Objective:To investigate the antifibrotic effects of curcumin in a transverse aortic constriction(TAC)mouse model and elucidate its molecular mechanisms.Methods:Male C57BL/6 mice underwent TAC and received vehicle,low...Objective:To investigate the antifibrotic effects of curcumin in a transverse aortic constriction(TAC)mouse model and elucidate its molecular mechanisms.Methods:Male C57BL/6 mice underwent TAC and received vehicle,low-dose curcumin(50 mg/kg),high-dose curcumin(200 mg/kg),high-dose curcumin plus a scrambled control antagomir,or high-dose curcumin plus anti-miR-29b treatments.Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography.Fibrosis was evaluated by histology,collagen volume fraction,and hydroxyproline content.Expression of miR-29b,HDAC4,and fibrosis-related markers(Col1a1,Col3a1,TGF-β1)was measured by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting assays.Myocardial procollagen type I carboxy-terminal propeptide was determined by ELISA,and HDAC4-specific enzymatic activity was assayed using a fluorogenic kit.Results:Curcumin improved cardiac function,reduced fibrosis,restored miR-29b expression,and suppressed HDAC4 expression and activity in a dose-dependent manner.Furthermore,curcumin decreased myocardial procollagen type I carboxy-terminal propeptide levels,confirming reduced collagen synthesis.Anti-miR-29b administration partially abrogated the antifibrotic and cardioprotective effects of curcumin.Conclusions:Curcumin attenuates pressure overload-induced cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction in a TAC mouse model via modulation of the miR-29b/HDAC4 axis and suppression of collagen synthesis.展开更多
Along with the progress of sciences and technologies, a lot of explorations are taken in many countries or organizations in succession. Lunar, the natural satellite of the earth, become a focus of the space discovery ...Along with the progress of sciences and technologies, a lot of explorations are taken in many countries or organizations in succession. Lunar, the natural satellite of the earth, become a focus of the space discovery again recently because of its abundant resource and high value in use. Lunar exploration is also one of the most important projects in China. A primary objective of the probe in lunar is to soft-land a manned spacecraft on the lunar surface. The soft-landing system is the key composition of the lunar lander. In the overall design of lunar lander, the analysis of touchdown dynamics during landing stage is an important work. The rigid-flexible coupling dynamics of a system with flexible cantilevers attached to the main lander is analyzed. The equations are derived from the subsystem method. Results show that the deformations of cantilevers have considerable effect on the overloading of the lunar lander system.展开更多
As a rapid and effective ground improvement method is urgently required for the booming land reclamation in China＇s coastal area, this study proposes a new combined method of electroosmosis, vacuum preloading and sur...As a rapid and effective ground improvement method is urgently required for the booming land reclamation in China＇s coastal area, this study proposes a new combined method of electroosmosis, vacuum preloading and surcharge preloading. A new type of electrical prefabricated vertical drain （ePVD） and a new electroosmotic drainage system are suggested to allow the application of the new method. This combined method is then field-tested and compared with the conventional vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method. The monitoring and foundation test results show that the new method induces a settlement 20% larger than that of the conventional vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method in the same treatment period, and saves approximately half of the treatment time compared with the vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method according to the finite element prediction of the settlement. The proposed method also increases the vane shear strength of the soil significantly. The bearing capacity of the ground improved by use of the new proposed method raises 118%. In comparison, there is only a 75% rise when using the vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method during the same reinforcement period. All results indicate that the proposed combined method is effective and suitable for reinforcing the soft clay ground. Besides, the voltage applied between the anode and cathode increases exponentially versus treatment time when the output current of power supplies is kept constant. Most of the voltage potential in electroosmosis is lost at electrodes, leaving smaller than 50% of the voltage to be effectively transmitted into the soil.展开更多
The analysis of slope earthquake stability is one of the most important research subjects in geotechnical engineering and earthquake engineering.Two different concepts of slope earthquake stability are put forward：st...The analysis of slope earthquake stability is one of the most important research subjects in geotechnical engineering and earthquake engineering.Two different concepts of slope earthquake stability are put forward：strength reserve stability and dynamic overloading stability.The first concept of slope earthquake stability has been widely accepted,and relative analysis methods are also well de-veloped;the second one,however,is seldom mentioned until now,and the failure criterion and the analysis method based on this concept are yet to be explored.What are researched are just the failure criterion and the analysis method of dynamic overloading earthquake stability.The criterion of critical earthquake peak acceleration for the dynamic overloading stability of a slope and its analysis method,the load increasing method（LIM）,are put forward.The dynamic overloading earthquake stability of a loess slope at Changshougou（长寿沟） in Baoji（宝鸡） City,Shaanxi（陕西） Province,China,is analyzed with LIM.The analysis result reveals that the dynamic overloading earthquake stability of the slope is quite high to the action of the earthquake ground motion,with exceeding probability of 10% in the next 50 years.展开更多
Seismic permanent displacement of the soil walls plays an important role in design of these structures. Due to the increase in growth of urban areas and the limitations in use of flat grounds, many structures are buil...Seismic permanent displacement of the soil walls plays an important role in design of these structures. Due to the increase in growth of urban areas and the limitations in use of flat grounds, many structures are built near slopes and retaining walls. During earthquakes, these structures can apply an additional surcharge on the wall. The intensity and location of the surcharge is of considerable importance on the seismic displacements of the soil wall. In this study, by using the limit analysis and upper bound theorem, seismic permanent displacement of the soil wall under surcharge has been analyzed. Thus, a formulation is presented for calculating the yield acceleration and seismic displacement for different surcharge conditions. The effect of seismic acceleration, surcharge intensity, its location and soil properties is investigated. A parameter called the ＂displacement coefficient＂ is proposed, and is a potential modification for Newmark’s sliding-block method.展开更多
A simplified approach was proposed to analyze the negative skin friction calculation of special-shaped pile considering pile-soil interaction under surcharge. Based on the concentric cylinder shearing theory, consider...A simplified approach was proposed to analyze the negative skin friction calculation of special-shaped pile considering pile-soil interaction under surcharge. Based on the concentric cylinder shearing theory, considering the changes of pile shape(such as, taper angle and diameters of pile base, etc.), the load-transfer of special-shaped pile was built. The accuracy of the developed simplified approach was verified by numerical simulation model with the same condition. Then, the influence factors, such as, taper angles, the diameter of pile base, surcharge, and pile-soil interface parameters were analyzed and discussed. The results show that the developed simplified approach can calculate NSF of special-shaped pile under surcharge effectively. A limited parametric study indicates that in many practical situations special-shaped piles(such as belled wedge pile shown in this work) offer a design option that is more economical than traditional uniform cross-section piles.展开更多
Vacuum combined surcharge preloading is an effective method which has been used in ground treatment. This study presents the analytical solution of vertical drains with vacuum combined surcharge preloading. The surcha...Vacuum combined surcharge preloading is an effective method which has been used in ground treatment. This study presents the analytical solution of vertical drains with vacuum combined surcharge preloading. The surcharge was considered to be time-dependent preloading due to its reflection of the real situation.Moreover,the free strain,instead of equal strain hypothesis of the surface,was adopted for the mathematical rigor. Both vertical and horizontal drainages,along with the well resistance were considered.Besides,the time-dependent surcharge preloading was resolved with the impulse theorem which has been presented in the study,and the solutions for pore water pressure and degree of consolidation were derived by applying the approach of separation of variables.Furthermore,the solution is compared with previous solutions and numerical solutions,and the results verify the correctness of the proposed model.展开更多
Underground facilities are usually constructed under existing buildings,or buildings are constructed over existing underground structures.It is then imperative to account for the current overburden loads and future su...Underground facilities are usually constructed under existing buildings,or buildings are constructed over existing underground structures.It is then imperative to account for the current overburden loads and future surface loadings in the design of tunnels.In addition,tunnels are often constructed beneath the groundwater level,such as cross-river tunnels.Therefore,it is also important to consider the water pressure impact on the tunnel lining behaviour.Tunnels excavated by a conventional tunnelling method are considered in this paper.The hyperstatic reaction method(HRM)is adopted in this study to investigate the effect of surcharge loading on a horseshoe-shaped tunnel behaviour excavated in saturated soft rocks.The results obtained from the HRM and numerical modelling are in good agreement.Parametric studies were then performed to show the effects of the water pressure,surcharge loading value and its width,and groundwater level on the behaviour of the horseshoe-shaped tunnel lining,in terms of internal forces and displacements.It displays that the bending moment,normal forces and radial displacements are more sensitive to the water pressure,surcharge loading and groundwater level.展开更多
Existing studies have focused on the behavior of the retaining wall equipped with expanded polystyrene(EPS)geofoam inclusions under semi-infinite surcharge loading rather than limited surcharge loading.In this paper,t...Existing studies have focused on the behavior of the retaining wall equipped with expanded polystyrene(EPS)geofoam inclusions under semi-infinite surcharge loading rather than limited surcharge loading.In this paper,the failure mode and the earth pressure acting on the rigid retaining wall with EPS geofoam inclusions and granular backfills(henceforth referred to as EPS-wall),under limited surcharge loading are investigated through two-and three-dimensional model tests.The testing results show that different from the sliding of almost all the backfill in the EPS-wall under semi-infinite surcharge loading,only an approximately triangular backfill slides in the wall under limited surcharge loading.The distribution of the lateral earth pressure on the EPS-wall under limited surcharge loading is non-linear,and the distribution changes from the increase of the wall depth to the decrease with the increase of the limited surcharge loading.An approach based on the force equilibrium of a differential element is developed to predict the lateral earth pressure behind the EPS-wall subjected to limited surcharge loading,and its performance was fully validated by the three-dimensional model tests.展开更多
Segmentally assembled bridges are increasinglyfinding engineering applications in recent years due to their unique advantages,especially as urban viaducts.Vehicle loads are one of the most important variable loads acti...Segmentally assembled bridges are increasinglyfinding engineering applications in recent years due to their unique advantages,especially as urban viaducts.Vehicle loads are one of the most important variable loads acting on bridge structures.Accordingly,the influence of overloaded vehicles on existing assembled bridge structures is an urgent concern at present.This paper establishes thefinite element model of the segmentally assembled bridge based on ABAQUS software and analyzes the influence of vehicle overload on an assembled girder bridge struc-ture.First,afinite element model corresponding to the target bridge is established based on ABAQUS software,and the load is controlled to simulate vehicle movement in each area of the traveling zone at different times.Sec-ond,the key cross-sections of segmental girder bridges are monitored in real time based on the force character-istics of continuous girder bridges,and they are compared with the simulation results.Finally,a material damage ontology model is introduced,and the structural damage caused by different overloading rates is compared and analyzed.Results show that thefinite element modeling method is accurate by comparing with on-site measured data,and it is suitable for the numerical simulation of segmental girder bridges;Dynamic sensors installed at 1/4L,1/2L,and 3/4L of the segmental girder main beams could be used to identify the dynamic response of segmental girder bridges;The bottom plate of the segmental girder bridge is mostly damaged at the position where the length of the precast beam section changes and the midspan position.With the increase in load,damage in the direction of the bridge develops faster than that in the direction of the transverse bridge.Thefindings of this study can guide maintenance departments in the management and maintenance of bridges and vehicles.展开更多
Male Wistar rats were used to study the changes of the structure and architecture of the smooth muscle cells(SMCs) of the aorta under pressure overloading(PO).The aorta was cut open longitudinally and the tunica media...Male Wistar rats were used to study the changes of the structure and architecture of the smooth muscle cells(SMCs) of the aorta under pressure overloading(PO).The aorta was cut open longitudinally and the tunica media was examined with a histological tech展开更多
The effect of proportional and non-proportional overloading on mode l fatigue crack growth have been studied,and the influences of crack tip plastic zone,crack tip blunting as well as crack closure were discussed.Prop...The effect of proportional and non-proportional overloading on mode l fatigue crack growth have been studied,and the influences of crack tip plastic zone,crack tip blunting as well as crack closure were discussed.Proportional(model I)overloading may cause more serious crack growth retardation than non-proportional(mixed mode)overloading.Therefore,for estimating the fatigue life of engineering structures to simplify a real overload which may of- ten be non-proportional as a proportional one is not always safe.展开更多
The ability of a pavement structure in carrying out its function reduces in line with the increase of traffic load, especially if there are overloaded heavy vehicle passing through the road. This study was done to kno...The ability of a pavement structure in carrying out its function reduces in line with the increase of traffic load, especially if there are overloaded heavy vehicle passing through the road. This study was done to know the effect of overloading vehicles on the road pavement and remaining service life of the pavement. In this study, the service life of pavement due to overloaded vehicles was analyzed using the AASHTO 1993. In Narayanghat-Mugling road the composition of traffic seems to be 83.76% heavy vehicles, 9.18% medium vehicle and 7.05% light vehicle. For the direction of Narayanghat-Mugling, the pavement service life might be reduced by 59.90% due to overloading condition, while for the opposite direction, the service life would not reduced caused by the same factor. The impact of overload conditions on the road pavement showed premature failure;that is, a condition which the damage reduced the life of roads before the design life of the road is reached. From the results, it can be concluded that overloaded vehicles on the road are very influential to the reduction in pavement service life. Therefore, it is expected that road users to comply with existing regulations in the conduct of transportation. As overloading is increasing, it has to be controlled by rules and regulations with penalty to control the overloading. So fines must be associated with intensified enforcement when considered in further strategy. Regular monitoring, inspection and enforcement are the effective ways to control overloading. Use of technology (Automatic overloading information system) may be the effective way to control the overloading.展开更多
Overloading is a method to extend capacity limitation of multiple access techniques. The system becomes overloaded, when the number of users exceeds the signal dimensions. One of the efficient schemes to overload a CD...Overloading is a method to extend capacity limitation of multiple access techniques. The system becomes overloaded, when the number of users exceeds the signal dimensions. One of the efficient schemes to overload a CDMA system is to use two sets of orthogonal signal waveforms (O/O). In this paper, the BER performance of a new overloading scheme using scrambled orthogonal Gold code (OG/OG) sets is evaluated with soft decision interference cancellation (SDIC) receiver. When complex scrambling is not used, it is shown that OG/OG scheme provides 25% (16 extra users) channel overloading for synchronous DS-CDMA system in an AWGN channel, with an SNR degradation of about 0.35 dB as compared to single user bound at a BER of 1e-5. We have evaluated the overloading performance, when two set are scrambled with set specific deterministic or random complex scrambling sequence. It is shown that the amount of overloading increases significantly from 25% to 63% (40 extra users) by using random complex scrambling for N=64. For deterministic (periodic) scrambling, the overloading percentage increases considerably to 78. On a Rayleigh fading channel, an overloading of 40% is obtained without scrambling at a BER of 5e-4 with near single user performance. With complex scrambling overloading % increases considerably to 100%.展开更多
The study of the deflection due to the passage of an axle on a pavement structure has the advantage to make possible to pronounce on the portance, the rigidity and the homogeneity of this one. In the case where the al...The study of the deflection due to the passage of an axle on a pavement structure has the advantage to make possible to pronounce on the portance, the rigidity and the homogeneity of this one. In the case where the allowed axle load is not respected, surface deflection leads to premature deterioration of the roadway. In order to study the evolution of these deformations, deflection measurements were made by using the Benkelman method in the Fatick-Kaolack road in Senegal by varying the axle load with the following values: 10, 13 and 16 tons on three different zones. The results show a linear evolution of the deflection as a function of the axle load. Also, the impact of truck overloading was studied by considering different values of the axle load with comparison to the allowed axle load by using frequent types of vehicle. A numerical simulation of the Cast3M pavement was done first, in the case of an isolated single wheel with a radius of 12.5 cm, then in the case of an equivalent dual wheel with a radius of 18.1 cm for loads of 10 to 19 tons. In the same way, the pavement design software (ALIZE) is used to analyse the variation of the axle load. The results show a linear evolution of the deflection, which corroborates the measurements made in the field and those obtained by Samb (2014) with a slope coefficient equal to 1.7. Nevertheless, the case of an isolated single wheel of 12.5 cm radius is closest to the measurements with a straight line of slope coefficient equal to 1.9.展开更多
Welding residual stress in the engineering structure has a non-negligible influence on crack propagation,and crack closure is a significant factor affecting the crack propagation.Based on the elastoplastic finite elem...Welding residual stress in the engineering structure has a non-negligible influence on crack propagation,and crack closure is a significant factor affecting the crack propagation.Based on the elastoplastic finite element method and crack closure theory,we studied crack closure and residual compressive stress field of butt-welded plates under constant amplitude loading and overloading regarding the stress ratio,maximum load,overload ratio,and number of overloads.The results show that the welding residual tensile stress can decrease the crack closure because of a decrease in the residual compressive stress in the wake zone,but the effect is gradually reduced with increased stress ratio or maximum load.And the combined effect of welding residual tensile stress and overload can produce a stronger retardation effect on crack propagation.展开更多
Iron overload has been evidenced to contribute to obesity-associated metabolic disorders,including insulin resistance.Strategies to reduce iron levels might help manage the metabolic complications associated with obes...Iron overload has been evidenced to contribute to obesity-associated metabolic disorders,including insulin resistance.Strategies to reduce iron levels might help manage the metabolic complications associated with obesity.Here,it is demonstrated that the specific accumulation of oleic acid-modified polyoxovanadates(OPOVs)in adipose tissue leads to the reduction of iron concentrations in adipocytes in mice fed with a high-fat diet(HFD).Conjugation of oleic acids to polyoxovanadates enables tissue-specific depletion of iron from white adipose tissue(WAT)by OPOVs,protecting mice from HFD-induced obesity and obesity-associated metabolic deteriorations.Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity are improved in OPOV-treated mice,which demonstrates that the OPOV-induced iron depletion can reverse the metabolic degeneration caused by HFD-induced obesity.Furthermore,a decrease in expression of the marker genes of iron overload suggests the participation of OPOVs in maintaining iron homeostasis and a potential medical application of vanadium clusters in targeting the iron overload caused by obesity.These findings underscore the potential of vanadate-based clusters tailored to address the complex interplay between iron metabolism and metabolic health.展开更多
BACKGROUND Iron overload cardiomyopathy is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients.Standard iron chelation therapy is less efficient in alleviating iron accumulatio...BACKGROUND Iron overload cardiomyopathy is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients.Standard iron chelation therapy is less efficient in alleviating iron accumulation in many organs,especially when iron enters the cells via specific calcium channels.AIM To validate our hypothesis that adding amlodipine to the iron chelation regimen is more efficient in alleviating myocardial iron overload.METHODS Five databases,including PubMed,Cochrane Library,Embase,ScienceDirect,and ClinicalTrials.gov,were systematically searched,and three randomized controlled trials involving 144 pediatric patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia were included in our meta-analysis based on the predefined eligibility criteria.The quality of the included studies was assessed based on the Cochrane collab-oration tool for bias assessment.The primary outcome assessed was myocardial-T2 and myocardial iron concentration,while the secondary results showed serum ferritin level,liver iron concentration,and treatment adverse outcomes.Weighted mean difference and odds ratio were calculated to measure the changes in the estimated treatment effects.RESULTS During the follow-up period,Amlodipine treatment significantly improved cardiac T2 by 2.79 ms compared to the control group[95%confidence interval(CI):0.34-5.24,P=0.03,I2=0%].Additionally,a significant reduction of 0.31 in myocardial iron concentration was observed with amlodipine treatment compared to the control group[95%CI:-0.38-(-0.25),P<0.00001,I2=0%].Liver iron concentration was slightly lower in the amlodipine group by-0.04 mg/g,but this difference was not statistically significant(95%CI:-0.33-0.24,P=0.77,I2=0%).Amlodipine also showed a non-significant trend toward a reduction in serum ferritin levels(-328.86 ng/mL,95%CI:-1212.34-554.62,P=0.47,I2=90%).Regarding safety,there were no significant differences between the groups in the incidence of gastrointestinal upset,hypotension,or lower limb edema.CONCLUSION Amlodipine with iron chelation therapy significantly improved cardiac parameters,including cardiac-T2 and myocardial iron,in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia without causing significant adverse events but enhancing the efficacy of iron chelation therapy.展开更多
When only a portion of the shield lining structures in a full-line tunnel are overloaded,their bearing and failure characteristics are significantly different from those in the full-line overloaded case.In existing st...When only a portion of the shield lining structures in a full-line tunnel are overloaded,their bearing and failure characteristics are significantly different from those in the full-line overloaded case.In existing studies,one or several segmental lining rings have been studied,with overload applied to selected lining rings to analyze the performance evolution of the lining structures;however,this approach fails to reveal the bearing and failure characteristics of shield lining rings under localized overload.To address this research gap,we employ 3D finite element modeling to investigate the mechanical performance and failure mechanisms of shield segmental linings under localized overload conditions,and compare the results with full-line overload scenarios.Additionally,the impact of reinforcing shield segmental linings with steel rings is studied to address issues arising from localized overloads.The results indicate that localized overloads lead to significant ring joint dislocation and higher stress on longitudinal bolts,potentially causing longitudinal bolt failure.Furthermore,the overall deformation of lining rings,segmental joint opening,and stress in circumferential bolts and steel bars is lower compared to full-line overloads.For the same overload level,the convergence deformation of the lining under full-line overload is 1.5 to 2.0 times higher than that under localized overload.For localized overload situations,a reinforcement scheme with steel rings spanning across two adjacent lining rings is more effective than installing steel rings within individual lining rings.This spanning ring reinforcement strategy not only enhances the structural rigidity of each ring,but also limits joint dislocation and reduces stress on longitudinal bolts,with the reduction in maximum ring joint dislocation ranging from 70%to 82%and the reduction in maximum longitudinal bolt stress ranging from 19%to 57%compared to reinforcement within rings.展开更多
基金supported by China International Medical Foundation(Z-2019-42-1908-4)Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi Province(2019JM-440).
文摘Objective:To investigate the antifibrotic effects of curcumin in a transverse aortic constriction(TAC)mouse model and elucidate its molecular mechanisms.Methods:Male C57BL/6 mice underwent TAC and received vehicle,low-dose curcumin(50 mg/kg),high-dose curcumin(200 mg/kg),high-dose curcumin plus a scrambled control antagomir,or high-dose curcumin plus anti-miR-29b treatments.Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography.Fibrosis was evaluated by histology,collagen volume fraction,and hydroxyproline content.Expression of miR-29b,HDAC4,and fibrosis-related markers(Col1a1,Col3a1,TGF-β1)was measured by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting assays.Myocardial procollagen type I carboxy-terminal propeptide was determined by ELISA,and HDAC4-specific enzymatic activity was assayed using a fluorogenic kit.Results:Curcumin improved cardiac function,reduced fibrosis,restored miR-29b expression,and suppressed HDAC4 expression and activity in a dose-dependent manner.Furthermore,curcumin decreased myocardial procollagen type I carboxy-terminal propeptide levels,confirming reduced collagen synthesis.Anti-miR-29b administration partially abrogated the antifibrotic and cardioprotective effects of curcumin.Conclusions:Curcumin attenuates pressure overload-induced cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction in a TAC mouse model via modulation of the miR-29b/HDAC4 axis and suppression of collagen synthesis.
基金HI-tech Research and Development Program of China
文摘Along with the progress of sciences and technologies, a lot of explorations are taken in many countries or organizations in succession. Lunar, the natural satellite of the earth, become a focus of the space discovery again recently because of its abundant resource and high value in use. Lunar exploration is also one of the most important projects in China. A primary objective of the probe in lunar is to soft-land a manned spacecraft on the lunar surface. The soft-landing system is the key composition of the lunar lander. In the overall design of lunar lander, the analysis of touchdown dynamics during landing stage is an important work. The rigid-flexible coupling dynamics of a system with flexible cantilevers attached to the main lander is analyzed. The equations are derived from the subsystem method. Results show that the deformations of cantilevers have considerable effect on the overloading of the lunar lander system.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Joint High Speed Railway Key Program Foundation of China(Grant No.U1134207)the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University(Grant No.IRT1125)the Key Science and Technology Program of the Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province(Grant No.2009C03001)
文摘As a rapid and effective ground improvement method is urgently required for the booming land reclamation in China＇s coastal area, this study proposes a new combined method of electroosmosis, vacuum preloading and surcharge preloading. A new type of electrical prefabricated vertical drain （ePVD） and a new electroosmotic drainage system are suggested to allow the application of the new method. This combined method is then field-tested and compared with the conventional vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method. The monitoring and foundation test results show that the new method induces a settlement 20% larger than that of the conventional vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method in the same treatment period, and saves approximately half of the treatment time compared with the vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method according to the finite element prediction of the settlement. The proposed method also increases the vane shear strength of the soil significantly. The bearing capacity of the ground improved by use of the new proposed method raises 118%. In comparison, there is only a 75% rise when using the vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method during the same reinforcement period. All results indicate that the proposed combined method is effective and suitable for reinforcing the soft clay ground. Besides, the voltage applied between the anode and cathode increases exponentially versus treatment time when the output current of power supplies is kept constant. Most of the voltage potential in electroosmosis is lost at electrodes, leaving smaller than 50% of the voltage to be effectively transmitted into the soil.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40902086)
文摘The analysis of slope earthquake stability is one of the most important research subjects in geotechnical engineering and earthquake engineering.Two different concepts of slope earthquake stability are put forward：strength reserve stability and dynamic overloading stability.The first concept of slope earthquake stability has been widely accepted,and relative analysis methods are also well de-veloped;the second one,however,is seldom mentioned until now,and the failure criterion and the analysis method based on this concept are yet to be explored.What are researched are just the failure criterion and the analysis method of dynamic overloading earthquake stability.The criterion of critical earthquake peak acceleration for the dynamic overloading stability of a slope and its analysis method,the load increasing method（LIM）,are put forward.The dynamic overloading earthquake stability of a loess slope at Changshougou（长寿沟） in Baoji（宝鸡） City,Shaanxi（陕西） Province,China,is analyzed with LIM.The analysis result reveals that the dynamic overloading earthquake stability of the slope is quite high to the action of the earthquake ground motion,with exceeding probability of 10% in the next 50 years.
文摘Seismic permanent displacement of the soil walls plays an important role in design of these structures. Due to the increase in growth of urban areas and the limitations in use of flat grounds, many structures are built near slopes and retaining walls. During earthquakes, these structures can apply an additional surcharge on the wall. The intensity and location of the surcharge is of considerable importance on the seismic displacements of the soil wall. In this study, by using the limit analysis and upper bound theorem, seismic permanent displacement of the soil wall under surcharge has been analyzed. Thus, a formulation is presented for calculating the yield acceleration and seismic displacement for different surcharge conditions. The effect of seismic acceleration, surcharge intensity, its location and soil properties is investigated. A parameter called the ＂displacement coefficient＂ is proposed, and is a potential modification for Newmark’s sliding-block method.
基金Projects(51278170,U1134207)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(B13024)supported by the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities,China
文摘A simplified approach was proposed to analyze the negative skin friction calculation of special-shaped pile considering pile-soil interaction under surcharge. Based on the concentric cylinder shearing theory, considering the changes of pile shape(such as, taper angle and diameters of pile base, etc.), the load-transfer of special-shaped pile was built. The accuracy of the developed simplified approach was verified by numerical simulation model with the same condition. Then, the influence factors, such as, taper angles, the diameter of pile base, surcharge, and pile-soil interface parameters were analyzed and discussed. The results show that the developed simplified approach can calculate NSF of special-shaped pile under surcharge effectively. A limited parametric study indicates that in many practical situations special-shaped piles(such as belled wedge pile shown in this work) offer a design option that is more economical than traditional uniform cross-section piles.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51578214)
文摘Vacuum combined surcharge preloading is an effective method which has been used in ground treatment. This study presents the analytical solution of vertical drains with vacuum combined surcharge preloading. The surcharge was considered to be time-dependent preloading due to its reflection of the real situation.Moreover,the free strain,instead of equal strain hypothesis of the surface,was adopted for the mathematical rigor. Both vertical and horizontal drainages,along with the well resistance were considered.Besides,the time-dependent surcharge preloading was resolved with the impulse theorem which has been presented in the study,and the solutions for pore water pressure and degree of consolidation were derived by applying the approach of separation of variables.Furthermore,the solution is compared with previous solutions and numerical solutions,and the results verify the correctness of the proposed model.
基金The first author is supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in China.The third author is supported by the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training under grant number B2020-MDA-15.These funds are greatly appreciated.
文摘Underground facilities are usually constructed under existing buildings,or buildings are constructed over existing underground structures.It is then imperative to account for the current overburden loads and future surface loadings in the design of tunnels.In addition,tunnels are often constructed beneath the groundwater level,such as cross-river tunnels.Therefore,it is also important to consider the water pressure impact on the tunnel lining behaviour.Tunnels excavated by a conventional tunnelling method are considered in this paper.The hyperstatic reaction method(HRM)is adopted in this study to investigate the effect of surcharge loading on a horseshoe-shaped tunnel behaviour excavated in saturated soft rocks.The results obtained from the HRM and numerical modelling are in good agreement.Parametric studies were then performed to show the effects of the water pressure,surcharge loading value and its width,and groundwater level on the behaviour of the horseshoe-shaped tunnel lining,in terms of internal forces and displacements.It displays that the bending moment,normal forces and radial displacements are more sensitive to the water pressure,surcharge loading and groundwater level.
基金funding support from National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52179109)Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation(Grant No.BK20230967)Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and System Safety of Traffic Engineering Structures,Shijiazhuang Tiedao University(Grant No.KF2022-02).
文摘Existing studies have focused on the behavior of the retaining wall equipped with expanded polystyrene(EPS)geofoam inclusions under semi-infinite surcharge loading rather than limited surcharge loading.In this paper,the failure mode and the earth pressure acting on the rigid retaining wall with EPS geofoam inclusions and granular backfills(henceforth referred to as EPS-wall),under limited surcharge loading are investigated through two-and three-dimensional model tests.The testing results show that different from the sliding of almost all the backfill in the EPS-wall under semi-infinite surcharge loading,only an approximately triangular backfill slides in the wall under limited surcharge loading.The distribution of the lateral earth pressure on the EPS-wall under limited surcharge loading is non-linear,and the distribution changes from the increase of the wall depth to the decrease with the increase of the limited surcharge loading.An approach based on the force equilibrium of a differential element is developed to predict the lateral earth pressure behind the EPS-wall subjected to limited surcharge loading,and its performance was fully validated by the three-dimensional model tests.
基金supported in part by the Key Research Projects of Higher Education Institutions in Henan Province(Grant No.24A560021)in part by the Henan Postdoctoral Foundation(Grant No.202102015).
文摘Segmentally assembled bridges are increasinglyfinding engineering applications in recent years due to their unique advantages,especially as urban viaducts.Vehicle loads are one of the most important variable loads acting on bridge structures.Accordingly,the influence of overloaded vehicles on existing assembled bridge structures is an urgent concern at present.This paper establishes thefinite element model of the segmentally assembled bridge based on ABAQUS software and analyzes the influence of vehicle overload on an assembled girder bridge struc-ture.First,afinite element model corresponding to the target bridge is established based on ABAQUS software,and the load is controlled to simulate vehicle movement in each area of the traveling zone at different times.Sec-ond,the key cross-sections of segmental girder bridges are monitored in real time based on the force character-istics of continuous girder bridges,and they are compared with the simulation results.Finally,a material damage ontology model is introduced,and the structural damage caused by different overloading rates is compared and analyzed.Results show that thefinite element modeling method is accurate by comparing with on-site measured data,and it is suitable for the numerical simulation of segmental girder bridges;Dynamic sensors installed at 1/4L,1/2L,and 3/4L of the segmental girder main beams could be used to identify the dynamic response of segmental girder bridges;The bottom plate of the segmental girder bridge is mostly damaged at the position where the length of the precast beam section changes and the midspan position.With the increase in load,damage in the direction of the bridge develops faster than that in the direction of the transverse bridge.Thefindings of this study can guide maintenance departments in the management and maintenance of bridges and vehicles.
文摘Male Wistar rats were used to study the changes of the structure and architecture of the smooth muscle cells(SMCs) of the aorta under pressure overloading(PO).The aorta was cut open longitudinally and the tunica media was examined with a histological tech
文摘The effect of proportional and non-proportional overloading on mode l fatigue crack growth have been studied,and the influences of crack tip plastic zone,crack tip blunting as well as crack closure were discussed.Proportional(model I)overloading may cause more serious crack growth retardation than non-proportional(mixed mode)overloading.Therefore,for estimating the fatigue life of engineering structures to simplify a real overload which may of- ten be non-proportional as a proportional one is not always safe.
文摘The ability of a pavement structure in carrying out its function reduces in line with the increase of traffic load, especially if there are overloaded heavy vehicle passing through the road. This study was done to know the effect of overloading vehicles on the road pavement and remaining service life of the pavement. In this study, the service life of pavement due to overloaded vehicles was analyzed using the AASHTO 1993. In Narayanghat-Mugling road the composition of traffic seems to be 83.76% heavy vehicles, 9.18% medium vehicle and 7.05% light vehicle. For the direction of Narayanghat-Mugling, the pavement service life might be reduced by 59.90% due to overloading condition, while for the opposite direction, the service life would not reduced caused by the same factor. The impact of overload conditions on the road pavement showed premature failure;that is, a condition which the damage reduced the life of roads before the design life of the road is reached. From the results, it can be concluded that overloaded vehicles on the road are very influential to the reduction in pavement service life. Therefore, it is expected that road users to comply with existing regulations in the conduct of transportation. As overloading is increasing, it has to be controlled by rules and regulations with penalty to control the overloading. So fines must be associated with intensified enforcement when considered in further strategy. Regular monitoring, inspection and enforcement are the effective ways to control overloading. Use of technology (Automatic overloading information system) may be the effective way to control the overloading.
文摘Overloading is a method to extend capacity limitation of multiple access techniques. The system becomes overloaded, when the number of users exceeds the signal dimensions. One of the efficient schemes to overload a CDMA system is to use two sets of orthogonal signal waveforms (O/O). In this paper, the BER performance of a new overloading scheme using scrambled orthogonal Gold code (OG/OG) sets is evaluated with soft decision interference cancellation (SDIC) receiver. When complex scrambling is not used, it is shown that OG/OG scheme provides 25% (16 extra users) channel overloading for synchronous DS-CDMA system in an AWGN channel, with an SNR degradation of about 0.35 dB as compared to single user bound at a BER of 1e-5. We have evaluated the overloading performance, when two set are scrambled with set specific deterministic or random complex scrambling sequence. It is shown that the amount of overloading increases significantly from 25% to 63% (40 extra users) by using random complex scrambling for N=64. For deterministic (periodic) scrambling, the overloading percentage increases considerably to 78. On a Rayleigh fading channel, an overloading of 40% is obtained without scrambling at a BER of 5e-4 with near single user performance. With complex scrambling overloading % increases considerably to 100%.
文摘The study of the deflection due to the passage of an axle on a pavement structure has the advantage to make possible to pronounce on the portance, the rigidity and the homogeneity of this one. In the case where the allowed axle load is not respected, surface deflection leads to premature deterioration of the roadway. In order to study the evolution of these deformations, deflection measurements were made by using the Benkelman method in the Fatick-Kaolack road in Senegal by varying the axle load with the following values: 10, 13 and 16 tons on three different zones. The results show a linear evolution of the deflection as a function of the axle load. Also, the impact of truck overloading was studied by considering different values of the axle load with comparison to the allowed axle load by using frequent types of vehicle. A numerical simulation of the Cast3M pavement was done first, in the case of an isolated single wheel with a radius of 12.5 cm, then in the case of an equivalent dual wheel with a radius of 18.1 cm for loads of 10 to 19 tons. In the same way, the pavement design software (ALIZE) is used to analyse the variation of the axle load. The results show a linear evolution of the deflection, which corroborates the measurements made in the field and those obtained by Samb (2014) with a slope coefficient equal to 1.7. Nevertheless, the case of an isolated single wheel of 12.5 cm radius is closest to the measurements with a straight line of slope coefficient equal to 1.9.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51779198)
文摘Welding residual stress in the engineering structure has a non-negligible influence on crack propagation,and crack closure is a significant factor affecting the crack propagation.Based on the elastoplastic finite element method and crack closure theory,we studied crack closure and residual compressive stress field of butt-welded plates under constant amplitude loading and overloading regarding the stress ratio,maximum load,overload ratio,and number of overloads.The results show that the welding residual tensile stress can decrease the crack closure because of a decrease in the residual compressive stress in the wake zone,but the effect is gradually reduced with increased stress ratio or maximum load.And the combined effect of welding residual tensile stress and overload can produce a stronger retardation effect on crack propagation.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.22101086)Guangzhou Basic and Applied Basic Research Project(No.202201010052)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(No.2023A1515140030).
文摘Iron overload has been evidenced to contribute to obesity-associated metabolic disorders,including insulin resistance.Strategies to reduce iron levels might help manage the metabolic complications associated with obesity.Here,it is demonstrated that the specific accumulation of oleic acid-modified polyoxovanadates(OPOVs)in adipose tissue leads to the reduction of iron concentrations in adipocytes in mice fed with a high-fat diet(HFD).Conjugation of oleic acids to polyoxovanadates enables tissue-specific depletion of iron from white adipose tissue(WAT)by OPOVs,protecting mice from HFD-induced obesity and obesity-associated metabolic deteriorations.Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity are improved in OPOV-treated mice,which demonstrates that the OPOV-induced iron depletion can reverse the metabolic degeneration caused by HFD-induced obesity.Furthermore,a decrease in expression of the marker genes of iron overload suggests the participation of OPOVs in maintaining iron homeostasis and a potential medical application of vanadium clusters in targeting the iron overload caused by obesity.These findings underscore the potential of vanadate-based clusters tailored to address the complex interplay between iron metabolism and metabolic health.
文摘BACKGROUND Iron overload cardiomyopathy is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients.Standard iron chelation therapy is less efficient in alleviating iron accumulation in many organs,especially when iron enters the cells via specific calcium channels.AIM To validate our hypothesis that adding amlodipine to the iron chelation regimen is more efficient in alleviating myocardial iron overload.METHODS Five databases,including PubMed,Cochrane Library,Embase,ScienceDirect,and ClinicalTrials.gov,were systematically searched,and three randomized controlled trials involving 144 pediatric patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia were included in our meta-analysis based on the predefined eligibility criteria.The quality of the included studies was assessed based on the Cochrane collab-oration tool for bias assessment.The primary outcome assessed was myocardial-T2 and myocardial iron concentration,while the secondary results showed serum ferritin level,liver iron concentration,and treatment adverse outcomes.Weighted mean difference and odds ratio were calculated to measure the changes in the estimated treatment effects.RESULTS During the follow-up period,Amlodipine treatment significantly improved cardiac T2 by 2.79 ms compared to the control group[95%confidence interval(CI):0.34-5.24,P=0.03,I2=0%].Additionally,a significant reduction of 0.31 in myocardial iron concentration was observed with amlodipine treatment compared to the control group[95%CI:-0.38-(-0.25),P<0.00001,I2=0%].Liver iron concentration was slightly lower in the amlodipine group by-0.04 mg/g,but this difference was not statistically significant(95%CI:-0.33-0.24,P=0.77,I2=0%).Amlodipine also showed a non-significant trend toward a reduction in serum ferritin levels(-328.86 ng/mL,95%CI:-1212.34-554.62,P=0.47,I2=90%).Regarding safety,there were no significant differences between the groups in the incidence of gastrointestinal upset,hypotension,or lower limb edema.CONCLUSION Amlodipine with iron chelation therapy significantly improved cardiac parameters,including cardiac-T2 and myocardial iron,in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia without causing significant adverse events but enhancing the efficacy of iron chelation therapy.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52008308).
文摘When only a portion of the shield lining structures in a full-line tunnel are overloaded,their bearing and failure characteristics are significantly different from those in the full-line overloaded case.In existing studies,one or several segmental lining rings have been studied,with overload applied to selected lining rings to analyze the performance evolution of the lining structures;however,this approach fails to reveal the bearing and failure characteristics of shield lining rings under localized overload.To address this research gap,we employ 3D finite element modeling to investigate the mechanical performance and failure mechanisms of shield segmental linings under localized overload conditions,and compare the results with full-line overload scenarios.Additionally,the impact of reinforcing shield segmental linings with steel rings is studied to address issues arising from localized overloads.The results indicate that localized overloads lead to significant ring joint dislocation and higher stress on longitudinal bolts,potentially causing longitudinal bolt failure.Furthermore,the overall deformation of lining rings,segmental joint opening,and stress in circumferential bolts and steel bars is lower compared to full-line overloads.For the same overload level,the convergence deformation of the lining under full-line overload is 1.5 to 2.0 times higher than that under localized overload.For localized overload situations,a reinforcement scheme with steel rings spanning across two adjacent lining rings is more effective than installing steel rings within individual lining rings.This spanning ring reinforcement strategy not only enhances the structural rigidity of each ring,but also limits joint dislocation and reduces stress on longitudinal bolts,with the reduction in maximum ring joint dislocation ranging from 70%to 82%and the reduction in maximum longitudinal bolt stress ranging from 19%to 57%compared to reinforcement within rings.
