Search Results (24)

In urban redevelopment, adding basements beneath existing buildings often requires specialized retaining structures, such as existing and newly added double-row piles, yet their complex load-sharing mechanism is not yet fully understood. This study addresses this gap through a series of physical model tests, systematically investigating the influence of two key variables: the row spacing and the newly added/existing pile length ratio. The results reveal that row spacing is a critical factor governing the system’s stability and cooperative behavior. The newly added piles bear the majority of the earth pressure, effectively shielding the existing piles. A distinct, layered pressure distribution was observed in the inter-row soil, a phenomenon that classical earth pressure theories cannot adequately predict. Based on a comprehensive evaluation of structural performance, deformation control, and stability, this study proposes an optimized configuration with a row spacing of 4D and a newly added/existing pile length ratio of 9/6. This configuration achieves an effective balance between structural performance and economic efficiency, offering valuable practical guidance for the design of supplementary retaining systems in basement addition projects. Full article

With the increasing demand for urban rail transit capacity, shield tunneling has become the predominant method for constructing underground metro systems in densely populated cities. However, the spatial interaction between shield tunnels and adjacent retaining structures poses significant engineering challenges, potentially leading to excessive ground settlement, structural deformation, and even stability failure. This study systematically investigates the deformation behavior and associated risks of retaining systems during adjacent shield tunnel construction. An orthogonal multi-factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of grouting pressure, grout stiffness, and overlying soil properties on maximum surface settlement. Results show that soil cohesion and grouting pressure are the most influential parameters, jointly accounting for over 72% of the variance in settlement response. Based on the numerical findings, a Bayesian network model was developed to assess construction risk, integrating expert judgment and field monitoring data to quantify the conditional probability of deformation-induced failure. The model identifies key risk sources such as geological variability, groundwater instability, shield steering correction, segmental lining quality, and site construction management. Furthermore, the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of various grouting reinforcement strategies were evaluated. The results show that top grouting increases the reinforcement efficiency to 34.7%, offering the best performance in terms of both settlement control and economic benefit. Sidewall grouting yields an efficiency of approximately 30.2%, while invert grouting shows limited effectiveness, with an efficiency of only 11.6%, making it the least favorable option in terms of both technical and economic considerations. This research provides both practical guidance and theoretical insight for risk-informed shield tunneling design and management in complex urban environments. Full article

This paper introduces an analytical method for passive earth pressure calculation based on a rigorous stress field analysis within the sliding wedge. Unlike traditional horizontal layer methods, this approach directly solves for the stress state at any point within the wedge by analyzing the equilibrium of 2D differential soil elements under appropriate boundary conditions, eliminating the need for a priori assumptions about the soil arch shape. The method yields the passive earth pressure distribution on the retaining structure and derives the soil arch shape analytically from major principal stress trajectories. This derived arch shape differs notably from conventional circular or parabolic assumptions, especially at higher soil–wall friction angles. Parametric studies show that the passive earth pressure coefficient increases with internal friction angle and surcharge. However, a key finding is the non-monotonic dependence of the passive earth pressure coefficient on the soil–wall friction angle, contrasting with many existing theories. Comparisons show predictions by the proposed method align well with experimental data, particularly offering a better representation of pressure distributions in the lower regions of retaining walls compared to Coulomb theory and other existing methods. Full article

To resolve the critical issues of severe deformation, structural failure, and maintenance difficulties in the advanced reuse zone of gob-side-entry retaining roadways under pillarless mining conditions in ultra-long fully mechanized top-coal caving isolated mining faces, this study proposes a surrounding rock control technology incorporating pressure relief through roof cutting. Taking the 3203 ultra-long isolated mining face at Nanyang Coal Industry as the engineering case, an integrated methodology combining laboratory experiments, theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, and industrial-scale field trials was implemented. The deformation and failure mechanism of flexible formwork walls in gob-side-entry retaining and the fundamental principles of pressure relief via roof cutting were systematically examined. The vertical stress variations in the advanced reuse zone of the retained roadway before and after roof cutting were investigated, with specific focus on the strata pressure behavior of roadways and face-end hydraulic supports on both the wide coal-pillar side and the pillarless side following roof cutting. The key findings are as follows: ① Blast-induced roof cutting reduces the cantilever beam length adjacent to the flexible formwork wall, thereby decreasing the load per unit area on the flexible concrete wall. This reduction consequently alleviates lateral abutment stress and loading in the floor heave-affected zone, achieving effective control of roadway surrounding rock stability. ② Compared with non-roof cutting, the plastic zone damage area of surrounding rock in the gob-side entry retained by flexible formwork concrete wall is significantly reduced after roof cutting, and the vertical stress on the flexible formwork wall is also significantly decreased. ③ Distinct differences exist in the distribution patterns and magnitudes of working resistance for face-end hydraulic supports between the wide coal-pillar side and the pillarless gob-side-entry retaining side after roof cutting. As the interval resistance increases, the average working resistance of hydraulic supports on the wide pillar side demonstrates uniform distribution, whereas the pillarless side exhibits a declining frequency trend in average working resistance, with an average reduction of 30% compared to non-cutting conditions. ④ After roof cutting, the surrounding rock deformation control effectiveness of the track gateway on the gob-side-entry retaining side is comparable to that of the haulage gateway on the 50 m wide coal-pillar side, ensuring safe mining of the working face. Full article

Linear anionic surfactants (LAS) pose significant stress to microbial denitrification in wastewater treatment. This study investigated the performance and adaptation mechanisms of heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) microbial consortia under LAS exposure after short-term (SCM, 2 months) and long-term (LCM, 6 months) acclimation. Results showed a dose-dependent inhibition of total nitrogen (TN) removal, with LCM achieving 97.40% TN removal under 300 mg/L LAS, which was 16.89% higher than SCM. Biochemical assays indicated that LCM exhibited lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, a higher ATP content, and reduced LDH release, suggesting enhanced oxidative stress resistance and membrane stability. EPS secretion also increased in LCM, contributing to environmental tolerance. Metagenomic analysis revealed that long-term acclimation enriched key genera including Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Stutzerimonas, which maintained higher expression of denitrification (e.g., nosZ, nirS) and ammonium assimilation genes (glnA, gltB). Although high LAS concentrations reduced overall community diversity and led to convergence between SCM and LCM structures, LCM retained greater functional capacity and stress resistance. These findings underscore the importance of acclimation in sustaining denitrification performance under surfactant pressure and offer valuable insights for engineering robust microbial consortia in complex wastewater environments. Full article

Rice bran, a major byproduct of rice processing, is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, high-quality proteins, and bioactive compounds such as γ-oryzanol and ferulic acid. However, its poor storage stability and susceptibility to hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity critically limit industrial exploitation. Recent advances in non-thermal stabilization technologies—valued for their energy efficiency, scalability, and nutrient preservation—offer promising solutions. This review systematically elucidates the enzymatic and microbial mechanisms driving bran rancidity, emphasizing lipase and lipoxygenase activity, and critically evaluates the efficacy of emerging non-thermal strategies. Key findings highlight the superiority of non-thermal methods: cold plasma reduces lipase activity by 70% within 5 min via reactive oxygen species-induced structural disruption; ultra-high pressure preserves 95% of γ-oryzanol by selectively breaking hydrogen bonds in enzymes; high-energy electron beam irradiation suppresses rancidity markers by 45–78%; and enzymatic stabilization with immobilized papain achieves 78% lipase inactivation while retaining <5% nutrient loss. Compared to thermal approaches, non-thermal technologies enhance bioactive retention, while extending shelf-life by 2–3 weeks. By addressing challenges such as microbial synergy, parameter optimization, and industrial scalability, this review provides actionable insights for deploying green, energy-efficient strategies to valorize rice bran into functional foods and nutraceuticals, aligning with global demands for sustainable ingredient innovation. Full article

Psectrocladius, a genus within the species-rich subfamily Orthocladiinae (Diptera: Chironomidae), remains poorly resolved in molecular phylogenetics due to limited available molecular data. Here, we sequenced and analyzed the complete mitogenomes of five Psectrocladius species, using two Rheocricotopus species as outgroups. Our results reveal that the mitogenomes of Psectrocladius are structurally conserved and retain a presumed ancestral gene order. The nucleotide composition of these newly generated mitogenomes exhibits a pronounced A + T bias, which is characteristic of typical insect mitogenomes. The substitution rates, estimated using Ka/Ks ratios, indicate that all protein-coding genes are under purifying selection. The strongest purifying selection pressure was observed in the CO1 gene, while the weakest was in the ND5 gene. Both the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference trees consistently show the following topology: ((((P. schlienzi + P. bisetus) + P. barbimanus) + P. oligosetus) + P. aquatronus). This study provides key insights into chironomid mitogenomes and their gene properties, offering valuable reference data for future research. Full article

Elephants exhibit remarkable cognitive and social abilities, which are integral to their navigation, resource acquisition, and responses to environmental challenges such as climate change and human–wildlife conflict. Their capacity to acquire, recall, and utilise spatial information enables them to traverse large, fragmented landscapes, locate essential resources, and mitigate risks. While older elephants, particularly matriarchs, are often regarded as repositories of ecological knowledge, the mechanisms by which younger individuals acquire this information remain uncertain. Existing research suggests that elephants follow established movement patterns, yet direct evidence of intergenerational knowledge transfer is limited. This review synthesises current literature on elephant navigation and decision-making, exploring how their behavioural strategies contribute to resilience amid increasing anthropogenic pressures. Empirical studies indicate that elephants integrate environmental and social cues when selecting routes, accessing water, and avoiding human-dominated areas. However, the extent to which these behaviours arise from individual memory, social learning, or passive exposure to experienced individuals requires further investigation. Additionally, elephants function as ecosystem engineers, shaping landscapes, maintaining biodiversity, and contributing to climate resilience. Recent research highlights that elephants’ ecological functions can indeed contribute to climate resilience, though the mechanisms are complex and context-dependent. In tropical forests, forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) disproportionately disperse large-seeded, high-carbon-density tree species, which contribute significantly to above-ground carbon storage. Forest elephants can improve tropical forest carbon storage by 7%, as these elephants enhance the relative abundance of slow-growing, high-biomass trees through selective browsing and seed dispersal. In savannah ecosystems, elephants facilitate the turnover of woody vegetation and maintain grassland structure, which can increase albedo and promote carbon sequestration in soil through enhanced grass productivity and fire dynamics. However, the ecological benefits of such behaviours depend on population density and landscape context. While bulldozing vegetation may appear destructive, these behaviours often mimic natural disturbance regimes, promoting biodiversity and landscape heterogeneity, key components of climate-resilient ecosystems. Unlike anthropogenic clearing, elephant-led habitat modification is part of a long-evolved ecological process that supports nutrient cycling and seedling recruitment. Therefore, promoting connectivity through wildlife corridors supports not only elephant movement but also ecosystem functions that enhance resilience to climate variability. Future research should prioritise quantifying the net carbon impact of elephant movement and browsing in different biomes to further clarify their role in mitigating climate change. Conservation strategies informed by their movement patterns, such as wildlife corridors, conflict-reducing infrastructure, and habitat restoration, may enhance human–elephant coexistence while preserving their ecological roles. Protecting older individuals, who may retain critical environmental knowledge, is essential for sustaining elephant populations and the ecosystems they influence. Advancing research on elephant navigation and decision-making can provide valuable insights for biodiversity conservation and conflict mitigation efforts. Full article

Little is known about patient perspectives regarding consent for obtaining extra research-specific bone marrow (BM) samples during the diagnostic procedure for acute leukemia (AL). This study aimed to better understand patient experiences with consenting to provide these samples and identify potential areas for practice improvement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients treated for AL, 4–6 years prior to the interviews, and healthcare professionals involved with obtaining patient consent and sample collection. A total of 17 patients (14 agreed to provide a sample and 3 did not have a sample in the biobank) and 5 healthcare professionals were interviewed, achieving data saturation. Patients supported increasing public knowledge about research and noted the importance of friends and family in providing emotional support and retaining information. Despite time pressure and anxiety, the decision to donate a research sample did not require much deliberation. Proximal factors informing decisions included impact on patient health and family and anticipated, procedure-associated pain; distal factors included altruism and trust in healthcare professionals. Key information included expected pain and management, the purpose of research samples, and sample security and privacy. Our findings suggest that BM research sample collection may be facilitated through optimizing the environment where information is provided and the type of information provided, including pain management options and the value of the samples for current and future research. Full article

Recrystallization is an important diagenetic process that widely occurs in carbonate rocks as a result of increasing temperature and pressure during burial. Exploration has revealed that carbonate rocks affected by recrystallization vary in their reservoir properties. To investigate the favorable development conditions of recrystallized carbonate reservoirs, we selected the crystalline dolomite reservoir of the Majiagou Formation in the Ordos Basin as the object for experimental simulation and conducted a series of dolostone recrystallization simulation experiments under various fluid pressures at 120 °C with an axial load of 55 MPa. The fluid overpressure experiments showed extensive recrystallization growth of crystals with uniform grain size and a high degree of euhedral development, and they retained the optimal porosity and pore connectivity. However, the hydrostatic pressure group had a lower degree of recrystallization and inferior physical properties compared to the overpressure group. The results indicate that fluid overpressure is a key preservation condition for deep recrystallized carbonate reservoirs. Fluid overpressure effectively preserves the initial porosity and facilitates the euhedral growth of dolostone crystals, thereby enhancing pore connectivity. Furthermore, the Kozeny–Carman equation was employed to verify that recrystallization of dolostone under fluid overpressure significantly enhances reservoir permeability by adjusting the pore structure, specifically the pore tortuosity and the pore–throat ratio. Our study demonstrates that fluid overpressure is an important prerequisite for the development of deep recrystallized carbonate reservoirs. The search for carbonate formation units with overpressure conditions such as the presence of dense layer capping may be a new direction for deep carbonate oil and gas exploration. Full article

This paper presents a novel strut-free earth retaining wall system for excavation, referred to as the asymmetric double-row pile wall (ARPW) retaining system. This system comprises three key elements: front-row reinforced concrete piles, back-row walls, and connecting crossbeams at the top of the piles. This paper aims to analyze the deformation characteristics and mechanical behavior of the ARPW retaining system, double-row pile wall (DRPW) retaining system, and single-row pile wall (SPW) retaining system using both physical model tests and numerical simulations. The study reveals that, with reasonable row spacing, double-row structures exhibit substantially lower earth pressure and bending moments compared to SPW. Additionally, all double-row structures display reverse bending points. The optimal row spacing for DRPW and ARPW is within the ranges of 2D to 6D and 4D to 8D, respectively. ARPW outperforms DRPW by efficiently utilizing active zone friction force and soil weight force (G_s) to resist overturning moments, thereby resulting in improved anti-overturning capabilities, reduced deformations, lower internal forces, and enhanced stability. The study also presents a case study from the Jinzhonghe Avenue South Side Plot in Tianjin, demonstrating the practical application and effectiveness of the ARPW system in meeting stringent deformation requirements for deep foundation pits. These research findings provide valuable insights for practical engineering applications. Full article

Roof separation, destabilization and collapse of multilayer roof structures are difficult to control in large mining height gob-side entries due to severe mining pressure. In the 22301 working face in Tunlan Mine, a mining height of 4.75 m posed great challenges to gob-side entry retaining techniques. Through mechanical analysis, the strata movement of a multilayer roof structure was investigated, and numerical analysis was conducted to identify key aspects of the supporting scheme, e.g., ensuring the stability of immediate roof above the filling area, transferring the resistance from the cemented backfill to the roof structure and maintaining self-supporting capacity. A new support strategy was proposed and applied in industrial settings, with entry stability evaluated by monitoring the deformation characteristics, roof separation values and overall support performance. The results showed that the gob-side entry retaining technique was successful in Tunlan Mine, providing valuable insights for similar techniques in large mining height gob-side entries. Full article

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are crucial regulators in coping with abiotic and biotic stresses, including drought, salinity, fungi, and pathogens. However, little is known about the characteristics, evolution process, and functional divergence of the MAPK gene family in Rosaceae plants. A total of 97 MAPK members were identified in six Rosaceae species, including 12 genes in Fragaria vesca, 22 genes in Malus domestica, 23 genes in Pyrus bretschneideri, 12 genes in Prunus mume, 14 genes in Prunus persica, and 14 genes in Rosa chinensis. All MAPK members of six Rosaceae plants were categorized into four clusters by the phylogenetic relationship analysis. Collinearity analysis discovered that both segmental duplication and tandem duplication contributed to the expansion of MAPK family genes in Rosaceae plants. And the analysis of motifs and gene structures indicated that the evolution of the MAPK gene family was highly conserved among phylogenetic clusters in Rosaceae species. In addition, the d_N/d_S rates of MAPK paralogous gene pairs were below one, suggesting the MAPK gene family in Rosaceae was driven by purifying selective pressure. Furthermore, functional divergence analysis discovered that 14 amino acid residues were detected as potentially key sites for functional divergence of MAPK family genes between different cluster pairs, specifically Type I functional divergence. The analysis of functional distance indicated that cluster C retained more of the original functional features, while cluster B exhibited functional specialization. Moreover, the expression profiles revealed that PmMAPK8, PmMAPK9, and PmMAPK10 were both highly expressed under drought stress and low temperature conditions. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the evolutionary process and functional analyses of the MAPK gene family in Rosaceae plants, which will lay the foundation for future studies into MAPK genes of Rosaceae in response to drought and cold stress. Full article

Retaining walls are often used to construct basements and underground station boxes. This unique case study compares the field-measured contiguous bored pile (CBP) wall, surrounding geology, and hydrogeology or groundwater responses against the results using 2D and 3D numerical back analyses of a deep excavation project that experienced localized groundwater drawdown through the leaking ground anchor points. Site observations indicated that the ground anchor installation works had caused larger than expected through-the-wall leakages that subsequently triggered nearby ground and building settlements. In order to study the complex soil–structure interaction behavior, back analyses using a hybrid modeling technique of through-the-wall transient hydrogeological seepage and geomaterial stress-strain analyses was implemented. Through these soil-structure interaction back analyses, it was evidently revealed that the presence of the continuous capping beam was key in providing pile head restraints against the active earth pressures when the groundwater was depressed, as well as efficiently distributing the beneficial wall corner effects towards the middle CBP wall, leading to smaller bending moment magnitudes, characterized by their ‘S-shaped’ profiles. This behavior had been correctly diagnosed, as opposed to the ‘D-shaped’ bending moment profile usually only seen in a typical free-head cantilever wall in similar geology. The eventual results show that the wall and ground responses, i.e., deflection, bending moment, and settlement, were reasonably well predicted when compared against the instrumented field data, thus validating the reliability of the geotechnical modeling technique, key geological parameters, and hydrogeological fluctuations adopted in the 2D and 3D numerical models, as well as the beneficial contributions of the continuous capping beam, which tend to be overlooked during routine retaining wall design. Full article

Suitable packaging material in combination with high-pressure processing (HPP) can retain nutritional and organoleptic qualities besides extending the product’s shelf life of food products. However, the selection of appropriate packaging materials suitable for HPP is tremendously important because harsh environments like high pressure and high temperature during the processing can result in deviation in the visual and functional properties of the packaging materials. Traditionally, fossil-based plastic packaging is preferred for the HPP of food products, but these materials are of serious concern to the environment. Therefore, bio-based packaging systems are proposed to be a promising alternative to fossil-based plastic packaging. Some studies have scrutinized the impact of HPP on the functional properties of biopolymer-based packaging materials. This review summarizes the HPP application on biopolymer-based film-forming solutions and pre-formed biopolymer-based films. The impact of HPP on the key packaging properties such as structural, mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties in addition to the migration of additives from the packaging material into food products were systemically analyzed. HPP can be applied either to the film-forming solution or preformed packages. Structural, mechanical, hydrophobic, barrier, and thermal characteristics of the films are enhanced when the film-forming solution is exposed to HPP overcoming the shortcomings of the native biopolymers-based film. Also, biopolymer-based packaging mostly PLA based when exposed to HPP at low temperature showed no significant deviation in packaging properties indicating the suitability of their applications. HPP may induce the migration of packaging additives and thus should be thoroughly studied. Overall, HPP can be one way to enhance the properties of biopolymer-based films and can also be used for packaging food materials intended for HPP. Full article