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To explore the factors affecting the shear strength of compacted loess, direct shear tests and compression tests under different moisture contents and compaction were conducted. The results show that the angle of internal friction and the cohesion of the soil depend on the moisture content and compaction. The influence of the moisture content is more significant than that of the compaction. The relationship between the confined compression strain and vertical pressure can be fitted by a hyperbolic curve. The secant modulus has a positive linear relationship with the compaction, and a parabolic correlation with the moisture content. A modified formula for the deformation of loess under changing compaction and moisture content is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: N-methyl- D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) are heteromeric complexes primarily assembled from NR1 and NR2 subunits. In normal conditions, NR2 sub-units assemble into homodimers in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). These homodimers remain in the ER until they coassemble with NR1 dimers and are trafficked to the cell surface. However, it still remains unclear whether functional homomeric NMDAR exist in physiological or pathological conditions. Methods: We transfected GFP-NR2A alone into HEK293 cells, treated the cells with PKC activator 12-myristate-13 acetate (PMA), and then detected surface NR2A sub-units with a live cell immunostaining method. We also used a series of NR2A mutants with a partial deletion of its C-terminus to identify the regions that are involved in the PMA-mediated surface expression of NR2A subunits. Results: NR2A subunits were expressed on the cell membrane after incubation with PMA (200 nmol/L, 30 min), although no functional NMDA channels were detected after PMA-induced membrane trafficking. Immunostaining with an ER marker also revealed that NR2A subunits were exported from the ER after PMA treatment. Furthermore, the deletion of amino acids between 1149-1347 or 1354-1464 of NR2A inhibited PMA-induced surface expression of NR2A subunits. Conclusion: First, our data suggests that PMA treatment can induce the surface expression of homomeric NR2A subunits. Furthermore, this process is probably mediated by the NR2A C-terminal region between positions 1149 and 1464. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]