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OBJECTIVE To evaluate the changes of uterine leiomyoma size during pregnancy and determine the factors influencing it. METHODS A prospective study was conducted from June 2016 to June 2018. Women with pregnancies complicated by leiomyoma were recruited. Ultrasound examinations were conducted to measure the size of leiomyoma during 6-7, 11-14, 22-24, 28-34 weeks of pregnancy and before delivery. The clinical characteristics and delivery details of the pregnant women were collected. Changes in leiomyoma size during different gestation periods and the influencing factors were analyzed. RESULTS Leiomyoma size commonly increased before 22-24 weeks of pregnancy and the fastest growth occurred before 11-14 weeks. From 22-24 weeks to the date of delivery, the size of leiomyoma remained unchanged. The initial size of the leiomyoma showed negative correlation with the changes in leiomyoma diameters during pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy body mass index, fetus number, leiomyoma location, and parity were positively correlated with the size changes in leiomyoma from 22-24 to 28-34 weeks of pregnancy. CONCLUSION Before 22-24 weeks of pregnancy, the size of the leiomyoma was gestation-dependent, which increases with gestational weeks. The fastest growth rate was before 11-14 weeks. The growth of leiomyoma is affected by multiple factors, and different factors can play different roles during different periods of the pregnancy.

This study investigated a highway slope 2 km ahead of the entrance of the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, at the mileage of 86 km and 950 m of the Alishan Highway, Taiwan. Countermeasures were conducted after a slope failure. Groundwater wells and inclination wells were installed on the slope. The new idea to improve the accuracy of the empirical rainfall-based criteria comes from developing the relations between rainfall and groundwater fluctuation by analyzing the local groundwater elevation and the rainfall data at the Alishan rainfall station. The potential failure surfaces for shallow collapse and deep-seated landslide in the slope and the relationships between the slope stability and the groundwater level were assessed using Geo-Studio. The variation of the groundwater level with the critical state of the slope were obtained. Based on the analysis results, in each kind of potential failure of shallow collapse and landslide, the total cumulative rainfall (ΣR) corresponding to three slope stability states were determined: (1) safe, slope is stable, (2) dangerous, slope is possible failure (0 < failure possibility < 100%), and (3) disaster, slope will failure (failure possibility = 100%). Finally, combine the three slope stability states for the shallow collapse and the deep-seated landslide, a rainfall-based slope failure warning criteria for the test slope on the Alishan Highway is set up to operate in five stages: (1) safety (ΣR < 440 mm), (2) alert (440 mm ≤ ΣR < 580 mm), (3) evacuated (580 mm ≤ ΣR < 850 mm), (4) disaster (850 mm ≤ ΣR < 990 mm), and (5) catastrophe (990 mm ≤ ΣR).

Objective: To investigate the expression of miR-195 in intrauterine adhesion (IUA) and its relationship with TGF-β1/Smads and FGF2/FGFR1/ERK pathways. Methods: 118 cases of IUA patients who underwent hysteroscopic treatment in our hospital between September 2017 and February 2019 were regarded as IUA group, 80 cases of dysfunctional uterine bleeding patients who underwent hysteroscopic curettage in our hospital during the same period were regarded as control group. Differences in the expression levels of miR-195 as well as TGF- β1/Smads and FGF2/FGFR1/ERK signaling pathway-related molecules in the focal tissues obtained by hysteroscopy were compared between the two groups. Pearson test was used to evaluate the correlation of miR-195 expression in the intrauterine adhesion tissues with TGF- β1/Smads and FGF2/FGFR1/ERK pathways in IUA patients. Results: miR-195 expression in intrauterine adhesion tissues of IUA group was higher than that in endometrial tissues of control group (P

Bladder cancer is the second-most common malignancy in the urogenital system and the most common in men. However, our understanding of the driving mechanisms of bladder cancer remains incomplete. The forkhead box (FOX) family of transcription factors is implicated in urogenital development and bladder malignancies. Many exosomal microRNAs have been identified as regulators and mediators of the expression of FOX, including the expression of FOXC1. miR-4792 has been known as a tumor miRNA suppressor. However, the function of miR-4792/FOXC1 signaling in bladder cancer development remains unknown. Here, we studied the role of miR-4792/FOXC1 signaling in bladder cancer by using multiple bladder cancer cell lines and bladder cancer mouse models through in vitro and in vivo approaches. We showed that FOXC1 is highly expressed in multiple bladder cancer cell lines and bladder tumor tissues. The knockdown of FOXC1 expression in bladder cancer cell lines decreases c-Myc expression levels, retards cell growth, and reduces aerobic glycolysis (also known as the Warburg effect) and lactic acid content. By contrast, the overexpression of FOXC1 elicits the opposite effects. FOXC1-downregulated bladder cancer cells form significantly smaller tumors in vivo. The inhibition of c-Myc reverses the effects of FOXC1 overexpression and leads to reduced cell proliferation, aerobic glycolysis, and lactic acid content. miR-4792 expression is downregulated in bladder tumor tissues. miR-4792 exposure to bladder cancer cells reduces the expression levels of FOXC1 and c-Myc, slows down cell growth, and decreases aerobic glycolysis and lactic acid content. However, the enhanced miR-4792 expression elicits opposite effects. These findings provided the first evidence that the exosome-mediated delivery of miR-4792 could play an important role in bladder cancer development through the downregulation of FOXC1 and c-Myc, which further inhibited aerobic glycolysis and lactic acid content.

Objective To evaluate clinical and radiological outcomes of proximal femoral nail anti-rotation (PFNA-II) devices and demonstrate the effectiveness of PFNA-II for the treatment of basicervical fractures in elderly patients. Methods A retrospective review of all patients treated with PFNA-II for a proximal femoral fracture between January 2013 and February 2017 at three different institutions (Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Punan Hospital and Shanghai Seventh People's Hospital) was conducted. The X-ray films were strictly reviewed by three trauma surgeons and a professional radiology doctor. Patients over 60 years of age who met the following criteria were included: (i) sustained low-energy trauma; (ii) a two-part fracture; (iii) fracture line located at the base of the femoral neck and that was medial to the intertrochanteric line and exited above the lesser trochanter but was more lateral than a classic transcervical fracture. Follow-up time should be longer than 6 months. A total of 52 patients who met the inclusion criteria were selected. The average age at diagnosis was 75.1 years (range, 63-91 years); 13 patients were men and 39 were women. The same proximal femoral nail anti-rotation devices and the same surgical procedures were applied to all patients. Postoperative radiographic union time and modified Harris hip scores were used as major indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of surgery. Results The average follow-up period was 22.5 months (18.5, 23.9, and 21.2 months, respectively) and radiographic unions were observed at an average of 19.6 weeks (range, 12-28 weeks). The patients were evaluated immediately after surgery, as well as 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years postoperatively. Of the 49 patients, 38 had good reduction qualities (75.5%), 9 acceptable (18.3%), and 3 poor (6.1%). Radiographic union was confirmed in all fractures at an average of 19.6 weeks (range, 12-28 weeks). The mean Harris hip score was 84.9 (range, 65-99): excellent in 9 patients (18.36%), good in 30 (61.22%), medium in 8 (16.32%), and poor in 2 (4.08%). Slight persistent pain occurred in 3 patients, but these patients could still walk with the help of a cane. Two patients had symptoms of excessive telescoping. Eight patients experienced postoperative medical complications, mainly pneumonia and urinary tract infection. Conclusion Based on the clinical and radiological outcomes, the PFNA-II devices provide strong rotational stability and excellent clinical prognosis, and are an appropriate treatment option for basicervical proximal femoral fracture in elderly patients.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete various cytokines with angiogenic and neuroprotective effects. This study aimed to assess the effects of human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived MSCs (hWJ-MSCs) on diabetes-related intracavernosal pressure (ICP) impairment in rats. hWJ-MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly and transplanted into the corpus cavernosum of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats by unilateral injection. The erectile function was evaluated at 4 weeks, as well as the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). STZ-induced diabetic rats showed impaired ICP, which was significantly improved by hWJ-MSC treatment. VEGF, eNOS, IGF1, and bFGF expression levels were higher in hWJ-MSC injection sites than those in control ones in STZ-induced diabetic rats. These results suggest that hWJ-MSC transplantation might improve diabetic erectile dysfunction through increased production of paracrine growth factors, highlighting a novel potential therapeutic option for erectile dysfunction.

The effective extraction and detection of pollutants in the environment have been important issues in analytical science. Cellulosic materials, composed of both functionalized and composited components, have been recently identified as promising solid-phase extraction adsorbents for various applications. Due to their alluring properties such as renewability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, high strength and stiffness and easy modification, this unique class of materials exhibits excellent extraction and enrichment performance for numerous target analytes. Herein, we review recent significant advances in solid-phase extraction using cellulosic sorbents for organic and inorganic pollutants in environmental matrices. The development of new cellulose-based sorbents and related solid-phase extraction (SPE) patterns, including cartridge SPE (c-SPE), disk SPE, dispersive SPE, magnetic SPE, molecularly imprinted SPE, on-line SPE, SPE spectroscopy/spectrometry and thin film microextraction (TFME), were discussed in this review.

Purpose: Exposure of the articular surface is the key to the successful treatment of intra-articular fractures of distal humerus. Anterior, posterior olecranon osteotomy as well as medial and lateral approaches are the four main approaches to the elbow. The aim of this study was to compare the exposure of distal articular surfaces of these surgical approaches. Methods: Twelve cadavers were used in this study. Each approach was performed on six elbows according to previously published procedures. After completion of each approach, the exposed articular surfaces were marked by inserting 0.5 mm K-wires along the margins. The elbow was then disarticulated and the exposed articular surfaces were painted. The distal humeral articular surfaces were then closely wrapped using a piece of fibre-glass screen net with meshes. The exposed articular surfaces and the total articular surfaces were calculated by counting the number of meshes, respectively. Results: The average percentages of the exposed articular surfaces for the anterior, posterior olecranon osteotomy, medial and lateral approaches were 45.7% ± 2.0%, 53.9% ± 7.1%, 20.6% ± 4.9% and 28.5% ± 6.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The anterior and posterior approaches provide greater exposures of distal humeral articular surface than the medial and lateral ones in the treatment of distal humeral fractures. Key words: Elbow; Exposures; Distal humerus fractures; Surgical approach

Tick-borne pathogen co-feeding transmission is a non-systemic transmission in the tick-host enzootic cycle, through which the host provides a bridge between co-feeding susceptible and infected ticks to facilitate pathogen transmission. Co-feeding transmission requires co-feeding of susceptible ticks in close (both spatially and temporally) proximity to other infected ticks on the bridging host; hence, the contribution of co-feeding transmission to tick-borne pathogen transmission in the tick-host enzootic cycle is highly affected by environmental conditions. This expert opinion focuses on co-feeding transmission and infestation dynamics of ticks under changing climate conditions.

Power factor correction (PFC) regulator has been indispensable when the system is constituted by ac-power front stage ranging from distributed generation with renewable energy to servers and data storage products. However, there are three diode voltage drops existing in the input full bridge and in the boost stage at every moments of the PFC power conduction path, which set a firm constraint on system efficiency. To overcome the high conduction losses of diode-bridge based PFC, bridgeless PFC topologies have been utilized with decreasing the number of semiconductor devices from three to two on the current path. Furthermore, the recent emergence of the Gallium Nitride high electron mobility transistor (GaN-HEMT) has marked the prominent performance optimization, particularly its intrinsic body diode zero-reverse-recovery loss, as well as minor total gate and output capacitances, leading to low switching losses. This research presents a DSP-based totem-pole bridgeless boost PFC highlighted by a dual loop control coupled with diode-free GaN power HEMTs. An in-depth analysis of enhanced implementation for root-mean-square voltage is introduced. The verified prototype circuit yields the peak efficiency of more than 99.1% at high line (220Vrms) with 400V output and the maximum load current of 6.5A.

Background: Many young women with a history of prior cervical excision procedure have reproductive intention. However, the relationship between having a prior cervical excision procedure and delivery mode has not drawn enough attention from physicians. The aim of this study was to observe the delivery mode of women with a prior cervical excision procedure, and analyze the relationship between having a prior cervical excision procedure and delivery mode.Methods: In this retrospective cohort study of nulliparous women with a singleton pregnancy who have given birth at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University between May 2016 and April 2018, delivery mode of women with a history of prior cervical excision procedure were compared with those without such a history. Bivariable analysis were performed to identify whether there was a correlation between having a prior cervical excision procedure and delivery mode, and logistic regression were used modeling on cervical excision procedure for delivery mode outcome.Results: (1) The proportion of premature rupture of fetal membrane (38.3% vs 27.0%, p=0.034) , forceps delivery (12.2% vs 5.9%, p=0.043), and Caesarean sections delivery (33.9% vs. 30.2%,p=0.484 ) were higher among women with a prior cervical excision procedure. (2) The main indication for forceps delivery was to shorten the second stage of labor among women with a prior cervical excision procedure, significantly higher (50% vs 7.7%, p=0.033) among women without such a history. There were no differences in indications for Caesarean sections delivery in two groups (p>0.05). (3) The time interval between cervical excision procedure and pregnancy was not associated with delivery mode (p=0.445). (4) By setting spontaneous labor as control, forceps delivery was associated with cervical excision procedure (OR=0.403, 95%CI=0.179-0.906, p=0.028).Conclusions: Our findings revealed a relationship between having a prior cervical excision procedure and delivery mode. Women with a prior cervical excision procedure were at an increased risk of forceps delivery. The time interval between cervical excision procedure and pregnancy did not affect delivery mode.

The goal of this paper is to evaluate the post-failure behavior of the Hsien-du-shan rock avalanche, which was triggered by Typhoon Morakot in 2009, using a three-dimensional (3D) discrete element program, namely, 3DEC. The 3D slope topography and local joint sets are explicitly considered in the calculations, and the joint sets cut the sliding rock mass into blocks with arbitrary shapes. The modeled blocks exhibit the elastic behavior of the local rocks. The analysis successfully simulates the wedge failure at the initiation of the landslide. Additionally, the 3DEC results clarify the local rock sliding phenomena at the boundaries of the source area. The simulated depositional area correlates well with the actual area affected by the Hsien-du-shan rock avalanche. In addition, the erosion of a ridge by the sliding rock near the southwestern margin of the area at an elevation of 590 m has a significant influence on the shape and size of the impacted area. The interlocking effect between blocks is also considered.

The Xinmo landslide slope in Sichuan, China, was stable during the intensive Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008 but failed on June 24, 2017. Landslide debris buried Xinmo Village and blocked the Songpinggou River at the slope toe. This study aims to clarify the post-failure behavior of the landslide using two-dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis (2D DDA). The simulation results provide comprehensive information on the initiation and the evolution of the landslide. The failure process determined by the DDA correlates well with the seismic signal analysis results. In addition, the location of the calculated rock deposit is similar to that shown by the topographic map after the landslide. The maximum rock velocity in the landslide is 65.4 m/s. Therefore, the impacts of the high-velocity blocks and the buildings in Xinmo Village must be considered to simulate the burial of Xinmo Village by rocks and the transport of additional rocks across the Songpinggou River. This Xinmo landslide study demonstrates that the DDA accurately simulates the post-failure behavior and determines the impact area of a landslide with complicated failure processes and topography.

Engineered particle-doped light diffuser is realized by a simple, low-cost soft lithographic method. A flexible photopolymerizable mold is employed as an intermediate transferring template directly from the developed photoresist texture to fabricate engineered particle-doped light diffuser. The well-designed surface microstructure can directionally scatter the incident light, while the doped ultra-violet curable resin with low concentration of the 2 μm-diameter organosilicone particles can homogenize the scattering light without decreasing transmittance. Experimental results show that the measured transmittance can be as high as 96.9% with little backscattering effect over the whole visible regime. Meanwhile, the haze raises from 30% to 75% with increased dopant concentration from 1 wt% to 7 wt% and thickness of the residual layer from 10 μm to 40 μm remained in the imprinting process. The proposed engineered particle-doped light diffuser can manage scattering angle, luminance uniformity and haze, thus it has the capability of homogenizing light and eliminating striations to create more visually pleasing structured lighting in commercial and residential environments. We anticipate that the approach appears to be a strong candidate for future development because of its scalable nature, environmentally-friendly process and relatively low cost.

The dip-slope Chiu-fen-erh-shan landslide, estimated to have a volume of 36 × 106 m3, was triggered by the Mw 7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake. The debris covered an area of 1.95 km2 and claimed 36 lives. Although different discrete element methods have been applied to simulate the postfailure behavior of the Chiu-fen-erh-shan landslide in the last two decades, the lateral and dip-slope rock movements, the impact of the sliding debris against the hill in front of the slope toe and its final deposition have not been fully simulated. The major objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of applying three-dimensional (3D) numerical modeling code 3DEC to numerically model the debris movement and deposition of the Chiu-fen-erh-shan landslide under the impact of the Chi-Chi earthquake. By incorporating the spacing and orientation information of the joints and bedding planes, the slope was modeled as an assemblage of polyhedrons. Seismic ground motions were simultaneously applied in three dimensions. The shoveling effect was considered to erode the hill in front of the slope toe so as to extend the impact area and match more closely actual depositional topography. This study showed that the 3DEC simulations captured essential 3D characteristics of the landslide and resulted in a postfailure configuration similar to that observed in the field.

This paper assesses the impact of Chiu-fen-erh-shan residual slope failure using a three-dimensional distinct element program. The simulation results indicate that rocks will severely damage the Lung-Nan path. The Taanshan syncline generates a depression zone adjoining to the slope toe and acts as a buffer zone to trap failing rocks. Some rocks will travel through the syncline, which poses a risk to visitors at the monument and the Shihmen observation deck. Few rocks will pass though the memorial park near the northern boundary of the slope. Visitors should be evacuated out of the impact area during a heavy rainfall event.

This paper studies serial correlation testing for a general three-dimensional panel data model. As a step for hypothesis testing, the robust within estimation of parameter coefficients is investigated, and shown to asymptotically consistent and normal under some mild conditions. A residual-based statistic is then constructed to test for serial correlation in the idiosyncratic errors, which is based on the parameter estimates for an artificial autoregression modeled by centering and differencing residuals. The test can be shown to asymptotically chisquare distributed under the null hypothesis. Power study shows that the test can detect local alternatives distinct at the parametric rate from the null hypothesis. The test needs no distribution assumptions of the error components, and is robust to the misspecification of various specific effects. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out for illustration.

The Tsaoling rock avalanche, which had a sliding volume of 120 million m3 and a maximum thickness of 170 m, was triggered by the Chi-Chi earthquake in 1999. However, the initiation mechanism has not been well understood because different friction models have been proposed to describe the triggering process using the Newmark sliding model and numerical simulations. In this study, a new dynamic ring-shear test with a maximum normal stress higher than 3400 kPa is applied as an alternative approach to investigate the initiation of the seismic-induced rock avalanche along the wet sliding surface at the interface of the Cholan sandstone and consolidated remold shale. Experimental results verify that the seismic stresses at the wet sliding surface touch the failure surface and generate significant cumulative shear displacements. Additionally, the shear surface should have non-linear failure criteria rather than the well-known linear Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria with a constant friction angle. Furthermore, the initiation time of the Tsaoling rock avalanche obtained from the dynamic ring-shear test is strongly correlated with the available seismic signal interpretations and the interviews of witnesses who travelled with the sliding mass. This is the first experiment clarifying the co-seismic behavior of the sliding surface and the initiation of the Tsaoling landslide during the Chi-Chi earthquake. Additionally, from the development of the ring-shear test, the integrations of high normal stress, the wet sandstone/shale interface, and the dynamic test with seismic loadings greatly extend the use of ring-shear tests to rock avalanches.

Yutengping Sandstone in Tieh-chan-shan, Taiwan is a potential reservoir for geological CO2 storage. Cyclic loadings were applied to rock samples taken from an outcrop to create artificial pre-stress. The pre-stress evaluation accuracies using two core-based techniques, acoustic emission (AE) and deformation rate analysis (DRA), were investigated under different pre-stresses, delay times and curing temperatures. The experimental results validate the pre-stress evaluations using AE and DRA. The delay time and curing temperature were shown to have minor impacts on the measurement accuracy. However, although both axial strain and lateral strain can be used in DRA, the stress memory fades as the delay time increases. Therefore, delay time, which represents the time from the borehole drilling to the DRA test, must be carefully considered when applying these techniques to evaluate the in situ stress of Yutengping sandstone.

In this paper, an innovative optical-based method and automation system for measuring the cross-sectional web thickness of microdrills is introduced. The presented measuring method is a rapid and non-destructive means based on the use of an optical micrometer (OM) as essential equipment to determine the cross-sectional outer diameter and the dual cross-sectional flute depths of the microdrill. To this end, the OM must be set to a particular orientation so that the included angle between the optical measuring plane of the OM and the central axis of the microdrill is consistent with the helix angle of the helical flutes of the microdrill, and the microdrill must be rotated around its central axis for implementing the measurement. The cross-sectional web thickness of the microdrill can thus be calculated through the difference between the determined cross-sectional outer diameter and dual cross-sectional flute depths. An optical-based measuring automation system was constructed for implementing the proposed method through an established automated measuring process. Experiments to measure the web thickness of microdrill samples were conducted. It showed that the presented method and automation system could achieve good repeatability and accuracy with sufficient efficiency. The proposed measuring method, combined with the constructed measuring automation system, had been validated feasible and effective for the web thickness measurement of certain microdrills.

Bedrock characteristics and its influence on hydrogeophysical processes in a Plio-Pleistocene mudstone slope were examined in southwestern Taiwan. Previous works carried out in this area indicated seasonal patterns of the bedrock physical properties and deterioration of the mechanical strength during weathering to generate extremely high rates of erosion during heavy rainfall, thereby forming badland topography. This area has a humid subtropical climate that is characterised by distinct dry and rainy seasons. During the rainy season, high rates of erosion of the weathered mudstone occur during rainfall events. To investigate impact of characteristics of bedrock physical properties on hillslope weathering and erosion processes in this area, we analysed the pore-water chemistry, specific surface area, and swelling of the mudstone of the studied slope and performed in situ monitoring of water content and pore-water electrical conductivity at 2.5–40 cm depths near the slope surface. The results indicate that the mudstone contains saline pore water, is categorized as dispersive, and has a dense fabric, thereby favouring the occurrence of rock mechanical breakdown due to chemical osmosis. The influence of rock mechanical properties and bedrock behaviour on the hydrogeophysical processes near the slope surface varies with the season. During the dry season, the water content of the mudstone near the slope surface decreases, causing desiccation cracks to form and concentrating salt on rock surfaces. Water contents at 40 cm depths increased within 1 h after rainfalls during the monitoring intervals of the dry season, suggesting that surface water infiltrates rapidly by gravity into networks of cracks during infrequent rain events. During the following rainy season, intense rainfall events moisten the slope surface layer and increase the volume of the mudstone by swelling caused by chemical osmosis. The swelling is associated with an enlargement of the pore size of the mudstone during the dilution of saline water by fresh rainwater, with the greatest amount of swelling occurring at or near the surface where salt is most concentrated. Water contents at 40 cm depths scarcely responded to rainfalls during the monitoring intervals of the rainy season, suggested that this swelling closes desiccation cracks and prevents surface water from migrating downwards into the slope. The resulting seasonal erosion occurs by slope surface wash caused by intense rain during the late rainy season. The newly exposed mudstone on the slope starts to become desiccated during the subsequent dry season, and a new cycle of weathering commences.

This study extends discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) to simulate the interactions of twin tunnels in a jointed rock mass. The ground subsidence and the rock stress distribution around the tunnels from the DDA simulation are compared to those from the trap-door model. Both the experimental and computational results show that the changing tunnel interactions in the jointed rock mass between the two tunnels are coincidently associated with the tunnel distance. In addition, the dip angle of the rock strata significantly affects the surface subsidence patterns and the stress distribution around the excavation zone. Therefore, the DDA method is a useful tool for describing the mechanical behavior of a jointed rock mass when a twin-tunnel is constructed in mountain terrain.

Assessing the stability of a mountain tunnel in complex geological conditions during construction is a challenging task. Although the Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA) method has been applied in many rock engineering problems, its accuracy as a tool for analysis of tunnel excavation in a complex geological condition (e.g., involving sloping ground and jointed rock mass) needs further validation. In this paper, the DDA simulations of a tunnel excavation under various conditions (e.g., different dip angles and locations of the tunnel in the slope) were verified with physical tests (e.g., “trap-door” tests) in two main aspects, the sloping ground subsidence and the stress distribution of the jointed rock mass induced in the excavation. The results showed that the DDA was able to simulate, accurately, the mechanical behaviors of the inclined jointed rock strata in a tunnel excavation. The applicability of the DDA in such tunnel excavation projects is implicated.