Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Influence of laterally loaded sleeved piles and pile groups on slope stability

Many high-rise buildings, bridges, and transmission towers are constructed on steep slopes in Hong Kong and are supported by large-diameter piles. These structures may be subjected to large lateral loads, such as those caused by typhoons, earthquakes, and high-speed vehicles. The margin of safety of the slope may decrease as a result of stresses transferred from the piles to the slope. To minimize the transfer of lateral load from the buildings to the shallow depths of the slope, an annulus of compressible material (sleeving) is sometimes formed between the piles and the adjacent soils. In this paper, a three-dimensional analysis is carried out to investigate the effects of unsleeved and sleeved single piles and pile groups on the stability of a cut slope. Mechanisms of load transfer from the piles to the slope are studied. The stability of the slope is evaluated using the strength reduction technique. The evolution of slope failure is examined and the factors of safety for both initiation of instability and global failure of the slope are identified from the numerical analyses. The sleeving technique is found to be capable of significantly reducing the stresses in the shallow depths of the slope in front of the piles, thus improving the local stability of the slope, but offers limited benefit with respect to global stability

Cripto-1 contributes to stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma by stabilizing Dishevelled-3 and activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway

2017-2018 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journal201812 bcrcVersion of RecordPublishe