Scaling and clogging treatment of aging tunnel drainage pipes in karst areas using eco-friendly acid agent

In karst areas,the drainage pipes of aging tunnels are prone to be clogged by precipitated carbonates,resulting in lining cracking and tunnel leaking.As a result,not only the driving safety will be deteriorated,but also the water pressure on the lining might also be elevated significantly.For the structural stability and service lifespan of old tunnels,it is of great importance to remove these precipitated carbonates in time.Traditional treatment methods are often destructive to some extent or not efficient enough.This study aims to experimentally develop an eco-friendly acid-based chemical cleaning method to remove carbonate precipitations efficiently.The proposed chemical cleaning agent is an aqueous solution with strong acidity,consisting of sulfamic acid,water,and additives.The factors affecting the cleaning efficiency include the acid solubility,temperature and flow rate of the cleaning agent,as well as additives.Elevating the solution temperature to 50
C or a flow rate of no less than 0.2 m/s can improve cleaning efficiency.Although the salt effect cannot work,1 wt%of polymaleic acid as a surfactant could further promote the cleaning rate.The cleaning efficiency will increase with the flow rate in a power function.The relatively low flow rate that improves the cleaning rate considerably can avoid highpressure-induced mechanical damage to tunnel drainpipes.The waste could be easily treated to acceptable levels using commercial sewage treatment products and can also be recycled in agriculture.With the chemical cleaning,the water pressure at the arch springing of the lining will reduce with the increased radius of transverse drainpipes in a power function.The proposed acid-based cleaning method,which is highly efficient,non-or low-destructive to aging tunnels,sufficiently safe for humans,and friendly enough to the environment,will offer a promising alternative to remove the precipitated carbonates in tunnel drainpipes efficiently.

Multi-heteroatom doped porous carbon derived from insect feces for capacitance-enhanced sodium-ion storage

The large-scale application of sodium ion batteries(SIBs)is limited by economic and environmental factors.Here,we prepare multi-heteroatom self-doped hierarchical porous carbon(HHPC)with a honeycomb-like structure by one-step carbonization method using high-yield and low-cost biomass silkworm excrement as a precursor.As an anode for SIB,HHPC-1100 exhibits a capacity of 331.7 mA h g^(-1) at 20 mA g^(-1),while it also reveals remarkable rate performance and stable long cycle capability due to its abundant pore structure and proper amount of hetero atom doping.Moreover,the synergistic effect of O,N,S,P co-doping in carbon materials on sodium ion adsorption is verified by the first-principles study,which provide a theoretical basis for the prominent electrochemical performance of the material.

Determination of hydraulic conductivity of fractured rock masses:A case study for a rock cavern project in Singapore

In order to reduce the risk associated with water seepage in an underground rock cavern project inSingapore, a reliable hydro-geological model should be established based on the in situ investigationdata. The key challenging issue in the hydro-geological model building is how to integrate limitedgeological and hydro-geological data to determine the hydraulic conductivity of the fractured rockmasses. Based on the data obtained from different stages （feasibility investigation stage, constructionstage, and post-construction stage）, suitable models and methods are proposed to determine the hydraulicconductivities at different locations and depths, which will be used at other locations in thefuture. 2015 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cell Mechanics Regulates Cellular Uptake of Graphene Quantum Dot for Specifically Targeting Cancer Stem Cells

Cancer stem cells(CSCs)are the driving force for sustainable tumor growth and metastasis and responsible for drug resistance and cancer relapse.Nanoparticle-based drug delivery has been demonstrated to be effective in combating tumor growth.However,it has been challenging to selectively eliminate CSCs due to the lack of a general signature for a spectrum of cancers.It is known that CSCs from various types of cancer show lower stiffness compared to non-CSCs.It remains unclear whether low stiffness in CSCs influences cellular uptake in nanoparticle-based drug delivery and thus the chemotherapy efficacy.Graphene quantum dot(GQD)is emerging as a promising carrier material in delivering anti-cancer drugs.We found that breast CSCs were softer than conventional cancer cells,which were further softer compared to healthy breast tissue cells.Importantly,soft CSCs uptook more GQD than conventional cancer cells,while stiff breast cancer cells with relatively low stiffness uptook more GQD than healthy breast cells.Softening cells by pharmacologically inhibiting actomyosin activity using either siRNA or actomyosin inhibitors significantly enhanced the cellular uptake of GQD in breast cancer cells but not CSCs,while stiffening cells by activating actomyosin using CA-MLCK/ROCK or actomyosin activators considerably suppressed the nanoparticle uptake in both cancer cells and CSCs.GQD could specifically target CSC because of low cell stiffness of CSC in breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231.Further regulating cell stiffness reflected that decreasing breast cancer cell stiffness by inhibiting actomyosin activity using blebbistatin could promote GQD uptake.Vice versa,stiffening cancer cell by activating actomyosin decreased GQD uptake.The attachment of anti-cancer drug doxorubicin did not alter the trend of GQD uptake in neither soften nor stiffen cancer cells.Actomyosin activity regulates cellular uptake ofGQD might through clathrin and caveolin-mediated endocytosis.Cancer cells are softer than normal cells from the same organ,CSC are softer than non-CSC.Thus we further confirmed that the GQD uptake of normal breast cell line MCF-10 is less than breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231.Suggesting the clinical significance that using GQD as drug carrier targeting softer cells could reduce side effects to normal tissue cells.Since CSC are softer than non-CSC,GQD could decreased the percentage of CSC in whole cancer cell population by targeting softer cells.These results suggesting that it would be possible to target cancer cells and CSC by targeting from a perspective of cell mechanical difference.High uptake of nanoparticles in soft cancer cells could not be explained by their differential membrane potentials.Mechanistically,low cell mechanics or inhibiting actomyosin activity activated both clathrin and caveolin-mediated endocytosis signaling pathways,while high cell mechanics or activating actomyosin suppressed these signalings.Pharmacologically inhibiting clathrin or caveolin-mediated endocytosis signaling significantly decreased GQD uptake in CSCs and in conventional breast cancer cells when actomyosin was suppressed.Further,GQD conjugated with doxorubicin could be specifically delivered into CSCs with low stiffness and eliminated more CSCs in the presence of both CSCs and non-CSCs.Taken together,these data reveal the regulatory role of cell mechanics in cellular uptake of nanoparticles and demonstrate that GQD can be utilized to specifically eliminate CSCs,which have important implications in nanoparticle-based drug delivery for cancer therapy.

Responses of intra-annual runoff to forest recovery patterns in subtropical China

Forest recovery plays a critical role in regulating eco-hydrological processes in forested watersheds.However,characteristics of the intra-annual runoff variation associated with different forest recovery patterns remain poorly understood.In this study,three forest change periods were identified,the baseline period(1961-1985),reforestation period(1986-2000)and fruit tree planting period(2001-2016).We selected the magnitude of seasonal runoff(wet and dry seasons)and distribution characteristics,i.e.,non-uniformity coefficient(C_(v)),complete accommodation coefficient(C_(r)),concentration ratio(C_(n)),concentration period(C_(d)),absolute variation ratio(ΔR)and relative variation ratio(C_(max)).The pair-wise approach evaluated the intra-annual runoff variation characteristics between forest change periods.Results indicate that reforestation decreased wet season runoff and increased dry season runoff.In contrast,fruit tree planting increased wet season runoff and had no significant effect on dry season runoff.For intra-annual runoff distribution characteristics,reforestation significantly reduced the C_(v),C_(r),C_(n)and C_(max).Distribution of the intra-annual runoff in the fruit tree planting period was not significantly different from the baseline.We concluded that reforestation reduced the occurance of extreme water conditions in wet and dry seasons and effectively increased the stability of the intra-annual runoff.In contrast,fruit tree planting increased instability and fluctuation of the intra-annual runoff after reforestation.The characteristics of the intra-annual runoff to fruit tree planting was similar to those of the baseline.Therefore,adopting fruit tree planting practices to regulate intra-annual runoff characteristics may not be a practical approach,and impacts of different reforestation practices should be ascertained in our study region.The implications of this study should guide regional land-water management,and this study adds to the understanding of the impacts gained in forest cover on hydrology.

Effects of Ethyl Acetate Extract of Phyllanthus reticulatus Leaves on Autophagy-related Proteins Beclin-1,ATG5 and LC3 in Nude Mice Xenograft Model of HCC

[Objectives]To explore the effects of ethyl acetate extract of Phyllanthus reticulatus leaves on autophagy-related proteins Beclin-1,ATG5 and LC3 by immunohistochemistry,and to preliminarily explore their effects on autophagy.[Methods]BEL-7404 Hepatocellular Carcinoma(HCC)nude mice model was established,and blank group(same volume of pure water),positive control group(20 mg/kg fluorouracil),high dose drug group(600 mg/kg),and medium dose drug group(300 mg/kg),and low dose drug group(150 mg/kg)were set up.After 2 weeks of intragastric administration,the nude mice were sacrificed,and the tumor tissues were taken out,processed by immunohistochemistry,and then made into paraffin sections.Photos were taken under an optical microscope(10×40),and evaluation and analysis were performed with the aid of the Image-Pro Plus 6.0 image analysis software.Differences were calculated using SPSS 20.0 software.The effects of drugs on autophagy-related proteins LC3,Beclin-1 and ATG5 were observed.[Results]Compared with the blank group,the medium and high dose groups of ethyl acetate extract of P.reticulatus leaves had the effect of promoting the increase of autophagy-related proteins LC3,Beclin-1 and ATG5(P<0.05).However,there was no significant difference between the low dose group of ethyl acetate extract of P.reticulatus leaves and the blank group(P>0.05).[Conclusions]The ethyl acetate extract of P.reticulatus leaves has a promoting effect on autophagy-related proteins LC3,Beclin-1,and ATG5.

Cytokinin signaling promotes salt tolerance by modulating shoot chloride exclusion in maize

Excessive accumulation of chloride(Cl^(-))in the aboveground tissues under saline conditions is harmful to crops.Increasing the exclusion of Cl^(-) from shoots promotes salt tolerance in various crops.However,the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown.In this study,we demonstrated that a type A response regulator(ZmRR1)modulates Cl^(-) exclusion from shoots and underlies natural variation of salt tolerance in maize.ZmRR1 negatively regulates cytokinin signaling and salt tolerance,likely by interacting with and inhibiting His phosphotransfer(HP)proteins that are key mediators of cytokinin signaling.A naturally occurring non-synonymous SNP variant enhances the interaction between ZmRR1 and ZmHP2,conferring maize plants with a salt-hypersensitive phenotype.We found that ZmRR1 undergoes degradation under saline conditions,leading to the release of ZmHP2 from ZmRR1 inhibition,and subsequently ZmHP2-mediated signaling improves salt tolerance primarily by promoting Cl^(-) exclusion from shoots.Furthermore,we showed that ZmMATE29 is transcriptionally upregulated by ZmHP2-mediated signaling under highly saline conditions and encodes a tonoplast-located Cl^(-) transporter that promotes Cl^(-) exclusion from shoots by compartmentalizing Cl^(-) into the vacuoles of root cortex cells.Collectively,our study provides an important mechanistic understanding of the cytokinin signaling-mediated promotion of Cl^(-) exclusion from shoots and salt tolerance and suggests that genetic modification to promote Cl^(-) exclusion from shoots is a promising route for developing salt-tolerant maize.

A hybrid ambipolar synaptic transistor emulating multiplexed neurotransmission for motivation control and experience-dependent learning

Artificial synapses with full synapse-like functionalities are of crucial importance for the implementation of neuromorphic computing and bioinspired intelligent systems. In particular, the development of artificial synapses with the capability to emulate multiplexed neural transmission is highly desirable, but remains challenging. In this work, we proposed a hybrid ambipolar synaptic transistor that combines two-dimensional(2D) molybdenum disulfide(Mo S_(2)) sheet and crystalline one-dimensional(1D) poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) polymer nanowires(P3HT NWs) as dual excitatory channels. Essential synaptic functions, including excitatory postsynaptic current, paired-pulse facilitation, synaptic potentiation and depression, and dynamic filtering were emulated using the synaptic transistor. Benefitting from the dual excitatory channels of the synaptic transistor, the device achieved a fast switch between short-term and long-term memory by altering the charge carriers in the dual channels, i.e., electrons and holes. This emulated the multiplexed neural transmission of different excitatory neurotransmitters, e.g., dopamine and noradrenaline. The plasticity-switchable artificial synapse(PSAS) simulates the task-learning process of individuals under different motivations and the impact of success or failure on task learning and memory, which promises the potential to enable complex functionalities in future neuromorphic intelligent electronics.

A novel secreted protein, NISP1, is phosphorylated by soybean Nodulation Receptor Kinase to promote nodule symbiosis

Nodulation Receptor Kinase(NORK) functions as a co-receptor of Nod factor receptors to mediate rhizobial symbiosis in legumes, but its direct phosphorylation substrates that positively mediate root nodulation remain to be fully identified.Here, we identified a GmNORK-Interacting Small Protein(GmNISP1) that functions as a phosphorylation target of GmNORK to promote soybean nodulation. GmNORKα directly interacted with and phosphorylated GmNISP1. Transcription of GmNISP1 was strongly induced after rhizobial infection in soybean roots and nodules. GmNISP1 encodes a peptide containing 90 amino acids with a “DY” consensus motif at its N-terminus.GmNISP1 protein was detected to be present in the apoplastic space. Phosphorylation of GmNISP1 by GmNORKα could enhance its secretion into the apoplast. Pretreatment with either purified GmNISP1 or phosphorylation-mimic GmNISP1~(12D) on the roots could significantly increase nodule numbers compared with the treatment with phosphorylation-inactive GmNISP1~(12A).The data suggested a model that soybean GmNORK phosphorylates GmNISP1 to promote its secretion into the apoplast, which might function as a potential peptide hormone to promote root nodulation.

Study of Polytropic Exponent Based on High Pressure Switching Expansion Reduction

Switching expansion reduction(SER) uses a switch valve to substitute the throttle valve to reduce pressure for high pressure pneumatics.The experiments indicate that the simulation model well predicts the actual characteristics.The heat transfers and polytropic exponents of the air in expansion tank and supply tanks of SER have been studied on the basis of the experiments and the simulation model.Through the mathematical reasoning in this paper,the polytropic exponent can be calculated by the air mass,heat,and work exchanges of the pneumatic container.For the air in a constant volume tank,when the heat-absorption is large enough to raise air temperature in discharging process,the polytropic exponent is less than 1;when the air is experiencing a discharging and heat-releasing process,the polytropic exponent exceeds the specific heat ratio(the value of 1.4).

Meiotic Chromosome Behavior in a Human Male t(8;15)Carrier

Reciprocal translocation is one of the most common structural chromosomal rearrangements in human beings; it is widely recognized to be associated with male infertility. This association is mainly based on the abnormal chromosome behavior of the translocated chromosomes and sex chromosomes during meiosis prophase I in reciprocal translocation carriers. However, the underlying mechanisms are not completely known. Here we report a reciprocal translocation carrier of t（8;15）, who is oligozoospermic due to apoptosis of primary spermatocytes and to premature germ cell desquamation from seminiferous tubules. Further analysis showed abnormal synapsis and recombination frequency in this patient, indicating a connection between chromosome behavior and apoptosis of primary spermatocytes. We also compared these observations with recently reported findings on spermatogenesis defects in reciprocal translocation carriers, and discuss the possible mechanisms underlying both common and unique phenotypes of reciprocal translocations involving different chromosomes with the aim of further understanding the regulation of human spermatogenesis.

A Survey of Space Robotic Technologies for On-Orbit Assembly

The construction of large structures is one of the main development trends of the space exploration in the future,such as large space stations,large space solar power stations,and large space telescopes.It is one of important development tendency,which aims to make full use of space robots to assemble space structures autonomously in the aerospace industry.Considering that on-orbit assembly is an effective method to solve the problem of construction of large-scale spatial structures,it is necessary to motivate and facilitate the research of space robotics technologies for on-orbit assembly.Therefore,in this paper,the development status of space robot technology and the relevant space robot on-orbit assembly technology in recent decades are summarized.First,based on the space robot motion planning and assembly sequence planning,the development of space robot planning algorithms is introduced.For space robot assembly task,the space robot assembly method is summarized.From the control point of view,how to solve the vibration suppression and compliant assembly of on-orbit assembly is reviewed,which provides a reference for the autonomous intelligent assembly of space robots for large-scale structures in space.In order to simulate the space assembly scene on the ground,this paper introduces the development of ground verification experiments and provides ideas for the effective verification of space on-orbit assembly technology.In summary,though some of these problems have been satisfactorily solved in the past research,further research is still necessary in the future.Finally,it looks forward to the future research direction of space machine on-orbit assembly.

Experimental design and theoretical evaluation of nitrogen and phosphorus dual-doped hierarchical porous carbon for high-performance sodium-ion storage

Starch has a wide range of sources and can be used as a high-quality precursor for sodium-ion battery anode materials.However,the carbonization yield and specific capacity of carbon materials obtained by directly pyrolyzing starch are low.Herein,starch is used as the carbon source,and ammonium polyphosphate(APP)is used as the cross-linking agent and dopant to prepare a nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped porous carbon(NPPC).As the anode for sodium-ion batteries,NPPC-2 exhibits a high reversible capacity of 385.8 mAhg^(-1)at 50 mAg^(-1).Even after 1000 cycles at a large current density of 5 Ag^(-1),the reversible capacity can still be maintained at 126.9 mAhg^(-1).Based on detailed data and first-principles calculations,the excellent performance of NPPC is due to the effective doping of nitrogen and phosphorus elements,which distorts the graphite sheet,introduces defects,and increases the graphite layer spacing,thereby enhancing the adsorption capacity of the carbon material for sodium ions,reducing the diffusion barrier of sodium ions.This work provides a new idea for heteroatom doping and carbon material modification.

Pomegranate micro/nano hierarchical plasma structure for superior microwave absorption

Inspired by the pomegranate natural artful structure,pomegranate micro/nano hierarchical plasma configuration of Fe/Fe3C@graphitized carbon(FFC/pCL)was constructed based on the green sol-gel method and in-situ chemical vapor deposition(CVD)synthesis protocol.Pomegranate-like FFC/pCL successfully overcame the agglomeration phenomenon of magnetic nanoparticles with each seed of the pomegranate consisting of Fe/Fe_(3)C as cores and graphitized carbon layers as shells.The high-density arrangement of magnetic nanoparticles and the design of pomegranate-like heterostructures lead to enhanced plasmon resonance.Thus,the pomegranate-like FFC/pCL achieved a great electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorbing performance of 6.12 GHz wide band absorption at a low mass adding of only 16.7 wt.%.Such excellent EMW performance can be attributed to its unique pomegranate hierarchical plasma configuration with separated nanoscale iron cores,surface porous texture,and good carbon conductive network.This investigation provides a new paradigm for the development of magnetic/carbon based EMW absorbing materials by taking advantage of pomegranate hierarchical plasma configuration.

Overlying water fluoride concentrations influence dissolved organic matter composition and migration from pore water in sediment via bacterial mechanisms

Fluoride(F^(-))is widespread in aquatic environments;however,it is not clear whether the fluctuation of F^(-)concentrations in overlying lake water affects the composition and migration of dissolved organic matter(DOM)from sediment.A case study was presented in Sand Lake,China,and an experiment was conducted to analyze the influence of different F^(-)concentrations in overlying water on DOM characteristics.Diffusion resulted in similarities in DOM components between overlying and pore waters,and bacterial activities and enzyme variation resulted in differences between them.Higher F^(-)concentrations in overlying water resulted in a higher pH of pore water,which favored the enrichment of protein-like substances.Higher F^(-)concentrations caused lower DOM concentrations and lower maximum fluorescence intensities(Fmax)of protein-like components in pore water.The F^(-)concentrations had significantly negative correlations with Shannon indexes(P<0.05).Thiobacillus influenced the migration of tyrosinelike substances by decreasing the pH of pore water.Trichococcus and Fusibacter altered the Fmax of protein-like,humic-like,and fulvic-like substances.The F^(-)concentrations affected the DOM composition and migration due to the response of functional bacterial communities,which were positively correlated with the relative abundance of Thiobacillus and negatively correlated with the relative abundances of Trichococcus and Fusibacter.The high F^(-)concentrations influenced the biosynthesis and degradation of protein-like substances by shifting the abundances of the relevant enzymes.The results of this study may provide ideas for investigating DOM cycling under the influence of F^(-),especially in lakes with fluctuations in F^(-)concentrations.