Modification of slope stability probability classification and its application to rock slopes in hydropower engineering regions

Stability assessment of rock slopes in hydropower engineering regions is an important and complex issue. Rock mass classification systems are a good approach because they thoroughly consider many factors influencing rock slope stability. The slope stability probability classification (SSPC) system is a novel method. However, it has two obvious limitations when applied to rock slopes: 1) it is only suitable for slopes less than 45 m in height, and 2) there is great subjectivity and randomness in the estimation of intact rock strength. Therefore, this study presents two modifications of the SSPC system by adopting the Hoek–Brown strength criterion and an empirical formula for maximum slope height. Evaluation of results from of 34 typical rock slopes of the major hydropower engineering regions in China indicated that the accuracy rate of the modified SSPC for stability evaluation of these slopes was 61.8%, and the accuracy for stability evaluation of 10 slopes with non-structural control failure was 80%. The stability values of stable and unstable slopes obtained using the modified SSPC were different to those obtained using the Chinese Slope Mass Rating (CSMR) and modified CSMR systems. In addition, the identification accuracy rate of the modified SSPC was significantly higher than that of the CSMR and modified CSMR. Therefore, the modified SSPC can be applied to hydropower engineering regions, providing a new means of rapidly evaluating the slope stability of high rock slopes (slopes > 45 m in height) in these regions.</p

Active backstepping control of combined projective synchronization among different nonlinear systems

In this article, the authors have studied combination projective synchronization using active backstepping method. The main contribution of this effort is realization of the projective synchronization between two drive systems and one response system. We relax some limitations of previous work, where only combination complete synchronization has been investigated. According to Lyapunov stability theory and active backstepping design method, the corresponding controllers are designed to observe combination projective synchronization among three different classical chaotic systems, i.e. the Lorenz system, Rossler system and € Chen system. The numerical simulation examples verify the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis. Combination projective synchronization has stronger anti-attack ability and antitranslated ability than the normal projective synchronization scheme realized by one drive and one response system in secure communication

JMJD3 promotes survival of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtypes via distinct mechanisms.

JMJD3 (Jumonji domain containing-3), a histone H3 Lys27 (H3K27) demethylase, has been reported to be involved in the antigen-driven differentiation of germinal center B-cells. However, insight into the mechanism of JMJD3 in DLBCL (Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma) progression remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the subtype-specific JMJD3-dependent survival effects in DLBCL. Our data showed that in the ABC subtype, silencing-down of JMJD3 inhibited interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) expression in a demethylase activity-dependent fashion. IRF4 reciprocally stimulated expression of JMJD3, forming a positive feedback loop that promoted survival in these cells. Accordingly, IRF4 expression was sufficient to rescue the pro-apoptotic effect of JMJD3 suppression in the ABC, but not in the GCB subtype. In contrast, ectopic overexpression of BCL-2 completely offset JMJD3-mediated survival in the GCB DLBCL cells. In vivo, treatment with siRNA to JMJD3 reduced tumor volume concordant with increased apoptosis in either subtype. This suggests it is a common target, though the distinctive signaling axes regulating DCBCL survival offer different strategic options for treating DLBCL subtypes

4-(2,4-Dichloro­phen­yl)-5,5-dimethyl-2-(3-silatranyl­propyl­mino)-1,3,2-dioxa­phospho­rinane 2-oxide

In the title compound, C20H31Cl2N2O6PSi, the dioxaphospho­rinane ring adopts a cis conformation. The silatrane fragment forms a cage-like structure in which there exists an intra­molecular Si—N donor–acceptor bond. In the crystal, centrosymmetrically related mol­ecules are linked by pairs of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into inversion dimers, generating rings with graph-set motif R 2 2(8). The dimers are further connected into ribbons parallel to the a axis by inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Angiopoietin-2 impairs collateral artery growth associated with the suppression of the infiltration of macrophages in mouse hindlimb ischaemia

Abstract Background Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), a ligand of the Tie-2 receptor, plays an important role in maintaining endothelial cells and in destabilizing blood vessels. Collateral artery growth (arteriogenesis) is a key adaptive response to arterial occlusion. It is unknown whether the destabilization of blood vessels by Ang-2 can affect arteriogenesis and modulate mononuclear cell function. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Ang-2 on collateral artery growth. Methods Hindlimb ischaemia model was produced in C57BL/6 mice by femoral artery ligation. Blood flow perfusion was measured using a laser Doppler perfusion imager quantitative RT-PCR analysis was applied to identify the level of angiogenic factors. Results After the induction of hindlimb ischaemia, blood flow recovery was impaired in mice treated with recombinant Ang-2 protein; this was accompanied by a reduction of peri-collateral macrophage infiltration. In addition, quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that Ang-2 treatment decreased monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) mRNA levels in ischaemic adductor muscles. Ang-2 can lead to macrophage M1/M2 polarization shift inhibition in the ischaemic muscles. Furthermore, Ang-2 reduced the in vitro inflammatory response in macrophages and vascular cells involved in arteriogenesis. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that Ang-2 is essential for efficient arteriogenesis, which controls macrophage infiltration

Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots Covalently Functionalized PVDF Membrane with Significantly-Enhanced Bactericidal and Antibiofouling Performances

Covalent bonding of graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) onto amino modified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane has generated a new type of nano-carbon functionalized membrane with significantly enhanced antibacterial and antibiofouling properties. A continuous filtration test using E. coli containing feedwater shows that the relative flux drop over GOQDs modified PVDF is 23%, which is significantly lower than those over pristine PVDF (86%) and GO-sheet modified PVDF (62%) after 10 h of filtration. The presence of GOQD coating layer effectively inactivates E. coli and S. aureus cells, and prevents the biofilm formation on the membrane surface, producing excellent antimicrobial activity and potentially antibiofouling capability, more superior than those of previously reported two-dimensional GO sheets and one-dimensional CNTs modified membranes. The distinctive antimicrobial and antibiofouling performances could be attributed to the unique structure and uniform dispersion of GOQDs, enabling the exposure of a larger fraction of active edges and facilitating the formation of oxidation stress. Furthermore, GOQDs modified membrane possesses satisfying long-term stability and durability due to the strong covalent interaction between PVDF and GOQDs. This study opens up a new synthetic avenue in the fabrication of efficient surface-functionalized polymer membranes for potential waste water treatment and biomolecules separation

Comparison between gradients and parcellations for functional connectivity prediction of behavior

Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) is widely used to predict behavioral measures. To predict behavioral measures, representing RSFC with parcellations and gradients are the two most popular approaches. Here, we compare parcellation and gradient approaches for RSFC-based prediction of a broad range of behavioral measures in the Human Connectome Project (HCP) and Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) datasets. Among the parcellation approaches, we consider group-average “hard” parcellations (Schaefer et al., 2018), individual-specific “hard” parcellations (Kong et al., 2021a), and an individual-specific “soft” parcellation (spatial independent component analysis with dual regression; Beckmann et al., 2009). For gradient approaches, we consider the well-known principal gradients (Margulies et al., 2016) and the local gradient approach that detects local RSFC changes (Laumann et al., 2015). Across two regression algorithms, individual-specific hard-parcellation performs the best in the HCP dataset, while the principal gradients, spatial independent component analysis and group-average “hard” parcellations exhibit similar performance. On the other hand, principal gradients and all parcellation approaches perform similarly in the ABCD dataset. Across both datasets, local gradients perform the worst. Finally, we find that the principal gradient approach requires at least 40 to 60 gradients to perform as well as parcellation approaches. While most principal gradient studies utilize a single gradient, our results suggest that incorporating higher order gradients can provide significant behaviorally relevant information. Future work will consider the inclusion of additional parcellation and gradient approaches for comparison

Associations among multidomain lifestyles, chronic diseases, and dementia in older adults: a cross-sectional analysis of a cohort study

BackgroundUnhealthy lifestyles and chronic diseases are commonly seen and treatable factors in older adults and are both associated with dementia. However, the synergistic effect of the interaction of lifestyles and chronic diseases on dementia is unknown.MethodsWe determined independent associations of multidomain lifestyles and chronic diseases (cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension) with dementia and examined their synergistic impact on dementia among older adults. The data were drawn from the Hubei Memory and Aging Cohort Study. We created a summary score of six factors for multidomain lifestyles. Dementia was diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV. Logistic regression and multiple correspondence analyses were used to explore the relationships among multidomain lifestyles, chronic diseases, and dementia. A sensitivity analysis was performed to minimize the interference of reverse causality and potential confounders.ResultsIndependent associations with dementia were found in unhealthy (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.38–2.61) and intermediate healthy lifestyles (OR, 3.29, 2.32–4.68), hypertension (OR, 1.21, 1.01–1.46), diabetes (OR, 1.30, 1.04–1.63), and cerebrovascular disease (OR, 1.39, 1.12–1.72). Interactions of diabetes (p = 0.004), hypertension (p = 0.004), and lifestyles were significant, suggesting a combined impact on dementia. Sensitivity analysis supported the strong association among multidomain lifestyles, chronic diseases, and dementia prevalence.ConclusionAn unhealthy lifestyle was associated with a higher prevalence of dementia, regardless of whether the participants had chronic diseases; however, this association was stronger in individuals with chronic diseases. Multidomain lifestyles and chronic diseases may have an enhanced impact on dementia