Non-uniform wind environment in mountainous terrain and aerostatic stability of a bridge

Xingyu Chen,Junjie Guo,Haojun Tang,Yongle Li,Lei Wang 한국풍공학회 2020 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.30 No.6

The existence of a dam has potential effects on the surrounding wind environment especially when it is located in mountainous areas. In this situation, the long-span bridge over the reservoir can easily be exposed to non-uniform incoming flows, affecting its wind-resistance performance. This paper presents a study on the aerostatic stability of such a bridge. Wind tunnel tests were first carried out to investigate the wind environment above a mountainous reservoir. The results show that the angle of attack and the wind speed along the bridge axis show obvious non-uniform characteristics, which is related to the inflow direction. When winds come from the south where the river is winding, the angle of attack varies along the span direction significantly. The finite element model for the bridge was established using ANSYS software, and effects of non-uniform wind loads on the aerostatic stability were computed. Non-uniform angle of attack and wind speed are unfavorable to the aerostatic stability of the bridge, especially the former. When the combined action of non-uniform angle of attack and wind speed is considered, the critical wind speed of aerostatic instability is further reduced. Moreover, the aerostatic stability of the bridge is closely related to the dam height.

Blockage effects on aerodynamics and flutter performance of a streamlined box girder

Yong-Le Li,Junjie Guo,Xingyu Chen,Haojun Tang,Jingyu Zhang 한국풍공학회 2020 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.30 No.1

Wind tunnel test is one of the most important means to study the flutter performance of bridges, but there are blockage effects in flutter test due to the size limitation of the wind tunnel. On the other hand, the size of computational domain can be defined by users in the numerical simulation. This paper presents a study on blockage effects of a simplified box girder by computation fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, the blockage effects on the aerodynamic characteristics and flutter performance of a long-span suspension bridge are studied. The results show that the aerodynamic coefficients and the absolute value of mean pressure coefficient increase with the increase of the blockage ratio. And the aerodynamic coefficients can be corrected by the mean wind speed in the plane of leading edge of model. At each angle of attack, the critical flutter wind speed decreases as the blockage ratio increases, but the difference is that bending-torsion coupled flutter and torsional flutter occur at lower and larger angles of attack respectively. Finally, the correction formula of critical wind speed at 0o angle of attack is given, which can provide reference for wind resistance design of streamlined box girders in practical engineering.

A Learning Control Strategy for Robot-assisted Bathing via Impedance Sliding Mode Technique With Non-repetitive Tasks

Yuexuan Xu,Xin Guo,Bokai Xuan,Hao Sun,Gaowei Zhang,Jian Li,Xingyu Huo,Zhifeng Gu 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2024 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.22 No.3

This paper investigates an impedance-based iterative learning sliding mode control scheme for robotassisted bathing, taking into consideration scenarios with unknown model parameters. Initially, the utilization ofimpedance control is not confined to merely adjusting the desired trajectory but is also instrumental in ensuringactive compliance control during the robot-assisted bathing procedure. Furthermore, an iterative learning control(ILC) is devised to estimate the iteration-invariant dynamic parameters, which are intricate and challenging to precisely ascertain in practical applications. To mitigate the effect of divergent initial conditions in ILC, a trajectoryreconstruction method is introduced, thus ensuring the convergence of tracking errors even when starting from random initial states. Moreover, an adaptive sliding mode control mechanism is proposed to counteract non-parametricexternal disturbances and the torque generated through human-machine interaction during the bathing process. Theconvergence of the double closed-loop system in both the time and iterative domains is demonstrated through theapplication of the composite energy function method. Eventually, the efficacy and superiority of the control strategyoutlined in this paper are jointly verified through co-simulation employing MATLAB and ADAMS.

Grem1 accelerates nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis and intervertebral disc degeneration by inhibiting TGF-β-mediated Smad2/3 phosphorylation

Chen Shunlun,Lei Linchuan,Li Zemin,Chen Fan,Huang Yuming,Jiang Guowei,Guo Xingyu,Zhao Zhuoyang,Liu Hui,Wang Hua,Liu Caijun,Zheng Zhaomin,Wang Jianru 생화학분자생물학회 2022 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.54 No.-

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a main cause of low back pain, and inflammatory factors play key roles in its pathogenesis. Gremlin-1 (Grem1) was reported to induce an inflammatory response in other fields. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of Grem1 in the degenerative process of intervertebral discs. Dysregulated genes were determined by analyzing microarray profiles. The expression of Grem1 in 17 human disc samples (male:female = 9:8) and rat models (n = 5 each group) was measured by western blotting (WB), real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The regulatory effects of Grem1 on apoptosis were examined using siRNAs, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence (IF), and WB. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by locally injecting specific Grem1 siRNA into IVDD rats. The expression of Grem1 was significantly increased in human degenerative intervertebral discs; furthermore, the expression of Grem1 positively correlated with the level of intervertebral disc degeneration. Grem1 was significantly overexpressed in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced degenerative NP cells. Apoptosis in degenerative NP cells transfected with siRNA targeting Grem1 was significantly lower than that in the control group. Specific Grem1 siRNA markedly repressed the development of IVDD in surgery-induced IVDD rats. These results indicated that the expression of Grem1 was positively correlated with the severity of intervertebral disc degeneration, and Grem1 siRNA could inhibit Grem1-induced apoptosis and extracellular matrix alterations by mediating the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. This study may provide a therapeutic strategy for alleviating inflammation-induced apoptosis associated with intervertebral disc degeneration.

IRE1α protects against osteoarthritis by regulating progranulin-dependent XBP1 splicing and collagen homeostasis

Liang Li,Zhang Fengmei,Feng Naibo,Kuang Biao,Fan Mengtian,Chen Cheng,Pan Yiming,Zhou Pengfei,Geng Nana,Li Xingyue,Xian Menglin,Deng Lin,Li Xiaoli,Kuang Liang,Luo Fengtao,Tan Qiaoyan,Xie Yangli,Guo Fen 생화학분자생물학회 2023 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.55 No.-

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a full-joint, multifactorial, degenerative and inflammatory disease that seriously affects the quality of life of patients due to its disabling and pain-causing properties. ER stress has been reported to be closely related to the progression of OA. The inositol-requiring enzyme 1α/X-box-binding protein-1 spliced (IRE1α/XBP1s) pathway, which is highly expressed in the chondrocytes of OA patients, promotes the degradation and refolding of abnormal proteins during ER stress and maintains the stability of the ER environment of chondrocytes, but its function and the underlying mechanisms of how it contributes to the progression of OA remain unclear. This study investigates the role of IRE1α/ERN1 in OA. Specific deficiency of ERN1 in chondrocytes spontaneously resulted in OA-like cartilage destruction and accelerated OA progression in a surgically induced arthritis model. Local delivery of AdERN1 relieved degradation of the cartilage matrix and prevented OA development in an ACLT-mediated model. Mechanistically, progranulin (PGRN), an intracellular chaperone, binds to IRE1α, promoting its phosphorylation and splicing of XBP1u to generate XBP1s. XBP1s protects articular cartilage through TNF-α/ERK1/2 signaling and further maintains collagen homeostasis by regulating type II collagen expression. The chondroprotective effect of IRE1α/ERN1 is dependent on PGRN and XBP1s splicing. ERN1 deficiency accelerated cartilage degeneration in OA by reducing PGRN expression and XBP1s splicing, subsequently decreasing collagen II expression and triggering collagen structural abnormalities and an imbalance in collagen homeostasis. This study provides new insights into OA pathogenesis and the UPR and suggests that IRE1α/ERN1 may serve as a potential target for the treatment of joint degenerative diseases, including OA.

Printed photonic elements: nanoimprinting and beyond

Zhang, Cheng,Subbaraman, Harish,Li, Qiaochu,Pan, Zeyu,Ok, Jong G.,Ling, Tao,Chung, Chi-Jui,Zhang, Xingyu,Lin, Xiaohui,Chen, Ray T.,Guo, L. Jay Royal Society of Chemistry 2016 Journal of Materials Chemistry C Vol.4 No.23

<P>In order to manufacture large-scale photonic devices of various dimensions at a low cost, a number of patterning techniques have been developed. Nanoimprint lithography is among the most promising given its unique advantages, such as high resolution, fast processing speed, high throughput, compatibility with diverse materials, and low cost. This review covers various aspects of nanoimprint lithography, including its operational principles, material requirements, and different ways of implementation. Nanoimprint lithography facilitates numerous high-performance and low-cost photonic elements, including optical interconnects, sensors, solar cells, and metamaterials. In addition, other related patterning techniques, together with their utilization for photonic device fabrication and their integration with nanoimprint lithography, are briefly discussed.</P>