Destructive field tests on mobilization of end resistance of cast-in-situ bored piles

A series of well-designed full-scale destructive load tests were conducted on six bored piles to investigate the influence of loose debris at the pile tip on end resistance. The results show that soft debris below the pile tip will weaken the mobilization of end resistance. The ultimate tip resistance of post-grouted pile is 2.05 times that of the pile without post-grouting and the ultimate tip resistance in the second load cycle is 2.31 times that of pile in the first load cycle. The relationship between unit end resistance and displacement follows a linear model and a bilinear mode in the first load cycle and the second load cycle, respectively, whereas the unit end resistance-displacement response of post-grouted bored pile can be simulated using a bilinear mode. The critical end resistance ranges between 2 000 kN and 3 000 kN and the critical displacement ranges between 2.5 mm and 4.5 mm in the bilinear mode. As for piles rested on moderately-weathered peliticsiltstone, the socketed length has no effect on the end resistance because of the existence of loose debris.

Isolation and Characterization of NBS-LRR Class Resistance Homologous Gene from Wheat

One resistance gene analog fragment named RGA-CIN14 was isolated from TcLr19 wheat,which contains kinase-2,kinase-3a,and the GLPL motif of the NBS-spanning region,using degenerated primers according to the nucleotide binding site （NBS） conserved domain.Based on the RGA-CIN14,a full-length cDNA,CIN14,which was 2 987 bp encoding 880 amino acids,was obtained by using the method of the rapid amplification cDNA ends （RACE）.Bioinformatics analysis showed that the deduced amino acids of CIN14 protein consisted of a NB-ARC conserved domain and many leucine-rich repeats （LRR） domains.The phylogenetic tree analysis indicated a considerable identity of the protein encoded by CIN14 with that of wheat leaf rust resistance gene Lr1,but a lower similarity with Lr21.The expression profile of the CIN14 gene detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that the CIN14 gene was not induced by Puccinia triticina and it was a constitutive gene with low abundance in the wheat leaf tissue.The resistance homology sequence was successfully obtained,which provides the shortcut for cloning of the resistance gene in TcLr19 wheat.

Effects of variations of voltage and pH value on the shear strength of soil and durability of different electrodes and piles during electrokinetic phenomenon

Electrokinetic(EK)treatment is an effective method in accelerating the consolidation and improving the geotechnical properties of fine-grained soils.This method stabilizes the soil and increases the bearing capacity of piles by improving the soil shear strength.Changing the soil p H,due to the occurrence of chemical reactions of electrolysis in the soil,can increase its shear strength.However,the electrodes used in this method corrode due to the change in the soil p H,which in turn reduces the electrical potential.Electrode corrosion and loss of electrical potential can significantly reduce the efficiency of the EK method.In addition,when using the EK method to increase the bearing capacity of piles,changing the p H can cause corrosion and damage to the piles.One of the most important factors influencing the change in the p H of soil is the voltage applied during the EK process.It was reported that increasing the voltage affects the intensity of chemical reactions and electroosmotic flow and thus increases the efficiency of EK.However,very limited research has been conducted on the effect of voltage on the performance of EK method.In the present study,the effects of three voltages on soil p H and corrosion resistance of four types of electrodes including iron(Ir),stainless steel(St),copper(Co),and aluminium(Al)were studied.In addition,the effects of p H variations on the corrosion rate of three types of piles including steel pile(SP),reinforced cement concrete pile(RCCP),and reinforced lime-cement concrete pile(RLCCP)were investigated.It was observed that increasing the voltage from a specific limit had no effect on the intensity of electrolysis reactions and the soil p H adjacent to the electrodes did not change more than a specific limit.Moreover,increasing the voltage to higher than 35 V(i.e.45 V)did not increase the volume of drained water from the soil,but caused more electric current than the allowable current for Ir,St,and Al electrodes,and the corrosion intensity of these electrodes increased significantly.RCCP reduced the soil p H to 2.4 within 7 d of curing due to severe corrosion(13%corrosion rate).The soil p H values adjacent to RCCP and RLCCP within 28 d of curing reduced to 3.7 and 3.8,respectively,but the two piles were not damaged.In general,the results of this research showed that selecting an optimized voltage had a significant effect on the efficiency of EK,and increasing the voltage did not always lead to increase in the efficiency of EK process.

MGMT activated by Wnt pathway promotes cisplatin tolerance through inducing slow-cycling cells and nonhomologous end joining in colorectal cancer

Chemotherapy resistance plays a pivotal role in the prognosis and therapeutic failure of patients with colorectal cancer(CRC).Cisplatin(DDP)-resistant cells exhibit an inherent ability to evade the toxic chemotherapeutic drug effects which are characterized by the activation of slow-cycle programs and DNA repair.Among the elements that lead to DDP resistance,O^(6)-methylguanine(O^(6)-MG)-DNA-methyltransferase(MGMT),a DNA-repair enzyme,performs a quintessential role.In this study,we clarify the significant involvement of MGMT in conferring DDP resistance in CRC,elucidating the underlying mechanism of the regulatory actions of MGMT.A notable upregulation of MGMT in DDP-resistant cancer cells was found in our study,and MGMT repression amplifies the sensitivity of these cells to DDP treatment in vitro and in vivo.Conversely,in cancer cells,MGMT overexpression abolishes their sensitivity to DDP treatment.Mechanistically,the interaction between MGMT and cyclin dependent kinase 1(CDK1)inducing slow-cycling cells is attainted via the promotion of ubiquitination degradation of CDK1.Meanwhile,to achieve nonhomologous end joining,MGMT interacts with XRCC6 to resist chemotherapy drugs.Our transcriptome data from samples of 88 patients with CRC suggest that MGMT expression is co-related with the Wnt signaling pathway activation,and several Wnt inhibitors can repress drug-resistant cells.In summary,our results point out that MGMT is a potential therapeutic target and predictive marker of chemoresistance in CRC.

Axial response and material efficiency of tapered helical piles

Different techniques have been proposed to increase the bearing capacity of open-ended piles.Welding helices to the shaft and tapering the pile shaft could be used simultaneously to enhance the static and dynamic behaviors of these piles.This paper subjects the bearing capacity,stiffness,frictional behavior,and material efficiency of the tapered helical piles to scrutiny.Tapered helical piles are introduced herein as an alternative option to improve the material efficiency of hollow piles.Based on the Taguchi method,a series of experiments was designed and conducted.The axial responses of tapered helical piles are also investigated using finite element analyses.The results derived from loadedisplacement curves and strain gages are used to characterize the axial compression responses of tapered helical piles.The effects of tapered angle,helices diameter and helices distance are examined using dimensionless parameters,and the degree of contribution of these factors is calculated on each of the enumerated variables individually.Experimental results show that the shaft friction resistance of tapered helical piles increases continuously with the pile head settlement.Furthermore,the effect of tapered wall on the shaft friction resistance is more tangible at low stress levels.The results showed that the relative material efficiency factor of the optimum pile could be 2.5 times that of unoptimized pile with a similar quantity of material.

Effects of cement-enhanced soil on the ultimate lateral resistance of composite pile in clayey soil

The composite pile consisting of core-pile and surrounding cement-enhanced soil is a promising pile foundation in recent years.However,how and to what extent the cement-enhanced soil influences the ultimate lateral resistance has not been fully investigated.In this paper,the ultimate lateral resistance of the composite pile was studied by finite element limit analysis(FELA)and theoretical upper-bound analysis.The results of FELA and theoretical analysis revealed three failure modes of laterally loaded composite piles.The effects of the enhanced soil thickness,strength,and pile-enhanced soil interface characteristics on the ultimate lateral resistance were studied.The results show that increasing the enhanced soil thickness leads to a significant improvement on ultimate lateral resistance factor(N P),and there is a critical thickness beyond which the thickness no longer affects the N P.Increasing the enhanced soil strength induced 6.2%-232.6%increase of N P.However,no noticeable impact was detected when the enhanced soil strength was eight times higher than that of the natural soil.The maximum increment of N P is only 30.5%caused by the increase of interface adhesion factor(a).An empirical model was developed to calculate the N P of the composite pile,and the results show excellent agreement with the analytical results.

Experimental investigation on seismic behavior of single piles in sandy soil

This paper describes a quasi-static test program featuring lateral cyclic loading on single piles in sandy soil. The tests were conducted on 18 aluminum model piles with different cross sections and lateral load eccentricity ratios, e/d, （e is the lateral load eccentricity and d is the diameter of pile） of 0, 4 and 8, embedded in sand with a relative density of 30% and 70%. The experimental results include lateral load-displacement hysteresis loops, skeleton curves and energy dissipation curves. Lateral capacity, ductility and energy dissipation capacity of single piles under seismic load were evaluated in detail. The lateral capacities and the energy dissipation capacity of piles in dense sand were much higher than in loose sand. When embedded in loose sand, the maximum lateral load and the maximum lateral displacement of piles increased as e/d increased. On the contrary, when embedded in dense sand, the maximum lateral load of piles decreased as e/d increased. Piles with a higher load eccentricity ratio experienced higher energy dissipation capacity than piles with e/d of 0 in both dense and loose sand. At a given level of displacement, piles with circular cross sections provided the best energy dissipation capacity in both loose and dense sand.

Development and mapping of SSR markers linked to resistance-gene homologue clusters in common bean

Common bean is an important but often a disease-susceptible legume crop of temperate,subtropical and tropical regions worldwide. The crop is affected by bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens. The strategy of resistance-gene homologue(RGH) cloning has proven to be an efficient tool for identifying markers and R(resistance) genes associated with resistances to diseases. Microsatellite or SSR markers can be identified by physical association with RGH clones on large-insert DNA clones such as bacterial artificial chromosomes(BACs). Our objectives in this work were to identify RGH-SSR in a BAC library from the Andean genotype G19833 and to test and map any polymorphic markers to identify associations with known positions of disease resistance genes. We developed a set of specific probes designed for clades of common bean RGH genes and then identified positive BAC clones and developed microsatellites from BACs having SSR loci in their end sequences. A total of 629 new RGH-SSRs were identified and named BMr(bean microsatellite RGH-associated markers). A subset of these markers was screened for detecting polymorphism in the genetic mapping population DOR364 × G19833. A genetic map was constructed with a total of 264 markers,among which were 80 RGH loci anchored to single-copy RFLP and SSR markers. Clusters of RGH-SSRs were observed on most of the linkage groups of common bean and in positions associated with R-genes and QTL. The use of these new markers to select for disease resistance is discussed.

Uplift Resistance Calculation and Sensitive Analysis of Jack-up Wind Installation Vessels

The uplift resistance calculation is an important basis for the construction decisions of the jack-up wind installation vessel and the design of the jacking system,and determines the operation risk and reliability in the installation process of the wind turbine. The influence factors of the pile shoe's penetration depth and uplift resistance are analyzed,and the calculation model and flow of the uplift resistance are given. Based on a construction example,the influence rules are analyzed for the change of the pile shoe's structural parameters on the penetration depth and uplift resistance.The analysis results show that the penetration depth is more sensitive to the width of the pile shoe,and the height has greater influence on the uplift resistance than the length and width of the spud. With the increase of the height,the uplift resistance may increase rapidly.Although the decreases of the length,width and height of the pile shoe may reduce the uplift resistance,the penetration depth may increase in the meantime. This will increase the pulling pile time and reduce the construction efficiency. So the parameters of the pile shoe should be optimized according to the adaptable geology condition so as to obtain the optimal uplift resistance and working efficiency.

Stability Analysis of Piles Subjected to Lateral Load in Static and Seismic Conditions

It is disclosed a method for the stability analysis of foundation piles and piers subjected to lateral loading, both static and seismic conditions. The stability analysis for stratified soil is based upon the models of foundation soil-structure interaction and the Rankine＇s theory of earth passive pressure. In addition, its application is simpler and it can be solved using a spreadsheet. The procedure described in this work can be used in homogeneous soils as in stratified soils, considers the horizontal drag forces exerted by the soil mass against the foundation during an earthquake, can be used easily in the four pile and piers boundary cases, and considers the pore pressure generated in a fine saturated soil during an earthquake or during a rapid application of the horizontal load. The solution of two examples are shown, one in static condition and one in seismic condition, detailing the procedure step by step.

Study on the squeezing effect of open-ended pipe piles

During the installation of a pipe pile,the soil around the pile will be squeezed out. This paper deals with this squeezing effect of open-ended pipe piles using the cylindrical cavity expansion theory. The characteristics of soil with different tension and compression moduli and dilation are involved by applying the elastic theory with different moduli and logarithmic strain. The closed-form solutions of the radius of the plastic region,the displacement of the boundary between the plastic region and the elastic region and the expansion pressure on the external surface of the pipe piles are obtained. When obtaining these solutions,the soil plug in the open-ended pipe pile is considered by employing an incremental filling ratio to quantify the degree of soil plugging. Moreover,the effects of the ratio of tension and compression moduli,angle of dilation and incremental filling ratio on the radius of the plastic region and the expansion pressure on the external surface of the pipe pile are investigated. The parametric analyses show that it is necessary and important to consider the difference between the tension modulus and compression modulus,dilation angle and incremental filling ratio for studying the squeezing effect of open-ended pipe pile installation. It is concluded that the analytical solutions presented in this paper are suitable for studying the squeezing effect of open-ended pipe piles.

Dynamic torsional response of pre-strained end bearing pile embedded in pre-strained isotropic saturated soil medium

The influence of initial strain state on the dynamic response of an end bearing pile embedded in isotropic saturated soil is investigated through the linearized theory of small elastic perturbation superposed on largely stressed bodies. The governing equations for soil, based on Blot＇s poroelasticity theory, are derived in the cylindrical coordinates, and the pile is modeled by using the one-dimensional elastic theory. The analytical solutions of pile impedance, frequency response of both twist angle and time history of velocity response are obtained by using of separation of variables technique. Finally, a parametric study of the influence of initial strains on the torsional impedance, twist angle, and velocity response at the top of the pile is carried out.

Clinical implications,diagnosis,and management of diabetes in patients with chronic liver diseases

Diabetes mellitus(DM)negatively affects the development and progression of chronic liver diseases(CLD)of various etiologies.Concurrent DM and CLD are also associated with worse clinical outcomes with respect to mortality,the occurrence of hepatic decompensation,and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Unfortunately,early diagnosis and optimal treatment of DM can be challenging,due to the lack of established clinical guidelines as well as the medical complexity of this patient population.We conducted an exploratory review of relevant literature to provide an up-to-date review for internists and hepatologists caring for this patient population.We reviewed the epidemiological and pathophysiological associations between DM and CLD,the impact of insulin resistance on the progression and manifestations of CLD,the pathogenesis of hepatogenic diabetes,as well as the practical challenges in diagnosis and monitoring of DM in this patient population.We also reviewed the latest clinical evidence on various pharmacological antihyperglycemic therapies with an emphasis on liver disease-related clinical outcomes.Finally,we proposed an algorithm for managing DM in patients with CLD and discussed the clinical and research questions that remain to be addressed.

Probabilistic limit state design methodof the axial resistance of post grouting pile

The reliability of post grouting pile axial resistance was studied by proposing a design method for its probabilistic limit state,which is represented by the partial coefficients of load,end,and side resistance.The hyperbolic,modified hyperbolic,and polynomial models were employed to predict the ultimate bearing capacity of test piles that were not loaded to damage in field tests.The results were used for the calculation and calibration of the reliability index.The reliability of the probabilistic limit state design method was verified by an engineering case.The results show that the prediction results obtained from the modified hyperbolic model are closest to those obtained through the static load test.The proposed corresponding values of total,side,and end resistance partial coefficients are 1.84,1.66,and 2.73 when the dead and live load partial coefficients are taken as 1.1 and 1.4,respectively.Meanwhile,the corresponding partial coefficients of total,side,and end resistance are 1.70,1.56,and 2.34 when the dead and live load partial coefficients are taken as 1.2 and 1.4,respectively.

Current concepts and future strategies in the antimicrobial therapy of emerging Gram-positive spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis(SBP) is the most common infection in end-stage liver disease patients.SBP is defined as an ascitic fluid infection with a polymorphonuclear leucocyte count ≥ 250/mm^3 without an evident intra-abdominal surgically treatable source.Several mechanisms contribute to SBP occurrence,including translocation of gut bacteria and their products,reduced intestinal motility provoking bacterial overgrowth,alteration of the gut's barrier function and local immune responses.Historically,Gram-negative enteric bacteria have been the main causative agents of SBP,thereby guiding the empirical therapeutic choice.However,over the last decade,a worryingly increasing prevalence of Gram-positive and multi-drug resistant(MDR) SBP has been seen.Recently,the microbiological spectrum of SBP seems to have changed in Europe due to a high prevalence of Gram-positive bacteria(48%-62%).The overall proportion of MDR bacteria is up to 22%-73% of cases.Consequently,empirical therapy based on thirdgeneration cephalosporins or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid,can no longer be considered the standard of care,as these drugs are associated with poor outcomes.Theaim of this review is to describe,with an epidemiological focus,the evidence behind this rise in Gram-positive and MDR SBP from 2000 to present,and illustrate potential targeted therapeutic strategies.An appropriate treatment protocol should include daptomycin plus ceftaroline and meropenem,with prompt stepdown to a narrower spectrum when cultures and sensitivity data are available in order to reduce both cost and potential antibiotic resistance development.

Study on distribution rule of sliding pushing force and remnant resistant sliding force acting on anti-sliding pile

Anti-slide pile is one of the important methods to administer landslide geological disaster because of its advantages.It plays important role in administering landslide.It is a premise of reasonable economy and technological advance to know the distribution rule and feature of the force between anti-sliding pile and surrounding rock.To determine the sliding force and remnant resistant sliding force,according to need of study,this paper sets up the geological model and mechanics model in term of a typical landslide,and analyzes the effect rule of sliding body distortion,strength and gravity to the pushing force and remnant resistant sliding force by use of the numerical model.The distribution rule of pushing force and remnant resistant sliding force of the type of landslide is given.

Soil Plugging Effect on Drivability Prediction of Offshore Platform Piles

Field measurements of driving resistances and heights of soil core during driving were made offshore and onshore of steel pipe piles. Measured data show that the height of soil core varies differently for piles of different diameters with the increase of penetration. Dynamic plugging could be assumed never to occur for steel pipe piles with diameters over 900 mm. Soil resistances at the time of continuous driving (SRD) are back analyzed from blow counts with an empirical distribution of resistances suppported by many early dynamic measurements. A method of predicting SRD is finally suggested.

Upgrade to the front-end electronics of the BESⅢ muon identification system

Resistive Plate Chambers(RPCs) built from a new type of Bakelite developed at Institute of High Energy Physics(IHEP),Chinese Academy of Sciences have been used in the BESⅢ Muon identification system for several years without linseed oil coating,but characteristic aging performances were observed.To adapt to the RPCs in the aging state,the front-end electronics have been upgraded by enhancing the front-end protection,improving the threshold setting circuit,and separating power supplies of the comparator and the field programmable gate array(FPGA).Improvements in system stability,front-end protection and threshold consistency have been achieved.In this paper,the system upgrade and the test results are described in detail.

End points of clinical trials in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer:A systematic review

AIM： To review the defnition and performance of the commonly used end points in trials of systemic thera-pies in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. METHODS： A literature search was undertaken on PubMed database to identify studies meeting estab-lished criteria, with the aim of selecting randomized clinical trials and study definition and performance of their end points. The end points were grouped into three categories： overall survival （OS）, time-to-event end points, and response end points. A special analysis was performed for secondary end points of the studies which documented a beneft in OS in the experimental arm. Finally, publishes analyses for surrogacy of the in-cluded end points were also reported. RESULTS： OS, time-to-event and response end points in 31 selected trials were analyzed. OS was the pri-mary end point in 14 trials, and the secondary end point in 17. A time-to-event end point was the primaryend point in 8 studies, and the secondary end point in 22; the most reported time-to-event end points were composite end points, and the events changed among trials. A response end point was the primary end point in 9 studies, in 3 it was prostate-specifc antigen （PSA）-related, in 3 pain-related and in 3 mixed. A response end point was the secondary end point in 19 studies： PSA response and radiologic response were the most frequently used secondary end points in 19 and 11 tri-als, respectively, while pain response was used in 5 studies.CONCLUSION： A homogeneous defnition of progres-sion in future trials is mandatory. Among response end points, pain-response and PSA-response appear to be the most reliable.

Effects of inner sleeves on the inner frictional resistance of open-ended piles driven into sand

In open-ended piles, inner friction is developed between inner pile shaf and the inner soil. Inner frictional resistance depends largely on the degree of soil plugging, which is influenced by many factors including pile diameter, relative density and end conditions of piles. In this paper, effects of inner sleeves on inner frictional resistance are discussed. The experiments were conducted on a medium-dense sandy ground using laboratory-scale piles. It was observed that the piles penetrated under partially-plugged or unplugged state. The results suggest that inner fiictional resistance, Qin increases with sleeve height, l linearly and requires 2D （D is pile outer diameter） of l to produce a large as 50% of Qt by Qin （Qt is total resistance）. The results also indicate that bearing capacity increases with wall thickness at the pile tip, which can be attributed to the increase in annular area. The results also indicate that soil plug height is independent of sleeve height. The results also reveal that the penetration of straight piles is closer to unplugged state than the sleeved piles. The results of incremental filling ratio and plug length ratio also indicate that the degree of soil plugging is affected by the sleeve height.