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Electrolysis desaturation is an emerging ground improvement technique with significant potential for widespread application in liquefaction mitigation. This method reduces the saturation of foundation soils, thereby decreasing soil liquefaction potential during earthquake. To date, there is still a lack of systematic research on the microstructure evolution of silica sands during the electrolysis desaturation treatment. In this study, non-destructive low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology was employed to investigate the effects of electrolysis desaturation on the silica sands at the microscale. The results showed that the electrolysis desaturation treatment had negligible effects on the structures of micropores and mesopores. The macropores in fine sand expanded during electrolysis, and the increasing current amplified the extent of this expansion. Conversely, in coarse sand, the macropores contracted during electrolysis. Bubbles generated by high-current electrolysis tend to aggregate, causing cracks and surface uplift in the fine silica sand. For the coarse silica sand, the generated gas accumulates within the existing voids, resulting in an insignificant impact on the soil structure. The electrolysis desaturation treatment primarily facilitated the expulsion of free water in both fine and coarse silica sands. In fine silica sand, employing a high current can reduce saturation more effectively within the same duration, but it also allows for more gas bubbles to escape after resting. Coarse silica sand maintained a high desaturation efficiency due to its greater porosity. This study provides a rational explanation in microscale of the structural impacts of electrolysis desaturation treatment on foundation soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of the penetration resistance of stiffened caisson involves uncertainties due to the complex soil failure mechanisms, which makes an obstacle for its application. In this paper, stiffened caisson installations in single-layer uniform and double-layer soft-over-stiff clays are investigated. Large deformation finite-element (LDFE) analyses are employed to simulate the caisson installation process. Soil flow mechanisms, especially inside the caisson along the inner stiffeners, and the caisson installation resistance are studied. Along the inner stiffeners, both soil/soil sliding and soil/skirt sliding mechanisms are observed based on the soil strength and caisson geometry, especially the stiffener geometry and spacing. During the caisson installation in soft-over-stiff clays, the soil flow mechanisms observed in the single layer uniform clay can be replicated in the top soft clay layer before the caisson penetrates into the bottom stiff clay. Caisson full installation resistance can be predicted based on the combined soil-flow mechanisms revealed in single- and double-layer uniform clays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevailing crowd counting approaches primarily rely on density map regression methods. Despite wonderful progress, significant scale variations and complex background interference within the same image remain challenges. To address these issues, in this paper we propose a novel DETR-based crowd counting framework called Crowd Counting DETR (CC-DETR), which aims to extend the state-of-the-art DETR object detection framework to the crowd counting task. In CC-DETR, a DETR-like encoder–decoder structure (Hybrid Context DETR, i.e., HCDETR) is proposed to tackle complex visual information by fusing features from hybrid semantic levels through a transformer. In addition, we design a Coordinate Dilated Convolution Module (CDCM) to effectively employ position-sensitive context information in different scales. Extensive experiments on three challenging crowd counting datasets (ShanghaiTech, UCF-QNRF, and NWPU) demonstrate that our model is effective and competitive when compared against SOTA crowd counting models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the soil flow mechanisms observed in centrifuge tests around full-flow (T-bar and ball) penetrometers in layered clays. The layered clay samples consisted of soft–stiff, stiff–soft, soft–stiff–soft, and stiff–soft–stiff soil profiles. Particle image velocimetry (PIV), also known as digital image correlation (DIC), allowed accurate resolution of the flow mechanism around the faces of the T-bar and half-ball penetrated adjacent to a transparent window. For the T-bar, overall, a full symmetrical rotational flow around the T-bar dominated the behavior. A novel "trapped cavity mechanism" was revealed in stiff clay layers, with the evolution of the trapped cavity being tracked. No soil plug was trapped at the base of the advancing T-bar regardless of penetration from stiff to soft layer or the reverse. For the ball, two key features of the soil flow mechanism were identified, including (i) a combination of vertical flow, cavity expansion type flow, and rotational flow for a fully embedded ball and (ii) a stiff soil plug trapped at the base of the ball advancing in a stiff–soft clay deposit. For both penetrometers, a squeezing mechanism mobilized as they approached a soft–stiff layer interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helical piles have emerged as an attractive foundation system for offshore applications with renewed interest from the offshore community. Significant research gap currently exists in transferring this technology offshore and this paper discusses how existing and emerging knowledge can be successfully used to bridge some of the gaps. We focus on the Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian (CEL) large deformation finite element (LDFE) modelling technique that is commercially available and can be used to model the three-dimensional installation process with consideration of strain rate and softening effects in soft offshore clays. A helical pile of L = 7.5 m long is modelled with one or two large-diameter helices (D = 2 m) attached to a central shaft of d = 0.5 m in diameter.The net effect of strain rate and softening is to increase the installation torque. The measured torque is within the range of 200–400 kN.m for the offshore clay and the pile geometry studied. Additional helices increase the uplift force but to a lesser degree than that of the measured torque. Remoulding induced strength reduction is found to be within the range of 25–33% of the intact clay strength. Issues of extracting and reusing offshore helical pile foundations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes large deformation finite element (LDFE) analysis of the penetration of the T-bar penetrometer in uniform clay, identifying soil flow mechanisms around the T-bar, the extent of any cavity above the T-bar and the evolving penetration resistance profile. A trapped cavity above the advancing T-bar penetrometer and its influence on the corresponding bearing capacity factor are the crucial findings of this paper. The formation and evolution of the trapped cavity mechanism are studied extensively, exploring a large range of normalized undrained shear strength of soil and surface roughness of the T-bar. It is shown that the depths of forming a trapped cavity and being fully filled with soil increase with increasing normalized undrained shear strength of soil and roughness of the T-bar. The trapped cavity results in a reduction (up to 13%) in the commonly used bearing capacity factors based on plasticity solutions and a flow-round failure mechanism. According to the depth span of an existing trapped cavity, there are three scenarios: (1) for clay deposits with su/γ′D≤1 , a shallow failure mechanism is directly followed by a flow-round mechanism since the trapped cavity span is negligible; (2) for clay deposits with 18.3 , the trapped cavity is not fully closed up to a penetration of 30D , leading to a lower bearing capacity factor profile compared to the stabilized factors for the other two scenarios. A systematic interpretation procedure is therefore proposed to account for the effect of a trapped cavity for more accurate interpretation of soil undrained shear strength from the T-bar penetration resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological security (ES) can express the health and integrity of regional ecosystems; hence, a better understanding of regional ES levels and their influencing factors can help to specify sustainable ecological management policies. Levels of ES in the West Liao River Basin were computed for the years of 2000 to 2020 at both the grid and county scale by using the pressure–state–response model, with ecosystem services also included in the assessment system. From 2000 to 2020, the area of both the forests and grasslands increased, due to the Grain for Green Project, which augmented net primary productivity (NPP), an ecosystem production service, and enhanced the overall habitat quality of the basin and promoted improvements to the regional ecological environment. The ES levels in most areas of the West Liao River Basin were improved over time, in that >90% of its area was above the middle level in 2020. The coordinates of "very insecure" moved to the basin's southeast, while "very secure" moved to its northwest, which indicated serious ES problems in the southeast of the basin. When compared with the most economically developed areas or remote areas having societal progress and human activities, generally the moderately developed areas have better ES levels. Further, human factors are more important to ES than natural factors, though all driving factors had enhanced impacts on the change in ES via their interactive effects. By determining the ES levels of the basin, four ecological management zones were then derived for it. We identified the main environmental problems in each ecological management zones and put forward the corresponding management measures, which would make the results more useful for supporting resource management and ecological protection of ecologically fragile areas in the agriculture and pasture interlaced landscape of northern China. • Ecological security levels were improved in most areas of the West Liao River Basin. • Moderately developed areas have better ecological security levels. • From 2000 until 2020, the gravity center of ecological security changed. • Human factors are more important to ecological security than natural factors. • Including ecosystem services can better quantify the ecological security status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the interpretation of undrained shear strength and layer boundaries from T-bar penetration resistance profiles in layered soft–stiff and stiff–soft clay sediments. The proposed interpretation framework was based on extensive parametric large deformation finite-element analyses by varying the strength ratio between the two layers, and the relative thickness of the top layer. For soft–stiff clay deposits, the squeezing mechanism dominated the behavior when the T-bar approached the layer interface. No soil plug was trapped at the base of the T-bar. The interface can be identified as the kink point with a sharp increase in resistance profile sensing the stiff layer. For stiff–soft clay deposits, a stiff soil plug was trapped at the base of the T-bar and penetrated into the soft layer. Resistance profiles dropped before reaching the layer interface being influenced by the soft layer. A minimum thickness of 25D was needed to mobilize the ultimate resistance of the top layer. The layer boundary can be identified as 4.2D above the kink point on the resistance profile in the bottom layer. The stabilized resistance in the bottom layer increased with increasing the strength ratio owing to the thicker stiff soil plug at the base of the T-bar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular skirted foundations are used widely in the offshore oil and gas industry and renewable energy industry to support subsea infrastructure and founding turbines. The foundations are subjected to combined vertical-horizontal-moment ( V - H - M ) loadings during operation. This paper describes an extensive investigation of the response of installed circular skirted foundations under operational loadings in sand-over-clay. The overarching aim was to examine the influence of the presence of a sand layer on the combined load capacity. A detailed parametric study was undertaken through small strain finite element analyses, varying the thickness of the sand layer, embedment depth of the foundation (or skirt length), and level of vertical load mobilisation. The effect of the surface sand layer was profound for thicker sand layer of Ts/D > 0.2. Normalised failure envelopes were presented in v-h, v-m and h-m spaces. The FE results on the former two spaces showed unique trend, but not on the latter. New approximating expressions for describing the failure envelopes as a function of the sand layer thickness ratio, skirt length ratio and vertical load mobilisation level were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of a thin soft clay layer inside a bed of sand may significantly reduce the bearing capacity of the sand layer, imposing a risk of punch-through failure. In this paper, finite element (FE) simulations are reported using a hardening soil (HS) model for sand. The FE model has been verified against centrifuge tests involving loose and dense sand layers overlying clay soil. The effects of sand stiffness, foundation roughness, sand friction angle, undrained clay strength, clay strength nonhomogeneity, and sand and clay layer geometries on the foundation peak capacities have been studied. Punch-through failure is initiated with an inclined sand plug being sheared and pushed into the underlying soft clay. During punch-through, the clay layer fails due to significant radial squeezing. Existing analytical models do not capture the combined failure mechanism of sand shearing and clay radial squeezing. A new analytical model is developed to estimate the peak punch-through capacity of a spudcan in sand with an interbedded clay layer, showing improved performance over the current industry guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Spudcan installation in sand overlying clay carries a risk of potential punch-through failure. This paper investigates the penetration resistance of spudcans on loose sand overlying clay soils using large deformation finite element analysis. Comparison with existing experimental results shows that the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion with unchanging shear strength parameters simulates well the behaviour of loose sand, for which strain softening is not significant. The paper quantifies the effects on the punch-through behaviour of the spudcan of the main input parameters, including the undrained shear strength of the underlying clay, and the thickness, friction angle and stiffness of the upper sand. The current design guideline, SNAME , significantly underestimates the peak bearing capacity of the spudcan in comparison with the numerical results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The loss in anchor embedment during keying, as it rotates to become normal to the cable load, reduces the uplift capacity of anchors in normally consolidated clay. The keying behavior of plate anchors has been studied previously by using centrifuge and field model tests. In this paper, a large deformation finite-element approach incorporating frequent mesh regeneration and allowing for evolution of the anchor-chain profile, was developed to simulate the keying process of rectangular and strip plate anchors. A parametric study was undertaken to quantify the loss in anchor embedment during keying in terms of the anchor geometry, soil properties, loading eccentricity, and inclination. The embedment loss decreased dramatically with increasing loading eccentricity and decreasing chain angle at the mudline to the horizontal. The loss in anchor embedment during keying increased as the local soil strength increased relative to the weight of the anchor, up to a limit determined by the eccentricity of loading. In contrast, the effect of the soil strength gradient was minimal. Findings of this study yield a recommendation that the most important factor in anchor keying, loading eccentricity, should not be less than half the anchor width for an effective design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The vertical bearing capacity of spudcan foundations in strength anisotropic soils is investigated numerically using the MIT-S1 model implemented in the AFENA finite element package. The model in AFENA is validated against existing laboratory test data of normally consolidated soil. The bearing capacities of spudcans in soils with isotropic and anisotropic strengths are compared. Soil with isotropic strength is simulated using an elasto-plastic model. It is found that the bearing capacity of a spudcan in an anisotropic soil is reduced by about 9% for a rough spudcan and 3% for a smooth spudcan on average. There is a combined effect of soil anisotropy and spudcan roughness on the spudcan bearing capacity. Moreover, the effect of the pressuremeter strength of an anisotropic soil on foundation capacity can’t be ignored. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Phenolic acids in potherb mustard (Brassica juncea, Coss.) were determined and the effects of pickling methods on the contents of total free phenolic acids, total phenolic acids, total phenolics, and antioxidant activities were investigated. Gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and sinapic acid were identified in the present study. The contents of total free phenolic acids, total phenolic acids and total phenolics in fresh potherb mustard were 84.8±0.58μg/g dry weight (DW), 539±1.36μg/g DW, and 7.95±0.28mg/g DW, respectively. The total free phenolic acids increased during the pickling processes, but the total phenolic acids, total phenolics, and antioxidant activities decreased. However, after 5 weeks of fermentation, all the pickling methods retained over 70% of total phenolic contents and above 65% of antioxidant capacities. The results indicated that pickling processes were relatively good methods for the preservation of phenolic acids and antioxidants for potherb mustard. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper strives to improve the performance of video–text retrieval. To date, many algorithms have been proposed to facilitate the similarity measure of video–text retrieval from the single global semantic to multi-level semantics. However, these methods may suffer from the following limitations: (1) largely ignore the relationship semantic which results in semantic levels are insufficient; (2) it is incomplete to constrain the real-valued features of different modalities to be in the same space only through the feature distance measurement; (3) fail to handle the problem that the distributions of attribute labels in different semantic levels are heavily imbalanced. To overcome the above limitations, this paper proposes a novel multi-level cross-modal semantic alignment network (MCSAN) for video–text retrieval by jointly modeling video–text similarity on global, entity, action and relationship semantic levels in a unified deep model. Specifically, both video and text are first decomposed into global, entity, action and relationship semantic levels by carefully designing spatial–temporal semantic learning structures. Then, we utilize KLDivLoss and a cross-modal parameter-share attribute projection layer as statistical constraints to ensure that representations from different modalities in different semantic levels are projected into a common semantic space. In addition, a novel focal binary cross-entropy (FBCE) loss function is presented, which is the first effort to model the unbalanced attribute distribution problem for video–text retrieval. MCSAN is practically effective to take the advantage of the complementary information among four semantic levels. Extensive experiments on two challenging video–text retrieval datasets, namely, MSR-VTT and VATEX, show the viability of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsea flowlines are flexible or rigid pipelines that are used in oil and gas fields commonly for transporting production fluids from wells. The majority of the flowlines operating in basins across the world (including e.g. Australia's 1700 km infield flowlines) are approaching the end of their productive life, and will need to be decommissioned over the next 5 decades. This paper, for the first time, investigates the potential of repurposing decommissioned flowlines to dynamically installed anchors for mooring floating facilities. Five shapes of anchor have been developed using segments of flowline. Two series of tests were subsequently carried out on models of those shapes. The first series of tests involved releasing the models in still water to assess free-fall trajectory (i.e. verticality), terminal velocity, and anchor drag coefficient. The second series of tests were carried out at 50 g in clay to investigate the performance of the anchors in terms of tip embedment depth during dynamic installation and capacity under vertical loading. The results confirmed performance similar to conventional dynamically installed anchors, suggesting that there is potential to fabricate offshore anchors using segments of flowline. • Decommissioned flowlines. • Repurposing decommissioned flowlines to dynamically installed anchors. • Verticality, terminal velocity, and drag coefficient in water. • Tip embedment depth during dynamic installation in clay. • Capacity under monotonic vertical loading in clay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes an extensive investigation of the failure mechanisms of a large geotextile mat cofferdam over a deep soft clay layer, where the large geotextile mat was filled with sand. Finite element (FE) analysis was conducted to provide insight into the behaviour of large geotextile mats. The FE results were validated against 1 g model test data and centrifuge test data prior to undertaking a detailed parametric study. It is found that large geotextile mat cofferdam over deep soft clay has two distinctive types of failure mechanisms – global and local failure mechanisms. The global failure mechanism showed the whole dam sank downwards together, and the local failure mechanism included a central standing ridge with two dam sides sliding downwards. A formula, based on the results of the parametric study, was proposed to distinguish the potential failure mechanism of the dam and the foundation soil. For these two different failure mechanisms, both limiting fill height and safety factor of the dam could be predicted using the equations obtained from this study. Finally, a design framework was proposed to provide guidance for designing the large geotextile mat cofferdam over deep soft clay under construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest pests impose significant threats to tree productivity and ecosystem stability. Most studies focussed on foliage water, tree defoliate and mortality, which lag behind pest outbreak. To address this issue, we developed hyperspectral LiDAR (HSL) system based on an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) to examine the echo intensity of tree trunks. First, we demonstrated the echo power of the cylindrical surface is approximately equivalent to that of the plate surface within 60° incidence angle, which provide the theoretical reference for trunk surface echo intensity calibration with a white panel. Second, we propose a two-step method to detect the attacked parts from barks. The first step is rapid pest detection conducted by the echo intensity ratio of damaged area and normal area. While the ratio is around one, the second step is pest detection based on support vector machine classifier with reflectance. When the reflectivity of five spectral channels is used as input parameters, 100% rapid detection accuracy of damage area is achieved. We also use the radiance under seven channels to achieve 100% classification of tree species and attack features. The results show that this HSL is effective in wood-boring pest detection and contributes to forest applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Phosphorus (P) fertilization can alleviate a soil P deficiency in grassland ecosystems. Understanding plant functional traits that enhance P uptake can improve grassland management.We measured impacts of P addition on soil chemical and microbial properties, net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations ([NSC]), and root P‐uptake rate (PUR), morphology, anatomy, and exudation of two dominant grass species: Leymus chinensis (C3) and Cleistogenes squarrosa (C4).For L. chinensis, PUR and Pn showed a nonlinear correlation. Growing more adventitious roots compensated for the decrease in P transport per unit root length, so that it maintained a high PUR. For C. squarrosa, PUR and Pn presented a linear correlation. Increased Pn was associated with modifications in root morphology, which further enhanced its PUR and a greater surplus of photosynthate and significantly stimulated root exudation (proxied by leaf [Mn]), which had a greater impact on rhizosheath micro‐environment and microbial PLFAs.Our results present correlations between the PUR and the Pn of L. chinensis and C. squarrosa and reveal that NSC appeared to drive the modifications of root morphology and exudation; they provide more objective basis for more efficient P‐input in grasslands to address the urgent problem of P deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the task of visual grounding (VG), which aims to localize regions of an image through sentence queries. The development of VG has significantly advanced with Transformer-based frameworks, which can capture image and text contexts without proposals. However, previous research has rarely explored hierarchical semantics and cross-interactions between two uni-modal encoders. Therefore, this paper proposes a Hierarchical Cross-modal Contextual Attention Network (HCCAN) for the VG task. The HCCAN model utilizes a visual-guided text contextual attention module, a text-guided visual contextual attention module, and a Transformer-based multi-modal feature fusion module. This approach not only captures intra-modality and inter-modality relationships through self-attention mechanisms but also captures the hierarchical semantics of textual and visual content in a common space. Experiments conducted on four standard benchmarks, including Flickr30K Entities and RefCOCO, RefCOCO+, RefCOCOg, demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The code is publicly available at https://www.github.com/cutexin66/HCCAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This experiment is explores the genes that play a key role, their expression changes and the biological processes in the transformation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) into lung adenocarcinoma (LAC). Meanwhile, identify the effects of Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in the conversion of COPD into LAC. Methods: 1. Differential expression genes of COPD and LAC were screened and analyzed by high-throughput microarray data between the two diseases and their respective control groups. 2. The screened genes were used for routine bioinformatics analysis such as functional analysis, expression verification, protein interaction analysis and functional enrichment. 3. Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to establish an in vitro COPD model. 4. MTT assay was used to detect the influence of B(a)P in effect on A549 cell proliferation. CCK-8, Transwell invasion test and scratch test were used to detect the cell proliferation, invasion and migration ability, while qPCR and Western Blot tests were used to observe the cell proliferation, apoptosis and changes in related indicators such as EMT. 5. Experimental method of separately adding agonists (tBHQ) and inhibitors (DIC) of NQO1 was used to confirm the effect of NQO1 on A549 cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion. 6. To further clarify whether BaP exerted effect on cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion through NQO1, we knocked down NQO1 gene and then infecting cells with BaP. Results: 1. We screened genes of COPD and LAC using datasets from GSE151052, GSE118370, and GSE140797. After screening, the genes upregulated in COPD and downregulated in LAC were RTKN2, SLC6A4, and HBB, the gene downregulated in COPD and upregulated in LAC was NQO1, the genes downregulated in both COPD and LAC were FPR1, LYVE1 and PKHD1L1. 2. The main signaling pathways in which the target genes were enriched are cell cycle, EMT, PI3K/AKT, and apoptosis. In the data included GEPIA, PKHD1L1, FPR1, LYVE1, RTKN2, HBB, and SLC6A4 were significantly downregulated and NQO1 was upregulated in LAC relative to controls. In addition, there were 46 interaction proteins in the target genes, and the functions they enriched included hydrogen peroxide catabolism, etc. 3. When A549 cell was stimulated with 100 ng/mL LPS+ 10% CSE, the COX-2 expression indicated that COPD model in vitro was successfully established. 4. The optimal dose and action time were screened which were 1 μM and 24 h. Compared to the control group, COPD and BaP group increased cell proliferation and invasion capabilities. On the basis of COPD, adding BaP could further increase the proliferation and migration capabilities. Interestingly, the levels of NQO1 decreased in COPD models, while increased by BaP. 5. tBHQ can increase the proliferation and migration capacity of A549 cells, which is inhibited by the addition of DIC. 6. The enhanced proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 cells by BaP were attenuated after knockdown of NQO1. Conclusion: Our study reveals that PKHD1L1, FPR1, LYVE1, RTKN2, HBB, SLC6A4 and NQO1 may play an important role in the conversion of COPD to LAC. High NQO1 expression may increase the proliferation and migration ability of A549 cells, and BaP may promote the EMT state by increasing the expression of NQO1, thereby making the COPD model in vitro expose the tumor characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some studies have shown that the Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) exposure induced oxidative damage, DNA damage and autophagy, but the molecular mechanism is not clear. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is regarded as an important target in cancer therapy and a key factor in autophagy. Therefore, this study aims to clarify the new mechanism of BaP regulating CMA through HSP90. C57BL mice were fed with BaP at a dose of 25.3 mg/kg. A549 cells were treated with different concerntrations of BaP, and MTT assay was used to observe the effect of BaP on the proliferation of A549 cells. DNA damage was detected by alkaline comet assay. Focus experiment for detection of γ-H2AX by immunofluorescence. The mRNA expression of HSP90, HSC70 and Lamp-2a was detected by qPCR. The protein expressions of HSP90, HSC70 and Lamp-2a were detected by Western blot. Next, we knocked down HSP90 expression by the HSP90 Inhibitor, NVP-AUY 922, exposed or HSP90α shRNA lentivirus transduction in A549 cells. In these studies, we first found that heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), heat shock cognate 70 (HSC70) and lysosomal-associated membrane protein type 2 receptor (Lamp-2a) expressions of C57BL mice lung tissue and A549 cells exposed to BaP were significant increase, as well as BaP induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and activated DNA damage responses, as evidenced by comet assay and γ-H2AX foci analysis in A549 cells. Our results demonstrated BaP induced CMA and caused DNA damage. Next, we knocked down HSP90 expression by the HSP90 Inhibitor, NVP-AUY 922, exposed or HSP90α shRNA lentivirus transduction in A549 cells. HSC70 and Lamp-2a expressions of these cells exposed to BaP were not significant increase, which showed that BaP inducted CMA was mediated by HSP90. Further, HSP90α shRNA prevented BaP induced of BaP which suggested BaP regulated CMA and caused DNA damage by HSP90. Our results elucidated a new mechanism of BaP regulated CMA through HSP90. BaP regulated CMA through HSP90. HSP90 is involved in the regulation of gene instability induced by DNA damage by BaP, which promotes CMA. Our study also revealed that BaP regulates CMA through HSP90. This study fills the gap of the effect of BaP on autophagy and its mechanism, which will lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the action mechanism of BaP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A special design of new berm reinforced with geotextile layers is reported. • Field tests conduct to show the performance of the berm with special design method. • Results explore the failure mechanism of the berm with special design method. This paper reports a case study of an extension design of an existing municipal solid waste (MSW) earth berm in Guangzhou, China. The berm has limited space for extension and was constructed during a rainy season. Due to the space constraint, the extended berm was designed with a steep slope 1.1 horizontal to 1.0 vertical (1.1 H :1.0 V). Due to the rainy season, the new extended earth berm was built with a mix of gravel and sandy clay (i.e. V gravel / V clay = 50:50). To make the new berm design satisfies the stability requirement, it has been reinforced with geotextile layers within the berm and piles at the toe of the berm. A 2D finite-element analysis has been conducted to demonstrate the rationality of the design. The performance of the new berm was monitored using field sensors, which include the vertical and lateral displacements of the berm, vertical earth pressure of the berm, and tensile strain of the geotextile layers during and after the berm construction. Numerical and field tests results show that the failure surface appears along the interface between the old berm and the horizonal displacements are mainly observed in the new berm. The results of this study proven that a steep slope berm with geotextiles reinforcement can resistant the load from extended MSW landfill, which can provide a guidance for the design and construction of the extension of MSW landfill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plate anchors are of vital importance for both onshore and offshore facilities. The current study has been focused on the pullout capacity factors of rectangular anchors with wide range of aspect ratios under coupling effects of embedment ratios, anchor inclinations, overburden pressure and non-homogeneity of the clay. Three-dimensional small strain finite element (FE) analyses based on ABAQUS are carried out. After verifying the current model with the existing numerical solutions, the FE results are obtained, and relative comprehensive formulas have been proposed to evaluate the pullout capacity factor with the given parameters. The anchor with aspect ratio less than one has outlier performance in normally consolidated (NC) clay, which has also been discussed based on the soil flow mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The length of suction caisson anchors has been increasing to support increasing dimensions and weight of floating facilities, which necessitates employing horizontal ring stiffeners at intervals along the inner wall of the thin skirt of caissons to ensure structural integrity. The addition of these stiffeners has created significant uncertainties regarding soil flow mechanisms, in particular soil heave inside the caisson, which may reduce the caisson final penetration depth and influence the process of installation due to the need to avoid inside soil suction in the pumping equipment. This paper reports results of large-deformation finite element (LDFE) analyses investigating soil heave inside stiffened caissons during installation in nonhomogeneous clay deposits, with the corresponding evolution of soil flow mechanisms and penetration resistance profiles reported by Zhou et al. in 2016. The LDFE analyses have simulated continuous penetration of stiffened caissons from the seabed surface. A detailed parametric study has been undertaken, exploring the relevant range of soil strength nonhomogeneity and normalized strength, stiffened caisson geometry, soil effective unit weight, and caisson roughness. Of particular interest is the influence of stiffeners on soil heave and potential penetration refusal. The results have been validated against previously published centrifuge test data in terms of soil heave and penetration resistance profile, with good agreement obtained. It is shown that the soil normalized strength at the mudline and its nonhomogeneity, caisson diameter relative to the sum of skirt thickness and stiffener width, and caisson penetration depth have significant influence on the inner soil heave and its profile across the caisson radius. An expression, based on the LDFE results is proposed to predict the maximum inner soil heave during installation of stiffened caissons in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effects of cone tip roughness factor, soil in situ stress ratio and strength non-homogeneity on cone tip resistance in three-layer clay deposits, aiming at presenting a general CPT data interpretation framework to extract soil layered profiles and strengths. Large deformation finite element (LDFE) analysis has been carried out, simulating continuous penetration of the standard cone penetrometer from the seabed surface, with the consideration of cone tip roughness factor, in situ stress ratio and soil strength non-homogeneity within a practical range. In the LDFE analyses, a thin relatively stiff or soft clay layer was interbedded in a uniform or NC clay deposit, with various strength ratios between two successive layers and thickness ratios of the thin layer to the cone diameter explored. The results have shown that the noted factors have significant influence on net cone penetration resistance in stratified deposits. These influences in the layered deposits were found to be similar in magnitude to those on the cone limiting resistance in a single clay layer, leading to the resultant influence on a thin layer correction factor for cone penetration resistance minimal. This was confirmed by the evidence of the evolving soil flow mechanisms around the cone tip. Therefore, the design charts and formulas developed for a smooth cone in uniform three-layer soils are applicable for delineating layer boundaries and interpreting the undrained shear strength of each identified layer for a partially rough cone in three-layer non-homogeneous clay deposits. However, the cone tip roughness factor was shown to have an influence in the layer boundary identification, especially for the cone penetration from a stiff layer to a soft layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of plants to efficiently supply nitrogen (N) to their shoots is critical for reconstructing photosynthetic tissues after defoliation events. We conducted an indoor defoliation experiment and used 13C and 15 N labeling to investigate the photosynthetic carbon (C) allocation, the relationships between C allocation and N uptake, and the contribution of N reallocation for regrowth. Leymus chinensis increased the amount of belowground 13C to the low defoliation (LD) treatment, but allocated less 13C belowground in response to the medium (MD) and high defoliation (HD) treatments, these changes were related to photosynthetic C fixation. Moreover, there was no evidence of a trade-off in C allocation between root exudates and roots, because their direct sources of C differed. The uptake rate of 15 N was the greatest in the LD treatment, when the C invested belowground was maximal. MD treatment increased specific root length and specific root area, which augmented the N uptake. Crucially, defoliation increased the N reallocation from roots to shoots, likely due to the greater N demand of shoot. Altogether, our results show that N supply was governed by N uptake and reallocation for Leymus chinensis after low defoliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter is concerned with the undrained bearing capacity of rectangular footings with various aspect ratios and embedment ratios in uniform clay. It covers thin plate foundations with low aspect ratios and high embedment depth with embedment ratio up to 150. The work is based on small strain finite element analysis (FEA). After verification of the FEA model against existing solutions of the bearing capacity factors of rectangular footings, a series of FEA results are obtained. Based on the FEA results, a simple formulation is proposed to calculate the bearing capacity factor for rectangle footing with different aspect ratio in any embedment depth, extending the existing solutions to cover a wider ranges of footing aspect ratios and embedment ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravity installed plate anchor (GIPLA) is made mainly of steel plates. It features a swivel mooring arm located close to the anchor tip. Its more complex geometry inevitably complicates the prediction of its keying behavior, hence its capacity. This paper investigated the development of GIPLA׳s movements during its keying and its pullout capacity in NC clay. A plasticity model of yield envelops was constructed and used to predict anchor keying behaviors and its capacities. The plasticity model was validated by 3D large deformation finite element analysis based on remeshing and interpolation technique with small strain model. A parametric study on the keying and capacity development of a deeply embedded GIPLA in NC clay was performed by the plasticity model due to its simplicity and efficiency. The effects of anchor loading angle, anchor padeye eccentricity and soil strength profile were investigated. To encourage anchor “diving” behavior after keying and to keep anchor capacity reasonably high, it was recommended that the anchor loading angle to the horizontal at mudline should be 30° or less and the anchor padeye offset angle be in the range of 15°~25°. The soil non-homogeneity due to the linearly varying strength profile also affect anchor keying trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Synsepalum dulcificum Daniell. (SD) is a natural plant fruit and is famous for containing miraculin. It has been reported that SD can be used as an adjuvant treatment to correct patients' loss of taste during the antitumor process, but the effect of SD itself as an antitumor is not clear. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of action of SD on lung adenocarcinoma using network pharmacology. Materials and Methods. The components of SD were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and then the compounds that affect tumor immunity of SD were screened and the related targets were predicted by TCMIO database. At the same time, the results were associated with lung adenocarcinoma targets included in the MalaCards and CTD databases, so as to construct a compound-target action network diagram and explore the mechanism of SD in the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma. In in vitro experiments, cell viability was determined and western blotting was used to detect the related expression of action targets to determine the therapeutic effect of SD. Results. In this experiment, 335 chemical components were identified in SD, and 107 components were related to tumor immunity. After screening by ADME, it was found that 11 compounds might be inhaled into the human body and affect the growth of lung adenocarcinoma. In vitro experiments showed that SD could inhibit the growth of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. SD could reduce the expression of PCNA (P < 0.05) and significantly increase the expression of Caspase-3 (P < 0.05). The results of further experiments showed that SD could significantly reduce the phosphorylation of EGFR (P < 0.05), and SD could also effectively inhibit the expression of JAK and STAT3 phosphorylation (P < 0.01) and inhibit the expression of PI3K and AKT phosphorylation (P < 0.01). Conclusion. SD can inhibit the growth of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells and the potential mechanism was found to be the inhibition of EGFR/JAK/STAT3 and EGFR/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and the substance basis for SD to exert antitumor effect may be catechin, taxifolin, betaine, epigallocatechin gallate, erucamide, guanosine, kaempferol, lanosterol, morin, oleanolic acid, and quercetin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Phosphorus (P) addition can help restore degraded Chinese grasslands. Soil P-availability affects the plant niche dynamics. However, the dynamics of niche characteristics are not yet understood, particularly for above- and belowground differences between species and plant–microbe interactions that generate these dynamics.We conducted a long-term field P-fertilization experiment (0 to 12.5 g P m−2 year−1) to explore the impacts of P addition on the niche dynamics of a competitive forb (Chenopodium aristatum, a non-mycorrhizal C4 plant) and a dominant grass (Leymus chinensis, a mycorrhizal C3 plant) in a temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia, northern China.Phosphorus addition greatly changed the niche and exacerbated aboveground competition between C. aristatum and L. chinensis. Competitive exclusion of L. chinensis occurred at all levels, except P2.5. Photosynthesis and above- and belowground morphology of C. aristatum responded more to P1 due to its high photosynthetic plasticity and nutrient resorption, which was associated with its competitive advantage. Although NO peaked at P2.5, carbon assimilation and rhizosheath microbial biomass of L. chinensis were optimal. Alleviated NO at P5 and P12.5 was associated with segregation of root morphologies and rhizosheath microbial composition. However, surplus niches at P5 and P12.5 were occupied by invasive sub-shrubs, associating with the mismatched plant–microbe feedbacks of C. aristatum and L. chinensis.Our findings suggest that rhizosheath microbes mediate trade-offs between a host plant’s P-conservation and acquisition and highlight the importance of above- and belowground co-responses to community productivity and stability under P addition.Methods: Phosphorus (P) addition can help restore degraded Chinese grasslands. Soil P-availability affects the plant niche dynamics. However, the dynamics of niche characteristics are not yet understood, particularly for above- and belowground differences between species and plant–microbe interactions that generate these dynamics.We conducted a long-term field P-fertilization experiment (0 to 12.5 g P m−2 year−1) to explore the impacts of P addition on the niche dynamics of a competitive forb (Chenopodium aristatum, a non-mycorrhizal C4 plant) and a dominant grass (Leymus chinensis, a mycorrhizal C3 plant) in a temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia, northern China.Phosphorus addition greatly changed the niche and exacerbated aboveground competition between C. aristatum and L. chinensis. Competitive exclusion of L. chinensis occurred at all levels, except P2.5. Photosynthesis and above- and belowground morphology of C. aristatum responded more to P1 due to its high photosynthetic plasticity and nutrient resorption, which was associated with its competitive advantage. Although NO peaked at P2.5, carbon assimilation and rhizosheath microbial biomass of L. chinensis were optimal. Alleviated NO at P5 and P12.5 was associated with segregation of root morphologies and rhizosheath microbial composition. However, surplus niches at P5 and P12.5 were occupied by invasive sub-shrubs, associating with the mismatched plant–microbe feedbacks of C. aristatum and L. chinensis.Our findings suggest that rhizosheath microbes mediate trade-offs between a host plant’s P-conservation and acquisition and highlight the importance of above- and belowground co-responses to community productivity and stability under P addition.Results: Phosphorus (P) addition can help restore degraded Chinese grasslands. Soil P-availability affects the plant niche dynamics. However, the dynamics of niche characteristics are not yet understood, particularly for above- and belowground differences between species and plant–microbe interactions that generate these dynamics.We conducted a long-term field P-fertilization experiment (0 to 12.5 g P m−2 year−1) to explore the impacts of P addition on the niche dynamics of a competitive forb (Chenopodium aristatum, a non-mycorrhizal C4 plant) and a dominant grass (Leymus chinensis, a mycorrhizal C3 plant) in a temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia, northern China.Phosphorus addition greatly changed the niche and exacerbated aboveground competition between C. aristatum and L. chinensis. Competitive exclusion of L. chinensis occurred at all levels, except P2.5. Photosynthesis and above- and belowground morphology of C. aristatum responded more to P1 due to its high photosynthetic plasticity and nutrient resorption, which was associated with its competitive advantage. Although NO peaked at P2.5, carbon assimilation and rhizosheath microbial biomass of L. chinensis were optimal. Alleviated NO at P5 and P12.5 was associated with segregation of root morphologies and rhizosheath microbial composition. However, surplus niches at P5 and P12.5 were occupied by invasive sub-shrubs, associating with the mismatched plant–microbe feedbacks of C. aristatum and L. chinensis.Our findings suggest that rhizosheath microbes mediate trade-offs between a host plant’s P-conservation and acquisition and highlight the importance of above- and belowground co-responses to community productivity and stability under P addition.Conclusions: Phosphorus (P) addition can help restore degraded Chinese grasslands. Soil P-availability affects the plant niche dynamics. However, the dynamics of niche characteristics are not yet understood, particularly for above- and belowground differences between species and plant–microbe interactions that generate these dynamics.We conducted a long-term field P-fertilization experiment (0 to 12.5 g P m−2 year−1) to explore the impacts of P addition on the niche dynamics of a competitive forb (Chenopodium aristatum, a non-mycorrhizal C4 plant) and a dominant grass (Leymus chinensis, a mycorrhizal C3 plant) in a temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia, northern China.Phosphorus addition greatly changed the niche and exacerbated aboveground competition between C. aristatum and L. chinensis. Competitive exclusion of L. chinensis occurred at all levels, except P2.5. Photosynthesis and above- and belowground morphology of C. aristatum responded more to P1 due to its high photosynthetic plasticity and nutrient resorption, which was associated with its competitive advantage. Although NO peaked at P2.5, carbon assimilation and rhizosheath microbial biomass of L. chinensis were optimal. Alleviated NO at P5 and P12.5 was associated with segregation of root morphologies and rhizosheath microbial composition. However, surplus niches at P5 and P12.5 were occupied by invasive sub-shrubs, associating with the mismatched plant–microbe feedbacks of C. aristatum and L. chinensis.Our findings suggest that rhizosheath microbes mediate trade-offs between a host plant’s P-conservation and acquisition and highlight the importance of above- and belowground co-responses to community productivity and stability under P addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive use of fossil fuels puts ecological and economic coordinated development at risk. Photovoltaic systems relieve the pressure of resource extraction and energy generation on climate change, and their installation and module operation affect vegetation productivity and grassland restoration by changing the microenvironment and ecosystem processes. However, it is still unclear whether plants adapt to these changes in photovoltaic systems to sustain their growth. Here, combined stable isotope techniques with plant traits, plant adaptations to photovoltaic systems at different scales were analyzed from the perspectives of water and nutrient sources, uptake, transport, and utilization. The results showed that photovoltaic systems increased water uptake by the dominant species Leymus chinensis from the top 10 cm of the soil and the aboveground biomass. This was associated with strong plasticity of roots and conduction tissues, which improved resource uptake from the fertile surface soil and transport within the plant, and promoted photosynthesis and leaf water loss by inducing stomatal opening. Different from fixed photovoltaic systems, tracking photovoltaic systems improved ecosystem water use efficiency and surface soil nutrient availability by reducing soil temperature. Tilting tracking photovoltaic systems especially promoted biomass accumulation and grassland restoration. The study suggested that photovoltaic systems promoted vegetation restoration of grassland ecosystem in semi-arid region through the water and nutrient coordination and the carbon-water coupling, and provides a solution for reasonable planning of photovoltaic industry and sustainable socio-economic development. • Photovoltaics changed plant water source and increased its water uptake of 0–10 cm. • Plant increased resource uptake and transportation by root traits in photovoltaics. • Plant in photovoltaic achieved carbon-water coupling by carbon gain and water loss. • Tracking photovoltaics improved ecosystem water use efficiency and biomass. • Tilting-tracking photovoltaics promoted power generation and grassland restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overgrazing and phosphorus (P) deficiency are two major factors limiting the sustainable development of grassland ecosystems. Exploring plant P utilization and acquisition strategies under grazing can provide a solid basis for determining a reasonable grazing intensity. Both foliar P allocation and root P acquisition are crucial mechanisms for plants to adapt to environmental P availability; however, their changing characteristics and correlation under grazing remain unknown. Here, we investigated foliar P fractions, root P-acquisition traits and gene expression, as well as rhizosphere and bulk soil properties of two dominant plant species, Leymus chinensis (a rhizomatous grass) and Stipa grandis (a bunchgrass), in a field grazing intensity gradient site in Inner Mongolia. Grazing induced different degrees of compensatory growth in the two dominant plant species, increased rhizosphere P availability, and alleviated plant P limitation. Under grazing, the foliar metabolite P of L. chinensis increased, whereas the nucleic acid P of S. grandis increased. Increased P fractions in L. chinensis were positively correlated with increased root exudates and rapid inorganic P absorption. For S. grandis , increased foliar P fractions were positively correlated with more fine roots, more root exudates, and up-regulated expression of genes involved in defense and P metabolism. Overall, efficient root P mobilization and uptake traits, as well as increases in leaf metabolic activity-related P fractions, supported plant compensatory growth under grazing, a process that differed between tiller types. The highest plant productivity and leaf metabolic activity-related P concentrations under medium grazing intensity clarify the underlying basis for sustainable livestock production. • Grazing induces plant compensatory growth and alleviates P limitation. • L. chinensis increases leaf metabolite P while S. grandis increases nucleic acid P. • Plant P-acquisition strategies differ between tiller types. • Root traits correlate with leaf P fractions by enhancing P mobilization and uptake. • Plant P utilization can be an important basis for sustainable grazing management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, most models rarely consider the negative transfer problem in the research field of cross-subject EEG emotion recognition. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a semi-supervised domain adaptive algorithm based on few labeled samples of target subject, which called multi-domain geodesic flow kernel dynamic distribution alignment (MGFKD). It consists of three modules: 1) GFK common feature extractor: projects the feature distribution of source and target subjects to the Grassmann manifold space, and obtains the latent common features of the two feature distributions through GFK method. 2) Source domain selector: obtains pseudo-labels of the target subject through weak classifier, finds "golden source subjects" by using few known labels of target subjects. 3) Label corrector: uses a dynamic distribution balance strategy to correct the pseudo-labels of the target subject. We conducted comparison experiments on the SEED and SEED-IV datasets, and the results show that MGFKD outperforms unsupervised and semi-supervised domain adaptation algorithms, achieving an average accuracy of 87.51±7.68% and 68.79±8.25% on the SEED and SEED-IV datasets with only one labeled sample per video for target subject. Especially when the number of source domains is set as 6 and the number of known labels is set as 5, the accuracy increase to 90.20±7.57% and 69.99±7.38%, respectively. The above results prove that our proposed algorithm can efficiently and quickly improve the cross-subject EEG emotion classification performance. Since it only need a small number of labeled samples of new subjects, making it has strong application value in future EEG-based emotion recognition applications. • A semi-supervised DA algorithm for cross-subject emotion recognition is proposed. • The proposed algorithm achieves higher accuracy in SEED and SEED-IV datasets. • It is a non-deep learning method with strong interpretability and short running time. • It could build efficient emotion decoding model for new subject quickly in real-life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Movement function rehabilitation of patients with craniocerebral injuries is an important issue facing neurorehabilitation science. The use of brain–computer interface technology in rehabilitation training systems can allow patients to actively participate in the rehabilitation training process and use the brain's neuroplasticity to enhance the effects from rehabilitation training. At present, the brain–computer interface-based rehabilitation training system still has problems such as insufficient active participation of patients, resulting in slowed motor neural circuit repair or low action execution accuracy. In response to the above problems, this paper designed an active and passive upper limb rehabilitation training system based on a hybrid brain–computer interface of steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) and movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs). The system includes six parts: task setting and training guidance module, EEG signal acquisition module, EEG signal preprocessing and recognition module, rehabilitation training module, training completion evaluation module, and communication module. The system drives the rehabilitation robot to complete the training actions by identifying the participant's SSVEP and evaluates the completion of the rehabilitation training based on the patient's movement intention recognition results. In this study, 12 participants were recruited. In the online test, the system achieved an average action execution accuracy of 99.3%. The movement intention detection based on MRCPs reached an average accuracy of 82.7%. The participants' average completion rate was 0.91. The experimental results show that the system can achieve a high rate of execution accuracy. In addition, it can evaluate the active participation level of patients in rehabilitation training based on the movement intention detection results, accelerate the reconstruction of motor neural circuits, improve the effects of training, and provide more effective ways of thinking for the study of upper limb rehabilitation training systems for patients with craniocerebral injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Total and differential settlements are major concerns in embankment design. Geosynthetic-reinforced and pile-supported embankments are recent innovations designed to reduce the total and differential settlements of an embankment, especially on soft subgrade soil. In this paper, semi-analytical solutions were developed to assess the performance of this type of embankment. The geosynthetic-reinforced cushion was idealized as an elastic foundation beam. The vertical piles and subgrade soils were idealized as elastic springs. Winkler’s elastic foundation beam theory was used in the analysis, which considered the shear resistances at the top and bottom of the geosynthetic-reinforced cushion. Semi-analytical solutions were proposed to quantify the effects of various factors, such as soil–beam interface resistance, pile stiffness, pile spacing and the elastic modulus of the foundation beam. It was found that the maximum and differential settlements of the foundation beam can be reduced by increasing pile stiffness, reducing pile spacing, and increasing the elastic modulus of the beam. The characteristics of geosynthetic reinforcement play an important role because they are directly related to the tension strength and elastic modulus of the foundation beam. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Absence epilepsy, characterized by transient loss of awareness and bilaterally synchronous 2–4 Hz spike and wave discharges (SWDs) on electroencephalography (EEG) during absence seizures, is generally believed to arise from abnormal interactions between the cerebral cortex (Ctx) and thalamus. Recent animal electrophysiological studies suggested that changing the neural activation level of the external globus pallidus (GPe) neurons can remarkably modify firing rates of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) neurons through the GABAergic GPe–TRN pathway. However, the existing experimental evidence does not provide a clear answer as to whether the GPe–TRN pathway contributes to regulating absence seizures. Here, using a biophysically based mean-field model of the GPe-corticothalamic (GCT) network, we found that both directly decreasing the strength of the GPe–TRN pathway and inactivating GPe neurons can effectively suppress absence seizures. Also, the pallido-cortical pathway and the recurrent connection of GPe neurons facilitate the regulation of absence seizures through the GPe–TRN pathway. Specifically, in the controllable situation, enhancing the coupling strength of either of the two pathways can successfully terminate absence seizures. Moreover, the competition between the GPe–TRN and pallido-cortical pathways may lead to the GPe bidirectionally controlling absence seizures, and this bidirectional control manner can be significantly modulated by the Ctx–TRN pathway. Importantly, when the strength of the Ctx–TRN pathway is relatively strong, the bidirectional control of absence seizures by changing GPe neural activities can be observed at both weak and strong strengths of the pallido-cortical pathway.These findings suggest that the GPe–TRN pathway may have crucial functional roles in regulating absence seizures, which may provide a testable hypothesis for further experimental studies and new perspectives on the treatment of absence epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional nature of agrophotovoltaic systems (APV) accounts for the needs of photovoltaic power generation and agricultural production. The combination can solve conflicts among utilization of resources, ecological protection, and agricultural production to achieve low-carbon economic development. However, the economically respond (crop yield and quality) of different species under the decreased light available system is still unclear. To provide insights, we compared agrophotovoltaic and traditional ecosystems to explore the economic feasibility of planting Bupleurum chinense (B. chinense) and Medicago sativa (M. sativa) from the perspectives of light utilization, photosynthetic responses, and land use. The combined system improved the land equivalent ratio, net income and species quality of B. chinense and M. sativa. Both species showed high plasticity, and maintained growth and development by regulating their morphology and photosynthetic parameters. B. chinense in the APV increased its light use efficiency, photosynthetic rate, and root biomass by increasing its height, electron transfer flux, and up-regulating a photosystem I protein (PsaA). M. sativa in the APV allocated more energy to photochemical reactions to improve photosynthetic capacity. It captured and utilized the limited light by reducing leaf mass per unit area and dark respiration, increasing the chlorophyll content, and down-regulating a photosystem II protein (PsbD). Our results showed the importance of species selection based on morphological and photosynthetic responses and provide insights into the selection of appropriate species, efficient resource utilization, and sustainable economic development based on APV. [Display omitted] • Bupleurum chinense and Medicago sativa maintained biomass accumulation and quality. • Bupleurum chinense increased photosynthesis by adjusting electron flux and PsaA. • Medicago sativa increased light capture area and protected photosystem II activity. • The agrophotovoltaic ecosystem increased the land use efficiency of both species. • Bupleurum chinense was more adaptable and improved economic benefits most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grazing has a profound impact on the availability of soil resources like carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in grasslands. These changes can potentially make it difficult to meet microbial elemental demands, thus affecting microbial C use efficiency (CUE) and soil C dynamics. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how soil microbes respond to stoichiometric imbalances and their consequent effect on microbial CUE. In this study, we investigated the stoichiometry of soil labile resources, microbial biomass, extracellular enzymes, as well as the microbial community composition and microbial CUE, microbial respiration, microbial quotient (q MB), and soil organic carbon (SOC) changes, at sites with four grazing intensities (no grazing, light, medium, and heavy grazing) in a temperate steppe of northern China. Grazing led to decreased stoichiometric imbalances between soil labile resources and microbial biomass, thereby exacerbating limitations of available C on soil microbes. To alleviate this limitation of C, microbes raised the microbial threshold elemental ratios and microbial biomass, and increased fungi dominance rather than increased activities of C-, N-, and P- acquiring enzymes due to increased microbial own growth. Microbes also improved microbial CUE, q MB, and microbial respiration while decreasing SOC under increasing grazing intensity. These integrated adaptations denote that grazing can reduce SOC which is closely affected by soil microbial C utilization induced by resource change conditions despite the increased microbial biomass contribution to SOC. These findings illustrate the regulation of stoichiometric imbalances in soil C dynamics driven by microbes under grazing and improve our understanding of how stoichiometric changes influences soil C flows in semi-arid grassland. [Display omitted] • Grazing lowered stoichiometric imbalances but increased microbial C limitation. • Microbes decreased C-, N-, P-acquiring enzymes for limiting nutrients acquisition. • Microbes increased their biomass, threshold elemental ratios, and fungi:bacteria. • Aggravated grazing induced increased CUE, q MB, and microbial own growth. • Adaptative pathways of microbes resulted a decline of SOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Challenges associated with dynamically installed anchors (DIAs) include prediction of anchor embedment depth and subsequent pullout performance under chain loading. Numerical analyses on the behaviour of DIAs require advanced modelling methods that can deal with a) hydrodynamic aspects during the free-fall in water; b) large soil deformations with high strain rate effects during the dynamic penetration; c) post-installation consolidation; d) pullout performances considering installation and anchor chain effect. This paper divides the behaviour of DIAs into three stages, including anchor free-fall in water (Stage 1), anchor dynamic penetration in soil (Stage 2), and anchor pullout under operational loadings (Stage 3), and gives an overview of numerical advancements on the analysis of DIAs at each stage. By illustrating typical numerical results and comparisons between various methods, the advantages and limitations of the numerical modelling methods are highlighted. The advantage of the finite volume method (FVM) based on computational fluid dynamics is its capability in the full simulation of an anchor dynamic installation in water followed by in soil (Stages 1 and 2). However, the stress-induced anisotropy of the soil cannot be captured by the FVM. The finite element (FE) method, especially the large deformation finite element (LDFE) method, is preferable to analyse Stages 2 and 3. The effects of soil properties on the performance of DIAs can be quantified by the LDFE method, in terms of strain rate, strain softening, pore pressure and drag force. • Review of numerical modelling methods and soil constitutive models. • Dynamically installed anchors. • Dynamic installation in water. • Dynamic installation and loading in clay. • Comparative advantages and limitations of numerical modelling methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft clay forms a big proportion of the seabed ground. In a marine environment, waves, wind, and earthquakes, often known as cyclic loads, are a main contributor to the loading of the seabed. The safety of offshore structures relies on the response of soft marine clay to these cyclic loadings. Its very fine-grained composition, and hence low permeability, is the defining factor for soft marine clay showing a very different response to cyclic loading than sand. The responses of soft marine clay subjected to cyclic loading range from degradation in soil strength and stiffness to principal stress rotation, excess pore pressure generation, and deformation accumulation. These dynamic characteristics of soft marine clay are strongly influenced by several factors, including loading level (amplitude, frequency, and number of cycles), loading history, and path. The purpose of the present paper is to present an overview of the research results on the characteristics of soft marine clay under cyclic loading in the past decades. Some remarks on future research for improving the understanding of dynamic characteristics of soft marine clay are also provided based on the results of up-to-date research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OMNI-Max anchors are newly developed dynamically installed anchors for deep water mooring systems. However, the final penetration depth of the anchor after its dynamic installation can be limited, especially in a strong soil seabed with high strength gradient, due to its limited release height in water and large contact areas between the anchor flukes and the adjacent soil. To increase the anchor final penetration depth in seabed, an innovative concept of anchor booster is proposed in this paper. The booster, comprised of a cylindrical shaft with three rear fins, is attached to the anchor tail during its dynamic installation and then is retrieved after installation for reuse. The boosters with three different sizes, hence different masses, are designed and tested. Three dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted to investigate the working efficiency of a booster on the final penetration depth of the OMNI-Max anchor in a strong soil seabed. Moreover, the entire process of the dynamic installation of the hybrid anchors (an OMNI-Max anchor with a booster) from water to seabed is predicted by a theoretical model. The results demonstrate that the booster is beneficial both in improving the directional stability and impact velocity for the OMNI-Max anchor during its free fall in water. Relative to the OMNI-Max anchor, the final penetration depth of a hybrid anchor increases significantly (from 23% to 115%) due to the addition of the booster, which helps the anchor to gain higher holding capacity. This preliminary study is only to prove effectiveness of the booster concept without a complete investigation of the booster. More detailed studies are planned in the pipeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plate shaped gravity installed anchor (GIA) provides a potential alternative to deepwater mooring systems as its dynamic installation and diving behavior. However, the anchor final penetration depth in seabed soils, especially in soils with high strength gradient, is relatively shallow due to the limited impact velocity and large contact area between the anchor and the surrounding soil. An innovative booster concept is put forward in this study to increase the anchor final penetration depth by increasing the kinetic energy during free fall in water and gravitational energy during dynamic penetration within seabed. The booster is attached to the rear of the anchor during installation and can be retrieved after installation for reuse. The present study performed model tests with the aim of investigating the working efficiency of booster on the impact velocity of the GIA during free fall in the water column. A mini motion tracing device (MTD) is developed to record the anchor free fall history in water. The hydrodynamic characteristics, including the terminal velocity, drag coefficient and directional stability, for the GIA were studied. A series of experimental cases were subsequently conducted to study the effects of the adding booster on the impact velocity and directional stability of the GIA. The testing results demonstrated that both the directional stability and the release height can be improved for the GIA with a booster, thus the anchor impact velocity is increased. The anchor kinetic energy is significantly increased due to the additional mass and increased impact velocity by the booster, which ensures the anchor to be embedded deeper within seabed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-related protein 1 (IGFBP-rP1) is a potential tumor suppressor gene in a variety of cancers including colorectal cancer and breast cancer. However, its role and the potential mechanism in endometrial carcinoma (EC) are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of IGFBP-rP1 on EC cell proliferation and apoptosis and its underlying mechanism. Western blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR were used to assess protein and gene expression levels of IGFBP-rP1 in EC cells. Overexpression of IGFBP-rP1 and/or AKT serine/threonine kinase was used to analyze their effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis of the EC cells. Co-immunoprecipitation and glutathione S transferase pull-down assays were used to analyze the interaction between IGFBP-rP1 and AKT. The expression of IGFBP-rP1 in EC cells was downregulated. Overexpression of IGFBP-rP1 inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis of EC cells, which were abolished by the overexpression of AKT. In addition, IGFBP-rP1 directly interacted with AKT to inhibit PI3K/AKT signaling. Additionally, M0 macrophages were induced by EC cells to differentiate into M2 macrophages, which was reversed by IGFBP-rP1. Overexpression of AKT in EC cells abolished the inhibitory effect of IGFBP-rP1 on M2 polarization. IGFBP-rP1 as an oncogenic factor inhibits M2 polarization of TAMs through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and may be a potentially valuable target for EC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finite element analyses of suction caissons are performed under seepage flow in elastic soil. Poroelastic water elements are used underneath the caisson lid allowing for modelling of suction and inducing seepage flow into the caisson compartment. A detailed parametric study is undertaken exploring the effects of caisson aspect ratio, soil-caisson interface roughness, caisson inner ring stiffeners, and potential gap formation between caisson outer wall and soil, and soil permeability on caisson upward displacement. The results indicate that caisson roughness and stiffeners affect caisson displacement behaviour. A rough caisson causes earlier dissipation of suction hence caisson upward displacements are minimal for a rough caisson compared to a smooth caisson. A steady state seepage condition is only achieved for a smooth caisson with no stiffeners. Presence of stiffeners and surface roughness leads to a halt in caisson upward displacement. Any potential gap along the outer skirt interface enhances the upward displacement for a smooth non-stiffened caisson, but not for a caisson with stiffeners or a rough caisson. For the smooth non-stiffened caissons, unified equations are proposed to estimate seepage length and caisson displacement for soils with different permeabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The trade-offs between the ecosystem service supplies were increasing. • The correlations between the demands for ecosystem services were generally weak. • The spatial imbalance in supply-demand of grass production was obvious. • Urban areas have high demand of water yield and carbon sequestration services. • The strong wind has increased the demand for windbreaks and sand fixation service. Assessing the relationships between ecosystem services supply and demand is crucial to support sustainable planning and human well-being. In the present study, we analyzed the ecosystem services supply and demand, synergies and trade-offs among services, as well as the spatial relationships between supply and demand, for four services in a desert steppe of Inner Mongolia. In terms of the balance between supply and demand, the grass production and carbon stock supply exceeded the demand, whereas the demand of water yield and windbreak and sand fixation services surpassed the supply. The degree of demand in windbreak and sand fixation service was met increased from 14.7% in 2000 to 20.6% in 2017, versus a decrease from 18.0% to 8.2% in water yield. The spatial distributions of the water yield and carbon stock demand were similar, and there was a significant synergy between them. The grass production supply and demand were not spatially matched, with higher supply in the eastern part of the study area and higher demand in the western part. Areas with high demand for the windbreak and sand fixation service also had a high supply. The water supply and demand in the low-coverage grassland were relatively balanced, and the deficiency of carbon stock supply was mainly found in construction land. In summary, for the sustainable development of animal husbandry and to reduce wind erosion, each county should establish an appropriate livestock density standard based on local constraints. Furthermore, it is also crucial for policymakers to develop water-saving industries to improve water utilization efficiency, and to set targets for CO 2 emissions to reduce the impact on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]