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This research aims to assess the influences of the spatial variability of soil parameters on the ground surface and retaining wall deformation induced by braced excavation. A series of anisotropic random fields are generated and used for the finite difference analysis in this paper. A procedure for automating the Monte Carlo simulation is employed to ascertain the influences of coefficient of variation and scale of fluctuation (SOF) of soil stiffness parameters on the excavation-induced responses. In addition, the effects of horizontal SOF and vertical SOF are distinguished in the anisotropic framework. The stochastic results indicate that the presented computational framework is effective in the investigation of excavation-induced deformations. Further probabilistic analyses are performed to evaluate the failure probabilities of surface settlement (SS) and retaining wall deflection (RWD). This study shows the importance of addressing the spatial variability of stiffness parameters for soil and structure problems. A series of modes for SS and RWD are presented with consideration of the effects of weak stiffness regions. The effects of vertical SOF on excavation-induced deformations are larger than those of horizontal SOF. The concept of vertical SOF correlation is proposed to explain that the most scattered result occurs when the vertical SOF is close to the size of the excavation. The research can provide a beneficial reference for advance warning of failure or hazard when performing probabilistic assessment of excavation-induced deformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of first-line antiretroviral therapy in HIV/AIDS patients in Southeast China. A total of 450 eligible patients were selected to initiate first-line antiretroviral therapy from February 2005 through August 2009. During the study period from 2009 through 2013, each subject received clinical and laboratory monitoring for effectiveness, safety and toxicity once every 3 months in the first year, and once every 6 months in the following years. The response to first-line antiretroviral therapy was evaluated through body weight gain and immunological and virological outcomes. During the mean follow-up period of 70.86 ± 28.9 months, the overall mortality was 14.2 %. The mean body weight and CD4 counts increased significantly following antiretroviral therapy as compared to baselines across the follow-up period, and the rate of immunological effectiveness was over 85 % in all subjects at 2 to 5 years of treatment. The rate of inhibition of HIV virus was 87.67 %, 89.32 %, 91.73 %, 92.8 % and 91.63 % across the study period. In addition, significant differences were detected after treatment as compared to baselines, and Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between immunological effectiveness and viral inhibition. Forty-eight percent of the subjects changed antiretroviral drugs once, and 16.22 % twice, and 31 patients switched from first-line to second-line antiretroviral therapy. Long-term antiretroviral therapy remains effective for treatment of HIV/AIDS, resulting in higher mean body weight, effective viral inhibition and a higher CD4 count. Immunological effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy positively correlates with HIV viral inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]