Investigating Mechanical Properties of Cemented Soil under Static and Dynamic Loading after a Freeze-Thaw Cycle

Xin Shi,Ping Yang,Lin Li,Fan Wu 대한토목학회 2023 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.27 No.3

Grouting and artificial ground freezing (AGF) methods are usually adopted to reinforce stratum, and they are occasionally implemented concurrently to stabilize the stratum under the influence of tunnel construction for crucial projects. When the structural construction is completed, the stratum is followed by a natural thawing process. The freeze-thaw cycle can lead to significant variation in the engineering properties of cemented soils. In this paper, strength, dynamic elastic modulus, and dynamic damping ratio of cemented soils after a freeze-thaw cycle were investigated through static and dynamic triaxial tests. To better understand the behavior of cemented soils, the Duncan-Chang model was adopted and the model parameters were calibrated based on results from the triaxial test under static loads. In addition, empirical models were established to characterize the dynamic elastic modulus and dynamic damping ratio of cemented soils. Test results from the static load triaxial tests indicated a strong correlation between cement content and confining pressure and soil strength. The cumulative plastic strain under dynamic loading depended on several factors, including the cement content and loading frequency. The number of loading cycles, cement content, and loading frequency all had a significant impact on the dynamic elastic modulus and damping ratio. The results and findings presented in this study are beneficial for the design of underground structures subjected to cyclic loading.

Resveratrol Inhibits Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma Cell Proliferation via AMP-activated Protein Kinase Signaling

Fan, Guang-Hua,Wang, Zhong-Ming,Yang, Xi,Xu, Li-Ping,Qin, Qin,Zhang, Chi,Ma, Jian-Xin,Cheng, Hong-Yan,Sun, Xin-Chen Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.2

Resveratrol has been examined in several model systems for potential effects against cancer. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is reported to suppress proliferation in most eukaryocyte cells. Whether resveratrol via AMPK inhibits proliferation of oesophageal adenocarcinoma cells (OAC) is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the roles of AMPK in the protective effects of resveratrol in OAC proliferation and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Treatment of cultured OAC derived from human subjects or cell lines with resveratrol resulted in decreased cell proliferation. Further, inhibition of AMPK by pharmacological reagent or genetical approach abolished resveratrol-suppressed OAC proliferation, reduced the level of $p27^{Kip1}$, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, and increased the levels of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) of $p27^{Kip1}$-E3 ubiquitin ligase and 26S proteasome activity reduced by resveratrol. Furthermore, gene silencing of $p27^{Kip1}$ reversed resveratrol-suppressed OAC proliferation. In conclusion, these findings indicate that resveratrol inhibits Skp2-mediated ubiquitylation and 26S proteasome-dependent degradation of $p27^{Kip1}$ via AMPK activation to suppress OAC proliferation.

Diversity, distribution, and antagonistic activities of rhizobacteria of Panax notoginseng

Fan, Ze-Yan,Miao, Cui-Ping,Qiao, Xin-Guo,Zheng, You-Kun,Chen, Hua-Hong,Chen, You-Wei,Xu, Li-Hua,Zhao, Li-Xing,Guan, Hui-Lin The Korean Society of Ginseng 2016 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.40 No.2

Background: Rhizobacteria play an important role in plant defense and could be promising sources of biocontrol agents. This study aimed to screen antagonistic bacteria and develop a biocontrol system for root rot complex of Panax notoginseng. Methods: Pure-culture methods were used to isolate bacteria from the rhizosphere soil of notoginseng plants. The identification of isolates was based on the analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences. Results: A total of 279 bacteria were obtained from rhizosphere soils of healthy and root-rot notoginseng plants, and uncultivated soil. Among all the isolates, 88 showed antagonistic activity to at least one of three phytopathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Phoma herbarum mainly causing root rot disease of P. notoginseng. Based on the 16S rRNA sequencing, the antagonistic bacteria were characterized into four clusters, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetesi. The genus Bacillus was the most frequently isolated, and Bacillus siamensis (Hs02), Bacillus atrophaeus (Hs09) showed strong antagonistic activity to the three pathogens. The distribution pattern differed in soil types, genera Achromobacter, Acidovorax, Brevibacterium, Brevundimonas, Flavimonas, and Streptomyces were only found in rhizosphere of healthy plants, while Delftia, Leclercia, Brevibacillus, Microbacterium, Pantoea, Rhizobium, and Stenotrophomonas only exist in soil of diseased plant, and Acinetobacter only exist in uncultivated soil. Conclusion: The results suggest that diverse bacteria exist in the P. notoginseng rhizosphere soil, with differences in community in the same field, and antagonistic isolates may be good potential biological control agent for the notoginseng root-rot diseases caused by F. oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Panax herbarum.

Gene screening and differential expression analysis of microRNAs in the middle silk gland of wild-type and naked pupa mutant silkworms (Bombyx mori)

Ping Qian,Xin Wang,Tao Jianga,Fei Song,Chen Chen,Yangyang Fan,Xing-jia Shen 한국응용곤충학회 2016 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.19 No.2

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous, non-coding small RNAs that serve as important posttranscriptional gene expression regulators and play important roles in the silkworm (Bombyx mori) development, growth, and viral immunity. However, information on the diversity of these regulatory RNAs in the middle silk gland (MSG) of naked pupa (Nd) mutant silkworms is limited. In this study, by using Solexa high-throughput sequencing technology, we identified and compared small RNA libraries from the MSG of wild-type silkworm P50(MSG-P50) and the Nd mutant (MSG-Nd), respectively. A total of 272 conserved and 333 novel miRNAs were identified, in which 141 ones showed significantly different expression patterns between MSG-P50 and MSG-Nd, and 10 ones were randomly selected and validated by stem-loop quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In addition, potential targets were predicted for differentially expressed miRNAs based on sequence complementation between miRNAs and their target genes. Gene ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotation revealed miRNAs that actively participate in various life processes and three pathways associated with protein synthesis including endoplasmic reticulum pathway, ribosome pathway, and ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes, were significantly disrupted in MSG-Nd. This is the first comprehensive description of miRNAs in the silkworm MSG. Overall, the results provide useful information for future studies on miRNAs and suggest that the fibroin synthetic deficiency in the posterior silk gland impairs the sericin secretion process in MSG.

Association Between MDM2 SNP309 T>G and Risk of Gastric Cancer: A Meta-analysis

Tian, Xin,Tian, Ye,Ma, Ping,Sui, Cheng-Guang,Meng, Fan-Dong,Li, Yan,Fu, Li-Ye,Jiang, Tao,Wang, Yang,Ji, Fu-Jian,Fang, Xue-Dong,Jiang, You-Hong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.3

Background: As a negative regulator of P53, MDM2 plays an important role in carcinogenesis; a polymorphism in its promoter region. SNP309 T>G, is known to increase the expression of MDM2, thus being considered related to higher susceptibility to neoplasia. However, no agreement has been achieved regarding its effects on gastric cancer. Methods: The present systematic meta-analysis was performed based on comprehensive literature search from Pubmed, Web of science and CBM databases. Results: It was suggested from 6 independent studies that the GG genotype is associated with a significantly increased risk of gastric cancer (Recessive: OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.08-1.91, P = 0.013), and subgroup analysis also confirmed the relationship (English publications-recessive model: OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.10-1.91, P = 0.009; Studies in China-recessive model: OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.08-2.30, P = 0.017). No publication bias was detected. Conclusion: The meta-analysis indicated a significant inverse association between GG genotype carriage and elevated risk of gastric cancer. However, more studies and detailed information are needed to fully address the topic.

Heat-Shock Protein 70 as a Tumor Antigen for in vitro Dendritic Cell Pulsing in Renal Cell Carcinoma Cases

Meng, Fan-Dong,Sui, Cheng-Guang,Tian, Xin,Li, Yan,Yang, Chun-Ming,Ma, Ping,Liu, Yun-Peng,Jiang, You-Hong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.20

Immunological functions of heat shock proteins (HSPs) have long been recognized. In this study we aimed to efficiently purify HSP70 from renal cell carcinoma and test it as a tumor antigen for pulsing dendritic cells in vitro. HSP70 was purified from renal cell carcinoma specimens by serial column chromatography on Con A-sepharose, PD-10, ADP-agarose and DEAE-cellulose, and finally subjected to fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). Dendritic cells derived from the adherent fraction of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured in the presence of IL-4 and GM-CSF and exposed to tumor HSP70. After 24 hours, dendritic cells were phenotypically characterized by flow cytometry. T cells obtained from the non-adherent fraction of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were then co-cultured with HSP70-pulsed dendritic cells and after 3 days T cell cytotoxicity towards primary cultured renal cell carcinoma cells was examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Dendritic cells pulsed in vitro with tumor-derived HSP70 expressed higher levels of CD83, CD80, CD86 and HLA-DR maturation markers than those pulsed with tumor cell lysate and comparable to that of dendritic cells pulsed with tumor cell lysate plus TNF-${\alpha}$. Concomitantly, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes induced by HSP70-pulsed dendritic cells presented the highest cytotoxic activity. There were no significant differences when using homologous or autologous HSP70 as the tumor antigen. HSP70 can be efficiently purified by chromatography and induces in vitro dendritic cell maturation in the absence of TNF-${\alpha}$. Conspecific HSP70 may effectively be used as a tumor antigen to pulse dendritic cells in vitro.

A novel method for the synthesis of nano-sized MgAl2O4 spinel ceramic powde

Xiao-ping Liang,Rong-tao Wang,Ying Peng,Xiao-wei Fan,Jian-xin Li 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2010 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.11 No.2

This study describes the preparation and characterization of MgAl2O4 spinel ceramic powders by a polyacrylamide gel method with Al(NO3)3·9H2O and Mg(NO3)3·6H2O as the raw materials, acrylamide as the monomer, N,N-mehtylenebisacrylamide as the cross-linking agent, and deionized water as the solvent. The nanopowders were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results showed that the nanopowders having a typical spinel structure are ultrapure and nano-sized. Due to the hindering effect of the polyacrylamide network, the average grain size of the MgAl2O4spinel is approximately 20 nm. Moreover, it is confirmed that the optimal sintering temperature for synthesizing the MgAl2O4spinel ceramic nanopowders is 900 oC, which is about 600-1000 oC lower than that of the traditional solid-state method.

SCYL1BP1 has Tumor-suppressive Functions in Human Lung Squamous Carcinoma Cells by Regulating Degradation of MDM2

Yang, Zhi-Ping,Xie, Yong-Hong,Ling, Dan-Yan,Li, Jin-Rui,Jiang, Jin,Fan, Yao-Hua,Zheng, Jia-Lian,Wu, Wan-Xin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.17

SCY1-like 1-binding protein 1 (SCYL1BP1) is a newly identified transcriptional activator domain containing protein with many unknown biological functions. Recently emerging evidence has revealed that it is a novel regulator of the p53 pathway, which is very important for the development of human cancer. However, the effects of SCYL1BP1 on human lung squamous carcinoma cell biological behavior remain poorly understood. In this study, we present evidence that SCYL1BP1 can promote the degradation of MDM2 protein and further inhibit the G1/S transition of lung squamous carcinoma cell lines. Functional assays found that reintroduction of SCYL1BP1 into lung squamous carcinoma cell lines significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion and tumor formation in nude mice, suggesting strong tumor suppressive function of SCYL1BP1 in lung squamous carcinoma. Taken together, our data suggest that the interaction of SCYL1BP1/MDM2 could accelerate MDM2 degradation, and may function as an important tumor suppressor in lung squamous carcinomas.

Diversity, distribution, and antagonistic activities of rhizobacteria of Panax notoginseng

Ze-Yan Fan,Cui-Ping Miao,Xin-Guo Qiao,You-Kun Zheng,Hua-Hong Chen,You-Wei Chen,Li-Hua Xu,Li-Xing Zhao,Hui-Lin Guan 고려인삼학회 2016 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.40 No.2

Background: Rhizobacteria play an important role in plant defense and could be promising sources of biocontrol agents. This study aimed to screen antagonistic bacteria and develop a biocontrol system for root rot complex of Panax notoginseng. Methods: Pure-culture methods were used to isolate bacteria from the rhizosphere soil of notoginseng plants. The identification of isolates was based on the analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences. Results: A total of 279 bacteria were obtained from rhizosphere soils of healthy and root-rot notoginseng plants, and uncultivated soil. Among all the isolates, 88 showed antagonistic activity to at least one of three phytopathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Phoma herbarum mainly causing root rot disease of P. notoginseng. Based on the 16S rRNA sequencing, the antagonistic bacteria were characterized into four clusters, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetesi. The genus Bacillus was the most frequently isolated, and Bacillus siamensis (Hs02), Bacillus atrophaeus (Hs09) showed strong antagonistic activity to the three pathogens. The distribution pattern differed in soil types, genera Achromobacter, Acidovorax, Brevibacterium, Brevundimonas, Flavimonas, and Streptomyces were only found in rhizosphere of healthy plants, while Delftia, Leclercia, Brevibacillus, Microbacterium, Pantoea, Rhizobium, and Stenotrophomonas only exist in soil of diseased plant, and Acinetobacter only exist in uncultivated soil. Conclusion: The results suggest that diverse bacteria exist in the P. notoginseng rhizosphere soil, with differences in community in the same field, and antagonistic isolates may be good potential biological control agent for the notoginseng root-rot diseases caused by F. oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Panax herbarum.

A Case of Benign Atrophic Papulosis in a Young Male

Lingyi Lu,Bingjiang Lin,Ru Dai,Xin Fan,Yingzhe Yu,Ying Qi,Xiaoxia Zhu,Ping Zhou 대한피부과학회 2022 Annals of Dermatology Vol.34 No.4

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