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The surrounding rock is divided into the elastic zone and the plastic zone according to the motion and deformation characteristics of the medium in rock blasting. The vibration caused by the cylindrical charge blasting is outlined on the basis of previous research concerning the blasting elastic-plastic theory. Meanwhile, a superposition model is used to calculate the vibration of cylindrical charge blasting on the premise of considering the influence of detonation velocity, the number of drug columns, and the time delay between holes. The analysis results show that the blasting causes the uneven spatial distribution of vibration, containing both strong and weak directions. The velocity of the vibration along weak directions decreases slowly with the increase of distance. But generally, the velocity along weak directions is faster. The vibration distribution of a cylindrical charge is closely related to the detonator location. Furthermore, more vibration distributes towards the forward direction of the detonation wave.

To compare the damage zones of spherical and cylindrical charges in rock and soil, a quasistatic spherical model was established to predict the characteristic dimension of the cavity. The results indicated that the damage zones of cylindrical charges were larger than those of spherical charges. Furthermore, the cavity development of two charges with different shapes was obtained by numerical simulation, and a comparison of the prediction results between the quasistatic model and numerical simulation was made. The comparison showed that the model could predict the damage zones exactly and faster than numerical simulation. Ultimately, the influence of explosions and soil media was discussed by the quasistatic model. It was observed that larger damage zones were generated by smaller values of the product of pressure and exponential expansion. However, the influence of soil media was complex, and larger damage zones were usually generated by the harder soil media.

To reveal the characteristics and laws of the seismic wavefield amplitude-frequency excited by explosive source, the method for computing the seismic wave spectrum excited by explosive was studied in this paper. The model for calculating the seismic wave spectrum excited by explosive source was acquired by taking the seismic source model of spherical cavity as the basis. The results of using this model show that the main frequency and the bandwidth of the seismic waves caused by the explosion are influenced by the initial detonation pressure, the adiabatic expansion of the explosive, and the geotechnical parameters, which increase with the reduction of initial detonation pressure and the increase of the adiabatic expansion. The main frequency and the bandwidth of the seismic waves formed by the detonation of the explosives in the silt clay increase by 23.2% and 13.6% compared to those exploded in the silt. The research shows that the theoretical model built up in this study can describe the characteristics of the seismic wave spectrum excited by explosive in a comparatively accurate way.

The amplitude-frequency characteristics of seismic wave field excited by an explosive source can directly affect the accuracy of seismic prospecting. To reveal the laws by which the horizontally distributed charge excites the amplitude-frequency characteristics, a method to calculate seismic wave field excited by horizontally distributed charge was studied in this paper. By taking the spherical cavity source model as the basis, the superposition method was applied to obtain the approach of calculating seismic wave field excited by horizontally distributed charge. Compared with numerical simulation, the error of this method was controlled under 7%. As a matter of fact, the distributive charge can effectively reduce the impact on ground vibration and increase the downward seismic wave energy. The charges that are horizontally distributed with 1 m interval can enhance the seismic wave resolution excited by explosive source. The research shows that the established theoretical model can correctly describe the amplitude-frequency characteristics of the seismic wave field excited by horizontally distributed charges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Estrogen is reported to promote the occurrence and development of several human cancers. Increasing evidence shows that most human lung tumors exert estrogen receptor expression. In the present study, we investigated the underlying mechanism of estrogen effect in lung cancer through estrogen receptor-epithelial--mesechymal-transition signaling pathways for the first time. Materials and methods: A total of 36 inbred C57BL/6 mice (18 male and 18 female) were injected subcutaneously with human lung adenocarcinoma cell line, Lewis. After the lung tumor model was established, mice with lung adenocarcinoma were randomly divided into three groups for each sex (n=6), such as vehicle group, estrogen group, and estrogen plus tamoxifen group. The six groups of mice were sacrificed after 21 days of drug treatment. Tumor tissue was stripped and weighed, and tumor inhibition rate was calculated based on average tumor weight. Protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of estrogen receptor α (ERα), estrogen receptor β (ERβ), phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K), AKT, E-cadherin, and vimentin were detected in both tumor tissue and lung tissue by using immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results: 1) For male mice: in the estrogen group, estrogen treatment significantly increased ERα protein and mRNA expressions in tumor tissue and protein expression of PI3K, AKT, and vimentin in both tumor tissue and lung tissue compared with the vehicle-treated group. Besides, mRNA expression of E-cadherin was significantly reduced in estrogen-treated tumor tissues than that in vehicle-treated tissues. In the estrogen plus tamoxifen group, protein and mRNA expressions of ERα and AKT were dramatically reduced by tamoxifen treatment in tumor tissue compared with the estrogen group; mRNA expression of E-cadherin was increased in tumor tissue; protein expression of vimentin and PI3K were downregulated in tumor tissue; protein expression of E-cadherin increased in lung tissue; protein expression of ERα and PI3K were downregulated in lung tissue compared with the estrogen group. 2) For female mice: in the estrogen group, estrogen treatment significantly increased mRNA expression of ERβ and PI3K, and protein expression of ERβ, PI3K, AKT, and vimentin in both tumor tissue and lung tissue compared with the vehicle-treated group. mRNA expression of E-cadherin was downregulated in tumor tissue, and mRNA expression of AKT was increased in lung tissues compared with the vehicle-treated group. In the estrogen plus tamoxifen group, tamoxifen treatment dramatically reduced protein expression of ERα, ERβ, AKT, and vimentin but significantly increased protein expression of E-cadherin in tumor tissues and lung tissue compared with the estrogen group. mRNA expression of ERβ, PI3K, and AKT was dramatically reduced by tamoxifen treatment in lung tissues compared with the estrogen group. Conclusion: Estrogen promoted lung adenocarcinoma cell metastasis by inducing lung epithelial mesenchymal cells and reducing intercellular adhesion force through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A seismic wave is essentially an elastic wave, which propagates in the soil medium, with the strength of initial elastic wave being created by an explosion source that has a significant effect on seismic wave energy. In order to explore the explosive energy effect on output characteristics of the elastic wave field, four explosives with different work capacity (i.e., TNT, 8701, composition B and THL) were used to study the effects of elastic wave pressure and rise time of stress wave to the peak value of explosions in soils. All the experimental data was measured under the same geological conditions using a self-designed pressure measuring system. This study was based on the analysis of the initial pressure of elastic waves from the energy output characteristics of the explosives. The results show that this system is feasible for underground pressure tests, and the addition of aluminum powder increases the pressure of elastic waves and energy release of explosions in soils. The explosive used as a seismic energy source in petroleum and gas exploration should have properties of high explosion heat and low volume of explosion gas products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hatching enzyme (HE), synthesized in hatching gland cells (HGCs), plays vital roles in animal hatching. Immunocytochemical techniques employing anti-GST-UVS.2 antiserum, prepared from Xenopus HE and with specificity to brine shrimp HE, were first used to investigate the differentiation and variability of hatching gland cells (HGCs) in the hatching process of embryos of brine shrimp, Artemia salina, in this study. HGCs with immunoreactivity to anti-GST-UVS.2 antiserum were identified, for the first time, in brine shrimp embryos during hatching process. Immunocytochemical staining results showed that, (1) HE-positive immunoreactivity is really specific to Artemia HE, and its appearance and disappearance are closely correlated with the hatching process of Artemia salina. (2) Artemia HGCs, first appeared in embryos 5 hours before hatching and disappeared 4 hours after hatching, were also a transient type of cells, with an existence period of 9 hours. (3) The head portion of Artemia embryo is probably the initial position of HE secretion, and likely to be the main position of HE secretion as well. The detailed process and mechanism need to be studied. (4) The appearance of HGCs is in a synchronous mode from places all over the embryos, and their disappearance is also in a synchronous mode. (5) The number of HGCs increased gradually along with embryo development process and reached a maximum number at hatching. Contrarily, the number of HGCs decreased gradually after hatching, and HGCs disappeared 5 hours after hatching. However, the intensity of HE-positive reaction was almost at the same level at the period of HGCs'presence. (6) Artemia HGCs were distributed throughout the body of embryos at all time during their presence. Therefore, it can concluded that Artemia HGCs, as a transient type of cells, first appeared in embryos 4 hours before hatching and disappeared in embryos 5 hours after hatching, and with distinguished patterns of appearance, disappearance and distribution in embryos. What is the final destiny of Artemia HGCs after hatching? And what is the biological significance of remanet HGCs, still existing until 4 hours after hatching, in fresh-hatched Artemia larvae? Is it possible that the HGCs are involved in larvae yolk digestion? Moreover, what is the molecular mechanism of HGCs' synchronous sudden appearance and disappearance? All these questions remain to be further studied and approved.

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) can highly effectively protect cells and embryos from damages in freezing process by lowering the freezing points of their cytoplasmic matrix and body fluids in a noncolligative manner. Based on their origins and properties, AFPs have been classified into four types, i.e. type I, II, III and IV. Each of them possesses rather distinct characteristics both in structure and composition, although all of them have ability of lowering freezing points of fluids. AFPs' genes have been characterized as members of a multigene family and the levels of their mRNA synthesis vary significantly with seasons. Adsorption-inhibition operating at the ice surface is nowadays a hypothesis widely used to interpret the molecular mechanisms of noncolligative lowering of the freezing point, but the details of the mechanism on how the different types of AFP are adsorbed onto ice remain uncertain. Progresses in research on structures, amino acid compositions, genes, antifreeze mechanisms of the 4 distinct types of AFPs, and the application of the AFPs in cryopreservation of cells and embryos are reviewed here.