• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• 제30권6호
• /
• pp.601-612
• /
• 2022

The prediction of structural mechanical behaviors is vital important to early perceive the abnormal conditions and avoid the occurrence of disasters. Especially for underground engineering, complex geological conditions make the structure more prone to disasters. Aiming at solving the problems existing in previous studies, such as incomplete consideration factors and can only predict the continuous performance, the deep attention fused temporal convolution network (DATCN) is proposed in this paper to predict the spatial mechanical behaviors of structure, which integrates both the temporal effect and spatial effect and realize the cross-time prediction. The temporal convolution network (TCN) and self-attention mechanism are employed to learn the temporal correlation of each monitoring point and the spatial correlation among different points, respectively. Then, the predicted result obtained from DATCN is compared with that obtained from some classical baselines, including SVR, LR, MLP, and RNNs. Also, the parameters involved in DATCN are discussed to optimize the prediction ability. The prediction result demonstrates that the proposed DATCN model outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines. The prediction accuracy of DATCN model after 24 hours reaches 90 percent. Also, the performance in last 14 hours plays a domain role to predict the short-term behaviors of the structure. As a study case, the proposed model is applied in an underwater shield tunnel to predict the stress variation of concrete segments in space.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제55권2호
• /
• pp.566-574
• /
• 2023

Investigating the seepage characteristics of the leaching solution in the ore-bearing layer during the in situ leaching process can be useful for designing the process parameters for the uranium mining well. We prepared leaching solutions of four different viscosities and conducted experiments using a self-developed multifunctional uranium ore seepage test device. The effects of different viscosities of leaching solutions on the seepage characteristics of uranium-bearing sandstones were examined using seepage mechanics, physicochemical seepage theory, and dissolution erosion mechanism. Results indicated that while the seepage characteristics of various viscosities of leaching solutions were the same in rock samples with similar internal pore architectures, there were regular differences between the saturated and the unsaturated stages. In addition, the time required for the specimen to reach saturation varied with the viscosity of the leaching solution. The higher the viscosity of the solution, the slower the seepage flow from the unsaturated stage to the saturated stage. Furthermore, during the saturation stage, the seepage pressure of a leaching solution with a high viscosity was greater than that of a leaching solution with a low viscosity. However, the permeability coefficient of the high viscosity leaching solution was less than that of a low viscosity leaching solution.

• Current Optics and Photonics
• /
• 제7권1호
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2023

Wavefront-coding imaging can achieve high-quality imaging along with a wide range of defocus. In this paper, the anti-laser detection and damage performance of wavefront-coding imaging systems using different asymmetric phase masks are studied, through modeling and simulation. Based on FresnelKirchhoff diffraction theory, the laser-propagation model of the wavefront-coding imaging system is established. The model uses defocus distance rather than wave aberration to characterize the degree of defocus of an imaging system. Then, based on a given defocus range, an optimization method based on Fisher information is used to determine the optimal phase-mask parameters. Finally, the anti-laser detection and damage performance of asymmetric phase masks at different defocus distances and propagation distances are simulated and analyzed. When studying the influence of defocus distance, compared to conventional imaging, the maximum single-pixel receiving power and echo-detection receiving power of asymmetric phase masks are reduced by about one and two orders of magnitude respectively. When exploring the influence of propagation distance, the maximum single-pixel receiving power of asymmetric phase masks decreases by about one order of magnitude and remains stable, and the echodetection receiving power gradually decreases with increasing propagation distance, until it approaches zero.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제66권4호
• /
• pp.426-437
• /
• 2023

Objective : To investigate the efficacy and safety of the posterior endoscopic cervical foraminotomy (PECF) using ultrasonic osteotome for the treatment of cervical osseous foraminal stenosis, focusing on introduction of the advantages of ultrasonic osteotome in partial pediculectomy and ventral osteophyte resection in PECF. Methods : Nineteen patients with cervical osseous foraminal stenosis who underwent PECF using ultrasonic osteotome in our institution between April 2018 and April 2021 were enrolled in this study. All the patients were followed up more than 12 months. The patients' medical data, as well as pre- and postoperative radiologic findings were thoroughly investigated. The visual analogue score (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, cervical dysfunction index (Neck disability index, NDI), and modified MacNab criteria were used to assess the surgical efficacy. Results : All the patients were successfully treated with PECF using ultrasonic osteotome. The pre- and postoperative VAS, NDI, and JOA scores were significantly improved (p<0.05). According to the modified MacNab criteria, 17 patients were assessed as "excellent", two patients were assessed as "good" at the last follow-up. There was no dura tear, nerve root damage, incision infection, neck deformity, or other complications. Conclusion : Adequate nerve root decompression can be accomplished successfully with the help of ultrasonic osteotome in PECF, which has the advantage of reducing the probability of damage to the nerve root and dura mater, in addition to the original merits of endoscopic surgery.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제27권4호
• /
• pp.399-406
• /
• 2023

Voltage-dependent K⁺ (Kv) channels are widely expressed on vascular smooth muscle cells and regulate vascular tone. Here, we explored the inhibitory effect of encainide, a class Ic anti-arrhythmic agent, on Kv channels of vascular smooth muscle from rabbit coronary arteries. Encainide inhibited Kv channels in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC₅₀ value of 8.91 ± 1.75 μM and Hill coefficient of 0.72 ± 0.06. The application of encainide shifted the activation curve toward a more positive potential without modifying the inactivation curve, suggesting that encainide inhibited Kv channels by altering the gating property of channel activation. The inhibition by encainide was not significantly affected by train pulses (1 and 2 Hz), indicating that the inhibition is not use (state)-dependent. The inhibitory effect of encainide was reduced by pretreatment with the Kv1.5 subtype inhibitor. However, pretreatment with the Kv2.1 subtype inhibitor did not alter the inhibitory effects of encainide on Kv currents. Based on these results, encainide inhibits vascular Kv channels in a concentration-dependent and use (state)-independent manner by altering the voltage sensor of the channels. Furthermore, Kv1.5 is the main Kv subtype involved in the effect of encainide.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• 제38권1호
• /
• pp.15-28
• /
• 2024

The rapid development of the economy has compelled the widen of highways, and the main challenge of this undertaking lies in the uneven settlement of road embankments. Through field and numerical experiments, this study explores the deformation mechanism of shallow buried pipelines due to road widening. The utilization of Plaxis3D software, which is adapt at simulating complex engineering geological conditions, enables the simulation of the settlement of both the central and right-side road embankments. Comparing with other numerical software such as ABAQUS and COMSOL, Plaxis provided more constitutive models including HS, HSS and Hoek-Brown model. The work concludes that the uneven settlement of road cross-sections is positively correlated with the horizontal distance from the pipeline, with a maximum settlement of 73 mm observed after construction. Furthermore, based on the Winkler's assumption, theoretical settlement and stress calculation methods are established. Results indicate that the maximum difference between the calculated values of this formula and simulated values is 1.9% and 7%, respectively. Additionally, the study investigates the stress and settlement of the pipeline's top under different angles to understand its behavior under various conditions. It finds that with traffic loads applied to the new embankment, a lever effect occurs on the lower pipeline, with the fulcrum located within the central isolation zone, leading to a transition in curve type from "single peak and single valley" to "double peak and single valley." Moreover, the settlement of pipelines on both sides of the central isolation zone and the normal stress of the pipeline's top section are symmetrical.

• Current Optics and Photonics
• /
• 제8권4호
• /
• pp.355-365
• /
• 2024

Wavefront coding (WFC) imaging systems can redistribute the energy of an interference laser spot on an image plane sensor by wavefront phase modulation and reduce the peak intensity, realizing laser protection while maintaining imaging functionality by leveraging algorithmic post-processing. In this paper, a spiral axicon WFC imaging system is proposed, and the performance for laser protection is investigated by constructing a laser transmission model. An Airy disk on an image plane sensor is refactored into a symmetrical hollow ring by a spiral axicon phase mask, and the maximum intensity can be reduced to lower than 1% and single-pixel power to 1.2%. The spiral axicon phase mask exhibits strong robustness to the position of the interference laser source and can effectively reduce the risk of sensor damage for an almost arbitrary lase propagation distance. Moreover, we revealed that there is a sensor hazard distance for both conventional and WFC imaging systems where the maximum single-pixel power reaches a peak value under irradiation of a power-fixed laser source. Our findings can offer guidance for the anti-laser reinforcement design of photoelectric imaging systems, thereby enhancing the adaptability of imaging systems in a complex laser environment. The laser blinding-resistant imaging system has potential applications in security monitoring, autonomous driving, and intense-laser-pulse experiments.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제14권1호
• /
• pp.217-223
• /
• 2013

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and the outcomes for patients are still poor. It is important to determine the original type of synchronous multinodular HCC for preoperative assessment and the choice of treatment therapy as well as for the prediction of prognosis after treatment. Aims: To analyze clinicopathologic characteristics and prognoses in patients with multicentric occurrence (MO) and intrahepatic metastasis (IM) of synchronous multinodular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: The study group comprised 42 multinodular HCC patients with a total of 112 nodules. The control group comprised 20 HCC patients with 16 single nodular HCC cases and 4 HCC cases with a portal vein tumor emboli. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region was sequenced, and the patients of the study group were categorized as MO or IM based on the sequence variations. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the important clinicopathologic characteristics in the two groups. Results: In the study group, 20 cases were categorized as MO, and 22 as IM, whereas all 20 cases in the control group were characterized as IM. Several factors significantly differed between the IM and MO patients, including hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), cumulative tumor size, tumor nodule location, cirrhosis, portal vein and/or microvascular tumor embolus and the histological grade of the primary nodule. Multivariate analysis further demonstrated that cirrhosis and portal vein and/or microvascular tumor thrombus were independent factors differentiating between IM and MO patients. The tumor-free survival time of the MO subjects was significantly longer than that of the IM subjects ($25.7{\pm}4.8$ months vs. $8.9{\pm}3.1$ months, p=0.017). Similarly, the overall survival time of the MO subjects was longer ($31.6{\pm}5.3$ months vs. $15.4{\pm}3.4$ months, p=0.024). The multivariate analysis further demonstrated that the original type (p=0.035) and Child-Pugh grade (p<0.001) were independent predictors of tumor-free survival time. Cirrhosis (p=0.011), original type (p=0.034) and Child-Pugh grade (p<0.001) were independent predictors of overall survival time. Conclusions: HBeAg, cumulative tumor size, tumor nodule location, cirrhosis, portal vein and/or microvascular tumor embolus and histological grade of the primary nodule are important factors for differentiating IM and MO. MO HCC patients might have a favorable outcome compared with IM patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제13권10호
• /
• pp.5299-5302
• /
• 2012

Purpose: To investigate the diet of patients with cervical cancer and precancerosis in the Wufeng area, a high-incidence region in China. Methods: In the case group, 104 patients diagnosed with cervical cancer or cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CINII/III) were recruited from the Wufeng area. Nine hundred thirty-six healthy women were selected from the same area as the matched controls. A questionnaire, which included questions about general lifestyle conditions, smoking and alcohol status, source of drinking water, green tea intake, and diet in the past year, was presented to all participants. Results: Green tea intake (P=0.022, OR=0.551, 95% CI=0.330-0.919) and vegetable intake (P=0.035, OR=0.896, 95% CI=0.809-0.993) were identified as protective factors against cervical cancer or CINII/III. There was no indication of any associations of other lifestyle factors (smoking status, alcohol status, source of drinking water) or diet (intake of fruit, meat/egg/milk, soybean food, onion/garlic, staple food and pickled food) with cervical cancer. Conclusions: The results suggest that eating more fresh vegetables and drinking more green tea may help to reduce the risk of cervical cancer or CINII/III in people of the Wufeng area.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제26권1호
• /
• pp.197-206
• /
• 2016

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen of considerable genetic diversity with varying pathogenicity. Initially, we found that the strain M7 was far less pathogenic than the strain Lm850658 though both are serovar 4a strains belonging to the lineage III. Comparative genomic approaches were then attempted to decipher the genetic basis that might govern the strain-dependent pathotypes. There are 2,761 coding sequences of 100% nucleotide identity between the two strains, accounting for 95.7% of the total genes in Lm850658 and 92.7% in M7. Lm850658 contains 33 specific genes, including a novel 20K prophage whereas strain M7 has 130 specific genes, including two large prophages (38K and 44K). To examine the roles of these specific prophages in pathogenicity, the 20K and 38K prophages were deleted from their respective strains. There were virtually no differences of pathogenicity between the deletion mutants and their parent strains, although some putative virulent factors like VirB4 are present in the 20K region or holin-lysin in the 38K region. In silico PCR analysis of 29 listeria genomes show that only strain SLCC2540 has the same 18 bp integration hotspot as Lm850658, whereas the sequence identity of their 20K prophages is very low (21.3%). The 38K and 44K prophages are located in two other different hotspots and are conserved in low virulent strains M7, HCC23, and L99. In conclusion, the 20K and 38K prophages of L. monocytogenes serovar 4a strains Lm850658 and M7 are not related to virulence but contribute to genetic diversity.