Ecological-Based Mining:A Coal-Water-Thermal Collaborative Paradigm in Ecologically Fragile Areas in Western China

A substantial reduction in groundwater level,exacerbated by coal mining activities,is intensifying water scarcity in western China’s ecologically fragile coal mining areas.China’s national strategic goal of achieving a carbon peak and carbon neutrality has made eco-friendly mining that prioritizes the protection and efficient use of water resources essential.Based on the resource characteristics of mine water and heat hazards,an intensive coal-water-thermal collaborative co-mining paradigm for the duration of the mining process is proposed.An integrated system for the production,supply,and storage of mining companion resources is achieved through technologies such as roof water inrush prevention and control,hydrothermal quality improvement,and deep-injection geological storage.An active preventive and control system achieved by adjusting the mining technology and a passive system centered on multiobjective drainage and grouting treatment are suggested,in accordance with the original geological characteristics and dynamic process of water inrush.By implementing advanced multi-objective drainage,specifically designed to address the“skylight-type”water inrush mode in the Yulin mining area of Shaanxi Province,a substantial reduction of 50%in water drillings and inflow was achieved,leading to stabilized water conditions that effectively ensure subsequent safe coal mining.An integrated-energy complementary model that incorporates the clean production concept of heat utilization is also proposed.The findings indicate a potential saving of 8419 t of standard coal by using water and air heat as an alternative heating source for the Xiaojihan coalmine,resulting in an impressive energy conservation of 50.2%and a notable 24.2%reduction in carbon emissions.The ultra-deep sustained water injection of 100 m^(3)·h^(-1)in a single well would not rupture the formation or cause water leakage,and 7.87×10^(5)t of mine water could be effectively stored in the Liujiagou Formation,presenting a viable method for mine-water management in the Ordos Basin and providing insights for green and low-carbon mining.

Seismic performance evaluation of water supply pipes installed in a full-scale RC frame structure based on a shaking table test

As an important part of nonstructural components,the seismic response of indoor water supply pipes deserves much attention.This paper presents shaking table test research on water supply pipes installed in a full-scale reinforced concrete(RC)frame structure.Different material pipes and different methods for penetrating the reinforced concrete floors are combined to evaluate the difference in seismic performance.Floor response spectra and pipe acceleration amplification factors based on test data are discussed and compared with code provisions.A seismic fragility study of displacement demand is conducted based on numerical simulation.The acceleration response and displacement response of different combinations are compared.The results show that the combination of different pipe materials and different passing-through methods can cause obvious differences in the seismic response of indoor riser pipes.

A methodology for damage evaluation of underground tunnels subjected to static loading using numerical modeling

We have proposed a methodology to assess the robustness of underground tunnels against potential failure.This involves developing vulnerability functions for various qualities of rock mass and static loading intensities.To account for these variations,we utilized a Monte Carlo Simulation(MCS)technique coupled with the finite difference code FLAC^(3D),to conduct two thousand seven hundred numerical simulations of a horseshoe tunnel located within a rock mass with different geological strength index system(GSIs)and subjected to different states of static loading.To quantify the severity of damage within the rock mass,we selected one stress-based(brittle shear ratio(BSR))and one strain-based failure criterion(plastic damage index(PDI)).Based on these criteria,we then developed fragility curves.Additionally,we used mathematical approximation techniques to produce vulnerability functions that relate the probabilities of various damage states to loading intensities for different quality classes of blocky rock mass.The results indicated that the fragility curves we obtained could accurately depict the evolution of the inner and outer shell damage around the tunnel.Therefore,we have provided engineers with a tool that can predict levels of damages associated with different failure mechanisms based on variations in rock mass quality and in situ stress state.Our method is a numerically developed,multi-variate approach that can aid engineers in making informed decisions about the robustness of underground tunnels.

Investigating impacts of different building contents on the post-earthquake evacuation time using an agent-based model with considering turning behavior

Accurate assessment of crowd evacuation inside the post-earthquake environment is critical from many perspectives,but this issue receives much less attention compared to the seismic losses of structural and non-structural components.This could be attributed to the fact that post-earthquake evacuation analysis is complex due to the interaction between human behavior and the actual built environment induced by different building contents.This study attempts to tackle this problem by investigating the impacts of different building contents on post-earthquake evacuation time by using an agent-based model that considers turning behavior.To this end,the agent-based model is first described,including:properties of the agent-based model with turning behavior,key aspects in its formulation considering different evacuation stages,and influence of different building contents(namely,debris from partition walls and ceiling systems,and various types of equipment)on the agent’s behavior.Subsequently,a school building is used as a benchmark problem to validate the model without earthquake,and the findings indicate that the agent-based model can match the real safety drill results reasonably well.After the validation,the school building is subsequently designed in accordance with modern seismic design codes,and the influence of debris and equipment on post-earthquake evacuation time is quantitatively studied using a suite of pulse-type ground motions as input.Based on this case study,recommendations are made for structural and architectural designers in an effort to reduce the potential evacuation time.Specifically,debris induced by partition walls or ceiling systems should be controlled as it has the greatest impact on the total evacuation time.

Hepatocellular carcinoma and musculoskeletal system: A narrative literature review

Musculoskeletal alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)are less common than liver-related complications.However,they can significantly impact the quality of life and overall prognosis of patients with HCC.The main obstacle in the clinical assessment of HCC-induced musculoskeletal alterations is related to effective and timely diagnosis because these complications are often asym-ptomatic and unapparent during routine clinical evaluations.This narrative literature review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the contem-porary literature related to the changes in the musculoskeletal system in patients with HCC,focusing on its clinical implications and underlying etiopathogenetic mechanisms.Osteolytic bone metastases are the most common skeletal alterations associated with HCC,which could be associated with an increased risk of low-trauma bone fracture.Moreover,previous studies reported that osteopenia,sarcopenia,and myosteatosis are associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with HCC.Even though low bone mineral density and sarcopenia are consistently reported as reliable predictors of pretransplantation and post-transplantation mortality in HCC patients,these complications are frequently overlooked in the clinical management of patients with HCC.Taken together,contemporary literature suggests that a multidisciplinary approach is essential for early recognition and clinical management of HCC-associated musculoskeletal alterations to improve patient prognosis.Further research into the mechanisms and treatment options for musculoskeletal complications is warranted to enhance our understanding and clinical management of this aspect of HCC.

Seismic fragility analysis of three-tower cable-stayed bridges with different connection configurations

Seismic fragility analysis of three-tower cable-stayed bridges with three different structural systems,including rigid system(RS),floating system(FS),and passive energy dissipation system(PEDS),is conducted to study the effects of connection configurations on seismic responses and fragilities.Finite element models of bridges are established using OpenSees.A new ground motion screening method based on the statistical characteristic of the predominant period is proposed to avoid irregular behavior in the selection process of ground motions,and incremental dynamic analysis(IDA)is performed to develop components and systems fragility curves.The effects of damper failure on calculated results for PEDS are examined in terms of seismic response and fragility analysis.The results show that the bridge tower is the most affected component by different structural systems.For RS,the fragility of the middle tower is significantly higher than other components,and the bridge failure starts from the middle tower,exhibiting a characteristic of local failure.For FS and PEDS,the fragility of the edge tower is higher than the middle tower.The system fragility of RS is higher than FS and PEDS.Taking the failure of dampers into account is necessary to obtain reliable seismic capacity of cable-stayed bridges.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Ecological Quality in Typical Karst Ecologically Fragile Areas Based on Remote Sensing Ecological Indexes

Fast and effective remote sensing monitoring is an important means for analyzing the spatio-temporal changes in ecological quality in fragile karst regions.This study focuses on Guanling Autonomous County,a national-level demonstration county for comprehensive desertification control.Based on Landsat TM/OLI remote sensing image data from 2005,2010,2015,and 2020,remote sensing ecological indices were used to analyze the spatio-temporal changes in ecological quality in Guanling Autonomous County from 2005 to 2020.The results show that:①the variance contribution rates of the first principal component for the four periods were 66.31%,71.59%,63.18%,and 75.24%,indicating that PC1 integrated most of the characteristics of the four indices,making the RSEI suitable for evaluating ecological quality in karst mountain areas;②the remote sensing ecological index grades have been increasing year by year,with an overall trend of improving ecological quality.The area of higher-grade ecological quality has increased spatially,while fragmented patches have gradually decreased,becoming more concentrated in the low-altitude areas in the northwest and east,and there is a trend of expansion towards higher-altitude areas;③the ecological environment quality in most areas has improved,with the improvement in RSEI spatio-temporal variation becoming more noticeable with increasing slope.Areas of higher-grade quality appeared in 2010,and the range of higher-grade quality expanded with increasing slope.

“FISH VERTEBRA” about 3 Sickle Cell Patients Followed at Laquintinie Hospital, Douala

Vertebral involvement in particular is common in sickle cell patients. We report 3 cases of “fish vertebra” fractures in sickle cell patients aged 16, 18, and 24 years old respectively at Laquintinie Hospital, Douala. When the vertebral fractures were diagnosed, the 3 patients had back pain and kyphosis deformities of the dorsal spine. Treatment with an infusion of biphosphonates (zoledronic acid at a dose of 0.5 mg·per·kg) was offered to all three patients. Two out of three patients received treatment with biphosphonates with a successful outcome. Profound vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased bone remodeling and a history of fractures. In sickle cell anemia, vertebral fractures may also result from bone fragility, which is often overlooked as aseptic osteonecrosis and osteomyelitis, which are very often suspected.

EGFR Mutation and FHIT Methylation: Inverse Relationship in Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma and Tuberculosis

Objective:To investigate the genetic correlations between epithelial growth factor receptor(EGFR)mutation and FHIT methylation in patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma(AC)and pulmonary tuberculosis(TB).Methods:The presence of EGFR mutations and the methylation status of the FHIT gene in patients presenting with AC and TB were analyzed.The correlation between TB status and the observed genetic and epigenetic variations was also examined.Results:Among the 90 patients included in the study,38 exhibited EGFR mutations(14 among those with TB and 24 among those without TB),while 29 exhibited FHIT myelination(19 among those with TB and 10 among those without TB).Furthermore,the protein expression levels of EGFR and FHIT were significantly higher in patients diagnosed solely with AC compared to those presenting with both AC and TB.A robust inverse correlation was identified between TB status and the frequency of EGFR mutation(P<0.001).Moreover,significant associations were observed between TB status and FHIT methylation(P<0.01).Conclusion:The findings suggest a correlation between TB and the prevalence of EGFR mutation and FHIT methylation in the pathogenesis of AC.

Sustainable Development of Agriculture in Northwestern Ecologically Fragile Desert Oasis——A case study of Guazhou County of Gansu Province

Guazhou County of Gansu Province is a typical ecological fragile area lying in the transition area of desert and oasis.The development of its agricultural economy is highly dependent on natural resources and environment.Contradiction of resources characterized agriculture and the fragile ecological environment has become one of the main barriers to log the impact of local agriculture to achieve sustainable development.Aiming at fragile ecological environment and limiting factors of agricultural sustainable development,thoughts and countermeasures of realizing agricultural sustainable development have been proposed.

Expression changes of microtubule associated protein 1B in the brain of Fmr1 knockout mice

Objective To explore the regulatory effect of fragile X mental retardation protein （FMRP） on the translation of microtubule associated protein 1B （MAP1B）. Methods The expressions of MAP1B protein and MAP1B mRNA in the brains of 1-week and 6-week old fragile X mental retardation-1 （FmrI） knockout （KO） mice were investigated by immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and in situ hybridization, with the age-matched wild type mice （WT） as controls. Results The mean optical density （MOD） of MAP1B was significantly decreased in each brain region in KO6W compared with WT6W, whereas in KO1W, this decrease was only found in the hippocampus and cerebellum. MAP1B in 6-week mice was much less than that in 1-week mice of the same genotype. The results of Western blot and in situ hybridization showed that MAP1B protein and MAP1B mRNA were significantly decreased in the hippocampus of both KO1W and KO6W. Conclusion The decreased MAP1B protein and MAP1B mRNA in the Fmrl knockout mice indicate that FMRP may positively regulate the expression of MAP1B.

液体的fragility及其与玻璃固体力学性能的关联

Angell在20世纪80年代提出的液体fragility概念,为认识玻璃态本质打开了一扇新的窗口,是联系玻璃形成液体和固体的纽带.目前,玻璃转变的主流理论(如模态耦合理论、势能形貌等)围绕fragility展开的研究已经成为玻璃科学领域的一个热点;fragility与玻璃固体基本力学性能之间的关联研究为力学工作者开辟了一片新的研究领域.本文将就玻璃态转变相关基本现象、表征玻璃态转变动力学行为的代表性理论、液体fragility与玻璃固体力学性能关联研究现状进行分析评述,并就本领域今后值得关注的问题进行展望.

Exploration of Eco-economic Development in Ecological Fragile Region——A Case Study on Wuqi County in Shaanxi Province

[Objective] The aim was to explore eco-economy in ecological fragile region with Wuqi County in Shaanxi Province as an example. [Method] Eco-economy development and major environmental problems in Wuqi County in Shaanxi Province were researched based on local social and economic conditions, population of impoverished people and environment vulnerability. [Result] The areas with vulnerable environment and backward economy should establish a virtuous circle between economy and environment and a sustainable model of economic development. [Conclusion] It is significant to change the severe situation of environment deterioration and to promote ecological civilization.

脆性位点研究的过去、现在和未来

脆性位点(fragile site),简称脆点,是染色体上的特异位点。在特定的组织培养条件下或通过特殊的化学物质诱导,染色体在该处发生非随机的裂隙或断裂。它与人的智力低下和癌症发生有关。人们对此仅研究了10多年,当然还有大量的问题没有解决。

Zr-Al-Ni-Cu glass forming alloys with low fragility parameters

Zr-Al-Ni-Cu bulk metallic glasses （BMGs） were developed and their fragility parameters （m） were calculated by Arrhenius and Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann （VFT） equations. The results show that the m values of the Zr-Al-Ni-Cu BMGs derived by Arrhenius equation are in agreement with the corresponding m values derived by VFT equation. These Zr-Al-Ni-Cu BMGs characterize in low m values. The low m values for these BMGs would be due to their network microstructures. In addition, the m values of Zr-Al-Cu-Ni BMGs could be obtained by regulating Zr content. The composition of Zr-Al-Cu-Ni BMGs with the lowest m value would be near 54%Zr （mole fraction） because the m value about 13 of Zr 54 Al 13 Cu 18 Ni 15 BMG is the lowest among these Zr-Al-Ni-Cu BMGs developed.

Structural Analysis of Peptides of PSⅡ Light-harvesting Complexes in Siphonous Green Algae, Codium fragile

Peptide composition and arrangement of 4 major light-harvesting complexes LHCP 1-3 and LHCP 3′ isolated from siphonous green algae (Codium fragile (Sur.) Hariot.) were investigated. LHCP 1 showed five main peptides, 34.4, 31.5, 29.5, 28.2 and 26.5 kD in SDS-PAGE, the 34.4 and 31.5 kD peptides were never found in higher plants. LHCP 3 contained the other four kinds of LHCP 1 peptides except 34.4 kD, while LHCP 3′ consisted of only 28.2 and 26.5 kD peptides. We found that 34.4, 28.2 and 26.5 kD peptides were easy to decompose from LHCP 1 when subjected to SDS-PAGE without pretreatment. They might be located at the exterior of LHCP 1, while the 31.5 and 29.5 kD peptides were at the central part. The 28.2 and 26.5 kD peptides often occurred in CPa, the center complex of PSⅡ. They are possibly the LHCⅡ peptides tightly associated with CCⅡ. According to the results described above, a peptide map of LHCP 1 was sketched.

Osteoporosis in diabetes mellitus: Possible cellular and molecular mechanisms

Osteoporosis,a global age-related health problem in both male and female elderly,insidiously deteriorates the microstructure of bone,particularly at trabecular sites,such as vertebrae,ribs and hips,culminating in fragility fractures,pain and disability.Although osteoporosis is normally associated with senescence and estrogen deficiency,diabetes mellitus(DM),especially type 1 DM,also contributes to and/or aggravates bone loss in osteoporotic patients.This topic highlight article focuses on DM-induced osteoporosis and DM/ osteoporosis comorbidity,covering alterations in bone metabolism as well as factors regulating bone growth under diabetic conditions including,insulin,insulin-like growth factor-1 and angiogenesis.Cellular and molecular mechanisms of DM-related bone loss are also discussed.This information provides a foundation for the better understanding of diabetic complications and for development of early screening and prevention of osteoporosis in diabetic patients.

Expression of fragile histidine triad in primary hepatocellular carcinoma and its relation with cell proliferation and apoptosis

AIM: To evaluate the expression of fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene protein, product of a candidate tumor suppressor, and to investigate the relationship between FHIT, cell apoptosis and proliferation, and pathological features of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Forty-seven HCC and ten normal liver specimens were collected during surgical operation between 2001 and 2003. FHIT and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression were detected by immunohistochemistry, and apoptotic level was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay on the tissue sections. RESULTS: All normal liver tissues showed a strong expression of FHIT, whereas 28 of 47 (59.6%) carcinomas showed a significant loss or absence of FHIT expression (P= 0.001). The proportion of reduced FHIT expression in those carcinomas at stages Ⅲ-Ⅳ (70.6%) and in those with extrahepatic metastasis (86.7%) showed an increasing trend compared with those at stages HI (30.8%, P= 0.013) and those without metastasis (46.9%, P = 0.010) respectively. Apoptotic incidence in advanced TNM stage carcinoma and those with positive FHIT expression was higher than that in early stage carcinoma (P=0.030) and in those with negative FHIT expression (P=0.044) respectively. The proliferating potential of hepatocellular carcinoma was associated with FHIT expression (P= 0.016) and the aggressive feature (P = 0.019). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that the survival time of these 47 patients correlated with TNM stage, FHIT expression and metastasis. CONCLUSION: There is marked loss or absence of FHIT expression, as well as abnormal apoptosis-prdiferation balance in HCC. FHIT may play an important role in carcinogenesis and development of HCC.

Major osteoporotic fragility fractures: Risk factor updates and societal impact

Osteoporosis is a silent disease without any evidence of disease until a fracture occurs. Approximately 200 million people in the world are affected by osteoporosis and 8.9 million fractures occur each year worldwide. Fractures of the hip are a major public health burden, by means of both social cost and health condition of the elderly because these fractures are one of the main causes of morbidity, impairment, decreased quality of life and mortality in women and men. The aim of this review is to analyze the most important factors related to the enormous impact of osteoporotic fractures on population. Among the most common risk factors, low body mass index; history of fragility fracture, environmental risk, early menopause, smoking, lack of vitamin D, endocrine disorders(for example insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus), use of glucocorticoids, excessive alcohol intake, immobility and others represented the main clinical risk factors associated with augmented risk of fragility fracture. The increasing trend of osteoporosis is accompanied by an underutilization of the available preventive strategies and only a small number of patients at high fracture risk are recognized and successively referred for therapy. This report provides analytic evidences to assess the best practices in osteoporosis management and indications for the adoption of a correct healthcare strategy to significantly reduce the osteoporosis burden. Early diagnosis is the key to resize the impact of osteoporosis on healthcare system. In this context, attention must be focused on the identification of high fracture risk among osteoporotic patients. It is necessary to increase national awareness campaigns across countries in order to reduce the osteoporotic fractures incidence.

Seismic fragility analysis of highway bridges considering multi-dimensional performance limit state

Fragility analysis for highway bridges has become increasingly important in the risk assessment of highway transportation networks exposed to seismic hazards. This study introduces a methodology to calculate fragility that considers multi-dimensional performance limit state parameters and makes a first attempt to develop fragility curves for a multi-span continuous (MSC) concrete girder bridge considering two performance limit state parameters: column ductility and transverse deformation in the abutments. The main purpose of this paper is to show that the performance limit states, which are compared with the seismic response parameters in the calculation of fragility, should be properly modeled as randomly interdependent variables instead of deterministic quantities. The sensitivity of fragility curves is also investigated when the dependency between the limit states is different. The results indicate that the proposed method can be used to describe the vulnerable behavior of bridges which are sensitive to multiple response parameters and that the fragility information generated by this method will be more reliable and likely to be implemented into transportation network loss estimation.