39; 0.84], P = 0.004). We propose that these phenomena should be viewed with the consideration of folate metabolism profile and different gene background as well as living habits of different populations, and more relevant studies should be conducted to confirm our hypothesis and provide a comprehensive and clear picture concerning this topic.

Guaranteeing Deadlines for Inter-Data Center Transfers

Zhang, Hong,Chen, Kai,Bai, Wei,Han, Dongsu,Tian, Chen,Wang, Hao,Guan, Haibing,Zhang, Ming Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2017 IEEE/ACM transactions on networking Vol.25 No.1

<P>Inter-data center wide area networks (inter-DC WANs) carry a significant amount of data transfers that require to be completed within certain time periods, or deadlines. However, very little work has been done to guarantee such deadlines. The crux is that the current inter-DC WAN lacks an interface for users to specify their transfer deadlines and a mechanism for provider to ensure the completion while maintaining high WAN utilization. In this paper, we address the problem by introducing a deadline-based network abstraction (DNA) for inter-DC WANs. DNA allows users to explicitly specify the amount of data to be delivered and the deadline by which it has to be completed. The malleability of DNA provides flexibility in resource allocation. Based on this, we develop a system called Amoeba that implements DNA. Our simulations and test bed experiments show that Amoeba, by harnessing DNA's malleability, accommodates 15% more user requests with deadlines, while achieving 60% higher WAN utilization than prior solutions.</P>

3‐Hydroxymorphinan, a metabolite of dextromethorphan, protects nigrostriatal pathway against MPTP‐elicited damage both <i>in vivo</i> and <i>in vitro</i>

Zhang, Wei,Shin, Eun‐,Joo,Wang, Tongguang,Lee, Phil Ho,Pang, Hao,Wie, Myung‐,Bok,Kim, Won‐,Ki,Kim, Seong‐,Jin,Huang, Wen‐,Hsin,Wang, Yongjun,Zhang, Wanqin,Hong, Jauȁ Federation of American Society for Experimental Bi 2006 The FASEB Journal Vol.20 No.14

<P>We investigated the neuroprotective property of analogs of dextromethorphan (DM) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) models to identify neuroprotective drugs for Parkinson's disease (PD). In vivo studies showed that daily injections with DM analogs protected dopamine (DA) neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta and restored DA levels in striatum using two different models for PD. Of the five analogs studied, 3-hydroxymorphinan (3-HM), a metabolite of DM, was the most potent, and restored DA neuronal loss and DA depletion up to 90% of the controls. Behavioral studies showed an excellent correlation between potency for preventing toxin-induced decrease in motor activities and neuroprotective effects among the DM analogs studied, of which 3-HM was the most potent in attenuating behavioral damage. In vitro studies revealed two glia-dependent mechanisms for the neuroprotection by 3-HM. First, astroglia mediated the 3-HM-induced neurotrophic effect by increasing the gene expression of neurotrophic factors, which was associated with the increased acetylation of histone H3. Second, microglia participated in 3-HM-mediated neuroprotection by reducing MPTP-elicited reactive microgliosis as evidenced by the decreased production of reactive oxygen species. In summary, we show the potent neuroprotection by 3-HM in LPS and MPTP PD models investigated. With its high efficacy and low toxicity, 3-HM may be a novel therapy for PD.</P>

A preparation and performance study of glass-ceramic glazes derived from blast furnace slag and fly ash

Hong-xia Lu,Man He,Yuan-yuan Liu,Jing-fei Guo,Li-wei Zhang,Deliang Chen,Hai-long Wang,Hong-liang Xu,Rui Zhang 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2011 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.12 No.5

Glass-ceramic glazes have been prepared successfully via crystallization from blast-furnace slag (BFS), fly ash (FA) fluxed with potash feldspar and borax. The crystalline behavior of glass-ceramic glazes was investigated using differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (DTA/TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results revealed that the major crystalline phases are anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8) and akermanite (Ca2MgSi2O7) and crystalline phases disperse well in glassy phases with a uniform size of 1 μm. Glass-ceramic glazes possess low density, low water absorption,perfect stain resistance, acid resistance and alkali resistance. The thermal expansion coefficient of glass-ceramic glazes is steady up to 800 oC with an average value of 7.2 × 10−6 /K. Final results suggest that BFS and FA have potential to be vitrified into economically and environmentally low-cost glass-ceramic glaze materials.

Astilbin alleviates sepsis-induced acute lung injury by inhibiting the expression of macrophage inhibitory factor in rats

Hong-bo Zhang,Li-chao Sun,Li-da Zhi,Qian-kuan Wen,Zhi-wei Qi,Sheng-tao Yan,Wen Li,Guo-qiang Zhang 대한약학회 2017 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.40 No.10

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory responsesyndrome caused by severe infections. Astilbin is a dihydroflavonolderivative found in many medicinal and foodplants with multiple pharmacological functions. To investigatethe effects of astilbin on sepsis-induced acute lunginjury (ALI), cecal ligation and puncture was performed onrats to establish a sepsis-induced ALI model; these ratswere then treated with astilbin at different concentrations. Lung injury scores, including lung wet/dry ratio, proteinleakage, myeloperoxidase activity, and inflammatory cellinfiltration were determined to evaluate the effects ofastilbin on sepsis-induced ALI. We found that astilbintreatment significantly attenuates sepsis-induced lunginjury and improves survival rate, lung injury scores, lungwet/dry ratio, protein leakage, myeloperoxidase activity,and inflammatory cell infiltration. Astilbin treatment alsodramatically decreased the production of inflammatorycytokines and chemokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Further, astilbin treatment inhibited the expression andproduction of macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF), whichinhibits the inflammatory response. Collectively, these datasuggest that astilbin has a protective effect against sepsisinducedALI by inhibiting MIF-mediated inflammatoryresponses. This study provides a molecular basis for astilbinas a new medical treatment for sepsis-induced ALI.

A Novel Missense Mutation of Keratin 17 Gene in a Chinese Family with Steatocystoma Multiplex

( Wei Wei Ha ),( Jing Wang ),( Wen Wang ),( Hong Yang Fu ),( Hua Yang Tang ),( Xian Fa Tang ),( Jun Zhu ),( Xian Yong Yin ),( Sen Yang ),( Xue Jun Zhang ) 대한피부과학회 2013 Annals of Dermatology Vol.25 No.4

Theoretical Analysis on Molecular Magnetic Properties of N-Confused Porphyrins and Its Derivatives

Wei, Wei,Bai, Fu-Quan,Xia, Bao-Hui,Zhang, Hong-Xing Korean Chemical Society 2012 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.33 No.9

We have theoretically investigated the magnetic properties of N-confused porphyrin (NCP), tetraphenyl-N-confused porphyrin (TPNCP) and their substituted derivatives with O, S and Se heteroatoms (2ONCP, 2STPNCP, 2SeNCP, 2OTPNCP, etc.) by using DFT method. In the minimum energy structures of the 2OTPNCP, the two couples opposite phenyl substitutes are staggered. In the case of TPNCP, 2STPNCP and 2SeTPNCP, two phenyls being respectively close to or opposite to N-confused pyrrole are found to be pointed the same direction, whilst others are in the opposite direction. Based on the equilibrium structures, the $^1H$ chemical shifts and nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) are calculated in this paper. The ${\pi}$ current density being induced by the tridimensional perpendicular magnetic field transmits the inner section of the pyrrole segments for NCP and TPNCP. As for their substituted derivatives with O, S and Se atoms, the current path passes through the outer section of the two heterorings. The NICS values at the ring critical points of the heterorings are much lower (in absolute value) than those of which is at the center of an isolated pyrrole molecule. The $^1H$ NMR for ${\beta}H$ atoms of the heterorings decreases from O, S to with Se.

Statistical Optimization of Medium Components for Milk-Clotting Enzyme Production by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens D4 Using Wheat Bran-an Agro-Industry Waste

( Wei Bing Zhang ),( Xiao Ling He ),( Hong Na Liu ),( Hui Yuan Guo ),( Fa Zheng Ren ),( Wei Dong Gao ),( Peng Cheng Wen ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2013 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.23 No.8

In this paper, two statistical methods were applied to optimize medium components to improve the production of the milk-clotting enzyme by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens D4. First, wheat bran juice, skim milk powder, and Na2HPO4 were shown to have significant effects on D4 enzyme production using the Plackett?Burman experimental design. Subsequently, an optimal medium was obtained using the Box?Behnken method, which consisted of 3.31 g/l of skim milk powder, 5.0 g/l of sucrose, 0.1 g/l of FeSO4?7H2O, 0.1 g/l of MgSO4?7H2O, 0.1 g/l of MnSO4?2H2O, 0.1 g/l of ZnSO4?7H2O, 1.52 g/l of Na2HPO4, and 172.45 g/l of wheat bran juice. With this optimal medium, the milk-clotting enzyme production was remarkably enhanced. The milk-clotting enzyme activity reached 3,326.7 SU/ml after incubation of 48 h, which was 1.76-fold higher than that of the basic medium, showing that the Plackett?Burman design and Box?Behnken response surface method are effective to optimize medium components, and B. amyloliquefaciens D4 possessed a high rennet-producing capacity in the optimal medium.