Mechanical deformation mechanism and verification of sections at junctions of light and dark tunnel in a mountain area

Projects involving junctions of light and dark tunnel in mountainous areas are complex engineering problems that combine tunnel structure, slope rock-soil mass and protection projects. Such junctions suffer from a complex and changeable load. The stress and deformation of the junction varies under different conditions. Thus, it is a major source of inconvenience for construction and monitoring operations. In this paper, according to the load conditions at a junction of light and dark tunnel, we divide the junction hole into thrust, compression, and combined thrust-compression types. Three types of structures were simulated by numerical analysis, and we explored the structural deformation and stress of these types of tunnel under different condition. Thus, in any construction process, the mechanical deformation mechanism and the weak point in the structure should be worked out. Based on the weak parts, some monitoring points were installed, and four fields for monitoring were chosen. The monitoring results show that the actual deformation, stress and structural failure location are basically consistent with the numerical simulation results. The deformation mechanism of light and dark tunnel junction obtained can provide the basis for selecting the treatment measures and controlling the structural deformation. Furthermore, the results can also be used as a reference for similar engineering design, construction and site monitoring projects

Overexpression of N-Myc Downstream-Regulated Gene 2 (NDRG2) Regulates the Proliferation and Invasion of Bladder Cancer Cells In Vitro and In Vivo

N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is a candidate tumor suppressor gene, which plays an important role in controlling tumor growth. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of NDRG2 gene in bladder cancer (BC) tissues and several bladder cancer cell lines, and to seek its clinical and pathological significance. Ninety-seven bladder carcinoma and 15 normal bladder tissue sections were analyzed retrospectively with immunohistochemistry. The human bladder cancer cell line T24 was infected with LEN-NDRG2 or LEN-LacZ. The effects of NDRG2 overexpression on T24 cells and T24 nude mouse xenografts were measured via cell growth curves, tumor growth curves, flow cytometric analysis, western blot and Transwell assay. NDRG2 was highly expressed in normal bladder tissue, but absent or rarely expressed in cacinomatous tissues (χ2=8.761, p < 0.01). The NDRG2 level was negatively correlated with tumor grade and pathologic stage(r=-0.248, p < 0.05), as well as increased c-myc level (r=-0.454, p< 0.001). The expression of NDRG2 was low in the three BC cell lines. T24 cells infected with LEN-NDRG2 showed inhibition of proliferation both in vitro and in vivo, and NDRG2 overexpression can inhibit tumor growth and invasion in vitro

Chlorpromazine Protects Against Apoptosis Induced by Exogenous Stimuli in the Developing Rat Brain

Background: Chlorpromazine (CPZ), a commonly used antipsychotic drug, was found to play a neuroprotective role in various models of toxicity. However, whether CPZ has the potential to affect brain apoptosis in vivo is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential effect of CPZ on the apoptosis induced by exogenous stimuli. Methodology: The ethanol treated infant rat was utilized as a valid apoptotic model, which is commonly used and could trigger robust apoptosis in brain tissue. Prior to the induction of apoptosis by subcutaneous injection of ethanol, 7-day-old rats were treated with CPZ at several doses (5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection. Apoptotic cells in the brain were measured using TUNEL analysis, and the levels of cleaved caspase-3, cytochrome c, the pro-apoptotic factor Bax and the anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 were assessed by immunostaining or western blot. Findings: Compared to the group injected with ethanol only, the brains of the CPZ-pretreated rats had fewer apoptotic cells, lower expression of cleaved caspase-3, cytochrome c and Bax, and higher expression of Bcl-2. These results demonstrate that CPZ could prevent apoptosis in the brain by regulating the mitochondrial pathway. Conclusions: CPZ exerts an inhibitory effect on apoptosis induced by ethanol in the rat brain, intimating that it may offer

Ecosystem Health Responses of Urban Agglomerations in Central Yunnan Based on Land Use Change

Land use change in urban agglomerations is gradually becoming a major cause and a key factor of global environmental change. As a consequence of the interaction between land use and ecological processes, the transformation in natural ecosystem structure and function with human activity disturbances demands a systematic assessment of ecosystem health. Taking the Central Yunnan urban agglomeration, undergoing transition and development, as an example, the current study reveals the typical land use change processes and then emphasizes the importance of spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem services in health assessment. The InVEST model-based ecosystem service assessment is incorporated into the ecosystem health evaluation, and hotspot analysis is performed to quantitatively measure the ecosystem health response degree to land use according to spatial latitude. The study had three major findings: First, the urban land expansion in the urban agglomeration of central Yunnan between 1990 and 2020 is the most significant. Further, the rate of the dynamic change of urban land is 16.86%, which is the highest among all land types. Second, the ecosystem health of the central Yunnan urban agglomeration is improving but with obvious spatial differences, showing a trend of increasing from urban areas to surrounding areas, with the lowest ecosystem health level and significant clustering in the areas where the towns are located. The ecosystem health level is mainly dominated by the two classes of ordinary and well grades, and the sum of the two accounts for 63.35% of the total area. Third, the process of land transfer, mutual transfer between forest and grassland, and conversion from cropland to forest land contributed the most to the improvement of ecosystem health across the study area. Furthermore, the conversion from cropland and grassland to urban land is an important cause of the sustained exacerbation of ecosystem health. Significantly, the study provides a scientific reference for maintaining ecosystem health and formulating policies for macro-control of land in the urban agglomerations of the mountain plateau

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of the medicinal plant Crotalaria albida

Crotalaria albida (C. albida) is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant that belongs to Fabaceae family. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of C. albida was sequenced. The genome is 152,743 bp in length and includes two inverted repeat regions of 25,535 bp. It was predicted to contain 127 genes in the chloroplast genome, among which 82 were protein-coding genes, 37 were tRNA genes, and 8 were rRNA genes. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on 24 complete chloroplast genome sequences showed that C. albida was closely related to Ormosia semicastrata, Ormosia emarginata, and Ormosia xylocarpa

Stachyose combined with tea polyphenols mitigated metabolic disorders in high fructose diet-fed mice as studied by GC-MS metabolomics approach

High fructose (HF) ingestion is a common risk factor for the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which has become a serious health problem. The underlying mechanism of HF-induced NAFLD needs to be further understood and an effective prevention needs to be established urgently. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer-based metabonomic method was employed to characterize the serum metabolic profile of HF-induced NAFLD in mice. β-Hydroxybutyric acid, elaidic acid and oleic acid that contributed to energy and lipid metabolism were confirmed as potential biomarkers for HF-induced NAFLD. With these changed metabolic pathways as possible drug targets, different administrations revealed that co-administration of stachyose and tea polyphenols was a more effective method than treatment of stachyose or tea polyphenols alone for preventing HF-induced negative changes of metabolic pathways in mice. These findings suggest that β-hydroxybutyric acid, elaidic acid and oleic acid are potential biomarkers in HF-induced NAFLD, and co-administration is a novel preventive strategy