Layout optimization for multi-bi-modulus materials system under multiple load cases

Financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51179164) and the Australian Research Council (Grant No. DP140103137) is acknowledged

Comparison of Copper Leaching from Alkaline Copper Quat Type-D Treated Chinese Fir and Mongolian Scots Pine after Different Posttreatments

Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata Hook.) and Mongolian Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris Linn. var. mongolica Litv.) sapwood were treated with alkaline copper quat type D (ACQ-D) solutions at two concentration levels (0.5 and 1.1%) followed by three posttreatments: oven-drying, conditioning in a humidity chamber, or exposed to boiling water. The effects of treatment on copper leaching from ACQ-D-treated wood were investigated by performing tests according to AWPA E11-06. Analysis of chemical composition and pH values were determined to evaluate the effects of wood species on copper leaching. The results showed that copper leaching from ACQ-D-treated Mongolian Scots pine without posttreatment was lower than that of treated Chinese fir. However, after posttreatment, more copper leaching was observed from ACQ-D-treated Mongolian Scots pine than Chinese fir. For example, after conditioning posttreatment, the percentage of copper leached from 1.1% ACQ-D-treated Chinese fir decreased 58.6 to 1.8%, while for Mongolian Scots pine, it decreased 49.5 to 19.4%. The difference was considered to be related to different chemical compositions and pH levels

The expression, clinical relevance, and prognostic significance of HJURP in cholangiocarcinoma

BackgroundCholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the malignancy originating from the biliary epithelium, including intrahepatic (iCCA), perihilar (pCCA), and distal (dCCA) CCA. The prognosis of CCA is very poor, and the biomarkers of different CCA subsets should be investigated separately. Holliday junction recognition protein (HJURP) is a key component of the pre-nucleosomal complex, which is responsible for normal mitosis. The ectopic expression of HJURP has been reported in several cancers, but not CCA.Materials and methodsIn our study, we investigated the expression of HJURP in 127 CCA patients which were composed of 32 iCCAs, 71 pCCAs, and 24 dCCAs with immunohistochemistry and divided these patients into subgroups with a low or high expression of HJURP. With chi-square test and univariate and multivariate analyses, we evaluated the clinical relevance and prognostic significance of HJURP in iCCAs, pCCAs, and dCCAs.ResultsHJURP was ectopically upregulated in CCAs compared with the para-tumor tissues based on TCGA and other mRNA-seq databases. A high expression of HJURP was correlated with low overall survival rates of iCCA and pCCA, but not in dCCA. Moreover, HJURP was an independent prognostic biomarker in both iCCA and pCCA. Patients with high HJURP were more likely to suffer CCA-related death after operation.ConclusionsHJURP was an independent prognostic biomarker in both iCCA and pCCA, but not in dCCA. Our results provide more evidence of the molecular features of different CCA subsets and suggest that patients with high HJURP are more high-risk, which can guide more precision follow-up and treatment of CCA

3D seismic simulation analysis of the Longtoushan Town Basin during the 2014 Ludian earthquake, Yunnan province

On 3 August 2014, a magnitude Ms 6.5 earthquake struck Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, causing grave losses of life and property in the Longtoushan Town Basin near the fault. In this study, a three-dimensional model of the Longtoushan Town Basin and the velocity structure of the surrounding area, and the Spectral Elements in Elastic Dynamics code, which combines the discontinuous Galerkin technique and the spectral element method (SEM) are used to simulate and study the entire seismic wave propagation process. The results show that due to the variations in the basin geometry and the impedance ratio of the media inside and outside the basin, the seismic waves incident on the basin edge are refracted and diffracted, further prolonging the ground motion holding time within the basin. In the bedrock outside the basin, the velocity peaks are higher at higher elevations; viceversa within the basin, the locally depressed basement produces an obvious amplification effect. The amplitude of the ground motion is not the greatest in the thickest sedimentary layers in the basin, and it is closely related to the degree of undulation at the base of the sedimentary layers, the overburden thickness, and the basin geometry. The peak ground accelerations (PGAs) of approximately 8 m/s2 in the east–west (E–W) direction and 3 m/s2 in the north–south (N–S) direction are influenced by the rupture directivity effect (the ruptured surface is the Baogunao–Xiaohe fault that is oriented in the N–W direction). The peak ground velocity with a sedimentary model is 2.6 and 1.6 times that of the non-sedimentary model in the E–W and N–S directions, respectively. The maximum amplification factor for PGA in the E–W direction is 2.8 and that in the N–S direction is approximately 2.3. The results are in agreement with the actual observed seismic station data in terms of the waveforms and peaks, and the intensity distribution map matches the actual damage distribution. This proves the accuracy and rationality of the method used in this study. The results are useful for the seismic zoning of cities, and they can help engineers predict ground motions for future large earthquakes