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The seepage capacity of fractured rock masses is a critical parameter in various engineering and geoscience projects. Due to the complex geometric distribution of fracture network, the permeability of rock masses typically exhibits an anisotropic behavior, necessitating detailed and comprehensive investigation of fracture characteristics to accurately determine permeability anisotropy in three-dimensional (3D) space. In this study, we developed an improved method for determining permeability anisotropy that significantly reduces the need for extensive input of geometric information. We employ the anisotropic ellipsoid, which is a mathematical representation of permeability tensor, to evaluate permeability anisotropy. Through in-depth mathematical derivation, we present a procedure for constructing the anisotropic ellipsoid using geometric trace information from a pair of orthogonal planes, which aligns well with the practical application scenario of underground tunnel excavation. Numerical experiments were conducted to validate our developed method. The mean prediction error rates were 5.2%, 16.8%, and 13.6% across three sets of experiments, experiments, demonstrating the validity of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is recognized that NSF on a pile affects the structural and geotechnical design. The formation of NSF on a pre-stressed high-strength concrete (PHC) pile under a control building in a Vietnamese project was investigated using a verified numerical model in FLAC3D. The height of backfills, the consolidation degree of soil, working loads on the PHC pile, and the pile diameter were analyzed in sensitivity analyses to investigate the influence on NSF. It was found that higher backfills and higher consolidation degree were dominant in the formation of NSF, causing an increase of the dragload and an upward movement of the neutral plane. The working load and the pile diameter affected the dragload and the position of the neutral plane less. A limit decrease of the dragload induced by NSF was observed when the working load increased. Accelerating the soil consolidation process would be suggested to avoid great displacement due to NSF.

An installation platform will disturb the natural seabed adjacent to a monopile and, consequently, affects the bearing capacity of the monopile foundation. Thus, consideration of the influence of installation disturbance is required in the monopile design, which can also save a fraction of the construction costs and avoid security risks. It was found in a sensitivity analysis, depending on the numerical simulations for an offshore monopile foundation installed using an installation platform, that the bearing capacities of the monopile were reduced by the penetration and extraction of the support legs of the installation platform, which were, a reduction of about 7% of the horizontal bearing capacity of the monopile (decreasing with a larger diameter of the monopile), about 2% of the ultimate bending moment, and almost no reduction of the vertical bearing capacity. For the monopile specifically subjected to the combined loads, it was found in SLS that horizontal displacement and rotation at the mudline increased by about 5.13% and 2.12%, respectively, and internal forces increased by about 3.29%–9.87%; and the horizontal displacement and the rotation at the mudline increased by about 4.56% and 2.79% in ULS, respectively, and the internal forces increased by about 3.49%–7.79% in the ULS. The study on the effects of the disturbance of the installation platform can be an important suggestion for the engineer in monopile design.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent long‐term disease in the world. Liquiritigenin (LQ) is protective against a variety of hepatotoxins. Herein, we report the potential mechanism of LQ on a high‐fat diet (HFD) induced NAFLD. NAFLD mice model was established by HFD for 12 weeks, and LQ treatment for 1 week. Commercially available assay kits measure liver triglycerides (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels. Plasm TC, TG, high‐density‐lipoprotein (HDL‐C), and low‐density‐lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) levels were also monitored by biochemistry. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were performed to analyze the pro‐inflammatory factors, and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), insulin tolerance test (IPITT), and serum insulin were also determined. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was employed to analyze the overlapping genes of LQ targets and NAFLD development‐related targets. Western blot was performed on key proteins of the enriched signaling pathway. HFD mice showed significant increases in hepatic TG and TC, and plasm TC, TG, and LDL‐C in blood lipids, while HDL‐C significantly decreased, and LQ treatment reversed their levels (p < 0.05). LQ also alleviated HFD‐induced elevated levels of IPGTT, IPITT, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR). And serum levels of the pro‐inflammatory factor were also suppressed by LQ. PI3K/AKT pathway was enriched by KEGG pathway enrichment, and its key proteins p‐PI3K and p‐AKT were elevated after LQ treatment (p < 0.05). We found for the first time that LQ improves lipid accumulation, alleviates insulin resistance, and suppresses inflammatory responses in NAFLD mice, which might be associated with the activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]