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Authentication is critical for Internet-of-Things. The traditional approach of using cryptographic keys is subject to invasive attacks. Being unclonable even by the manufacturers, physical unclonable functions (PUFs) leverage integrated circuits' manufacturing variations to produce responses unique for individual devices, and hence are of great potential as security primitives. While physically unclonable, many PUFs were reported to be mathematically cloneable by machine learning-based modeling methods. The feed-forward arbiter PUFs (FF PUFs) are among the PUFs with strong resistance against machine learning attacks. Existing studies revealed that only a very small group of FF PUFs with special loop patterns had been broken, and the vast majority of FF PUFs are still secure against all machine learning attack methods tried so far. In this paper, we introduce a neural network that can successfully attack FF PUFs with any loop patterns, with training time even magnitudes lower than existing methods attacking PUFs of the restrictive loop patterns. Experimental results show that, on the one hand, FF PUFs are not secure against attacks even with a large number of complex feed-forward loops, hence susceptible to attacks by response-prediction-based malicious software. On the other hand, the new approach of designing problem-tailored attack methods points to a new way to identify PUF security risks which might be difficult to discover by general-purpose machine learning methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation and joint damage. Previous studies have shown that pyroptosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of RA. In this study, the effects of circular RNA hsa_circ0000175 on pyroptosis and inflammation of RA were evaluated. Serum levels of circ_0000175 and miR-31-5p were determined by RT-qPCR, and the correlation between them was evaluated by Spearman correlation analysis. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) were extracted and prepared for in vitro study. The subcellular localization of circ_0000175 was detected by FISH assay. Pyroptosis and inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18 and IL-6 were measured by flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. RNA pull-down and luciferase reporter assays verified the interaction between circ_0000175 and miR-31-5p. Western blot was used to detect the differential expression of pyroptosis-related factors (GSDME-N, GSDMD-N, cleaved caspase-1 and cleaved caspase-3). Circ_0000175 level was increased but miR-31-5p expression was decreased in PBMCs of RA patients and LPS/ATP-treated FLSs, companied with negative correlation. Moreover, miR-31-5p was a target of circ_0000175 in RA-FLSs. Silencing of circ_0000175 or overexpression of miR-31-5p significantly alleviated LPS/ATP-induced pyroptosis in FLSs through both caspase-1/GSDMD and caspase-3/GSDME pathways. Additionally, GSDME was identified as the target of miR-31-5p. The inhibitory effects of circ_0000175 depletion on pyroptosis and inflammation in RA-FLSs treated with LPS/ATP were strengthened by GSDME knockdown. Circ_0000175 can induce pyroptosis and trigger inflammatory response during the occurrence of RA through the miR-31-5p/GSDME axis, which provides a novel therapeutic target for RA treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that as non-coding RNAs, miRNAs regulate all levels of life activities and most pathological processes. Therefore, identifying disease-related miRNAs is essential for disease diagnosis and treatment. However, traditional biological experiments are highly uncertain and time-consuming. Hence, advanced intelligent computational models are needed to address this problem. We propose a dual-channel transformer graph model, named DCTGM, to learn multi-scale representations for miRNA-disease association prediction. Specifically, DCTGM includes a transformer encoder (TE) and GraphSAGE encoder (GE). The TE intensely captures the important interaction information between miRNA-disease pairs, and the GE aggregates multi-hop neighbor information of miRNA-disease association heterograph to enrich node features. Then, an attention module is proposed to aggregate the dual-channel interactive representations, and we adopt a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) to predict the miRNA-disease association scores. The fivefold cross-validation experimental results demonstrate that our proposed DCTGM achieves the AP of 92.735%, F1 of 84.430%, accuracy of 85.255%, and ROC of 93.012%. In addition, we conduct case studies on brain neoplasms, kidney neoplasms, and breast neoplasms. The extensive experiments show that the dbDEMC database validates 100% of the top 20 predicted miRNAs associated with these diseases. This model can effectively predict the potential mirNA-disease association. Experiments have shown that miRNA associated with a new disease can also be predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typhoon-induced rockslide-debris avalanches are among the most dramatic geohazard in coastal mountainous regions, which commonly result in serious casualties and economic loss. In September 2016, typhoon "Catfish" attacked the Su Village in Southeastern China and triggered a devastating rockslide-debris avalanche. The detached mass traveled 1000 m, generated a powerful air blast, and resulted in 27 deaths. In this study, we performed a thorough survey to investigate the avalanche characteristics and damages caused by air blasts. Meanwhile, numerical modeling and video analysis were conducted to investigate the avalanche dynamics and impacts of the air blast. Results indicated that the avalanche movement lasted for approximately 60 s with a maximum velocity of 42 m/s. The entrainment effect greatly enlarged the avalanche volume and extended the avalanche runout. Moreover, the generated air blast indicated a maximum pressure of 2.5 kPa and caused tree breakage beyond the avalanche runout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock collapse with large volumes can attain high speeds during their freefall motion. The impact of such a falling mass on the ground surface can initiate a powerful air blast with far-field destructive impact. To investigate the formation, disaster-causing mechanism and dynamic characteristics of rock collapse-induced air blasts, an existing coupled discrete-element method (DEM)–computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is employed on a rock collapse-generated air blast in Zengziyan, China (ZRC). The generated air blast shows a maximum velocity of over 50 m/s and subsequently dissipated rapidly. The high consistency between the simulated air blast dynamics and the video verified the DEM–CFD coupled method in the air blast modeling. Combined with the ZRC-induced air blast analysis, a simplified generalized model was designed to observe the potential effect of geomorphology. Results highlight the great contribution of geomorphology, to both air blast initiation and propagation. Collapsed rock mass with a free fall motion is prone to generate significant air blasts when colliding with the slope surface. Tremendous energy was transferred to the surrounding air at the moment. Compared with falling straight down, air blasts resulting from an airborne trajectory case show a longer propagation because the collapsed materials impart air a higher initial momentum parallel to the slope surface. In addition, air blast propagation in wide distribution areas in comparison to narrow valleys shows greater attenuation. This study will aid in understanding the mechanism of a rock collapse-induced air blast as well as the forward simulation of similar events for risk assessment. Highlights: DEM-CFD coupled method provides good performance in simulating the air blast dynamics. Large rock collapse with a free fall motion is prone to generate powerful air blasts when colliding with the slope surface. Geomorphology is greatly influential in both air blast initiation and propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On August 10, 2019, typhoon "Lekima" and the associated heavy rainfall triggered a large landslide in Yongjia County, Zhejiang, China. The sliding mass blocked the river, resulted in an air blast and barrier lake disaster chain, and caused 32 deaths. A thorough survey was performed to investigate the characteristics and possible failure mechanisms of the event. The landslide initiation is caused by the combination of rock mass characteristics, wind load, heavy rainfall, and human activities. The presence of roots and cracks in the strongly weathered tuff provides preferential infiltration channels for the rainwater penetration, causing the rapid destabilization of the slope. Furthermore, we used the dynamic model RAMMS and empirical equations to analyze the disaster-causing process of the landslide. Results indicated that the landslide movement lasted for about 30 s with a maximum velocity of 21 m/s. The generated air blast shows a maximum pressure of 1.7 kPa and caused tree breakage on the opposite side of the river. Subsequently, the sliding mass blocked the river and generated a landslide dam with a maximum thickness of about 14 m. Its combination with heavy rainfall led to the rise of the upstream water level and the submersion of houses in the Shanzao village within 20 min. Our work is expected to improve the understanding of typhoon-induced large landslides and promote the risk assessment of this type of geohazard in coastal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intravenous-cardiac leiomyomatosis is an uncommon tumor arising from invasive uterine leiomyomata, with nodular masses extending into the inferior vena cava, right heart chamber, and even pulmonary arteries or lung. This report describes two cases of intravenous leiomyomatosis invading the right heart. A total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and intravenous leiomyomata was performed. However, the intracardiac tumor was pulled apart, and the residual tumor remained unchanged at the 4-year follow-up in one patient. Its early diagnosis might be difficult because cardiac symptoms only develop once the tumor extends into the right heart or pulmonary arteries, resulting in cardiac insufficiency. The treatment depends on radical resection of pelvic and intravenous leiomyomatosis and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typhoon-induced deep-seated landslides are prone to cause mass casualties to coastal regions once they occur. On 10th August 2019, typhoon "Lekima" triggered the deadliest landslide in recent decades in Southeast coastal China (32 deaths). To investigate the possible failure mechanism of this catastrophic event, we conducted in situ investigations and image analysis to determine the geological characteristics and performed numerical modelling of transient variation in slope stability throughout the typhoon. Generalized modelling analysis was further designed to research the impacts of some landslide settings and forcing factors on this type of geohazard. Our findings show that cracks within the weathered rock played vital roles in the landslide initiation. Cracks-induced strength reduction made the saturated rock provide insufficient resistance to stabilize the slope. Preferential infiltration promotes the saturation of sliding mass within a short-duration typhoon, responsible for the rapid failure. Furthermore, the impact of trees on slope stability depends heavily on landslide settings. Constrained by the limited growth depth of roots, though both beneficial and detrimental mechanisms of trees show minor impacts on the development of a deep-seated sliding surface, trees and geological settings converged to produce the failure mode of the Yongjia landslide. Roots significantly enhanced the shallow soil layer and the soil–rock interface is simulated to be the potential sliding surface in the absence of trees. Results suggest future landslide risk assessments in Southeast coastal China to specify the meteorological and geological conditions, which would greatly improve the aim to predict the spatiotemporal distribution of landslides throughout a typhoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2D discrete element method has been employed to analyze the dynamic fragmentation characteristics of the Zengziyan columnar rockfall that occurred in Chongqing, China, in 2004. In this study, characteristics of particle morphometric distribution of the simulation were verified by a new image analysis method. The simulated runout behavior of the Zengziyan columnar rockfall was validated by the video analysis method. The numerical results of this study showed that the maximum velocity of the rockfall mass was 40 m/s, and the entire dynamic process lasted approximately 27 s. Fragments were identified in the numerical model on the basis of the presence or absence of cement between particles. The results showed that the fragmentation of the Zengziyan rockfall mainly occurred when the bottom of the rockfall mass broke, and during the collision process along the runout path. However, during the accumulation process, the rockfall mass barely fragmented. The results of fitting the cumulative distribution of fragment size showed that their fractal dimension D increased (from 2.05 to 2.12), and the fragment scale parameter d c decreased significantly (from 15.84 to 3.77) before and after the rockfall, respectively. Thus, it was confirmed that the rockfall mass underwent significant fragmentation and produced many fine fragments during the initiation stage, and fragmentation lessened during the transport stage along the runout path. Moreover, the increasing fractal dimension of particles indicated the enhanced mobility of the rockfall, which may be explained by the volume amplification caused by fragmentation. These findings of this research provide original insight into the study of the dynamic fragmentation process of similar rockfall hazards from the perspective of particle size distribution, which provides guidance for the disaster management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The oral bioavailability of withangulatin A (WA) is low and may undergo first-pass metabolism because of the presence of two esters bonds. This study aimed to identify the hydrolysis behavior and mechanism of WA, thus enriching its structure-pharmacokinetic relationship. Methods: The in vivo pharmacokinetic studies of WA in rats were first investigated, followed by in vitro assays including metabolic stability, phenotyping identification and metabolic kinetics assays. After screening out the responsible enzymes with higher catalytic capacity, molecular docking study was performed to demonstrate the interaction mode between WA and metabolic enzymes. Then, metabolites in human serum albumin (HSA) were identified by LC-TOF-MS/MS. Results: In rats, the oral bioavailability of WA was only 2.83%. In vitro, WA was hydrolyzed in both rat and human plasma and could not be inhibited by selective esterase inhibitors. Physiologic concentration of HSA not recombinant human carboxylesterases (rhCES) could significantly hydrolyze WA, and it had a similar hydrolytic capacity with human plasma to WA. Furthermore, WA could stably bind to HSA by forming hydrogen bonds with Lys199 and Arg410, accompanied by the metabolic reaction of the lactone ring opening. Conclusion: The study showed that WA underwent obvious hydrolysis in rat and human plasma, which implied a strong first-pass effect. Serum albumin rather than common esterases primarily contributed to the hydrolytic metabolism of WA in plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper (Cu) can be harmful to host physiology at high levels, although it is still unclear exactly how it causes nephrotoxicity. Mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress are associated with heavy metal intoxication. Meanwhile, mitochondria and ER are connected via mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAM). In order to reveal the crosstalk between them, a total of 144 1-day-old Peking ducks were randomly divided into four groups: control (basal diet), 100 mg/kg Cu, 200 mg/kg Cu, and 400 mg/kg Cu groups. Results found that excessive Cu disrupted MAM integrity, reduced the co-localization of IP3R and VDAC1, and significantly changed the MAM-related factors levels (Grp75, Mfn2, IP3R, MCU, PACS2, and VDAC1), leading to MAM dysfunction. We further found that Cu exposure induced mitochondrial dysfunction via decreasing the ATP level and the expression levels of COX4, TOM20, SIRT1, and OPA1 and up-regulating Parkin expression level. Meanwhile, Cu exposure dramatically increased the expression levels of Grp78, CRT, and ATF4, resulting in ER stress. Overall, these findings demonstrated MAM plays the critical role in Cu-induced kidney mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress, which deepened our understanding of Cu-induced nephrotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a prevalent cancer type with a poor prognosis. As a form of programmed cell death, pyroptosis has been implicated in cancer growth, invasion, and metastasis. To investigate the relationship between pyroptosis and the prognosis of ESCC, we analyzed the expression profiles and clinical data of patients with ESCC, obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases, using bioinformatics analysis. Univariate Cox, multivariate Cox, and LASSO Cox regression analyses were conducted to develop a pyroptosis-related prognostic model (riskScore). CIBERSORT and MCPcounter algorithm evaluated the proportion of various immune infiltrating cells. Tissues from 16 patients were collected to verify the expression of key pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), western blot, and immunohistochemical assays. Additionally, functional assays were performed in ESCC cell lines KYSE-150 and ECA-109 to examine the role of key PRGs. Among 25 pyroptosis-related regulators, 12 genes exhibited differential expression between tumor and normal tissues. Based on the differential expression of PRGs, we identified two subgroups with distinct clinical and molecular features. We further established a pyroptosis-related model with high prognostic value. In addition, we found a significant association of PRGs and riskScore with immune cell infiltration and the response rate of immunotherapy. Furthermore, we confirmed the low expression of WFDC12 in ESCC. Cellular assays demonstrated that the knockdown of WFDC12 in ESCC cell lines promoted cell proliferation and migration. Collectively, our findings highlight the critical role of PRGs in the development and prognosis of ESCC, while our riskScore could accurately predict the prognosis and immunogenicity of ESCC. Finally, our preliminary evidence suggests a protective role of WFDC12 in ESCC in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On April 9, 2018, a massive rock avalanche hit the area of Karimabad, Hunza. Approximately 2Mm3 of rock mass detached from the source area and traveled a total of 4.88 km. The rock mass deposited along 2000 m length and destroyed the Ultar meadows. The avalanche killed three tourists and resulted in a vast dust cloud that engulfed the entire town of Karimabad in a few seconds. In this paper, we have analyzed the dynamic characteristics of the Ultar rock avalanche and subsequent airblast using a coupled three-dimensional discrete element modeling and computational fluid dynamics approach. Two-way coupling was carried out using an application programming interface that transferred the data between models to simulate the avalanche movement and induced airblast. We have also analyzed the formation and propagation of induced dust clouds based on field investigation, captured video, and climatic conditions. The study concludes that the Ultar rock avalanche's movement lasted 148 s. The average velocity of sliding material was found to be 26.35 m/s. The dynamics of induced airblast were studied along the entire runout path. The maximum velocity of generated airblast along different sections of the runout path was found to be 40 m/s and 35 m/s, respectively, whereas the relative pressure of the blast wave was found to be 0.6 kPa. Furthermore, the results revealed that a low-pressure dust cloud traveled a long distance due to the continuous fragmentation of the sliding material along a steep runout path. The induced dust cloud engulfed the entire town of Karimabad, Hunza, for several hours. This study is expected to help scientists further explore the dynamics of the airblast. It will also help understand the formation and propagation of dust clouds induced by rock avalanches involving excessive fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large ice/rock avalanches have been known to generate extremely powerful air blasts capable of causing fatalities and destruction far beyond the runout of the movement mass. Thus, an appraisal of their possible destructive air blast should be considered during the risk assessments. However, much less is known about how avalanche-induced air blasts occur and how destructive they are. Here an existing DEM-CFD coupled method was innovatively employed to quantitatively analyze the initiation and propagation mechanism of the air blast caused by the largest ice-rock avalanche during Nepal's 2015 Gorkha earthquake, and compared the results with some recorded events. Our results highlighted the contribution of valley morphology to air blast generation. Large high-velocity ice/rock avalanches that have an airborne trajectory or a travel path with turning points can suddenly release tremendous energy and more probably cause destructive air blasts. Additionally, the Langtang air blast presented a propagation of 1 km from the avalanche impact point and equivalent destruction to an EF2–EF5 tornado, causing mass casualties. The large impact region and destructive force of avalanche-induced air blasts suggests their disastrous consequences that should provoke assessment of such type of cascading effect during the landslide risk assessment, especially for the long-term sustainability of planned infrastructure in high-altitude regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past 20 years, Lebai gully (Linzhi, Tibet, China) has been affected by several debris flow events. These debris flow events caused the blockage of three-quarters of the river channel at the mouth of the Lebai gully, threatening thousands of acres of cultivated land, houses, and residents' property in the upper reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. However, few investigations have been carried out on the debris flows in the Lebai gully, and the triggering mechanism of Lebai debris flows remains elusive. In this paper, we presented a detailed demonstration of the geological environment and geomorphological features of the Lebai Basin, and a detailed geohazard history of the Lebai gully was collected and presented based on interviews with local villagers. To provide information on the lithological, hydrological, and geotechnical characteristics of the terrain in Lebai gully, the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) method was carried out to research the subsurface characteristics of debris flow fans. The ERT results illustrated the two-layered vertical strata of the debris fan, and the shallow layer of relatively low resistivity, which has thicknesses of 5–18 m, could be described as Quaternary colluvial deposits, while the deep layer of relatively high resistivity could be considered Precambrian bedrock. Taking a relatively large-scale debris flow on August 20, 2003, as an example, a detailed discussion was carried out on the possible factors triggering this event, and it was found that the Lebai debris flows were closely related to pre-event rainfall, air temperature, and antecedent earthquakes. Moreover, with the intention of evaluating the future risk of river blockage and helping to make rational decisions on developing suitable mitigation measures, the unstable deposits found in field investigations were generalized to geometric models according to their geometric characteristics, and the volumes of these unstable materials in each location were estimated using digital elevation models and geometric spatial analysis methods. A dynamic model named RAMMS was used to predict these unstable materials' dynamic processes and final deposit characteristics. The simulation results revealed a great possibility that the Yarlung Tsangpo River will be blocked at the mouth of Lebai gully in the future, and it is necessary to take further mitigation measures. The research in this paper contributes to a better understanding of the debris flows in the Lebai Basin and provides meaningful and valuable information for debris flow hazard mitigation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow avalanche run-out is controlled by flow regime, which is heavily dependent on snow temperature and water content. Existing avalanche models calculate temperature change and snow melting arising from frictional work, snowcover entrainment and particle collisions, but ignore the influence of the ambient air temperature. Here, we propose an experimentally-based relationship to describe the sensible heat flux between the flowing avalanche and the ambient air. A snow avalanche case study and a sensitivity analysis are performed using the proposed model. Modeling results suggest a marginal contribution of heat to the avalanche core, but one, that nonetheless can have significant effect on avalanche runout. For wet (warm) avalanches, higher air temperature will amplify water lubrication effects, leading to longer avalanche run-out. Warmer air temperatures also influence the behaviour of dry, cold avalanches, as the presence of meltwater increases snow cohesion, restricting the formation of strong powder clouds and reducing the avalanche run-out. Colder air temperatures facilitate the formation of more fluidized powder snow avalanches with long run-out and strong air-blasts. The proposed model quantifies the temperature change in the avalanche and can be included in avalanche hazard assessments in which temperature and flow regime are important elements, including the understanding of air temperature and avalanche flow in a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mudstone is undergoing great change and disintegration in cyclic wetting–drying due to the weak durability, and the change is expected to cause geohazards and potential risks for engineering. The probable impact emphasizes the vitality of understanding mudstone disintegration in various environments. Slake durability tests considering four different factors are implemented: (i) only drainage (to simulate moisture environment), (ii) cyclic wetting and drying, (iii) rotation speed of apparatus (frequency of drainage and filling), and (iv) solutions. This work extends the limitation of research by experimentally investigating the four impact factors in mudstone disintegration and analyzing grain size distribution with orthogonal images improving accuracy. In this experiment, four indexes of describing disintegration performance, i.e., slake durability index, grain size gradation, relative breakage, and median grain size were acquired throughout experimental process. This research shows mudstone disintegration should be considered in moisture environment. In comparison, cyclic wetting and drying, high rotation speed, and ion-enriched solution significantly impact and weaken the durability of mudstone. The findings reveal probable impacts may lead to geohazards and potential risks in various exposed environment of mudstones. Grain analysis based on orthogonal images considers grain shape effect of conventionally sieving disintegrated mudstone grains and improves the acquired grain size distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Lack of biomechanical force model of soft tissue hinders the development of virtual surgical simulation in maxillofacial surgery. In this study, a physical model of facial soft tissue based on real biomechanical parameters was constructed, and a haptics-enabled virtual surgical system was developed to simulate incision-making process on facial soft tissue and to help maxillofacial surgery training. Methods: CT data of a 25-year-old female patient were imported into Mimics software to reconstruct 3D models of maxillofacial soft and skeletal tissues. 3dMD stereo-photo of the patient was fused on facial surface to include texture information. Insertion and cutting parameters of facial soft tissue measured on fresh cadavers were integrated, and a maxillofacial biomechanical force model was established. Rapid deformation and force feedback were realized through localized deformation algorithm and axis aligned bounding box (AABB)-based collision detection. The virtual model was validated quantitatively and qualitatively. Results: A patient-specific physical model composed of skeletal and facial soft tissue was constructed and embedded in the virtual surgical system. Insertion and cutting in different regions of facial soft tissue were simulated using omega 6, and real-time feedback force was recorded. The feedback force was consistent with acquired force data of experiments conducted on tissue specimen. Real-time graphic and haptic feedback were realized. The mean score of the system performance was 3.71 given by surgeons in evaluation questionnaires. Conclusion: The maxillofacial physical model enabled operators to simulate insertion and cutting on facial soft tissue with realization of realistic deformation and haptic feedback. The combination of localized deformation algorithm and AABB-based collision detection improved computational efficiency. The proposed virtual surgical system demonstrated excellent performance in simulation and training of incision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have found that molecular targets that regulate tissue development are also involved in regulating tissue regeneration. Erythropoietin-producing hepatocyte A4 (EphA4) not only plays a guiding role in neurite outgrowth during the development of the central nervous system (CNS) but also induces injured axon retraction and inhibits axon regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). EphA4 targets several ephrin ligands (including ephrin-A and ephrin-B) and is involved in cortical cell migration, axon guidance, synapse formation and astrocyte function. However, how EphA4 affects axon regeneration after SCI remains unclear. This study focuses on the effect and mechanism of EphA4-regulated astrocyte function in neuronal regeneration after SCI. Our research found that EphA4 expression increased significantly after SCI and peaked at 3 days post-injury; accordingly, we identified the cellular localization of EphA4 and ephrin-B ligands in neurons and astrocytes after SCI. EphA4 was mainly expressed on the surface of neurons, ephrin-B1 and ephrin-B3 were mainly localized on astrocytes, and ephrin-B2 was distributed on both neurons and astrocytes. To further elucidate the effect of EphA4 on astrocyte function after SCI, we detected the related cytokines secreted by astrocytes in vivo. We found that the levels of neurotrophic factors including nerve growth factor (NGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) increased significantly after SCI (NGF peaked at 3 days and bFGF peaked at 7 days); the expression of laminin and fibronectin increased gradually after SCI; the expression of inflammatory factors [interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6] increased significantly from 4 h to 7 days after SCI; and the levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker of astrocyte activation, and chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan (CSPG), the main component of glial scars, both peaked at 7 days after SCI. Using a damaged astrocyte model in vitro, we similarly found that the levels of related cytokines increased after injury. Consequently, we observed the effect of damaged astrocytes on neurite outgrowth and regeneration, and the results showed that damaged astrocytes hindered neurite outgrowth and regeneration; however, the inhibitory effect of injured astrocytes on neurite regeneration was reduced following ephrin-B receptor knockdown or inflammatory inhibition at 24 h after astrocyte injury. Our results showed that EphA4 regulates the secretion of neurotrophic factors, adhesion molecules, inflammatory factors and glial scar formation by binding with the ligand ephrin-B located on the surface of astrocytes. EphA4 affects neurite outgrowth and regeneration after SCI by regulating astrocyte function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 24 June 2017, a rockslide-debris avalanche occurred in Xinmo Village, Maoxian County, Sichuan Province, China. The displaced materials traveled approximately 2.6 km and caused 83 casualties. Combined with the field investigation, seismic signal, and numerical simulation, the dynamic process and deposit characteristics of the Xinmo landslide were analyzed. Based on the Arias intensity and Hibert time–frequency analysis of the seismic signal, the Xinmo landslide is determined to have a total duration of 120 s and with three-stage dynamic processes, namely, the initial accelerating stage (50 s), erosion impact stage (50 s), and accumulation stage (20 s). Then, taking the field investigation results, the total duration, and kinetic parameters inverted from the seismic signal as criteria, the DAN3D (Dynamic Analysis of Landslides) was employed to reconstruct the dynamic process of the Xinmo landslide. The results show that the erosion and deposit depth distributions obtained from the simulation are in agreement with the pre- and post-landslide DEM (digital elevation model) data and field results. Further, the three-stage dynamic processes (40 s, 60 s, 20 s) obtained from the numerical simulation are also close to the seismic analysis results. In this study, the results of the field investigation and seismic analysis provide a more detailed set of inversion criteria for the numerical simulation work, which contributes to reconstructing the dynamic processes of the Xinmo landslide more accurately. Based on the approach of multi-source data collaboration in this paper, those landslides that lack direct observation data can be better understood and the numerical parameters used for landslide dynamics inversion are better calibrated, which can be applied to predict the runout behavior and disaster scope of potential landslides in the immediate area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relativistic massless charge carriers with a Fermi velocity of about c/300 in graphene enable us to realize two distinct types of resonances (here, c is the speed of light in vacuum). One is the electron whispering-gallery mode in graphene quantum dots arising from the Klein tunneling of the massless Dirac fermions. The other is the atomic collapse state, which has never been observed in experiment with real atoms due to the difficulty of producing heavy nuclei with charge Z > 170; however, they can be realized near a Coulomb impurity in graphene with a charge Z ≥ 1 because of the "small" velocity of the Dirac excitations. Here we demonstrate that both the electron whispering-gallery modes and atomic collapse states coexist in graphene/WSe2 heterostructure quantum dots due to the Coulomb-like potential near their edges. By applying a perpendicular magnetic field, we explore the evolution from the atomic collapse states to unusual Landau levels in the collapse regime. The whispering-gallery mode and the atomic collapse state are two distinct resonances in condensed matter associated with relativistic massless charge carriers. Now, it is shown that these states can coexist in graphene/WSe2 heterostructure quantum dots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban geohazards have been frequently triggered by extreme natural events in recent decades. In July 2021, the extreme rainfall in Zhengzhou, China killed 292 people, left 47 people missing, and caused thousands of ground collapses. This disaster alarms for the assessment of urban geological safety around the world. Strengthening the assessment of urban geological safety and preventing catastrophes caused by potential extreme natural events are essential in urban construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On July 5, 2021, a catastrophic rock avalanche hit an area in the upper Naltar valley, located in northwestern Gilgit, Pakistan. The 14 Mm3 rock mass flowed down the hillslope and traveled a distance of approximately 5 km. The avalanche killed four people and damaged more than 150 livestock. Based on a field investigation, the event is classified as a dual-phase avalanche comprising glacial ice and rock mass mixtures. In this study, the runout behavior and characteristics of the upper Naltar rock avalanche are analyzed using DAN3D. The simulation results indicate that the propagation process lasted for 140 s, with an average maximum velocity of 32 m/s. The frictional-Voellmy model for the materials in the source and erosion areas produced the best results for DAN3D. Parameter calibration, model performance, and verification were performed numerically and based on field observations. It is hoped that the selected model and parameters will help the relevant agencies understand the propagation process of similar kinds of rock avalanches in the area surrounding the current avalanche, thus improving the hazard zonation in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tailings ponds are composed of residual mining sediments and represent a high risk due to their mechanical instability. A tailings dam break can cause extensive damage to the safety of downstream residents and the surrounding environment. This paper introduces a collapse of the tailings dam that occurred in Tonglüshan, Daye, Hubei, China. To examine the rheological properties and evolutionary mechanism of the tailings slurry from initiation to run-out, a numerical simulation was conducted through a dynamic model (DAN3D) to simulate the run-out behaviors of the tailings slurry based on the models and parameters obtained from the rheology tests. The results indicate that the slurry properties are highly consistent with the Bingham model during the movement process, and the rheological parameters of a slurry with a solid mass concentration of 74% provide the best performance in simulating this catastrophe. During the process of the Tonglüshan tailings dam break, the duration of the movement is estimated at approximately 100 s, with a maximum velocity of 22 m/s. The final distribution of the tailings deposit obtained from simulated results is in good agreement with the actual situation, indicating the validity of the selected rheological models and parameters. It is expected that the method of combining the DAN3D model with rheology tests could help clarify the propagation process of the similar tailings dam break and thus improve the accuracy of hazard prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On January 27, 2021, a small-scale loess landslide occurred in Dangchuan Village, Yongjing County, Gansu Province, China. Timely monitoring and warning helped to prevent any casualties. The sliding mass of the Dangchuan landslide fell in two stages with an interval of 24 s and lasted for a total of 31 s. Eventually, the Dangchuan landslide had a descent height of approximately 120 m and a sliding portion stretching approximately 350 m. The landslide volume was approximately 3 × 104 m3. Based on the investigation of different stages of the Dangchuan landslide and the characteristics of the deposition area, the induction of this landslide was attributed to the effect of frozen stagnant water. Following field investigation of the landslide source and crack areas, a potential sliding mass model with a volume of 5 × 104 m3 was obtained via calculation. To predict the disaster scope of potential landslides, we first used DAN3D software to invert this Dangchuan landslide. Then, based on the numerical model parameters obtained from the inversion, the sliding accumulation process of the potential slide mass was simulated. The results showed that the maximum disaster scope of the potential slide mass would be larger than that of the Dangchuan landslide. The new deposit would cover an area of approximately 3.5 × 104 m2, with a thickness in the range of 0–6 m. The new deposition area would expand by approximately 50 m in the long-axis direction compared to the Dangchuan landslide, impacting the houses and roads. The DAN3D prediction results of the disaster scope will help residents in the potential danger zone evacuate in advance, reducing unnecessary damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On September 7, 2017, a slope failure occurred in Zhimei village, Chengduo County, Qinghai Province, China. This event involved the failure of 2.4 × 104 m3 of soil from the source area. The displaced mass traveled about 480 m with a vertical distance of approximately 80 m. Based on field investigation and numerical analysis, the failure mechanism and propagation process of Zhimei earthflow were analyzed. The results indicated that seasonal freeze–thaw cycles and sustained rainfall in the rainy season before the slope failure could be the leading causes of slope instability, and a short-term cold snap that coincided with this slope failure may play a secondary role in causing the event. The DAN3D simulation results estimated that the movement process of Zhimei earthflow could last for approximately 800 s with an average displacement rate of 0.6 m/s. A combined Bingham model demonstrated the best performance in reproducing this event. The results in this paper could contribute to drawing some valuable conclusions, which can be used in the future for enhancing the accuracy of hazard assessment for areas with topographical and climatic characteristics similar to those of this case on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the tensile strength of selective laser sintering thermoplastic polyurethane/carbon nanotube (TPU/CNT) composites was improved, and reasonable process parameters, addressing the delamination of TPU/CNT parts, smoke and other problems caused by materials' decomposition in the processing process, were determined. First, the TPU/CNT powder was processed by a single-factor experiment. The effects of laser power, scan spacing and layer thickness on the tensile strength were analysed, and the optimisation range of each process parameter was determined. The quadratic regression model of tensile strength was established based on Box-Behnken design scheme results, and its rationality was verified through analysis of variance. Finally, according to the target range of tensile strength, the selection conditions of each response value were determined, the process parameters were optimised and the measured data verified the predicted values. The test results show that the optimal combination of process parameters is 26 W laser power, 0.10 mm scan spacing and 0.10 mm layer thickness, and the relative error of the actual tensile strength of the optimised part compared with the predicted value is 0.096%. Compared with that before the optimisation, the tensile strength of the parts was increased by 4.42%. Besides, problems of parts' delamination and material decomposition causing smoke were solved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 23rd July 2019, a catastrophic long-runout basalt landslide was triggered by a heavy rainfall in Shuicheng county, Guizhou, China. The sliding mass transformed into a debris avalanche during the runout process traveled approximately 1250 m with an elevation difference of 465 m and finally caused 52 casualties. To improve the ability of risk assessment of such a basalt long-runout landslide, scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests combined with detailed field investigation were conducted to investigate the failure mechanism of the Shuicheng landslide in terms of micro and macro perspectives. The results indicated that the cause of the Shuicheng landslide is the combination of rock mass characteristics (differential weathering and fragmented cataclastic structure), weak tuff intercalation, tectonic structural plane, and human activities, while rainfall is the primary inducing factor. Moreover, a RAMMS simulation and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) tests were performed to research the disaster-causing behaviors and deposit characteristics of this event. The selected rheological parameters are determined based on multi-source data collaboration. The total duration of the landslide movement was estimated at 60 s with a maximum velocity of approximately 36 m/s, and the final deposit distribution was in good agreement with the ERT test results and seismic signal analysis results. The work conducted in this study is expected to help improve the understanding of the initiation and disaster-causing mechanisms of basalt long-runout landslides and provide valuable information for the prediction of long runout landslides movement distance in the Guizhou, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determines the runout behavior (Attabad landslide, Hunza, Pakistan) of one of the biggest landslides in Pakistan's history, along the highest and strategically most important highway of the world. On January 4, 2010, at 08:36 local time, 45 Mm3 of rock mass flowed down the hill slope for 1060 m and fell in Hunza River, thus blocking the river's flow and making an artificial dam. This paper examines the landslide's failure process based on seismic data obtained from a published paper. The average velocity of the slide was found to be 14.32 m/s. To better understand the landslide dynamics and failure phenomena, a numerical simulation was conducted using DAN3D to simulate displaced materials' runout behavior. Simulation results indicate that the slope's failure lasted for 70 s, which is in good agreement with seismic wave recordings of 70 s. The combined frictional–Voellmy model obtained the most accurate results for simulation. Further, to verify the results, another simulation was run using RAMMS debris flow software; it was found that the results of both the software's are in good agreement. It is expected that the selected model and its parameters will help understand similar kind of rock avalanches in the area, which will help concerned agencies improve landslide prediction along Karakoram Highway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twelve Kunming mice were randomly divided into two groups (n = 6), and administered with distilled water containing 0 mg/L and 160 mg/L HgCl2 respectively, with an experimental period of 3 days. Our results showed that mercury exposure significantly reduced weight gain in mice (P < 0.01). Through pathological observation of cecum tissues, significant pathological changes were observed in cecum tissues of mice exposed to mercury. Furthermore, mercury exposure not only significantly increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content in mice (P < 0.01) but also significantly decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (P < 0.01) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH) level in mice (P < 0.01). Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing analysis showed that at the genus level some microbial populations including Clostridiales, Lactobacillus, Treponema, Oscillospira, and Desulfovibrio were significantly increased whereas some microbial populations including S24-7, Acinetobacter, and Staphylococcus were significantly decreased. Moreover, correlation analysis indicated that microorganisms were not correlated with biomarkers of oxidative stress. In summary, mercury exposure reduced the growth performance of mice, resulting in gut microbiota alterations, and led to oxidative stress by increasing the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreasing the concentration of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The on-board supercapacitor energy storage system for subway vehicles is used to absorb vehicles braking energy. Because operating voltage, maximum braking current and discharge depth of supercapacitor have a great influence on its rational configuration, there are theoretical optimum values based on the analysis of vehicle regenerative braking theory, whose mathematical models for the supercapacitor bank power and capacity requirements are established. To meet braking energy recovery, constrained configuration method is based on the power, capacity and discharge depth of the supercapacitor bank. The supercapacitor bank optimization process is given, and then the effect of operating voltage and temperature on the life of supercapacitor is analyzed from the view of economy. Calculation models of initial investment, operation–maintenance cost and economic benefit of the system are given. The simulation results show that the supercapacitor bank based on power, capacity and discharge depth can meet the requirement of braking energy recovery for subway vehicles. Meanwhile, the economic evaluation of the project shows that the project will achieve good social and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rock avalanche that destroyed 23 houses and killed 35 people occurred on 28 August 2017, Nayong, SW China. Combined with the dynamic parameters from seismic signal inversion, a discrete element model, MatDEM was used to determine the rock avalanche's kinematic behavior. Although the dynamic process obtained through inversion will be disturbed by factors, such as rockfall from the source area, by comparing the velocity of rock avalanche versus horizontal distance traveled, the best combination of parameters was selected from different values given. The dynamic process obtained by modeling was compared with the nearest seismometer frequency distribution spectrum, showing that the dynamic process is in good agreement with those parameters inverted from seismic signals. The simulation results show that the movement process lasted for nearly 40 s, with a maximum speed of 40 m/s. This model of selecting parameters contributes to explain the dynamic processes of similar rock avalanche more accurately and is of great significance to the hazard prediction in the karst area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) combining with specific microstructures (micropores, microcracks, etc.) can exhibit unique resistance response changes, which can be widely regarded as an effective way to improve sensing performance. This study takes advantage of the characteristics of the formation of tiny pores between crystal grains during selective laser sintering (SLS) processing to introduce a microporous structure into the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/carbon nanotube (CNT) sensing element to prepare a three-dimensional porous conductive structure. The effect of the SLS process on sensing sensitivity, accuracy, and density was studied, and its sensing and forming mechanism were discussed. By adjusting SLS process parameters to control the performance of porous structure sensor elements, a final TPU/CNT sensor element with a wide pressure detection range, high sensitivity, a fast response time, and good stability and durability was developed. Finally, the optimal performance of the developed flexible pressure sensor was successfully used to detect the pressure distribution of the human foot. This study provided a simple and effective research method to develop high-performance flexible pressure sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase the angular bandwidth of volume holographic grating, we fabricate holographic gratings based on grating multiplexing technique by using thin films of photopolymers and polymer dispersed liquid crystals. Experimental results confirm that the liquid crystal materials increase the refractive index modulation of the grating, enabling high diffraction efficiency with wide angular response compared to pure polymer materials. We observe that the fabricated holographic grating has near 80% of diffraction efficiency and about 18° of angular bandwidth, which can be further improved by modifying the liquid crystal/polymer mixtures and the grating multiplexing technique. The grating can be used to fabricate holographic waveguide structures for emerging applications in the near-eye display systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On April 9, 2000, a long run-out landslide occurred in Yigong, Bomi county, Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, China. The displaced materials traveled approximately 10 km with an elevation difference of 3 km, and finally generated a barrier lake at the toe of the mountain. The landslide and the collapse of the associated landslide dam killed 30 people, left more than 100 people missing, and destroyed several bridges. A combined debris avalanche-dam break flood simulation was performed in this study to better understand the long run-out mechanism and behaviors of such an event. The dynamic model DAN3D was used to simulate the run-out process of the sliding mass, while the Computational Fluid Dynamics software FLOW-3D was used to simulate the duration of landslide dam break and subsequent outburst flood propagation. Output data from the DAN3D simulation were used as input parameters for landslide dam modeling in FLOW-3D. Simulated results indicated that the duration of the landslide movement was estimated at 300 s with a maximum velocity of 90 m/s. Also, the maximum flow of the outburst flood at the Tongmai bridge was approximately 130,000 m3/s. The observed phenomena and measured data in situ verified the validity of the numerical simulation. It is expected that the work conducted in this study could help improve the understanding of the chain disaster of the rock slide-debris avalanche and subsequent dam-break flood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of excessive molybdenum (Mo) on renal function and oxidative stress in goats. Twenty-seven healthy goats were randomly allotted in three groups and were fed deionized water to which sodium molybdate [(NH4)6Mo7O24·4H2O] was added at different doses of 0, 15, and 45 mg Mo/(kg·BW) for 50 days, respectively. The results indicated that white blood cell (WBC) counts were significantly increased (P < 0.05), while red blood cell (RBC) counts, hemoglobin (HGB), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCH) were tended to decrease with the increasing of the experimental period in high-Mo group compared with the control group. Besides, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (CREA) contents in serum were increased (P < 0.05) in both groups supplemented with molybdenum. Meanwhile, contents of copper (Cu) from the both experimental groups were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while contents of zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) were increased (P < 0.05) in serum. The contents of Cu were significantly increased (P < 0.05), while the contents of zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) did not obviously change (P > 0.05) in the kidney. In addition, the activities of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in the mitochondria, whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression significantly increased (P < 0.05). Collectively, these results indicated that excess Mo exposure could induce secondary Cu deficiency and oxidative stress in the kidney, which finally undermine the renal function of goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On July 23, 2019, a large catastrophic landslide occurred in Shuicheng, Guizhou, China. It was a rapid and long run-out landslide that resulted in more than 50 casualties. The displaced materials traveled an approximate distance of 1250 m, with a descending height of around 465 m. In this paper, seismic record analyses and numerical simulation were conducted to determine the run-out behavior of the Shuicheng landslide. To determine the main characteristics of the landslide, geological and climatic settings were obtained by conducting a detailed field survey. The DAN3D model was used to simulate the propagation and run-out process of the landslide. It was observed that a combined Frictional-Voellmy model provides assuring results in simulating the Shuicheng landslide. The total duration of the landslide is 60 s with an average velocity of 20 m/s. The maximum velocity is estimated to be 40 m/s along the right bank of the valley, while a high initial velocity of 24 m/s was recorded at the initiation of the landslide. Seismic records obtained from the nearby seismic stations were used to calculate the location of the event and interpret the dynamic process of the landslide. The Arias intensity, Hilbert-Huang transform, and Empirical mode decomposition were used to obtain a detailed time history of the landslide. The results of the numerical simulation and seismic record analyses are expected to portray the process of similar landslides. This will improve the accuracy of landslide hazard mapping in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epitaxy properties of GaAs-based GaSb thin films were investigated under different growth conditions to identify suitable smooth areas on GaSb epilayer surface for growing high-quality AlInSb metamorphic buffers. The results showed notable reduction in threading dislocation densities (TDDs) and hillocks densities (HDs) of GaSb buffer layer when the temperature of substrates rising to Tc (surface reconstruction conversion temperature) + 110 °C and growth rate decreasing to 0.25 mono layer per second (ML/s). These conditions led to gradual changes in GaSb epilayer surface morphologies from tiny hillocks to near-parallel steps. The AlInSb/GaSb compound buffers were studied by employing five different structures of AlInSb metamorphic buffer layers grown on optimized GaSb layers, and then analyzed by various analytical methods. The influence of various structural buffer layers on defects were evaluated in order to suppress the formation of defects. It was shown that the buffer layer with low-temperature interface layer and superlattice structure presents obvious inhibitory effects on defects. Among these, specimens with superlattice interface exhibits the lowest TDDs of 3.1 × 107 cm−2 and moderate HDs of 2.4 × 107 cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concurrent indoor–outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) measurements were conducted at urban, suburban, and rural sites in Harbin, a megacity in the northeast of China. Chemical constituents of indoor–outdoor PM2.5 were determined. Infiltration factors (FINF) of all sites were calculated according to the indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratios of PM2.5 based on the regression analysis. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is applied to determine the indoor–outdoor relationship. Secondary organic carbon (SOC) was calculated on the basis of organic carbon to elemental carbon (OC/EC) ratios. The mean concentrations of indoor and outdoor PM2.5 were 166.4 ± 32.5 μg/m3 and 228.4 ± 83.7 μg/m3, respectively, during the heating period. OC/EC and potassium ion to elemental carbon (K+/EC) ratios verified that biomass was an important source in Harbin especially for rural sites. The nitrate to sulfate (NO3−/SO42−) ratio indicates the higher contribution of traffic emissions in urban sites. Cr was the only species that exceeded the guidelines of WHO 2002, which was mainly emitted from coal and oil combustion. SOC/OC and NO3−/SO42− ratios, and ion-balanced acidity (the ratio of cation to anion, R+/−) showed a large urban–rural and indoor–outdoor difference. The highest SOC/OC ratio was found at urban sites, up to 38.3% for indoors. SOC/OC ratios and R+/− values of indoor environments were higher, which is attributed to the conducive condition of forming the secondary pollutants during the heating period. The results of LDA indicated that the distributions of the chemical components of PM2.5 at three sites were statistically dissimilar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A catastrophic loess flow slide was triggered by the 2013 Minxian–Zhangxian earthquake in Yongguang village, Minxian County, Gansu Province, China. The landslide destroyed eight houses and killed 12 persons. The landslide involved the failure of 14.0 × 104 m3 of loess deposits from the source area. The displaced materials traveled 1000 m with an elevation descent of 180 m, covering an area of 4.2 × 104 m2. A numerical model (DAN3D) is used to simulate the post-failure behavior of the landslide based on a detailed field investigation. A combination of the frictional model and Voellmy model provides the best performance in simulating the landslide using trial and error. The simulation results indicate that the landslide lasted approximately 120 s and had an average velocity of 8.3 m/s. The final runout distance and deposit distribution are in a good agreement with the actual situation, indicating the accuracy of the simulated results. Therefore, it is expected that the models and parameters could improve the precision of hazard zonation for areas with geological, topographical, and climatic features similar to the Yongguang landslide area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although admittance control has been used in rehabilitation robots in many studies as it can realize compliant human-robot interaction, the inner proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller of conventional admittance schemes is simple and not robust enough. This study presents an admittance control scheme with inner adaptive robust position control (ARC) for a hip-knee-ankle rehabilitation robot. The ARC is capable of eliminating uncertainties and external disturbances. A healthy male subject was required to perform three experiments, including passive exercise (PE) using a position controller, patient-cooperative exercise using an admittance controller (ACE) with fixed and different parameters. The PE experiment results show that the average normalized root mean square deviation (NRMSD) of trajectory tracking of each joint using the ARC is nearly 60% less than that using the PID controller. And the ACE experiment results show that the average NRMSD using the ARC is roughly 45% less than that using the PID controller while the interaction torque using the two controllers are comparable. It demonstrates that the robot becomes not only compliant but also robust based on the proposed control scheme. Moreover, the last experiment results indicate that admittance control with smaller admittance parameters allows the robot to be more compliant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 12 May 2008, a catastrophic rock avalanche was triggered by an earthquake in Mianyang, Sichuan, China. This catastrophic event killed 48 people and destroyed some houses at the mouth of Wenjia valley. The sliding mass caused a powerful air blast that blew down the trees on both sides and front margin. To better understand the possible mechanism of the air blast generated by the Wenjia valley rock avalanche and provide information for the assessment of this type of disasters in southwestern China, a numerical simulation was performed through a computational fluid dynamics software (Fluent) to simulate the runout behavior of the sliding mass and dynamic characteristics of the air blast. The frictional rheology is used for the source area and the Voellmy model is selected for the erosion and deposition areas. Simulated results indicate that the movement process of Wenjia valley rock avalanche lasted approximately 210 s with a maximum velocity of 65 m/s. The maximum velocity and relative pressure of the air blast are 35 m/s and 2.25 kPa, respectively. Furthermore, the variation of topography has a significant effect on the distribution of relative pressure for the air blast. The work conducted in this study is expected to make people deeply realize the disaster caused by the air blast and establish a risk assessment system in the southwestern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the fracture behavior of one-dimensional (1-D) nanomaterials is critical for their functional device applications and maximizing their service life. At the nanoscale, solid materials' fracture properties could significantly deviate from their bulk counterparts. Our recent study (Zhang et al. in Sci. Adv. 2(8):e1501382, 2016. 10.1126/sciadv.1501382) showed that silicon (Si) nanowires, one of the most important functional 1-D nanomaterials for nanoelectronics and nano-electro-mechanical systems, demonstrated distinctly different mechanical properties than microscale and bulk Si crystals with the elastic strain up to 10% or even more, approaching their theoretical elastic limit. It is therefore intriguing to understand the fracture behavior of a Si nanowire under such deep ultra-strength, as well as their failure mechanisms. In this work, we will experimentally study the fracture behavior of ultrahigh elastic Si nanowires in situ and quantitatively understand their fracture mechanics with the assist of molecular dynamics simulations. The insights obtained in this nanomechanical study may be of help on the development of robust Si nanowire-based mechatronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phytohomorne methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is known to trigger extensive reprogramming of gene expression leading to transcriptional activation of many secondary metabolic pathways. However, natural rubber is a commercially important secondary metabolite and little is known about the genetic and genomic basis of jasmonate-elicited rubber biosynthesis in rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of H. brasiliensis bark treated with 1 g lanolin paste containing 0.02% w/w MeJA for 24 h (M2) and 0.04% w/w MeJA for 24 h (M4) was performed. A total of 2950 and 2850 differentially expressed genes in M2 and M4 compared with control (C) were respectively detected. Key genes involved in 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate, rubber biosynthesis, glycolysis and carbon fixation (Calvin cycle) pathway were found to be up-regulated by MeJA treatment. Particularly, the expression of 3-hydroxy-3-metylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase in MVA pathway was down-regulated by MeJA treatment, but the expression of farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPS) and cis-prenyltransferase (CPT, or rubber transferase) in rubber biosynthesis pathway were up-regulated by MeJA treatment. Up-regulation of critical genes in JA biosynthesis in response to MeJA treatment exhibited the self-activation of JA biosynthesis. In addition, up-regulated genes of great regulatory importance in cross-talk between JA and other hormone signaling, and of transcriptional regulation were identified. The increased expression levels of FPS and CPT in rubber biosynthesis pathway possibly resulted in an increased latex production in rubber tree treated with MeJA. The present results provide insights into the mechanism by which MeJA activates the rubber biosynthesis and the transcriptome data can also serve as the foundation for future research into the molecular basis for MeJA regulation of other cellular processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Dulanermin is a recombinant soluble human Apo2 ligand/tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosisinducing ligand (TRAIL) that activates apoptotic pathways by binding to proapoptotic death receptor (DR) 4 and DR5. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dulanermin combined with vinorelbine and cisplatin (NP) as the first-line treatment for patients with advanced nonsmall- cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Experimental design Patients were randomly assigned to receive NP chemotherapy (vinorelbine 25mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 and cisplatin 30mg/m2 on days 2 to 4) for up to six cycles plus dulanermin (75 μg/kg on days 1 to 14) or placebo every three weeks until disease progression, intolerable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary end points included objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and safety evaluation. Results Between October 2009 and June 2012, 452 untreated patients with stage IIIB to IV NSCLC were randomly assigned to receive dulanermin plus NP (n = 342) and placebo plus NP (n = 110). Median PFS was 6.4 months in the dulanermin arm versus 3.5 months in the placebo arm (hazard ratio (HR), 0.4034; 95% CI, 0.3181 to 0.5117, p < 0.0001). ORR was 46.78% in the dulanermin arm versus 30.00% in the placebo arm (p = 0.0019). Median OS was 14.6 months in the dulanermin arm versus 13.9 months in the placebo arm (HR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.21, p = 0.64). The most common grade ≥ 3 adverse events (AEs) were oligochromemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, and oligocythemia. Overall incidence of AEs, grade ≥ 3 AEs, and serious AEs were similar across the two arms. Conclusion Addition of dulanermin to the NP regimen significantly improved PFS and ORR. However, our results showed that the combination of dulanermin with chemotherapy had a synergic activity and favorable toxic profile in the treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon polymer dots (CPDs) were prepared by a one-pot aqueous synthetic route from ascorbic acid and diethylenetriamine at room-temperature. The CPDs under 350-nm excitation exhibit blue fluorescence peaking at 430 nm with a quantum yield of 47%. Other features include an average diameter of 5 nm, a fluorescence that is independent of the excitation wavelength, good water dispersibility and photostability, and excellent biocompatibility. The CPDs are shown to be viable fluorescent probes for ferric ion which acts as a strong quencher. The response to Fe(III) is linear in the 0.2 to 10 μM concentration range, and the detection limit is 0.1 μM. The probe was applied to the determination of Fe(III) in environmental waters and to intracellular imaging of ferric ions in HeLa cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microparticles continue to receive widespread attention from food professionals because of their potential use as carriers of bioactive substances. This study demonstrates a novel method to prepare casein microparticles, which co-assemble with α-tocopherol (αT) into emulsion droplets. When the particles were extracted from the pectin matrix via enzymatic degradation, they remained stable in a buffer solution for at least 3 weeks. Optical microscopy showed that the size distribution of the microparticles is between 5 μm and 50 μm, which is in accordance with previous observations in blend films. High-performance liquid chromatography revealed that the amounts of α- and κ-casein in the microparticles are significantly higher than those in native casein micelles. Confocal Raman microscopy showed that in the presence of α-tocopherol, the microparticles assemble into emulsion droplets, with phenol in the core and casein in the shell. Herein, we demonstrate a new method to form casein-based emulsion droplets for potential use as carriers of bioactive substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum (Mo) is an essential trace element for animals and human beings. However, the negative effects on rumen function and distribution of trace elements in tissues induced by excessive Mo have not been well understood. Therefore, the purpose of present study was to investigate the impact of Mo on rumen microbiota, distribution of trace elements in various organs, and hematological parameters of goats. A total of 36 goats were randomly distributed into three groups with equal number and low-Mo and high-Mo groups were orally administered ammonium molybdate at 15 and 45 mg · Mo · kg · BW respectively, while the control group received corresponding quantitative deionized water. The results showed that the total number of ciliate and protozoa protein concentration decreased significantly ( P < 0.01) on days 25 and 50. Concentrations of ammonia nitrogen and bacterial protein were significantly higher ( P < 0.05) in low-Mo group, while they were lower ( P < 0.05) in high-Mo group than the control group on days 25 and 50. In addition, Mo accumulated in serum and all detected tissues. Copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) contents significantly decreased ( P < 0.05) in hair and serum on days 25 and 50, while Cu contents increased ( P < 0.05) and the change of Zn contents were not obvious ( P > 0.05) in other tissues on days 25 and 50. Besides, there was no obvious variation in iron (Fe) contents during whole experiment period ( P > 0.05). Furthermore, excessive Mo content had no significant effect on red blood cell (RBC) counts and hemoglobin (HGB) concentration ( P > 0.05) on days 25 and 50, while white blood cell (WBC) counts increased significantly ( P < 0.05) on day 50. These results indicated that excessive Mo content could impact the balance of ruminal microorganisms and interfere with the absorption and distribution of Mo and Cu mainly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]