Search

Objective To investigate the role of curcumin in the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN) by inhibiting the migration of neutrophils and the underlying mechanism involved.Methods Two lupus mouse models, MRL/lpr mice and R848-treated mice, were treated with 50 mg/kg curcumin by intraperitoneal injection. H&E and Masson staining were used to estimate histopathological changes in the kidney. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the deposition of immune complexes. The expression of inflammatory factors was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time reverse transcription polymerase reaction (RT-PCR), and the protein expression was detected by western blotting.Results We revealed the remarkable potential of curcumin in improving inflammatory conditions in both MRL/lpr mice and R848-induced lupus mice. Curcumin effectively decelerates the progression of inflammation and diminishes the infiltration of neutrophils and their release of pivotal inflammatory factors, thereby reducing inflammation in renal tissues. Mechanistically, curcumin significantly inhibits the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT and p-NF-κB, which are upregulated by interleukin-8 to induce neutrophil migration and renal inflammation, thereby reducing neutrophil migration and the release of inflammatory factors.Conclusion Curcumin significantly inhibits the recruitment of neutrophils and the release of proinflammatory factors in the kidney by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signalling pathway, providing new therapeutic targets and medication strategies for the treatment of LN.

Background The number of prediction models for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) risk is increasing, but their methodological quality and clinical applicability are uncertain. We conducted a systematic review to assess their performance. Methods We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases up to 10 February 2024 and extracted relevant information from selected prediction models. The Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool (PROBAST) checklist was used to assess bias risk and applicability. All statistical analyses were conducted in Stata 14.0. Results Initially, 13,562 studies were retrieved, leading to the inclusion of five development and five validation models from eight studies. DFU incidence ranged from 6% to 16.8%, with age and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) commonly used as predictive factors. All included studies had a high risk of bias, mainly due to disparities in population characteristics and methodology. In the meta-analysis, we observed area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.78 (95% CI [0.69–0.89]) for development models and 0.84 (95% CI [0.79–0.90]) for validation models. Conclusion DFU risk prediction models show good overall accuracy, but there is a risk of bias. Adherence to the PROBAST checklist is crucial for improving their clinical applicability.

IntroductionNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global public health concern. However, limited data are available on urinary trace elements and NAFLD caused by various exposure factors. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the presence of 16 trace elements in urine and NAFLD using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).MethodsBy utilizing the NHANES data from 2017 to 2018, 1613 participants who fulfilled the research criteria were identified from the initial pool of 2979 participants with available urine trace element detection data. Among them, 706 individuals had been diagnosed with NAFLD based on a coefficient of attenuation parameter (CAP) value of at least 274 db/m, determined using vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE); whereas the remaining 907 participants were classified as non-NAFLD. The data obtained were used to construct univariate and multivariate logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline models (RCS) analyses.ResultsThe presence of arsenic, iodine, barium, cesium, molybdenum, lead, tin, and tungsten in the urine of individuals with NAFLD showed a positive correlation with the likelihood of developing NAFLD. The risk of NAFLD had a non-linear dose-dependent relationship with urinary iodine, molybdenum, barium, and cesium. NAFLD was also associated with elevated levels of barium and cesium in urine, which were identified as significant risk factors.ConclusionThese findings suggest a positive association between exposure to trace elements in the urine and the risk of NAFLD. Specifically, urinary barium and cesium appeared to have the greatest impact on the risk of NAFLD. These results provide novel insights into the diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD.

Abstract Background With an aging population and the influence of traditional culture, the number of disabled older adults at home is increasing. Meanwhile, their care needs are also increasing. The cooperation between family and community can effectively improve the quality of home care for the disabled older adults. At present, there is a lack of research on the interaction between family and community in home care for disabled older adults. Methods The aim of this study is to determine the experience and demands of the interaction for disabled older adults, family and community, construct an interaction program among disabled older adults, family and community, and improve the quality of life. From may 2022 to July 2022, This study will select disabled older adults families from seven communities in Henan provinces. The researchers, after training, will conduct semi-structured interview to collect research data. According to the integration results of qualitative research, the interactive program is constructed and revised using the Delphi expert consultation method. Then the participants will be selected to accept the intervention of the interactive program and evaluated through questionnaires. Discussion Both family and community play an important role in the care of the disabled older adults at home. There is some evidence indicating the benefits of cooperation between family and community on disabled older adults. This study will take a step further and constructs a interaction program about how to create a positive and interactive home-based older adults care environment. Trial registration Registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on April 19, 2021, number ChiCTR2100045584.

The accurate prediction of the strength of rocks after high-temperature treatment is important for the safety maintenance of rock in deep underground engineering. Five machine learning (ML) techniques were adopted in this study, i.e. back propagation neural network (BPNN), AdaBoost-based classification and regression tree (AdaBoost-CART), support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), and radial basis function neural network (RBFNN). A total of 351 data points with seven input parameters (i.e. diameter and height of specimen, density, temperature, confining pressure, crack damage stress and elastic modulus) and one output parameter (triaxial compressive strength) were utilized. The root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and correlation coefficient (R) were used to evaluate the prediction performance of the five ML models. The results demonstrated that the BPNN shows a better prediction performance than the other models with RMSE, MAE and R values on the testing dataset of 15.4 MPa, 11.03 MPa and 0.9921, respectively. The results indicated that the ML techniques are effective for accurately predicting the triaxial compressive strength of rocks after different high-temperature treatments.

Abstract Background Family members are currently the main caregivers of the disabled elderly people at home. With declining health and increasing frailty, caregiving of disabled elderly people becomes a task of family caregivers in conjunction with community nurses. Interaction between family caregivers and community nurses can effectively improve the quality of home care for the disabled elderly people. This study aimed to investigate the interaction experiences between family caregivers and community nurses for disabled elderly people at home. Methods This research was a study of qualitative descriptions based on semi-structured face-to-face interviews. This study was to purposefully select family caregivers of the disabled elderly and community nurses in Zhengzhou city, Henan Province and explore the interaction patterns between them. Directed content analysis method was used to generate qualitative codes and identify themes. Results A total of 12 interviews were completed, including 7 family caregivers and 5 community nurses. Four themes were identified: 1) Information interaction; 2) Emotional interaction; 3) Practical interaction; 4) Factors that promote and hinder the interaction. Conclusions It was found that the interaction between family caregivers and community nurses was not optimistic. Lack of communication and collaboration between community nurses and caregivers. Providing a new perspective that we can develop and implement intervention to facilitate positive interactions, which will reduce the burden of family caregivers, bring the highest quality of care to older adults with disabilities and improve the quality of care for disabled elderly people. Trial registration Registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on April 19, 2021, number ChiCTR2100045584.

Background: The onset of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is caused by local dilatation of the infrarenal abdominal aorta. Curcumin can affect the polarization and function of macrophage subsets in the context of vascular diseases. Curcumin, a natural EP300 inhibitor, may have therapeutic effects on vascular diseases. Objective: To explore the therapeutic pathway of curcumin in AAA. Methods: We found that the hub regulatory factor EP300 is the key factor by which curcumin acts on AAA through bioinformatics network pharmacology and molecular docking. We verified the localization of histone acetyltransferase EP300 in AAA tissue by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) staining. Then, we used Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to explore the high expression level of EP300 in human AAA tissues and analysed its correlation with key genes in AAA diseases. In addition, we successfully induced M1 macrophages and EP300 knockout macrophages with LPS/IFN-γ in vitro to investigate the effect of EP300 on macrophage polarization. Results: In our study, thirty important targets, including AKT1, STAT3, EGFR, EP300, GSK3B, APP, SERPINE1 and MMP14, were involved in the interaction between AAA and curcumin. Our molecular docking results showed that EP300 spontaneously binds to curcumin most easily. Therefore, we subsequently identified the histone acetyltransferase EP300 as the hub target of curcumin in AAA. IHC and IF staining of the outer membrane of AAA showed that EP300 was located in the mesa of AAA tissue, which was also the place where macrophages gathered. The mRNA expression of EP300 in human AAA tissue was upregulated, as shown by RT-PCR (P = 0.01). In in vitro RAW264.7 cells, we found that EP300 knockout in M0 macrophages significantly promoted the anti-inflammatory M2 polarization of macrophages and inhibited the proinflammatory M1 polarization of macrophages. Conclusion: Our research showed that in the therapeutic mechanism by which curcumin treats human AAA, histone acetyltransferase EP300 affected the progression of AAA by promoting aortic inflammation, acting on the immune environment, modulating macrophage proinflammatory polarization, and influencing the expression of other AAA target genes.

AimsThe aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the potential correlation between obesity and overweight, and the vulnerability to urinary incontinence (UI) in women aged middle-aged and above.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase for observational studies published between the inception of the databases and April 25, 2023. A fixed-effects model was used when the P>0.1 and the I2 ≤ 50%. In cases where I2 ≥ 50% (indicating significant heterogeneity), a random-effects model was applied. For the purpose of evaluating publication bias, a funnel plot and Egger’s test were used. Stata 14.0 was used for all statistical analyses.FindingsThis meta-analysis includes 16 observational studies, covering29,618 individuals. The pooled analysis shows that being overweight(25 kg/m2≤BMI

Abstract Type I interferons (IFN-Is) have been harnessed for cancer therapies due to their immunostimulatory functions. However, certain tumor-tolerating activities by IFN-Is also exist, and may potentially thwart their therapeutic effects. In this respect, our previous studies have demonstrated a monocyte-orchestrated, IFN-I-to-IL-4 cytokine axis, which can subsequently drive M2-skewed pro-tumoral polarization of macrophages. Whether other IFN-dependent signals may also contribute to such an unconventional circumstance of M2-like macrophage skewing remain unexplored. Herein, we first unveil IL-6 as another ligand that participates in IFN-dependent induction of a typical M2 marker (ARG1) in transitional monocytes. Indeed, IL-6 significantly promotes IL-4-dependent induction of a major group of prominent M2 markers in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and human peripheral blood-derived macrophages, while it alone does not engage marked increases of these markers. Such a pattern of regulation is confirmed globally by RNAseq analyses in BMDMs, which in turn suggests an association of IL-6-amplified subset of M2 genes with the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Interestingly, pharmacological experiments establish the role of SHP2-ERK cascade in mediating IL-6’s enhancement effect on these M2 targets. Similar approaches also validate the involvement of IL-6/ERK signaling in promoting the IFN-dependent, unconventional M2-skewing phenotype in transitional monocytes. Furthermore, an inhibitor of ERK signaling cooperates with an IFN-I inducer to enable a greater antitumor effect, which correlates with suppression of treatment-elicited ARG1. The present work establishes a role of IL-6/ERK signaling in promoting M2-like macrophage polarization, and suggests this axis as a potential therapeutic target for combination with IFN-I-based cancer treatments.

Abstract To investigate the associations between different phytosterols (PSs) intake and subtype of obesity in Chinese. Total 6073 adults aged ≥18 years was enrolled from China. General characteristics were completed by the validated dietary questionnaire. For total phytosterols intake, comparing Q4 with Q1 was inversely associated with the risks of overweight [odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.82 (0.69, 0.96), p

Deep excavations play an important role in the construction of urban infrastructures such as metro stations and high-rise buildings [...]

Abstract China is rich in goat breeding resources. Officially recognized local goat breeds are mainly distributed in agro‐ecological regions. The population structure and matrilineal origin of native Chinese goats can be used to formulate protection and utilization strategies for these genetic resources. In this study, the genetic structure and maternal origin of native Chinese goats were investigated using mtDNA D‐loop sequences. A total of 329 goat samples from 25 Chinese indigenous goat populations and five introduced goat breeds from abroad were collected; these populations were distributed in four ecogroups designated as Southwest, South‐central, the North China Plain, and Foreign‐ecogroup. A larger average number of nucleotide differences and richer nucleotide diversity were observed in South‐central and Foreign‐ecogroup, whereas these were lower in Southwest. The 216 haplotypes divided into several haplogroups, of which HapA contained 99 haplotypes distributed in Southwest, the North China Plain, and Foreign‐ecogroup with high frequency (0.53–0.77), whereas the frequency of HapA in South‐central was

Current research on evidence sentences is aimed at developing document-level relational extraction models with improved interpretability. Evidence sentences extracted using existing methods are often incomplete, leading to poor relationship prediction accuracy. To address this problem, we developed a novel efficient heuristic rule and entity representation method. First, a heuristic rule is constructed according to the interactions between different mentions of the head and tail entities of the target entity pair, and evidence sentences are subsequently extracted. Second, pseudo documents, constructed according to the original document order, are used as input text to remove noisy statements. Finally, different representations of the same entity in different entity pairs are learned to represent it more accurately through the interactive mention of head and tail entities. Experiments on the document-level general domain dataset DocRED indicated that our heuristic rules improved sentence extraction by 6.01% compared to that achieved by the baseline model Paths-BiLSTM. In terms of relation prediction, the accuracy of the proposed method was comparable to those of existing models that use the entire document as input text; however, the input text used by the proposed method was shorter and more interpretable.

This paper investigates the bearing behavior of axially loaded rock socketed piles in limestone stratum embedded with a karst cavity beneath the pile. The pile foundation supporting a cross-river bridge located in a karst area in China is considered. Based on this project, three-dimensional finite element analyses are performed to capture the effects of pile length, pile diameter, limestone cohesion, and cavity roof thickness. Their impact on the bearing characteristics of the pile is comprehensively outlined through analysis of load-settlement curves, variations in pile bearing capacity, distributions of axial pile force and pile side friction, as well as contours of vertical ground and cavity roof displacement. It is found that the load-settlement curves exhibit the saltation type, based on which the pile-bearing capacity can be conveniently obtained. The pile bearing capacity increases nonlinearly with increasing the pile length, whereas almost linearly with an increase in the pile diameter, limestone cohesion, and cavity roof thickness. For the considered conditions, larger magnitudes of vertical ground displacements occur primarily surrounding the pile side in the pebble layer and at the pile bottom. This is attributed to the weakening effect of the karst cavity on the bearing capacity of the cavity roof. The achievements from this study are beneficial for the design optimization of rock socketed piles in karst areas.

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is a common cancer in female, which is associated with problems like poor prognosis. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a kind of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that has an important role in regulating microRNA (miRNA) in many cancers. The regulatory mechanisms of CC immune microenvironment and the transcriptome level remain to be fully explored. Methods: In this study, we constructed the ceRNA network through the interaction data and expression matrix of circRNA, miRNA and mRNA. Meanwhile, based on the gene expression matrix, CIBERSORT algorithm was used to reveal contents of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs). Then, we screened prognostic markers based on ceRNA network and immune infiltration and constructed two nomograms. In order to find immunological differences between the high- and low-risk CC samples, we examined multiple immune checkpoints and predicted the effect of PD-L1 ICI immunotherapy. In addition, the sensitive therapeutics for high-risk patients were screened, and the potential agents with anti-CC activity were predicted by Connective Map (CMap). Results: We mapped a ceRNA network including 5 circRNAs, 17 miRNAs and 129 mRNAs. From the mRNA nodes of the network six genes and two kind of cells were identified as prognostic makers for CC. Among them, there was a significant positive correlation between CD8+ T cells and SNX10 gene. The results of TIDE and single sample GSEA (ssGSEA) showed that T cells CD8 do play a key role in inhibiting tumor progression. Further, our study screened 24 drugs that were more sensitive to high-risk CC patients and several potential therapeutic agents for reference. Conclusions: Our study identified several circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory axes and six prognostic genes based on the ceRNA network. In addition, through TIIC, survival analysis and a series of immunological analyses, T cells were proved to be good prognostic markers, besides play an important role in the immune process. Finally, we screened 24 potentially more effective drugs and multiple potential drug compounds for high- and low-risk patients.

The excavation of a super-large foundation pit is a greatly risky project in coastal water-rich silt strata, and it is of great significance to establish a numerical model to analyze and predict the stability of the foundation pit retaining its structure for safe construction. Based on a geological investigation report and key node monitoring data, the model parameters have been modified. Subsequently, the random field theory and numerical analysis were employed to proceed with deterministic analysis and uncertainty analysis, respectively. Using the uniform distribution method, Gaussian distribution method and the covariance matrix method to generate a random field model, finite difference software was applied to analyze the impact of spatial variability of cohesion and the internal friction angle on structural deformation. The study shows that the overall distribution of axial force is small on both sides and large in the center, and the axial force is larger near the shaped region. Due to the principle of “lever”, there is a tendency for the horizontal displacement of surrounding piles to partially rebound from the pit when the bearing platform pit is excavated. The spatial variability of the internal friction angle and cohesion has an important influence on the numerical value of the enclosure structure and surface deformation, and the variation pattern is basically unchanged.

Abstract The objective of this study was to provide the characteristics of hepatic computed tomography images and optimize their transition delay with a bolus-tracking technique for triple-phase hepatic computed tomography in cats. Dynamic triple-phase computed tomography was performed in nine healthy cats. The upper third of the liver was dynamically scanned every 0.5 s for 40 s. The time density curves of the aorta and hepatic parenchyma mean enhancement were analyzed. Triple-phase hepatic computed tomography was performed three times with a bolus trigger of 200 Hounsfield units of aortic enhancement. The transition delays of the arterial, portal, and hepatic parenchymal phases were respectively 0, 5 and 60 s in the first scan; 2, 7 and 62 s in the second scan; and 4, 9 and 64 s in the third scan. All computed tomography images were evaluated by a certificated radiologist. The arterial vessels and their main branches were well enhanced at a 2 s transition delay. The contrast of the portal vein to the liver parenchyma was most obvious at a 7 s transition delay. The mean enhancement of the hepatic parenchyma peaked at a 62 s transition delay, whereas the degree of enhancement of the hepatic vasculature decreased. In this study, the recommended transition delays for the arterial, portal, and hepatic parenchymal phases were 2 s, 7 s and 62 s, respectively, after triggering at 200 Hounsfield units of aortic enhancement. This information may be helpful in diagnosing feline liver diseases and provides a key reference for the clinical implementation of CT.

Introduction Postpartum depression has great harm and becomes a serious public health problem. Most women stay at home after childbirth, so the support from community and family is particularly important in the treatment of postpartum depression. The cooperation between family and community can effectively improve treatment effect of patients with postpartum depression. It is imperative to conduct a study on the collaboration and interaction among patients, family and community in the treatment of postpartum depression.Methods and analysis The aim of this study is to determine the experience and demands of patients with postpartum depression, family caregivers and community providers for the interaction, construct an interaction intervention programme bettween family and community and promote the rehabilitation of patients with postpartum depression. From September 2022 to October 2022, this study will select postpartum depression patient families from seven communities in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province in China. The researchers, after training, will conduct semi-structured interview to collect research data. According to the integration results of qualitative research and literature review, the interaction intervention programme will be constructed and revised using the Delphi expert consultation method. Then the participants will be selected to accept the intervention of the interaction programme and evaluated through questionnaires.Ethics and dissemination The study is approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Zhengzhou University (ZZUIRB2021-21). The results of this study will contribute to clarify the responsibilities of family subjects and community subjects in the treatment of postpartum depression, more effectively promote the rehabilitation of patients with postpartum depression and reduce the burden of family and society. Moreover, this research will be a profitable exploration at home and abroad. And the findings will be disseminated through conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration number ChiCTR2100045900.

“Reinvigoration of antitumor immunity has recently become the central theme for the development of cancer therapies. Here the authors present an adaptable gene circuit to harness the CRISPRa for tumorlocalized immune activation.”

The uplifting behaviors of existing tunnels due to overlying excavations are complex and non-linear. They are contributed to by multiple factors, and therefore, they are difficult to be accurately predicted. To address this issue, an extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) prediction model based on Bayesian optimization (BO), namely, BO-XGBoost, was developed specifically for assessing the tunnel uplift. The modified model incorporated various factors such as an engineering design, soil types, and site construction conditions as input parameters. The performance of the BO-XGBoost model was compared with other models such as support vector machines (SVMs), the classification and regression tree (CART) model, and the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model. In preparation for the model, 170 datasets from a construction site were collected and divided into 70% for training and 30% for testing. The BO-XGBoost model demonstrated a superior predictive performance, providing the most accurate displacement predictions and exhibiting better generalization capabilities. Further analysis revealed that the accuracy of the BO-XGBoost model was primarily influenced by the site’s construction factors. The interpretability of the BO-XGBoost model will provide valuable guidance for geotechnical practitioners in their decision-making processes.

To ensure the stability of the tunnel structure, this paper simulates the excavation process of shield tunneling in karst areas, and monitors the top of the arch, the bottom of the arch and the waist of the arch within the influence of the cave. It obtains the displacement and stress change laws under the influence of the upper cave and the lower cave. Finally, the main factors causing karst collapse in tunnels are explored through orthogonal tests. The results indicate that the displacement of the surrounding rock within the influence of the cave decreases and the stress increases. When the cavity and the tunnel reach the safety limit distance, the effect of the lower cavity on the stress around the tunnel is more obvious than that of the upper cavity. The results of the orthogonal test show that when the cavity is above the tunnel, the tunnel burial depth has the greatest influence on the stability of the surrounding rock; when the cavity is below the tunnel, the cavity height has the greatest influence on the stability of the surrounding rock.

Triacylglycerol (TGA) is the primary component of intramuscular fat. Expression of diacylglyceryl transferase (DGAT) determines the polyester differentiation ability of precursor adipocytes. The two DGAT isoforms (DGAT1 and DGAT2) play different roles in TAG metabolism. This study investigates the roles of DGAT1 and DGAT2 in signaling pathways related to differentiation and lipid metabolism in Yanbian bovine preadipocytes. sh-DGAT1 (sh-1), sh-DGAT2 (sh-2), and sh-DGAT1 + sh-DGAT2 (sh-1 + 2) were prepared using short interfering RNA (siRNA) interference technique targeting DGAT1 and DGAT2 genes and infected bovine preadipocytes. Molecular and transcriptomic techniques, including differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, were used to investigate the effects on the differentiation of Yanbian bovine preadipocytes. After interference with DGAT1 and DGAT2 genes, the contents of TAG and adiponectin were decreased. The TAG content in the sh-2 and sh-1 + 2 groups was significantly lower than that in the sh-NC group. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) results showed 2070, 2242, and 2446 DEGs in the sh-1, sh-2, and sh-1 + 2 groups, respectively. The DEGs of the sh-2 group were mainly concentrated in the PPAR, AMPK, and Wnt signaling pathways associated with adipocyte proliferation and differentiation. These results demonstrated that at the mRNA level, DGAT2 plays a more important role in lipid metabolism than DGAT1.

Background: It remains largely unclear about the function of 5-methylcytosine (m5C) RNA modification in the context of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). In this regard, the present work focused on investigating m5C RNA methylation and related modulator expression levels in AAA. Materials and methods: To this end, we quantified the m5C methylation levels in AAA tissues (n = 32) and normal aortic tissues (n = 12) to examine the mRNA m5C status and m5C modulator expression at mRNA and protein levels. Meanwhile, modulator localization within AAA tissue samples was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Moreover, RNA immunoprecipitation-sequencing (RIP-seq) was also used to analyze the lncRNAs and mRNA binding to Aly/REF, as an m5C reader. Results: m5C expression markedly elevated in AAA in comparison with normal aortic samples in the AAA cases. The major 5-methylcytosine modulators, including NSUN2, NSUN5, and Aly/REF, which represented the major parameters related to the abnormal m5C modification level, were observed up-regulating in AAA tissues at both protein and mRNA levels. In addition, NSUN2 mRNA level remarkably related to Aly/REF expression, and they were co-expressed in the same cells in AAA group. Regarding the cellular location, Aly/REF was associated with inflammatory (CD45+, CD3+) infiltrates. Simultaneously, after screening for reads in AAA tissue compare with anti-Aly/REF group relative to IgG as control, we obtained totally 477 differentially expressed Aly/REF-binding lncRNAs and 369 differentially expressed Aly/REF-binding mRNAs in AAA tissue. The functions of Aly/REF-interacting lncRNA were involved in immune system process and macrophages infiltration. Through regulatory network (lncRNA-mRNA) analysis, our findings predicted the potential mechanism of Aly/REF-induced lncBCL2L1 and Aly/REF-lncFHL1 axis in AAA and inspire the understanding of m5C and lncRNA in AAA. Conclusions: This study is the first to examine m5A modification within human AAA samples. Our results indicate that m5C modulators, namely, Aly/REF and NUSN2, play vital parts in the human AAA pathogenic mechanism, which shed new lights on the function of m5C modification within AAA. Taken together, findings in this work offer a possible RNA methylation modification mechanism within clinical AAA.

Abstract Background Many studies on long chain non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are published in recent years. But the roles of lncRNAs in aortic dissection (AD) are still unclear and should be further examined. The present work focused on determining the molecular mechanisms underlying lncRNAs regulation in aortic dissection on the basis of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Methods This study collected the lncRNAs (GSE52093), mRNAs (GSE52093) and miRNAs (GSE92427) expression data within human tissue samples with aortic dissection group and normal group based on Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Results This study identified three differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs), 19 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRs) and 1046 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEGs) identified regarding aortic dissection. Furthermore, we constructed a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network through three lncRNAs (including two with up-regulation and one with down-regulation), five miRNAs (five with up-regulation), as well as 211 mRNAs (including 103 with up-regulation and 108 with down-regulation). Simultaneously, we conducted functional enrichment and pathway analyses on genes within the as-constructed ceRNA network. According to our PPI/ceRNA network and functional enrichment analysis results, four critical genes were found (E2F2, IGF1R, BDNF and PPP2R1B). In addition, E2F2 level was possibly modulated via lncRNA FAM87A-hsa-miR-31-5p/hsa-miR-7-5p or lncRNA C9orf106-hsa-miR-7-5p. The expression of IGF1R may be regulated by lncRNA FAM87A-hsa-miR-16-5p/hsa-miR-7-5p or lncRNA C9orf106-hsa-miR-7-5p. Conclusion In conclusion, the ceRNA interaction axis we identified is a potentially critical target for treating AD. Our results shed more lights on the possible pathogenic mechanism in AD using a lncRNA-associated ceRNA network.

Although recent evidence has revealed that a body shape index (ABSI) is correlated with the incidence of death among different ethnicities, there remains a paucity of studies investigating the impact of ABSI on mortality within the Chinese elderly. Our objective was to ascertain the link between ABSI, as well as its alterations over time, and all-cause mortality among Chinese aged 65 y and above. A total of 3789 participants were enrolled from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Cox regressions and restricted cubic splines were employed to assess the association of ABSI and relative changes with all-cause mortality. When nonlinearity was detected, a restricted cubic spline regression was subsequently conducted to compute hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The median survival time was 46 months, and 1342 individuals (35.4%) were reported to have died. ABSI contributed independently to rising death rates among Chinese old populations according to univariate and multivariate Cox regressions. Statistically significant associations were also found stratified by age, sex, and lifestyle. A U-shaped association of ABSI changes with all-cause mortality (p = 0.027) was observed, indicating that old adults with stable ABSI during the follow-up period experienced the lowest risk of mortality. After multivariable adjustment, participants with a 10% reduction in ABSI changes had an increased 9.4% risk of death, while participants with a 10% rise in ABSI changes had an increased 1.9% risk. ABSI and its changes are predictors for all-cause mortality among the elderly Chinese population, which emphasizes the clinical importance of monitoring ABSI and keeping it stable over time.

Electroacupuncture (EA) is an efficient treatment for visceral hypersensitivity (VH). However, the mechanism underlying VH remains obscure. This study aimed to examine the effect of EA at Housanli acupoint on PAR2 and PAR4 expression in the periaqueductal gray (PAG), rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), and spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH) axes, as well as on expression of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α, COX-2 enzyme, c-Fos, and the neuropeptides CGRP and SP in the same areas of the descending pain modulatory system. To induce VH in male goats, a 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene-sulfonic acid (TNBS)–ethanol solution was administered to the ileal wall. The visceromotor response (VMR) and nociceptive response at different colorectal distension pressures were measured to evaluate VH. Goats in the TNBS group displayed significantly increased VMR and nociceptive response scores, and elevated protein and mRNA levels of PAR2 and PAR4 in the descending pain modulatory system compared to those in the control group. EA alleviated VMR and nociceptive responses, decreased the protein and mRNA expression levels of PAR2, and elevated those of PAR4 in the descending pain modulatory system. EA may relieve VH by reducing PAR2 expression and increasing PAR4 expression in the descending pain modulatory system.

The use of geosynthetic-encased stone columns has been proven to be an economical and effective method for soft soil foundation treatment. This method is widely used in civil engineering projects at home and abroad. When the geosynthetic-encased stone columns are applied to deep soft clays, they are in a floating state. The load-bearing deformation mechanism of geosynthetic-encased stone columns has changed. The interaction between the aggregates, geogrid, and soil is worth studying, especially at the bottom of the column. In this paper, the discrete element method is used to simulate a floating geosynthetic-encased stone column with a 280 mm encasement depth in deep soft clays. The load-bearing deformation characteristics and mesoscopic mechanism of the floating geosynthetic-encased stone column are studied. The results show that there are large vertical and radial stresses in the top region. Moreover, the porosity and sliding fraction of aggregates in this region increase with settlement, and the coordination number decreases with settlement. The vertical and radial stresses of the soil near the column body are not affected much by the column body. When the encasement depth exceeds 280 mm, the bearing capacity of the FGESC does not increase much. The encasement depth controls the failure mode of the floating geosynthetic-encased stone column. As the encasement depth increases, the failure mode of the floating geosynthetic-encased stone column gradually transitions from swelling deformation to penetration failure.

The settlement behavior of composite foundations plays an important role in the serviceability and stability of the subgrade or other infrastructures supporting the foundation. However, in water-rich flood plains, due to the complexity of the soft soil properties, the settlement behavior has not been well understood. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of various key factors on the settlement behavior of composite foundations with deep mixed piles supporting highway subgrade in water-rich flood plains. The investigated subgrade is in operation, and the vehicle load is taken into account. The G347AH Project is considered in this study. Several typical models for predicting composite foundation settlements are discussed. By performing three-dimensional finite difference analysis, a comparison is made between the settlement behavior of the natural foundation and the composite foundation with deep mixed piles. Based on the single factor sensitivity analysis and the multi-factor orthogonal experimental design, the effects of pile length, pile diameter, pile spacing, pile elasticity modulus, cushion elasticity modulus, and cushion thickness on the composite foundation settlement are captured. It is found that among these factors, the degree of influence of pile length is superior. The composite foundation settlements predicted by the models agree well with the field-monitoring data, with the error being about 8.42% and 6.38%, respectively, at two monitoring sections. The research conducted in this paper can effectively reduce the probability of various settlement-related disasters occurring on highway subgrades in water-rich flood plains. Moreover, the research has important theoretical guidance for design optimization in terms of settlement control of highway subgrades in soft soil areas.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to identify key AAA-related m1A RNA methylation regulators and their association with immune infiltration in AAA. Furthermore, we aimed to explore the mechanism that m1A regulators modulate the functions of certain immune cells as well as the downstream target genes, participating in the progression of AAA.MethodsBased on the gene expression profiles of the GSE47472 and GSE98278 datasets, differential expression analysis focusing on m1A regulators was performed on the combined dataset to identify differentially expressed m1A regulatory genes (DEMRGs). Additionally, CIBERSORT tool was utilized in the analysis of the immune infiltration landscape and its correlation with DEMRGs. Moreover, we validated the expression levels of DEMRGs in human AAA tissues by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Immunofluorescence (IF) staining was also applied in the validation of cellular localization of YTHDF3 in AAA tissues. Furthermore, we established LPS/IFN-γ induced M1 macrophages and ythdf3 knockdown macrophages in vitro, to explore the relationship between YTHDF3 and macrophage polarization. At last, RNA immunoprecipitation-sequencing (RIP-Seq) combined with PPI network analysis was used to predict the target genes of YTHDF3 in AAA progression.ResultsEight DEMRGs were identified in our study, including YTHDC1, YTHDF1-3, RRP8, TRMT61A as up-regulated genes and FTO, ALKBH1 as down-regulated genes. The immune infiltration analysis showed these DEMRGs were positively correlated with activated mast cells, plasma cells and M1 macrophages in AAA. RT-qPCR analysis also verified the up-regulated expression levels of YTHDC1, YTHDF1, and YTHDF3 in human AAA tissues. Besides, IF staining result in AAA adventitia indicated the localization of YTHDF3 in macrophages. Moreover, our in-vitro experiments found that the knockdown of ythdf3 in M0 macrophages inhibits macrophage M1 polarization but promotes macrophage M2 polarization. Eventually, 30 key AAA-related target genes of YTHDF3 were predicted, including CD44, mTOR, ITGB1, STAT3, etc.ConclusionOur study reveals that m1A regulation is significantly associated with the pathogenesis of human AAA. The m1A “reader,” YTHDF3, may participate in the modulating of macrophage polarization that promotes aortic inflammation, and influence AAA progression by regulating the expression of its target genes.

ObjectiveTo identify the feature of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation modification genes in acute aortic dissection (AAD) and explore their relationships with immune infiltration.MethodsThe GSE52093 dataset including gene expression data from patients with AAD and healthy controls was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database in order to obtain the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The differentially methylated m6A genes were obtained from the GSE147027 dataset. The differentially expressed m6A-related genes were obtained based on the intersection results. Meanwhile, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of differentially expressed m6A-related genes was constructed, and hub genes with close relationships in the network were selected. Later, hub genes were verified by using the GSE153434 dataset. Thereafter, the relationships between these genes and immune cells infiltration were analyzed.ResultsA total of 279 differentially expressed m6A-related genes were identified in the GSE52093 and GSE147027 datasets. Among them, 94 genes were up-regulated in aortic dissection (AD), while the remaining 185 were down-regulated. As indicated by Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses, these genes were mainly associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). The seven hub genes, namely, DDX17, CTGF, FLNA, SPP1, MYH11, ITGA5 and CACNA1C, were all confirmed as the potential biomarkers for AD. According to immune infiltration analysis, it was found that hub genes were related to some immune cells. For instance, DDX17, FLNA and MYH11 were correlated with Macrophages M2.ConclusionOur study identifies hub genes of AD that may serve as the potential biomarkers, illustrates of the molecular mechanism of AD, and provides support for subsequent research and treatment development.

This paper describes recent advances in the effect of soil creep on the time-dependent deformation of deep braced excavation. The effect of soil creep is generally investigated using the observational method and the plain-strain numerical simulation method. The observational method is more applicable for deep braced excavations in soft clays constructed using the top-down method. The plain-strain numerical simulation method can be conveniently used for parametric analysis, but it is unable to capture the spatial characteristics of soil creep effect on lateral wall deflections and ground movements. The additional lateral wall deflections and ground movements that are generated due to the soil creep effect can account for as large as 30% of the total displacements, which highlights the importance of considering the effect of soil creep in deep braced excavations through soft clays. The magnitude of the displacements due to soil creep depends on various factors, such as excavation depth, elapsed period, unsupported length, and strut stiffness. Parametric analyses have indicated several effective measures that can be taken in practice to mitigate the detrimental effect of soil creep on the deformation of deep braced excavation. Based on the literature review, potential directions of the related future research work are discussed. This paper should be beneficial for both researchers and engineers focusing on mitigating the adverse effect of soil creep on the stability of deep braced excavations.

Obesity is a foremost health issue that affects about 1.6 million people out of which 400 million worldwide. Epidemiological evidences prove obesity is the primary cause for various metabolic ailments e.g. diabetes. Poria cocos possess extensive biological actions, for instance, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, immunomodulatory actions. The primary limitation of all phytomedicine was their poor bioavailability hence in this investigation, we bio-fabricated the gold nanoparticles from Poria cocos aqueous extract and inspected their potency to treat obesity. Obese rat model were produced via fed the young female rats with high fat food for 8 weeks regimen. Further to confirm the potency of Poria cocos gold nanoparticles against obesity induced metabolic disorders we treated obese rats with low dose streptozotocin in the conclusion of the investigational time. The synthesis of Poria cocos gold-nanoparticles was evidenced via the UV-Spectroscopic study and characterized with SEM, TEM and EDAX studies. The anti-obesity actions of Poria cocos gold-nanoparticles were investigated by estimating the glucose profile, kidney markers, lipid profile, inflammatory cytokines, adipocyte markers, antioxidants in the Poria cocos gold nanoparticles treated obese rats. To confirm the Poria cocos gold nanoparticles role on inhibiting the obesity induced metabolic disorders we analyzed the histopathological changes in cardiac tissues. Our physical characterization confirms the synthesized Poria cocos gold nanoparticles assure the distinctions of influential nanoparticles to be utilized for the treatment. The results from biochemical and histopathological analysis confirms Poria cocos gold nanoparticles is a persuasive antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-obesity drug. Overall our results authentically confirm Poria cocos gold nanoparticles is a potent anti-obesity drug and it also protects from obesity induced metabolic disorders.

The practice of deep-braced excavation in congested urban environments involves frequently buried pipelines, which can exert a significant effect on the performance of the excavation. The objective of this paper is to investigate the performance of a 12.5-m-deep-braced excavation spanned by two shallowly buried large-diameter pressurized pipelines. A suspension structure is installed within the excavation to protect the in situ pipelines during the construction. The excavation performance is investigated by performing a three-dimensional finite element analysis. The finite element method is verified based on the observations at the site. The results indicate that, as expected, the excavation support structures displace together with varying degrees of deformation toward the excavated area. The strut shear forces are found to be distributed axially in linear manners, while the strut bending moments are in symmetric manners. The benefit of using the proposed pipeline suspension structure is demonstrated. By using this structure, pipeline deformation can be well controlled, and the structural integrity and safety of the pipelines can be ensured. This benefit depends on the convenient operation in that the elevation of the cork base of the pipeline suspension structure is stably lowered during the construction process.

In this paper, a simplified prediction formula of ground settlement induced by deep foundation pit excavation is proposed, especially suitable for ground overloading near a foundation pit, such as embankment surcharge load, which is carefully considered via the means of load equivalence. The ground settlement induced by foundation pit excavation and embankment surcharge load is determined by the modified skewness prediction formula and the simplified Boussinesq solution, respectively, and it is assumed that no coupling effect exists between the two settlement sources. In addition, this paper improves the determination of the maximum settlement location by combining calculus and curve fitting, replacing the existing prediction formula which relies heavily on engineering experience to determine the maximum settlement point. The predicted value obtained using this method comes close to the measured value, and the deviation of the maximum surface settlement value is controlled within about 5% in the three cases introduced, of which the accuracy is higher than the existing prediction formula.

Pervious concrete has good water permeability and, if used in construction, it can alleviate the heat island effect. However, its low strength and poor durability are major obstacles to its use. This study shows that nano-reinforced pervious concrete created by incorporating cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) can improve the physical properties and increase the durability of pervious concrete. CNFs were added to the concrete mix in proportions ranging from 0.05% to 0.2% by weight of binder. The additions were found to alter matrix rheology. The hydration kinetics of matrix with differing CNF contents were compared and analyzed. The experimental results show the addition of CNFs delayed peak heat flow and maximum cumulative heat. The 28 d compressive strength of pervious concrete increased by up to 26.5% and 28 d flexural strength by up to 25.8% with the addition of 0.05–0.2% CNFs. Addition of 0.1% and 0.2% CNFs increased water permeability. Addition of 0.05–0.15% CNFs decreased mass loss by 73.2–83.7% after 150 freeze–thaw cycles, which corresponded to an increase in frost resistance. Denser matrices and stronger interfacial transition zones were observed using scanning electron microscopy when 0.05–0.2% CNFs were added.

The cofferdam method is generally applied in the construction of underwater pier foundation in bridge engineering, and the pouring of bottom sealing concrete is one of the important links in the construction of the cofferdam. The bottom sealing concrete can prevent water seepage and balance the main body of the cofferdam, and its structural size and construction quality have a great influence on the above functions. Under the condition of large water level difference, it is difficult to determine the reasonable thickness of the bottom sealing concrete. There are few related studies in this field, and there is a lack of systematic summary of calculation theory. This work theoretically deduces the approximate solution of ultimate bending moment and ultimate stress of the bottom sealing concrete, introduces two different calculation methods, systematically summarizes the calculation methods of three kinds of ultimate stress, analyzes the calculation methods of ultimate bonding force, and uses ANSYS finite element software to simulate a specific bottom sealing concrete model, and compares it with the theoretical calculation results. The maximum stress obtained by the approximate solution is closer to the actual monitoring data than the traditional method, and the calculation method of the bonding force can be used to make a rough estimate.

Reviewing literature revealed that the studies on the bearing characteristics of pile foundations mainly focuses on clay, ordinary sand, loess, saline soil, and other areas. However, few studies on the bearing characteristics of the pile foundation in calcareous sand were conducted. Besides, existing traditional studies ignored the variation of soil compression modulus with depth, and the effect of void ratio on the transverse bearing characteristics of the pile foundation in a calcareous sand area were not well understood. In response of these problems, this study conducted a theoretical investigation on the transverse bearing characteristics of the pile foundation in a calcareous sand area. The transverse bearing characteristics of the pile foundation were derived based on the Pasternak foundation model and the Winkler foundation model, incorporating the heterogeneous distribution of compressive modulus with buried depth. The calculation results of the Pasternak foundation model are closer to the observed results than the Winkler foundation model. Therefore, the following research on the transverse bearing characteristics of the pile foundation in the calcareous sand area adopts the Pasternak foundation model. Then, the effects of the pile length, pile diameter, pile elastic modulus, horizontal load, bending moment, and void ratio on the transverse bearing characteristics of the pile foundation in a calcareous sand area were thoroughly analyzed. Furthermore, the difference between the transverse bearing characteristics of the pile foundation in a calcareous sand area and a quartz sand area was discussed. Results show that the horizontal displacement of the pile top in a calcareous sand area is greater than the quartz sand area under the same conditions.

This paper analyses the deformation and force behavior of a wood-piled island cofferdam based on the principle of equivalent bending stiffness. The horizontal deformation and bending moments in wood piles and the axial stress in tension bars on top of piles were both analyzed by the finite difference (FD) method. Except for the analysis of the cofferdam construction process, the influence of the pile length, the dam width, the tension bar interval, and the pile interval, among the commonly adopted parameters, were detailly examined in numerical simulations. In addition, a reinforced wood-piled cofferdam model by steel pipe piles has been established to quantify the effect of reinforcement. It was found that the dewatering inside the cofferdam was detrimental to cofferdam stability. The pile deformation reached maxima (roughly 0.6% of the pile length) at solidifying stage after dewatering. The changing trend of the cofferdam structure force within a safe district was consistent with the displacement. The dam width had a vital effect on the stability of the cofferdam, especially on the horizontal deformation. The steel pipe pile reinforcement scheme performed better in further deformation control, providing a new idea for island-type cofferdams with rigorous structural deformation control.

Background: This study aimed to explore the levels of circulating inflammatory factors CRP, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α based on the literature review. This study also examined the influence of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites on the susceptibility of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) using meta-analysis and intended to provide additional information on pathogenesis of AAA research. Methods: Electronic databases including PubMed and Web of Science were systemically searched to collect the information on AAA, inflammatory factors such as CRP, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and the SNP sites for data extraction. Altogether six SNPs in four genes (rs3091244, CRP; rs1800947, CRP; rs1205, CRP; rs1800795, IL-6; rs1800896, IL-10; and rs1800629, TNF) were assessed. Results: This study enrolled altogether 41 relevant investigations involving 9,007 AAA patients to carry out meta-analysis. According to pooled analysis, circulating CRP and IL-6 levels were shown to be related to the AAA, while plasma IL-10 and TNF-α levels were not associated with AAA. The circulating CRP level standard mean difference (SMD) was 0.30 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.17–0.43), the IL-6 level SMD was 0.34 (95% CI: 0.20–0.49), the IL-10 level SMD was –0.01 (95% CI: –0.09–0.06), and the TNF-α level SMD was 0.09 (95% CI: 0.00–0.19). Similarly, the odds ratio (OR) of rs3091244 (CRP) under the recessive gene model was 1.70 (95% CI: 1.13–2.57). In addition, individuals with A and T mutant genes at locus rs3091244 might have a higher tendency of AAA susceptibility than those with C allele. Consecutively, the OR was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.51–0.97) for rs1800795 (IL-6) locus in the allele model, and individuals with G mutant gene at locus rs1800795 (IL-6) might be less susceptible to AAA than those with C allele. Meanwhile, the rs1800896 (IL-10) locus had a positive association under the five statistical models, and individuals with A mutant gene at locus rs1800896 might have a higher susceptibility to AAA than those with G allele. Nevertheless, the rs1800947 (CRP), rs1205 (CRP), and rs1800629 (TNF) loci did not have positive correlation under the five statistical models, with no statistical significance. The results indicate that the gene polymorphisms at rs1800629, rs1800947, and rs1205 loci were not related to the AAA susceptibility. Conclusions: Gene polymorphisms in certain known inflammatory mediators related to AAA susceptibility might serve as potential predictive biomarkers for clinical applications. Moreover, SNP of inflammatory mediators relevant to abdominal aortic aneurysmal formation and progression need extensive investigations to confirm these results.

Background: Type I IFN-based therapies against solid malignancies have yielded only limited success. How IFN affects tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) compartment to impact the therapeutic outcomes are not well understood. Methods: The effect of an IFN-inducer poly(I:C) on tumor-infiltrating monocytes and TAMs were analyzed using a transplantable mouse tumor model (LLC). In vitro culture systems were utilized to study the direct actions by poly(I:C)-IFN on differentiating monocytes. Results: We found that poly(I:C)-induced IFN targets Ly6C+ monocytes and impedes their transition into TAMs. Such an effect involves miR-155-mediated suppression of M-CSF receptor expression, contributing to restricting tumor growth. Remarkably, further analyses of gene expression profile of IFN-treated differentiating monocytes reveal a strong induction of Arg1 (encoding arginase-1) in addition to other classical IFN targets. Mechanistically, the unexpected Arg1 arm of IFN action is mediated by a prolonged STAT3 signaling in monocytes, in conjunction with elevated macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) signaling. Functionally, induction of ARG1 limited the therapeutic effect of IFN, as inhibition of arginase activity could strongly synergize with poly(I:C) to enhance CD8+ T cell responses to thwart tumor growth in mice. Conclusions: Taken together, we have uncovered two functionally opposing actions by IFN on the TAM compartment. Our work provides significant new insights on IFN-mediated immunoregulation that may have implications in cancer therapies. Keywords: Type I IFN, M-CSF, Arginase, Monocyte maturation, Tumor-associated macrophages, Anti-tumor immunity

This paper investigates the influence of the structured property of loess on its compressive behaviour and proposes a new method for determining the preconsolidation pressure of structured loess soil. A series of oedometer tests were carried out on undisturbed and remoulded loess samples prepared at various moisture contents. The effects of moisture content on the structured yield stress, the preconsolidation pressure, and the structural strength were also captured. It was found that the influence of the structured property of loess on the compression behaviour is divergent between undisturbed and remoulded loess samples. The discrepancy before and after structural yielding is more remarkable for the undisturbed soil. The Casagrande method realized through the MATLAB program can effectively eliminate human factors and accurately calculate the corresponding preconsolidation pressure for undisturbed soil. The effects of moisture content on the method for determining the preconsolidation pressure considering the structured property of loess were discussed. The determination method can accurately evaluate the loess consolidation state in loess regions. The influencing rules which the moisture content exerts on the structured yield stress, the preconsolidation pressure, and the structural strength all conform to exponential functions. The study is of great significance to correctly differentiating the foundation consolidation states and calculating the ground settlement in loess regions.

This paper proposes a new method for predicting the displacement and internal force of constructed tunnels induced by adjacent excavation with dewatering. In this method, the total excavation-induced additional stress on the constructed tunnel is derived by superposing the additional stresses induced by excavation unloading and dewatering effects. The additional stress induced by unloading effect is calculated using Mindlin’s solution. The additional stress induced by dewatering effect is calculated using the principle of effective stress and the Dupuit precipitation funnel curve. With the beam on elastic foundation method, the total additional stress is then used for calculating the tunnel displacement and internal force caused by adjacent excavation with dewatering. Based on three well-documented case histories, the performance of the proposed method is verified. Moreover, a parametric analysis is also performed to capture the effects of excavation depth, tunnel-to-excavation distance, initial water level, excavation plan view size, and specific yield on the responses of the constructed tunnels. The results indicate that the effect of excavation depth on the tunnel maximum vertical displacement, maximum bending moment, and maximum shear force is more significant at an excavation depth greater than the cover depth of the constructed tunnel. The tunnel maximum vertical displacement, maximum bending moment, and maximum shear force decrease nonlinearly with an increase in the tunnel-to-excavation distance and the initial water level. Among the investigated parameters, the excavation dimension in the tunnel longitudinal direction affects most the tunnel responses. The effect of specific yield on the tunnel displacement and internal force induced by adjacent excavation with dewatering becomes more obvious as increasing the initial water level and excavation depth.

This paper investigates the triaxial compression behaviour of Q3 loess soil and the construction of a constitutive model accounting for the structural effect of loess on the basis of the disturbed state concept. By analyzing the triaxial compression testing results, we have established a new disturbing function with respect to the volumetric and shear moduli parameters. A research into the evolution laws of the disturbing function was also conducted, followed by the construction of a constitutive model for loess soil as well as the verification of the constitutive model with model test results. The results indicate that the double-parameter disturbing function evolves in an exponential form, capturing well the effect of moisture content and confining pressure on the loess structural behavior. The parameters of the constructed constitutive model based on the disturbed state are easy to be obtained and have clarified physical meanings. Considering the effectiveness in capturing the structural behavior of the loess, the constructed constitutive model has a great potential to be applied in the engineering practice in the loess area. The constructed constitutive model based on the disturbed state concept provides new ideas for the study of the structural constitutive model of loess, which is theoretically significant.

The existence of flaws in brittle rocks or rock-like materials has an obvious influence on the material mechanical properties and cracking behavior of civil engineering projects. In this work, the two-dimensional particle flow code PFC2D was used to study the deformation and strength properties, failure processes, and acoustic emission (AE) characteristics of mudstone with a single preexisting flaw. First, the procedure to construct a parallel bond model is introduced. The Weibull distribution is used to reflect the mechanical heterogeneity of rocks. Then, the microscopic parameters used in PFC2D are calibrated to the macroproperties of mudstone obtained from laboratory tests under the uniaxial compression. The results indicate that the increases of the flaw inclination lead to the increasing uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus. In terms of microcrack evolution, the initiation, propagation, and coalescence of microcracks are closely related to the force chain. Specifically, an “X” shaped tension force chain concentrated area around the preexisting flaw is founded, which is the most prone area for microcracks to initiate. With an increase in flaw inclination, the b value of AE also shows an increasing trend. By incorporating the AE event numbers into a damage variable, this paper derives a constitutive model, which is verified by numerical results on brittle rocks with a single preexisting flaw under uniaxial compression.

Relative density is an important index affecting the mechanical behaviors of calcareous sands. The dense sands present softening strength, whereas the loose sands exhibit hardening strength. Furthermore, the relative density is determined based on the maximum and minimum void ratios obtained by using the maximum and minimum dry density test. In this study, a series of tests were carried out on various mixed graded sands to explore their material properties and the relationship between the limit void ratio, considering the effects of test methods, equipment, and fine content. It is shown that a more accurate maximum void ratio can be attained by using the 1000 mL measuring cylinder with low rotation speed. In addition, in order to avoid particle breakage of calcareous sands, it is suggested that the minimum void ratio should be obtained with the 1000 mL compaction cylinder combining vibration with hit. The results also show that a linear relationship exists among the limit void ratio of various mixed graded sands. Besides, the void ratio is significantly affected by the fine content. 40% is the critical fine content corresponding to the lowest value of the limit void ratio.

This paper investigates the loading behavior and soil-structure interaction associated with a floating stone column under rigid foundation by using the discrete element method (DEM). The aggregates and soft soil are simulated by particles with different sizes. The rigid foundation is simulated by two loading plates at the same position with the same velocity. The stress distributions and microscopic interaction between the column and soft soil are investigated. The vertical stress of the column increases with settlement and decreases with the depth. The position of the column with large radial stress also has large deformation, which decreases from top to bottom. The vertical and radial stresses of the soft soil increase with settlement, and the radial stress shows high value in the upper part of soft soil. The stress concentration ratio is obtained by two loading plates, which decreases from 2.5 to 1.55 during loading. The interaction between column and soft soil shows that the column does not penetrate into the underlying stratum but drags the surrounding soil down.

Sand elements in the natural or manmade field have often undergone initial static shear stresses before suffering cyclic loading. To explore the effect of static shear stress, a series of undrained cyclic triaxial tests were performed on dense and loose calcareous sand under different initial and cyclic shear stresses. The triaxial test results are used to describe the effect of static shear stress on the cyclic response of the calcareous sand with different relative density. Cyclic mobility, flow deformation, and residual deformation accumulation are the three main failure modes under varying static and cyclic shear stress levels. The cyclic resistance of dense sand is greater than that of loose sand, but the initial static stress has different effects on the cyclic resistance of the two kinds of sand. The dense sand owns a higher cyclic resistance with SSR increasing, while for the loose sand, 0.12 is the critical SSR corresponding to the lowest value of the cyclic resistance. The dense sand has more fast accumulation of dissipated energy, compared with loose sand. Additionally, an exponential relationship is established between static shear stress, relative density, and normalized energy density.

This paper investigates the temporal-spatial characteristics of ground displacements as well as vertical and horizontal displacements and axial forces in existing piles induced by twin shield tunneling in clays. To that end, a case study and three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analysis were performed. Based on the in situ monitoring data from the presented twin tunneling case history with existing piles beneath, the adopted 3D FE method was validated to be competent to yield reasonable simulation results. The validated 3D FE method was then used to analyze the effects of the distance between the tunnel and the pile, the distance between tunnel faces, and the pile length on the horizontal and vertical displacements and axial stresses in piles. It was found that the horizontal displacement distribution forms along the pile shaft for the front piles are similar to that for the back piles, whereas the magnitudes of the horizontal displacements of the front piles are slightly larger than that of the back piles. The interactions between piles in the pile group provide protection of the middle piles in the pile group against twin tunneling effects. With a reduction in the distance between the tunnel and the pile, the pile displacements and stresses increase nonlinearly. With an increase in the distance between tunnel faces, the maximum positive pile displacements and the maximum and minimum axial pile stresses increase, while the maximum negative pile displacements and the difference between the maximum and minimum axial pile stresses decrease.

This paper investigates the performance of a top-down deep excavation in soil-rock composite stratum. The behavior of the excavation bracing system, consisting of ground anchors and end-suspended piles, has not been well understood due to the lack of relevant research. Based on the observed data of a typical deep excavation case history for the May Fourth Square Station in Tsingtao, China, the characteristics of the horizontal and vertical pile displacements, ground surface settlements, building settlements, axial forces in ground anchors, earth pressure, and pore water pressure during excavation were analysed. Two-dimensional finite element simulations were carried out to further explore the deformation and internal force responses of end-suspended piles and to capture the effects of pile diameter, embedded depth, and rock-socketed depth on the horizontal displacement and bending moment distributions along the pile shaft. It was found that the pattern of the vertical pile displacements could be categorized into three types: rapid settlement, slow settlement, and rapid heave. The magnitudes of the ground and building responses can be well controlled within allowable limits by combining the top-down method with the adopted bracing system. Among the investigated parameters, pile diameter is dominant in affecting the horizontal pile displacement. The primary influence zone for pile bending moment varies, depending on the parameters. It is recommended that a combination of top-down method, ground anchors, and end-suspended piles be adopted for restraining excavation deformation and lowering construction costs of similar deep excavations in soil-rock composite stratum.

Nowadays, a huge number of shield-driven tunnels with noncircular cross sections are constructed in urban areas all around the world. However, the ground displacements associated with tunneling still form a difficult issue, especially for noncircular tunnels. In this study, an analytical solution is derived to estimate the ground displacements induced by the deformations of shallow noncircular tunnels in soft ground. First, a solution for the stresses and displacements around a deep tunnel in a full plane is formulated by imposing a specified convergence pattern over the cavity boundary. Subsequently, this solution is validated using finite element simulations in a case study of an elliptical tunnel with four different convergence patterns. Afterward, the solution in the full plane is extended to a half plane using the virtual image technique to estimate the ground displacements around shallow tunnels. The solution is also validated using finite element simulations.