bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pentraxin 3-Induced Fibrotic Scar Formation via Astrocytic Cebpd activation after Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Wang Shao-Ming , Hsu Jung-Yu C , Ko Chiung-Yuan , Wu Hsiang-En , Hsiao Yu-Wei , Wang Ju-Ming
Published: September 2022

Astroglial-fibrotic scars after spinal cord injury affect motor and sensory function, leading to paralysis. Especially, fibrotic scar is a main barrier to disrupt neuronal regeneration after spinal cord injury. However, the association between astrocyte and fibrotic scar formation has not yet been understanding. According to our previous study showed that transcriptional factor Cebpd contributes to astrogliosis that promote glial scar formation after spinal cord injury. Herein, we show that fibrotic scar formation was decreased in epicenter region in Cebpd−/− mice after contusive spinal cord injury. Further, astrocytic Cebpd promotes fibroblast migration through secretion of Ptx3. We also found that expression of Mmp3 was increased under recombinant protein Ptx3 treatment in fibroblast by observing microarray data, resulting in fibroblast migration. Furthermore, regulation of Mmp3 is through NFκB signaling pathway by using an irreversible inhibitor of IκBα phosphorylation-pretreated fibroblast. Of note, we use synthetic peptide RI37 showing that block fibroblast migration and decrease fibroblast Mmp3 expression under IL-1β-treated astrocyte conditional media. Collectively, our data suggest that the fibroblast migration can be affected by astrocytic Cebpd through Ptx3/NFκB/Mmp3 axis pathway and RI37 peptide may act as a therapeutic medicine to inhibit fibrotic scar formation after spinal cord injury.
Construct validity of the COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) in a Peruvian sample during COVID-19 lockdown and its relationship with anxiety and depression using structural equation modeling
Authors: Pedraz-Petrozzi Bruno , Böttcher Fabian , Arevalo-Flores Martin , Anculle-Arauco Victor , Krüger-Malpartida Hever
Published: September 2022

Background:The main aims of this study were to adapt the COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) to the Peruvian population and to establish a model explaining depression using CPDI values and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown. Finally, we sought predictive values of the obtained CPDI factors for depression and anxiety as a secondary aim.Materials and Methods:An exploratory factor analysis (n = 300) was performed, followed by confirmatory factor analysis in a second phase (n = 1135). To explain depression scores during the COVID-19 pandemic, we performed structural equation modeling (SEM). Finally, we performed a hierarchical regression model (HRM) to evaluate the amount of explained variance of the CPDI factors above depression, anxiety, and sociodemographic variables.Results:A 2-factor solution (ruminationandstress) for the CPDI (p < 0.001; CFI = 0.99) was found. Concerning the SEM, our model was able to explain 81% of the depression scores (p < 0.001; CFI = 0.98). Finally, in the HRM,ruminationcould explain 17% additional variance in depression (p < 0.001) and 28% in anxiety (p < 0.001). However,stressshowed collinearity with depression and anxiety, not continuing for further HRM analysis.Conclusions:Our results showed a 2-factor solution for the CPDI. Moreover, our SEM model showed that female sex, younger age, and incomplete education (with high COVID-related stress and anxiety) lead to more depression symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown. Finally, our HRM showed that people who frequently ruminate during the COVID-19 lockdown are more afraid and negatively affected.
Tramadol rescues visual cortex gliosis and modulates ocular lipido-inflammatory responses in a rat model of paradoxical sleep deprivation
Authors: Edem Edem Ekpenyong , James Emem Grace , Anyanwu Collins-Kevin Chukwudi , Adedokun Mujeeb Adekunle , Fafure Adedamola Adediran , Akinluyi Elizabeth Toyin
Published: September 2022

Individually, sleep deprivation and sub-chronic tramadol exposure have been reported to impair visual processes, however the underlying mechanisms of their combined effects are largely unknown. Thus, this study investigated the role of tramadol hydrochloride on lipid-immune activities in the ocular tissue and visual cortex of sleep-deprived periadolescent rats. Sixty female periadolescent Wistar rats were either sleep-deprived with or without tramadol treatment. Following euthanasia, brain and whole eye tissues were collected for biochemical and immunohistochemical assays. Results revealed impaired ocular tissue lipid profile following sleep deprivation (SD). Sleep deprivation also induced lipid peroxidation; upregulated apolipoprotein E (ApoE), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) 1 levels in the ocular tissue. Furthermore, chronic SD exposure triggered gliosis with marked increase in astrocyte and microglia counts in the visual cortex. However, treatment with tramadol restored ocular tissue lipid function markers, downregulated ocular tissue NF-κB levels, as well as ameliorated sleep deprivation-induced gliosis in the visual cortex. Taken together, this study demonstrates the role of tramadol in improving inflammatory processes and lipid homeostasis in the visual system by modulating ocular tissue ApoE and NF-κB signalling, and attenuating gliosis in the visual cortex of sleep-deprived rats.
An intelligent hybridized computing techniques for the prediction of roadway traffic noise based on non-linear mutual information
Authors: Umar Ibrahim Khalil , Nourani Vahid , Gökçekuş Hüseyin , ABBA SANI
Published: September 2022

A reliable traffic noise prediction model is one of the decision-making tools used in providing a noise friendly environment. In this study, four linear-nonlinear hybrid models were proposed to capture both linear and nonlinear patterns of the data by summing up the predicted traffic noise from the multilinear regression (MLR) and estimated residuals from four artificial intelligence (AI)-based models. The input variables for the models were volumes of cars, medium vehicles, buses, heavy vehicles, and average speed. Prior to the development of the hybrid model, the potential of Boosted Regression Tree (BRT), Feed Forward Neural Network (FFNN), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Linear regression models for traffic noise prediction were evaluated and compared with each other. The performances of the single and hybrid models were evaluated using the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and relative root mean square error (rRMSE). The results showed that, the hybrid models provide better prediction capability than both the linear and nonlinear models in both calibration and verification stages. MLR-GPR hybrid demonstrated better prediction skill than all other hybrid models with NSE, RMSE, MAE and rRMSE values of 0.9312, 0.0427, 0.0347 and 7.4%, respectively. The study found that, the efficiency of the linear models could be improved up to 27.26% when they are hybridized with the nonlinear models.
AULAS DE ASTRONOMIA NO ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL: UMA EXPERIÊNCIA VIVENCIADA NA ESCOLA NETINHA CASTELO NA CIDADE DE SOBRAL - CE.
Authors: Araujo Alexandre Marques , Barbosa Sabrina Mara Lucas
Published: September 2022

O presente artigo apresenta uma experiência voltada para o ensino de astronomia nos anos finais do Ensino fundamental, onde foi proposta a sua utilização como elemento motivador que desperta o interesse dos jovens pela ciência e sua curiosidade científica. Discutir sobre astronomia facilita o processo de ensino-aprendizagem da ciência, pois atrai a atenção e desperta o interesse nos alunos. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em aulas preparatórias para as Olimpíadas de Astronomia e Física do Instituto Federal do Ceará - IFCE e também para a Olimpíada de Astronomia e Astronáutica - OBA, com alunos de 8º e 9° ano do ensino fundamental, da Escola Netinha Castelo na cidade de Sobral - CE. Foram aulas com abordagens teóricas acerca dos conceito básicos de astronomia, exibição de vídeos, aplicação de simulados e visita ao planetário de Sobral, que compõe o parque da luz, local importante para a astronomia como um todo, por ter sido palco de umas das maiores descobertas científicas da humanidade. Os resultados se mostraram satisfatórios e podem ser avaliados pelas respostas dos alunos no questionário, e pela evolução deles no decorrer das aulas, que demonstraram um aumento na sua curiosidade científica, comprovando assim que se motivaram a pesquisar e se aprofundar no conhecimento da astronomia.
DO COMBATE À CONVIVÊNCIA COM A ESCASSEZ DE ÁGUA NO SEMI-ÁRIDO CEARENSE
Authors: Da Silva Danielle Rodrigues , Ferreira Lima Anna Erika
Published: September 2022

A escassez de água é resultante de um somatório de fatores de cunho geográfico, político, ambiental e econômico associada às formas desiguais de apropriação e uso dos recursos hídricos. Embora atinja parcelas significativas da população em geral, é no meio rural que se verificam condições mais problemáticas de acesso à água, dificultando o atendimento às demandas primordiais. O problema da escassez de água não se restringe apenas à quantidade, mas também à qualidade, à distribuição, acesso e ao seu uso, portanto, é mais complexo. Essa complexidade propicia o desenvolvimento de ações por diferentes atores que compõe o espaço, dos quais destacamos dois: o Estado e as Comunidades Rurais. Nesse contexto, como as comunidades rurais têm se organizado para conviver com os limites naturais, sociais e econômicos impostos na atualidade de modo a garantir o abastecimento de água para as atividades locais e necessidades humanas? Na perspectiva de compreender o assunto, objetivou-se com esse artigo analisar as estratégias de armazenamento de água no semi-árido cearense. Inseridos em uma região envolta por um ‘emaranhado’ de relações políticas, econômicas, sociais e geográficas restritas, o camponês necessita reinventar e disseminar estratégias de armazenamento de água para garantir a satisfação de suas necessidades.A água de chuva é elemento fundamental na manutenção das atividades da vida rural. O Estado exerce importante papel na alocação dos recursos, no entanto, o camponês desenvolveu ao longo das gerações a capacidade de lidar com situações de escassez, conseguindo por meio de seu conhecimento popular, os meios de encontrar água para suprir suas necessidades.
Implicações da Agenda Internacional da Educação 2030 para as políticas públicas de educação profissional e tecnológica dos países da América do Sul
Authors: Filho Samuel Brasileiro
Published: September 2022

Este artigo é uma contribuição para os debates e reflexões ao I Ciclo Internacional de Palestras sobre a Educação Superior na América do Sul promovido pelo Instituto Federal do Ceará- IFCE em torno da mesa temática referente à internacionalização, política educacional, intercâmbio estudantil e organismos internacionais. Uma temática muito ampla e com muitas possibilidades de exploração, porém, organizamos nossa participação, sintetizada neste artigo, mediante uma abordagem preliminar sobre algumas reflexões a respeito das implicações da Agenda Internacional da Educação 2030 para as políticas públicas de educação profissional e tecnológica dos países da América do Sul. Este estudo é produto de estudos preliminares desenvolvidos no âmbito do Programa de Mestrado Profissional em Educação Profissional e Tecnológica – ProfEPT e do Grupo de Pesquisa Observatório da Educação Profissional e Tecnológica do IFCE a partir de uma pesquisa documental em documentos e materiais publicados por organismos internacionais em sítios institucionais na Internet. Os estudos neste campo apontam que, à despeito da grande diversidade das nações que constituem a Amárica do Sul, há uma relativa semelhança nos paradigmas que orientaram as políticas educacionais da educação profissional e no modelo de expansão de sua oferta, nos últimos 30 anos, com uma relevante influência dos Organismos Internacionais Multilaterais e de suas agendas educacional, como é o caso da Agenda Internacional da Educação 2030. Compreende-se diante das reflexões sobre as políticas de educação profissional e tecnológica dos países da América do Sul e as implicações oriundas da Agenda Internacional de Educação 2030 não há mais lugar, na América Latina, para a dualidade de um sistema educativo que promova uma exclusão estrutural em que os pobres recebem uma educação orientada para o trabalho e os ricos são formados para seguir a formação superior.
Smart Construction Monitoring Using Photogrammetry and LiDAR-derived 4D Digital Model: A Case Study from the Tung Chung New Town Development of Hong Kong
Authors: Cheng S Y N , Liu L , Hou W , Hart J R , Yong Y M T
Published: September 2022

The conventional practice of construction site monitoring in Hong Kong relies heavily on in-person site inspection, which is inherently subject to limitations in human resources, health, safety and time. Additionally, given that the advent and application of new digital technologies in the construction industry predominantly occurred after 2010 in Hong Kong, it is more challenging to review/ monitor the changes of a construction site with respect to its historical (pre-2010) status. To overcome these limitations, in this paper, we present the use of the 4D model monitoring method on a case study from the Tung Chung New Town (TCNT) and its extension development in Hong Kong. Nine 3D digital surface models covering a 57-year time period from 1963 to 2020 were built from the historical aerial photographs using the Structure from Motion technique and from the territory-wide airborne LiDAR data. These models were used for monitoring the process of land reclamation, site formation and the subsequent works during the TCNT development. In addition, a preliminary ground model was constructed from approximately 500 Nos. of drillholes to provide an engineering geological background for the study site. It is promising that our innovative 4D digital model and the associated sub-surface rockhead model can be integrated with the Building Information Modelling (BIM) system at a later stage to constituent a Smart Built Environment and to facilitate a smart construction site monitoring practice in near future.
Digital Solutions to Improve Workflows of 3D Ground Modelling
Authors: Wu P K K , Chin J , Ng C , Tsui R
Published: September 2022

3D ground modelling often starts with importing digitised ground investigation (GI) data into modelling software. This first step is very vital for further ground interpretation with meaningful result. Since the invention of digitised GI data, any data obtained on site can be electronically transferred by adopting the AGS format (*.AGS). To utilise any digital GI data for this purpose, engineering geologists must go through manual data clean up to suit the import format of modelling software. Otherwise, details will be lost such that risks could potentially be overlooked in the interpretation of the data. Aurecon has developed a new tool specifically to automate the manual process to restructure any AGS data, streamlining the process of 3D ground modelling. After any AGS files are processed by this tool, the likelihood of overlooking any details or important information has been greatly minimized. From our experience, the time saving between using this tool and manually processing digital data to build up a 3D ground model is often more than 50%. This paper will first discuss challenges of 3D ground modelling from AGS data, followed by discussion on preferred data structure for ground modelling and capabilities of the tool to overcome these challenges.
Two Major Technical Solutions on the Lung Shan Tunnel – Pilot TBM Tunnel Enlargement and TBM U-turn in Cavern
Authors: Monin X , Jeanne L , Tricot V , Storry R B
Published: September 2022

On the Liantang / Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point Site Formation and Infrastructure Works – Contract 2 in Hong Kong SAR, Dragages Hong Kong Limited have proposed and implemented two major technical solutions and construction methodologies to overcome the programme constraints and the geotechnical challenges of the 4.8 km long Lung Shan Tunnels section.
Advanced Design and Construction of Marine Cut & Cover ELS Tunnel Cofferdam
Authors: Cheung Raymond W M , Liu Sam H S , Toh Gavin S H , Jenkins Steven , Chong M K , Chak Michael
Published: September 2022

The most challenging aspect of the CKR-KTW Contract is the construction of maximum 35m deep Underwater Tunnel (UWT) submerged in Kowloon Bay which is a typhoon shelter with marine constraints from several stakeholders such as Hong Kong China Gas requiring 60m wide navigation channel for refueling tankers, Kowloon City Ferry Pier (AMO Grade 2 Historic Structure) operations for public ferry service and the marine traffic impact to Kowloon Bay. To overcome the substantial adverse impact to the environment and marine traffic of Kowloon Bay area from the conforming scheme of full temporary reclamation, an optimized scheme was employed for the marine cut & cover ELS cofferdam using only partial temporary reclamation. The use of this advanced design and construction method not only provided robust structural design with water-tight cofferdam, it also resulted in substantially less cost, construction risks / time and reduced disturbance to marine environment and traffic at Kowloon Bay due to substantially less temporary reclamation required.
Geosynthetics – A Sustainable Construction Material
Authors: Ng S T G
Published: September 2022

Geosynthetic is a broad term given to geotextile, geomembrane, geogrid, geocell etc. It’s provenance in the 60’s was primarily the cut of construction cost and time. Ubiquitous savings were evidenced over the years. Several decades later, a new age of sustainable construction is dawning, in preserving resource, mitigating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, the best of both worlds in cost effectiveness and sustainability. But how sustainable is with the use geosynthetics. Carbon footprint assessment has been introduced to quantify any hindsight. From resin production, to manufacturing, to shipment and from site installation, to operation, to maintenance and eventually to dismantling and disposal, equivalent CO2 emission can be traced and calculated. This paper reviews some of the trends and studies on this emission benchmark development, and therefore the comparison of CO2 emission between different methods of construction with geosynthetic and that of the conventional. The picture, indeed, underpins cogent discussion. It is hoped that a change of local mind set to appreciate geosynthetic, to accept its design, to review construction rule and regulation and to educate the next generation can be way forward to underline geosynthetic as a viable sustainable construction material.
Application of Low Carbon Concrete on Reinforced Earth Wall
Authors: Lee Norman M H , Braouli Yassine Bennani
Published: September 2022

Global warming is one of the big issues all over the world. Continued global warming could bring a series of damaging effects. Many countries are now pursuing a broad range of strategies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, such as reducing the vehicle use, development of renewable energy etc. Minimize the use of cement is one the method to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. Comparing the concrete volume used between Reinforced Earth Wall and traditional R.C. wall, Reinforced Earth Wall is an environmental friendly and more economical solution with less concrete consumption. Apart from this, the carbon dioxide emission can be reduced by minimizing the cement ratio in concrete.
Composition and Strength of Middle Pleistocene till in Lithuania
Authors: Lekstutytė Ieva , Žaržojus Gintaras , Gadeikis Saulius , Domej Gisela , Skuodis Šarūnas
Published: September 2022

In Lithuania, the upper part of the Earth's crust was formed during the Pleistocene. Only a small part of Lithuania is a relic of the previous Medininkai stage (Lonian) glaciation in the Middle Pleistocene (Chibanian Age), which occur on the surface only in the southeastern area. Medininkai glacial period till soils are an almost unstudied soil type in Lithuania. Due to geotechnical investigations on new construction sites, an opportunity appeared to provide experimental investigations with Medininkai glacial period till soils.
Deep Cement Mixing –The Experience in Tung Chung East Reclamation and Challenges Ahead
Authors: Cheung Henry , Yan C H , Cheung Chris , Wong Anthony
Published: September 2022

Reclamation has been the most tenable land supply in the interest of the public. Today, around 27% of Hong Kong people are living on reclaimed land formed in the past decades. Over the past few decades, reclamation methods and ground treatment techniques have been advanced to meet the technical requirements and social acceptance at different times. In response to the increasing environmental awareness of the public, non-dredged reclamation methods in association with Deep Cement Mixing (DCM) has been introduced in Hong Kong. Tung Chung East (TCE) reclamation, as one of the ongoing projects adopting this novel technology, has showcased a role model on assimilation and adaptation of this new technology in tackling ever changing challenges in the construction industry. The success of the project markedly attributes to the application of this new ground treatment technique. In this paper, some background and geotechnical considerations for the adoption of DCM method and design approach in TCE reclamation will firstly be discussed. To date, majority of the DCM works have been completed and the reclamation works have been proceeding well. With the experience acquired and construction data collected at the site specific DCM trial embankment as well as during the construction stage, the merits and benefits of DCM method, in terms of both stability and settlement control, will be highlighted. More importantly, there has been a lot of precious experience upon construction and the project team has ironed out all these hurdles through adaptation of this technology on site. There is no doubt that the documentation of all the experience in TCE reclamation could become a great reference for the development of a local guidance for practitioners in Hong Kong and upcoming mega development projects.
Are We Ready to Use AI Technologies for the Prediction of Soil Properties?
Authors: Yan Ryan
Published: September 2022

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a hot topic for different professions in which geotechnical engineering is no exception. It is anticipated that AI could perform tasks, solve complex problems and make decision by mimicking intelligence or behavioral pattern of humans or any other living entities. Attempts have been made to study and adopt AI technologies in geotechnical engineering. In this paper, a dataset of marine soil in South Korea is re-analyzed using different commonly adopted AI algorithms. The soil’s compressibility is considered as the dependent variable (i.e., to be predicted) while other soil index and physical properties are regarded as the independent variables. The data are split into the training and validation set. While an algorithm learns from the training set, its prediction performance is examined using the validation set. Then, the Bayesian model class approach has been used to explain the potential problem of the use of AI algorithm to predict soil properties. At the end, by using this study as an example, the author discusses from a partitioner’s perspective how AI could affect our professions. In particularly, the question “are we ready for using AI to predict soil properties” is addressed.
Evaluation of Digital Rock Mass Discontinuity Mapping Techniques for Applications in Tunnels
Authors: Wu P K K , Chin J , Tsui R , Ng C
Published: September 2022

High-quality coloured 3D point clouds can now be readily generated by digital surveying techniques such as structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). Point clouds allow discontinuities to be mapped digitally on rock slopes and this has been widely studied in Hong Kong. In comparison, few similar applications have been reported in tunnels in Hong Kong. To extend the application of this technology for tunnel excavation, we carried out three site trials in two drill-and-blast hard rock tunnels in Hong Kong. Both SfM photogrammetry and TLS were used to generate point clouds for the exposed rock tunnel surfaces. The generated point clouds were then tested for semi-automatic extraction of rock mass discontinuities using DRM2.0, Aurecon’s in-house developed software. This paper provides detail accounts of data acquisition, data processing, present the findings on the performance of semi-automatic identification of discontinuities, and the comparison between SfM and TLS techniques. The paper also discusses the challenges in digital mapping inside tunnels and provide useful suggestions on conducting laser scanning and photogrammetry in tunnels.
Observational Method for Ground Treatment of Tunnel Cross Passages in Complex Ground Conditions
Authors: Sacadura T M S , Taylor N , Gaudon J , Sevecek K , Storry R B , Monin X
Published: September 2022

This paper focuses on the design and review of the ground treatment and rock fissure grouting required to excavate tunnel Cross-Passages in the Liantang / Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point Site Formation and Infrastructure Works – Contract 2 in Hong Kong SAR. The Cross-Passages were expected to go through Tuff in various degrees of weathering (Grade V to Grade III/II). The Site Investigation, SI, showed that SPTs numbers generally ranged from 30 to 50 for the Completely to Highly Decomposed Tuff, CDT / HDT, with localised values as low as 6. Ground Treatment consisting of permeation and rock fissure grouting as well as 120° pipe roof / canopy tubes, was required to ensure not only the stability during excavation but also limit the groundwater inflow. The SI determined in-situ permeabilities ranging from 1x10-5 to 1x10-6 m/s for the CDT and a 21m long probe hole recorded a water inflow in excess of 60 l/minute. A discussion relative to the methods employed for drilling, e.g. pressure balance drilling system, drilling alignment tools used, and grouting techniques, e.g. microfine cement, chemical grout is presented in this paper. The use of drilling survey tools integrated with 3D representation models of the cross-passage and the ground treatment is discussed. A review of the overall performance of the Cross-Passage, e.g. groundwater inflow, stability, is undertaken.
Innovative Skidding Mega Truss Shoring System
Authors: Cheung Raymond W M , Liu Sam H S , Toh Gavin S H , Jenkins Steven , Chong M K , Chak Michael
Published: September 2022

The construction of submerged tunnels at marine areas is a difficult challenge faced by both Contractor’s and Designer’s as the excavation and tunnel construction works will be carried out over water exposing workers to safety risks for marine works and the costly logistical planning required. To overcome this challenge, the proposed cut and cover tunnel with clutched pipe pile (CPP) wall cofferdam would use an innovative method where mega trusses are proposed as struts for the first and second shoring layers and also double function as support for the hanging kingposts. The trusses would be transported by barge in modules and assembled on the bulkhead temporary working platform as on-site assembly factory. Once mega truss is assembled, strand jack lifting towers will lift each mega truss onto the skidding rails installed along the top of the CPP cofferdam wall where hydraulic jacks will skid each truss in a sequence of small strokes along the rails until they reach their final position and this process is repeated for all trusses. The use of the mega truss skidding system increases the productivity and cost effectiveness of both the installation and dismantling of the ELS works in addition to reduction of the safety risks and complexity of erecting steel works above water.
A Review of Conventional and Innovative Permanent Support Systems for Rock Cavern Development in Hong Kong
Authors: John Endicott L , To Franklin K L , Seto Andrew K W
Published: September 2022

In recent years, the HKSAR government departments have been playing a leading role to study the feasibility of rock cavern development in Hong Kong. These studies include the relocation of existing surface sewage treatment works, service reservoirs, refuse transfer stations, archive centre and laboratory to rock caverns. After completion of the relocation, the previously occupied surface land can be released for other developments beneficial to the communities. Conventional permanent support systems comprise the cast-in-situ concrete lining with sheet waterproofing membrane. These have been applied in most of the highway and railway tunnels in Hong Kong. However, it involves the use of bulky steel shutter, heavy rebar fixing and an extra set of redundant temporary supports, which leads to very expensive and time-consuming construction. With the advance development in construction technologies, permanent rock reinforcements with sprayed waterproofing membrane could be a cost-effective engineering solution. With the integration of temporary and permanent supports, the tight daily drill-and-blast cycle and timely permanent support installation is greatly enhanced. This paper provides a general review of different conventional and innovative permanent support systems for rock cavern development with the purpose of achieving more efficient design and construction. It also discusses the application according to the unique requirements for various cavern facilities.
A New Digital-based Approach to Automate and Optimize Geotechnical Design
Authors: Lam Alvin K M , Wong Andrew T F , Chan K P
Published: September 2022

Geotechnical engineers always work with complicated terrains and geologies, which are usually interpreted from the topographical survey, LiDAR data, geophysical survey and ground investigation boreholes. In the old days, these data were mapped or modelled but could only be visualized or transformed to 2D sections for subsequent design, which may not be easily visualized in a 3D space. With the advancement of computing power and the development of digital tools, they enable engineers to work and visualize their design in a 3D environment. This paper will showcase the application of Rhinoceros 3D (Rhino) in various geotechnical designs. With the aid of Grasshopper, which is a visual programming language running within Rhino, some traditional spreadsheet-based designs can be automated in a new digital-based platform. This paper will discuss the workflow and algorithms of applying the Grasshopper visual program to assist in site formation and foundation designs supplemented by case examples, which include the determination of the pile rockhead level, the calculation of the rock and soil cone volumes, the visualization of the borehole stratigraphy, the automation of soil nail arrangement over complex terrain, the development of the excavation profile with multiple platforms and the full excavation and lateral support (ELS) system, etc. The application will also be extended to create model inputs for geotechnical analysis such as Oasys PDisp through COM Interface and PLAXIS through Jupyter Notebook.
Machine Learning-based Natural Terrain Landslide Susceptibility Analysis – A Pilot Study
Authors: Li H W M , Li R H L , Wong C C J , Lo F L C
Published: September 2022

Recently, the Geotechnical Engineering Office has initiated a pilot study on data-driven landslide susceptibility analysis (LSA) using a machine learning (ML) approach. A study area covering about one-fifth of the total natural hillside area of Hong Kong on and around the Lantau Island was considered. Three common tree-type ML classifiers: Decision Tree, Random Forest and XGBoost have been used. Conditioning factors (or features) including rainfall, geological and topography-related features were considered. In the study, the domain knowledge on natural terrain landslides in Hong Kong were critically incorporated into the susceptibility models through feature engineering to ensure that the resulted models are physically meaningful. In addition, an approach proposed to resolve the serious data imbalance problem, which is common in LSA, will be highlighted. Under this approach, the predicted probabilities of the positive class (i.e., landslide) can also be taken as a proxy to the landslide probability. This paper reports the methodology and key findings of this pilot study. The approach can be extended to cover other ML algorithms and features, and to a territory-wide scale with a view to enhancing the resolution and accuracy of the current susceptibility model of natural hillsides in Hong Kong.
3D Wireless Seismic Survey Technology and its Application in Hong Kong
Authors: Cunningham A , Sitanggang Y , Chiang K M , Remus D , Voss D
Published: September 2022

Design and construction of underground structures, such as basements and tunnels, always face the risk of unforeseen ground conditions, which are difficult to determine based on preliminary GI information. Traditionally, GI information, such as desk study, trial pits, and boreholes can only provide discrete details. This leads to unnecessary design review and introduces additional time and cost implications to the project. Seismic surveys, commonly used in the “Oil & Gas” industry, may provide an alternative solution to allow the interested parties to acquire valuable underground information through a non-destructive approach. In this paper, an advanced 3D wireless seismic survey technology will be introduced, which has recently been conducted in Hong Kong to collect additional underground information for the construction work. The technology uses unique seismic sources combined with an expandable wireless multi-channel seismic data acquisition system and GPS to collect comprehensive seismic data. These recordings are taken and, using specialised seismic data processing, transformed into 3D visual images of the earth’s subsurface in the survey area. And geoscientists can indirectly use those seismic data to obtain a picture of the structure and nature of the stratum and rock layers' structure and character. The technology is instrumental in urban areas as it possesses the flexibility and mechanism to scan the location where the surface is obstructed by structures.
Proving superintegrability in $\beta$-deformed eigenvalue models
Authors: Bawane Aditya , Karimi Pedram , Sułkowski Piotr
Published: September 2022

In this note we provide proofs of various expressions for expectation
values of symmetric polynomials in \betaβ-deformed
eigenvalue models with quadratic, linear, and logarithmic potentials.
The relations we derive are also referred to as superintegrability. Our
work completes proofs of superintegrability statements conjectured
earlier in literature.
Mechanisms of Andreev reflection in quantum Hall graphene
Authors: Manesco Antonio , Flór Ian Matthias , Liu Chun-Xiao , Akhmerov Anton
Published: September 2022

We simulate a hybrid superconductor-graphene device in the quantum Hall regime to identify the origin of downstream resistance oscillations in a recent experiment [Zhao et al., Nature Physics 16, (2020)].
In addition to the previously studied Mach-Zehnder interference between the valley-polarized edge states, we consider disorder-induced scattering, and the appearance of the counter-propagating states generated by the interface density mismatch.
Comparing our results with the experiment, we conclude that the observed oscillations are induced by the interfacial disorder, and that lattice-matched superconductors are necessary to observe the alternative ballistic effects.
Proceedings of the SHATIS 2022 – 6th International conference on structural health assessment of timber structures
Authors: Hasníková Hana
Published: September 2022

Structural health assessment of timber structures associates various procedures in order to evaluate the safety and serviceability of structures. Also, it helps to assure or extend the predicted service life of structures. Service life sustainability can be promoted by the incorporation of monitoring systems or by providing tools and methods that deliver accurate reports about the structural condition. Conservation and assessment of timber structures is based on a multidisciplinary approach. The conference topics cover the wide spectrum, from wood properties, through performance of joints and timber design, to modern monitoring and digital technologies. As the topics include both existing and historical timber structures, the need for reliable non destructive testing methods is part of the approach as well.
enfermedad como causa de separación matrimonial en la ciudad de México de finales del siglo XVII
Authors: Salgado Ocampo Javier
Published: September 2022

El objetivo de este trabajo es mostrar y analizar la enfermedad de las mujeres como una causa de separación matrimonial en la ciudad de México de finales del siglo XVII. Se analizan cinco casos en los que las mujeres acusaron estar enfermas y viviendo separadas de sus maridos por las razones prácticas que tuvieron. Se encontró que hay cuatro posibilidades de interpretación de las separaciones ocasionadas por la enfermedad, entre las que destaca no cumplir con el modelo matrimonial. Una de las implicaciones de la enfermedad como causa de separación marital fue que, principalmente, estuvo presente en mujeres mayores, pero también fue una opción para no ver al marido. El valor de este trabajo es que junta la enfermedad como causa de separación conyugal con experiencias de divorcio de hecho, que pudieron, o no, ser pactadas; por lo que, en conclusión, un matrimonio podía vivir separado a causa de la enfermedad de la mujer, y no por eso se rompía con el modelo matrimonial católico, pues fue flexible.
Propiedad comunal, un elemento clave para impulsar el desarrollo exitoso de las empresas ecoturísticas
Authors: Maya Espinoza Ivonne , Rodríguez Lázaro José , Barradas Martínez María del Rosario
Published: September 2022

El ecoturismo ha cobrado principal relevancia durante los últimos años por ser una opción para recrear la cultura, preservar las tradiciones y conservar el medio ambiente; además se considera una estrategia de desarrollo económico para combatir la pobreza y la desigualdad en las comunidades rurales del estado de Oaxaca. Por ello, el objetivo del artículo es analizar la propiedad comunal como elemento clave para impulsar el desarrollo exitoso de las empresas ecoturísticas. Para tal fin, se utilizó un tipo de investigación cualitativa con un método hermenéutico y se realizó un análisis del marco legal vigente de la propiedad comunal y el sistema de usos y costumbres. Los resultados muestran que las ventajas de la propiedad comunal son: tiene personalidad jurídica, es inembargable, inalienable e imprescriptible, y características que la hacen una alternativa viable para el éxito de estas empresas. Entre las desventajas se encuentran la privatización de las parcelas, la cesión de tierras bajo esquemas pseudolegales, el despojo de parcelas a través del arrendamiento por décadas y los apoyos individualizados.
En conclusión, es necesario trabajar en las áreas de oportunidad para dar mayor certeza jurídica al emprendimiento de ecoturismo comunitario tomando en cuenta que la propiedad comunal es un elemento clave para impulsar el desarrollo exitoso de las empresas ecoturísticas.
Sobre el sentido de comunidad indígena
Authors: Lam León García
Published: September 2022

El objetivo de este artículo es dilucidar cuáles propiedades, características y elementos son definitorios de las comunidades indígenas de San Luis Potosí y discutir las relaciones entre lengua, pueblo y comunidad, territorio, territorialidad y extraterritorialidad, comunidades de hecho y de derecho. Los resultados llevan a distinguir a la comunidad indígena por: una asamblea comunitaria, el uso de la lengua indígena, usos y costumbres y el disfrute de la fiesta. A lo largo del trabajo se hace referencia a la composición dual del concepto de comunidad: una objetivación física confrontada con la identidad que configura una realidad inasible y subjetiva. El texto convoca al reconocimiento de los elementos constitutivos de la comunidad indígena para facilitar el acceso a sus derechos, en particular al derecho a consulta. Las conclusiones se dirigen a reconocer la importancia de la asamblea como elemento definitorio de la comunidad indígena para la resolución de todo problema interior o exterior a ella.
An Unusual Effect of Hofmeister Series Salts on the Stability of
Toxoplasma gondii Ferredoxin NADP+ Reductase
Authors: Singh Kulwant , Akhtar Md. Sohail
Published: September 2022

Background:

The ionic interactions play an important role in the stabilization of the native
conformation of proteins. Toxoplasma gondii Ferredoxin NADP+ Reductase (TgFNR) remains stable
at pH 4.0. However, such modulation of ionic interactions leads to compaction and non-cooperativity
in its folding.

Objective:

To gain insights into the role of ionic interactions in the modulation of structure and
thermodynamic stability of TgFNR.

Methods:

Protein preparations, circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to
determine salt-induced changes in the structure and stability of TgFNR.

Results:

The kosmotropic salts (sodium fluoride and sodium sulphate) appear to induce the biphasic
response on the structure and stability of TgFNR. At pH about 4.0, the addition of low concentrations
of kosmotropic salts significantly perturbs the existing native-like secondary structure of TgFNR,
whereas higher quantities of salt reversed the denaturing impact. This is a one-of-a-kind situation we
are unaware of in any other protein. The urea-induced unfolding of TgFNR in the presence of a low
dose of salt (100 mM) drastically affected the protein's thermodynamic stability at neutral pH. The
increased salt concentrations, on the other hand, reversed the destabilizing effect.

Conclusion:

Our findings imply that electrostatic interactions are exceptionally significant for the
TgFNR stability, however, render highly unusual behavior of Hofmeister series salts, indicating a
possible crucial role of salt bridges in the stabilization of different conformations of the protein.
A Novel Tumor Mutation Burden Related lncRNA Signature Identified Prognosis and Tumor Immune Microenvironment Features in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Lin Lin , Wu Xiao-Hui , Zhu Jun-Ming , Chen Shao-Hao , Chen Ye-Hui , Lin Fei , Xue Xue-Yi , Wei Yong , Xu Ning , Zheng Qing-Shui , Sun Xiong-Lin
Published: September 2022

Background:

Emerging evidence indicates that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) plays an important biological role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC); however, the clinical value of tumor mutation burden-related lncRNA in ccRCC patients is unknown yet.

Method:

Somatic mutation profiles and lncRNA expression data of ccRCC were downloaded from the TCGA database. We retrospectively analyzed lncRNA expression data and survival information from 116 patients with ccRCC fromJanuary 2013 to January 2014. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to construct lncRNA signature, and the prognosis value was determined by Kaplan-Mayer and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis.

Results:

Based on 160 differentially expressed TMB-related lncRNAs, two TMB-related molecular clusters with distinct immune checkpoints expression and immune cells infiltration were established for ccRCC patients. Moreover, a novel TMB-related lncRNA signature was constructed based on five lncRNAs for individualized prognosis assessment. High-risk group represents significantly worse overall survival in all cohorts. The area under the ROC curve was 0.716, 0.775 and 0.744 in the training cohort, testing cohort and TCGA cohort, respectively. Results of qRT-PCR successfully validated the expression levels of AP002360.3, LINC00460, AL590094.1, LINC00944 and LINC01843 in HK-2, 786-O, 769-P and ACHN cells. More importantly, the predictive performance of TMB-related lncRNA signature was successfully validated in an independent cohort of 116 ccRCC patients at our institution.

Conclusion:

This study successfully developed and validated a novel TMB-related lncRNA signature for individualized prognosis assessment of ccRCC patients.
Tissue Factor and COVID-19: An Update
Authors: Mackman Nigel , Sachetto Ana Teresa Azevedo
Published: September 2022

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syn-drome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 is associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome, thrombosis and a high rate of mortality. Thrombotic events increase with severity. Tissue factor (TF) expression is increased during viral and bacterial infections. This review summarizes studies that have examined TF expression in response to SARS-CoV-2 infec-tion. SARS-CoV-2 virus and its proteins upregulate TF mRNA, protein and activity in a variety of cells, including bronchial epithelial cells, neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells and adventitial fibroblasts. COVID-19 patients have increased TF expression in lungs, bron-choalveolar lavage fluid and circulating extracellular vesicles. The increase in TF was associated with coagulation activation markers, thrombosis, inflammatory markers, severity of disease and mortality. Taken together, the studies suggest that TF plays a central role in thrombosis in COVID-19. TF may be a useful prognostic marker and therapeutic target to reduce thrombosis and inflam-mation.
Direct Vinylation of Activated Methines by a Vinylsulfonium Salt
Authors: Xie Chunsong , Hu Jiahong , Zhu Xiaole , Wu Song , Xu Yujia , Ye Hongyi
Published: September 2022

Vinylation of activated methines is a synthetically useful and challenging transformation.
Traditional methods for this transformation always encounter multiple steps, limited generality and/or
handling gaseous substrates. Herein, we report by using diphenyl(vinyl)sulfonium triflate as a vinylation
component, a one-step direct vinylation of activated methines can be realized under mild conditions.
This reaction, compatible with several kinds of activated methines, can lead to the construction
of vinylated quaternary carbon centers concisely.
Molecular Hydrogen Promotes Adipose-derived Stem Cell Myogenic
Differentiation via Regulation of Mitochondria
Authors: Yang Yu-Xia , Fei Wen-Yong , Liu Ming-Sheng , Zhang Yu-Cheng , Gao Rang-Shan , Hu Yang-Yang , Pang Er-Kai , Hou Lei
Published: September 2022

Background:

Acute skeletal muscle injuries are common physical or sports traumas. Cellular
therapy has excellent potential for regeneration after skeletal muscle injury. Adipose-derived stem cells
(ADSCs) are a more accessible type of stem cell. However, it has a low survival rate and differentiation
efficiency in the oxidative stress-rich microenvironment after transplantation. Although molecular hydrogen
(H2) possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant biological properties, its utility in mitochondrial
and stem cell research has not been adequately explored.

Objective:

This study aimed to reveal the role of H2 on adipose-derived stem cells' myogenic differentiation.

Methods:

The protective effects of H2 in ADSCs were evaluated by MTT assay, live-dead cell staining,
western blot analysis, immunofluorescence staining, confocal imaging, and transmission electron microscopy.

Results:

An appropriate volume fraction of H2 significantly decreased mitochondrial reactive oxygen
species (ROS) levels, increased the number of mitochondria, and promoted mitophagy, thus enhancing
the survival and myogenic differentiation of ADSCs.

Conclusion:

This study reveals the application potential of H2 in skeletal muscle diseases or other pathologies
related to mitochondrial dysfunction.