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Sarcopenia is a condition that reduces muscle mass and exercise capacity. Muscle atrophy is a common manifestation of sarcopenia and can increase morbidity and mortality in specific patient populations. The aim of this study was to identify novel prognostic biomarkers for muscle atrophy and associated pathway analysis using bioinformatics methods. The samples were first divided into different age groups and different muscle type groups, respectively, and each of these samples was analyzed for differences to obtain two groups of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The two groups of DEGs were intersected using Venn diagrams to obtain 1,630 overlapping genes, and enrichment analysis was performed to observe the Gene Ontology (GO) functional terms of overlapping genes and the enrichment of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway. Subsequently, WGCNA (weighted gene coexpression network analysis) was used to find gene modules associated with both the age and muscle type to obtain the lightgreen module. The genes in the key modules were analyzed using PPI, and the top five genes were obtained using the MCC (maximum correntropy criterion) algorithm. Finally, CUL3 and COPS5 were obtained by comparing gene expression levels and analyzing the respective KEGG pathways using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). In conclusion, we identified that CUL3 and COPS5 may be novel prognostic biomarkers in muscle atrophy based on bioinformatics analysis. CUL3 and COPS5 are associated with the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

Elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) exhibit considerable periodontitis frequency, which causes tooth loss and poor quality of life. To investigate the impact of periodontitis on gut microbiota, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize the composition and structure of gut microbiota among elderly patients with T2DM and periodontitis (T2DM_P), elderly patients with T2DM alone (T2DM_NP), and healthy volunteers. We identified 34 key gut microbiota markers that distinguished participants with different periodontal conditions and investigated their connections to other gut bacteria, as well as their clinical correlates. The most striking differences in co-occurrence networks between the T2DM_P and T2DM_NP groups comprised interactions involving dominant genera in the oral cavity (i.e., Streptococcus and Veillonella). Of the 34 identified key gut microbiota markers that distinguished participants with different periodontal conditions, 25 taxa were correlated with duration of diabetes, dry mouth or the peripheral levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, prostaglandin E2, interleukin-17, and interleukin-6) and metabolic parameters (e.g., hemoglobin A1c), respectively. Our findings suggest that gut microbial shifts driven by periodontitis may contribute to systemic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction during the progression of T2DM.

Large deployable mesh antennas are central components of high gain satellites that are used for gathering electromagnetic signals. Deploying such antennas in-orbit is a delicate and precise process, and any failure in their unfolding can result in satellite malfunction. Thus, on-ground experiments have been used to attempt to predict the in-orbit deployment performance of mesh antennas. However, Earth's gravitational field presents a great obstacle in achieving this goal, and how best to design a gravity compensation system for the flexible webs of mesh antennas remains unclear despite various proposed gravity compensation techniques. In this paper, we attempt to address this problem via flexible multibody simulations. The results first reveal that, if the webs are not offloaded at all, the weight of the webs causes the driving forces of the motors and the bending moments of the truss members obtained during on-ground tests to deviate from those experienced by the antenna in-orbit. To counteract this problem, two different gravity suspension systems for the webs of mesh antennas were designed and evaluated. In particular, the different numbers and positions of the suspension nodes were investigated. The results show that no matter which of the two proposed designs is adopted, the number and location of suspension nodes should be carefully selected to achieve well-behaved compensation performance. Furthermore, the proposed modeling and analysis methods can also be applied to other flexible mechanical systems requiring gravity compensation.

Background:Gut microbial communities are likely remodeled along with accumulated physiological decline during aging. Here, we performed a metagenomics-based enterotype analysis in a geographically homogeneous cohort of 367 enrolled Chinese individuals between the ages of 60 and 94, with the goal of characterizing the gut microbiome of the older Chinese individuals and identifying factors linked to enterotype variations.Results:In addition to two adult-like enterotypes were dominated by Bacteroides spp. (ET-Bacteroides spp.) and Prevotella copri (ET-P. copri), we further identified a novel enterotype dominated by Escherichia coli (ET-E. coli), whose prevalence increased in advanced age. ET-E. coli presented some characteristics previously observed in the microbiomes of older people, including low species diversity and diminished abundance of the butyrate producer Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (F. prausnitzii), and exhibited distinct functions as well as a complex, highly stable microbial co-occurrence network, as evidenced by cohesion and natural connectivity analysis. Furthermore, a series of correlation analyses and co-abundance network analyses were carried out and showed that several factors were likely linked to the overabundance of Escherichia members, including advanced age, different vegetable, and fruit intake. Notably, there may be a niche pre-emption of E. coli by P. copri in ET-P. copri via several functional pathways involved in queuosine, braided glycoside, UMP, L-lysine and aromatic amino acid biosynthesis. Overall, our data demonstrated that age explained more of the variance in the gut microbiome than previously identified factors such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and diet. Overgrowth of Escherichia members might occur in a senior's gut where the dominance of core functional microbiota was impaired by long-term changes in dietary habits, gut physiology, and gastrointestinal motility during aging.Conclusion:This study demonstrates an enterotype variation featured by E. coli enrichment in some older Chinese individuals, indicating a potential dissimilation of the gut microbial community with altered host conditions eventually leading to enterotype transitions in advanced age. These findings provide new insights into the changes in the gut microbiome in older age and clues for mechanistic investigations on the driving forces.

Background. CircRNAs play a role in a variety of biological processes, including tumorigenesis. circCCT3 has been shown to regulate cancer initiation and progression. Unfortunately, whether circCCT3 is involved in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis remains unclear. Methods. Our study utilized RT-qPCR to examine gene expression levels. A transwell assay was used to measure invasion ability of cells. Starbase software and TargetScan software were used to predict target genes. Results. circCCT3 knockdown attenuated invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of A549 and Calu-1 cells. miR-107 mimics could rescue circCCT3-induced invasion and EMT. Next, miR-107 mimics and circCCT3 knockdown suppressed Wnt3a and FGF7 expression. An miR-107 inhibitor promoted Wnt3a and FGF7 expressions. Finally, FGF7 greatly restored miR-107-inhibited invasion and EMT of A549 cells. Conclusion. Here, we reveal a molecular mechanism circCCT3/miR-107/Wnt/FGF7 responsible for NSCLC metastasis.

Energy-absorbing materials with both high absorption efficiency and good reusability are ideal candidates of impact protection products. Despite the prosperous needs, the current designs are either efficient but one-time-use, or reusable but low capacity. Here, we show that metamaterials with unprecedentedly high energy-absorbing efficiency and good reusability can be designed, reaching an energy-absorbing capacity of >2000 kJ/kg per lifetime. The extraordinary performance is achieved by exploiting rate-dependent frictional dissipation between soft elastomer and hard constituents in a porous structure. Particularly, the compliant elastomer in the metamaterials ensures a large real contact area, while the stiff porous supporting frame offers high and robust compressive pre-stress for the sliding interfaces, both of which are essential for vast frictional dissipation. Owing to the rate-dependent friction of elastomer interface, the metamaterials also exhibit a self-adapting feature such that more energy can be absorbed when subjected to higher impact rates. We believe this design opens an avenue to develop high-performance reusable energy-absorbing metamaterials that enable completely novel designs of machines or structures.

Developing passive springs with prescribed nonlinear load-displacement features plays a crucial role in broad application areas, such as creating nonlinear energy sinks and unfolding mesh antennas. Although a few solutions, like compliant mechanisms, have been implemented to obtain nonlinear springs, the proposed new methodology can complement the existing methods in different applications. This study combines noncircular gears with a commercially available torsion spring to achieve targeted nonlinear load-displacement curves. In this design, the torsion spring stores elastic energy and multiple pairs of basic conjugate noncircular gears are used to construct a variable transmission ratio system. By adjusting the pitch lines of the basic pair, the transmission ratio can be tuned to output a prescribed load-displacement curve. The design of the pitch lines was formulated as an optimization problem and solved via the sequential quadratic programming algorithm. Experiments confirmed that exploiting noncircular gears can enable extraordinary nonlinear load-displacement, such as a U-shaped curve. The proposed approach, which is proven to be efficient and versatile, is now ready to be applied in real scenarios.

Negative stiffness mechanisms have great application potential in different fields, such as vibration isolation, energy absorption and mesh antenna unfolding. Although numerous compliant mechanisms with negative stiffness features have been implemented in literature, the designing work remains in its infancy, and proposing an original design strategy may open a new avenue for the future inventions. In this study, inspired by a toy, we developed a novel type of compliant mechanism composed of thin strips, possessing negative stiffness property under torsion. The negative stiffness feature is achieved by large deformation of the strips rather than mechanical buckling. As a consequence, the obtained negative stiffness segment covers a significantly long range. Demonstrated with examples, it was shown that the proposed mechanisms could be combined with other compliant mechanisms to realize long-range unusual torque-angle relationships, which can be used in different applications. Keywords: Negative stiffness, Compliant mechanism, Strip, Torsional spring, Flexible multibody system

The seepage problems of dam engineering with complex seepage control measures are usually investigated by numerical simulation methods such as the finite element method (FEM). In general, the material and geometrical parameters and the boundary conditions on dam seepage are regarded as definite values. The heterogeneous and uncertain changes of seepage parameters and boundary conditions, which are caused by seepage control measures and material aging, are not considered. To describe more comprehensively the seepage behavior of a gravity dam and to identify more objectively the seepage control effectiveness of a gravity dam, the conventional FEM implementing numerical analysis for dam seepage is combined with the nonprobabilistic convex set–based method. Firstly, the FEM is introduced to implement the detailed simulation of typical seepage control measures and the certain seepage field analysis. Then a nonprobabilistic convex set–based numerical simulation method, which is suitable for the description of the uncertain seepage field of a gravity dam, is presented. The influence range of seepage control measures can be determined with the proposed method without the probability distribution knowledge of uncertain parameters. Lastly, an actual gravity dam undergoing seepage reinforcement is taken as an example. The seepage control effectiveness of the gravity dam is assessed with the FEM-based calculation model of the seepage field and the analysis model of the uncertain seepage field before and after seepage control implementation. In addition, the effect of the seepage field on the stress field is considered to fulfill the further analysis for the process and mechanism of seepage control of typical measures.

Decrease of 'health‑benefiting' microbes and increase of pathogenic bacteria (a condition termed dysbiosis) in intensive care unit patients is considered to induce or aggravate sepsis (gut‑origin sepsis). Orally administered probiotics have been effective in the prevention of nosocomial infections. However, the mechanisms of probiotic‑induced anti‑infection and anti‑sepsis remain to be explored. In the present study, 4‑week‑old C57BL6 mice were orally administrated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) or normal saline (control) 4 weeks prior to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). A subset of the mice were sacrificed at 24 h post‑CLP, and the others were used for survival studies. Ileum tissues, blood and fecal samples were collected. The survival rate of septic mice pretreated with LGG was significantly improved compared with untreated mice. The levels of inflammatory cytokines were reduced in LGG‑pretreated septic mice. A decrease of colonic proliferation and epithelial tight junctions and an increase of colonic apoptosis were observed in control septic CLP+saline mice. LGG pretreatment reversed the colonic proliferation, apoptosis and expression of tight junction proteins to the levels of the sham group. LGG pretreatment improved the richness and diversity of intestinal microbiota in septic mice. The principal coordinates analysis clustering plots revealed a significant separate clustering in microbiota structure between three groups. Bacteria associated with energy consumption, including Bacteroidetes, with opportunistic infection, including Proteobacteria, Staphylococcaceae and Enterococcaceae, lipopolysaccharide producers, including Enterobacteriaceae, and facultative anaerobes, such as Bacteroidaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae, increased in septic mice. By contrast, bacteria associated with energy harvest, including Firmicutes, intestinal barrier function regulators, including Akkermansia, hepatic function regulators, including Coprococcus and Oscillospira, and obligate anaerobes, including Prevotellaceae, decreased in septic mice. With LGG pretreatment, the sepsis‑induced microbiota dysbiosis was reversed. The present results elucidated the potential mechanism of LGG treatment in sepsis, by improving intestinal permeability and modulating microbiota dysbiosis.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anxiety and depression status of lung cancer patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the effects of psychological counseling online. For this purpose, following enrollment. patients were divided into an interven- tion group (group I) and a control group (group C). Participants in the two groups were scored using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) before and one week after the intervention. The depression and anxiety status of the lung cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic was evaluated based on SAS and SDS, and the effects of intervention online were also evaluated. The results revealed that the rate of anxiety in patients with lung cancer reached 35.71%, while the rate of depression reached 51.43%. After one week of intervention, the standard total score of SAS (S-SAS) and the raw sum score of the SDS (R-SDS) in group I were lower than those in group C (P 0.05). On the whole, the present study demonstrates that psycho- logical counseling online for lung cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic can effectively reduce their anxiety and depression scores. In addition, this type of counseling may be an effective psychological counseling method that is worthy of promotion during the pandemic. © 2021 Academy of Management. All rights reserved.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in pulmonary function after wedge resection, segmentectomy, and lobectomy. Methods: The patients were divided into 4 groups: lobectomy group, segmentectomy group, wedge resection group, and mediastinal surgery group. The pulmonary function was evaluated at various time points: 3 days before surgery, 1 month, 6 months, 12 months, and then 24 months after surgery. Results: The analysis results of forced expiratory volume in one second difference and breath-holding tests difference were consistent: Lobectomy group was higher than segmentectomy group, wedge resection group, and mediastinal surgery group at 4 postoperative time points ( P < .05); segmentectomy group was higher than the wedge resection group and mediastinal surgery group ( P < .05), and there was no statistical difference between the wedge resection group and the mediastinal surgery group ( P > .05). Analysis results of tidal volume difference: Lobectomy group was higher than segmentectomy group, wedge resection group, and mediastinal surgery group at 4 postoperative time points ( P < .05); segmentectomy group was higher than wedge resection group and mediastinal surgery group at 1 month after surgery ( P < .05). Analysis results of the diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide difference: lobectomy group and segmentectomy group were higher than wedge resection group and mediastinal surgery group at 4 postoperative time points ( P < .05). Analysis results of the stair-climbing test difference: lobectomy group and segmentectomy group were higher than the wedge resection group and mediastinal surgery group at 4 postoperative time points ( P < .05). Conclusion: Segmentectomy was superior to lobectomy in the protection of pulmonary function, while wedge resection was superior to segmentectomy. The recovery process of the pulmonary function was the fastest during the first 6 months after surgery.

Background: Lung cancer is the cancer with high morbidity and mortality across the globe, and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common histologic subtype. The disorder of lipid metabolism is related to the development of cancer. Analysis of lipid-related transcriptome helps shed light on diagnosis and prognostic biomarkers of LUAD. Methods: In this study, we performed an expression analysis of 1045 lipid metabolism-related genes between LUAD tumors and normal tissues from the TCGA-LUAD cohort. The interaction network of differential expression genes (DEGs) was constructed to identify. The association between hub genes and overall survival (OS) was evaluated and formed a model to predict the prognosis of LUAD using a nomogram, and the model was validated by another cohort (GSE13213). Results: Finally, a total of 217 lipid metabolism-related DEGs were detected in LUAD. They were significantly enriched in glycerophospholipid and steroid metabolism . Then we identified 6 hub genes through network and cytoHubba, including INS , LPL , HPGDS , DGAT1 , UGT1A6 , and CYP2C9 . The high expression of CYP2C9 , UGT1A6 , and INS , whereas low expressions of DGAT1 , HPGDS , and LPL , were associated with worse OS for 719 LUAD patients. Our model found that the high-risk score group had a worse OS, and the validated cohort had the same result. Conclusion: This study constructed a signature of six lipid metabolic genes, which was significantly associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of LUAD patients. The gene signature can be used as a biomarker for LUAD in the term of lipid metabolic.

Background Lung cancer is a worldwide cancer with high morbidity and mortality. More and more evidence shows that the disorder of lipid metabolism is the key to the development of cancer, and analysis of lipid-related genes may lead to diagnosis and prognostic biomarkers related to lung cancer. Methods In this study, we performed the differentially expressed analysis of 1045 lipid metabolism-related genes between LUAD tumors and normal tissues in the TCGA-LUAD cohort. Then the bioinformatic analysis of DEGs was showed. PPI networks and cytoHubba APP determine hub genes. The association between hub genes and overall survival was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier Plotter. To predict the prognosis of LUAD patients, a nomogram was built, the nomogram was validated by another cohort (GSE13213). Results Finally, a total of 217 lipid metabolism-related DEGs were detected in LUAD. They were significantly enriched in Glycerophospholipid metabolism, fatty acid metabolic process, and Eicosanoid Signaling. Then we identified 6 hub genes through PPI network and cytoHubba, including INS, LPL, HPGDS, DGAT1, UGT1A6, and CYP2C9. The high expression of CYP2C9, UGT1A6, and INS, whereas low expressions of DGAT1, HPGDS, and LPL, were associated with worse OS for 1925 LUAD patients. Based on the nomogram, we found that the high-risk score group had a worse OS, and the validated cohort had the same result. Conclusion In conclusion, we generated a lipid metabolic transcriptome-wide profile of LUAD patients and found that significant lipid metabolic pathways were correlated with the LUAD. Furthermore, we constructed a signature of six lipid metabolic genes, which significantly associated with diagnosis and prognosis of LUAD patients. The gene signature can be used as a biomarker for LUAD.

Influenced by many factors such as material performance attenuation, structural defect repair, and reinforcement, the structural reliability of a gravity dam changes in different periods, which are called dynamic effects. Traditional methods are inclined to calculate and analyze the structural probability reliability from the random or fuzzy uncertain characteristics of parameters. However, in practice, it is difficult to obtain the probability distribution of uncertain parameters as well as the performance function, which is too nonlinear to be expressed. In addition, gravity dam failures are low probability events. Thus, a reliability calculation model and method for the gravity dam system considering dynamic effects under the practice of reinforcement are studied by integrating the theory of interval mathematics and nonprobability reliability. First, with the help of the monitoring data, and physical model and numerical simulation results of the gravity dam before and after the reinforcement, we establish a nonprobabilistic reliability (N-PR) calculation model for the gravity dam element and system based on the bounds of uncertain parameters and propose an inversion method for the bounds of uncertain parameters. Subsequently, by combining the response surface method with the central composite design technique, an N-PR index calculation method for gravity dams considering dynamic effects is developed. It turns out that the given model and method can effectively pave the way to avoid falling into the limitations of classical probabilistic reliability analysis of which the uncertain parameters require to be randomly changed and the results are highly sensitive to the parameters. In addition, it can better adapt to the characteristic of gravity dam performance function, which is too nonlinear to be expressed explicitly. When employing this method to analyze the reliability of gravity dam services, we are able to evaluate and predict the changing process and the trend of it more objectively, and have a closer look at the comprehensive influence and contribution of reinforcement to dam service reliability.

The reinforcement measures, such as pre-stressed anchor cable and concrete anti-seepage layer covering original dam body, are often used to improve the structural stability, control the crack development and advance the carrying capacity of concrete dam engineering. This paper focuses on the reinforcement effect evaluation problem of gravity dam with cracks. Some mechanical and mathematical methods, such as the J integral and interaction integral methods in fracture mechanics, the support vector machine (SVM) method, are combined. According to the integrated criteria on crack behavior improvement and carrying capacity advancement, the implementation approach for reinforcement effect identification and long-term forecast of gravity dam with cracks is investigated. Firstly, considering the effect of reinforcement practice on structural behavior, stress field and strain field of original crack tip zone in gravity dam, the stress intensity factor (SIF) is taken to represent the combined action response of reinforcement practice and loads. To improve the computation efficiency and accuracy, which are the shortcomings existing in the conventional methods applied to the calculation of stress field with complex crack surface and crack tip, the improved J integral method is combined with the interaction integral method to calculate the SIF of crack tip in gravity dam after the reinforcement implementation. Then, the cracking safety of gravity dam is regarded as a goal, the SIF is regarded as a control index. A SVM method is proposed to determine the critical loads ensuring the cracking safety of gravity dam. An approach using two criteria on SIF and critical load is developed to implement the reinforcement effect evaluation of gravity dam with cracks. Lastly, an actual gravity dam undergoing reinforcement practice is taken as an example. The approach proposed in this paper is used to calculate the SIF of crack tip and the critical loads of cracking safety. The reinforcement effect identification and long-term forecast of gravity dam are fulfilled by analyzing the development of SIF and critical load.

BACKGROUND Circulating tumor cell (CTC) isolation methods based on nanostructured substrates can be used to isolate tumor cells from peripheral blood. This study aimed to validate the clinical application of our method and determine the appropriate diagnostic critical value. METHODS AFM was used to detect the surface roughness of nanostructured substrates. Cell lines and blood samples were used to verify CTC isolation methods. The ROC curve and AUC were used to evaluate the diagnostic value of CTC numbers. RESULTS First, AFM, cell binding yields, and tumor cell detection rate from blood showed that NS has a potential for cell adsorption. Then, the CTC detection method was verified by using cell lines and blood samples. The number of CTCs in patients with cancers or metastases were significantly greater than those of patients without cancers. Then, the ROC curves and AUC showed that this method had a medium diagnostic value. CONCLUSIONS Isolating CTCs based on nanostructured substrates was appropriate for the clinical diagnosis of tumors, and samples with more than 1.5 CTCs/1 mL blood could be identified as CTC-positive.

The service reliability of arch dams is related to the material characteristics and load. According to statistical data regarding different material characteristics and load types, probability-based models and methods are generally used to calculate and assess the service reliability of arch dams. However, it is difficult to obtain these statistical data. In this study, we introduce the non-probabilistic reliability (N-PR) method into service reliability evaluations for arch dams. This method only requires the intervals for uncertain parameters and not the probability distributions. The dynamic N-PR calculation model for an arch dam element is built according to the time-varying characteristics of the material parameters and load. By considering the random failure of an initial element, we propose an approach that searches for the main failure modes of arch dams and a method for calculating the dynamic N-PR of the arch dam system. We evaluated the dynamic N-PR for an actual arch dam and forecasted its normal service life.

The ZrB2-SiC-ZrC coating free of adhesion layer was successfully prepared by plasma spraying. Fine ZrB2-SiC-ZrC sprayed composite powders were pre-synthesized by muti-step hot pressing. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that as-sprayed coating was primarily composed of ZrB2, SiC, ZrC and a small quantity of SiO2 and ZrO2, which corresponds with the composition of spraying composite powders. The microstructure of the coating exhibited the characteristics of stacking of fully melted and partially melted particles. The coating was continuous and well bonded with ZrC substrate without adhesion layer. However, a few pores were found in the sprayed composite coating, which was attributed to incomplete melting of some of ZrB2-SiC-ZrC composite powders during plasma spraying. Keywords: ZrC, ZrB2-SiC-ZrC coating, Plasma spraying, Adhesion

Temperature stress is one of the main reasons causing the cracking of high roller compacted concrete (RCC) arch dams during rapid construction. For the construction organization design and implementation of RCC dams, it is an important point to establish the scheme for temperature control and crack prevention, and evaluate its effect. The technology of concrete mixed with MgO is a new developing way for crack prevention of RCC dams. The expansion of MgO can compensate effectively for the tensile stress generated in the cooling period of RCC. To improve the effect of crack prevention for high RCC arch dams, the aforementioned technology needs to be combined with the conventional methods. FEM is used to implement the temperature stress calculation for high RCC arch dams mixed with MgO. The basic principle and process of simulation algorithm are introduced first. According to the actual characteristics of a high RCC arch dam, the following three schemes for temperature control and crack prevention are given. They are “no MgO and no joint”, “mixed with MgO and no joint”, “mixed with MgO and two induced joints”, respectively. The corresponding FEM models are established to calculate the equivalent temperature field and temperature stress of the RCC arch dam mixed with MgO or not. The calculated results under above three schemes are used to appraise the effect controlling the temperature stress by mixing MgO. The positive impact of the combined scheme is analyzed. Some valuable conclusions for the design and construction of actual dams are obtained.

Background: The microbiota plays a critical role in the process of human carcinogenesis. Pancreatic head carcinoma (PHC)-associated tongue coating microbiome dysbiosis has not yet been clearly defined.Objective: Our aim is to reveal the bacterial composition shifts in the microbiota of the tongue coat of PHC patients.Design: The tongue coating microbiota was analyzed in 30 PHC patients and 25 healthy controls using 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology.Results: The microbiome diversity of the tongue coat in PHC patients was significantly increased, as shown by the Shannon, Simpson, inverse Simpson, Obs and incidence-based coverage estimators. Principal component analysis revealed that PHC patients were colonized by remarkably different tongue coating microbiota than healthy controls and liver cancer patients. Linear discriminant analysis effect size revealed that Leptotrichia, Fusobacterium,Rothia, Actinomyces, Corynebacterium, Atopobium, Peptostreptococcus, Catonella, Oribacterium, Filifactor, Campylobacter, Moraxella and Tannerella were overrepresented in the tongue coating of PHC patients, and Haemophilus, Porphyromonas and Paraprevotella were enriched in the tongue coating microbiota of healthy controls. Strikingly, Haemophilus, Porphyromonas, Leptotrichia and Fusobacterium could distinguish PHC patients from healthy subjects, and Streptococcus and SR1 could distinguish PHC patients from liver cancer patients. Conclusions: These findings identified the microbiota dysbiosis of the tongue coat in PHC patients, and provide insight into the association between the human microbiome and pancreatic cancer.

The rock foundation of a gravity dam is usually cut into slide blocks by the structural surfaces. Its stability is controlled by the characteristics and the combining action of these structural surfaces. The failure of a gravity dam can be caused by the destruction or large deformation of local rocks under the condition of certain loads. The coupling of continuous-discontinuous deformation is a typical characteristic of the process. As a new design idea, the powerhouse and dam are combined into an integer with one structural pattern to improve the antisliding stability of the gravity dam. The external loads are undertaken together by the powerhouse and dam. The loads acting on the dam can be transferred partly to the powerhouse, and the powerhouse weight and tail water pressure can increase the dam’s stability. The optimal design of a gravity dam section can be implemented, decreasing the project quantity, and reducing construction costs. This design idea has been adopted by the Yangtze Three Gorg...

Combining with the characteristics of the rock slope in hydropower engineering, the evaluation index system of rock slope stability in hydropower projects is determined based on multiple factors, and based on this, research, collect and establish the typical rock slope database of hydropower projects. Based on the fuzzy optimal recognition theory and Case-Based Reasoning, two different methods of slope stability evaluation are established respectively. Analyzing the rock slope stability of one hydropower project by the two methods, a comparison is made between the two methods and the effectiveness of the methods is verified.

Based on the observed temperature information of arch dam, the mathematical and mechanical methods are combined usually with dam engineering theory to capture in real time and evaluate in time the developing status and space-time distribution of arch dam temperature, and implement the back analysis for temperature control measures. It is an important step for dam construction and safe operation. Some methods, namely transient temperature-field simulation, thermodynamic parameters back-calculation, and model correction, are used synthetically to solve the above problem. A method is proposed to back calculate the thermodynamic parameters of arch dam by use of the temperature data obtained by the distributed optical fiber temperature sensor (DTS). A problem is studied to couple the simulated temperature field by finite element method (FEM) and the observed temperature field by the DTS. A method is presented to update dynamically the FEM model on the basis of the observed temperature field. An actual engineering is analyzed by the proposed method. It is shown that the DTS system can implement the real-time observation of concrete arch dam temperature field. According to the observed temperature field by the DTS and the updated numerical simulation model of the temperature field, scientific guidance can be given during the pouring process of the arch dam, and reliable data can be provided to analyze and evaluated arch dam safety.

Two new alkyl 2,3-dihydroxybenzoates, gentisides A and B, were isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Gentiana rigescens Franch. Their structures and stereochemistry were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and chemical derivatization. These compounds showed a significant neuritogenic activity at 30 microM against PC12 cells that was comparable to that seen for the best nerve growth factor (NGF) concentration of 40 ng/mL. Gentisides A and B showed parallel activity, indicating that the observed structural difference at the end of their alkyl chain did not affect neuritogenic activity.