Wind-induced response control model for high-rise buildings based on resizing method

A variety of methods have been applied to reduce the effect of the wind-induced vibration of a high-rise building as the excessive wind-induced vibration at the top of a high-rise building can cause physical and psychological discomfort to the user or the residents. For structural engineers, the most effective approach to control the wind-induced responses of high-rise buildings would be to control the stiffness or natural frequency of the building. This paper presents a practical design model to control the wind-induced responses of a high-rise building. In the model, the stiffness of a high-rise building is maximized to increase the natural frequency of the building by the resizing algorithm. The proposed design model is applied to control the wind-induced vibration of an actual 37-storey building during the initial stage of its structural design

Effects of exercise on obesity-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle

Obesity is known to induce inhibition of glucose uptake, reduction of lipid metabolism, and progressive loss of skeletal muscle function, which are all as- sociated with mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle. Mitochondria are dy- namic organelles that regulate cellular metabolism and bioenergetics, including ATP production via oxidative phosphorylation. Due to these critical roles of mitochon- dria, mitochondrial dysfunction results in various diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Obesity is associated with impairment of mitochondrial function (e.g., decrease in O2 respiration and increase in oxidative stress) in skeletal muscle. The bal- ance between mitochondrial fusion and fission is critical to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis in skeletal muscle. Obesity impairs mitochondrial dynamics, leading to an unbalance between fusion and fission by favorably shifting fission or reducing fusion proteins. Mitophagy is the catabolic process of damaged or unnecessary mito- chondria. Obesity reduces mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle and increases accumulation of dysfunctional cellular organelles, suggesting that mitophagy does not work properly in obesity. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are reported to trigger apoptosis, and mitochondrial apoptosis is induced by obesity in skeletal muscle. It is well known that exercise is the most effective intervention to protect against obesity. Although the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which exercise protects against obesity-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal mus- cle are not clearly elucidated, exercise training attenuates mitochondrial dysfunction, allows mitochondria to maintain the balance between mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy, and reduces apoptotic signaling in obese skeletal muscle

Comparing the Performance of Machine Learning and Deep Learning Algorithms in Wastewater Treatment Process

This study assessed the performance of single and modified algorithms based on machine learning and deep learning for wastewater treatment process. More specifically, this study adopted support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and artificial neural network (ANN) for machine learning as well as long short-term memory (LSTM) for deep learning. The performance of these (single) algorithms were compared with that of modified ones processed through hyperparameter tuning, ensemble learning (only for machine learning), and multi-layer stacking (i.e., two layers of LSTM units). The daily effluent of wastewater treatment process observed between 2017 and 2022 in the Cheong-Ju National Industrial Complex was used as input to all tested algorithms, which was evaluated with respect to mean squared error. For the model performance evaluation, discharge and biochemical oxygen demand are selected as dependent variables out of nine measured parameters. Results showed that the performance of any machine learning algorithms was superior to their competitor LSTM. This is mainly attributed to a small amount of input data provided to the LSTM algorithm and unstable effluent wastewater characteristics. Meanwhile, hyperparameter tuning improved the performance of all tested algorithms. However, ensemble learning for machine learning and two-layer stacking for LSTM generally resulted in performance degradation as compared to that of single algorithms, regardless of dependent variables. Therefore, this calls for a careful design and evaluation of modified algorithms, specifically for model architecture and performance improvement processes

A Case of Superficial Giant Basal Cell Carcinoma with Satellite Lesions on Scalp

Giant basal cell carcinoma (BCC), defined as a lesion greater than 5 cm at its largest diameter, is a rare variant of BCC. In contrast to small BCC, giant BCC develops on skin that is not exposed to sunlight, including the back, shoulder, groin and thigh. Most of the histopathologic subtypes of giant BCC are micronodular, morpheaform and nodular, but the superficial subtype is rare. Giant superficial BCC arising on the scalp is extremely rare. We report the case of giant superficial BCC with four satellite lesions on the scalp in a 53-year-old male without predisposing factors

A Case of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Patient with Coombs' Negative Hemolytic Anemia and Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Coombs' negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a rare disease which shares similar clinical and hematological features with Coombs' positive AIHA, but its exact frequency remains unknown. There have been few reports of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and Coombs' negative AIHA associated with other lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs). Since there is a well known association between LPDs and autoimmune phenomena, it is important to investigate the possibility of an underlying malignancy. We report a case of ITP and Coombs' negative AIHA associated with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat network underlies nonhost resistance of pepper against the Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans

Nonhost resistance (NHR) is a robust plant immune response against non-adapted pathogens. A number of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins that recognize non-adapted pathogens have been identified, although the underlying molecular mechanisms driving robustness of NHR are still unknown. Here, we screened 57 effectors of the potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans in nonhost pepper (Capsicum annuum) to identify avirulence effector candidates. Selected effectors were tested against 436 genome-wide cloned pepper NLRs, and we identified multiple functional NLRs that recognize P. infestans effectors and confer disease resistance in the Nicotiana benthamiana as a surrogate system. The identified NLRs were homologous to known NLRs derived from wild potatoes that recognize P. infestans effectors such as Avr2, Avrblb1, Avrblb2, and Avrvnt1. The identified CaRpi-blb2 is a homologue of Rpi-blb2, recognizes Avrblb2 family effectors, exhibits feature of lineage-specifically evolved gene in microsynteny and phylogenetic analyses, and requires pepper-specific NRC (NLR required for cell death)-type helper NLR for proper function. Moreover, CaRpi-blb2–mediated hypersensitive response and blight resistance were more tolerant to suppression by the PITG_15 278 than those mediated by Rpi-blb2. Combined results indicate that pepper has stacked multiple NLRs recognizing effectors of non-adapted P. infestans, and these NLRs could be more tolerant to pathogen-mediated immune suppression than NLRs derived from the host plants. Our study suggests that NLRs derived from nonhost plants have potential as untapped resources to develop crops with durable resistance against fast-evolving pathogens by stacking the network of nonhost NLRs into susceptible host plants

Exercise Training Attenuates Ovariectomy-Induced Alterations in Skeletal Muscle Remodeling, Apoptotic Signaling, and Atrophy Signaling in Rat Skeletal Muscle

Purpose The effects of aerobic exercise training on soleus muscle morphology, mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling, and atrophy/hypertrophy signaling in ovariectomized rat skeletal muscle were investigated. Methods Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control (CON), ovariectomy (OVX), and ovariectomy plus exercise (OVX+EX) groups. After ovarian excision, exercise training was performed using a rat treadmill at 20 m/min, 50 min/day, 5 days/week for 12 weeks. Protein levels of mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling and atrophy/hypertrophy signaling in the skeletal muscle (soleus) were examined through western immunoblot analysis. Results The number of myocytes and myocyte cross-sectional area (CSA) were increased and the extramyocyte space was decreased in the OVX group compared to those in the CON group. However, aerobic exercise training significantly increased myocyte CSA and decreased extramyocyte space in the OVX+EX group compared to those in the OVX group. The protein levels of proapoptotic signaling and muscle atrophy signaling were significantly increased, whereas the protein levels of muscle hypertrophy signaling were significantly decreased in the OVX group compared to that in the CON group. Aerobic exercise training significantly decreased the protein levels of proapoptotic signaling and increased the protein level of antiapoptotic protein in the OVX+EX group compared to that in the OVX group. Aerobic exercise training significantly increased the protein levels of hypertrophy signaling and decreased protein levels of atrophy signaling in the OVX+EX group compared to those in the OVX group. Conclusions Treadmill exercise improved estrogen deficiency-induced impairment in skeletal muscle remodeling, mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling, and atrophy/hypertrophy signaling in skeletal muscle