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Abstract Riverbeds often fine downstream, with a gravel‐bedded reach, a relatively abrupt gravel‐sand transition (GST), and a sand‐bedded reach. Underlying this behavior, bed grain size distributions are often bimodal, with a relative paucity (gap) around the range 1–5 mm. There is no general morphodynamic model capable of producing the grain size gap and gravel‐sand transition autogenically from a unimodal sediment supply. Here we use a one‐dimensional morphodynamic model including size‐specific bedload and suspended load transport, to show that bimodality readily evolves autogenically even under unimodal sediment feed. A GST forms when we include a floodplain width that abruptly increases at some point. Upstream of the transition, non‐gap gravel ceases to move and gap sediment is preferentially transported. At the transition, non‐gap sand rapidly deposits from suspension, enhancing gap sediment mobility and diluting its presence on the bed.

ObjectiveMeige syndrome (MS) is an adult-onset segmental dystonia for which no satisfactory remedy currently exists. Our team developed a novel surgical approach called bilateral trigeminal/facial nerve combing (BTFC). This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients who underwent BFTC (Clinical Trial Registry Number: ChiCTR2000033481).MethodWe assigned 22 patients with MS to undergo BTFC. The primary outcome was assessed using the movement subscale of the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS-M) at 12 months postoperatively. The second outcome was evaluated using the Medical Outcome Study (MOS) 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the dysfunction subscale of the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS-D), and the sub-item scores of the BFMDRS-M. Safety outcomes included the House-Brackmann (HB) functional grading score and the visual analog scale (VAS) for facial numbness.ResultsAt the final follow-up at 12 months, the BFMDRS-M showed a mean improvement of 70.7% from baseline. Mean scores of the BFMDRS-M sub-motor (including the eyes, mouth, and speech/swallowing) improved by 65.6, 81.00, and 60%, respectively. The median score of the total BFMDRS-D score was 0.70 ± 1.17 compared with 1.86 ± 2.21 at baseline. There were no serious operative complications in this population. The quality of life of the patients significantly improved (P < 0.05).ConclusionBFTC has proven to be effective in relieving the symptoms of Meige syndrome. This novel surgical approach offers a new alternative treatment for patients who have failed to respond to medications, botulinum toxin injections, and deep brain stimulation (DBS).Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit?pid=54567, ChiCTR2000033481.

Study region: Lhasa River Basin Study focus: Multi-century records are needed to characterize flow variability including the magnitude and frequency of occurrence of extreme events. Such long records are not available without integrating well-calibrated hydrological models and climate proxies. To test whether 50–70 years of observations represent the long-term flow variability for water resources management, daily flows (1472–2000) were reconstructed by integrating the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model with proxy-based precipitation and temperature data for Lhasa River. New hydrological insights for the region: VIC performed well during calibration and validation for 3 gauging stations with the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency (NSE) exceeding 0.52. Proxy-based precipitation, temperature, and reconstructed flow are broadly stationary over the past 529 years, while recent decades show detectable local trends. The inter-annual/decadal variability is aligned with long-term variations in sea surface temperatures and the intensity of south Asian summer monsoon. Moreover, higher long-term average, greater variabilities, and persistent periods of above/below-average flows are detected. The maximum daily flows with small annual recurrence intervals (ARIs) less than 60 years would be overestimated based on observations, and underestimated for ARIs > 60 years. It is the first time to have reconstructed long-term daily flows using hydrological models coupled with proxy-based climate data, and this approach offers invaluable insights into the pre-instrumental flow responses to changing climate conditions in Lhasa River basin.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the electroencephalogram (EEG) indicators and clinical factors that may lead to poor prognosis in patients with prolonged disorder of consciousness (pDOC), and establish and verify a clinical predictive model based on these factors.MethodsThis study included 134 patients suffering from prolonged disorder of consciousness enrolled in our department of neurosurgery. We collected the data of sex, age, etiology, coma recovery scales (CRS-R) score, complications, blood routine, liver function, coagulation and other laboratory tests, resting EEG data and follow-up after discharge. These patients were divided into two groups: training set (n = 107) and verification set (n = 27). These patients were divided into a training set of 107 and a validation set of 27 for this study. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis were used to determine the factors affecting the poor prognosis of pDOC and to establish nomogram model. We use the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and calibration curves to quantitatively test the effectiveness of the training set and the verification set. In order to further verify the clinical practical value of the model, we use decision curve analysis (DCA) to evaluate the model.ResultThe results from univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses suggested that an increased frequency of occurrence microstate A, reduced CRS-R scores at the time of admission, the presence of episodes associated with paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH), and decreased fibrinogen levels all function as independent prognostic factors. These factors were used to construct the nomogram. The training and verification sets had areas under the curve of 0.854 and 0.920, respectively. Calibration curves and DCA demonstrated good model performance and significant clinical benefits in both sets.ConclusionThis study is based on the use of clinically available and low-cost clinical indicators combined with EEG to construct a highly applicable and accurate model for predicting the adverse prognosis of patients with prolonged disorder of consciousness. It provides an objective and reliable tool for clinicians to evaluate the prognosis of prolonged disorder of consciousness, and helps clinicians to provide personalized clinical care and decision-making for patients with prolonged disorder of consciousness and their families.

The composite pile consisting of core-pile and surrounding cement-enhanced soil is a promising pile foundation in recent years. However, how and to what extent the cement-enhanced soil influences the ultimate lateral resistance has not been fully investigated. In this paper, the ultimate lateral resistance of the composite pile was studied by finite element limit analysis (FELA) and theoretical upper-bound analysis. The results of FELA and theoretical analysis revealed three failure modes of laterally loaded composite piles. The effects of the enhanced soil thickness, strength, and pile-enhanced soil interface characteristics on the ultimate lateral resistance were studied. The results show that increasing the enhanced soil thickness leads to a significant improvement on ultimate lateral resistance factor (NP), and there is a critical thickness beyond which the thickness no longer affects the NP. Increasing the enhanced soil strength induced 6.2%–232.6% increase of NP. However, no noticeable impact was detected when the enhanced soil strength was eight times higher than that of the natural soil. The maximum increment of NP is only 30.5% caused by the increase of interface adhesion factor (α). An empirical model was developed to calculate the NP of the composite pile, and the results show excellent agreement with the analytical results.

Abstract Drainage basins are fundamental units of Earth's surface, describing how flows accumulate across landscapes. They are direct expressions of how tectonics and climatic forces alter Earth's surface morphology. Here, we measure the width‐to‐length ratios (WLRs) of 386,931 drainage basins (average area ∼157 km2), covering all continents except Antarctica and Greenland. Global variations in WLRs are correlated with climatic aridity, whole‐basin slope, and local topographic roughness. Basins in arid landscapes tend to be narrower, potentially reflecting a higher prevalence of surface runoff and therefore a stronger slope‐parallel component of the transporting flow. Local topographic roughness is associated with wider basins, potentially reflecting greater dispersion of flow directions. Conversely, whole‐basin topographic gradients, potentially reflecting gradients in uplift, are associated with narrower basins. However, steeper basins are also often rougher, so revealing the effects of whole‐basin slope requires correcting for the confounding effects of roughness variations.

Inter-basin water diversion projects have led to accelerated colonization of aquatic organisms, including the freshwater golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei), exacerbating global biofouling concerns. While the influence of environmental factors on the mussel's invasion and biofouling impact has been studied, quantitative correlations and underlying mechanisms remain unclear, particularly in large-scale inter-basin water diversion projects with diverse hydrodynamic and environmental conditions. Here, we examine the comprehensive impact of environmental variables on the establishment risk of the golden mussel in China's 1432-km-long Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Logistic regression and multiclass classification models were used to investigate the environmental influence on the occurrence probability and reproductive density of the golden mussel. Total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, water temperature, pH, and velocity were identified as crucial environmental variables affecting the biofouling risk in the project. Logistic regression analysis revealed a negative correlation between the occurrence probability of all larval stages and levels of total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen. The multiclass classification model showed that elevated levels of total nitrogen hindered mussel reproduction, while optimal water temperature enhanced their reproductive capacity. Appropriate velocity and pH levels were crucial in maintaining moderate larval density. This research presents a quantitative analytical framework for assessing establishment risks associated with invasive mussels, and the framework is expected to enhance invasion management and mitigate biofouling issues in water diversion projects worldwide.

Inflammatory chemokines are a group of G-protein receptor ligands characterized by conserved cysteine residues, which can be divided into four main subfamilies: CC, CXC, XC, and CX3C. The C-X-C chemokine receptor (CXCR) 3 and its ligands, C-X-C chemokine ligands (CXCLs), are widely expressed in both the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS). This comprehensive literature review aims to examine the functions and pathways of CXCR3 and its ligands in nervous system-related diseases. In summary, while the related pathways and the expression levels of CXCR3 and its ligands are varied among different cells in PNS and CNS, the MPAK pathway is the core via which CXCR3 exerts physiological functions. It is not only the core pathway of CXCR3 after activation but also participates in the expression of CXCR3 ligands in the nervous system. In addition, despite CXCR3 being a common inflammatory chemokine receptor, there is no consensus on its precise roles in various diseases. This uncertainty may be attributable to distinct inflammatory characteristics, that inflammation simultaneously possesses the dual properties of damage induction and repair facilitation.

Nafion membrane possesses good ionic conductivity and excellent mechanical stability, which can be used as electrolyte and separator of flexible supercapacitor. However, due to its solid-state structure, it is difficult for the Nafion membrane to permeate in solid-state electrode, which reduces electrochemical surface area, and increases interface resistance. The electrode materials need to be carefully designed to solve the above issues. In this study, Nafion doped polyaniline/graphene oxide composites were designed and synthesized as electrode materials to fabricate flexible supercapacitors based on Nafion membrane. The polyaniline utilization rate and the electrochemical surface area are improved by Nafion doping. In addition, the electrostatic interaction between polyaniline and Nafion can reduce the interface resistance. Graphene oxide can enhance the polyaniline electrochemical stability. The specific capacitances of flexible supercapacitor are 309 and 300F g−1 under flat and bent conditions (at 1 A/g), respectively, which are the maximum values among reported Nafion membrane-based supercapacitors. After 1000 cycles, the capacitance retention rate of supercapacitor with Nafion membrane is 87.2%, which is higher than that with H2SO4 electrolyte (83.0%). Therefore, the Nafion membrane-based flexible supercapacitor has widespread applications in electronic products because of its high performance and good cycling stability.

Study region: Twenty-six glaciated basins on the Interior Plateau (56° N, 125° W) in British Columbia, Canada. Study focus: Landscape and streamflow characteristics in glaciated basins show high spatiotemporal variability, while the linkages among runoff characteristics, landscapes, and glacial history remain unclear. We compiled a 10-year dataset of daily climate and streamflow observations, and 54 landscape attributes for 26 glaciated basins to explore the relationship between landscape, streamflow and glacial history. A Hierarchical Multiple Factor Analysis was performed to analyze landscapes. The hydrological signatures were selected to describe streamflow characteristics. A correlation analysis and machine learning models were used to explore the relationships between the glacial legacy and streamflow variation. New hydrological insights for the region: (1) The landscape is well-structured. The principal components of PC1 and PC2 explain 44% of the total landscape variance, PC1 representing basins with steep, high-relief terrain and alpine glaciation and PC2 representing large, elongated basins with moraine and glacial lakes; (2) The landscape heterogeneity has a key role in accurate streamflow predictions. Most hydrological signatures are controlled by landscape components PC1 and PC2 and can be well predicted by Random Forest using landscape features as inputs. (3) Alpine glaciation results in rapid runoff generation and variable flow regime in mountains, while valley glaciation leads to smooth hydrographs with large baseflows and mild and infrequent extreme flow events in plateaus.

BackgroundParkinson’s disease (PD) is often accompanied by cognitive dysfunction, which imposes a heavy burden on patients, their families, and society. Early identification and intervention are particularly important, but reliable biomarkers for identifying PD-related cognitive impairment at an early stage are currently lacking. Although numerous clinical studies have investigated the association between brain white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and cognitive decline, the findings regarding the relationships between WMH and cognitive dysfunction in PD patients have been inconsistent. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a meta-analysis of the effect of WMH on PD cognitive function.MethodsThis study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. We systematically searched relevant literature from databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CNKI, and CBM. The retrieval time was limited to database records created up until December 31, 2022. Additionally, we manually retrieved references for full-text reading. Statistical data analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 15.0 software.ResultsThis study encompassed 23 individual studies and involved 2,429 patients with PD. The group of PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) exhibited a significantly higher overall level of WMH than the group of PD with normal cognitive function (PD-NC) (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.21–0.52, p

A new study reconstructs eight-century streamflow over the South and East Tibetan Plateau, showing that observations underestimate the full range of long-term streamflow variability and revealing contrasting regional variability in streamflow between south and north study regions.

Dams constructed on fine-grained rivers cause an increase in flow resistance downstream, thereby amplifying, rather than reducing, flood stage.

Stress granules (SGs) are distinct RNA granules induced by various stresses, which are evolutionarily conserved across species. In general, SGs act as a conservative and essential self-protection mechanism during stress responses. Viruses have a long evolutionary history and viral infections can trigger a series of cellular stress responses, which may interact with SG formation. Targeting SGs is believed as one of the critical and conservative measures for viruses to tackle the inhibition of host cells. In this systematic review, we have summarized the role of SGs in viral infection and categorized their relationships into three tables, with a particular focus on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Moreover, we have outlined several kinds of drugs targeting SGs according to different pathways, most of which are potentially effective against SARS-CoV-2. We believe this review would offer a new view for the researchers and clinicians to attempt to develop more efficacious treatments for virus infection, particularly for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Composites with high out-plane thermal conductivity (TC) and great insulation are essential for thermal management in electronic devices. Herein, a transposable, highly thermal conductive silicone rubber (SR)/boron nitride (BN) composite was fabricated by multi-layer stacked hot pressing, in which the orientation of BN was enhanced based on rheological characterizations. Then the pre-pressed films were stacked under 180 °C to get a full-cured and thick composite. The enhanced orientation of BN and the excellent heat transfer capability of the composites were well verified by SEM, XRD, 2D WAXS, finite element analysis (FEA) and infrared thermography, which resulted in a wonderful thermal pathway and low interfacial thermal resistance. The TC of the composite reached 22.08 W/(m·K), and the high in-plane TC could be converted to high out-plane TC after simple vertically cut due to the flexibility and large thickness of composite. Meanwhile, for the first time, the excellent heat transfer capability of the composite was quantitatively characterized by the characteristic temperature rise time constant (τg). The rheological control was an efficient and potential strategy to get highly thermal conductive composites.

Mussel colonization can affect the water quality through restructuring nearby bacterial communities. In this study, we conducted an experiment to detect the bacterial alteration associated with live and dead golden mussel colonies, and used a high-throughput sequencing method based on 16S rRNA genes to reveal the changes in bacterial communities. It is revealed that these bacterial assemblages consumed nutrients and/or tissues of the mussels and produced metabolites, resulting in poor water quality and low bacterial alpha-diversities, particularly in dead mussel groups. The dissimilarity of bacterial community among the live and dead mussel groups was more significant than that among the different initial water qualities, indicating that mussel colonization and living status dominates the bacterial community. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that the bacterial community associated with live mussel colonies exhibited more intensive interactions compared to that associated with dead ones. Furthermore, phenotype prediction indicated that mussel colonies, especially the dead mussel colonies, promoted the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism were dominant pathways relevant to metabolism, leading to off-odors and the production of toxic compounds. The effect of these processes on water quality suggests that mussels that might be killed in water diversion projects should be removed promptly to avoid impacts on water quality.

The suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family contains eight members, including SOCS1–7 and CIS, and SOCS3 has been shown to inhibit cytokine signal transduction in various signaling pathways. Although several studies have currently shown the correlations between SOCS3 and several types of cancer, no pan-cancer analysis is available to date. We used various computational tools to explore the expression and pathogenic roles of SOCS3 in several types of cancer, assessing its potential role in the pathogenesis of cancer, in tumor immune infiltration, tumor progression, immune evasion, therapeutic response, and prognostic. The results showed that SOCS3 was downregulated in most The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cancer datasets but was highly expressed in brain tumors, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, and lymphoma. High SOCS3 expression in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and brain lower-grade glioma (LGG) were verified through immunohistochemical experiments. GEPIA and Kaplan–Meier Plotter were used, and this bioinformatics analysis showed that high SOCS3 expression was associated with a poor prognosis in the majority of cancers, including LGG and GBM. Our analysis also indicated that SOCS3 may be involved in tumor immune evasion via immune cell infiltration or T-cell exclusion across different types of cancer. In addition, SOCS3 methylation was negatively correlated with mRNA expression levels, worse prognoses, and dysfunctional T-cell phenotypes in various types of cancer. Next, different analytical methods were used to select genes related to SOCS3 gene alterations and carcinogenic characteristics, such as STAT3, SNAI1, NFKBIA, BCL10, TK1, PGS1, BIRC5, TMC8, and AFMID, and several biological functions were identified between them. We found that SOCS3 was involved in cancer development primarily through the JAK/STAT signaling pathway and cytokine receptor activity. Furthermore, SOCS3 expression levels were associated with immunotherapy or chemotherapy for numerous types of cancer. In conclusion, this study showed that SOCS3 is an immune-oncogenic molecule that may possess value as a biomarker for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of several types of cancer in the future.

ABSTRACT Background: At present, the etiology and pathogenesis of Moyamoya disease (MMD) are not completely clear. Patients are usually diagnosed after cerebrovascular events. Therefore, it is of great clinical significance to explore the predictive factors of MMD. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the serum level of CoQ10B, the amount of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), and mitochondrial function of EPCs in MMD patients. Methods: Forty-one MMD patients and 20 healthy controls were recruited in this study. Patients with MMD were divided into two groups: Ischemic type (n=23) and hemorrhagic type (n=18). Blood samples were collected from the antecubital vein and analyzed by CoQ10B ELISA and flow cytometry. Measures of mitochondrial function of EPCs include oxygen consumption rate (OCR), mitochondrial membrane potential, Ca2+ concentration, adenosine triphosphatases activity and ROS level. Results: The serum CoQ10B level in MMD patients was significantly lower than that in healthy controls (p

The cell-fate transition between pluripotent and totipotent states determines embryonic development and the first cell-lineage segregation. However, limited by the scarcity of totipotent embryos, regulators on this transition remain largely elusive. A novel model to study the transition has been recently established, named the 2-cell-like (2C-like) model. The 2C-like cells are rare totipotent-like cells in the mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) culture. Pluripotent mESCs can spontaneously transit into and out of the 2C-like state. We previously dissected the transcriptional roadmap of the transition. In this study, we revealed that Zfp281 is a novel regulator for the pluripotent-to-totipotent transition in mESCs. Zfp281 is a transcriptional factor involved in the cell-fate transition. Our study shows that Zfp281 represses transcripts upregulated during the 2C-like transition via Tet1 and consequentially inhibits mESCs from transiting into the 2C-like state. Interestingly, we found that the inhibitory effect of Zfp281 on the 2C-like transition leads to an impaired 2C-like-transition ability in primed-state mESCs. Altogether, our study reveals a novel mediator for the pluripotent-to-totipotent state transition in mESCs and provides insights into the dynamic transcriptional control of the transition.

Study region: The Huangfuchuan Basin on the Loess Plateau, China. Study focus: Runoff and the sediment load of the Yellow River in China have received substantial attention owing to their marked declines over recent decades. Climate change and intensive anthropogenic activities—soil and water conservation measures on the Loess Plateau—are regarded as the main factors responsible for the dramatic declines. Thus, attribution analysis on the roles of such influencing factors is important for the sustainable management. In this study, annual-scale variations of runoff and sediment load of a typical watershed undergoing intensive change were simulated using three regression algorithms. The impacts of climate change, namely precipitation and temperature, and anthropogenic activities, namely channel measures (check dam construction) and slope measures (terracing, afforestation, grass planting, and closures), on runoff and sediment load variations were quantified continuously for the period 1954–2015. New hydrological insights for the region: Results indicated that the main climate change factor was precipitation reduction, which was attributed to 35% and 34% of runoff reduction and sediment load reduction, respectively. Channel measures caused 32% and 39% of runoff reduction and sediment load reduction, respectively, whereas slope measures caused 33% and 27% of runoff reduction and sediment load reduction, respectively. We recommend that further implications of soil and water conservation measures be studied carefully on the Loess Plateau.

Introduction: Pyroptosis was recently implicated in the initiation and progression of tumors, including glioblastoma (GBM). This study aimed to explore the clinical significance of pyroptosis-related lncRNAs (PRLs) in GBM.Methods: Three independent cohorts were retrieved from the TCGA and CGGA databases. The consensus clustering and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) were applied to identify PRLs. The LASSO algorithm was employed to develop and validate a pyroptosis-related lncRNA signature (PRLS) in three independent cohorts. The molecular characteristics, clinical significances, tumor microenvironment, immune checkpoints profiles, and benefits of chemotherapy and immunotherapy regarding to PRLS were also explored.Results: In the WGCNA framework, a key module that highly correlated with pyroptosis was extracted for identifying PRLs. Univariate Cox analysis further revealed the associations between PRLs and overall survival. Based on the expression profiles of PRLs, the PRLS was initially developed in TCGA cohort (n = 143) and then validated in two CGGA cohorts (n = 374). Multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that our PRLS model was an independent risk factor. More importantly, this signature displayed a stable and accurate performance in predicting prognosis at 1, 3, and 5 years, with all AUCs above 0.7. The decision curve analysis also indicated that our signature had promising clinical application. In addition, patients with high PRLS score suggested a more abundant immune infiltration, higher expression of immune checkpoint genes, and better response to immunotherapy but worse to chemotherapy.Conclusion: A novel pyroptosis-related lncRNA signature with a robust performance was constructed and validated in multiple cohorts. This signature provided new perspectives for clinical management and precise treatments of GBM.

Outburst floods released by failing barrier dams are likely to be catastrophic, posing high risk to downstream areas. However, emergent forecasting of the breaching process is still challenging due to the complex mechanisms as well as the lack of adequate data. During October and November 2018, four tremendous barrier lakes formed and breached on the Jinsha River and the Yarlung Zangbo River, China. In this paper, we present numerical simulations for three of these events (October 17 and October 29 at Jiala Village, Yarlung Zangbo; November 3 at Baige Village, Jinsha River), and investigate what factors control the magnitude and shape of the hydrograph of the outburst flood. A physically-based dam-breach model was established for the prediction. We first specified the model parameters based on the aerial images, DEM data and hydrological measurements during the emergency treatment. With these parameters, the model can successfully predict the breaching process of the two barrier dams in the Yarlung Zangpo, but underpredict the peak discharge of the outburst flood in the Jinsha River. The outburst flood in the Jinsha River, however, can be well-reproduced with refined information on dam height and grain size distribution. Moreover, both field data and our numerical simulation showed that the magnitude and shape of the outburst flood hydrograph can be affected by the dam morphology and the composition of dam material. Two patterns of outburst flood hydrographs with different symmetry characteristics were identified using statistical analysis. The approximately symmetrical breach hydrograph of the “November 3” Baige barrier lake could be partly attributed to the relatively fine grain size distribution of the dam material.

The shaft friction in clay is essential to bearing capacity of pipe piles. Reasonable selection of design methods and parameters is very important for offshore piles. This paper focuses on the current popular vertical load design methods based on undrained strength for pipe piles, especially for offshore piles. Based on the database, the accuracy and reliability of various pile design methods based on undrained strength su in clay were reviewed. The small-scale model tests were conducted to evaluate su-based methods. For the shortcomings of small-diameter piles in the database, a field test of full-scale offshore pile was carried out and analysed. By comparing the calculated and the measured capacity for each method, the reliability of various design methods is evaluated for large-diameter piles. For the design methods based on undrained strength, it demonstrates the importance and reliability of the determination of undrained strength parameters. In view of the vertical loading conditions of offshore large-diameter steel pipe piles, reasonable suggestions for design methods and parameters determination are given.

The extraction of high-resolution geomorphic information from remote sensing images is a key technology for supporting mountain river research. Extracting small rivers (width < 90 m) from complex backgrounds based on satellite images remains a challenging issue. In this research, we propose an improved random forest (RF) algorithm, RF-ANN (artificial neural network), by using neural networks and thermal infrared data for the extraction of river surfaces. We also develop an automated river width extraction (ARWE) method based on the central axis transformation algorithm and centerline automatic correction algorithm for the automatic extraction of the river widths across the whole basin. We chose the Huangfuchuan River Basin on the Loess Plateau, China, as a case study area. Chinese GF-1 and ZY-3 satellite images were implemented as the primary data source. We extracted the bankfull river surface and river widths of the Huangfuchuan River by using these two improved methods. The results show that the RF-ANN method has a total river surface extraction accuracy of 94.7%, and the extracted river surfaces cover more than 85% of the order 3 DEM river network. By implementing high-resolution DEM and thermal infrared data, RF-ANN effectively eliminates the disturbance of shadows of mountains and other features, which ensures the high accuracy of the extracted widths. It was verified that the maximum and minimum river widths that can be extracted in the Huangfuchuan River Basin are 297.4 m and 6.1 m, respectively. The overall error of river width extraction is 0.97 m, which is less than half of the pixel length of remote sensing images. The R2 and root mean square error (RMSE) of the estimated river width values are 0.99 and 1.49, respectively. For tiny rivers with widths narrower than 10 m, the error of river width extraction is 10.9%. The error of thin rivers whose widths range from 10 to 30 m is 4.9%. For small rivers ranging from 30 to 90 and rivers wider than 90 m, the error is 1.1% and 0.6%, respectively. The new approach provides an effective method for extracting the surface and width of mountain rivers in topographically complex regions by using high-resolution satellite images, which may provide a database for estimating river carbon emissions and related research in fluvial morphology and water resource management.

With the use of the particle flow code in two dimensions, a fractal model is established with the number of particles of different particle fractions used as the statistics to study the fractal characteristics of particle size distribution. Numerically simulated specimens obtained by four scale methods are subjected to the relative density test and the biaxial compression test to explore the influences of fractal dimension D on the macroscopic and mesomechanical properties of specimens, as well as to study the relationship between fractal dimension D and different mechanical performance indexes. Results show that the particle size distribution of each of the four groups after scale exhibits fractal characteristics, with the fractal dimension D ranging from 1.27 to 2.03. The number of fine particles in the specimen increases with the fractal dimension D, the particle aggregates become more compact, the macroscopic mechanical properties of the specimens are improved, and a linear relationship exists between the fractal dimension D and different mechanical performance indexes. A large fractal dimension D corresponds to a great mesoparticle coordination number.

The main purpose of this study was to establish a data-driven approach and assess its potential for shallow landslide susceptibility mapping of the Shennongjia Forestry District, China. For the data processing, Fisher segmenting was used for the classification of topographical factors (gradient, relief amplitude, plan curvature, and normalized difference vegetation index) and the improved Otsu method was used to determine the buffer length thresholds of the locational factors (proximity to roads, rivers and faults). The computations show that these two objective methods help to avoid the uncertainty caused by the subjective judgments and the obtained thresholds are more consistent with actual conditions. Considering the different data types, the locational and topographical factors were evaluated by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation while the geological factors were evaluated by frequency index, and then the three separate evaluations were combined using radar chart analysis. The validation result shows that the susceptibility map based on a data-driven approach has a high accuracy of prediction and this approach will be salutary for risk mitigation and land-use management in mountainous regions.

The cracks are likely to initiate on a lateral loaded pile and would cause greater deflection at the pile head. However, there is a lack of thorough investigation into the effect of cracking on the response of the lateral loaded pile. In this article, a full-scale field test was carried out to investigate the behavior of Drilled and Postgrouted Concrete Pipe Pile under lateral loads. A novel analysis method for the lateral loaded pile, which can take the cracking effects into consideration, was proposed, and the validity was verified by the test results. With the proposed method, the cracking effects on flexural rigidity, displacement, rotation, and bending moment of the pile were studied. In brief, cracking effect would dramatically reduce the flexural rigidity of the pile, remarkable increase the displacement and rotation of the pile top, and slightly decrease bending moment of the pile. Unambiguously, the results show that the proposed method can excellently predict the response of laterally loaded piles under cracking effects.

Summary: Hair plays important roles, ranging from the conservation of body heat to the preservation of psychological well-being. Hair loss or alopecia affects millions worldwide, but methods that can be used to regrow hair are lacking. We report that quiescent (telogen) hair follicles can be stimulated to initiate anagen and hair growth by small molecules that activate autophagy, including the metabolites α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) and α-ketobutyrate (α-KB), and the prescription drugs rapamycin and metformin, which impinge on mTOR and AMPK signaling. Stimulation of hair growth by these agents is blocked by specific autophagy inhibitors, suggesting a mechanistic link between autophagy and hair regeneration. Consistently, increased autophagy is detected upon anagen entry during the natural hair follicle cycle, and oral α-KB prevents hair loss in aged mice. Our finding that anagen can be pharmacologically activated in telogen skin when natural anagen-inducing signal(s) are absent has implications for the treatment of hair loss patients. : Hair regeneration requires reactivating dormant hair follicle stem cells. Chai et al. discover that pharmacological induction of autophagy is sufficient to activate quiescent telogen hair follicles, initiating new anagen hair growth. Hair loss resulting from shortened anagen, lengthened telogen, and/or impeded anagen induction may thereby be rescued by activating autophagy. Keywords: autophagy, metabolite, hair loss, hair regeneration, α-ketoglutarate, α-ketobutyrate, rapamycin, metformin, mTOR, AMPK

Objective We aimed to compare the therapeutic effects of stereotactic aspiration and best medical management in patients who developed supratentorial hypertensive intracerebral haemorrhage (HICH) with a volume of haemorrhage between 20 and 40 mL.Methods The clinical data of 220 patients with supratentorial HICH with a volume between 20 and 40 mL were retrospectively analysed. Among them, 142 received stereotactic aspiration surgery (stereotactic aspiration group) and 78 received best medical management (conservative group). All were followed up for 6 months. Multivariate logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to compare the outcome between the two groups.Results The rebleeding rate was lower in the group that had stereotactic aspiration when compared with the group with medical treatment (6 [4.2%] vs 9 [11.5%], χ2=4.364, p=0.037). After 6 months, although the mortality rate did not differ significantly between the two groups (8 cases [5.6%] vs 10 cases [12.8%], χ2=3.461, p=0.063), the rate of a favourable outcome was higher in the group who received stereotactic aspiration (χ2=15.870, p=0.000). Logistic regression identified that medical treatment (OR=1.64, p=0.000) was an independent risk factor for an unfavourable outcome. The Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that the median favourable outcome time in the stereotactic aspiration group was 59.5 days compared with that in the medically treated group (87.0 days). The log-rank test indicated that the prognosis at 6 months was better for those treated with stereotactic haematoma aspiration (χ2=29.866, p=0.000). However, the 6-month survival rate was similar between the two groups (χ2=3.253, p=0.068).Conclusions Stereotactic haematoma aspiration significantly improved the quality of life, although did not effectively reduce the rate of mortality. When selected appropriately, patients with HICH may benefit from this type of surgical intervention.

How to determine reasonable position and length of anchor cable is a frequently encountered but not well addressed problem in slope reinforcement projects. In this paper, the variable-modulus elastoplastic strength reduction method (SRM) is used to obtain the stress field, displacement field, and factor of safety of slope. Slope reinforcement using anchor cables is modeled by surface loading, i.e. different distributions of surface loading represent various reinforcement schemes. Optimal reinforcement scheme of anchor cables can be determined based on slope stress and displacement fields. By comparing the factor of safety and stress field before and after slope reinforcement, it is found that better reinforcement results can be achieved if strong reinforcement is applied upon the regions with high stress and large displacement. This method can well optimize the arrangement of anchor cables. In addition, several cases are employed to verify the proposed method.

Effective utilization of scarce water resources has presented a significant challenge to respond to the needs created by rapid economic growth in China. In this study, the efficiency of the joint operation of the Three Gorges and Gezhouba cascade hydropower plants in terms of power generation was evaluated on the basis of a precise simulation-optimization technique. The joint operation conditions of the Three Gorges and Gezhouba hydropower plants between 2004 and 2010 were utilized in this research in order to investigate the major factors that could affect power output of the cascade complex. The results showed that the current power output of the Three Gorges and Gezhouba cascade complex had already reached around 90% of the maximum theoretical value. Compared to other influencing factors evaluated in this study, the accuracy of hydrological forecasts and flood control levels can have significant impact on the power generating efficiency, whereas the navigation has a minor influence. This research provides a solid quantitative-based methodology to assess the operation efficiency of cascade hydropower plants, and more importantly, proposes potential methods that could improve the operation efficiency of cascade hydropower plants.

A detailed manufacturing procedure of a synthetic soft rock is presented, as well as its applications on the laboratory experiments of socketed piles. With the homogeneity and isotropy of the simulated soft rock, the influence of different variables on the bearing performance could be investigated independently. The constituents, cement, gypsum powder, river sand, concrete-hardening accelerator, and water, were mixed to form the specimens. Both uniaxial and triaxial compressive tests were conducted to investigate the stress-strain behavior of the simulated soft rock. Additionally, the simulated soft rock specimens were used in model pile tests and simple shear tests of the pile-rock interface. Results of the simulated soft rock in both the uniaxial and triaxial compressive tests are consistent with those of natural soft rocks. The concrete-hardening accelerator added to the mixtures improves the efficiency in laboratory investigations of soft rock specimens with a curing time of 7 days. The similarities between the laboratory tests and the field observations provide convincing evidence to support its suitability in modeling the behavior of soft rocks.

Rainfall stations of a certain number and spatial distribution supply sampling records of rainfall processes in a river basin. Uncertainty may be introduced when the station records are spatially interpolated for the purpose of hydrological simulations. This study adopts a bootstrap method to quantitatively estimate the uncertainty of areal rainfall estimates and its effects on hydrological simulations. The observed rainfall records are first analyzed using clustering and correlation methods and possible average basin rainfall amounts are calculated with a bootstrap method using various combinations of rainfall station subsets. Then, the uncertainty of simulated runoff, which is propagated through a hydrological model from the spatial uncertainty of rainfall estimates, is analyzed with the bootstrapped rainfall inputs. By comparing the uncertainties of rainfall and runoff, the responses of the hydrological simulation to the rainfall spatial uncertainty are discussed. Analyses are primarily performed for three rainfall events in the upstream of the Qingjian River basin, a sub-basin of the middle Yellow River; moreover, one rainfall event in the Longxi River basin is selected for the analysis of the areal representation of rainfall stations. Using the Digital Yellow River Integrated Model, the results show that the uncertainty of rainfall estimates derived from rainfall station network has a direct influence on model simulation, which can be conducive to better understand of rainfall spatial characteristic. The proposed method can be a guide to quantify an approximate range of simulated error caused by the spatial uncertainty of rainfall input and the quantified relationship between rainfall input and simulation performance can provide useful information about rainfall station network management in river basins.

Diabetes is the most common and complex metabolic disorder, and one of the most important health threats now. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs that have been suggested to play a vital role in a variety of physiological processes, including glucose homeostasis. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-185 in diabetes. MiR-185 was significantly downregulated in diabetic patients and mice, and the low level was correlated to blood glucose concentration. Overexpression of miR-185 enhanced insulin secretion of pancreatic β-cells, promoted cell proliferation and protected cells from apoptosis. Further experiments using in silico prediction, luciferase reporter assay and western blot assay demonstrated that miR-185 directly targeted SOCS3 by binding to its 3'-UTR. On the contrary to miR-185's protective effects, SOCS3 significantly suppressed functions of β-cell and inactivated Stat3 pathway. When treating cells with miR-185 mimics in combination with SOCS3 overexpression plasmid, the inhibitory effects of SOCS3 were reversed. While combined treatment of miR-185 mimics and SOCS3 siRNA induced synergistically promotive effects compared to either miR-185 mimics or SOCS3 siRNA treatment alone. Moreover, we observed that miR-185 level was inversely correlated with SOCS3 expression in diabetes patients. In conclusion, this study revealed a functional and mechanistic link between miR-185 and SOCS3 in the pathogenesis of diabetes. MiR-185 plays an important role in the regulation of insulin secretion and β-cell growth in diabetes. Restoration of miR-185 expression may serve a potentially promising and efficient therapeutic approach for diabetes.

A landslide susceptibility map plays an essential role in urban and rural planning. The main purpose of this study is to establish a variable-weighted linear combination model (VWLC) and assess its potential for landslide susceptibility mapping. Firstly, different objective methods are employed for data processing rather than the frequently-used subjective judgments: K-means clustering is used for classification; binarization is introduced to determine buffer length thresholds for locational elements (road, river, and fault); landslide area density is adopted as the contribution index; and a correlation analysis is conducted for suitable factor selection. Secondly, considering the dimension changes of the preference matrix varying with the different locations of the mapping cells, the variable weights of each optimal factor are determined based on the improved analytic hierarchy process (AHP). On this basis, the VWLC model is established and applied to regional landslide susceptibility mapping for the Shennongjia Forestry District, China, where shallow landslides frequently occur. The obtained map is then compared with a map using the traditional WLC, and the results of the comparison show that VWLC is more reasonable, with a higher accuracy, and can be used anywhere that has the same or similar geological and topographical conditions.

We present a conceptual model for simulating the temporal adjustments in the banks of the Lower Yellow River (LYR). Basic conservation equations for mass, friction, and sediment transport capacity and the Exner equation were adopted to simulate the hydrodynamics underlying fluvial processes. The relationship between changing rates in bankfull width and depth, derived from quasiuniversal hydraulic geometries, was used as a closure for the hydrodynamic equations. On inputting the daily flow discharge and sediment load, the conceptual model successfully simulated the 30-year adjustments in the bankfull geometries of typical reaches of the LYR. The square of the correlating coefficient reached 0.74 for Huayuankou Station in the multiple-thread reach and exceeded 0.90 for Lijin Station in the meandering reach. This proposed model allows multiple dependent variables and the input of daily hydrological data for long-term simulations. This links the hydrodynamic and geomorphic processes in a fluvial river and has potential applicability to fluvial rivers undergoing significant adjustments.

In rivers, the addition of finer sediment to a coarser riverbed is known to increase the mobility of the coarser fraction. Two mechanisms have been suggested for this: a geometric mechanism whereby smaller sizes smooth the bed, increasing near-bed velocity and thus mobility of the larger sizes, and a viscous mechanism whereby a transitionally smooth turbulent boundary layer forms, rendering the coarser grains more mobile. Here, we report on experiments using two sediment mixtures to better understand these proposed mechanisms. In Mixture 1, we used 0.5 and 5 mm grains, and in Mixture 2, we used 2 and 20 mm grains. If the entrainment of coarse gravel by finer sediment is a purely geometric effect, then the addition of finer material should produce the same effect on the mobility of the coarser material for both mixtures because they have the same size ratio. We show that addition of finer material has a different effect on the two mixtures. We observed an increase in the mobility of the coarse fraction for both mixtures, but the increase in coarse fraction mobility for Mixture 1 was almost twice that for Mixture 2. Our experiments show that in addition to the geometric effect, enhancement of coarse gravel transport by finer sediment is also driven by a viscous effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]