5,978 research outputs found
Çelik Çerçevelerin LRFD-AISC Şartnamesine Göre Av Arama Optimizasyon Yöntemi Kullanılarak Optimum Boyutlandırılması
Konferans Bildirisi -- Teorik ve Uygulamalı Mekanik Türk Milli Komitesi, 2013Conference Paper -- Theoretical and Applied Mechanical Turkish National Committee, 2013Bu çalışmada çelik çerçeveler için av arama optimizasyon yöntemini temel alan bir optimum tasarım algoritması sunulmaktadır. Aslan, kurt ve yunus gibi hayvanların gurup olarak avlanmalarından esinlenilerek geliştirilmiş olan av arama optimizasyon yöntemi de bu tekniklerin son dönemlerde ön plana çıkanlarından biridir. Bu avcılarıjn her biri avlanmalarını farklı şekillerde gerçekleştirir. Fakat ortak yönleri grup içinde birlikte av aramalarıdır. Avın etrafı çembere alınır ve yakalanana kadar çember daraltılır. Mevcut çalışmada av arama tekniği çerçeve optimizasyon algoritmasının otomasyonu için kullanılmıştır. İki boyutlu çelik çerçevelerin optimum tasarımının gereği olarak; yapı elemanlarının W profiline uygun olması, LRFD-AISC tasarım şartnamelerindeki sınırlayıcıları sağlaması ve çerçevenin minimum ağırlığa sahip olması gerekmektedir. Bu amaçla burkulmayı da hesaba katan dayanım sınırlayıcıları göz önünde bulundurulmuş ve algoritmanın kolon ve kirişler için Amerikan Şartnamesindeki 272 kesit içerisinden seçim yapması sağlanmıştır. Her bir grup içindeki elemanlara aynı kesitin tayin edilebilmesi için eleman gruplandırılması yapılmıştır. Şartnamedeki sınırlayıcıları dikkate alarak minimum çerçeve ağırlığını hesaplayan bu algoritmanın etkinliği örnek problemlerle gösterilmiştir.This study presents a hunting search based optimum design algorithm for moment resisting steel frames. Hunting search algorithm is a numerical optimization method inspired by group hunting of animals such as wolves, lions, and dolphins. Each of these hunters performs hunting in a different way. However, they are common in that all of them look for a prey in a group. Prey is encircled and the ring of siege is tightened gradually until it is caught. Hunting search is employed for the automation of optimum design process, during which size variables are selected from an available W-steel section list in such a way that the weight of frame is minimum and the design constraints are satisfied. Provisions of LRFD-AISC (Load and Resistant Factor Design-American Institute of Steel Construction) are considered to formulate the optimum design problem. Different numerical examples are designed by the presented algorithm to demonstrate its efficiency. Results reveal that hunting search shows good performance in finding optimum solutions for moment resisting steel frames
Is neck circumference measurement an indicator for abdominal obesity? A pilot study on Turkish Adults
Background: Neck circumference (NC) measurement is one of the simple screening measurements which can be used as an index of upper body fat distribution to identify obesity.Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between neck circumferences and obesity.Methods:A total 411 volunteer adults participated in this study (174 men, 237 women). A questionnaire which consisted of anthropometric measurements and demographic features was used. Patients with NC ≥37 cm for men and ≥34 cm for women require evaluation of overweight status.Results: The percentages of the men and women with BMI ≥ 25kg/m2 were 55.2% and 27.0% respectively and with high neck circumferences were 85.1% and 38.8%, respectively. The percentages of the men and women with high waist circumference were 31.6% and 79.3%, respectively. In both gender there were positive significant correlations between neck circumference, body weight (men, r=0.576; women, r=0.702; p=0.000), waist circumferences (men, r=0.593; women r=0.667; p=0.000), hip circumferences (men, r=0.568; women, r=0.617; p=0.000) and BMI (men, r=0.587; women, r=0.688; p=0.000).Conclusions: This study indicates that NC was associated with body weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences and waist/hip ratio for men and women. A significant association was found between NC and conventional overweight and obesity indexes. NC was associated with waist/hip ratio for men and women.Key words: Neck circumference, obesity
Accurate structure factors from pseudopotential methods
Highly accurate experimental structure factors of silicon are available in
the literature, and these provide the ideal test for any \emph{ab initio}
method for the construction of the all-electron charge density. In a recent
paper [J. R. Trail and D. M. Bird, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 60}, 7863 (1999)] a method
has been developed for obtaining an accurate all-electron charge density from a
first principles pseudopotential calculation by reconstructing the core region
of an atom of choice. Here this method is applied to bulk silicon, and
structure factors are derived and compared with experimental and Full-potential
Linear Augmented Plane Wave results (FLAPW). We also compare with the result of
assuming the core region is spherically symmetric, and with the result of
constructing a charge density from the pseudo-valence density + frozen core
electrons. Neither of these approximations provide accurate charge densities.
The aspherical reconstruction is found to be as accurate as FLAPW results, and
reproduces the residual error between the FLAPW and experimental results.Comment: 6 Pages, 3 figure
Finite size melting of spherical solid-liquid aluminium interfaces
We have investigated the melting of nano-sized cone shaped aluminium needles
coated with amorphous carbon using transmission electron microscopy. The
interface between solid and liquid aluminium was found to have spherical
topology. For needles with fixed apex angle, the depressed melting temperature
of this spherical interface, with radius , was found to scale linearly with
the inverse radius . However, by varying the apex angle of the needles we
show that the proportionality constant between the depressed melting
temperature and the inverse radius changes significantly. This lead us to the
conclusion that the depressed melting temperature is not controlled solely by
the inverse radius . Instead we found a direct relation between the
depressed melting temperature and the ratio between the solid-liquid interface
area and the molten volume.Comment: to appear in Philosophical Magazine (2009
Average Structures of a Single Knotted Ring Polymer
Two types of average structures of a single knotted ring polymer are studied
by Brownian dynamics simulations. For a ring polymer with N segments, its
structure is represented by a 3N -dimensional conformation vector consisting of
the Cartesian coordinates of the segment positions relative to the center of
mass of the ring polymer. The average structure is given by the average
conformation vector, which is self-consistently defined as the average of the
conformation vectors obtained from a simulation each of which is rotated to
minimize its distance from the average conformation vector. From each
conformation vector sampled in a simulation, 2N conformation vectors are
generated by changing the numbering of the segments. Among the 2N conformation
vectors, the one closest to the average conformation vector is used for one
type of the average structure. The other type of the averages structure uses
all the conformation vectors generated from those sampled in a simulation. In
thecase of the former average structure, the knotted part of the average
structure is delocalized for small N and becomes localized as N is increased.
In the case of the latter average structure, the average structure changes from
a double loop structure for small N to a single loop structure for large N,
which indicates the localization-delocalization transition of the knotted part.Comment: 15 pages, 19 figures, uses jpsj2.cl
Meripilus giganteus ethanolic extract exhibits pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative effects in leukemic cell lines.
Background: The interest towards botanicals and plant extracts has strongly risen due to their numerous biological effects and ability to counteract chronic diseases development. Among these effects, chemoprevention which represents the possibility to counteract the cancerogenetic process is one of the most studied. The extracts of mushroom Meripilus giganteus (MG) (Phylum of Basidiomycota) showed to exert antimicrobic, antioxidant and antiproliferative effects. Therefore, since its effect in leukemic cell lines has not been previously evaluated, we studied its potential chemopreventive effect in Jurkat and HL-60 cell lines.
Methods: MG ethanolic extract was characterized for its antioxidant activity and scavenging effect against different radical species. Moreover, its phenolic profile was evaluated by HPLC-MS-MS analyses. Flow cytometry (FCM) analyses of Jurkat and HL-60 cells treated with MG extract (0\u2013750 \u3bcg/mL) for 24\u201372 h- allowed to evaluate its cytotoxicity, proapoptotic and anti-proliferative effect. To better characterize MG pro-apoptotic mechanism ROS intracellular level and the gene expression level of FAS, BAX and BCL2 were also evaluated. Moreover, to assess MG extract selectivity towards cancer cells, its cytotoxicity was also evaluated in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL).
Results: MG extract induced apoptosis in Jurkat and HL-60 cells in a dose- and time- dependent manner by increasing BAX/BCL2 ratio, reducing ROS intracellular level and inducing FAS gene expression level. In fact, reduced ROS level is known to be related to the activation of apoptosis in leukemic cells by the involvement of death receptors. MG extract also induced cell-cycle arrest in HL-60 cells. Moreover, IC50 at 24 h treatment resulted 2 times higher in PBL than in leukemic cell lines.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that MG extract might be considered a promising and partially selective chemopreventive agent since it is able to modulate different mechanisms in transformed cells at concentrations lower than in non-transformed ones
Effects of genotype by environment interaction on agronomic and functional flour properties among cassava genotypes targeted for industrial use
Open Access ArticleThe study was carried out to evaluate the genotype by environment (G × E) interaction on physicochemical and functional properties of ten (10) cassava advanced genotypes and improved varieties. The genotypes and varieties were collected from a multi-location trial (Uniform yield) of the IITA breeding program at four research stations in Malawi. Based on the results, G × E interaction was highly significant (P ≤ 0.001) in explaining the variance of the physicochemical parameters and functional properties. Thus, G × E interaction highly influenced starch and amylopectin contents, swelling power, and water binding capacity. Additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) analysis identified I010040, MM06/0045 and TMSL110080 genotypes and Mbundumali, Mpale and Sagonja varieties as the most stable with high yield performance hence recommended for cultivation in a wide range of environments for the production of high quality cassava flour (HQCF) and starch for various industrial applications such as the production of ethanol, biofuels, starch and glucose syrup in chemical industries; thickeners, stabilizers, and texture modifiers in food, bakery and confectionery industries
Data on assessment of flours from advanced genotypes and improved cassava varieties for industrial applications
Open Access Journal; Published online: 28 Aug 2021The data presented in this article are related to the research paper “Physicochemical parameters and functional properties of flours from advanced genotypes and improved cassava varieties for industrial applications” [1]. The genotypes were collected from a multi-location (Uniform yield Trial) trial of the IITA breeding program in Malawi. The data were obtained using multiple analytical techniques and methodology such as oven-drying, sieving, colorimetry, titration, acid hydrolysis method, the Kjeldahl procedure, UV/VIS spectrophotometry, and centrifugation.The data set contains physicochemical parameters described dry matter (on fresh weight basis), moisture content, pH and total titratable acidy, the content of ash, bulk density; chemical properties were described by total cyanogen potential, total starch, amylose, amylopectin, crude protein and total carbohydrates; functional properties were described by swelling power, water solubility, water binding capacity and oil absorption capacity. The presented data are valuable for cassava breeders, food scientists, nutritionists, and other researchers working on breeding and processing cassava for innovative product development from cassava flour
Hepatitis B infection in HIV-1-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy in Lomé, Togo: Prevalence and molecular consequences
Background. No data are available on HIV/hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus coinfection in Togo, and patients are not routinely tested for HBV infection.Objectives. To determine the prevalence of HBV and the risk of HBV drug resistance during antiretroviral treatment in HIV-coinfected patients in Togo.Method. This cross-sectional study was carried out in Lomé, Togo, from January 2010 to December 2011 among HIV-infected patients who had been on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for at least 6 months.Results. In total, 1 212 patients (74.9% female) living with HIV/AIDS and treated with ART were included in the study. The seroprevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was 9.7% (117/1 212; 95% confidence interval (CI) 8.04 - 11.45). Of these 117 HBsAg-positive patients, 16 (13.7%) were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive, and 115 (98.3%) were on lamivudine. The HBV DNA load was >10 IU/ mL in 33/117 patients overall (38%), and in 87.5% of 16 HBeAg positive patients (p<0.0001). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with HBV DNA load >10 IU/mL were HBeAg positivity (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 6.4; p=0.001) and a higher level of education (aOR 6.5; p=0.026). The prevalence of HBV resistance to lamivudine was 13.0% (15/115; 95% CI 7.0 - 19.0). The detected resistance mutations were rtL180M (14/15 patients) and rtM204V/I (15/15).Conclusion. The seroprevalence of HBV among ART-treated HIV-infected patients in Togo was 9.7%. The prevalence of HBV lamivudine resistance mutations after 2 years of ART was 13.0%. These results suggest that HBV screening before ART initiation can be based on HBsAg testing
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