Experimental and numerical investigation on bearing mechanism and capacity of new concrete plug structures

Yonghong Weng,Shuling Huang,Tangjin Xu,Yuting Zhang 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2019 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.24 No.5

The stability and safety of concrete plug structure of diversion tunnel is crucial for the impoundment of upstream reservoir in hydropower projects. The ongoing Wudongde hydropower plant in China plans to adopt straight column plugs and curved column plugs to replace the traditional expanded wedge-shaped plugs. The performance of the proposed new plug structures under high water head is then a critical issue and attracts the attentions of engineers. This paper firstly studied the joint bearing mechanism of plug and surrounding rock mass and found that the quality and mechanical properties of the interfaces among plug concrete, shotcrete, and surrounding rock mass play a key role in the performance of plug structures. By performing geophysical and mechanical experiments, the contact state and the mechanical parameters of the interfaces were analyzed in detail and provide numerical analysis with rational input parameters. The safety evaluation is carried out through numerical calculation of plug stability under both construction and operation period. The results indicate that the allowable water head acting on columnar plugs is 3.1 to 7.4 times of the designed water head. So the stability of the new plug structure meets the design code requirement. Based on above findings, it is concluded that for the studied project, it is feasible to adopt columnar plugs to replace the traditional expanded wedge-shaped plugs. It is hoped that this study can provide reference for other projects with similar engineering background and problems.

Modeling and Control Design of Dynamic Voltage Restorer in Microgrids Based on a Novel Composite Controller

Yonghong Huang,Junjun Xu,Yukun Sun,Yuxiang Huang 대한전기학회 2016 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.11 No.6

A Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) model is proposed to eliminate the short-term voltage disturbances that occur in the grid-connected mode, the switching between grid-connected mode and the stand-alone mode of a Microgrid. The proposed DVR structure is based on a conventional cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter (MLI) topology; a novel composite control strategy is presented, which could ensure the compensation ability of voltage sag by the DVR. Moreover, the compensation to specified order of harmonic is added to implement effects that zerosteady error compensation to harmonic voltage in specified order of the presented control strategy; utilizing wind turbines-batteries units as DC energy storage components in the Microgrid, the operation cost of the DVR is reduced. When the Microgrid operates under stand-alone mode, the DVR can operate on microsource mode, which could ease the power supply from the main grid (distribution network) and consequently be favorable for energy saving and emission reduction. Simulation results validate the robustness and effective of the proposed DVR system.

Preparation of Silica Nanoparticles via Two-Step Process Utilizing Mixed Chlorosilane Residues

Su, Yonghong,Xu, Bugang,Cai, Jixiang,Chen, Liang,Huang, Bing The Korean Ceramic Society 2018 한국세라믹학회지 Vol.55 No.6

We propose an economic and facile method for the preparation of silica nanoparticles through a two-step process utilizing chlorosilane residues. Mixed chlorosilane residue was alcoholized with absolute ethanol as a first step to form tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). The TEOS was then utilized as a silicon source to synthesize silica nanoparticles in a sol-gel method. The alcoholysis process was designed and optimized utilizing the Taguchi experimental design method and the yield of TEOS was as high as 82.2% under optimal synthetic conditions. Similarly, the Taguchi method was also utilized to study the effects of synthesis factors on the particle size of silica nanoparticles. The results of statistical analysis indicate that the concentration of ammonia has a greater influence on particle size compared to the mass fractions of TEOS and polyethylene glycol (4.6% and 9.7%). The purity of the silica particles synthesized in our experiments is high, but the specific surface area and pore volume are small.

Construction of Bacillus subtilis strain engineered for expression of porcine β-defensin-2/cecropin P1 fusion antimicrobial peptides and its growth-promoting effect and antimicrobial activity

Jian Xu,Fei Zhong,Yonghong Zhang,Jianlou Zhang,Shanshan Huo,Hongyu Lin,Liyue Wang,Dan Cui,Xiujin Li 아세아·태평양축산학회 2017 Animal Bioscience Vol.30 No.4

Objective: To generate recombinant Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) engineered for expression of porcine β-defensin-2 (pBD-2) and cecropin P1 (CP1) fusion antimicrobial peptide and investigate their anti-bacterial activity in vitro and their growth-promoting and disease resisting activity in vivo. Methods: The pBD-2 and CP1 fused gene was synthesized using the main codons of B. subtilis and inserted into plasmid pMK4 vector to construct their expression vector. The fusion peptide-expressing B. subtilis was constructed by transformation with the vector. The expressed fusion peptide was detected with Western blot. The antimicrobial activity of the expressed fusion peptide and the recovered pBD-2 and CP1 by enterokinase digestion in vitro was analyzed by the bacterial growth-inhibitory activity assay. To analyze the engineered B. subtilis on growth promotion and disease resistance, the weaned piglets were fed with basic diet supplemented with the recombinant B. subtilis. Then the piglets were challenged by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli). The weight gain and diarrhea incidence of piglets were measured after challenge. Results: The recombinant B. subtilis engineered for expression of pBD-2/CP1 fusion peptide was successfully constructed using the main codons of the B. subtilis. Both expressed pBD-2/CP1 fusion peptide and their individual peptides recovered from parental fusion peptide by enterokinase digestion possessed the antimicrobial activities to a variety of the bacteria, including gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Haemophilus parasuis) and gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). Supplementing the engineered B. subtilis to the pig feed could significantly promote the piglet growth and reduced diarrhea incidence of the piglets. Conclusion: The generated B. subtilis strain can efficiently express pBD-2/CP1 fusion antimicrobial peptide, the recovered pBD-2 and CP1 peptides possess potent antimicrobial activities to a variety of bacterial species in vitro. Supplementation of the engineered B. subtilis in pig feed obviously promote piglet growth and resistance to the colibacillosis.

Modeling and Control Design of Dynamic Voltage Restorer in Microgrids Based on a Novel Composite Controller

Huang, Yonghong,Xu, Junjun,Sun, Yukun,Huang, Yuxiang The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2016 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.11 No.6

A Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) model is proposed to eliminate the short-term voltage disturbances that occur in the grid-connected mode, the switching between grid-connected mode and the stand-alone mode of a Microgrid. The proposed DVR structure is based on a conventional cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter (MLI) topology; a novel composite control strategy is presented, which could ensure the compensation ability of voltage sag by the DVR. Moreover, the compensation to specified order of harmonic is added to implement effects that zero-steady error compensation to harmonic voltage in specified order of the presented control strategy; utilizing wind turbines-batteries units as DC energy storage components in the Microgrid, the operation cost of the DVR is reduced. When the Microgrid operates under stand-alone mode, the DVR can operate on microsource mode, which could ease the power supply from the main grid (distribution network) and consequently be favorable for energy saving and emission reduction. Simulation results validate the robustness and effective of the proposed DVR system.

The characteristic of the synonymous codon usage and phylogenetic analysis of hepatitis B virus

Xiaoming Qi,Chaojun Wei,Yonghong Li,Yu Wu,Hui Xu,Rui Guo,Yanjuan Jia,Zhenhao Li,Zhenhong Wei,Wanxia Wang,Jing Jia,Yuanting Li,Anqi Wang,Xiaoling Gao 한국유전학회 2020 Genes & Genomics Vol.42 No.7

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a crucial medical issue worldwide. The dependence of HBV replication on host cell machineries and their co-evolutionary interactions prompt the codon usage pattern of viral genes to translation selection and mutation pressure. Objective The evolutionary characteristics of HBV and the natural selection effects of the human genome on the codon usage characteristics were analyzed to provide a basis for medication development for HBV infection. Methods The codon usage pattern of sequences from different HBV genotypes of our isolates and reference HBV genome sequences downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database were analyzed by computing the relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU), nucleotide content, codon adaptation index (CAI) and the effective number of codons (ENC). Results The highest ENC values were observed in the C genotypes, followed by the B genotypes. The ENC values indicated a weak codon usage bias (CUB) in HBV genome. The number of codons differentially used between the three genotypes was markedly higher than that of similarly used codons. High CAI values indicated a good adaptability of HBV to its host. The ENC plot indicated the occurrence of mutational pressure in the three genotypes. The mean Ka/Ks ratios in the three genotypes were lower than 1, which indicated a negative selection pressure. The CAI and GC3% plot indicated the existence of CUB in the HBV genome. Conclusions Nucleotide composition, mutation bias, negative selection and mutational pressure are key factors influencing the CUB and phylogenetic diversity in HBV genotypes. The data provided here could be useful for developing drugs for HBV infection.

Integrated proteomic and metabolomic analyses reveal significant changes in chloroplasts and mitochondria of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) during Sclerotium rolfsii infection

Liao Hongdong,Wen Xiangyu,Deng Xuelei,Wu Yonghong,Xu Jianping,Li Xin,Zhou Shudong,Li Xuefeng,Zhu Chunhui,Luo Feng,Ma Yanqing,Zheng Jingyuan 한국미생물학회 2022 The journal of microbiology Vol.60 No.5

Infection by Sclerotium rolfsii will cause serious disease and lead to significant economic losses in chili pepper. In this study, the response of pepper during S. rolfsii infection was explored by electron microscopy, physiological determination and integrated proteome and metabolome analyses. Our results showed that the stomata of pepper stems were important portals for S. rolfsii infection. The plant cell morphology was significantly changed at the time of the fungal hyphae just contacting (T1) or surrounding (T2) the pepper. The chlorophyll, carotenoid, and MDA contents and the activities of POD, SOD, and CAT were markedly upregulated at T1 and T2. Approximately 4129 proteins and 823 metabolites were clearly identified in proteome and metabolome analyses, respectively. A change in 396 proteins and 54 metabolites in pepper stem tissues was observed at T1 compared with 438 proteins and 53 metabolites at T2. The proteins and metabolites related to photosynthesis and antioxidant systems in chloroplasts and mitochondria were disproportionally affected by S. rolfsii infection, impacting carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. This study provided new insights into the response mechanism in pepper stems during S. rolfsii infection, which can guide future work on fungal disease resistance breeding in pepper.

Analysis and Improvement on Input Characteristics of VIENNA Converter with Inductive Filter and One-Cycle-Control Method

A. Peng Mao,B. Shaojun Xie,C. Hongyun Jia,D. Yonghong Zhang,E. Jinming Xu 전력전자학회 2015 ICPE(ISPE)논문집 Vol.2015 No.6

Input characteristics of L-filtered pulse-width-modulation (PWM) converter with one-cycle-control (OCC) method was analyzed, and the contradiction between decreasing phase displacement angle and decreasing input current ripple was revealed when the maximum switching frequency was limited to ensure high system efficiency. Given this, LCL-filtering scheme was introduced and used on OCC PWM converter, and the inductor current sampling scheme was proposed combined with frequency domain analysis of the system. Finally, experimental results were given to prove validity of the provided filtering scheme and the current sampling strategy.

Pseudolaric Acid B Inhibits Proliferation, Invasion and Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell

Xiaoyu Li,Xianzhi Zhao,Wen Song,Zibin Tian,Lin Yang,Qinghui Niu,Qi Zhang,Man Xie,Bin Zhou,Yonghong Xu,Jun Wu,Cuiping Zhang 연세대학교의과대학 2018 Yonsei medical journal Vol.59 No.1

Purpose: This study was aimed to investigate the effect of pseudolaric acid B (PAB) on proliferation, invasion and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in pancreatic cancer cells and to explore the possible mechanism. Materials and Methods: The pancreatic cancer cell line SW1990 was cultured and treated with PAB dose- and time-dependent manners. Cell proliferation and invasion ability were measured by MTT assay and Matrigel/Transwell test, respectively. Semi-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were conducted to detect the expression of EMT markers and the key molecules. Finally, nude mice subcutaneous transplantation tumor model was used to confirm the therapy efficacy of PAB. Results: PAB could inhibit SW1990 cell proliferation and invasion in time- and dose-dependent manners. Vimentin, fibronectin, N-cadherin, Snail, Slug, YAP, TEAD1, and Survivin were down-regulated (p<0.01), while E-cadherin, caspase-9, MST1, and pYAP were up-regulated (p<0.05). Combined PAB and gemcitabine treatment markedly restricted the tumor growth compared with gencitabin or PAB alone groups. Conclusion: PAB could inhibit the proliferation and invasion ability of pancreatic cancer cells through activating Hippo-YAP pathway and inhibiting the process of EMT.