Assembly Of Elements Research Articles

Priz Hızlandırıcı Katkılı Betonun Mekanik ve Dayanıklılık Özelliklerinin Taguchi Optimizasyonu

It is very important to save time during the assembly of prefabricated elements. In wet connection types, the setting time of the concrete might lead time lose. There are many studies investigates the methods to shorten the setting time of concrete. Especially in the recent years, there are accelerators developed to shorten concrete setting time without causing corrosion. However, the negative effect of accelerators on fresh concrete properties such as workability makes them difficult to use. In this study, it is aimed to produce a concrete mixture with high initial strength and workability by using an accelerator. However, it is highly difficult to determine proper ratio of the accelerator for the mixture without precasting significant number of concrete samples which requires time, manpower and material consumption. Therefore, Taguchi optimization is very useful method in order to reduce this number of samples and effort. The optimum mixture has been achieved by performing the required tests applied to mixture designs obtained from Taguchi optimization.

RBM46 is essential for gametogenesis and functions in post-transcriptional roles affecting meiotic cohesin subunits.

RBM46 is a germ cell-specific RNA-binding protein required for gametogenesis, but the targets and molecular functions of RBM46 remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that RBM46 binds at specific motifs in the 3'UTRs of mRNAs encoding multiple meiotic cohesin subunits and show that RBM46 is required for normal synaptonemal complex formation during meiosis initiation. Using a recently reported, high-resolution technique known as LACE-seq and working with low-input cells, we profiled the targets of RBM46 at single-nucleotide resolution in leptotene and zygotene stage gametes. We found that RBM46 preferentially binds target mRNAs containing GCCUAU/GUUCGA motifs in their 3'UTRs regions. In Rbm46 knockout mice, the RBM46-target cohesin subunits displayed unaltered mRNA levels but had reduced translation, resulting in the failed assembly of axial elements, synapsis disruption, and meiotic arrest. Our study thus provides mechanistic insights into the molecular functions of RBM46 in gametogenesis and illustrates the power of LACE-seq for investigations of RNA-binding protein functions when working with low-abundance input materials.

Offsite Construction education adoption in Civil Engineering undergraduate curriculum: analysis and proposal

Offsite construction (OSC) is not new globally yet is still not widespread in Civil Engineering (CE) programs. This study proposes strategies for implementing OSC education in a CE undergraduate program curriculum. The research method used was the exploratory field study. Data were collected from three online questionnaires sent to interested parties: OSC industry professionals, faculty members, and final-year students. Each questionnaire sought to answer a specific objective of this study: to identify the design and onsite assembly competencies demanded by the industry, identify the interfaces between OSC and the CE program curriculum and determine the level of confidence of final-year students in applying OSC competencies. The collected data analysis was qualitative and generated from a crossing of the data from the three questionnaires, which supported the proposition of hypotheses for the insertion of OSC teaching by identifying the needs, deficiencies, and difficulties the three interested parties presented. Findings suggest that the OSC competencies most demanded by the industry are about knowing how to detail the interfaces between the components and the parts of the construction site, guarantee the assembly of elements within the deadlines, or learning how to take safety measures against accidents during the construction site. Data also suggest that students are interested in the subject but graduate with little confidence in applying most of the design and onsite assembly competencies demanded by the industry. One of the few exceptions is the knowledge to take safety measures against accidents on the job site. As a result, two hypotheses were generated to adopt OSC teaching in a Civil Engineering program.

Engineering an optimized expression operating unit for improved recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli

Common strategies to improve recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli often involve the test and optimization of several different variables, when using traditional expression vectors that are commercially available. Now, modern synthetic biology-based strategies allow for extensive modifications of these traditional vectors, or even construction of entirely new modular vectors, so as to permit tunable production of the recombinant proteins of interest. Herein, we describe the engineering of a new expression operating unit (EOU; 938 bp) for producing recombinant proteins in E. coli, through the combinatorial assembly of standardized and well-characterized genetic elements required for transcription and translation (promoter, operator site, RBS, junction RBS-CDS, cloning module, transcriptional terminator). We also constructed a novel T7 promoter variant with increased transcriptional activity (1.7-fold higher), when compared to the canonical wild type T7 promoter sequence. This new EOU yielded an improved production of the reporter protein superfolder GFP (sfGFP) in E. coli BL21(DE3) (relative fluorescence units/RFU = 70.62 ± 1.62 A U.) when compared to a high-producing control expression vector (plasmid BBa_I746909; RFU = 59.68 ± 1.82 A U.). The yields of purified soluble recombinant sfGFP were also higher when using the new EOU (188 mg L−1 culture vs. 108 mg L−1 in the control) and it performed similarly well when inserted into different plasmid backbones (pOPT1.0/AmpR and pOPT2.0/CmR).

Development of Road Infrastructure and The Legitimacy of Changing the Method of Assembly of Road Construction Elements With the Use of Vibration Isolation

Development of Road Infrastructure and The Legitimacy of Changing the Method of Assembly of Road Construction Elements With the Use of Vibration Isolation

A model for advanced planning systems dedicated to the Engineer-To-Order context

This paper presents a new mathematical formulation for planning and scheduling activities in the Engineer To Order (ETO) context. Designed from an Advanced Planning System perspective, the proposed formulation not only schedules production operations but also takes into account the assembly, design, engineering, and validation phases. The definition of resources is thus generic and enables to model employees, finite capacity machines, and consumable materials. The definition of operations allows to represent short production operations, respecting precedence relations representing the assembly of elements, but also non-physical activities. Non-physical activities are longer, subject to validation, and applied once for multiple identical elements. Furthermore, to integrate planning and scheduling, the proposed formulation is not limited to time-based objectives but also considers financial and organizational aspects. The experiments carried out on instances with up to 100 operations show that our model performs well and requires reasonable computing times. Besides, we propose an ETO strategy that tends to validate the design of non-standard and highly uncertain items first and delay their production or purchase. Our integrated model governed by the proposed ETO strategy is compared to a model that mimics decision processes in existing industrial systems. The comparative study and experimental results highlight how this strategy yields robust integrated solutions that offer a good trade-off between the wastes caused by unpredictable changes in the BOM and the projects completion time.

Magnetic-based detection of muscular contraction for controlling hand prosthesis

Muscle contraction information from the residual upper-limb of an amputee can generate intention-based control to prosthetic devices. There are several approaches such as electromyography (EMG), force myography (FMG), and mechanomyography (MMG) that can directly or indirectly measure muscular contractions. However, these techniques suffer from the problems like ambient noise, motion artifacts, inappropriate contact with the skin, inaccurate output, and high cost of measurement. In this work, a novel magnetic-based Hall myography (HMG) technique is introduced that can precisely measure the muscular contractions from the subject's upper-limb. The sensor setup consists of a magnetic coupler and Hall element assembly separated by a mechanical spring. Any contraction from the muscle produces gradual movement of the magnet towards the hall element. This change in displacement is sensed by the hall element and is then translated to a 0–5 V linear output using appropriate preprocessing hardware and software. The sensor performance was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, repeatability, hysteresis, and frequency response. In detecting muscle contractions from the forearm of subjects, the sensor showed highly correlated output (r > 0.94, p-value<0.0001) with the EMG sensor. Moreover, the sensor showed better signal stability and similar dynamic behavior as compared to the EMG sensor. Further, the utility of the sensor was tested for controlling hand prosthesis. Subjects wearing the sensor were able to control the flexion of prosthetic hand fingers proportionally according to their intensity of muscle contraction. With several advantages, Hall myography can replace the EMG technique for prosthesis control application.

Coupling the discrete element method and solid state diffusion equations for modeling of metallic powders sintering

A novel discrete element method-based approach for modeling of solid state sintering of spherical metallic powder is presented. It tackles the interplay between the thermodynamical mass transport effects arising in the vicinity of the grain boundary between the particles and their mechanical interaction. To deal with the former, an elementary model is used that describes the behavior of the matter flow at the grain boundary such that neck growth and shrinkage are properly captured. The model solves a set of partial differential equations which drive the changes of the corresponding geometry parameters. Their evolution is transformed into the equivalent normal sintering force arising in each sinter neck. To capture the mechanical interaction of particles due to their rearrangement resulting from the geometry changes of each individual contact, the entire assembly is modeled as an assembly of 2-nodal structural elements with 6 degrees of freedom per node. The stiffness properties are estimated employing the approximations from the bonded DEM. The numerical implementation then constitutes a two-step staggered solution scheme, where these models are applied sequentially. The performed benchmarks reveal the plausibility of the proposed approach and exhibit good agreement of both neck growth and shrinkage rates obtained in the numerical simulations with the experimental data.

CONSTRUCTION METHOD OF ABILA PRECAST CONCRETE FOR HOUSING

The purpose of this research is to arrange the stages of implementation of the ABILA precast concrete construction method to be applied to housing construction so that it can be used as a reference for future development. While the purpose of this research is to arrange the stages of housing construction with ABILA precast panels starting from the precast concrete production stage, transportation or mobilization of materials to the installation process and final completion. Precast concrete can speed up processing time, save costs, and minimize waste for formwork and scaffolding. In the world of construction, any waste of construction material must be reduced or even eliminated. The application of Precast Concrete is very easy, considering its plug and play nature. Besides being easy, precast concrete has quite a lot of applications, especially the Abila Panel which has a function as a building structure, it can also be used as fences, floors and drainage channels. The level of the implementation method for the development of precast concrete technology is divided into several levels between prefabrication, preassembly, and module. The implementation method of building a house with ABILA precast concrete takes 14 days in the field, starting from panel installation to finishing. The construction method includes prefabrication in the workshop, mobilization of panels to the job site, assembly of structural elements, installation of brick walls, installation of roof structures and roof coverings, electrical and mechanical floor work, installation of ventilation doors and windows and paint finishing.

CONSTRUCTION METHOD OF ABILA PRECAST CONCRETE FOR HOUSING

The purpose of this research is to arrange the stages of implementation of the ABILA precast concrete construction method to be applied to housing construction so that it can be used as a reference for future development. While the purpose of this research is to arrange the stages of housing construction with ABILA precast panels starting from the precast concrete production stage, transportation or mobilization of materials to the installation process and final completion. Precast concrete can speed up processing time, save costs, and minimize waste for formwork and scaffolding. In the world of construction, any waste of construction material must be reduced or even eliminated. The application of Precast Concrete is very easy, considering its plug and play nature. Besides being easy, precast concrete has quite a lot of applications, especially the Abila Panel which has a function as a building structure, it can also be used as fences, floors and drainage channels. The level of the implementation method for the development of precast concrete technology is divided into several levels between prefabrication, preassembly, and module. The implementation method of building a house with ABILA precast concrete takes 14 days in the field, starting from panel installation to finishing. The construction method includes prefabrication in the workshop, mobilization of panels to the job site, assembly of structural elements, installation of brick walls, installation of roof structures and roof coverings, electrical and mechanical floor work, installation of ventilation doors and windows and paint finishing.

Abstract 2705: Detection and assembly of extrachromosomal DNA in tumors with nanopore sequencing

Abstract In cancer, parts of linear chromosomes containing coding and regulatory sequences can become excised and form novel circular extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) molecules. Because ecDNA lack centromeres, their replication and segregation during cell division is not limited by laws of Mendelian inheritance. This allows ecDNA to drive rapid oncogene amplification and intra-tumor heterogeneity, leading to better tumor adaption to changing microenvironments and increasing the potential for drug treatment resistance. Detection and assembly of ecDNA plays an important role in cancer research and can help inform treatment. We present a computational workflow capable of detecting and assembling ecDNA in tumors by processing long nanopore reads at shallow whole genome coverage levels. Briefly, the workflow first identifies reference genomic regions with sample-specific excess in read-depth coverage (i.e. focal amplifications). Then long nanopore reads overlapping these regions are extracted and used as input for local de-novo assembly. Resulting assemblies are then refined to have a reference-based representation of ecDNA-comprising fragments, highlighting their new relative order, orientation, and structural differences from canonical reference/matching normal sample, followed by reporting of non-reference inserted sequences for further analysis (e.g., viral integration detection). We evaluate the proposed approach on low-pass whole genome nanopore sequencing data from a variety of ecDNA-containing cell lines. We observe that the proposed nanopore-based workflow detects ecDNA presence and assembles its amplicon structure in concordance with previously published results. We further demonstrate the stability of obtained results with ≤1x target WGS coverage levels, suggesting that the output obtained from a MinION nanopore sequencer would be suitable for conducting multi-site tumor multiplex sequencing for analyzing intra-tumor ecDNA abundance and structural heterogeneity. We show that the real-time nature of nanopore sequencing allows for detection and assembly of ecDNA elements within just a few hours of sequencing, paving the way for a rapid turnaround ecDNA analysis. Notably, because of the unique ability of nanopore reads to retain single-molecule methylation signals, the proposed workflow allows for identification of differentially methylated regions both across intra-tumor multi-site samples, as well as in a tumor vs normal comparison, thus shedding light in acquisition/loss of DNA modifications in ecDNA. These results show how nanopore sequencing can be used as cost- and time-effective stand-alone platform to detect ecDNA presence and analyze its structure, while also revealing the dimension of ecDNA methylation in tumor samples. Oxford Nanopore Technologies products are not intended for use for health assessment or to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Citation Format: Sergey Aganezov, John Beaulaurier, Eoghan Harrington, Sissel Juul. Detection and assembly of extrachromosomal DNA in tumors with nanopore sequencing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2705.

Conceptual design and investigation of an innovative joint for the rapid and precise assembly of precast UHPC elements

Buildings assembled on site from precast concrete elements have several advantages compared to monolithic structures, such as fabrication in flow production, rapid and precise erection as well as controlled disassembly. The joints of segmental structures have a significant influence on the design of the structure, the assembly and the load transfer of the bearing elements. In this study, the mechanism of shear force transmission of a developed ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) mortise in conjunction with a steel tenon under additional post-tensioning forces was investigated. Numerical investigations and experimental tests were conducted focusing on the shear behavior of planar surfaces, the load–displacement behavior of the developed dry joint and the failure modes under different normal stresses. The results show that the Coulomb friction law is not fully applicable to the friction of plane UHPC surfaces with micro-roughness under high normal stresses. The data obtained from FE simulations show good agreement with the results from full-scale experimental tests and the characteristic shear capacities are adequate for further design of the developed dry joint.

On Memory Traffic and Optimisations for Low-order Finite Element Assembly Algorithms on Multi-core CPUs

Motivated by the wish to understand the achievable performance of finite element assembly on unstructured computational meshes, we dissect the standard cellwise assembly algorithm into four kernels, two of which are dominated by irregular memory traffic. Several optimisation schemes are studied together with associated lower and upper bounds on the estimated memory traffic volume. Apart from properly reordering the mesh entities, the two most significant optimisations include adopting a lookup table in adding element matrices or vectors to their global counterparts, and using a row-wise assembly algorithm for multi-threaded parallelisation. Rigorous benchmarking shows that, due to the various optimisations, the actual volumes of memory traffic are in many cases very close to the estimated lower bounds. These results confirm the effectiveness of the optimisations, while also providing a recipe for developing efficient software for finite element assembly.

A novel tension strap connection for rapid assembly of temporary timber structures

Emergency temporary housing is a critical component of post-disaster response and recovery. Their successful deployment requires structures to be low cost, easy to assemble, and with a capacity to adapt to local material and manufacturing availability. This paper proposes a novel ‘strap joint’ for the rapid assembly of lightweight timber elements and prefabricated panels. The joint utilises a low-cost and widely available packaging strap material, tensioned around timber elements to form a semi-rigid, adaptable structural connection. Experimental, numerical, and theoretical studies were conducted to evaluate joint semi-rigid structural behaviour. Joints are observed to possess a non-linear and highly ductile moment–rotation response, that arises from tension strap elongation, timber local bearing, and joint rotational deformation. A portal frame numerical model and full-scale physical prototype are also developed to contextualise the utility of the proposed strap connection for an emergency housing application.

Truss Parametrization of Topology Optimization Results with Curve Skeletons and Meta Balls

AbstractTruss-like shapes can occur in topology optimization described by an assembly of finite elements or its boundary represented as a polygon mesh. Such shape description does not cover a common engineering parametrization like the lines of a frame structure and its corresponding cross-section. This article addresses the truss-parametrization of such optimization using curve skeletons and Meta Balls. While the curve skeleton is common in the truss-parametrization, including Meta Balls can lead to an overall implicit and smooth shape description.

Functions and Regulation of Meiotic HORMA-Domain Proteins.

During meiosis, homologous chromosomes must recognize, pair, and recombine with one another to ensure the formation of inter-homologue crossover events, which, together with sister chromatid cohesion, promote correct chromosome orientation on the first meiotic spindle. Crossover formation requires the assembly of axial elements, proteinaceous structures that assemble along the length of each chromosome during early meiosis, as well as checkpoint mechanisms that control meiotic progression by monitoring pairing and recombination intermediates. A conserved family of proteins defined by the presence of a HORMA (HOp1, Rev7, MAd2) domain, referred to as HORMADs, associate with axial elements to control key events of meiotic prophase. The highly conserved HORMA domain comprises a flexible safety belt sequence, enabling it to adopt at least two of the following protein conformations: one closed, where the safety belt encircles a small peptide motif present within an interacting protein, causing its topological entrapment, and the other open, where the safety belt is reorganized and no interactor is trapped. Although functional studies in multiple organisms have revealed that HORMADs are crucial regulators of meiosis, the mechanisms by which HORMADs implement key meiotic events remain poorly understood. In this review, we summarize protein complexes formed by HORMADs, discuss their roles during meiosis in different organisms, draw comparisons to better characterize non-meiotic HORMADs (MAD2 and REV7), and highlight possible areas for future research.

Multilayer Dielectric Periodic Antenna Structure in a Cascade View

The spectral response of the periodic antenna structure placed in a dielectric homogeneous medium depends on the antenna geometry, the parameters of the medium, the angle of incidence, polarization, and the geometry of the excitation field. Increasing the number of antenna structure parameters can be achieved by introducing a multilayer dielectric medium with a certain number of metallized periodic surfaces located on flat boundaries between the dielectric layers. There are two complementary approaches to the analysis of such structures. In the first, the composite antenna system is analysed by constructing supermodes of the entire structure. In the second, the system is considered as a cascade assembly of flat discrete elements, i.e., the boundaries between two dielectrics, periodic metallized planes, and dielectric layers. The latter approach leads to the definition of the scattering, transmission, or impedance matrix of the entire structure by cascading the corresponding matrices associated with the individual discrete elements of the antenna structure. It is particularly useful in modelling dielectric multilayer antenna walls, where the stored data on one planar antenna element can be used many times in the analysis of various antenna systems with modified parameters of other discrete structure elements. Microstrip antennas combine field and peripheral problems and require the use of analytical methods of a high degree of complexity. Therefore, at present, there are no standard methods that can be used in engineering practice. This work is a step towards filling these gaps.

A hyperextension assemblage, imbricated in Archean–Paleoproterozoic crust, at the base of the Kalak Nappe Complex in the northern Scandinavian Caledonides

The break-up of continents generates dyke swarms, basins and hyperextension assemblages. Once incorporated into new orogens, the latter can provide crucial information about origins and tectonic processes. The Nålfjell Complex in the Caledonian Skillefjord Nappe of northern Norway has many of the characteristics of a hyperextension assemblage, notably the presence of solitary serpentinite bodies exposed by the exhumation of serpentinized mantle and now embedded in schists, amphibolites, mylonites, marbles and felsic gneisses. The Skillefjord Nappe is a lithologically diverse, imbricated and discontinuous allochthon. It consists of felsic gneisses and dykes dated by zircon U–Pb to c. 3100, 2940, 2830, 2510 and 1800–1750 Ma. These rocks yield titanite ages of 2810–2700, 1750, 1660–1590 and 430–420 Ma. Metagabbro intruded at 1995 Ma. The ages and evolution of the Skillefjord Nappe are distinct from those of the structurally higher Svaertholt Terrane (&gt;1030 Ma sediments deformed and intruded by granite at 980–950 Ma) and the Sørøy Terrane (characterized by a multi-stage 900–500 Ma evolution). The assembly of these disparate elements was completed at 420 Ma. The timing of hyperextension is uncertain. The serpentinites have a primitive Pb isotopic composition indicating old depleted mantle lithosphere. Extensional processes from the Paleoproterozoic to Ediacaran are considered. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Caledonian Wilson cycle collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/caledonian-wilson-cycle

Bioinformatic Design of Dendritic Cell-Specific Synthetic Promoters

Next-generation DNA vectors for cancer immunotherapies and vaccine development require promoters eliciting predefined transcriptional activities specific to target cell types, such as dendritic cells (DCs), which underpin immune response. In this study, we describe the de novo design of DC-specific synthetic promoters via in silico assembly of cis-transcription factor response elements (TFREs) that harness the DC transcriptional landscape. Using computational genome mining approaches, candidate TFREs were identified within promoter sequences of highly expressed DC-specific genes or those exhibiting an upregulated expression during DC maturation. Individual TFREs were then screened in vitro in a target DC line and off-target cell lines derived from skeletal muscle, fibroblast, epithelial, and endothelial cells using homotypic (TFRE repeats in series) reporter constructs. Based on these data, a library of heterotypic promoter assemblies varying in the TFRE composition, copy number, and sequential arrangement was constructed and tested in vitro to identify DC-specific promoters. Analysis of the transcriptional activity and specificity of these promoters unraveled underlying design rules, primarily TFRE composition, which govern the DC-specific synthetic promoter activity. Using these design rules, a second library of exclusively DC-specific promoters exhibiting varied transcriptional activities was generated. All DC-specific synthetic promoter assemblies exhibited >5-fold activity in the target DC line relative to off-target cell lines, with transcriptional activities ranging from 8 to 67% of the nonspecific human cytomegalovirus (hCMV-IE1) promoter. We show that bioinformatic analysis of a mammalian cell transcriptional landscape is an effective strategy for de novo design of cell-type-specific synthetic promoters with precisely controllable transcriptional activities.

Two-dimensional finite element network analysis: Formulation and static analysis of structural assemblies

Finite element network analysis (FENA) is a physics-informed, deep-learning-based framework for the simulation of physical systems. FENA combines the conceptual flexibility of classical finite element methods with the computational power of pre-trained neural networks. A remarkable characteristic of FENA is the ability to simulate assemblies of physical elements by concatenating pre-trained networks serving as models of classes of physical systems. This characteristic places FENA in a new category of network-based computational platforms because, unlike other techniques, it does not require ad hoc training for problem-specific conditions.The present study significantly expands the concept and functionalities of FENA by including 1D slender beams and 2D thin plates and by further extending its concatenation functionality. Concatenation, which is a key property to create multicomponent assemblies without requiring training, is reformulated following an energy-based variational approach that significantly enhances accuracy and speed of convergence. The approach is numerically validated against finite element solutions for different configurations of structural assemblies, loads, and boundary conditions. Although presented in the context of one- and two-dimensional structures, the present framework is extremely general and provides a foundation to potentially simulate a broad range of physical systems.