Soil Layer Disturbance Caused by Pipe Jacking: Measurement and Simulation of a Case Study

Wenjie Ma,Binglong Wang,Xu Wang,Shunhua Zhou,Bolin Wang 대한토목학회 2021 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.25 No.4

In this paper, areas of soil disturbed by pipe jack construction are categorized and analyzed in detail. Mechanisms of soil disturbance are discussed and patterns of soil deformation are studied using random medium theory. Lateral deformations in deep soil, pore water pressures, stratified settlement, and earth pressures are investigated using measurements from an electrical transmission pipeline project in China. The measurements show that soil layer movement can be predicted by monitoring changes in pore water pressure, and the amplitude of soil disturbance transverse to the pipeline is larger than that above the pipeline in this project. The distributions of stress components in the direction of, and vertical to, the pipeline axis are studied by numerical simulation. It shows that the closer to the pipeline axis, the greater the additional stress, the faster the attenuation speed, and the smaller the range of influence. Relationships of positive propulsion, friction, and stratum loss with longitudinal and transverse surface deformations are also discussed. The ground displacement is a coupling of the three factors to the action of the soil. The surface transverse subsidence with a main influence range of about ±4 D (D is outer diameter of pipe jacking). The findings from this study can be used as technical foundation and reference for the construction of similar projects.

Lead tolerance and accumulation characteristics of three Hydrangea cultivars representing potential lead-contaminated phytoremediation plants

Wenjie Ma,Bing Zhao,Xiaofan Lv,Xuan Feng 한국원예학회 2022 Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology Vol.63 No.1

Heavy metal contamination of soil is a serious environmental problem worldwide. With improving ecological awareness,phytoremediation has attracted increasing attention as an economic, effi cient, and environmentally friendly method to addressheavy metal pollution. Hydrangea plants are not only colorful and aesthetically pleasing, but they also grow vigorously. Inthis study, we examined the responses of three Hydrangea cultivars to diff erent levels of lead (Pb) stress in terms of theirgrowth responses, biochemical changes, and heavy metal accumulation. We found that (1) no visual heavy metal toxicitysymptoms were observed in the three Hydrangea cultivars under any Pb treatment. (2) At low concentrations of Pb (100–200 mg kg −1 ), the root length of the three cultivars increased signifi cantly compared with that of the control; no signifi cantchange was found in shoot biomass in the three cultivars under any Pb treatment. (3) The biochemical changes in responseto Pb stress diff ered between the cultivars. (4) Under all Pb treatments, the Pb concentrations in the roots were signifi cantlyhigher than those in the shoots of the cultivars, with translocation factor (TF) values < 1. Our results suggest that all threeHydrangea cultivars tested have the potential to tolerate high Pb levels in soil and showed Pb phytostabilization tendencieswith features essential for phytoextraction.

ANALYTICAL SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS METHOD OF CROSSSECTIONAL SHAPE FOR THIN-WALLED AUTOMOBILE FRAME CONSIDERING GLOBAL PERFORMANCES

Yanhua Ma,Xinchen Wang,Wenjie Zuo 한국자동차공학회 2020 International journal of automotive technology Vol.21 No.5

At the conceptual design stage, thin-walled beams (TWBs) with the complex cross-sectional shapes are extensively used to compose the automobile frame. Thus, the performances of automobile frame are determined by crosssectional shapes of TWBs. Currently, the modifications of complex cross-sectional shapes depend on the experience of engineers, which often causes the design risk. Meanwhile, to our knowledge, the previous studies mainly focused on the regular cross sections and paid little attention for the complex cross-sectional shape for the automobile frame. Therefore, this paper proposes an analytical sensitivity analysis method to modify the complex cross-sectional shapes. This method regards the coordinates of points and the thicknesses of sheets as design variables to describe the cross-sectional shapes. The bending stiffness, torsional stiffness and frequency are used to evaluate the performances of automobile frame. Finally, an example of the RAV4 automobile frame verifies that the analytical sensitivity analysis method can effectively guide the modification of the cross-sectional shape and achieve the lightweight automobile frame.

On the Pacific Decadal Oscillation Simulations in CMIP6 Models: A New Test‑Bed from Climate Network Analysis

Yiling Ma,Naiming Yuan,Tianyun Dong,Wenjie Dong 한국기상학회 2023 Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences Vol.59 No.1

As a dominant pattern of the North Pacific sea surface temperature decadal variability, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) has remarkable influences on the marine and terrestrial ecosystems. However, the PDO is highly unpredictable. Here, we assess the performance of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models in simulating the PDO, with an emphasis on the evaluation of CMIP6 models in reproducing a recently detected early warning signal based on climate network analysis for the PDO regime shift. Results show that the skill of CMIP6 historical simulations remains at a low level, with a skill limited in reproducing PDO’s spatial pattern and nearly no skill in reproducing the PDO index. However, if the warning signal for the PDO regime shift by climate network analysis is considered as a test-bed, we find that even in historical simulations, a few models can represent the corresponding relationship between the warning signal and the PDO regime shift, regardless of the chronological accuracy. By further conducting initialization, the performance of the model simulations is improved according to the evaluation of the hindcasts from two ensemble members of the Decadal Climate Prediction Project (NorCPM1 and BCC-CSM2-MR). Particularly, we find that the NorCPM1 model can capture the early warning signals for the late-1970s and late-1990s regime shifts 5–7 years in advance, indicating that the early warning signal somewhat can be captured by some CMIP6 models. A further investigation on the underlying mechanisms of the early warning signal would be crucial for the improvement of model simulations in the North Pacific.

SHAPE OPTIMIZATION OF THIN-WALLED CROSS SECTION FOR AUTOMOBILE BODY CONSIDERING STAMPING COST, MANUFACTURABILITY AND STRUCTURAL STIFFNESS

Yanhua Ma,Rui Chen,Jiantao Bai,Wenjie Zuo 한국자동차공학회 2020 International journal of automotive technology Vol.21 No.2

At the conceptual design stage, the cross-sectional shapes of thin-walled beams (TWBs) need to be optimized to improve the performance of automobile structure. Therefore, this paper innovatively proposes a cross-sectional shape optimization method to acquire a low cost, high stiffness, manufacturable and lightweight TWB. Meanwhile, the stamping cost of thin-walled beams is analytically derived. The cross-sectional area is taken as the objective function to establish an optimization formulation with multiple constraints such as cross-sectional stiffness, manufacturability and cost of TWBs. The single-objective genetic algorithm based on non-dominant principle is introduced to solve the problem. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by an example of double cell cross-sectional shape.

Osteogenic effect of magnesium oxychloride cement modified with phytic acid and loaded with strontium ranelate

Tingting Ma,Yijia Guan,Jinlun Feng,Yue Yang,Junying Chen,Wenjie Guo,Jianguo Liao,Yanru Zhang 한국생체재료학회 2023 생체재료학회지 Vol.27 No.00

Background Magnesium oxychloride cement has good mechanical properties, but poor water resistance. Methods Phytic acid, which can form chelate with Mg2+, was used to modify magnesium oxychloride cement, and the effects of phytic acid on the strength, in vitro degradation and biological activity of magnesium oxychloride cement were studied. Based on the preparation of phytic acid modified magnesium oxychloride cement with good water resistance and biological activity, osteoporosis treatment strontium ranelate was loaded on phytic acidmagnesium oxychloride cement, strontium ranelate/phytic acid-magnesium oxychloride cement was prepared. Results It was found that the compressive strength of 1.25 wt% phytic acid-magnesium oxychloride cement after soaking in SBF for 28 d could reach 40.5 ± 2.0 MPa, 13.33% higher than that of the control group (when phytic acid was 0 wt%), and the mass loss rate of all ages was lower than that of the control group. The water resistance of magnesium oxychloride cement was effectively improved by phytic acid. After loading with strontium ranelate, the water resistance of 1.25 wt% phytic acid-magnesium oxychloride cement was improved. Cell experiments showed that strontium ranelate could effectively promote cell proliferation and improve the expression of osteoblastrelated proteins. When strontium ranelate/phytic acid-magnesium oxychloride cement samples were implanted subcutaneously in rats for 4 w, no obvious inflammatory response was observed, and the material was tightly bound to the surrounding tissues. When bone cement was implanted into rat femur for 4 w, the bone cement was gradually wrapped and absorbed by new bone tissue, which grew from the outside to the inside, indicating that the bone cement containing strontium ranelate/phytic acid-magnesium oxychloride cement had excellent bone-forming ability. Conclusions In conclusion, the results indicated that strontium ranelate/phytic acid-magnesium oxychloride cement composite bone cement had a potential application prospect in clinical bone repair.

Association of High Expression of Mitochondrial Fission Regulator 2 with Poor Survival of Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Hongwei Li,Xingzhuang Zhu,Wei Zhang,Wenjie Lu,Chuan Liu,Jinbo Ma,Rukun Zang,Yipeng Song 대한암예방학회 2021 Journal of cancer prevention Vol.26 No.4

Mitochondrial fission regulator 2 (MTFR2) is associated with mitochondrial fission, while few studies have assessed the associations between MTFR2 expression and clinical characteristics or prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In this study, we compared the expression of MTFR2 in 6 ESCC tumors and relative normal tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC). To assess the effect of MTFR2 expression on clinicopathologic characteristics and survival, 115 paraffin embedded ESCC tissue samples were assessed by IHC staining. Furthermore, the association between clinicopathological properties and MTFR2 expression in patients with ESCC was examined. The survival analysis was performed using the Cox regression models. We found that MTFR2 expression was significantly increased in ESCC tumors compared with normal esophageal epithelial cells. IHC analysis of 115 paraffin embedded ESCC tumor specimens of the patients showed that the expression of MTFR2 was significantly associated with clinical stage (P < 0.001), tumor classification (P < 0.001), histological grade (P < 0.001), and other clinicopathological characteristics. Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that MTFR2 expression was inversely correlated with the survival of ESCC patients. In conclusion, the expression of MTFR2 is significantly associated with clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of ESCC. Thus, MTFR2 expression could serve as a potentially important prognostic biomarker and clinical target for patients with ESCC. Key Words MTFR2, Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, Immunohistochemistry, Prognosis

RPTOR methylation in the peripheral blood and breast cancer in the Chinese population

Yin Yifei,Lei Shuifang,Li Lixi,Yang Xiaoqin,Yin Qiming,Xu Tian,Zhou Wenjie,Li Hong,Gu Wanjian,Ma Fei,Yang Rongxi,Zhang Zhengdong 한국유전학회 2022 Genes & Genomics Vol.44 No.4

Background: Altered regulatory-associated protein of mTOR, complex 1 (RPTOR) methylation levels in peripheral blood was originally discovered as breast cancer (BC)-associated risk factor in Caucasians. Objective: To explore the relationship between RPTOR methylation and BC in the Chinese population, we conducted two independent case-control studies. Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected from a total of 333 sporadic BC cases and 378 healthy female controls for the DNA extraction and bisulfite-specific PCR amplification. Mass spectrometry was applied to quantitatively measure the levels of methylation. The logistic regression, Spearman's rank correlation, and Non-parametric tests were used for the statistical analyses. Results: In our study, we found an association between BC and RPTOR_CpG_4 hypomethylation in the general population (per-10% of methylation, OR 1.29, P = 0.012), and a weak association between BC and RPTOR_CpG_8 hypomethylation in the women with older age (per-10% of methylation, OR 2.34, P = 0.006). We also identified age as a confounder for the change of RPTOR methylation patterns, especially at RPTOR_CpG_4, which represented differential methylation comparing age groups especially in the BC cases (age < 50 years vs age ≥ 50 years by Mann-Whitney U test, P < 0.0001 for BC cases and P = 0.079 for controls). Conclusion: Our study validated the association between hypomethylation of RPTOR and BC risk in the Chinese population also with weak effect and mostly for postmenopausal women. In addition, our findings provided novel insight for the regulation of DNA methylation upon aging or the change of hormone levels.

Sequence-dependent DNA condensation as a driving force of DNA phase separation

Kang, Hyunju,Yoo, Jejoong,Sohn, Byeong-Kwon,Lee, Seung-Won,Lee, Hong Soo,Ma, Wenjie,Kee, Jung-Min,Aksimentiev, Aleksei,Kim, Hajin Oxford University Press 2018 Nucleic acids research Vol.46 No.18

<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>The physical properties of DNA have been suggested to play a central role in spatio-temporal organization of eukaryotic chromosomes. Experimental correlations have been established between the local nucleotide content of DNA and the frequency of inter- and intra-chromosomal contacts but the underlying physical mechanism remains unknown. Here, we combine fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements, precipitation assays, and molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the effect of DNA nucleotide content, sequence, and methylation on inter-DNA association and its correlation with DNA looping. First, we show that the strength of DNA condensation mediated by poly-lysine peptides as a reduced model of histone tails depends on the DNA’s global nucleotide content but also on the local nucleotide sequence, which turns out to be qualitatively same as the condensation by spermine. Next, we show that the presence and spatial arrangement of C5 methyl groups determines the strength of inter-DNA attraction, partially explaining why RNA resists condensation. Interestingly, multi-color single molecule FRET measurements reveal strong anti-correlation between DNA looping and DNA–DNA association, suggesting that a common biophysical mechanism underlies them. We propose that the differential affinity between DNA regions of varying sequence pattern may drive the phase separation of chromatin into chromosomal subdomains.</P>

Ferulic acid protects cardiomyocytes from TNF-a/cycloheximide-induced apoptosis by regulating autophagy

Chunxiao Li,Lu Chen,Min Song,Zhirui Fang,Lusha Zhang,Joel Wake Coffie,Liyuan Zhang,Lulu Ma,Qianyi Wang,Wenjie Yang,Leyu Fang,Shaoxia Wang,Xiumei Gao,Hong Wang 대한약학회 2020 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.43 No.8

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) resultsin irreversible cardiac cell damage or death because ofdecreased blood fl ow to the heart. Apoptosis plays an importantrole in the process of tissue damage after myocardialinfarction (MI), which has pathological and therapeuticimplications. Ferulic acid (FA) is a phenolic acid endowedwith strong antioxidative and cytoprotective activities. Thepresent study aimed to investigate whether FA protectscardiomyocytes from apoptosis by regulating autophagy,which is a cellular self-digestion process, and one of thefi rst lines of defense against oxidative stress. Apoptosis wasinduced by TNF-α (10 ng/mL) and cycloheximide (CHX,5 μg/mL) in rat H9c2 cardiomyocytes. FA-inhibited TNF-α/CHX-induced apoptosis was determined by the quantifi cationof TUNEL-positive cells, and the eff ect was associatedwith decreased ROS production and inhibited caspase3activation. FA treatment enhanced autophagy and increasedautophagy-associated protein expression, leading to an inhibitionof mTOR signaling. When co-treated with 3-methyladenine(3-MA), an autophagy inhibitor, the anti-apoptoticeff ect of FA was attenuated. In an in vivo mouse MI model,FA treatment decreased the apoptotic cell number, reducedinfarct size, and improved cardiac performance, as determinedby histological and echocardiographic assessments. Taken collectively, these results suggest that FA could protectcardiomyocytes from apoptosis by enhancing autophagy.