The Seepage Control of the Tunnel Excavated in High-Pressure Water Condition Using Multiple Times Grouting Method

Groundwater can cause many hazardous problems when a tunnel is excavating. Seepage force acting on the support structure and the tunnel surface cannot be negligible. Under high groundwater table condition, the seepage situation becomes more complex and it is more difficult to control the leakage of groundwater to flow into a tunnel. In the paper, a multiple times grouting method is proposed, and the mechanical deformation behavior of surrounding rock is analyzed using the FLAC3D (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua in 3 Dimensions) software according to the high groundwater table condition of the Hokusatsu tunnel. The results present that multiple times grouting can control leakage and the rock deformation well, compared with one-time grouting condition in rock breaking and high water pressure area. The seepage force decrease around the tunnel and the displacement is controlled effectively. The pore pressure reduces inside the grouting zone using a new kind of grouting material, which is high permeability ultramicro particle cement (average particle size 1.5 μm). In the test fieldwork, the grouting scheme reduces the maximum discharge from 300 t/h to 40 t/h, and there is not obvious deformation and abnormal stress in the tunnel. The multiple times grouting method proposed in this research is verified effectively and can supply a positive experience to on-site construction

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field