Assessing the energy release characteristics during the middle detonation reaction stage of aluminized explosives

Afterburning behind the detonation front of an aluminized explosive releases energy on the millisecond timescale,which prolong the release of detonation energy and the energy release at different stages also shows significant differences.However,at present,there are few effective methods for evaluating the energy release characteristics of the middle reaction stage of such explosives,which can have a duration of tens to hundreds of microseconds.The present work demonstrates an approach to assessing the midstage of an aluminized explosive detonation based on a water push test employing a high degree of confinement.In this method,the explosive is contained in a steel cylinder having one end closed that is installed at the bottom of a transparent water tank.Upon detonation,the gaseous products expand in one direction while forcing water ahead of them.The resulting underwater shock wave and the interface between the gas phase products and the water are tracked using an ultra-high-speed framing and streak camera.The shock wave velocity in water and the expansion work performed by the gaseous detonation products were calculated to assess the energy release characteristics of aluminized explosives such as CL-20 and RDX in the middle stage of the detonation reaction.During the middle stage of the detonation process of these aluminized explosives,the aluminum reaction reduced the attenuation of shock waves and increased the work performed by gas phase products.A higher aluminum content increased the energy output while the presence of oxidants slowed the energy release rate.This work demonstrates an effective means of evaluating the performance of aluminized explosives.

Assessment of Cement-Lime as Stabilizer on Mud Bricks

The aim of this study was to evaluate the compressive strength of clay bricks and their stability to water absorption by inserting stabilizers such as lime and cement of 0%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, 12% to 14%. Spectrometric analysis was used to characterize the various stabilizers and the clay used, and tests of resistance and water absorption were also carried out. The clay was found to be an aluminosilicate (15.55% to 17.17% Al2O3 and 42.12% to 44.15% SiO2). The lime contains 90.84% CaO and the cement has 17.80% SiO2, 3.46% Al2O3, 2.43% Fe2O3 and 58.47% CaO in the combined form of tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, tricalcium aluminate and ferro-tetra calcium aluminate. The results showed that the insertion of locally available stabilizers (lime and cement) improved the strength of the material by almost 80% when the lime was increased from 0% to 14% for 14 days. For compressed cement, a 65% increase in strength was observed under the same conditions. Strength increases with drying time, with a 52% increase in strength at 28 days compared to 14 days. Furthermore, compressed cement bricks have a more compact structure, absorbing very little water (32%). In view of all these results, cement appears to be the best stabilizer, and compression improves compressive strength and reduces water absorption.

Risk assessment of fault water inrush during deep mining

With the gradual depletion of shallow coal resources,the Yanzhou mine in China will enter the lower coal seam mining phase.However,as mining depth increases,lower coal seam mining in Yanzhou is threatened by water inrush in the Benxi Formation limestone and Ordovician limestone.The existing prediction models for the water burst at the bottom of the coal seam are less accurate than expected owing to various controlling factors and their intrinsic links.By analyzing the hydrogeological exploration data of the Baodian lower seam and combining the results of the water inrush coefficient method and the Yanzhou mine pressure seepage test,an evaluation model of the seepage barrier capacity of the fault was established.The evaluation results show the water of the underlying limestone aquifer in the Baodian mine area mainly threatens the lower coal mining through the fault fracture zone.The security of mining above confined aquifer in the Baodian mine area gradually decreases from southwest to northeast.By comparing the water inrush coefficient method and the evaluation model of fault impermeability,the results show the evaluation model based on seepage barrier conditions is closer to the actual situation when analyzing the water breakout situation at the working face.

Effect of antidepressant treatment on water load test and cortisol changes in patients with functional dyspepsia

BACKGROUND： It has been demonstrated that patients with functional dyspepsia have experiences social life stress events, and accompanied by psychological disorders, mainly manifested as depression and anxiety.Mental factors can lead to excessive gastrointestinal consensual reaction, and result in different brain-gut axis disturbance, and then cause the gastrointestinal sensorimotor abnormality and endocrine changes.OBJECTIVE： To observe the effect of antidepressant treatment on the changes of water load and serum cortisol in patients with functional dyspepsia, and analyze the therapeutic mechanism.DESIGN： A comparative observation.SETTING： The First Affiliated Hospital o Zhengzhou University.PARTICIPANTS： Forty-five patients with functional dyspepsia accompanied by depression were selected from the Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from July 2004 to July 2006, and they were 25 - 65 years of age, and their disease courses ranged 1 - 10 years. They were all accorded with the diagnostic standards for Rome Ⅱ functional dyspepsia functional dyspepsia. As the patients＇ will, they were divided into treatment group （n =30, 12 males and 18 females） and control group （n =15, 6 males and 9 females）, and there were no significant differences in the data between the two groups （P 〉 0.05）. The programs were discussed and agreed by the committee of medical ethics of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Informed contents were obtained from all the patients.METHODS： In the treatment group, the patients were treated with venlafaxine sustained release capsule （75 mg per day）, and those with sleep disorder were added by benzodiazepines （alprazolam）. In the control group, the patients were given routine treatments of antacid, prokinetics, etc. Before and after 8-week treatment, the following examinations were performed： ① The gastrointestinal symptoms were assessed according to the symptoms; ② The severity of depression was evaluated with Hamilton depression scale （HAMD）; ③The relaxation of proximal stomach was observed using water load test; ④ The serum level of cortisol was detected.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： ① Symptom score; ② HAMD score; ③ Water load amount; ④Serum level of cortisol.RESULTS： All the 45 patients were involved in the analysis of results. ① Symptom score： The scores of gastrointestinal symptoms were decreased as compared with those before treatment in both the treatment group and control group （P 〈 0.05）. ② HAMD scores： The scores of HAMD were decreased as compared with those before treatment in both the treatment group and control group （P 〈 0.05）. ③ Water load amount：The total effective rate was significantly higher in the treatment group than the control group （P 〈 0.05）. ④The serum levels of cortisol after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment in the patients with severe gastrointestinal symptoms in the treatment group and control group （P 〈 0.05）.CONCLUSION： Antidepressants can normalize the cortisol level of patients with functional dyspepsia, and then decrease gastric sensitivity and ameliorates the receptive relaxation of proximal stomach, also increase the water load amount correspondingly, and finally control the gastrointestinal symptoms of functional dyspepsia.

Study on adverse effects of groundwater level rising induced by land creation engineering in hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau

Land creation projects have been implemented in China to expand urban space in mountainous areas.In addition to the predictable settlement brought about by filling construction,varying degrees of land subsidence and engineering failures have a demonstrated relationship to groundwater level fluctuation induced by land creation engineering.In this work,we adopted a typical large-scale land creation project,Yan’an New City in Shaanxi province,West China,as our study area.Prior to conducting the main experiment,preliminary field investigation and groundwater level monitoring were conducted to determine the groundwater fluctuation trend induced by land creation engineering.Although a blind drainage system was implemented,the depth aspect of groundwater level changes after large-scale land creation still needed to be addressed.To study the degree of impact and the settlement mechanism induced by the rising groundwater level,we conducted a Water Immersion Test(WIT)in a typical land creation site for 107 days.The rising groundwater level was simulated by injecting water from the bottom of the filling foundation.During the WIT,the soil water content,surface subsidence,and internal settlement of soil at different depths were obtained.Surface subsidence development could be categorized into four stages during the water level increase.The second stage,which is defined as the point when the groundwater level rises to 10 m,marked the critical point in the process.Furthermore,it was ascertained that the local settlement in regions that were originally composed of steep slopes is larger than that in originally flat areas.In addition,ground cracks and sinkholes in the study area were inspected;and it was determined that they would become new channels that would accelerate water infiltration and exacerbate the settlement.Based on the results from our field investigation and testing,several suggestions are proposed for land creation projects to mitigate issues associated with construction-induced groundwater level rising.

The corrosive behaviors of GI and IF steel sheets in salt water drops

The corrosive behaviors of hot-dip galvanized steel （G I） sheets and the corresponding interstitial free （IF） steel base sheets for use in automobiles were investigated by the classical salt water drop （SWD） test at room temperature. The corrosive processes and products were observed and analyzed through morphological observation, a scanning electronic microscope （SEM） and an energy dispersive spectrum （EDS）. The results show that the anodic and cathode sites can be distinguished clearly during and after the test. The propagation of rusting, and the color, distribution and composition of the final corrosive products of the two kinds of materials are quite different. The SWD corrosive mechanisms of steel with and without galvanized coating are both discussed in this paper.

In vivo quantification of human aqueous veins by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography angiography images

AIM:To investigate the aqueous vein in vivo by using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography(EDI-OCT)and optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA).METHODS:In this cross-sectional comparative study,30 healthy participants were enrolled.Images of the aqueous and conjunctival veins were captured by EDI-OCT and OCTA before and after water loading.The area,height,width,location depth and blood flow of the aqueous vein and conjunctival vein were measured by Image J software.RESULTS:In the static state,the area of the aqueous vein was 8166.7±3272.7μm^(2),which was smaller than that of the conjunctival vein(13690±7457μm^(2),P<0.001).The mean blood flow density of the aqueous vein was 35.3%±12.6%,which was significantly less than that of the conjunctival vein(51.5%±10.6%,P<0.001).After water loading,the area of the aqueous vein decreased significantly from 8725.8±779.4μm^(2)(baseline)to 7005.2±566.2μm^(2)at 45min but rose to 7863.0±703.2μm^(2)at 60min(P=0.032).The blood flow density of the aqueous vein decreased significantly from 41.2%±4.5%(baseline)to 35.4%±3.2%at 30min but returned to 45.6%±3.6%at 60min(P=0.021).CONCLUSION:The structure and blood flow density of the aqueous vein can be effectively evaluated by OCT and OCTA.These may become biological indicators to evaluate aqueous vein changes and aqueous outflow resistance under different interventions in glaucoma patients.

Chronic Kidney Disease Induces Cognitive Impairment in the Early Stage

Objective Previous research indicates a link between cognitive impairment and chronic kidney disease(CKD),but the underlying factors are not fully understood.This study aimed to investigate the progression of CKD-induced cognitive impairment and the involvement of cognition-related proteins by developing early-and late-stage CKD models in Sprague-Dawley rats.Methods The Morris water maze test and the step-down passive avoidance task were performed to evaluate the cognitive abilities of the rats at 24 weeks after surgery.Histopathologic examinations were conducted to examine renal and hippocampal damage.Real-time PCR,Western blotting analysis,and immunohistochemical staining were carried out to determine the hippocampal expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),choline acetyltransferase(ChAT),and synaptophysin(SYP).Results Compared with the control rats,the rats with early-stage CKD exhibited mild renal damage,while those with late-stage CKD showed significantly increased serum creatinine levels as well as apparent renal and brain damage.The rats with early-stage CKD also demonstrated significantly impaired learning abilities and memory compared with the control rats,with further deterioration observed in the rats with late-stage CKD.Additionally,we observed a significant downregulation of cognition-related proteins in the hippocampus of rats with early-stage CKD,which was further exacerbated with declining renal function as well as worsening brain and renal damage in rats with late-stage CKD.Conclusion These results suggest the importance of early screening to identify CKD-induced cognitive dysfunction promptly.In addition,the downregulation of cognition-related proteins may play a role in the progression of cognitive dysfunction.

Analysis of the Performances and Optimization of Polyurethane Concrete with a Large Percentage of Fly Ash

The properties of polyurethane concrete containing a large amount of fly ash are investigated,and accordingly,a model is introduced to account for the influence of fly ash fineness,water ratio,and loss of ignition(LOI)on its mechanical performances.This research shows that,after optimization,the concrete has a compressive strength of 20.8 MPa,a flexural strength of 3.4 MPa,and a compressive modulus of elasticity of 19.2 GPa.The main factor influencing 28 and 90 d compressive strength is fly ash content,water-binder ratio,and early strength agent content.

Therapeutic potential of Gastrodia elata Blume for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Several studies have demonstrated that the Chinese herb Gastrodia elata Blume can protect against amyloid beta-peptide （Ap）-induced cell death. To investigate the possible therapeutic effects of Gastrodia elata Blume on Alzheimer＇s disease, we established a rat model of AIzheimer＇s disease by injecting A325-35 into bilateral hippocampi. These rats were intragastrically administered 500 or 1 000 mg/kg Gastrodia elata Blume per day for 52 consecutive days. Morris water maze tests showed that Gastrodia elata Blume treatment significantly improved the spatial memory of Alzheimer＇s disease rats. Congo red staining revealed that Gastrodia elata Blume significantly reduced the number of amyloid deposits in the hippocampus of these rats. Western blot analysis showed that choline acetyltransferase expression in the medial septum and hippocampus was significantly increased by the treatment of Gastrodia elata Blume, while EIIman method showed significant decrease in the activity of acetylcholinesterase in all three regions （prefrontal cortex, medial septum and hippocampus）. These findings suggest that long-term administration of Gastrodia elata Blume has therapeutic potential for Alzheimer＇s disease.

Hydrophilic and strength-softening characteristics of calcareous shale in deep mines

To better understand the mechanism of the strength weakening process of soft rocks in deep mines after interacting with water, a self-developed experimental system, Intelligent Testing System for Water Absorption in Deep Soft Rocks （ITSWADSR）, is employed to analyze the hydrophilic behavior of deep calcareous shale sampled from Daqiang coal mine. Experimental results demonstrate that the relation between water absorption and time can be expressed by power functions, and the soakage rate decreases while the soakage increases with time. In order to quantitatively calculate the weight coefficients of the influential factors for water absorbing capacity of rocks, a series of testing methods are adopted, including scanning electron microscope （SEM）, X-ray diffraction and mercury injection test. It is demonstrated that the effective porosity has a positive correlation with the water absorbing capacity of rocks and the contents of illite and illite/smectite. The initial water content presents a negative correlation with the water absorption capacity of rocks. According to the absolute value of weight coefficients of various influential factors, the order of magnitude from high to low is captured： initial water content, illite, illite/smectite formation （S=5%）, and the effective porosity. After water absorption tests, uniaxial compressive strength （UCS） tests were performed on rock specimens allowing a linear relationship between the UCS and the water content of rock to be established, indicating that the strength of calcareous shale decreases linearly with the increasing water content.

Association between Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis and early demyelination and oligodendrocyte dysfunction

The APPSwe/PSEN1 dE9（APP/PS1） transgenic mouse model is an Alzheimer＇s disease mouse model exhibiting symptoms of dementia, and is commonly used to explore pathological changes in the development of Alzheimer＇s disease. Previous clinical autopsy and imaging studies suggest that Alzheimer＇s disease patients have white matter and oligodendrocyte damage, but the underlying mechanisms of these have not been revealed. Therefore, the present study used APP/PS1 mice to assess cognitive change, myelin loss, and corresponding changes in oligodendrocytes, and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Morris water maze tests were performed to evaluate cognitive change in APP/PS1 mice and normal C57 BL/6 mice aged 3 and 6 months. Luxol fast blue staining of the corpus callosum and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction（q RT-PCR） for myelin basic protein（MBP） mRNA were carried out to quantify myelin damage. Immunohistochemistry staining for NG2 and qRT-PCR for monocarboxylic acid transporter 1（MCT1） mRNA were conducted to assess corresponding changes in oligodendrocytes. Our results demonstrate that compared with C57 BL/6 mice, there was a downregulation of MBP mRNA in APP/PS1 mice aged 3 months. This became more obvious in APP/PS1 mice aged 6 months accompanied by other abnormalities such as prolonged escape latency in the Morris water maze test, shrinkage of the corpus callosum, upregulation of NG2-immunoreactive cells, and downregulation of MCT1 mRNA. These findings indicate that the involvement of early demyelination at 3 months and the oligodendrocyte dysfunction at 6 months in APP/PS1 mice are in association with Alzheimer＇s disease pathogenesis.

Atorvastatin increases dynamin 1 expression in hippocampal CA1 region in a rat model of vascular dementia

The current study examined a rat model of vascular dementia. The model rats exhibited obvious morphological and ultrastructural changes in neurons in the brain, and significantly reduced dynamin 1 expression in hippocampal CA1 region along with decreased learning and memory performance. Following atorvastatin treatment, the morphology and ultrastructure of cells in the model rat brain were significantly improved, dynamin 1 expression in hippocampal CA1 region was significantly enhanced, and learning and memory ability was significantly improved. The results demonstrated that impaired learning and memory abilities in vascular dementia model rats were closely correlated with decreased dynamin 1 expression. These findings indicate that atorvastatin can protect model rats against cognitive impairment by increasing dynamin 1 expression.

Effect of discrete fibre reinforcement on soil tensile strength

The tensile behaviour of soil plays a significantly important role in various engineering applications. Compacted soils used in geotechnical constructions such as dams and clayey liners in waste containment facilities can suffer from cracking due to tensile failure. In order to increase soil tensile strength, discrete fibre reinforcement technique was proposed. An innovative tensile apparatus was developed to deter- mine the tensile strength characteristics of fibre reinforced soil. The effects of fibre content, dry density and water content on the tensile strength were studied. The results indicate that the developed test apparatus was applicable in determining tensile strength of soils. Fibre inclusion can significantly in- crease soil tensile strength and soil tensile failure ductility. The tensile strength basically increases with increasing fibre content. As the fibre content increases from 0% to 0.2%, the tensile strength increases by 65.7%. The tensile strength of fibre reinforced soil increases with increasing dry density and decreases with decreasing water content. For instance, the tensile strength at a dry density of 1.7 Mg/m^3 is 2.8 times higher than that at 1.4 Mg/m^3. It decreases by 30% as the water content increases from 14.5% to 20.5%. Furthermore, it is observed that the tensile strength of fibre reinforced soil is dominated by fibre pull-out resistance, depending on the interracial mechanical interaction between fibre surface and soil matrix.

Clinical observation of acupoint injection combined with nerve electrical stimulation in the treatment of post-stroke dysphagia

Background:Post-stroke dysphagia is one of the common clinical symptoms in the rehabilitation department of primary hospitals,which seriously affects the quality of life of patients and their families.Majority of medical workers have comprehensively studied post-stroke dysphagia as it easily induces inhalation pneumonia,asphyxia,and many other complications.At present,many methods for post-stroke dysphagia have been proved to be effective.With regard to comprehensive treatment effect,patient compliance,technology promotion difficulty,grassroots hospital operability,and other factors,we found that acupoint injection combined with nerve electrical stimulation is a good method worthy of promotion.Methods:A total of 130 patients with dysphagia after stroke were randomly divided into nerve electrical stimulation group(n=41),acupoint injection group(n=40),and comprehensive treatment group(nerve electrical stimulation plus acupoint injection,n=49).The therapeutic effect in each group was evaluated before treatment and 20 days after treatment using the improved water swallow test,video fluoroscopic swallowing study,and standardized swallowing assessment.Results:After 20 days of treatment,significant differences were noted in each group.The scores of improved water swallow test decreased from 4.10±0.74 to 2.12±0.95 in the nerve electrical stimulation group,4.00±0.78 to 2.28±1.04 in the acupoint injection group,and 4.16±0.77 to 1.73±0.79 in the comprehensive treatment group;video fluoroscopic swallowing study scores increased from 3.71±2.16 to 5.05±2.111 in the nerve electrical stimulation group,3.80±1.94 to 5.20±1.942 in the acupoint injection group,and 3.73±2.22 to 6.24±2.21 in the comprehensive treatment group;and standardized swallowing assessment scores of the three groups also decreased from 35.13±3.38 to 28.17±3.42,34.66±3.46,and 34.48±3.26 to 26.39±3.86,respectively.The overall scores of each group after treatment were significantly different from those before treatment(P<0.05),indicating that both nerve electrical stimulation and acupoint injection were effective for post-stroke dysphagia;the scores of nerve electrical stimulation group and acupoint injection group were similar,but those of the comprehensive treatment group were significantly better than the single treatments(P<0.05).It shows that the two treatment methods have synergistic effect,and combined treatments have more benefits.Conclusion:Nerve electrical stimulation and acupoint injection have a synergistic therapeutic effect on post-stroke dysphagia.The combined treatment is more beneficial to patients with post-stroke dysphagia than the single treatments.

基于变介电常数的植物叶片含水率无损检测装置设计

以AT89C51单片机为核心,结合数字电子技术相关电路,设计了一款基于变介电常数的植物叶片含水率无损检测装置。该装置采用夹持型平行极板电容器与555定时器搭建多谐振荡器,以待测叶片作为电容极间介质,通过待测叶片水分变化影响介电常数,进而改变多谐振荡器频率,再由单片机完成数据读取与处理,以此来检测叶片含水率。并采用鸢尾、望春玉兰、紫荆和海州常山四种植物叶片进行测量试验,试验结果表明,该装置可以实现植物叶片含水率无损检测,具有一定的应用价值。

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression in the hippocampal CA1 region of hyperlipidemic rats with chronic cerebral ischemia

Chronic cerebral ischemia is a pathological process in many cerebrovascular diseases and it is induced by long-term hypedipidemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. After being fed a high-fat diet for 4 weeks, rats were subjected to permanent occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries to establish rat models of chronic cerebral ischemia with hypedipiclemia. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression in rat hippocampal CA1 region was determined to better understand the mechanism underlying the effects of hypedipidemia on chronic cerebral ischemia. Water maze test results showed that the cognitive function of rats with hyperlipidemia or chronic cerebral ischemia, particulady in rats with hypedipidemia combined with chronic cerebral ischemia, gradually decreased between 1 and 4 months after occlusion of the bilateral common carotid arteries. This correlated with pathological changes in the hippocampal CA1 region as detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Immunohistochemical staining showed that intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression in the hippocampal CA1 region was noticeably increased in rats with hyperlipidemia or chronic cerebral ischemia, in particular in rats with hyperlipidemia combined with chronic cerebral ischemia. These findings suggest that hyperlipidemia aggravates chronic cerebral ischemia-induced neurological damage and cognitive impairment in the rat hippocampal CA1 region which may be mediated, at least in part, by up-regulated expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-l.

Coupled hydro-mechanical analysis of expansive soils:Parametric identification and calibration

A methodology for identifying and calibrating the material parameters for a coupled hydro-mechanical problem is presented in this pape r.For validation purpose,a laboratory-based water infiltration test was numerically simulated using finite element method(FEM).The test was conducted using a self-designed column-type experimental device,which mimicked the wetting process of a candidate backfill material in a nuclear waste repository.The real-time measurements of key state variables(e.g.water content,relative humidity,temperature,and total stresses)were performed with the monitoring sensors along the height of cylindrical soil sample.For numerical simulation,the modified Barcelona Basic Model(BBM)along with soil-water retention model for compacted bentonite was used.It shows that the identified model parameters successfully captured the moisture migration process under an applied hydraulic gradient in a bentonite-based compacted soil sample.A comparison between the measured and predicted values of total stresses both in axial and lateral directions along with other state variables revealed that heterogeneous moisture content was distributed along the hydration-path,resulting in non-uniform stress-deformation characteristics of soil.

WATER TUNNEL EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON THE DRAG REDUCTION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TRAVELING WAVY WALL

Drag reduction experiment of the traveling wavy wall at high Reynolds number is conducted.A suit of traveling wavy wall device is developed.The drag forces of the traveling wavy wall with various wave speeds（c）are measured under different water speeds（U）in the K15 cavitation water tunnel and are compared with that of the flat plate.The results show that the mean drag force of the traveling wavy wall have decreased and then increased with oscillation frequency increasing at the same flow speed.Under different flow speeds,when traveling wave wall reached to the minimum of drag force,the corresponding the ratio of the wall motion phase speed c to flow speed U,c /U is slightly different.Within the parameters of the experiment,whenc /U reaches a certain value,the drag force of the traveling wavy wall can be less than that of the flat plate.The drag reduction can be up to 42%.Furthermore,as the value ofc /U increases,the traveling wavy wall can restrain the separation and improve the quality of flow field.