Crack detection in concrete slabs by graph-based anomalies calculation

Yuqing Zhou,Weifang Sun,Jiawei Xiang,Binqiang Chen,Wei Feng 국제구조공학회 2022 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.29 No.3

Concrete slab cracks monitoring of modern high-speed railway is important for safety and reliability of train operation, to prevent catastrophic failure, and to reduce maintenance costs. This paper proposes a curvature filtering improved crack detection method in concrete slabs of high-speed railway via graph-based anomalies calculation. Firstly, large curvature information contained in the images is extracted for the crack identification based on an improved curvature filtering method. Secondly, a graph-based model is developed for the image sub-blocks anomalies calculation where the baseline of the subblocks is acquired by crack-free samples. Once the anomaly is large than the acquired baseline, the sub-block is considered as crack-contained block. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method performs better than convolutional neural network method even under different curvature structures and illumination conditions. This work therefore provides a useful tool for concrete slabs crack detection and is broadly applicable to variety of infrastructure systems.

Comparative transcriptome analysis to reveal key ethylene genes involved in a Lonicera macranthoides mutant

Long YuQing,Zeng Juan,Yang Min,Zhou XinRu,Zeng Mei,Liu ChangYu,Tong QiaoZhen,Zhou RiBao,Liu XiangDan 한국유전학회 2023 Genes & Genomics Vol.45 No.4

Background Lonicera macranthoides Hand.-Mazz. is an important medicinal plant. Xianglei-type (XL) L. macranthoides was formed after many years of cultivation by researchers on the basis of the natural mutant. The corolla of L. macranthoides XL remains unexpanded and its flowering period is nearly three times longer than that of wild-type (WT) plants. However, the molecular mechanism behind this desirable trait remains a mystery. Objective To understand the floral phenotype differences between L. macranthoides and L. macranthoides XL at the molecular level. Methods Transcriptome analysis was performed on L. macranthoides XL and WT. One DEG was cloned by RT-PCR amplification and selected for qRT-PCR analysis. Results Transcriptome analysis showed that there were 5603 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in XL vs. WT. Enrichment analysis of DEGs showed that pathways related to plant hormone signal transduction were significantly enriched. We identified 23 key genes in ethylene biosynthesis and signal transduction pathways. The most abundant were the ethylene biosynthesis DEGs. In addition, the open reading frames (ORFs) of WT and XL ETR2 were successfully cloned and named LM-ETR2 (GenBank: MW334978) and LM-XL-ETR2 (GenBank: MW334978), respectively. qRT-PCR at different flowering stages suggesting that ETR2 acts in the whole stage of flower development of WT and XL. Conclusions This study provides new insight into the molecular mechanism that regulates the development of special traits in the flowers of L. macranthoides XL. The plant hormone ethylene plays an important role in flower development and flowering duration prolongation in L. macranthoides. The ethylene synthesis gene could be more responsible for the flower phenotype of XL. The genes identified here can be used for breeding and improvement of other flowering plants after functional verification.

A Variable-Tensioned Transfer Matrix Method for Modal Analysis of Marine Risers and Its Application to Structural Damage Detection

Xingkun Zhou,Yuqing Sun,Wenhua Li 대한토목학회 2021 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.25 No.6

Structural damage caused by the vortex-induced vibration (VIV), harsh marine environment, and ultimate loads, etc., often alters marine risers' natural frequencies and mode shapes. A simple method for calculating variable-tensioned marine risers, especially for the risers with single and multiple damages, is proposed herein to explore the relationships between modal characteristics and structural damage. The approach' main advantage is that it is suitable for marine risers with various boundary conditions, variable tension, and different damage locations and degrees. Compared with the literature, the natural frequencies and mode shapes are re-examined using the intact marine risers. With the variation of damage degree and location along water depth, the effects of damage on natural frequency and the second derivative of mode curvature (SMC) are studied. To solve frequency and SMC's insensitivity problem to the node damage, a frequency-square-weighted superposition of the SMC index, i.e., SSMC, is developed. The relationships of SSMC with the single damage and the multiple damages are accurately modeled, and the damaged severities are precisely predicted by fitting a cubic polynomial and a quintic-binary function, respectively. In total, the proposed methods and the numerical results may be useful references to the damage detection of marine risers.

A GAPSO-Enhanced Extreme Learning Machine Method for Tool Wear Estimation in Milling Processes Based on Vibration Signals

Zhi Lei,Qinsong Zhu,Yuqing Zhou,Bintao Sun,Weifang Sun,Xiaoming Pan 한국정밀공학회 2021 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.8 No.3

Tools are the most vulnerable components in milling processes conducted using numerical control milling machines, and their wear condition directly influences work-product quality and operational safety. As such, tool wear estimation is an essential component of NC milling operations. This study addresses this issue by proposing an extreme learning machine (ELM) method enhanced by a hybrid genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization (GAPSO) approach for conducting tool wear estimation based on workpiece vibration signals. Here, a few feature parameters in the time, frequency, and time–frequency (Ensemble empirical mode decomposition, EEMD) domains of the workpiece vibration signals are extracted as the input of the ELM model. Then, the initialized weights and thresholds of the ELM model are optimized based on the GAPSO approach with training dataset. Finally, tool wear is estimated using the optimized ELM model with testing dataset. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by its application to vibration signals collected from two milling tool wear experiments (an open-access benchmark dataset and a milling tool wear experiment) by comparison to the ELM, GA-ELM, and PSO-ELM methods. The results indicate that the estimation accuracy and optimization efficiency of the proposed method outperforms that of other three methods.

Exponential Stability of Neural Networks with Markovian Switching Parameters and General Noise

Xin Zhang,Wuneng Zhou,Yuqing Sun 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2019 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.17 No.4

This paper investigates the problem of exponential stability of Neural Networks (NNs) with Markovianparameters and general noise. The model in this paper with general noise is more suitable for many real nervoussystems than NNs with white noise. Criteria for the exponential stability of the NNs with Markovian switchingparameters and general noise in both the mean square and p-th moment are derived by utilizing the random analysismethod and Lyapunov functional method techniques. The exponential stability of NNs without Markovian switchingis given as a special case. Finally, simulation result in two examples are discussed to illustrate the theoreticalresults.

Leaky Gut in IBD: Intestinal Barrier–Gut Microbiota Interaction

Yu Shunying,Sun Yibin,Shao Xinyu,Zhou Yuqing,Yu Yang,Kuai Xiaoyi,Zhou Chunli 한국미생물·생명공학회 2022 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.32 No.7

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a global disease that is in increasing incidence. The gut, which contains the largest amount of lymphoid tissue in the human body, as well as a wide range of nervous system components, is integral in ensuring intestinal homeostasis and function. By interacting with gut microbiota, immune cells, and the enteric nervous system, the intestinal barrier, which is a solid barrier, protects the intestinal tract from the external environment, thereby maintaining homeostasis throughout the body. Destruction of the intestinal barrier is referred to as developing a “leaky gut,” which causes a series of changes relating to the occurrence of IBD. Changes in the interactions between the intestinal barrier and gut microbiota are particularly crucial in the development of IBD. Exploring the leaky gut and its interaction with the gut microbiota, immune cells, and the neuroimmune system may help further explain the pathogenesis of IBD and provide potential therapeutic methods for future use.

LncRNA H19 Drives Proliferation of Cardiac Fibroblasts and Collagen Production via Suppression of the miR-29a-3p/miR-29b-3p-VEGFA/TGF-β Axis

Feng Guo,Chengchun Tang,Bo Huang,Lifei Gu,Jun Zhou,Zongyang Mo,Chang Liu,Yuqing Liu 한국분자세포생물학회 2022 Molecules and cells Vol.45 No.3

The aim of this study was to investigating whether lncRNA H19 promotes myocardial fibrosis by suppressing the miR-29a-3p/miR-29b-3p-VEGFA/TGF-β axis. Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and healthy volunteers were included in the study, and their biochemical parameters were collected. In addition, pcDNA3.1-H19, si-H19, and miR-29a/b-3p mimic/inhibitor were transfected into cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), and proliferation of CFs was detected by MTT assay. Expression of H19 and miR-29a/b-3p were detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, collagen II, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and elastin were measured by western blot analysis. The dual luciferase reporter gene assay was carried out to detect the sponging relationship between H19 and miR-29a/b-3p in CFs. Compared with healthy volunteers, the level of plasma H19 was significantly elevated in patients with AF, while miR-29a-3p and miR-29b-3p were markedly depressed (P < 0.05). Serum expression of lncRNA H19 was negatively correlated with the expression of miR-29a-3p and miR-29b-3p among patients with AF (rs = –0.337, rs = –0.236). Moreover, up-regulation of H19 expression and down-regulation of miR-29a/b-3p expression facilitated proliferation and synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM)-related proteins. SB431542 and si-VEGFA are able to reverse the promotion of miR-29a/b-3p on proliferation of CFs and ECM-related protein synthesis. The findings of the present study suggest that H19 promoted CF proliferation and collagen synthesis by suppressing the miR-29a-3p/miR-29b-3p-VEGFA/TGF-β axis, and provide support for a potential new direction for the treatment of AF.