High drug loading hydrophobic cross-linked dextran microspheres as novel drug delivery systems for the treatment of osteoarthritis

Drug delivery via intra-articular(IA)injection has proved to be effective in osteoarthritis(OA)therapy,limited by the drug efficiency and short retention time of the drug delivery systems(DDSs).Herein,a series of modified cross-linked dextran(Sephadex,S0)was fabricated by respectively grafting with linear alkyl chains,branched alkyl chains or aromatic chain,and acted as DDSs after ibuprofen(Ibu)loading for OA therapy.This DDSs expressed sustained drug release,excellent anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective effects both in IL-1βinduced chondrocytes and OA joints.Specifically,the introduction of a longer hydrophobic chain,particularly an aromatic chain,distinctly improved the hydrophobicity of S0,increased Ibu loading efficiency,and further led to significantly improving OA therapeutic effects.Therefore,hydrophobic microspheres with greatly improved drug loading ratio and prolonged degradation rates show great potential to act as DDSs for OA therapy.

Experimental research on behavior of 460 MPa high strength steel I-section columns under cyclic loading

To investigate the seismic behavior of I-section columns made of 460 MPa high strength steel （HSS）, six specimens were tested under constant axial load and cyclic horizontal load. The specimens were designed with different width-to-thickness ratios and loaded under different axial load ratios. For each specimen, the failure mode was observed and hysteretic curve was measured. Comparison of different specimens on hysteretic characteristic, energy dissipation capacity and deformation capacity were further investigated. Test results showed that the degradation of bearing capacity was due to local buckling of flange and web. Under the same axial load ratio, as width-to-thickness ratio increased, the deformation area of local buckling became smaller. And also, displacement level at both peak load and failure load became smaller. In addition, the full extent of hysteretic curve, energy dissipation capacity, ultimate story drift angle decreased, and capacity degradation occurred more rapidly with the increase of width-to-thickness ratio or axial load ratio. Based on the capacity of story drift angle, limiting values which shall not be exceeded are suggested respectively for flange and web plate of 460 MPa HSS I-section columns when used in SMFs and in IMFs in the case of axial load ratio no more than 0.2. Such values should be smaller when the axial load ratio increases.

Seismic ductility of very-high-strength-concrete short columns subject to combined axial loading and cyclic lateral loading

The seismic ductility of reinforced very-high-strength-concrete （VHSC） short columns was studied by combinatively applying axial load and low cyclic lateral load on specimens to simulate seismic impact. Twelve specimens with concrete compressive strength ranging from 95.6 MPa to 118.6 MPa and a shear-span ratio of 2.0 were tested for shear failure pattern and fear force-displacement hysteretic responses. Combinative application of axial load and low cyclic lateral load to VHSC short columns incurs shear failure. The displacement ductility is much smaller when the axial load ratio is larger; whereas a larger stirrup ratio is accompanied with a better displacement ductility. The relationship of displacement ductility factor,μ△, with stirrup characteristic value, λv, and test axial load ratio, nt, is μ△=（1＋8λv）/（0.33＋nt）. By this relationship and relevant codes for aseismatic design, the axial load ratio limits for aseismatic design of reinforced VHSC （C95 to C100） short columns for frame construction are respectively 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7 for seismic classes Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ; corresponding minimum characteristic values of stirrups are calculated according to the required characteristic values of at least 1.273 times of experimental results. These data are very useful to aseismatic engineering.

Calibration of LRFD Format for Steel Jacket OffshorePlatform in China Offshore Area(2): Load, Resistance and Load Combination Factors

Adopting the load and resistance factor design format, the design method for steel jaeket platform structures is developed. Firstly, the limit state equations and design format for steel jacket platform structures are introduced. Then, the ratio of live load effect to dead load effect is estimated. The target reliabilities for design of offshore structures in China offshore area are calibrated by past practice in API RP2A-WSD code. The load and resistance factors are optimized by minimizing the difference within the target reliability and the resulting reliability over the range of load effect ratios. Considering the concurrence of different loads, load combination factors are obtained through an optimization process, and the relation between the load combination factor and load correlation coefficient is established. Finally, the design formulae for steel jacket structures in China offshore area are recommended.

Optimizing loading path and die linetype of large length-to-diameter ratio metal stator screw lining hydroforming

In order to meet the high temperature environment requirement of deep and superdeep well exploitation, a technology of large length-to-diameter ratio metal stator screw lining meshing with rotor is presented. Based on the elastic-plasticity theory, and under the consideration of the effect of tube size, material mechanical parameters, friction coefficient and loading paths, the external pressure plastic forming mechanical model of metal stator screw lining is established, to study the optimal loading path of metal stator lining tube hydroforming process. The results show that wall thickness reduction of the external pressure tube hydroforming(THF) is about 4%, and three evaluation criteria of metal stator screw lining forming quality are presented: fillet stick mold coefficient, thickness relative error and forming quality coefficient. The smaller the three criteria are, the better the forming quality is.Each indicator has a trend of increase with the loading rate reducing, and the adjustment laws of die arc transition zone equidistance profile curve are acquired for improving tube forming quality. Hence, the research results prove the feasibility of external pressure THF used for processing high-accuracy large length-to-diameter ratio metal stator screw lining, and provide theoretical basis for designing new kind of stator structure which has better performance and longer service life.

Normalization method for asphalt mixture fatigue equation under different loading frequencies

In order to analyze the effect of different loading frequencies on the fatigue performance for asphalt mixture,the changing law of asphalt mixture strengths with loading speed was revealed by strength tests under different loading speeds.Fatigue equations of asphalt mixtures based on the nominal stress ratio and real stress ratio were established using fatigue tests under different loading frequencies.It was revealed that the strength of the asphalt mixture is affected by the loading speed greatly.It was also discovered that the fatigue equation based on the nominal stress ratio will change with the change of the fatigue loading speed.There is no uniqueness.But the fatigue equation based on the real stress ratio doesn't change with the loading frequency.It has the uniqueness.The results indicate the fatigue equation based on the real stress ratio can realize the normalization of the asphalt mixture fatigue equation under different loading frequencies.It can greatly benefit the analysis of the fatigue characteristics under different vehicle speeds for asphalt pavement.

Experimental Research on the Load/Unload Response Ratio (LURR) Theory

Implementing acoustic emission experiments with large rock samples, LURR (Load/Unload Response Ratio) theory was studied. The loading conditions in the experiments were designed to simulate the complicated loading process of underground rocks. The damages emerging inside the rock samples were recorded by the acoustic emission technique during the loading process. The experimental results were consistent with prediction by LURR theory. Integrating the changing processes of LURR value Y and the location process of acoustic emission events showed agreement between the variation of LURR value Y and the damage evolution inside the rocks. Furthermore, the high value of Y emerged before the complete breakdown of materials. Therefore, the damage evolution of rock specimen can be quantitatively analyzed with LURR theory, thus the failure of the rock materials and the earthquake occurrence may be predicted. The experimental results gave a further verification of LURR theory.

Research on Mechanism of Overcurrent and Overvoltage When Contactless Tap Changer Switch Regulates Voltage on Load

Analyzes the mechanism of overvoltage when contactless tap changer switch which is applied in distributing transformer converted directly.When the device convert the tap off,it employs the way that the SSR is switched on when voltage through zero and switched off when current through zero.But in the experiment we found that overvoltage will occur in the process of changing tap changer.The paper illustrates the mechanism of overvoltage in theory by analyzing the equivalent circuit and using analytic method of transition process.

Short-term and imminent anomalies of earthquake of load and unload response ratio of the well level to earth tides

In this paper, through the nonlinear response of rock strain and stress, we have analized the physical mechanism of loading and unloading response ratio of the well level to the earth tides,the respouse of an aquifer of confined well to bulk strain tide and showed two methods of the calculation of loading and unloading response ratio of the well level to the earth tides. We took the example of the Yu 01 well, which is near the epicenter of Heze M S 5.9 earthquake, calculated the response rate and loading and unloading response ratio of two kinds of the earth tides of it. The response rate and response ratio before the earthquake had the variation of increase.

Physical meaning and prediction efficiency of the load/unload response ratio of rocks in strain-weakening phase before failure

Rock experiment results indicate that the load/unload response ratio (LURR) of rocks expressed via strain energy may have singular or negative value after the stress in the rock reaches its maximum before rock failure or when the rock goes into the strain-weakening phase. The universality of this phenomenon is discussed. Expressed via strain or strain energy and the travel time of P wave, the variation form of the reciprocal of LURR during the process of rock failure preparation is derived. The results show that after a sharp decrease the reciprocal of LURR reaches its minimum when the main fracture of the rock is about to appear. This feature can be taken as an indication that the rock main fracture is impending.

The tempo-spatial evolution characteristics of the load/unload response ratio before strong earthquakes in California of America and its predicting implications

In this paper, the tempo-spatial evolution characteristics of the load/unload response ratio (namely LURR or Y value) before strong earthquakes with magnitude over 6 during 1976~1994 in California of America are studied in detail. The results show that there appear some high-Y regions cohering with the regional tectonic trend in a great area 3~4 years before strong earthquakes and these high-Y regions migrate from the periphery to the epicenter region at a speed of tens of kilometers per year. The load/unload response ratio (LURR) anomalies near the epicenter region characterizes a type of (ascend ? descend( and appear and increase steeply until one year or less before most earthquakes. (Positive( earthquakes form usually a concentration area; in and near which the main shock occurs. We have analyzed the different and same characters of earthquakes between California of American and the Chinese mainland. Basing on these results, we discuss the approach and method how to predict and estimate the three parameters (place, time and magnitude) of a strong earthquake in California of American by applying the characteristics of the LURR.

The spatial temporal evolution characteristics of the load／unload response ratio（LURR） and its implications for predicting the three elements of earthquakes

The spatial temPOral evolution characteristics of the load/unload response ratio (Y) before strong earthquakes is studied in this paper. The results show that the regions of high value of Y migrate and converge to the impending earthquake epicenter from different directions before the occurrence of the event. Basing on this discovery, it is proposed that the method can be used to predict the three elements of an earthquake. It was applied to predict that an earthquake would occur in the western part of Yunnan Province, southwestern China. The three elements (time, space and magnitude) of the Menglian earthquake with Ms7.3 which occurred on July 12, 1995 in Yunnan Province tallied with our prediction.

Analysis on Regional Power Grid Load Characteristics and Rational Allocation of Capacity Load Ratio

The reasonability of the adopted capacity load ratio numerical value in urban power grid planning determines the economy of planning level yearly power grid.Too large capacity load ratio will result in the increasing investment in the early period of power grid construction, however, too small capacity load ratio will make the power grid have poor adaptability, affecting the power supply. Reasonably determining the adopted regional power grid capacity load ratio quantitative numerical value in planning has a strong guiding significance for constructing reliable and economic power grid and preventing power grid from excessive advance or lagging behind the load development. This paper, through the statistics and analysis of a certain regional power grid 2010-2012 three years＇ power grid daily load characteristics and the investment benefit evaluation of three years＇ 220KV power grid individual project, makes a preliminary analysis and puts forwards the specific advice on the reasonable values of power ~rid 35-220KV power transformation capacity load ratio.

Seismic performance of steel reinforced ultra high-strength concrete composite frame joints

To investigate the seismic performance of a composite frame comprised of steel reinforced ultra high-strength concrete （SRUHSC） columns and steel reinforced concrete （SRC） beams, six interior frame joint specimens were designed and tested under low cyclically lateral load. The effects of the axial load ratio and volumetric stirrup ratio were studied on the characteristics of the frame joint performance including crack pattern, failure mode, ductility, energy dissipation capacity, strength degradation and rigidity degradation. It was found that all joint specimens behaved in a ductile manner with flexural-shear failure in the joint core region while plastic hinges appeared at the beam ends. The ductility and energy absorption capacity of joints increased as the axial load ratio decreased and the volumetric stirIup ratio increased. The displacement ductility coefficient and equivalent damping coefficient of the joints fell between the corresponding coefficients of the steel reinforced concrete （SRC） frame joint and RC frame joint. The axial load ratio and volumetric stirrup ratio have less influence on the strength degradation and more influence on the stiffness degradation. The stiffness of the joint degrades more significantly for a low volumetric stirrup ratio and high axial load ratio. The characteristics obtained from the SRUHSC composite frame joint specimens with better seismic performance may be a useful reference in future engineering applications.

Nonlinear fi nite element analysis of high-strength concrete columns and experimental verification

This paper describes a nonlinear finite element （FE） analysis of high strength concrete （HSC） columns, and verifies the results through laboratory experiments. First, a cyclically lateral loading test on nine cantilever column specimens of HSC is described and a numerical simulation is presented to verify the adopted FE models. Next, based on the FE model for specimen No.6, numerical simulations for 70 cases, in which different concrete strengths, stirrup ratios and axial load ratios are considered, are presented to explore the effect of these parameters on the behavior of the HSC columns, and to check the rationality of requirements for these columns specified in the China Code for Seismic Design of Buildings （GB 50011- 2001）. In addition, three cases with different stirrup strengths are analyzed to investigate their effect on the behavior of HSC columns. Finally, based on the numerical results some conclusions are presented.

Experimental investigation on seismic behavior of single piles in sandy soil

This paper describes a quasi-static test program featuring lateral cyclic loading on single piles in sandy soil. The tests were conducted on 18 aluminum model piles with different cross sections and lateral load eccentricity ratios, e/d, （e is the lateral load eccentricity and d is the diameter of pile） of 0, 4 and 8, embedded in sand with a relative density of 30% and 70%. The experimental results include lateral load-displacement hysteresis loops, skeleton curves and energy dissipation curves. Lateral capacity, ductility and energy dissipation capacity of single piles under seismic load were evaluated in detail. The lateral capacities and the energy dissipation capacity of piles in dense sand were much higher than in loose sand. When embedded in loose sand, the maximum lateral load and the maximum lateral displacement of piles increased as e/d increased. On the contrary, when embedded in dense sand, the maximum lateral load of piles decreased as e/d increased. Piles with a higher load eccentricity ratio experienced higher energy dissipation capacity than piles with e/d of 0 in both dense and loose sand. At a given level of displacement, piles with circular cross sections provided the best energy dissipation capacity in both loose and dense sand.

The Spatial Variation of LURR and Seismic Tendency in Western United States

Load-Unload Response Ratio (LURR) is a new promising approach to earthquake prediction. In the previous years, a series of successful medium-term predictions have been made for strong earthquakes on the Chinese mainland using this method. In order to investigate whether the LURR method applies to different tectonic regimes, i.e., whether it is universal, the San Andreas Fault and its vicinities are chosen as the study region in this paper. The spatial variation of LURR in the western United States (30°～50°N, 100°～130°W) is studied in detail and the earthquake tendency in this region is discussed based on historic earthquake cases.

Research on Strong Earthquake Tendency on Active Tectonic Block Boundaries in the Chinese Mainland

Previous studies have shown that the active tectonic block boundaries in the Chinese mainland are the main belts and concentration areas of strong earthquakes occurring in the Chinese mainland.It is essential to carry out follow-up analysis of strong earthquake risk of active tectonic block boundaries.In this paper,we carry out the analysis on the tendency of strong earthquakes along each active tectonic block boundary from three aspects respectively,including the evolutionary characteristics of the Load/Unload Response Ratio time series,the probability method based on the log-normal distribution function,and variation of b value.The estimation of strong earthquake criticality on each active tectonic block boundary is done based on the evolutionary characteristics of the Load/Unload Response Ratio time series,the cumulative probability and conditional probability,and the decrease of the b value.Finally,according to the results of analyses on the above three aspects,the potential strong earthquake areas in the forthcoming 5 years in the Chinese mainland are discussed.

Seismic Behavior of Steel Reinforced Ultra High Strength Concrete Column and Reinforced Concrete Beam Connection

To investigate the seismic behavior of connections composed of steel reinforced ultra high strength concrete (SRUHSC) column and reinforced concrete (RC) beam, six interior strong-column-weak-beam connection specimens were tested subjected to reversal cyclic load. Effects of applied axial load ratio and volumetric stirrup ratio on ductility, energy dissipation capacity, strength degradation and rigidity degradation were discussed. It was found that all connection specimens failed in bending in a ductile manner with a beam plastic hinge. The ductility and energy dissipation capacity increased with the decrease of applied axial load ratio or increase of volumetric stirrup ratio. The displacement ductility coefficient and equivalent damping coefficient lay between those of steel reinforced ordinary concrete connection and those of reinforced concrete connection. The applied axial load ratio and volumetric stirrup ratio had less influence on the strength degradation and more influence on the stiffness degradation. The stiffness degraded sharply with the decrease of volumetric stirrup ratio or increase of applied axial load ratio. The experimental results indicate that SRUHSC column and RC beam connection exhibited better seismic performance and can provide reference for engineering application.

Reliability analysis of diesel engine crankshaft based on 2D stress strength interference model

A 2D stress strength interference model (2D-SSIM) considering that the fatigue reliability of engineering structural components has close relationship to load asymmetric ratio and its variability to some extent is put forward. The principle, geo-metric schematic and limit state equation of this model are presented. Reliability evaluation for a kind of diesel engine crankshaft was made based on this theory, in which multi-axial loading fatigue criteria was employed. Because more important factors, i.e. stress asymmetric ratio and its variability, are considered, it theoretically can make more accurate evaluation for structural com-ponent reliability than the traditional interference model. Correspondingly, a Monte-Carlo Method simulation solution is also given. The computation suggests that this model can yield satisfactory reliability evaluation.