In-Situ Data-Driven Buffeting Response Analysis of a Cable-Stayed Bridge.

To analytically evaluate buffeting responses, the analysis of wind characteristics such as turbulence intensity, turbulence length, gust, and roughness coefficient must be a priority. The analytical buffeting response is affected by the static aerodynamic force coefficient, flutter coefficient, structural damping ratio, aerodynamic damping ratio, and natural frequencies of the bridge. The cable-stayed bridge of interest in this study has been used for 32 years. In that time, the terrain conditions around the bridge have markedly changed from the conditions when the bridge was built. Further, the wind environments have varied considerably due to climate change. For these reasons, the turbulence intensity, length, spectrum coefficient, and roughness coefficient of the bridge site must be evaluated from full-scale measurements using a structural health monitoring system. Although the bridge is located on a coastal area, the evaluation results indicated that the wind characteristics of bridge site were analogous to those of open terrain. The buffeting response of the bridge was analyzed using the damping ratios, static aerodynamic force coefficients, and natural frequencies obtained from measured data. The analysis was performed for four cases. Two case analyses were performed by applying the variables obtained from measured data, while two other case analyses were performed based on the Korean Society of Civil Engineers (KSCE) Design Guidelines for Steel Cable Supported Bridges. The calculated responses of each analysis case were compared with the buffeting response measured at wind speeds of less than 25 m/s. The responses obtained by numerical analysis using estimated variables based on full-scale measurements agreed well with the measured buffeting responses measured at wind speeds of less than 25 m/s. Moreover, an extreme wind speed of 44 m/s, corresponding to a recurrence interval of 200 years, was derived from the Gumbel distribution. Therefore, the buffeting responses at wind speeds of 45 m/s were also determined by applying the estimated variables. From these results, management criteria based on measurement data for in-service bridge are determined and each level of management is proposed.

Thermo-sensitive injectable hydrogel based on the physical mixing of hyaluronic acid and Pluronic F-127 for sustained NSAID delivery.

The aim of this research is the development of a new type of intra-articularly injectable thermo-sensitive hydrogels for the long-term delivery of Piroxicam (PX). The thermo-sensitive hydrogel was prepared by the simple physical mixing of HA and Pluronic F-127 (HP) in aqueous solution. The addition of high-molecular-weight HA not only enhanced the mechanical strength of the hydrogel but also elicited a sustained drug release. This result could be attributed to the high-molecular-weight HA-assisted inter-micellar packing in the hydrogel inner structure. The critical gelation temperature value of HP hydrogel was considerably lower than native Pluronic F-127. To evaluate the bioavailability, pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed after articular-cavity injection of the HP hydrogel in beagle dogs. The HP hydrogel exhibits both sustained drug release behavior and superior bioavailability in physiological conditions. Thus, we believe that the NSAID PX-loaded HP hydrogel could be a promising hydrogel-based drug delivery platform for the treatment of arthritis.

Poly(L-aspartic acid) nanogels for lysosome-selective antitumor drug delivery.

Advanced materials that have controllable pH-responsive properties when submerged in the lysosome have a great potential in intracellular drug delivery. We developed novel poly(L-amino acid) nanogels that were prepared by a facile cross-linking of poly[L-aspartic acid-g-(3-diethylaminopropyl)]-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-maleimide [poly(L-Asp-g-DEAP)-b-PEG-Mal] and poly(L-aspartic acid-g-ethyl thiol)-b-PEG [poly(L-Asp-SH)-b-PEG] in an oil/water emulsion condition. Interestingly, these nanogels (~125 nm in diameter) modulated volume expansion (~375 nm in diameter) in a lysosomal pH (~pH 5.0) due to an extensive proton absorption of DEAP at a low pH, which mediated lysosome swelling and the subsequent lysosome destabilization. In the in vitro tumor cell cytotoxicity test, they encouraged tumor cell death, probably owing to the leakage of lysosomal enzymes. Furthermore, encapsulating antitumor drug (e.g., doxorubicin, DOX) into these nanogels enhanced tumor cell cytotoxicity. We conclude that this nanogel system will have great potential for tumor therapy.

Antioxidant encapsulated porous poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microparticles for developing long acting inhalation system.

The purpose of this study was to fabricate porous poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles for efficient pulmonary deposition and increased therapeutic duration of the antioxidant anthocyanin (ATH). These microparticles were prepared by a water-in-oil-in-water (W(1)/O/W(2)) multi-emulsion method with vaporizing ammonium bicarbonate (AB) as a porogen and starch as a viscous additive. High porosity achieved by the decomposition reaction of AB to the base of ammonia, carbon dioxide, and water vapor at 50°C enabled efficient deposition of ATH throughout the entire lung in BALB/c mice. In addition, the porous microparticles incorporating starch showed sustained ATH release characteristics (up to 5 days) and protracted antioxidant activity (up to 5 days) for 2,2-diphenyl-1-pikryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, which was comparable to that of the porous microparticles without starch which completely released ATH in 2h. Furthermore, these porous microparticles incorporating starch led to longer ATH residence (up to 20 days) in in vivo lung epithelium. We believe that this system has great pharmaceutical potential as a long-acting antioxidant for continuously relieving oxidative stress in pulmonary diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Magnetic levitating polymeric nano/microparticular substrates for three-dimensional tumor cell culture.

Herein, we describe magnetic cell levitation models using conventional polymeric microparticles or nanoparticles as a substrate for the three-dimensional tumor cell culture. When the magnetic force originating from the ring-shaped magnets overcame the gravitational force, the magnetic field-levitated KB tumor cells adhered to the surface area of magnetic iron oxide (Fe(3)O(4))-encapsulated nano/microparticles and concentrated clusters of levitated cells, ultimately developing tumor cells to tumor spheroids. These simple cell culture models may prove useful for the screening of anticancer drugs and their formulations.