Prototype test study on mechanical characteristics of segmental lining structure of underwater railway shield tunnel

Based on the first unde rwater railway shield tunnel, the Shiziyang shield tunnel of Guangzhou Zhu- jiang River, the prototype test was carried out against its segmental lining structure by using ＂multi-function shield tunnel structure test system＂. And the mechanical characteristics of segmental lining structure using straight assembling and staggered assembling were studied deeply. The results showed that, the mechanical characteristics of segmental lining structure varied with the water pressures; especially after cracking, the high water pressure played a significant role in slowing down the growing inner force and deformation. It also testi- fied that the failure characteristics varied with straight assembling structure and staggered assembling structure. Shear thilurc often occurred near longitudinal seam when using straight assembling.

Studies on the key parameters in segmental lining design

The uniform ring model and the shell-spring model for segmental lining design are reviewed in thisarticle. The former is the most promising means to reflect the real behavior of segmental lining, while thelatter is the most popular means in practice due to its simplicity. To understand the relationship and thedifference between these two models, both of them are applied to the engineering practice of FuzhouMetro Line I, where the key parameters used in both models are described and compared. The effectiveratio of bending rigidity h reflecting the relative stiffness between segmental lining and surroundingground and the transfer ratio of bending moment x reflecting the relative stiffness between segment andjoint, which are two key parameters used in the uniform ring model, are especially emphasized. Thereasonable values for these two key parameters are calibrated by comparing the bending momentscalculated from both two models. Through case studies, it is concluded that the effective ratio of bendingrigidity h increases significantly with good soil properties, increases slightly with increasing overburden,and decreases slightly with increasing water head. Meanwhile, the transfer ratio of bending moment xseems to only relate to the properties of segmental lining itself and has a minor relation with the groundconditions. These results could facilitate the design practice for Fuzhou Metro Line I, and could alsoprovide some references to other projects with respect to similar scenarios.

Positional Error Model of Line Segments with Modeling and Measuring Errors Using Brownian Bridge

Spatial linear features are often represented as a series of line segments joined by measured endpoints in surveying and geographic information science.There are not only the measuring errors of the endpoints but also the modeling errors between the line segments and the actual geographical features.This paper presents a Brownian bridge error model for line segments combining both the modeling and measuring errors.First,the Brownian bridge is used to establish the position distribution of the actual geographic feature represented by the line segment.Second,an error propagation model with the constraints of the measuring error distribution of the endpoints is proposed.Third,a comprehensive error band of the line segment is constructed,wherein both the modeling and measuring errors are contained.The proposed error model can be used to evaluate line segments’overall accuracy and trustability influenced by modeling and measuring errors,and provides a comprehensive quality indicator for the geospatial data.

Real-time estimation of the structural utilization level of segmental tunnel lining

Over the last decades,an expansion of the underground network has been taking place to cope with the increasing amount of moving people and freight.As a consequence,it is of vital importance to guarantee the full functionality of the tunnel network by means of preventive maintenance and the monitoring of the tunnel lining state over time.A new method has been developed for the real-time prediction of the utilization level in tunnel segmental linings based on input monitoring data.The new concept is founded on a framework,which encompasses an offline and an online stage.In the former,the generation of feedforward neural networks is accomplished by employing synthetically produced data.Finite element simulations of the lining structure are conducted to analyze the structural response under multiple loading conditions.The scenarios are generated by assuming ranges of variation of the model input parameters to account for the uncertainty due to the not fully determined in situ conditions.Input and target quantities are identified to better assess the structural utilization of the lining.The latter phase consists in the application of the methodological framework on input monitored data,which allows for a real-time prediction of the physical quantities deployed for the estimation of the lining utilization.The approach is validated on a full-scale test of segmental lining,where the predicted quantities are compared with the actual measurements.Finally,it is investigated the influence of artificial noise added to the training data on the overall prediction performances and the benefits along with the limits of the concept are set out.

Interface failure of segmental tunnel lining strengthened with steel plates based on fracture mechanics

Segmental tunnel lining strengthened with steel plates is widely used worldwide to provide a permanent strengthening method.Most existing studies assume an ideal steel-concrete interface,ignoring discontinuous deformation characteristics,making it difficult to accurately analyze the strengthened structure’s failure mechanism.In this study,interfacial fracture mechanics of composite material was applied to the segmental tunnel lining strengthened with steel plates,and a numerical three-dimensional solid nonlinear model of the lining structure was established,combining the extended finite element method with a cohesive-zone model to account for the discontinuous deformation characteristics of the interface.The results accurately describe the crack propagation process,and are verified by full-scale testing.Next,dynamic simulations based on the calibrated model were conducted to analyze the sliding failure and cracking of the steel-concrete interface.Lastly,detailed location of the interface bonding failure are further verified by model test.The results show that,the cracking failure and bond failure of the interface are the decisive factors determining the instability and failure of the strengthened structure.The proposed numerical analysis is a major step forward in revealing the interface failure mechanism of strengthened composite material structures.

Pixel-level crack segmentation of tunnel lining segments based on an encoder–decoder network

Regular detection and repair for lining cracks are necessary to guarantee the safety and stability of tunnels.The development of computer vision has greatly promoted structural health monitoring.This study proposes a novel encoder–decoder structure,CrackRecNet,for semantic segmentation of lining segment cracks by integrating improved VGG-19 into the U-Net architecture.An image acquisition equipment is designed based on a camera,3-dimensional printing(3DP)bracket and two laser rangefinders.A tunnel concrete structure crack(TCSC)image data set,containing images collected from a double-shield tunnel boring machines(TBM)tunnel in China,was established.Through data preprocessing operations,such as brightness adjustment,pixel resolution adjustment,flipping,splitting and annotation,2880 image samples with pixel resolution of 448×448 were prepared.The model was implemented by Pytorch in PyCharm processed with 4 NVIDIA TITAN V GPUs.In the experiments,the proposed CrackRecNet showed better prediction performance than U-Net,TernausNet,and ResU-Net.This paper also discusses GPU parallel acceleration effect and the crack maximum width quantification.

Mapping of QTLs Related to Grain Weight Using Chromosome Single Segment Substitution Lines in Rice

Grain weight, one of the major factors determining rice yield, is a typical quantitative trait control ed by multiple genes. With Guangluai 4 as recipient and Nipponbare as donor, a population of 119 chromosome single segment substitution lines had been developed. Correlation analysis between grain weight and grain shape by SPSS revealed that 1 000-grain weight shared extremely significant posi-tive correlation with grain length and length-width ratio, but no significant correlation with grain width and thickness. The QTL analysis of grain weight was carried out using one-way analysis of variance and Dunnett＇s test. Nineteen stable QTLs re-sponsible for grain weight were identified over two years. Al 19 QTLs were identi-fied on al chromosomes except for chromosome 10 and 12 at a significance level of P≤0.001. Among them, 10 QTLs had a positive effect and were derived from the Nipponbare al ele, the additive effect of these QTLs ranged from 0.49 to 2.74 g, and the contributions of the additive effects ranged from 2.00% to 11.05%. Another 9 QTLs had a negative effect and were al derived from Guangluai 4 al ele, the ad-ditive effect of these QTLs ranged from 0.60 to 2.35 g, and the contributions of the additive effects ranged from 2.40% to 9.84%. The results provide a basis for the fine mapping and gene cloning of novel locus associated with rice grain weight.

QTLs Mapping for Salinity Tolerance at Seedling Stage or Rice(Oryza sativa L.) Using Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines

In this study, a population of chromosome segment substitution lines （CSSLs） derived from the cross between 9311 （indica） and Nipponbare （japonica） was employed to map the quantitative trait loci （QTLs） for salt tolerance under the salt stress simulated with 0.5% NaCI, using survival rate as the index. The data were analyzed by QTL IciMapping v3.1, and the results showed that one QTL （QSsr3） related to salt tolerance was located in the vicinity of the marker RM1350 on chromosome 3, into a genetic interval of 113.2-132.8 cM, with a contribution rate of 17.75%. The additive effect was 10.9, indicating that the QTL derived from the parent Nipponbare improved the salt tolerance of rice at seedling stage. This study will provide a theoretical basis for the selection of salt tolerant rice germplasm.

Mapping QTLs Associated with Sheath Blight Resistance Using Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines of Rice(Oryza sativa L.)

In this study, a population of 119 chromosome segment substitution lines （CSSLs） derived from backcross between indica 9311 and japonica Nipponbare was employed to map quantitative trait loci （QTL） associated with sheath blight resis-tance in rice with toothpick inoculation method. A total of three sheath blight resis-tance-associated QTLs （qsb8-1, qsb8-2 and qsb8-3） were identified, which were lo-cated on adjacent molecular markers RM3262, RM5485 and RM3496 of chromo-some 8; the genetic interval was 81.7cM-91.7cM, 91.7cM-108.1cM and 108.1cM-119.6cM, respectively. The additive effect of qsb8-2 was negative, indicating that sheath blight resistance of susceptible parent harboring qsb8-2 fragment was en-hanced; additive effects of qsb8-1 and qsb8-3 were positive, indicating that sheath blight resistance of susceptible parent harboring qsb8-1 and qsb8-3 fragments was reduced.

Detection of QTLs for Important Agronomic Traits and Analysis of Their Stabilities Using SSSLs in Rice

Single segment substitution lines （SSSLs） each with a single chromosome segment from a donor under the same genetic background as the recipient were developed in rice by advanced backcrossing and molecular marker-assisted selection. Using the SSSLs, the QTLs for the important agronomic traits in rice would be detected under different environmental conditions. Detection of the QTLs controlling 22 important traits in rice was done with 32 SSSLs by the randomized block design in 2-4 cropping seasons. 59 QTLs were detected and distributed on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11, of which 18 QTLs were detected more than twice. Only 30.5% of the QTLs were detected repeatedly in different cropping seasons. Most of the QTLs of important agronomic traits were of little additive effects and instability. The QTLs controlling the traits, such as grain weight, grain length, ratio of grain length to width, and heading date were relatively stable. The stable QTLs usually had larger additive effects and were less affected by environment. The QTLs for the important agronomic traits were detected using the SSSLs in rice with high resolution under different environmental conditions. The instability of the QTLs may be the basis of the variation of rice plants during growth and development. It would be the genetic basis for improving yield and quality in rice cultivars by farming methods.

Unconditional and Conditional QTL Mapping for Tiller Numbers at Various Stages with Single Segment Substitution Lines in Rice(Oryza sativa L.)

Tiller is one of the most important agronomic traits which influences quantity and quality of effective panicles and finally influences yield in rice. It is important to understand ＂static＂ and ＂dynamic＂ information of the QTLs for tillers in rice. This work was the first time to simultaneously map unconditional and conditional QTLs for tiller numbers at various stages by using single segment substitution lines in rice. Fourteen QTLs for tiller number, distributing on the corresponding substitution segments of chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 were detected. Both the number and the effect of the QTLs for tiller number were various at different stages, from 6 to 9 in the number and from 1.49 to 3.49 in the effect, respectively. Tiller number QTLs expressed in a time order, mainly detected at three stages of 0-7 d, 14-21 d and 35-42 d after transplanting with 6 positive, 9 random and 6 negative expressing QTLs, respectively. Each of the QTLs expressed one time at least during the whole duration of rice. The tiller number at a specific stage was determined by sum of QTL effects estimated by the unconditional method, while the increasing or decreasing number in a given time interval was controlled by the total of QTL effects estimated by the conditional method. These results demonstrated that it is highly effective and accurate for mapping of the QTLs by using single segment substitution lines and the conditional analysis methodology.

Malfunction of outer retinal barrier and choroid in the occurrence and progression of diabetic macular edema

Diabetic macular edema(DME) is the most common cause of vision loss in diabetic retinopathy,affecting 1 in 15 patients with diabetes mellitus(DM).The disruption of the inner blood-retina barrier(BRB) has been largely investigated and attributed the primary role in the pathogenesis and progression in DME, but there is increasing evidence regarding the role of outer BRB, separating the RPE from the underlying choriocapillaris,in the occurrence and evolution of DME.The development of novel imaging technologies has led to major improvement in the field of in vivo structural analysis of the macula allowing us to delve deeper into the pathogenesis of DME and expanding our vision regarding this condition.In this review we gathered the results of studies that investigated specific outer BRB optical coherence tomography parameters in patients with DM with the aim to outline the current status of its role in the pathogenesis and progression of DME and identify new research pathways contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the understanding of this condition.

Identification of QTLs for Plant Height and Its Components by Using Single Segment Substitution Lines in Rice (Oryza sativa)

QTLs for plant height and its components on the substituted segments of fifty-two single segment substitution lines （SSSLs） in rice were identified through t-test （P〈0.001） for comparison between each SSSL and recipient parent Huajingxian 74. On the 14 substituted segments, 24 QTLs were detected, 10 for plant height, 2 for panicle length, 4 for length of the first internode from the top, 5 for length of the second internode from the top and 3 for length of the third internode from the top, respectively. All these QTLs were distributed on nine rice chromosomes except chromosomes 5, 9 and 11. The additive effect ranged from -4.08 to 3.98 cm, and the additive effect percentages varied from -19.35% to 10.43%.

Identification of Rice QTLs for Important Agronomic Traits with Long-Kernel CSSL-Z741 and Three SSSLs

Rice kernel shape affects kernel quality(appearance) and yield(1000-kernel weight) and therefore is an important agronomic trait, but its inheritance is complicated. We identified a long-kernel rice chromosome segment substitution line(CSSL), Z741, derived from Nipponbare as a recipient and Xihui 18 as a donor parent. Z741 has six substitution segments distributed on rice chromosomes 3, 6, 7, 8 and 12 with an average replacement length of 5.82 Mb. Analysis of a secondary F2 population from a cross between Nipponbare and Z741 identified 20 QTLs for important agronomic traits. The kernel length of Z741 is controlled by a major QTL(qKL3) and a minor QTL(qKL7). Candidate gene prediction and sequencing indicated that qKL3 may be an allele of OsPPKL1, which encodes a protein phosphatase implicated in brassinosteroid signaling, and qKL7 is an unreported QTL. Finally, we validated eight QTLs(qKL3, qKL7, qRLW3-1, qRLW7, qPH3-1, qKWT3, qKWT7 and qNPB6) using three selected singlesegment substitution lines(SSSLs), S1, S2 and S3. Also, we detected five QTLs(qKL6, qKW3, qKW7, qKW6 and qRLW6) in S1, S2 and S3, which were not found in the Nipponbare/Z741 F2 population. However, qNPB3, qNPB7 and qPL3 QTLs were not validated by the three SSSLs in 2019, suggesting that minor QTLs are susceptible to environmental factors. These results lay the foundation for studying the biodiversity of kernal length and molecular breeding of different kernel types.

Identification of Multiple Alleles at the Wx Locus and Development of Single Segment Substitution Lines for the Alleles in Rice

The microsatellite markers 484/485 and 484/W2R were used to identify the multiple alleles at the Wx locus in rice germplasm. Fifteen alleles were identified in 278 accessions by using microsatellite class and G-T polymorphism. Among these alleles, （CT）12-G, （CT）15-G, （CT）16-G, （CT）17-G, （CT）18-G and （CT）21-G have not been reported. Seventy-two single-segment substitution lines （SSSLs） carrying different alleles at the Wx locus were developed by using Huajingxian 74 with the （CT）11-G allele as a recipient and 20 accessions containing 12 different alleles at the Wx locus as donors. The estimated length of the substituted segments ranged from 2.2 to 77.3 cM with an average of 17.4 cM.

Identification of QTLs for Cooking and Eating Quality of Rice Grain

The BIL （backcross inbred line） population derived from the cross between Koshihikari （good eating and cooking quality, japonica） and Kasalath （poor quality, indica） was used to analyze the QTLs for amylose content （AC）, gelatinization temperature （GT）, gel consistency （GC） and protein content （PC）. Eight main-effect QTLs including 2 for AC, 3 for GT, 2 for GC and 1 for PC were identified, Moreover, 27 epistatic QTL pairs including 7 for AC, 5 for GT, 4 for GC and 11 for PC were also detected while for AC and GT, one main-effect QTL with a major gene was detected, respectively. Therefore, the main-effect QTL might be more responsible for the current variation than the epistetic QTL. The result indicated that the main-effect QTL is the primary genetic basis for those traits. However, for PC, the epistatic QTL explained a much greater portion of the total variation than main-effect QTL, suggesting that epistatic loci are the primary genetic basis for such trait. In the experiment, chromosome segment substitution lines （CSSLs） were used to confirm reliabilities of the main effect QTLs detected in BIL population. Of the 8 main-effect QTLs for 4 traits in BIL analysis, 6 were confirmed end 2 remained unconfirmed by CSSLs analysis.

3D Finite Element Analysis of TBM Water Diversion Tunnel Segment Coupled with Seepage Field

In most studies of tunnel boring machine(TBM)tunnelling, the groundwater pressure was not considered, or was simplified and exerted on the boundary of lining structure. Meanwhile, the leakage, which mainly occurs in the segment joints, was often ignored in the relevant studies of TBM tunnelling. Additionally, the geological models in these studies were simplified to different extents, and mostly were simplified as homogenous bodies. Considering the deficiencies above, a 3D refined model of the surrounding rock of a tunnel is firstly established using NURBS-TIN-BRe P hybrid data structure in this paper. Then the seepage field of the surrounding rock considering the leakage in the segment joints is simulated. Finally, the stability of TBM water diversion tunnel is studied coupled with the seepage simulation, to analyze the stress-strain conditions, the axial force and the bending moment of tunnel segment considering the leakage in the segment joints. The results illustrate that the maximum radial displacement, the minimum principal stress, the maximum principal stress and the axial force of segment lining considering the seepage effect are all larger than those disregarding the seepage effect.

Confirmation of Novel Quantitative Trait Loci for Seed Dormancy at Different Ripening Stages in Rice

Seed dormancy contributes resistance to pre-harvest sprouting. Effects on respective quantitative trait loci （QTLs） for dormancy should be assessed by using fresh seeds before germinability altered through storage. We investigated QTLs related to seed dormancy using backcross inbred lines derived from a cross between Nipponbare and Kasalath. Four putative QTLs for seed dormancy were detected immediately after harvest using composite interval mapping. These putative QTLs were mapped near C1488 on chromosome 3 （qSD-3.1）, R2171 on chromosome 6 （qSD-6.1）, R1245 on chromosome 7 （qSD-7.1） and C488 on chromosome 10 （qSD-IO.1）. Kasalath alleles promoted dormancy for qSD-3.1, qSD-6.1 and qSD-7.1, and the respective proportions of phenotypic variation explained by each QTL were 12.9%, 9.3% and 8.1%. We evaluated the seed dormancy harvested at different ripening stages during seed development using chromosome segment substitution lines （CSSLs） to confirm gene effects. The germination rates of CSSL27 and CSSL28 substituted with the region including qSD-6.1 were significantly lower than those of Nipponbare and other CSSLs at the late ripening stage. Therefore, qSD-6.1 is considered the most effective novel QTL for pre-harvest sprouting resistance among the QTLs detected in this study.

Detection of QTL for Cold Tolerance at Bud Bursting Stage Using Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines in Rice (Oryza sativa)

Ab The cold tolerance at the bud bursting stage （CTB） was evaluated at 5℃ by using a set of 95 chromosome segment substitution lines （CSSLs） derived from an indica rice 9311 and a japonica rice Nipponbare with a genetic background of 9311. The result showed that six CSSLs had slightly stronger effect on CTB than 9311. Total four quantitative trait loci （QTLs） for CTB were preliminary mapped on chromosomes 5 and 7 by substitution mapping, qCTB-5-1, qCTB-5-2 and qCTB-5-3 were mapped in the region of RM267-RM1237, RM2422-RM6054 and RM3321-RM1054, which were 21.3 cM, 27.4 cM and 12.7 cM in genetic distance on rice chromosome 5, respectively, qCTB-7 was mapped in a 6.8-cM region of RM11-RM2752 on rice chromosome 7.

QTL Detection for Rice Grain Shape Using Chromosome Single Segment Substitution Lines

Rice grain shape is one of the important factors affecting grain quality and yield,but it is liable to be influenced by genetic backgrounds and environments.The chromosome single segment substitution lines(SSSLs) in rice have been considered as ideal populations to identify the quantitative trait loci(QTLs).In this study,22 QTLs affecting rice grain shape were detected to be distributed on eight chromosomes except chromosomes 6,9,11 and 12 by using SSSLs.Among them,seven QTLs conditioned grain length,six conditioned grain width,five affected grain length-width ratio and four controlled grain thickness.