DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF PILE GROUP MODEL IN TWO – LAYER SANDY SOIL TO LATERAL EARTHQUAKE EXCITATION

The behavior of pile foundations under earthquake loading is an important factor affecting the performance of such structures. Observations from past earthquakes have shown that piles in stiff soils generally perform well, while those installed in soft or liquefiable soils are more subjected to problems arising from ground amplification or excessive soil movements. A series of laboratory tests were conducted to measure the response of pile foundation when subjected to dynamic loads. A special vibration box was manufactured. The accompanied measurements include vertical and horizontal displacement and settlement of pile cap, acceleration in three dimensions in both soil and cap and earth pressures. The model pile used has an outer diameter of 18 mm and inner diameter of 15 mm. A group of (2x2) piles was tested. It was concluded that for soil bed in dry state, the acceleration amplitudes increase with frequency for both soil relative densities (loose and medium). The maximum acceleration in the foundation is lower than in soil bed for all operating shaking frequencies and soil states. The decreasing of the maximum acceleration recorded in the foundation as compared to that in the soil bed is between 10-100 % for loose and medium state of soil, and the decrease in loose state is more than in medium state. This means that there is damping effect or attenuation of vibration waves

Cosmological Solutions to the Lithium Problem

The abundance of primordial lithium is derived from the observed spectroscopy of metal-poor stars in the galactic halo. However, the observationally inferred abundance remains at about a factor of three below the abundance predicted by standard big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). The resolution of this dilemma can be either astrophysical (stars destroy lithium after BBN), nuclear (reactions destroy lithium during BBN), or cosmological, i.e. new physics beyond the standard BBN is responsible for destroying lithium. Here, we overview a variety of possible cosmological solutions, and their shortcomings. On the one hand, we examine the possibility of physical processes that modify the velocity distribution of particles from the usually assumed Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics. A physical justification for this is an inhomogeneous spatial distribution of domains of primordial magnetic field strength as a means to reduce the primordial lithium abundance. Another possibility is that scattering with the mildly relativistic electrons in the background plasma alters the baryon distribution to one resembling a Fermi-Dirac distribution. We show that neither of these possibilities can adequately resolve the lithium problem. A number of alternate hybrid models are discussed including a mix of neutrino degeneracy, unified dark matter, axion cooling, and the presence of decaying and/or charged supersymmetric particles.Comment: 6 pages, 0 figures, conference proceeding

Social Climber attachment in forming networks produces phase transition in a measure of connectivity

Formation and fragmentation of networks is typically studied using percolation theory, but most previous research has been restricted to studying a phase transition in cluster size, examining the emergence of a giant component. This approach does not study the effects of evolving network structure on dynamics that occur at the nodes, such as the synchronization of oscillators and the spread of information, epidemics, and neuronal excitations. We introduce and analyze new link-formation rules, called Social Climber (SC) attachment, that may be combined with arbitrary percolation models to produce a previously unstudied phase transition using the largest eigenvalue of the network adjacency matrix as the order parameter. This eigenvalue is significant in the analyses of many network-coupled dynamical systems in which it measures the quality of global coupling and is hence a natural measure of connectivity. We highlight the important self-organized properties of SC attachment and discuss implications for controlling dynamics on networks.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Eosinophils are key regulators of perivascular adipose tissue and vascular functionality

Obesity impairs the relaxant capacity of adipose tissue surrounding the vasculature (PVAT) and has been implicated in resultant obesity-related hypertension and impaired glucose intolerance. Resident immune cells are thought to regulate adipocyte activity. We investigated the role of eosinophils in mediating normal PVAT function. Healthy PVAT elicits an anti-contractile effect, which was lost in mice deficient in eosinophils, mimicking the obese phenotype, and was restored upon eosinophil reconstitution. Ex vivo studies demonstrated that the loss of PVAT function was due to reduced bioavailability of adiponectin and adipocyte-derived nitric oxide, which was restored after eosinophil reconstitution. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that adiponectin and nitric oxide are released after activation of adipocyte-expressed β3 adrenoceptors by catecholamines, and identified eosinophils as a novel source of these mediators. We conclude that adipose tissue eosinophils play a key role in the regulation of normal PVAT anti-contractile function

In Vivo Methods for the Assessment of Topical Drug Bioavailability

This paper reviews some current methods for the in vivo assessment of local cutaneous bioavailability in humans after topical drug application. After an introduction discussing the importance of local drug bioavailability assessment and the limitations of model-based predictions, the focus turns to the relevance of experimental studies. The available techniques are then reviewed in detail, with particular emphasis on the tape stripping and microdialysis methodologies. Other less developed techniques, including the skin biopsy, suction blister, follicle removal and confocal Raman spectroscopy techniques are also described

Histone Deacetylases Regulate Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone I Gene Expression via Modulating Otx2-Driven Transcriptional Activity

BACKGROUND: Precise coordination of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis orchestrates the normal reproductive function. As a central regulator, the appropriate synthesis and secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone I (GnRH-I) from the hypothalamus is essential for the coordination. Recently, emerging evidence indicates that histone deacetylases (HDACs) play an important role in maintaining normal reproductive function. In this study, we identify the potential effects of HDACs on Gnrh1 gene transcription. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Inhibition of HDACs activities by trichostatin A (TSA) and valproic acid (VPA) promptly and dramatically repressed transcription of Gnrh1 gene in the mouse immortalized mature GnRH neuronal cells GT1-7. The suppression was connected with a specific region of Gnrh1 gene promoter, which contains two consensus Otx2 binding sites. Otx2 has been known to activate the basal and also enhancer-driven transcription of Gnrh1 gene. The transcriptional activity of Otx2 is negatively modulated by Grg4, a member of the Groucho-related-gene (Grg) family. In the present study, the expression of Otx2 was downregulated by TSA and VPA in GT1-7 cells, accompanied with the opposite changes of Grg4 expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that the DNA-binding activity of Otx2 to Gnrh1 gene was suppressed by TSA and VPA. Overexpression of Otx2 partly abolished the TSA- and VPA-induced downregulation of Gnrh1 gene expression. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data indicate that HDAC inhibitors downregulate Gnrh1 gene expression via repressing Otx2-driven transcriptional activity. This study should provide an insight for our understanding on the effects of HDACs in the reproductive system and suggests that HDACs could be potential novel targets for the therapy of GnRH-related diseases

Association study of functional genetic variants of innate immunity related genes in celiac disease

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggest that the innate immune system is implicated in the early events of celiac disease (CD) pathogenesis. In this work for the first time we have assessed the relevance of different proinflammatory mediators typically related to innate immunity in CD predisposition. METHODS: We performed a familial study in which 105 celiac families characterized by the presence of an affected child with CD were genotyped for functional polymorphisms located at regulatory regions of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1RN, IL-18, RANTES and MCP-1 genes. Familial data was analysed with a transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) that revealed no statistically significant differences in the transmission pattern of the different genetic markers considered. RESULTS: The TDT analysis for IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1RN, IL-18, and MCP-1 genes genetic variants did not reveal biased transmission to the affected offspring. Only a borderline association of RANTES promoter genetic variants with CD predisposition was observed. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the analysed polymorphisms of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1RN, IL-18, RANTES and MCP-1 genes do not seem to play a major role in CD genetic predisposition in our population

Domestic Water Demand During Droughts in Temperate Climates: Synthesising Evidence for an Integrated Framework

In the upcoming years, as the population is growing and ageing, as lifestyle changes create the need for more water and as fewer people live in each household, the UK water sector will have to deal with challenges in the provision of adequate water services. Unless critical action is taken, every area in the UK may face a supply-demand gap by the 2080s. Extreme weather events and variations that alter drought and flood frequency add to these pressures. However, little evidence is available about householders’ response to drought and there are few if any studies incorporating this evidence into models of demand forecasting. The present work lays the groundwork for modelling domestic water demand response under drought conditions in temperate climates. After discussing the current literature on estimating and forecasting domestic water consumption under both ‘normal’ and drought conditions, this paper identifies the limited ability of current domestic demand forecasting techniques to include the many different and evolving factors affecting domestic consumption and it stresses the need for the inclusion of inter and intra household factors as well as water use practices in future demand forecasting models