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Serum uric acid level has been found to be associated with cerebrovascular diseases. However, whether serum uric acid level is a risk factor for arterial stiffness in the hypertension population is unclear. This study was designed to determine the relationship between serum uric acid level and arterial stiffness in the hypertension population. A total of 10450 participants were evaluated for the risk of arterial stiffness. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was assessed, and high baPWV was determined as the highest quartile of baPWV values in a sex-specific manner. We evaluated the association between serum uric acid level and baPWV through multivariate-adjusted linear and logistic regression analyses. There was a significant difference on high baPWV between patients with quartiles of serum uric acid level in females and males (p

Peri-implantitis is the most common and intractable complication of dental implant-supported prothesis affecting its long-term success, and is one of the main reasons for implant failure. Due to the limitation of the research methods, the pathogenesis and pathological processes of peri-implantitis remain unclear. Animal models are indispensable tools to study the pathogenesis of diseases. With the advances of the dental implants, the peri-implantitis mouse model has been used in experimental research. This paper summarized recent studies from the following five aspects: the advantages of the mouse model, the influence of mouse strain, the design of micro-implant, the way of implant insertion, as well as the induction of peri-implantitis, aiming to provide references and help for researchers. Compared with the large animal models of peri-implantitis, the mouse model of peri-implantitis is more flexible in use. Lower costs can better control the sample number and shorter induction time can better control experimental duration. The completion of mouse genome sequencing and the progress of the genetic operating system also make the pathogenetic study possible. However, the mouse model of peri-implantitis still has some limitations. Limited by the small size of mouse oral cavity, implant insertion surgery is technically demanding, and complex surgeries are even more challenging. Moreover, due to short history of the peri-implantitis mouse model, its corresponding technical theories such as implantation methods, peri-implantitis induction methods and so on are not unified yet and still need further research and development.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant‑inherited colorectal cancer. Recent advances in genetics have indicated that the majority of patients with FAP carry germline mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and mutY DNA glycosylase (MUTYH) genes. However, a large subset of families with a history of FAP have undetectable pathogenic alterations, termed APC/MUTYH mutation‑negative FAP. To investigate the germline mutations in the APC and MUTYH genes in Chinese patients with FAP, 13 unrelated patients were enrolled. Through genetic sequencing, four known pathogenic alterations (Lys1061LysfsTer2, Glu1309AspfsTer4, Arg283Ter and Ser1196Ter) of APC and two novel disease‑associated pathogenic mutations (Tyr152Ter and Ter522Gly) in MUTYH were identified in six individuals. For samples that did not present with pathogenic alterations, the functional effects of missense, synonymous and intronic mutations were analyzed using bioinformatics tools and databases. Bioinformatics prediction suggested that the synonymous mutation Tyr486Tyr in APC (APC∆486s) was likely a disease‑causing polymorphism and may have induced the exon skipping of APC. A hybrid mini‑gene assay was performed, which confirmed that the synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism APC∆486s induced major splicing defects with skipping of exon 12 in APC. The data of the present study suggested that the synonymous polymorphism APC∆486s was a potential pathogenic alteration that predisposed APC/MUTYH mutation‑negative patients to FAP.

Dental implant recipients often have other oral diseases such as head and neck (H&N) cancer, Sjogren’s syndrome (SS), or oral lichen planus (OLP) that may compromise implant treatment. Surgical resection of H&N cancer often results in critical defect in available residual bone, and radiotherapy may lead to implant failure. Bone grafting reconstruction and zygomatic or short implants were suggested when planning the implant insertion. At the same time, optimizing the dose and frequency of radiotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, as well as locally administering growth factors could help to reduce implant failure. As a chronic autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s syndrome patients may lose their teeth early due to destructive dental caries and/or periodontal problems. Implant treatment is preferred to restore these missing teeth when compared to conventional removable partial denture. However, xerostomia-diminished quality and quantity of saliva may influence the implant osseointegration. When it comes to oral lichen planus, comprehensive preoperative evaluation of the patient and close postoperative monitor of OLP clinical evolution are recommended. Surgical strategies and restorative considerations along with prosthesis maintenance are discussed in detail in this chapter as follows.

In this study, we investigate the pull-out performance of bolted joints of pultruded fiber reinforced polymer (PFRP) profile specimens with drilled and punched holes, respectively, and investigate the effects of different resin matrices and different fiber directions on the pull-out performance of the bolted joints. The experiment results show that the pull-out performance of the bolted joints in the uni-axial polyurethane-based PFRP is better than that in the uni-axial unsaturated polyester resin-based PFRP. The pull-out capacity of bolted joints on the multi-axial PFRP specimens with drilled holes is better than that of bolted joints in the uni-axial PFRP specimens with drilled holes. The multi-axial fiber can effectively prevent longitudinal splitting of pultruded profiles and significantly improve their pull-out performance. The punching process has little impact on the pull-out performance of bolted joints in the uni-axial PFRP specimens. However, it greatly undermines the pull-out performance of the bolt hole of the multi-axial PFRP specimens. Finally, using the progressive damage analysis (PDA) model, and combined with the Hashin failure criteria, we establish a model by means of the C3D8R solid elements in ABAQUS to simulate the pull-out mechanical behavior of the bolted joints.

Effective control of breast cancer has been primarily hampered by a lack of tumor specificity in treatments. One potential way to improve targeting specificity is to develop novel vectors that specifically bind to and are internalized by tumor cells. Through a phage display library, an 11-L-amino acid peptide, PI (sequence, CASPSGALRSC), was selected. PI was labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and named PI-FITC. Subsequently, the specific affinity of PI-FITC to MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells and other cancer cell lines was observed by confocal microscopy. Our previous study established that PI-FITC also shows affinity to Calu-1 human lung carcinoma cells and major histocompatibility complex class I antigen molecules; therefore, the cytomembrane proteins of the cell lines were analyzed to determine those that were common to the two cell lines and may be associated with transmembrane transduction. To further test the delivery ability of PI to MDA-MB-231 cells, PI-glutathione-S-transferase (GST) was constructed and the internalization of this fusion protein was visualized by immunofluorescence microscopy. The results revealed that PI exhibited specific affinity to MDA-MB-231 cells. Use of membrane transport inhibitors indicated that macropinocytosis and caveolin-mediated endocytosis may be involved in the endocytosis of PI. In addition, 11 membrane proteins common to MDA-MB-231 and Calu-1 may be associated with transmembrane transduction. In summary, PI was able to deliver PI-GST into MDA-MB-231 cells. Thus, PI could be modified to be a potential vector, and may contribute to the development of targeted therapeutic strategies for breast cancer.

The aim of this study was to investigate germline mutations of the APC, MUTYH and AXIN2 genes in Chinese patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), and further assess the value of bioinformatics in screening the pathogenic changes predisposing to FAP. APC genes from 11 unrelated FAP patients in Yunnan province in China were firstly examined by exon-specific DNA sequencing. For samples without already known pathogenic changes predisposing to FAP in the APC gene, whole-gene sequencing of MUTYH and AXIN2 was performed. Mutational analysis of each gene was performed by bioinformatics. Eleven different types of APC polymorphisms were observed in the cohort of families analyzed. Of these polymorphisms, four were missense substitutions (V1822D, V1173G, P1760H and K2057), one was a nonsense substitution (S1196X), and six were silent substitutions (Y486Y, T449T, T1493T, G1678G, S1756S and P1960P). One missense mutation (Q335H) and two intronic substitutions (c.264+11G>A and c.420+35A>G) were detected in the MUTYH gene, and four synonymous mutations (I144I, P455P, P462P and L688L) and three intonic mutations (c.1060–77G>T, c.1060–287A>G and c.1060–282 A>G) of the AXIN2 gene were observed. In addition to the already reported pathogenic mutations, by using function assessment tools and databases, the synonymous substitutions observed in the APC gene of our samples were predicted to affect splicing regulation in the translation of mRNA, while the missense mutations observed in the APC gene and MUTYH gene were predicted to be disease-related polymorphisms; however, no functional effect of the mutations was observed in the AXIN2 gene. Comprehensive screening for germline mutations in APC, MUTYH and AXIN2 genes followed by prediction of pathogenicity using bioinformatic tools contributes to a cost-effective way of screening germline mutations in Chinese familial adenomatous polyposis patients.

In recent years, clapping synchronization between individuals has been widely studied as one of the typical synchronization phenomena. In this paper, we aim to reveal the synchronization mechanism of clapping interactions by observing two individuals’ clapping rhythms in a series of experiments. We find that the two synchronizing clapping rhythm series exhibit long-range cross-correlations (LRCCs); that is, the interaction of clapping rhythms can be seen as a strong-anticipation process. Previous studies have demonstrated that the interactions in local timescales or global matching in statistical structures of fluctuation in long timescales can be sources of the strong-anticipation process. However, the origin of the strong anticipation process often appears elusive in many complex systems. Here, we find that the clapping synchronization process may result from the local interaction between two clapping individuals and may result from the more global coordination between two clapping individuals. We introduce two stochastic models for mutually interacting clapping individuals that generate the LRCCs and prove theoretically that the generation of clapping synchronization process needs to consider both local interaction and global matching. This study provides a statistical framework for studying the internal synchronization mechanism of other complex systems. Our theoretical model can also be applied to study the dynamics of other complex systems with the LRCCs, including finance, transportation, and climate.

Backgroud Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant-inherited colorectal cancer (CRC) with poor prognosis, and is also considered as model to study the change of CRC from pre-tumor to tumor progression. To better predict and guide clinical applications of immune check point inhibitors(ICI), researchers proposed the classification system of human cancer, termed tumor immunity in the microenvironment (TIME), that four different TIME groups have been identified according to the presence of TILs and B7-H1(PD-L1) expression in tumor biopsies. Therefore, we followed and performed this theory into our research about TIME of FAP, to explore the potential of immunotherapy for FAP, and explore the cancerous mechanism from immune microenvironment. Methods We collected tissue samples of 40 FAP patients from May 2009 to December 2018, followed by detection of PD-L1 by using Dako PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx, MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, MSH6 were detected by IHC, and CD8+ T cells, tumor associated macrophages (TAM) and NK cells infiltration in the tumor biopsies by multiple fluorescence immunohistochemistry (mICH). Follow-up data of these 40 patients were analyzed. Results CD8+T cells, M1 and M2 TAM, CD56bright NK and CD56dim NK cells were found both in intratumoral region and tumor rim of FAP patients(n=40), no differences have been found between M1and M2 TAM, however, CD56dim NK increased more than CD56bright NK both in intratumoral region and tumor rim(p Conclusions For the TIME characteristics of FAP patient, Immunotherapy targeted PD-1/PD-L1 may not applicable for FAP, however, MLH1, the member of mismatch repair protein, was associated with infiltration of NK cells, especially CD56dim NK cells in the tumor, and also associated with prognosis of FAP patients. Therefore, it can be exploited as potential target of immunotherapy for FAP or even CRC. Citation Format: Jun Yang, Hushan Zhang, Wei Qing Liu, Wenliang Li, Shumin Ma, Lei Liang, Zhiyong Kou, Depei Huang, Xudong Shen, Jian Dong. Infiltration of CD56dim NK cells regulated by MLH1 into tumor tissue of FAP patients predict better prognosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 3871.

In this paper, a new approach based on the continuum model is proposed to estimate the main cable tension force of suspension bridges from measured natural frequencies. This approach considered the vertical vibration of a main cable hinged at both towers and supported by an elastic girder and hangers along its entire length. The equation reflected the relationship between vibration frequency and horizontal tension force of a main cable was derived. To avoid to generate the additional cable tension force by sag-extensibility, the analytical solution of characteristic equation for anti-symmetrical vibration mode of the main cable was calculated. Then, the estimation of main cable tension force was carried out by anti-symmetric characteristic frequency vector. The errors of estimation due to characteristic frequency deviations were investigated through numerical analysis of the main cable of Taizhou Bridge. A field experiment was conducted to verify the proposed approach. Through measuring and analyzing the responses of a main cable of Taizhou Bridge under ambient excitation, the horizontal tension force of the main cable was identified from the first three odd frequencies. It is shown that the estimated results agree well with the designed values. The proposed approach can be used to conduct the long-term health monitoring of suspension bridges.

According to the exact three-dimensional (3D) thermoelasticity theory, the elasticity solution of the simply-supported layered rectangular plates subjected to steady temperature loads was studied. An analytical method was developed to solve the temperature, stress and displacement fields in the plate. Firstly, the general solutions of the temperature, displacements and stresses in a simply-supported isotropic layer were obtained by solving the 3-D heat conduction equation and the 3-D equations of elasticity respectively, which were expressed in the form of double Fourier series. Then, the temperature, displacement and stress relationships between the upper surface and the lower surface of the isotropic layer were derived. Based on the continuity of the temperature, the heat flux, the displacements and the stresses on the interface of two adjacent layers with different material properties, the recursive formulae of temperature, displacements and stresses between the bottom layer and the top layer of the la...

In this paper, an experiment in a quasi-static conditions was carried out on barge bow model with its cross sections simplified. The characteristics of the bow structure were studied experimentally and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was conducted to compare with experimental results. The experiment was performed by a compression and shear testing machine and the model was axially collapsed by a rigid board. The collapse mechanisms, load-displacement curve and mean crushing strength were investigated. The study showed that basic collapse mechanism of barge bow was clarified in participates with inner diaphragms. Moreover, the accuracy of FEA to estimate mean crushing force were validated by comparing with experimental results.

The spin-Hamiltonian (SH) parameters (g factors g||, g⊥ and hyperfine structure constants A||, A⊥) and d–d transitions for ZnCdO:Cu2+ are calculated based on the perturbation formulas for a 3d9 ion in tetragonally elongated octahedra. Good agreement between the calculated results (four SH parameters and three optical absorption bands) and the experimental results can be obtained. Since the SH parameters are sensitive to the local structure of a paramagnetic impurity center, the tetragonal distortion (characterized by the relative elongation ratio ρ ≈ 3.5% along the C4 axis) of the impurity center due to the Jahn–Teller effect is also acquired from the calculations. The negative and positive signs of hyperfine structure constants A|| and A⊥ for ZnCdO:Cu2+, respectively, are also suggested in the discussions.

The scaling is the primary bottleneck problem which blocks the industrialization of ASP technology. Exploitation mining into the late period of the scaling, particulate scaling is appeared in the environment condition of ASP flooding produced liquid. In this paper, the research on validation and evaluation for the particulate scaling was done inside. Using the treatment of hydrochloric acid and burning for the produced liquid of the Fourth Plant of Daqing Oilfield, it can confirm that the particulate scaling is in ASP produced liquid. Then, the method which is the exploitation of the particulate scaling is established. The data analysis by IR confirm that the particulate scaling is calcium carbonate which is micron or smaller.

In this paper, the free nonlinear sloshing of liquid in a rigid partially liquid-filled cylindrical container with a rigid annular baffle is investigated. The liquid domain is firstly divided into four simple sub-domains so that the liquid velocity potential in each sub-domain has continuous boundary conditions of class $$\hbox {C}^{1}$$ . Then, based on the Bateman–Luke variational principle, the equivalent variational formulation of the free boundary problem for the liquid in a baffled container is derived. By introducing the generalized time-dependent coordinates, the surface wave height and the velocity potential are expanded in the form of generalized Fourier series. Substituting the series expression of surface wave height and velocity potential into the variational formulation enables us to obtain the infinite dimensional modal system. Finally, based on the Moiseev asymptotic relations, the infinite dimensional modal system is reduced to a finite dimensional modal system. Good agreements have been achieved by comparing the present results with those obtained from the Gavrilyuk’s solutions. The effects of baffle parameters and initial conditions on the nonlinear sloshing of liquid are discussed in detail.

The spin-Hamiltonian parameters (the anisotropic g factors g || and g ⊥ and the hyperfine structure constants A || and A ⊥) for the impurity Cu2+ in Li2B4O7 are theoretically investigated using the high-order perturbation formulas of these parameters for a 3d 9 ion in tetragonally elongated octahedra. In the calculation formulas, the tetragonal field parameters Ds and Dt are determined from the superposition model, by considering the relative axial elongation of the oxygen octahedron around Cu2+ due to the Jahn-Teller effect. Based on the calculations, the relative axial elongation of about 0.21 A for the tetragonal Cu2+ center was found.

The combination of Rayleigh’s energy method and Southwell’s frequency composition method denoted the fundamental vibration frequencies of the freestanding pylon of suspension bridges as the composition of several subsystem frequencies. The subsystems consisted of deformation and inertia components. Thus, the algorithm for calculating the fundamental vibration frequency of the freestanding pylon of suspension bridges was derived through the rational selection of the deflection function. Take the middle steel pylon of Taizhou Bridge as a calculation example. The impact of top additional mass ratio, structure shear deformation, and vibration of the bearing platform on fundamental vibration frequency was analyzed. The numerical calculation and real bridge field vibration test show that (1) the fundamental vibration frequency of the pylon decreases as top additional mass ratio increases, and (2) the vibration of the bearing platform should not be ignored even if ignoring shear deformation only has a sl...

This paper presents an accurate analytical method to obtain the rocking impedance function of a surface-supported strip foundation. The Green’s functions of the elastic half-space under concentrated or uniform loads with infinite length are derived and an elaborate integration method is used to calculate the multi-value improper integral. The interface between the foundation and the supporting medium is divided into a number of strip units. The rocking impedance function is solved by adding the moments in every strip, based on the fact that the vertical displacement of each unit can be uniquely determined by the rotation amplitude of the rigid foundation. Excellent convergence has been observed. Comparing the numerical results to those obtained by the thin layer method, good agreements are achieved. Finally, the effect of the Poisson’s ratio on the rocking impedance function of the strip foundation is discussed in detail.

Explosion inside the entrance of a tunnel may produce strong blast wave in the tunnel. Taking effective measures to attenuate the air blast wave is very important. Numerical simulations were done on explosion inside the entrance of a tunnel in three different cases, no baffles, symmetrical baffles and stagger baffles arranged along the tunnel. It is found that the arrangement of baffles can attenuate the air blast wave effectively. The best arrangement of baffles is given and it is a reference for tunnel protective design and study.

Drug release behavior of a hydrogel is related to its transport mechanism, which is dominated by structure of the hydrogel. Therefore, we prepared pH-sensitive poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) hydrogels with hyperbranched poly(4-vinylbenzyl chloride) (PVBC; Mn = 2391 g/mol, PDI = 1.87, the minimum percent linearity = 12.4%) moieties (P4VP-PVBC) by atom transfer radical polymerizations (ATRP) in two steps. A PVBC moiety provides the hydrogel with a microenvironment, which may encapsulate guest molecules like drug. The presence of the microenvironment could affect drug transport in the hydrogel matrices. To understand this, we used Ftorafur as drug molecule, and investigated release behavior of the P4VP-based hydrogels. Diffusion and transport mechanism of Ftorafur in the P4VP-based hydrogels was analyzed by early-time and late-time approximation diffusion coefficients. It was found that the transport behavior of Ftorafur was related to the presence of the PVBC moiety and external pH. The presence of the PVBC moiety could sustain release of Ftorafur.

Three material properties (density, modulus of elasticity, bending creep deflection) of poplar wood modified with low molecular resin was examined and evaluated by an experimental approach. Poplar specimens were treated to achieve full penetration using a vacuum schedule with different low molecular resins. These resins were urea-formaldehyde (UF) and phenol-formaldehyde (PF) prepolymer solution. Creep tests were conducted under a varying climate with 16 °C ~ 31 °C and 40 % ~ 80 % relative humidity. The specimens were loaded in bending for approximately 140 days. Then the curves of the creep tests were analyzed to derive the development of bending creep performance. The results show modification leads to significant changes on material properties. Modification increases both the density and elastic modulus, and also tends to deflect creep deformation obviously less than untreated specimens.

The manufacturing process of particle composite for furniture, made of waste paper and wood particle, was studied and discussed in this paper, and an ornament cabinet and a Chinese style teapoy were assembled in the laboratory with the composite. The results showed the mechanical properties of composite made of waste paper, was low. Wood particle was blended with waste paper and made into composite, and the mechanical properties of the composite could meet the demand of particle board for furniture and ornament under the Chinese national standard. The application of waste paper-based composite was feasible technically.

According to the two-dimensional thermal theory, the temperature distribution in a simply supported laminated beam is studied. Firstly, the temperature distribution in a single-layer simply supported beam is analytically derived. Then, based on the continuity condition of the temperature and heat flux between the connected layers, the temperature and heat flux relations between the lowest layer and the top layer of the beam are recurrently obtained. Finally, the unknown coefficients are determined by the upper and lower surface conditions of the laminated beam. The temperature in the beam is given by substituting the unknown coefficients back to the recurrent formulae.

A new composite structure system is proposed in this paper to suit the demand of building energy conservation and heat preservation. Based on the low reversed cyclic loading test, the non-linear finite element (FEM) analysis model of composite shear wall is established by ANSYS so as to study crack status, stress variation characteristics and failure process under the action of horizontal loading. The results of ANSYS finite element analysis show good agreement with the test results.

In this paper, a total of five structural insulated panel shear walls (SIPSW), in which with plywood facing and polystyrene foam board core, were tested under low cyclic horizontal loading. For the test specimens, different wall depth-width ratio and the opening sizes have been considered. The failure modes, failure mechanics, bearing capacity, lateral stiffness and ductility are discussed in detail. The test results showed that the hysteretic curve of SIPSW shows a reversed S-shape. Also the depth-to-width ratio and the opening dimensions of the shear walls have significant effects on load bearing capacity, ductility and elastic stiffness. What’s more, the performance of the SIPSW specimens was controlled by the fastener slip behavior of the SIP-to-spline connection, especially along the bottom spline. Finally, it is indicated that SIPSW have a good satisfaction upon seismic performance when used to timber structures.

An overall outline is given for the development of the glued laminated timber structures in China. Different types of glulam structures built in recent years, such as gymnasium, bridges, public buildings, traditional architecture, landscape structures have been discussed. During the development of glulam structure in the future, raising design and produce level will be the most important question we confront and should be settled.

A simple and efficient direct displacement-based design (DDBD) method is introduced to base isolated (BI) structures. Assuming the vibration mode of superstructure to be the shear type and considering the BI structure to be an equivalent single degree of freedom (ESDOF) system with spring and damper at the seismic isolation layer. The acceleration response spectrum in Chinese code is converted to displacement response spectrum. Corresponding to the design displacement, the equivalent period is obtained. The relationship of the deign displacement, equivalent period, equivalent stiffness and base shear of the system can be derived from the given formulations. Then, the distribution of the base shear along the floors is obtained. This method has been applied to the design of a 12-story BI structure with lead rubber bearings in high intensity zone in Suqian city, Jiangsu province. The results show that the method is feasible for the design of BI structures.

Sloshing response of liquid in a rigid cylindrical tank with a rigid annual baffle under horizontal sinusoidal loads was studied. The effect of the damping was considered in the analysis. Natural frequencies and modes of the system have been calculated by using the Sub-domain method. The total potential function under horizontal loads is assumed to be the sum of the tank potential function and the liquid perturbed function. The expression of the liquid perturbed function is obtained by introducing the generalized coordinates. Substituting potential functions into the free surface wave conditions, the dynamic response equations including the damping effect are established. The damping ratio is calculated by Maleki method. The liquid potential are obtained by solving the dynamic response equations of the system.

This paper puts attention on the application of Chebyshev complex polynomials in the development of lumped-parameter model of surface circular foundation. The present method is an important extension to the concept of polynomial-fraction approximation in the foundation modeling. In the present analysis, the normalized flexibility function is adopted to improve the accuracy of the model and to reduce the parameters in modeling. The accuracy and validity of the lumped-parameter model is extensively investigated for the case of surface circular foundation. The proposed method may be easily applied to analyze various practical problems in soil-structure interaction such as vibration of machines on foundation and response of structures under earthquake.

Seven groups, total of 31 single-bolted steel-glulam-steel joints, were tested for their mechanical performance. The mechanical properties of single-bolted steel-glulam-steel connection subjected to a load parallel to the grain have been studied. The failure mode and failure mechanism of bolted connections were discussed in detail. It is shown that the failure mode, bearing capacity, stiffness and ductility of the joint are mainly relative to the thickness of the glulam and the diameter of the bolt. Due to the wide application of bolted steel-glulam-steel connections in engineering, the present work can be taken as a reference in manufacture, and design of modern timber structures.

A new modified model for assessing the effects of SSI on base-isolated structures is presented from the case of conventional structures. The equations of motion of the equivalent fixed-base 2-DOF system are formulated in frequency domain. Based on this, rigorous and closed-form formulations for fundamental period and composite damping are derived. Finally, analysis of parameters based on frequency independent coefficients in detail is conducted. The analytical model and method presented can serve to assess the effects of SSI in the design of base-isolated structures including high-rise structures. Significant differences between the system with and without radiation damping and the flexibility of supporting soil have been observed in this study. For the results of the analysis, overall SSI effects have been identified as elongation of fundamental period of the system and decreased composite damping, especially for the high-rise and slender isolated structures.

Paulownia wood was drilled with some glass fibers fulfilled in the holes, which could be the core of the sandwich structures. In the manufacture processing, the fibers and resins left in the holes formed composite columns and merged with the facesheets. These could enhance the mechanical behavior of paulownia wood sandwich structures. Double cantilever beam(DCB) tests and bending analysis with finite element method were carried out. The improvement from the composite columns gave little contribution to bending behavior, but significant contribution to interfacial properties.

Interlaminar behavior of paulownia wood sandwich can be enhanced by grooves arranged on the surface of the paulownia wood core. Three kinds of silane coupling agents are used by three different ways in order to improve the interface furtherly. All the specimens are manufactured by VARIM process. DCB method is used to measure the interlaminar energy release ratio(ERR) between the face sheet and paulownia wood core. By comparing the ERRs, the way that core surface pretreated by agent-added resins gets the most effective improvement. By analyzing the component of the ERRs, the improvement mostly comes from the interfaces of glass fibers and vinyl resins left in the grooves. The adhesion of the vinyl resin and paulownia wood gets little benefit from the coupling agents.

Using hydrophobic acrylic acid-2-ethylhexyl ester (AAEHE) as a comonomer of methacrylic acid (MAA), a series of hydrophobically modified (HM) poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) (HMPMAA) hydrogels were prepared by UV solution copolymerization and studied as controlled-release matrices. The result indicates that swelling degree of the HMPMAA hydrogels can sensitively respond to change in pH. However, the presence of hydrophobic AAEHE segments influences swelling kinetics of PMAA hydrogel evidently. Using p-hydroxyanisole (PHAS) as a model molecule, controlled-release behaviors of the HMPMAA hydrogels were investigated. It is found that the presence of hydrophobic AAEHE segments can markedly slow down the release rate of PHAS from PMAA-based hydrogels regardless of pH 1.4 or 7.4.

Rectal perforation is an unusual complication of therapeutic colonoscopy. The present study reports the case of a patient with a rare manifestation of pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, pneumoperitoneum and extensive subcutaneous emphysema that resulted from an endoscopic mucosal resection following a colonoscopy of the rectum. Only 3 cases of colonic perforation and 1 case of rectal perforation have been described previously, of which the clinical diagnoses and treatments were varied, and no results of follow-up studies were reported. In the present study, dyspnea and neck swelling were acute signs of extraluminal air that resulted from rectal perforation. Computed axial tomography was an effective diagnosis method, and is recommended for the early recognition of colorectal perforation. Appropriate management and a close follow-up are crucial for optimal results.

To investigate the expression of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in the cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and its effects on IL-4 expression therein, and to investigate the therapeutic role of antisense oligonucleotide (ASON) to NF-kappaB on IPF.C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: bleomycin (BLM) group (n = 35, injected with BLM through caudal vein), control group [n = 20, injected with normal saline (NS) via caudal vein], ASON group (n = 35, injected with ASON to p65, a subunit of NF-kappaB, at the dose of 900 microg), and SON group (n = 35, injected with sense oligonucleotide to p65 subunit). Six hours after intravenous injection, the BLM, ASON, and SON groups were treated with BLM-A5 (5 mg/kg dissolved in 20 microl NS) by intratracheal installation, and the control group was treated with NS (20 microl). 0.5, 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days following intratracheal instillation of BLM or 0.5, 1, 14 days following intratracheal instillation of NS, 5 mice of every group were sacrificed and bronchoalveolar lavage was performed. The BALF was collected and assayed with ELISA for IL-4. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and microscope image analysis were completed to detect the expression of p65 and IL-4 in the bronchoalveolar lavage cells. Another 5 mice from each group were sacrificed 28 days after intratracheal instillation with their total right lungs taken out to undergo pathohistological examination. The content of hydroxyproline in the left lung was detected by high performance liquid chromatography and ELISA.(1) Twenty-eight days after intratracheal instillation, the BLM and the SON groups showed consolidation of the lung parenchyma with loss of the alveolar architecture and increased cellularity, while the ASON and control groups showed no significant pulmonary consolidation or fibrosis. (2) Twenty-eight days after intratracheal instillation, the hydroxyproline content of the BLM group was 876.8 +/- 91.1 nmol/lung, significantly higher than that of the control group (347.6 +/- 53.9 nmol/lung, t = -9.833, P0.001); the hydroxyproline content of the ASON group was 505.6 +/- 34.8 nmol/lung, significantly lower than that of the BLM group (t = -9.862, P0.001); however, the hydroxyproline content of the SON group was 775.2 +/- 68.9 nmol/lung, not significantly different from that of the BLM group (t = 2.118, P = 0.102). (3) One day after the intratracheal instillation of BLM, the value of average integral optical density of p65 in the bronchoalveolar lavage cells of the BLM, SON, and ASON groups were 275 +/- 13, 233 +/- 60, 233 +/- 60, and 126 +/- 34 respectively, all significantly higher that of the control group (38 +/- 18, t = 27.350, 8.039, and 6.107, P0.001, = 0.001, and = 0.004), that of the ASON group being significantly lower than those of the BLM and SON groups (t = 7.664 and -3.407, P = 0.002 and 0.027). (4) IHC showed that 1 day after the intratracheal instillation, the value of average integral optical density of IL-4 of the BLM, SON, and ASON groups were 134 +/- 16, 128 +/- 2, and 80 +/- 9 respectively, all significantly higher than that of the control group (33 +/- 12, t = 10.346, -5.927, and 5.313, P0.001, = 0.004, = 0.006), that of the ASON group being significantly lower than those of the BLM and SON groups (t = 6.967 and -3.591, P = 0.002 and 0.023). (5) ELISA showed that 1 day after the intratracheal instillation the IL-4 level BLM, SON, and ASON groups were (20.8 +/- 7.2) ng/L, (21.4 +/- 8.0) ng/L, and (9.7 +/- 1.4) ng/L respectively, all significantly higher than that of the control group [(1.6 +/- 3.6) ng/L, t = 6.494, 4.143, and 4.331, P = 0.003, 0.014, and 0.012], that of the ASON group being significantly lower than those of the BLM and SON groups (t = -3.553 and -3.577, P = 0.024 and 0.023) (6) Correlation analysis showed that 1 day after intratracheal instillation the expression of p65 was positively correlated with IL-4 expression in the bronchoalveolar lavage cells in the treatment group (r = 0.890, P0.05) and the ASON group (r = 0.909, P0.05).The expression of NF-kappaB is significantly increased and augments the expression of IL-4 indirectly in the BALF cells during the process of BLM-induced lung fibrosis. ASON significantly inhibits the NF-kappaB activation and the IL-4 expression, and may be useful in gene therapy for pulmonary fibrosis.