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The shear mechanical properties of rock under high confining stresses are required in deep underground construction projects for stability evaluation. This paper tested the sandstone shear properties under high confining pressures by a novel triaxial direct shear device with a self-balancing structure for both low and high confining pressure. The triaxial direct shear experiments on Zigong sandstone from a deep tunnel were carried out to evaluate its strength and deformability. Our experimental results suggested that the shear stress-displacement curves exhibited two distinct characteristics under different confining pressures. The damaging stage occurs initially and turns wider in the shear stress-displacement curve as the confining pressure exceeds the threshold stress. The confining pressure threshold of Zigong sandstone is observed to be 10–20 MPa. Meanwhile, a statistical damage model based on Beta distribution was proposed to describe the shear stress (cohesion contribution) during the whole shearing process, which demonstrates better prediction performance than previously existing models, especially under high confining pressures. This study provides important insights into the high-pressure induced rock shear properties and sheds light on the engineering stability assessment under high stress of tunnels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vortex generator (VG) is one of the potential technical tools to reduce the aerodynamic resistance of high-speed trains. The passive control resistance reduction research of a high-speed train is carried out by using VG. Three typical installation locations, including flow separation point, boundary layer mutation and streamline transition location, and several nearby locations were selected to study the effect of VG location on the train aerodynamic characteristics. The results show that the tail car drag is significantly reduced when the VG is arranged at the boundary layer mutation, the tail car's resistance can be reduced by 15.42%. The tail car reduces resistance by 3.87% when VG is set at the flow separation point. By analyzing the flow field structure, we found that the VG arranged in front of the separation point triggers the flow separation, which destroys the balance between the separation and longitudinal vortex. It effectively reduces the strength of the separation vortex, thereby reducing the tail car's aerodynamic drag. The research provides a new thought for the aerodynamic resistance reduction of high-speed trains, and is of great significance to break the limitations of traditional aerodynamic drag reduction technology of trains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited heart disease. However, a detailed DNA methylation (DNAme) landscape has not yet been elucidated. Our study combined DNAme and transcriptome profiles for HCM myocardium and identify aberrant DNAme associated with altered myocardial function in HCM. The transcription of methylation-related genes did not significantly differ between HCM and normal myocardium. Nevertheless, the former had an altered DNAme profile compared with the latter. The hypermethylated and hypomethylated sites in HCM tissues had chromosomal distributions and functional enrichment of correlated genes differing from those of their normal tissue counterparts. The GO analysis of network underlying the genes correlated with DNAme alteration and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) shows functional clusters centred on immune cell function and muscle system processes. In KEGG analysis, only the calcium signalling pathway was enriched either by the genes correlated with changes in DNAme or DEGs. The protein-protein interactions (PPI) underlying the genes altered at both the DNAme and transcriptional highlighted two important functional clusters. One of these was related to the immune response and had the estrogen receptor-encoding ESR1 gene as its node. The other cluster comprised cardiac electrophysiology-related genes. Intelliectin-1 (ITLN1), a component of the innate immune system, was transcriptionally downregulated in HCM and had a hypermethylated site within 1500 bp upstream of the ITLN1 transcription start site. Estimates of immune infiltration demonstrated a relative decline in immune cell population diversity in HCM. A combination of DNAme and transcriptome profiles may help identify and develop new therapeutic targets for HCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) based on Shan-Chen pseudo-potential model is used to investigate the process of droplets merging and shedding on a gradient wetting circular surface. The effects of wetting gradient, radius, and radius ratio on droplet merging and shedding were mainly explored. The results show that applying a wetting gradient on the circumferential surface can accelerate the process of droplet merging and shedding. The velocity of droplets merging and shedding increase with the increase of the wetting gradient. The more hydrophilic the original surface, the better the optimization effect of accelerating drainage is by applying a wetting gradient. The radius and radius ratio significantly affect droplets merging and shedding on the gradient wetting surface. The larger the radius and radius ratio, the shorter the droplets merging and shedding time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combined effects of temperature and pH on the radical scavenging capacity of anthocyanin were investigated using theoretical methods. The data reveals that the reaction of anthocyanins with OH radical over the whole pH range have lower Gibbs free energy barriers, which are in agreement with the experimental observation. There is positive correlation between the pseudo-first-order rate constant and temperature. The radical scavenging capacity of the anthocyanin, increases with increasing temperature with different pH ranging from 1 to 8. Overall, this work can explain the previous experiment results successfully and provide some implications for understanding the antioxidant of anthocyanin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term behavioral, mood, and cognitive deficits affect over 30% of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The aim of the present study was to examine the neurobehavioral outcomes following endovascular perforation induced SAH in mice. C57BL/6 J (B6) mice were exposed to endovascular perforation induced SAH or control surgery. Three weeks later, mice received a series of behavioral tests, e.g. motor function, stereotypy, learning, memory, behavioral flexibility, depression and anxiety. The immunohistologic experiment examined neuronalloss in the cortex following SAH. SAH mice exhibited increased marble burying and nestlet shredding compared to that of control mice. Although SAH did not affect memory, learning or reversal learning,mice displayed greater overall object exploration in the novel object recognition test, as well as elevated perseveration during probabilistic reversal learning.In the forced swim and open field tests, SAH mice performed comparably to that of control mice. However, SAH mice exhibited an increased frequency in 'jumping' behavior in the open field test. Histological analyses revealed reduced neuron density in the parietal-entorhinal cortices of SAH mice on the injured side compared to that of control mice. The findings suggest that parietal-entorhinal damage from SAH increases stereotyped motor behaviors and 'compulsive-like' behaviors without affecting cognition (learning and memory) or mood (anxiety and depression). This model can be used to better understand the neuropathophysiology following SAH that contributes to behavioral impairments in survivors with no gross sensory-motor deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chemotherapy is the main treatment strategy for gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). Surgical resection is crucial to deal with chemoresistance and recurrence following chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to explore if high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can be used as a complementary technique to surgical procedures in the management of GTN. Case report: This case report described two females who previously developed chemoresistance or recurrence during chemotherapy and then underwent HIFU as an adjuvant surgical salvage procedure. For high-risk GTN patients with chemoresistance, HIFU treatment decreased the risk of chemoresistance and shortened the course of chemotherapy. It also reduced the dosage of chemotherapeutic agents used for the patient who suffered a recurrence. Conclusion: For patients with GTN who desire to preserve their uterus, HIFU may be used as a complementary technique to surgical resection in the management of GTN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about how Talaromyces marneffei, a thermally dimorphic fungus that causes substantial morbidity and mortality in Southeast Asia, evades the human immune system. Polarization of macrophages into fungal-inhibiting M1-like and fungal-promoting M2-like types has been shown to play an important role in the innate immune response against fungal pathogens. This mechanism has not been defined for T. marneffei. Here, we demonstrated that T. marneffei promotes its survival in human macrophages by inducing them toward M2-like polarization. Our investigations of the mechanism revealed that T. marneffei infection led to SOCS3 protein degradation by inducing tyrosine phosphorylation, thereby relieving the inhibitory effect of SOCS3 on p-STAT6, a key factor for M2-like polarization. Our SOCS3-overexpression experiments showed that SOCS3 is a positive regulator of M1-like polarization and plays an important role in limiting M2-like polarization. Furthermore, we found that inhibition of the TLR9 pathway partially blocked T. marneffei-induced M2-like polarization and significantly enhanced the killing activity of macrophages against T. marneffei. Collectively, these results reveal a novel mechanism by which T. marneffei evades the immune response of human macrophages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the wetting states and wetting transition of droplets on the microstructured surfaces are investigated using the multiphase lattice Boltzmann method. The Cassie-Baxter (Cassie) and Wenzel wetting states on the rough surfaces are captured through the simulations, and the stability of Cassie state and the wetting transition are then studied and discussed by simulating the evaporation of droplets on several specified microstructured surfaces. The simulated apparent contact angles of the droplet on various rough surfaces fit the theoretical predictions very well. The results also present the coexistence of the Wenzel and Cassie states when the substrate is moderately hydrophobic with its Young's angle smaller than the critical angle. In addition, the "De-pinning" wetting transition from Cassie to Wenzel state is observed for the moderately hydrophobic substrate once the droplet reduces to its critical radius, while the stable Cassie state is obtained when the substrate's Young's angle larger than the critical angle. The simulated critical radii for wetting transition are in quantitative agreements with the analytical values for different surface geometries and Young's angles. This work provides mesoscopic information necessary for understanding the wetting phenomena on microstructured rough surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, bulk net-shape pure magnesium was fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM). Effects of Mg particle size and processing parameters on the properties of SLM specimens were investigated. The scan speed and laser power were optimized based on macro-observation of the forming process and resulted specimens. Through the comparison analysis of topology, density, and micro-hardness, it was found that the bulk magnesium specimen made of −250 mesh powder showed better results than that made of −400 mesh powder. The relative densities of both SLM specimens were over 95%, and their micro-hardness values were higher than that of as-cast magnesium. It was also revealed that the scanning time interval (STI), as a relatively new processing parameter, had an obvious effect on the properties of SLM bulk magnesium in terms of surface morphology, roughness, and micro-hardness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High-speed steel (HSS) materials are universally used as work rolls for the hot rolling of stainless steels. Their use has increased the output of the rolling mill and decreased roll material consumption and grinding. Sticking defects often occur, however, during the hot rolling process. In this article, extreme pressure (EP) additives were dropped on the HSS samples at high temperature. Zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) was chosen as the most effective EP additive by scratch tests on the HSS samples. In order to determine the optimum proportion of ZDDP in the lubricant, two reduction rates were tested on a Hille 100 experimental rolling mill by hot rolling ferritic stainless steel 445J1M at five different concentrations of ZDDP. The mechanism of EP additive action during the hot rolling process was also investigated. By analyzing the deformation behavior of the oxide scale of samples after hot rolling using different proportions of ZDDP, it was found that 20% ZDDP in the lubricant is the preferred concentration for industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Unidirectional fiber-reinforced SiC/Al composite was fabricated by hot pressing. The residual stress in the composite generated by heated treatment, sub-zero treatment, or pre-loading was measured by X-ray diffraction. In addition, tensile tests were carried out for the composite, and the effect of the residual stress on the tensile behaviors was evaluated by both the experimental investigation and the calculation analysis based on the the rule of mixture (ROM) taking the residual stress into account. The experimental results showed that the residual stress had great influence on the tensile stress when the tensile stress was small; while the influence became weaker and weaker with the increase in tensile stress and almost disappeared when the tensile stress reached the ultimate tensile strength. Furthermore, the residual stress almost had no effect on Young's modulus of the SiC/Al composite. The calculation analysis based on the ROM taking the residual stress into account was found to be a simple and effective way to evaluate the effect of residual stress on the tensile behaviors of the SiC/Al composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage failure of the kidney, but the efficacy of currently available strategies for the prevention of DN remains unsatisfactory. In this study, we investigated the effects of Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a Chinese herbal decoction prepared from Radix Astragali (RA) and Radix Angelicae sinensis (RAS), on high glucose-induced proliferation and expression of laminin, type IV collagen (collagen IV) and fibronectin in glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs). The cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay, and the expression of collagen IV, laminin and fibronectin in GMCs was detected by ELISA assay. It was shown that high glucose clearly induced the proliferation of GMCs and increased the release of collagen IV, laminin and fibronectin. Treatment with RA, RAS and DBT inhibited cell proliferation and the expression of collagen IV, laminin and fibronectin induced by high glucose, with DBT, especially at the highest concentration (DBT20), exhibiting a stronger effect than RA and RAS alone. Thus, it is concluded that DBT inhibits increased cell proliferation and the expression of major extracellular matrix proteins that are induced by high glucose, indicating its value for prophylaxis and therapy of DN at the early stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) has appeared as an important drug target over the years with a multitude of therapeutic potentials. To design compounds with enhanced inhibitory potencies against CDK2, 3D-QSAR and molecular fragment replacement studies were performed on the pyrazolo[4,3-h]quinazoline derivatives, a class of potent CDK2 inhibitors. The contours of 3D-QSAR model revealed important structural features of the inhibitors related to the active site of CDK2. Based on the pyrazolo[4,3-h]quinazoline core, the different substituents at three important points were replaced with diverse molecular fragments. The compounds resulting from fragments assembly with pyrazolo[4,3-h]quinazoline core were then scored with the robust 3D-QSAR model. Furthermore, the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion properties of these compounds were predicted by Volsurf to eliminate inappropriate compounds. Thirty-one new potential compounds were finally obtained. These results initiated us to further optimise and design new potential inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A new flow injection chemiluminescence method for the determination of phenol was proposed, based upon the chemiluminescence reaction of phenol, N-bromosuccinimide, and hydrogen peroxide in neutral aqueous medium in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide surfactant micelles. The chemiluminescence signal was proportional to the concentration of phenol in the range of 1.0 × 10-7-8.0 × 10-6 g/mL with a detection limit of 3 × 10-8 g/mL. The relative standard deviation for 1.0 × 10-6 g/mL phenol solution was 2.0% (n = 11). The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of phenol in phenol ear drops. A possible CL reaction mechanism was also discussed briefly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G be a simple connected graph and L(G) be its Laplacian matrix. In this note, we prove that L(G) is congruent by a unimodular matrix to its Smith normal form if and only if G is a tree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated a novel, simple, and economical method for the preparation and purification of glabridin from licorice roots. Glabridin was initially obtained from ethyl acetate extraction of licorice, followed by using solid phase extraction (SPE) and preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The content of glabridin increased from 0.23% to 35.2% after SPE, and then a 16 mg product at a high purity of over 95% was obtained from 10 g licorice roots after purification by preparative HPLC. The purity was assessed by analytical HPLC, and the purified compound was characterized by LC-MS/MS and 1H NMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new xanthone O-glycosides, polyhongkongenosides A (1) and B (2), together with four known xanthone glycosides, were isolated from the herbs of Polygala hongkongensis Hemsl. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of UV, IR, NMR, and MS spectral data. The antioxidant in vitro activities of 1-6 were determined by the scavenging activities against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and hydroxyl radicals and their reductive activities to Fe3 + . Mangiferin, one of the four known xanthone glycosides, showed potential scavenging effect on DPPH and hydroxy radicals and reductive activity to Fe3 + with IC50 values of 4.7, 13.9, 23.7 μM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new dihydroisocoumarins, 6-methoxy-8-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)isochroman-1-one, named as hongkongenin (1), and seven known flavonoids were isolated from the methanol extract whole plant of Polygala hongkongensis Hemsl. Their structures were established on the basis of UV, IR, NMR, and MS spectral data. It is the first report of the occurrence of isocoumarins in Polygala, and the known compounds 2-8 were isolated from this plant for the first time. Flavonoids showed potent antioxidant activities in vitro against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, hydroxyl radicals, and reductive activity to Fe3+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can be used in clinical association studies to determine the contribution of genes to drug efficacy. However, it would be extremely inefficient to test all the 10 million common SNPs for an association study. Here we review haplotype analysis and pattern-recognition techniques to systematically select candidate SNPs for candidate-gene association studies in pharmacogenomics. First, we survey linkage disequilibrium methods to identify tag SNPs and explore the use of haplotypes as genetic markers that are correlated and associated with drug efficacy. Secondly, we investigate pattern-recognition algorithms and statistical analyses to assess drug efficacy based on SNPs and other factors. Finally, we study pattern-recognition approaches to evaluate the epistasis among genes and SNPs. These techniques may provide tools for clinical association studies and help find genes/SNPs involved in responses to therapeutic drugs or adverse drug reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The luminescence of Nd(DBM) 3 (H 2 O) 2 -, Nd(DBM) 3 Phen-, and Nd(DBM) 3 (TOPO) 2 -doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was investigated under excitation at 17,100 cm -1 ( 4 I 9/2 ? 4 G 7/2 ). The 4 F 3/2 ? 4 I 11/2 transition of the Nd(DBM) 3 (TPPO) 2 -doped PMMA showed the strongest intensity. In order to predict the radiative properties of Nd(DBM) 3 (TOPO) 2 -doped PMMA, its absorption spectrum was measured and Judd-Ofelt parameters (O 2 , O 4 , O 6 ) were calculated. The values of the radiative lifetime and the emission cross-section of 4 F 3/2 ? 4 I 11/2 transition are comparable with those shown by glasses used in solid state laser applications. It can be concluded that Nd(DBM) 3 (TOPO) 2 -doped PMMA is an efficient luminescent material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]