Determination of consolidation behaviour of clay slurries

The main objective of this study was to determine the consolidation behaviour of clay slurries.A finegrained clay with high consistency limits(W_L = 180%,w_P= 120%) was investigated using conventional oedometer and bench-top centrifuge tests.Results indicated that the slurry had an apparent preconsolidation(due to initial conditions,electrochemical interactions,tortuous drainage,and thixotropic strength) from e = 5.7 to e = 5.5 followed by virgin compression.Likewise,the low hydraulic conductivity(10^(-10)-10^(-12) m/s) was due to low porosity(small pore throats) and high tortuosity(long flow paths).Unlike consolidation of soils,the c_v and m_v decreased with increasing σ' but increased with increasing e and k.The data from the two tests correlated well in the range of σ' = 10-65 kPa,e = 5.5-3.86,k= 1.7 × 10^(-10)-5×10^(-11) m/s,F_c = 1-40 MN.New equations were developed to correlate the consolidation parameters(e,σ',k) with F_c.The deviation of k beyond 40 MN(e = 4.65) was due to deviation from the initial straight line portion of the settlement curve in the centrifuge test.

鸣蝉唱歌的秘密

2018年8月16日星期四晴原文修改后暑假,远离城市的喧嚣和夏日的烦躁,我们来到了外婆家。一路上,空气新鲜,野花迷人,蝉不停地唱着歌。“咦,蝉怎么会唱歌呢?”我好奇地提出了这个问题。下午,爸爸抓来一只蝉,让我进行观察。通过仔细观察,我发现蝉唱歌不是用嘴,也不是用喉.唱歌时。

Cell-specific expression of the diphtheria toxin A-chain coding sequence induces cancer cell suicide

OBJECTIVE: To test whether the diphtheria toxin A (DT-A) chain coding sequence linked to murine immunoglobulin Kappa light chain (IgKappa) promoter and enhancer have selective cytocidal effects on IgKappa producing cells. METHODS: The diphtheria toxin A gene or beta galactosidase (beta-gal) gene were linked to a murine IgKappa promoter and enhancer to construct pcDNA3IgKappaDTA or pcDNA3IgKappaLacZ plasmids. These plasmids were transfected into IgKappa producing or non-producing cells by the liposome coated DNA method. Expression of beta-gal activity and effects on cell growth of transfected cells were assessed. RESULTS: The beta-gal gene, under the control of cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter, can express in all cell lines. Expression of beta-gal under the control of the IgKappa promoter was detected only in the IgKappa producing cell line, CA46. Expression of beta-gal was greatly suppressed when cotransfected with pcDNA3IgKappaDTA in CA46 cells.Cell growth of CA46 cells transfected with pcDNA3IgKappaDTA plasmid was significantly inhibited compared with CA46 cells transfected with pcDNA3IgKappaLacZ. CONCLUSION: Selective killing of IgKappa producing cells can be attained by introducing the diphtheria toxin A gene under the control of IgKappa promoter and enhancer.

Therapeutic efficacy observation of acupuncture plus medicine for laryngopharyngeal reflux due to liver-qi stagnation and spleen deficiency

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus medicine in treating laryngopharyngeal reflux due to liverqi stagnation and spleen deficiency.Methods A total of 70 patients were divided into a control group and an observation group by the random number table method,with 35 cases in each group.Both groups were treated with conventional medications,and the observation group was treated with additional acupuncture therapy.The reflux symptom index(RSI)and reflux finding score(RFS)were evaluated.Esophageal motility indicators such as lower esophageal sphincter pressure(LESP)and upper esophageal sphincter pressure(UESP),and salivary pepsin level were measured.The clinical efficacy was also compared.Results The total effective rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,the RSI and RFS scores in both groups decreased significantly(all P<0.05),and the RSI and RFS scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(both P<0.05).There were no significant changes in the LESP and UESP in the control group(both P>0.05),while LESP and UESP in the observation group increased significantly(both P<0.05),and higher than those in the control group(both P<0.05).The salivary pepsin levels in both groups decreased(both P<0.05),and the salivary pepsin level in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture plus medicine can improve symptoms and signs in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux due to liver-qi stagnation and spleen deficiency,and regulate esophageal motility and salivary pepsin level.Its efficacy is more significant compared with medicine alone.

Variation in female aggression in 2 three-spined stickleback populations with female throat and spine coloration

Despite growing interest in female ornament evolution, we still have a rudimentary understanding of female display traits relative to similar traits in males. Under one popular adaptive scenario, female ornaments are hypothesized to function in female-female competition and serve as badges of status, such that their expression is linked with elevated aggression in some cases. In this study, we investigated the relationship between 2 female ornaments--male-like red throat color and red spine coloration--and female aggression in 2 independently derived stream-resident populations of three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. Using simulated intrusions, we tested whether females with redder ornaments were generally more aggressive, and for variation in aggressive and social behaviors between the 2 populations. We found that the red intensity of the throat and spine did not predict aggression levels in either population, suggesting a limited role for both female ornaments during female-female interaction. The 2 populations exhibited different levels of aggressive behaviors, unrelated to the color patches. Our results suggest that variation in selective pressures between populations may promote interpopulation variance in aggressive behavior but not the correlation between female ornamentation and aggression, and raise the possibility that red coloration may have evolved through different mechanisms or processes in the 2 populations.