Some New Correlations of Q-Value with Rock Mechanics Parameters in Underground Oil Storage Caverns

Q-system is a preferred alternative method of rock mass classification for underground oil storage caverns where stable lithological rocks are widely distributed. In this paper, correspondences between important input rock mechanics parameters (friction angle, cohesion, tensile strength, Poisson’s ratio, deformation modulus) and Q values were investigated, thereby bringing convenient to rapidly obtain available parameters when it’s hard to collect measured field data in underground storage projects basically with similar lithology. The proposed correlations were verified through numerical simulation and on-site monitoring measurement. In addition, comparison of different criteria among Q-system and other codes for rock mass classification has been made to help for making a preliminary evaluation of rock mass quality in the practical engineering. Finally, the behaviours of surrounding rock deformations under different Q values were analysed by using FLAC3D code with the calculating parameters suggested in this paper, and the calculation results match well with measured values in situ. Above results will not only guide the construction but also could be relevant to other underground storage engineering under similar geological conditions

Current Status on Leaching Precious Metals from Waste Printed Circuit Boards

AbstractCurrent research on leaching precious metals from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) in the world is introduced. In the paper, hydrometallurgical processing techniques including cyanide leaching, thiourea leaching, thiosulfate leaching, and halide leaching of precious metals are addressed in detail. In order to develop an environmentally friendly technique for recovery of precious metals from Waste PCBs, a critical comparison of main leaching methods is analyzed based on three-scale analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The results suggest that thiourea leaching and iodide leaching make more possible to replace cyanide leaching

Karar Ağacı Algoritması Kullanılarak Çin Topraklarındaki Orta Dereceli Okul Öğrencilerine İlişkin Jeo-Uzamsal Düşünme Yeteneğinin Tahmin Edilmesi

Predicting secondary school students' geospatial thinking ability can provide targeted guidance for teachers. To date, few scholars have focused on predicting students’ geospatial thinking ability. In this paper, we address this gap by constructing a prediction model based on the decision tree algorithm, to predict the geospatial thinking ability of secondary school students. A total of 1029 secondary school students were surveyed using the Spatial Thinking Ability Test, the Students' Geography Learning Status Questionnaire, and the Middle Students Motivation Test. Our model indicates that geospatial thinking ability can be predicted by nine factors, in order of importance: academic achievement in geography, geography learning strategy, geography classroom environment, gender, learning initiative, learning goals, extra-curricular time spent learning geography, ego-enhancement drive, and interest in learning geography. The model accuracy is 81.25%. Specifically, our study is the first to predict geospatial thinking ability. It provides a tool for teachers that can help them identify and predict students' geospatial thinking ability, which is conducive to designing better teaching plans and making adjustments to the curriculum.Orta dereceli okul öğrencilerinin jeo-uzamsal düşünme yeteneklerinin tahmin edilmesi öğretmenler için hedefe yönelik rehberlik sağlayabilir. Şimdiye kadar az sayıda bilim insanı, öğrencilerin jeo-uzamsal düşünme yeteneklerinin tahmin edilmesine odaklanmıştır. Bu makalede, orta dereceli okul öğrencilerinin jeo-uzamsal düşünme yeteneklerinin tahmin edilmesi amacıyla karar ağacı algoritmasına dayanan bir tahmin modeli oluşturarak bu boşluğu doldurmayı amaçlıyoruz. Uzamsal Düşünme Yeteneği Testi, Öğrencilerin Coğrafya Öğrenimi Durumu Anketi ve Orta Dereceli Okul Öğrencileri Motivasyon Testi kullanılarak toplam 1029 orta dereceli okul öğrencisine anket uygulanmıştır. Modelimiz, jeo-uzamsal düşünme yeteneğinin dokuz etmenle tahmin edilebileceğine işaret etmektedir. Önem sırasına göre bu etmenler; coğrafya dersindeki akademik başarı, coğrafya öğrenimi stratejisi, coğrafya sınıf ortamı, cinsiyet, öğrenme inisiyatifi, öğrenme hedefleri, coğrafya öğreniminde harcanan müfredat harici zaman, benlik geliştirme dürtüsü ve coğrafya öğrenimine ilgi şeklindedir. Model doğruluk oranı %81,25’tir. Özellikle, çalışmamız jeo-uzamsal düşünme yeteneğinin tahmin edilmesine yönelik ilk çalışmadır. Öğretmenlere öğrencilerin jeo-uzamsal düşünme yeteneklerini saptamalarına ve tahmin etmelerine yardımcı olabilecek bir araç sunan çalışmamız böylelikle daha iyi eğitim planları hazırlanmasında ve müfredatta düzenlemeler yapılmasında fayda sağlayacaktır

Mycoplasma genitalium Lipoproteins Induce Human Monocytic Cell Expression of Proinflammatory Cytokines and Apoptosis by Activating Nuclear Factor κB

This study was designed to investigate the molecular mechanisms responsible for the induction of proinflammatory cytokines gene expression and apoptosis in human monocytic cell line THP-1 stimulated by lipoproteins (LPs) prepared from Mycoplasma genitalium. Cultured cells were stimulated with M. genitalium LP to analyze the production of proinflammatory cytokines and expression of their mRNA by ELISA and RT-PCR, respectively. Cell apoptosis was also detected by Annexin V-FITC-propidium iodide (PI) staining and acridine orange (AO)-ethidium bromide (EB) staining. The DNA-binding activity of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) was assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Results showed that LP stimulated THP-1 cells to produce tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner. The mRNA levels were also upregulated in response to LP stimulation. LPs were also found to increase the DNA-binding activity of NF-κB, a possible mechanism for the induction of cytokine mRNA expression and the cell apoptosis. These effects were abrogated by PDTC, an inhibitor of NF-κB. Our results indicate that M. genitalium-derived LP may be an important etiological factor of certain diseases due to the ability of LP to produce proinflammatory cytokines and induction of apoptosis, which is probably mediated through the activation of NF-κB

HDAC3 is crucial in shear- and VEGF-induced stem cell differentiation toward endothelial cells

Reendothelialization involves endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) homing, proliferation, and differentiation, which may be influenced by fluid shear stress and local flow pattern. This study aims to elucidate the role of laminar flow on embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation and the underlying mechanism. We demonstrated that laminar flow enhanced ES cell–derived progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation into endothelial cells (ECs). Laminar flow stabilized and activated histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) through the Flk-1–PI3K–Akt pathway, which in turn deacetylated p53, leading to p21 activation. A similar signal pathway was detected in vascular endothelial growth factor–induced EC differentiation. HDAC3 and p21 were detected in blood vessels during embryogenesis. Local transfer of ES cell–derived EPC incorporated into injured femoral artery and reduced neointima formation in a mouse model. These data suggest that shear stress is a key regulator for stem cell differentiation into EC, especially in EPC differentiation, which can be used for vascular repair, and that the Flk-1–PI3K–Akt–HDAC3–p53–p21 pathway is crucial in such a process

The Impact of General Self-Efficacy on Psychological Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Posttraumatic Growth and the Moderating Role of Deliberate Rumination

Purpose: This study used a moderated mediation model to explore the relationship between general self-efficacy (GSE) and psychological resilience (PR) and the associated mechanisms, the mediating role of posttraumatic growth (PTG), and the moderating role of deliberate rumination (DR) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Knowledge of the relationship between these four variables examined further understanding of the PR improvement mechanism of college students and even the general public.Methods: The college students who participated in this study came from an independent college in Guangdong Province, China. A total of 918 college students completed the survey, and the final data sample size was 881. SPSS 23.0 and PROCESS (version 3.3) were used to conduct Pearson's correlation analysis and hierarchical regression linear analysis on the data.Results: (1) The correlation analysis showed that GSE and PR were positively correlated and that PTG was positively correlated with GSE and PR. DR was positively correlated with GSE, PTG, and PR. (2) The results of mediation analysis showed that GSE had a direct predictive effect on DR, and PTG partially mediated the relationship between the two. (3) The results of moderating effect analysis showed that DR hindered the effect of GSE on PTG but enhanced the positive impact of PTG on PR.Conclusions: General self-efficacy can improve PR under the mediating influence of PTG. DR played a positive moderating role in the relationship between GSE and PTG, and played a negative moderating role in the relationship between PTG and PR. These results advance the understanding of the mechanism between GSE and PR

Transcriptome analysis of the hepatopancreas from the Litopenaeus vannamei infected with different flagellum types of Vibrio alginolyticus strains

Vibrio alginolyticus, one of the prevalently harmful Vibrio species found in the ocean, causes significant economic damage in the shrimp farming industry. Its flagellum serves as a crucial virulence factor in the invasion of host organisms. However, the processes of bacteria flagella recognition and activation of the downstream immune system in shrimp remain unclear. To enhance comprehension of this, a ΔflhG strain was created by in-frame deletion of the flhG gene in V. alginolyticus strain HN08155. Then we utilized the transcriptome analysis to examine the different immune responses in Litopenaeus vannamei hepatopancreas after being infected with the wild type and the mutant strains. The results showed that the ΔflhG strain, unlike the wild type, lost its ability to regulate flagella numbers negatively and displayed multiple flagella. When infected with the hyperflagella-type strain, the RNA-seq revealed the upregulation of several immune-related genes in the shrimp hepatopancreas. Notably, two C-type lectins (CTLs), namely galactose-specific lectin nattectin and macrophage mannose receptor 1, and the TNF receptor-associated factor (TRAF) 6 gene were upregulated significantly. These findings suggested that C-type lectins were potentially involved in flagella recognition in shrimp and the immune system was activated through the TRAF6 pathway after flagella detection by CTLs

Quaking is a Key Regulator of Endothelial Cell Differentiation, Neovascularization and Angiogenesis

Abstract The capability to derive endothelial cell (ECs) from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) holds huge therapeutic potential for cardiovascular disease. This study elucidates the precise role of the RNA-binding protein Quaking isoform 5 (QKI-5) during EC differentiation from both mouse and human iPSCs (hiPSCs) and dissects how RNA-binding proteins can improve differentiation efficiency toward cell therapy for important vascular diseases. iPSCs represent an attractive cellular approach for regenerative medicine today as they can be used to generate patient-specific therapeutic cells toward autologous cell therapy. In this study, using the model of iPSCs differentiation toward ECs, the QKI-5 was found to be an important regulator of STAT3 stabilization and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) activation during the EC differentiation process. QKI-5 was induced during EC differentiation, resulting in stabilization of STAT3 expression and modulation of VEGFR2 transcriptional activation as well as VEGF secretion through direct binding to the 3′ UTR of STAT3. Importantly, mouse iPS-ECs overexpressing QKI-5 significantly improved angiogenesis and neovascularization and blood flow recovery in experimental hind limb ischemia. Notably, hiPSCs overexpressing QKI-5, induced angiogenesis on Matrigel plug assays in vivo only 7 days after subcutaneous injection in SCID mice. These results highlight a clear functional benefit of QKI-5 in neovascularization, blood flow recovery, and angiogenesis. Thus, they provide support to the growing consensus that elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying EC differentiation will ultimately advance stem cell regenerative therapy and eventually make the treatment of cardiovascular disease a reality. The RNA binding protein QKI-5 is induced during EC differentiation from iPSCs. RNA binding protein QKI-5 was induced during EC differentiation in parallel with the EC marker CD144. Immunofluorescence staining showing that QKI-5 is localized in the nucleus and stained in parallel with CD144 in differentiated ECs (scale bar = 50 µm).</jats:p