Integrating OpenSees with other software - with application to coupling problems in civil engineering

Quan Gu,Ozgur Ozcelik 국제구조공학회 2011 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.40 No.1

Integration of finite element analysis (FEA) software into various software platforms is commonly used in coupling systems such as systems involving structural control, fluid-structure, windstructure, soil-structure interactions and substructure method in which FEA is used for simulating the structural responses. Integrating an FEA program into various other software platforms in an efficient and simple way is crucial for the development and performance of the entire coupling system. The lack of simplicity of the existing integration methods makes this integration difficult and therefore entails the motivation of this study. In this paper, a novel practical technique, namely CS technique, is presented for integrating a general FEA software framework OpenSees into other software platforms, e.g., Matlab-Simulink® and a soil-structure interaction (SSI) system. The advantage of this integration technique is that it is efficient and relatively easy to implement. Instead of OpenSees, a cheap client handling TCL is integrated into the other software. The integration is achieved by extending the concept of internet based client-server concept, taking advantage of the parameterization framework of OpenSees, and using a command-driven scripting language called tool command language (TCL) on which the OpenSees' interface is based. There is no need for any programming inside OpenSees. The presented CS technique proves as an excellent solution for the coupling problems mentioned above (for both linear and nonlinear problems). Application examples are provided to validate the integration method and illustrate the various uses of the method in the civil engineering.

Integrating OpenSees with other software - with application to coupling problems in civil engineering

Gu, Quan,Ozcelik, Ozgur Techno-Press 2011 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.40 No.1

Integration of finite element analysis (FEA) software into various software platforms is commonly used in coupling systems such as systems involving structural control, fluid-structure, wind-structure, soil-structure interactions and substructure method in which FEA is used for simulating the structural responses. Integrating an FEA program into various other software platforms in an efficient and simple way is crucial for the development and performance of the entire coupling system. The lack of simplicity of the existing integration methods makes this integration difficult and therefore entails the motivation of this study. In this paper, a novel practical technique, namely CS technique, is presented for integrating a general FEA software framework OpenSees into other software platforms, e.g., Matlab-$Simulink^{(R)}$ and a soil-structure interaction (SSI) system. The advantage of this integration technique is that it is efficient and relatively easy to implement. Instead of OpenSees, a cheap client handling TCL is integrated into the other software. The integration is achieved by extending the concept of internet based client-server concept, taking advantage of the parameterization framework of OpenSees, and using a command-driven scripting language called tool command language (TCL) on which the OpenSees' interface is based. There is no need for any programming inside OpenSees. The presented CS technique proves as an excellent solution for the coupling problems mentioned above (for both linear and nonlinear problems). Application examples are provided to validate the integration method and illustrate the various uses of the method in the civil engineering.

Effects of vertical ribs protruding from facades on the wind loads of super high-rise buildings

Quan, Yong,Hou, Fangchao,Gu, Ming Techno-Press 2017 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.24 No.2

The auxiliary structures of a high-rise building, such as balconies, ribs, and grids, are usually much smaller than the whole building; therefore, it is difficult to simulate them on a scaled model during wind tunnel tests, and they are often ignored. However, they may have notable effects on the local or overall wind loads of the building. In the present study, a series of wind pressure wind tunnel tests and high-frequency force balance (HFFB) wind tunnel tests were conducted on rigid models of an actual super high-rise building with vertical ribs protruding from its facades. The effects of the depth and spacing of vertical ribs on the mean values, fluctuating values and the most unfavorable values of the local wind pressure coefficients were investigated by analyzing the distribution of wind pressure coefficients on the facades and the variations of the wind pressure coefficients at the cross section at 2/3 of the building height versus wind direction angle. In addition, the effects of the depth and spacing of vertical ribs on the mean values, fluctuating values and power spectra of the overall aerodynamic force coefficients were studied by analyzing the aerodynamic base moment coefficients. The results show that vertical ribs significantly decrease the most unfavorable suction coefficients in the corner recession regions and edge regions of facades and increase the mean and fluctuating along-wind overall aerodynamic forces.

Pre-treatment Elevated Platelet Count Associates with HER2 Overexpression and Prognosis in Patients with Breast Cancer

Gu, Mei-Ling,Yuan, Cai-Jun,Liu, Xiao-Mei,Zhou, Yi-Chao,Di, Shu-Huan,Sun, Fei-Fei,Qu, Quan-Ying Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.13

Purpose: To research the association between pre-treatment elevated platelet count and clinicopathologic characteristics in breast cancer (BC), as well as explore the relationship between pre-treatment elevated platelet count and HER2 status and prognosis of BC patients. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort of BC patients who were newly diagnosed or treated by surgery only and had pathological detection results and platelet values in the Department of Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning Medical College were enrolled from 1/1/2008 until 31/12/2009, and followed up until 31/12/2014. Age, thrombocyte parameters before chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, immunohistochemical (IHM) indexes, and regional lymph node (LN) involvement and progression-free survival (PFS) were recorded. Results: A total of 447 eligible subjects were included in this research. As we analyzed, for HER2, positive and negative, the incidence rates of elevated platelet count were 25.8% and 14.7% (P<0.05). In the Cox proportional hazards model both variables were independent risk factors for BC (for HER2, OR, 0.592, 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.355 to 0.985, P=0.044;f or PLT, OR, 0.998, 95% CI, 0.996 to 1.000, P=0.042). For ER, PR, Ki67 and LN involvement, the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusions: In this research, pre-treatment elevated level of platelet count demostrated a significantrelationship with HER2 amplification/overexpression, and both variables significantly influenced the prognosis of BC. However, elevated platelet count did not exhibit any association with ER, PR, Ki67 and LN involvement.

Effects of turbulence intensity and exterior geometry on across-wind aerodynamic damping of rectangular super-tall buildings

Quan, Y.,Cao, H.L.,Gu, M. Techno-Press 2016 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.22 No.2

Across-wind aerodynamic damping ratios are identified from the wind-induced acceleration responses of 15 aeroelastic models of rectangular super-high-rise buildings in various simulated wind conditions by using the random decrement technique. The influences of amplitude-dependent structural damping ratio and natural frequency on the estimation of the aerodynamic damping ratio are discussed and the identifying method for aerodynamic damping is improved at first. Based on these works, effects of turbulence intensity $I_u$, aspect ratio H/B, and side ratio B/D on the across-wind aerodynamic damping ratio are investigated. The results indicate that turbulence intensity and side ratio are the most important factors that affect across-wind aerodynamic damping ratio, whereas aspect ratio indirectly affects the aerodynamic damping ratio by changing the response amplitude. Furthermore, empirical aerodynamic damping functions are proposed to estimate aerodynamic damping ratios at low and high reduced speeds for rectangular super-high-rise buildings with an aspect ratio in the range of 5 to 10, a side ratio of 1/3 to 3, and turbulence intensity varying from 1.7% to 25%.

Genome-wide association study reveals genetic loci and candidate genes for average daily gain in Duroc pigs

Quan, Jianping,Ding, Rongrong,Wang, Xingwang,Yang, Ming,Yang, Yang,Zheng, Enqin,Gu, Ting,Cai, Gengyuan,Wu, Zhenfang,Liu, Dewu,Yang, Jie Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2018 Animal Bioscience Vol.31 No.4

Objective: Average daily gain (ADG) is an important target trait of pig breeding programs. We aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genomic regions that are associated with ADG in the Duroc pig population. Methods: We performed a genome-wide association study involving 390 Duroc boars and by using the PorcineSNP60K Beadchip and two linear models. Results: After quality control, we detected 3,5971 SNPs, which included seven SNPs that are significantly associated with the ADG of pigs. We identified six quantitative trait loci (QTL) regions for ADG. These QTLs included four previously reported QTLs on Sus scrofa chromosome (SSC) 1, SSC5, SSC9, and SSC13, as well as two novel QTLs on SSC6 and SSC16. In addition, we selected six candidate genes (general transcription factor 3C polypeptide 5, high mobility group AT-hook 2, nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, oligodendrocyte transcription factor 1, pleckstrin homology and RhoGEF domain containing G4B, and ENSSSCG00000031548) associated with ADG on the basis of their physiological roles and positional information. These candidate genes are involved in skeletal muscle cell differentiation, diet-induced obesity, and nervous system development. Conclusion: This study contributes to the identification of the casual mutation that underlies QTLs associated with ADG and to future pig breeding programs based on marker-assisted selection. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of the identified candidate genes in the physiological processes involved in ADG regulation.

Experimental evaluation of aerodynamic damping of square super high-rise buildings

Quan, Yong,Gu, Ming,Tamura, Yukio Techno-Press 2005 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.8 No.5

Aerodynamic damping often plays an important role in estimations of wind induced dynamic responses of super high-rise buildings. Across- and along-wind aerodynamic damping ratios of a square super high-rise building with a height of 300 m are identified with the Random Decrement technique (RDT) from random vibration responses of the SDOF aeroelastic model in simulated wind fields. Parametric studies on effects of reduced wind velocity, terrain type and structural damping ratio on the aerodynamic damping ratios are further performed. Finally formulas of across- and along-wind aerodynamic damping ratios of the square super high-rise building are derived with curve fitting technique and accuracy of the formulas is verified.

A joint probability distribution model of directional extreme wind speeds based on the t-Copula function

Quan, Yong,Wang, Jingcheng,Gu, Ming Techno-Press 2017 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.25 No.3

The probabilistic information of directional extreme wind speeds is important for precisely estimating the design wind loads on structures. A new joint probability distribution model of directional extreme wind speeds is established based on observed wind-speed data using multivariate extreme value theory with the t-Copula function in the present study. At first, the theoretical deficiencies of the Gaussian-Copula and Gumbel-Copula models proposed by previous researchers for the joint probability distribution of directional extreme wind speeds are analysed. Then, the t-Copula model is adopted to solve this deficiency. Next, these three types of Copula models are discussed and evaluated with Spearman's rho, the parametric bootstrap test and the selection criteria based on the empirical Copula. Finally, the extreme wind speeds for a given return period are predicted by the t-Copula model with observed wind-speed records from several areas and the influence of dependence among directional extreme wind speeds on the predicted results is discussed.

Characterization and Resistance Mechanisms of A 5-fluorouracil-resistant Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line

Gu, Wei,Fang, Fan-Fu,Li, Bai,Cheng, Bin-Bin,Ling, Chang-Quan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.9

Purpose: The chemoresistance of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to cytotoxic drugs, especially intrinsic or acquired multidrug resistance (MDR), still remains a major challenge in the management of HCC. In the present study, possible mechanisms involved in MDR of HCC were identified using a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant human HCC cell line. Methods: BEL-7402/5-FU cells were established through continuous culturing parental BEL-7402 cells, imitating the pattern of chemotherapy clinically. Growth curves and chemosensitivity to cytotoxic drugs were determined by MTT assay. Doubling times, colony formation and adherence rates were calculated after cell counting. Morphological alteration, karyotype morphology, and untrastructure were assessed under optical and electron microscopes. The distribution in the cell cycle and drug efflux pump activity were measured by flow cytometry. Furthermore, expression of potential genes involved in MDR of BEL-7402/5-FU cells were detected by immunocytochemistry. Results: Compared to its parental cells, BEL-7402/5-FU cells had a prolonged doubling time, a lower mitotic index, colony efficiency and adhesive ability, and a decreased drug efflux pump activity. The resistant cells tended to grow in clusters and apparent changes of ultrastructures occurred. BEL-7402/5-FU cells presented with an increased proportion in S and G2/M phases with a concomitant decrease in G0/G1 phase. The MDR phenotype of BEL-7402/5-FU might be partly attributed to increased drug efflux pump activity via multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1), overexpression of thymidylate synthase (TS), resistance to apoptosis by augmentation of the Bcl-xl/Bax ratio, and intracellular adhesion medicated by E-cadherin (E-cad). P-glycoprotein (P-gp) might play a limited role in the MDR of BEL-7402/5-FU. Conclusion: Increased activity or expression of MRP1, Bcl-xl, TS, and E-cad appear to be involved in the MDR mechanism of BEL-7402/5-FU.

Fiber-microsphere Binary Structured Composite Fibrous Membranes for Waterproof and Breathable Applications

Jiatai Gu,Zhenzhen Quan,Liming Wang,Hongnan Zhang,Ni Wang,Xiaohong Qin,Rongwu Wang,Jianyong Yu 한국섬유공학회 2022 Fibers and polymers Vol.23 No.6

Membranes with the functions of waterproofness and breathability are of great interest due to their huge scientificand commercial value in many practical applications. However, designing such membranes with a desirable performance bysimple and efficient fabrication process remains a tremendous challenge. Herein, novel binary structured composite fibrousmembranes were developed for waterproof and breathable applications via simple one-step multi-jet electrospinningtechnology. This composite membranes were made up of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). PVDF was incorporated into the PAN fiber matrix as a modifier to improve the hydrophobic behavior of fibers. Meanwhile,PVDF microspheres/fibers were employed as building blocks to orderly embed in PAN/PVDF fiber framework, impartingthe composite membranes with fluffy micro-nano hierarchical structures. Consequently, with the integrated features of robusthydrophobicity as well as elaborate fiber-microsphere binary structure, the resultant composite membranes exhibitedsynergistically modest waterproof and breathable performances with the hydrostatic pressure of 18.04 kPa, water vaportransmittance (WVT) rate of 4.65 kg m-2 d-1, and air permeability of 64.19 mm s-1. This simple preparation process andunique composite structure may provide a new insight to design and fabricate waterproof and breathable membranes forvariously potential applications, including the protective clothing, separation membrane, and filter.