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Glaucocalyxin A (GLA), an ent-kauranoid diterpene derived from

The insular cortex, anatomically close to amygdala, is also an integrative hub for sensory, emotional and cognitive function. Growing body of evidences suggest that alterations in insular structure and function have also been implicated in anxiety disorders. However, the reciprocal connections and precise subdivision of insular cortex involved in anxiety activities remains mechanistically unclear. In the present study, using anterograde and retrograde tracing methods, we verified that the anterior (AIa) but not posterior (AIp) agranular insular cortex is a major source of projections to the amygdala. Consistently, excitotoxic lesions only in AIa induced the anxiolytic behaviors and impaired fear memory. Using optogenetics methods, we found that selectively photoactivation of AIa GABAergic neurons remarkably promoted cued fear extinction and relieved anxiety in PSTD mice model. Finally, the participation of AIa in the storage of learned fear is also supported by the abolished LTP after fear conditioning and decreased the cued freezing using protein synthesis inhibitor immediately following training. Our results underscore the importance of AIa in fear and anxiety behavior and suggest that the AIa might share functions and interaction with amygdala in in anxiety related disorders.

In the risk assessment of water inrush in karst tunnel, it is most important to provide an available theoretical model for qualifying the epistemic uncertainties due to a lack of knowledge and information. Firstly, a mechanical model dependent on geology is introduced associating with four parameters, i.e., the elastic modulus E, the Poisson ratio μ, the water differential pressure q, and the tunnel radius a. Then, a mathematical model representing epistemic uncertainty is represented with probability theory and possibility theory. The methodology was computerized to calculate the distribution of the margin and uncertainty and then to determine the ratio of “margin/uncertainty.” Analyses involving possibility theory and possibility theory are illustrated with the same engineering example used in the presentation indicated above to illustrate the use of probability to represent aleatory and epistemic uncertainty in QMU analyses. The comparison between the uses of possibility theory and probability theory for the representation of aleatory and epistemic uncertainty indicates that the possibility is not only has a better mathematical structure than probability theory but also has some challenges.

The penetration-explosion warhead is one of the most effective weapons for use against concrete structures. In order to study the phenomena and results for concrete damage caused by the combined effects of penetration and explosion, field experiments were performed on damaged concrete targets with different penetration speeds and explosive charges. The damage to the targets was analyzed, the causes were determined, and prediction methodologies were developed. Dimensional analysis was used to fit experimental results, a formula for calculating the damage depth and volume was proposed, and the dependence of the damage depth and volume on the aspect ratio of the explosive (or charge) and the kinetic energy of bullet penetration were determined. For a given projectile size and quantity of explosives, the damage depth and volume of the concrete target increase with the increasing projectile impact coefficient, but this trend gradually decreases. This observation can also provide a reference for the optimal design of penetration-explosion warheads, exhibiting the desired performance-price ratio.

In this paper, the underground box structure is discretized as a system with limited freedoms, and the explosion seismic wave is regarded as series of dynamic force acting on the lumped masses. Based on the local deformation theory, the elastic resistances of the soil are simplified as the effects of numbers of elastic chain-poles. Matrix force method is adopted to analyze the deformation of the structure in elastic half space. The structural dynamic equations are established and by solving these equations, the axial force, the moment and the displacement of the structure are all obtained. The influences of size ratio, the incident angle and the rock type on the dynamic response of the underground box structure are all investigated through a case study by using the proposed method.

To investigate the efficacy of prussian blue (PB) or its combination with hemoperfusion (HP) in the treatment of acute thallium poisoning.Forty-seven patients with acute thallium poisoning with complete data hospitalized in the 307th Hospital of PLA from September 2002 to December 2017 were enrolled, and they were divided into mild poisoning group (blood thallium150 μg/L, urinary thallium1 000 μg/L) and moderate-severe poisoning group (blood thallium ≥ 150 μg/L, urinary thallium ≥ 1 000 μg/L) according to the toxic degrees. All patients were given symptomatic supportive treatments such as potassium supplementation, catharsis, vital organ protections, neurotrophic drugs, and circulation support. The mild poisoning patients were given PB with an oral dose of 250 mg×kgOf the 47 patients, patients with incomplete blood and urine test results, and used non-single HP treatment such as plasmapheresis and hemodialysis for treatment were excluded, and a total of 29 patients were enrolled in the analysis. (1) Among 29 patients, there were 20 males and 9 females, median age of 40.0 (34.0, 49.0) years old; the main clinical manifestations were nervous system and alopecia, some patients had digestive system symptoms. There were 13 patients (44.8%) in the mild poisoning group with painless (grade 0) or mild pain (grade 1-3) with mild clinical symptoms, the length of hospitalization was 17.0 (14.2, 21.5) days. There were 16 patients (55.2%) in the moderate-severe poisoning group with moderate pain (grade 4-6) or severe pain (grade 7-10) with severe clinical symptoms, the length of hospitalization was 24.0 (18.0, 29.0) days. (2) After treatment, the thallium concentrations in blood and urine in the mild poisoning group were significantly lower than those before treatment [μg/L: blood thallium was 0.80 (0, 8.83) vs. 60.00 (40.00, 120.00), urine thallium was 11.30 (0, 70.10) vs. 370.00 (168.30, 610.00), both P0.01], the thallium concentrations in blood and urine in the moderate-severe poisoning group were also significantly lower than those before treatment [μg/L: blood thallium was 6.95 (0, 50.50) vs. 614.50 (245.00, 922.00), urinary thallium was 20.70 (1.95, 283.00) vs. 5 434.00 (4 077.20, 10 273.00), both P0.01]. None of the 29 patients died, and their clinical symptoms were improved significantly. All the 27 patients had good prognosis without sequela in half a year follow-up, and 2 patients with severe acute thallium poisoning suffered from nervous system injury.In the acute thallium poisoning patients, on the basis of general treatment, additional PB in mild poisoning group and PB combined with HP in moderate-severe poisoning group can obtain satisfactory curative effects.

Anxiety disorders represent serious social problems worldwide. Recent neuroimaging studies have found that elevated activity and altered connectivity of the insular cortex might account for the negative emotional states in highly anxious individuals. However, the exact synaptic mechanisms of specific insular subregions have yet to be studied in detail. To assess the electrophysiological properties of agranular insular cortex (AIC) neurons, basic synaptic transmission was recorded and different protocols were used to induce presynaptic and postsynaptic long-term potentiation in mice with anxiety-related behaviors. The presynaptic membrane expression of kainate receptors (KARs) and pharmacologic manipulations were quantified to examine the role of Gluk1 subtype in anxiety-like behaviors. Fear conditioning occludes electrically induced postsynaptic-LTP in the AIC. Quantal analysis of LTP expression in this region revealed a significant presynaptic component reflected by an increase in the probability of transmitter release. A form of presynaptic-LTP that requires KARs has been characterized. Interestingly, a simple emotional anxiety stimulus resulted in selective occlusion of presynaptic-LTP, but not of postsynaptic-LTP. Finally, injecting GluK1-specific antagonists into the AIC reduced behavioral responses to fear or anxiety stimuli in the mouse. These findings suggest that activity-dependent synaptic plasticity takes place in the AIC due to exposure to fear or anxiety, and inhibiting the presynaptic KAR function may help to prevent or treat anxiety disorder.

It is well known that Notch1 signaling plays a crucial role in embryonic neural development and adult neurogenesis. The latest evidence shows that Notch1 also plays a critical role in synaptic plasticity in mature hippocampal neurons. So far, deeper insights into the function of Notch1 signaling during the different steps of adult neurogenesis are still lacking, and the mechanisms by which Notch1 dysfunction is associated with brain disorders are also poorly understood. In the current study, we found that Notch1 was highly expressed in the adult-born immature neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Using a genetic approach to selectively ablate Notch1 signaling in late immature precursors in the postnatal hippocampus by cross-breeding doublecortin (DCX)+ neuron-specific proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-α Cre mice with floxed Notch1 mice, we demonstrated a previously unreported pivotal role of Notch1 signaling in survival and function of adult newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus. Moreover, behavioral and functional studies demonstrated that POMC-Notch1-/- mutant mice showed anxiety and depressive-like behavior with impaired synaptic transmission properties in the dentate gyrus. Finally, our mechanistic study showed significantly compromised phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in Notch1 mutants, suggesting that the dysfunction of Notch1 mutants is associated with the disrupted pCREB signaling in postnatally generated immature neurons in the dentate gyrus.-Feng, S., Shi, T., Qiu, J., Yang, H., Wu, Y., Zhou, W., Wang, W., Wu, H. Notch1 deficiency in postnatal neural progenitor cells in the dentate gyrus leads to emotional and cognitive impairment.

Based on the spherical cavity expansion theory in the elastic half space, the ground surface movement characteristics of shallowly buried explosions are analyzed. The results show that the induced seismic wave is a longitudinal wave in the near zone and a Rayleigh wave in the far zone. The maximum displacement (velocity) of the longitudinal wave and the Rayleigh wave are inversely proportional to the scaled distance, and can be described by exponential function with exponents equal to 1.4 and 0.5, respectively. The vibration frequencies of the waves have almost no change. The vibration frequency of the longitudinal wave approximates the natural vibration frequency of the cavity in the broken area, and the vibration frequency of the Rayleigh wave is about half that of the longitudinal wave. On the same reduced buried depth and reduced distance, the particle displacement is directly proportional to the product of the boundary loading and cavity radius, and is inversely proportional to the transversal wave velocity. Meanwhile, the particle velocity is directly proportional to the boundary loading and inversely proportional to the wave velocity ratio. In the far zone, the buried depth of the explosive only has a slight effect on the longitudinal wave, but has a larger effect on the Rayleigh wave.

The hybrid vehicle is an important development of the automobile industry because of its capabilities in reducing pollution and saving energy. The key component of its power system is the power coupling mechanism which determines the power efficiency. Therefore, the planetary gear power coupling mechanism which is applied in heavy hybrid vehicles is studied. By using Matlab, an entire vehicle simulation model is established to obtain the output rotating speed and torques under different working conditions. And with the application of Solidworks, a simulation model of the coupling mechanism is set up to obtain its dangerous working period. Then, the simulation data are used to carry out the transient analysis of the coupling mechanism working during the dangerous period. The research results indicate that this method is simple and reliable and can provide technical support for strength-optimized design of the mechanism.