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The Yunmeng Shan metamorphic core complex (MCC) is composed of the lower plate, the upper plate and the detachment zone. The detachment zone consists of ductile shear zone (mylonite zone), chloritized microbreccias zone and the brittle fault plane. The ductile shear zone contains mylonitic rocks, protomylonites, and mylonites. Finite strain measurements of feldspar porphyroclasts from those rocks using the R f/φ method show that the strain intensities increase from mylonitic rocks ( Es=0.66-0.72) to protomylonites ( Es=0.66-0.83), and to mylonites ( Es=0.71-1.2). The strain type is close to flatten strain. Kinematic vorticity estimated by Polar Mohr diagrams suggest that foliations and lineation of mylonite (0.47< W k<0.85) record a bulk simple-dominated general shearing at the initial evolution stage of the Yunmeng Shan MCC's detachment zone; and the extensional crenulation cleavage(ecc) (0.34

The dynamic structure–unbounded foundation interaction plays an important role in the seismic response of structures. The damping solvent extraction (DSE) method put forward by Wolf and Song has a great advantage of simplicity, with no singular integrals to be evaluated, no fundamental solution required and convolution integrals avoided. However, implementation of DSE in the time domain to large-scale engineering problems is associated with enormous difficulties in evaluating interaction forces on the structure–unbounded foundation interface, because the displacement on the corresponding interface is an unknown vector to be found. Three sets of interrelated large algebraic equations have to be solved simultaneously. To overcome these difficulties, an efficient algorithm is presented, such that the solution procedure can be greatly simplified and computational effort considerably saved. To verify its accuracy, two examples with analytical solutions were investigated, each with a parameter analysis on the domain size and amount of artificial damping. Then with the parameters suggested in the parameter study, the complex frequency–response functions and earthquake time history analysis of Morrow Point dam were presented to demonstrate the applicability and efficiency of DSE approach. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrombospondin-4 (TSP-4) expression increases dramatically in hypertrophic and failing hearts in rodent models and in humans. The aim of this study was to address the function of TSP-4 in the heart. TSP-4-knockout (Thbs4-/-) and wild-type (WT) mice were subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC) to increase left ventricle load. After 2 wk, Thbs4-/- mice had a significantly higher heart weight/body weight ratio than WT mice. The additional increase in the heart weight in TAC Thbs4-/- mice was due to increased deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). The levels of interstitial collagens were higher in the knockout mice, but the size of cardiomyocytes and apoptosis in the myocardium was unaffected by TSP-4 deficiency, suggesting that increased reactive fibrosis was the primary cause of the higher heart weight. The increased ECM deposition in Thbs4-/- mice was accompanied by changes in functional parameters of the heart and decreased vessel density. The expression of inflammatory and fibrotic genes known to be influential in myocardial remodeling changed as a result of TSP-4 deficiency in vivo and as a result of incubation of cells with recombinant TSP-4 in vitro. Thus, TSP-4 is involved in regulating the adaptive responses of the heart to pressure overload, suggesting its important role in myocardial remodeling. Our study showed a direct influence of TSP-4 on heart function and to identify the mechanism of its effects on heart remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]