Effect of matrix suction on the shear strength characteristics of reinforced granite residual soil

Introduction: The soil in geogrid-reinforced structures is typically unsaturated, with the shear strength provided by both the matrix suction and the reinforced body. Traditional structural designs for saturated soils only consider the shear strength provided by the reinforced body, neglecting the part provided by matrix suction. As a result, the design for reinforced structures is biased toward conservatism.Method: The study examined the matrix suction-provided shear strength in reinforced soils through strain-controlled triaxial and soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) pressure plate instrumentation. The feasibility of the Schrefler and Khalili unsaturated soil shear strength formulas for predicting shear strength based on matrix suction forces was verified.Results: The study revealed that the cohesion of saturated reinforced soil exhibits a significant decrease in contrast with unsaturated reinforced soil, with matrix suction serving as a crucial consideration for reinforced structure design.Discussion: The experimental results confirm the suitability of applying the quasi-cohesion increment theory to reinforced clays. The Khalili formula can be utilized to predict the quasi cohesion of unsaturated reinforced soils with greater accuracy under diverse dry density conditions. The results obtained using post-shear moisture content were closer to the measured values than those using initial moisture content

Evaluation of electroacupuncture as a non-pharmacological therapy for astrocytic structural aberrations and behavioral deficits in a post-ischemic depression model in mice

BackgroundAscending clinical evidence supports that electroacupuncture (EA) is effective in treating post-ischemic depression (PID), but little is known about how it works at the cellular level. Astrocytes are exquisitely sensitive to their extracellular environment, and under stressful conditions, they may experience aberrant structural remodeling that can potentially cause neuroplastic disturbances and contribute to subsequent changes in mood or behavior.ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the effect of EA on behavioral deficits associated with PID in mice and verify the hypothesis that astrocytic morphology may be involved in this impact.MethodsWe established a PID animal model induced by transient bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO, 20 min) and chronic restraint stress (CRS, 21 days). EA treatment (GV20 + ST36) was performed for 3 weeks, from Monday to Friday each week. Depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors and sociability were evaluated using SPT, FST, EPM, and SIT. Immunohistochemistry combined with Sholl and cell morphological analysis was utilized to assess the process morphology of GFAP+ astrocytes in mood-related regions. The potential relationship between morphological changes in astrocytes and behavioral output was detected by correlation analysis.ResultsBehavioral assays demonstrated that EA treatment induced an overall reduction in behavioral deficits, as measured by the behavioral Z-score. Sholl and morphological analyses revealed that EA prevented the decline in cell complexity of astrocytes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the CA1 region of the hippocampus, where astrocytes displayed evident deramification and atrophy of the branches. Eventually, the correlation analysis showed there was a relationship between behavioral emotionality and morphological changes.ConclusionOur findings imply that EA prevents both behavioral deficits and structural abnormalities in astrocytes in the PID model. The strong correlation between behavioral Z-scores and the observed morphological changes confirms the notion that the weakening of astrocytic processes may play a crucial role in depressive symptoms, and astrocytes could be a potential target of EA in the treatment of PID

Linear multivariate evaluation models for spatial perception of soundscape

Soundscape is a sound environment that emphasizes the awareness of auditory perception and social or cultural understandings. The case of spatial perception is significant to soundscape. However, previous studies on the auditory spatial perception of the soundscape environment have been limited. Based on 21 native binaural-recorded soundscape samples and a set of auditory experiments for subjective spatial perception (SSP), a study of the analysis among semantic parameters, the inter-aural-cross-correlation coefficient (IACC), A-weighted-equal sound-pressure-level (Leq), dynamic (D) and SSP is introduced to verify the independent effect of each parameter and to re-determine some of their possible relationships. The results show that the more noisiness the audience perceived, the worse spatial awareness they received, while the closer and more directional the sound source image variations, dynamics and numbers of sound sources in the soundscape are, the better the spatial awareness would be. Thus, the sensations of roughness, sound intensity, transient dynamic and the values of Leq and IACC have a suitable range for better spatial perception. A better spatial awareness seems to promote the preference slightly for the audience. Finally, setting SSPs as functions of the semantic parameters and Leq-D-IACC, two linear multivariate evaluation models of subjective spatial perception are proposed

Discovery of a novel, liver-targeted thyroid hormone receptor-β agonist, CS271011, in the treatment of lipid metabolism disorders

IntroductionThyroid hormone receptor β (THR-β) plays a critical role in metabolism regulation and has become an attractive target for treating lipid metabolism disorders in recent years. Thus, in this study, we discovered CS271011, a novel THR-β agonist, and assessed the safety and efficiency of CS271011 compared to MGL-3196 in vitro and in vivo. MethodsWe conducted luciferase reporter gene assays to assess the activation of THR-β and α in vitro. C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks, CS271011 was administered by gavage at the dose of 1 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg, and MGL-3196 was administered at the dose of 3 mg/kg for 10 weeks. Body weight, food intake, serum and hepatic parameters, histological analysis, pharmacokinetic studies, RNA sequencing of the liver and heart, and expression of hepatic lipid-metabolic genes were determined to evaluate the safety and efficiency of CS271011. ResultsCompared with MGL-3196, CS271011 showed higher THR-β activation in vitro. In the diet-induced obesity mice model, CS271011 demonstrated favourable pharmacokinetic properties in mice and was enriched in the liver. Finally, CS271011 improved dyslipidaemia and reduced liver steatosis in the diet-induced obesity murine model. Mechanistically, CS271011 and MGL-3196 showed potent regulation of lipid metabolism-related genes. ConclusionsCS271011 is a potent and liver-targeted THR-β agonist for treating lipid metabolism disorders

Experimental study of the soil water characteristic curve and unsaturated permeability coefficient based on the evaporation method and combined measuring instrument

Objective To determine the reliability and applicability of the soil water characteristic curve and unsaturated permeability coefficient combined measuring instrument designed on the evaporation method, three soil samples were selected: silty clay loam, loam and loamy sand. Methods Under natural evaporation, the evaporation flux, water content, and matric suction at 5 and 10 cm below the surface of the soil column were obtained by using the combined measuring instrument. The measured data were processed based on the linear hypothesis. HYDRUS-1D was used for simulation and inversion, and measured matric suction and flux data were input to determine soil hydraulic parameters. VG-Mualem model was fitted to the processed data by using RETC program. Results The results show that the moisture content accords with the theory of the linear hypothesis, and the linear variation in matric suction is not ideal. However, soil samples other than sandy soil can solve this problem by reducing the evaporation rate and shortening the interval between two measurements. The fitting effect of the test data is good, and the error is small with the simulation result. The unsaturated permeability coefficient measured in the early stage of the test has a large error with the simulated value, which is mainly due to the inability to ensure the accuracy of the hydraulic gradient when the water content is close to saturation. These data can be ignored for improvement. Conclusion It is reliable to use the evaporation method and combined measuring instrument to measure the soil water characteristic curve and unsaturated permeability coefficient

Predicting the prognosis, immune response, and immunotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using a novel risk model based on anoikis-related lncRNAs

Abstract Background Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an extremely heterogeneous and metastatic disease. Anoikis, which is a specific type of programmed apoptosis, is involved in tumor metastasis, tissue homeostasis, and development. Herein, we constructed an anoikis-related long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) signature to predict the prognosis, immune responses, and therapeutic effects in HNSCC patients. Methods A total of 501 HNSCC samples were acquired from the TCGA database and randomly classified into the training and validation groups (1:1 ratio). Thereafter, the results derived from the training set were analyzed with the LASSO regression analysis, and a novel anoikis-related lncRNA risk model was constructed. Time-dependent ROC curves and Kaplan–Meier analysis were carried out to assess the diagnostic value and survival outcomes. A nomogram was utilized to predict the prognostic accuracy. Furthermore, we studied the tumor microenvironment, tumor mutation burden, enrichment pathways, and the response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Results Seven anoikis-related lncRNAs (AC015878.1, CYTOR, EMSLR, LINC01503, LINC02084, RAB11B-AS1, Z97200.1) were screened to design a novel risk model, which was recognized as the independent prognostic factor for HNSCC patients. The findings implied that low-risk patients showed significantly longer OS, PFS, and DSS compared to those high-risk patients. The two groups that were classified using the risk model showed significant differences in their immune landscape. The risk model also predicted that low-risk HNSCC patients could attain a better response to immunotherapy, while high-risk patients would be more sensitive to gemcitabine, docetaxel, and cisplatin. Conclusions We constructed a novel risk model that could be employed for effectively predicting patient prognosis with a good independent prognostic value for HNSCC patients. Furthermore, this model could be used for designing new immunotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic strategies, and it helps clinicians establish personalized and detailed strategies for HNSCC patients

Characterization of Chlorococcum pamirum as a potential biodiesel feedstock

To evaluate the potential of Chlorococcum pamirum for producing biodiesel, the effects of nitrogen, phosphate, initial cell concentrations and NaCl on lipid accumulation and growth were studied. The highest specific growth rate (mu(max)), biomass productivity and lipid content achieved was 1.888 d (1), 350.1 mg L (1) day (1), and 64.9%, respectively. Under nitrogen-deficient condition, the cells accumulated lipids faster at low initial cell concentration. Additional NaCl to nitrogen-deficient media accelerated the lipid accumulation. When adding 10 g L (1) NaCl to nitrogen-deficient media, the lipid content and productivity of cells cultured outdoors with high initial cell concentration increased from 38.2% and 153 mg L (1) day (1) to 54.3% and 192 mg L (1) day (1) respectively. Moreover, NaCl enhanced the saturated fatty acids content from 56.40% to 73.41% of total fatty acids. The results show that C. pamirum is a promising organism for biofuel production. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Fyn gene silencing reduces oligodendrocytes apoptosis through inhibiting ERK1/2 phosphorylation in epilepsy

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the effect of Fyn gene silencing on the apoptosis of oligodendrocytes (OLs) in epileptic model in vitro and the involved mechanism. Primary oligodendrocyte pro-genitor cells (OPCs) were separated from rats and differentiated to OLs. Immunofluorescent labeling showed positive expression of A2B5 in OPCs and Olig2 in OLs, suggesting the successful separation of OPCs and OLs. Three Fyn siRNAs (si-Fyn) and Fyn siRNA negative control (NC) were transfected into OLs. Western blot showed that among three si-Fyn groups, si-Fyn3 caused the lowest Fyn expression, so si-Fyn3 was chosen for following experiment. Cells were divided into four groups: Control, Model, NC and si-Fyn. In the Model group, cells were cultured in Mg-free extracellular fluid for 3 h. The morphology of control cells was normal. However, the migration of neurons, the aggregation of cell bodies and the “grid-like” changes of neural networks were observed in the model cells. OLs apoptosis in various groups was assessed by flow cytometry. Expression of Fyn, ERK1/2 and phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) in OLs of various groups was evaluated by western blot. Compared with the Control group, the apoptotic rates, the Fyn expression and p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2 ratio in the Model and NC groups increased significantly (p < .05). However, the apoptotic rate, the Fyn expression and p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2 ratio in the si-Fyn group were remarkably smaller than those in the Model group (p < .05). In conclusion, Fyn gene silencing reduced the apoptosis of OLs through inhibiting the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in epileptic model