Undrained stability of braced excavations in clay considering the nonstationary random field of undrained shear strength.

The basal heave stability of supported excavations is an essential problem in geotechnical engineering. This paper considers the probabilistic analysis of basal heave stability of supported excavations with spatially random soils by employing the random adaptive finite element limit analysis and Monte Carlo simulations to simulate all possible outcomes under parametric uncertainty. The effect of soil strength variability is investigated for various parameters, including the width and depth of the excavation ratio, strength gradient factor, and vertical correlation length. Probabilistic basal stability results have also been employed to determine the probability of design failure for a practical range of deterministic factors of safety. Considering probabilistic failure analysis, the more complete failure patterns caused by the various vertical correlation length would decrease the probability of design failure. There are different tendencies between the probability of design failure at the same safety factor with various vertical correlation lengths. These results can be of great interest to engineering practitioners in the design process of excavation problems.

Metal-Induced Trap States: The Roles of Interface and Border Traps in HfO2/InGaAs.

By combining capacitance-voltage measurements, TCAD simulations, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the impact of the work function of the gate metals Ti, Mo, Pd, and Ni on the defects in bulk HfO2 and at the HfO2/InGaAs interfaces are studied. The oxidation at Ti/HfO2 is found to create the highest density of interface and border traps, while a stable interface at the Mo/HfO2 interface leads to the smallest density of traps in our sample. The extracted values of Dit of 1.27 × 1011 eV-1cm-2 for acceptor-like traps and 3.81 × 1011 eV-1cm-2 for donor-like traps are the lowest reported to date. The density and lifetimes of border traps in HfO2 are examined using the Heiman function and strongly affect the hysteresis of capacitance-voltage curves. The results help systematically guide the choice of gate metal for InGaAs.

Effective Multimodal Encoding for Image Paragraph Captioning.

In this paper, we present a regularization-based image paragraph generation method. We propose a novel multimodal encoding generator (MEG) to generate effective multimodal encoding that captures not only an individual sentence but also visual and paragraph-sequential information. By utilizing the encoding generated by MEG, we regularize a paragraph generation model that allows us to improve the results of the captioning model in all the evaluation metrics. With the support of the proposed MEG model for regularization, our paragraph generation model obtains state-of-the-art results on the Stanford paragraph dataset once further optimized with reinforcement learning. Moreover, we perform extensive empirical analysis on the capabilities of MEG encoding. A qualitative visualization based on t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) illustrates that sentence encoding generated by MEG captures some level of semantic information. We also demonstrate that the MEG encoding captures meaningful textual and visual information by performing multimodal sentence retrieval tasks and image instance retrieval given a paragraph query.

Diversity and Distribution of Fiddler Crabs (Crustacea: Brachyura: Ocypodidae) in Vietnam.

Based on recently collected material and records in the literature, 14 species of fiddler crabs (Crustacea: Ocypodidae: Gelasiminae) are reported from Vietnam. DNA barcoding analyses using the mitochondrial gene COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) was performed to identify examined materials and their precise distributional range. Thirteen species-level taxa are identified and, with the exception of Galsimus borealis and G. vocans, have minimum interspcific divergences of at least 7.27%. The identified species include seven species of Tubuca Bott, 1973, three of Austruca Bott, 1973 and three of Gelasimus Latreille, 1817, and one Paraleptuca Bott, 1973. Two new records of Vietnam are herein reported: Tubuca rhizophorae and T. dussumieri. The southernmost distribution limits of East Asian G. borealis, T. acuta and T. arcuata are in northern Vietnam, A. lactea in central Vietnam, whereas northernmost limit of Southeast Asian T. rhizophorae and T. forcipata in southern Vietnam. A dichotomous key to identify the 14 Vietnamese species is provided.

Nox2+ myeloid cells drive vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in heart failure after myocardial infarction via angiotensin II receptor type 1.

AIMS: Heart failure (HF) ensuing myocardial infarction (MI) is characterized by the initiation of a systemic inflammatory response. We aimed to elucidate the impact of myelomonocytic cells and their activation by angiotensin II on vascular endothelial function in a mouse model of HF after MI. METHODS AND RESULTS: HF was induced in male C57BL/6J mice by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Compared to sham, HF mice had significantly impaired endothelial function accompanied by enhanced mobilization of Sca-1+c-Kit+ haematopoietic stem cells and Sca-1-c-Kit+ common myeloid and granulocyte-macrophage progenitors in the bone marrow as well as increased vascular infiltration of CD11b+Ly6G-Ly6Chigh monocytes and accumulation of CD11b+ F4/80+ macrophages, assessed by flow cytometry. Using mice with Cre-inducible expression of diphtheria toxin receptor in myeloid cells, we selectively depleted lysozyme M+ myelomonocytic cells for 10 days starting 28 days after MI. While the cardiac phenotype remained unaltered until 38 days post-MI, myeloid cell depletion attenuated vascular accumulation of Nox2+CD45+ cells, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and vascular expression of adhesion molecules and angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1R). Pharmacological blockade of this receptor for 4 weeks did not significantly alter cardiac function, but mimicked the effects of myeloid cell depletion: telmisartan (20 mg/kg/day, fed to C57BL/6J mice) diminished bone marrow myelopoesis and myeloid reactive oxygen species production, attenuated endothelial leucocyte rolling and vascular accumulation of CD11b+Ly6G-Ly6Chigh monocytes and macrophages, resulting in improved vascular function with less abundance of Nox2+CD45+ cells. CONCLUSION: Endothelial dysfunction in HF ensuing MI is mediated by inflammatory Nox2+ myeloid cells infiltrating the vessel wall that can be targeted by AT1R blockade.

Characteristic features of porcine endogenous retroviruses in Vietnamese native pigs.

We aimed to clarify the genomic characteristics of porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) in Vietnamese native pig (VnP) breeds. First, we investigated genetic polymorphisms in ß- and γ-like PERVs, and we then measured the copy numbers of infectious γ-like PERVs (PERV-A, B, and C). We purified genomic DNA from 15 VnP breeds from 12 regions all over the country and three Western pig breeds as controls, and investigated genetic polymorphisms in all known PERVs, including the beta (ß)1-4 and gamma (γ)1-5 groups. PERVs of ß1, ß2, ß3, and γ4 were highly polymorphic with VnP-specific haplotypes. We did not identify genetic polymorphisms in ß4, γ1, or γ2 PERVs. We then applied a real-time polymerase chain reaction-based method to estimate copy numbers of the gag, pol, and env genes of γ1 PERVs (defined as A, B, and C). VnP breeds showed significantly lower copy number of the PERV genes compared with the Western pig breeds (on average, 16.2 and 35.7 copies, respectively, p < .05). Two VnP breeds showed significantly higher copy number compared with the other VnPs (p < .05). Our results elucidated that VnPs have specific haplotypes and a low copy number of PERV genes.

Theory of liquid crystal elastomers and polymer networks : Connection between neoclassical theory and differential geometry.

In liquid crystal elastomers and polymer networks, the orientational order of liquid crystals is coupled with elastic distortions of crosslinked polymers. Previous theoretical research has described these materials through two different approaches: a neoclassical theory based on the liquid crystal director and the deformation gradient tensor, and a geometric elasticity theory based on the difference between the actual metric tensor and a reference metric. Here, we connect those two approaches using a formalism based on differential geometry. Through this connection, we determine how both the director and the geometry respond to a change of temperature.

Sensitivity of a tropical micro-crustacean (Daphnia lumholtzi) to trace metals tested in natural water of the Mekong River.

Metal contamination is one of the major issues to the environment worldwide, yet it is poorly known how exposure to metals affects tropical species. We assessed the sensitivity of a tropical micro-crustacean Daphnia lumholtzi to three trace metals: copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and nickel (Ni). Both, acute and chronic toxicity tests were conducted with metals dissolved in in situ water collected from two sites in the lower part of the Mekong River. In the acute toxicity test, D. lumholtzi neonates were exposed to Cu (3-30µgL-1), Zn (50-540µgL-1) or Ni (46-2356µgL-1) for 48h. The values of median lethal concentrations (48h-LC50) were 11.57-16.67µg Cu L-1, 179.3-280.9µg Zn L-1, and 1026-1516µg Ni L-1. In the chronic toxicity test, animals were exposed to Cu (3 and 4µgL-1), Zn (50 and 56µgL-1), and Ni (six concentrations from 5 to 302µgL-1) for 21days. The concentrations of 4µg Cu L-1 and 6µg Ni L-1 enhanced the body length of D. lumholtzi but 46µg Ni L-1 and 50µg Zn L-1 resulted in a strong mortality, reduced the body length, postponed the maturation, and lowered the fecundity. The results tentatively suggest that D. lumholtzi showed a higher sensitivity to metals than related species in the temperate region. The results underscore the importance of including the local species in ecological risk assessment in important tropical ecosystems such as the Mekong River to arrive at a better conservational and management plan and regulatory policy to protect freshwater biodiversity from metal contamination.

Investigation of antibiotics in health care wastewater in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Hospital wastewater contains huge amounts of hazardous pollutants which are being discharged daily to environment with or without treatment. Antibiotics were among the important group of pharmaceuticals considered as a potential source of health risk for human and other living creatures. Although the investigations about the existence of antibiotics in hospital wastewater have gained concern for researchers in many countries, there is only one research conducted in Hanoi-Vietnam. Hence, in this study, investigations have been done to fulfill the requirement of real situation in Vietnam by accomplishing survey for 39 health care facilities in Ho Chi Minh City. As results, seven popular antibiotics were detected to exist in all samples such as sulfamethoxazole (2.5 ± 1.9 µg/L), norfloxacin (9.6 ± 9.8 µg/L), ciprofloxacin (5.3 ± 4.8 µg/L), ofloxacin (10.9 ± 8.1 µg/L), erythromycin (1.2 ± 1.2 µg/L), tetracycline (0.1 ± 0.0 µg/L), and trimethoprim (1.0 ± 0.9 µg/L). On the other hand, survey also showed that only 64% of health care facilities using conventional activate sludge (AS) processes in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). As a consequence, basic environmental factors (BOD5, COD, TSS, NH4+-N, or total coliforms) were not effectively removed from the hospital wastewater due to problems relating to initial design or operational conditions. Therefore, 18% effluent samples of the surveyed WWTPs have exceeded the national standard limits (QCVN 28:2010, level B).

Monomia calla, a new species of swimming crab (Decapoda, Portunidae) from Madagascar and the Philippines.

A new species of portunid crab (Brachyura: Portunidae) from southern Madagascar and central Philippines is described. Monomia calla sp. nov. is most similar in morphology to M. lecromi (Moosa, 1996) from the Chesterfield Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, and M. rubromarginata (Lanchester, 1900) from the South China Sea, Singapore, Malay Archipelago and the northern half of Australia. The new species can be easily distinguished from all congeners by the distinctive morphology of the male first gonopod. The number of species of the Indo-West Pacific genus Monomia now stands at 12.

Au-Rh and Au-Pd nanocatalysts supported on rutile titania nanorods: structure and chemical stability.

Au, Rh, Pd, Au-Rh and Au-Pd nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by colloidal chemical reduction and immobilized on hydrothermally-prepared rutile titania nanorods. The catalysts were characterized by aberration-corrected TEM/STEM, XPS, and FTIR, and were evaluated in the hydrogenation of tetralin in the presence of H2S. Oxidizing and reducing thermal treatments were employed to remove the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) surfactant. Reduction in H2 at 350 °C was found efficient for removing the PVA while preserving the size (ca. 3 nm), shape and bimetallic nature of the NPs. While Au-Pd NPs are alloyed at the atomic scale, Au-Rh NPs contain randomly distributed single-phase domains. Calcination-reduction of Au-Rh NPs mostly leads to separated Au and Rh NPs, while pre-reduction generates a well-defined segregated structure with Rh located at the interface between Au and TiO2 and possibly present around the NPs as a thin overlayer. Both the titania support and gold increase the resistance of Rh and Pd to oxidation. Furthermore, although detrimental to tetralin hydrogenation initial activity, gold stabilizes the NPs against surface sulfidation in the presence of 50 ppm H2S, leading to increased catalytic performances of the Au-Rh and Au-Pd systems as compared to their Rh and Pd counterparts.

Amphotericin B induces interdigitation of apolipoprotein stabilized nanodisk bilayers.

Amphotericin B nanodisks (AMB-ND) are ternary complexes of AMB, phospholipid and apolipoprotein organized as discrete nanometer scale disk-shaped bilayers. In gel filtration chromatography experiments, empty ND lacking AMB elute as a single population of particles with a molecular weight in the range of 200 kDa. AMB-ND formulated at a 4:1 phospholipid:AMB weight ratio separated into two peaks. One peak eluted at the position of control ND lacking AMB while the second peak, containing all of the AMB present in the original sample, eluted in the void volume. When ND prepared with increased AMB were subjected to gel filtration chromatography an increased proportion of phospholipid and apolipoprotein was recovered in the void volume with AMB. Native gradient gel electrophoresis corroborated the gel filtration chromatography data and electron microscopy studies revealed an AMB concentration-dependent heterogeneity in ND particle size. Stability studies revealed that introduction of AMB into ND decreases the ability of apoA-I to resist denaturation. Atomic force microscopy experiments showed that AMB induces compression of ND bilayer thickness while infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed that the presence of AMB does not induce extreme lipid disorder or alter the mean angle of the molecular axis along fatty acyl chains of ND phospholipids. Taken together the results are consistent with AMB-induced bilayer interdigitation, a phenomenon that likely contributes to AMB-dependent pore formation in susceptible membranes.

All-trans-retinoic acid nanodisks.

Nanodisks are nanoscale, disk-shaped phospholipid bilayers whose edge is stabilized by association of apolipoprotein molecules. Self-assembled ND particles enriched with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) (phospholipid:ATRA molar ratio = 5.5:1) were generated wherein all reaction components were solubilized. ATRA-ND migrated as a single band (Stokes' diameter approximately 20 nm) on native gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. ATRA, phospholipid and apolipoprotein co-eluted from a Sepharose 6B gel filtration column, consistent with stable integration of ATRA into the ND particle milieu. Spectroscopic analysis of ATRA-ND in buffer yielded an absorbance spectrum characteristic of ATRA. ATRA-ND mediated time-dependent inhibition of cultured HepG2 cell growth more effectively than free ATRA. The nanoscale size of the formulation particles and the stable integration of biologically active ATRA suggest ND represent a potentially useful vehicle for solubilization and in vivo delivery of ATRA.

Spectroscopic studies of amphotericin B solubilized in nanoscale bilayer membranes.

Nanodisks (ND) are discrete nanometer scale phospholipid bilayers whose perimeter is circumscribed by amphipathic apolipoproteins. The membranous environment of ND serves as a matrix for solubilizing the polyene antibiotic amphotericin B (AMB). The spectral properties of AMB in ND are dependent upon AMB concentration. Whereas AMB-ND prepared at a concentration of 2.5 mg AMB per 10 mg phospholipid are consistent with AMB self association in the ND membrane environment, AMB-ND prepared at 0.25 or 0.025 mg AMB per 10 mg phospholipid give rise to spectra reminiscent of AMB in organic solvent. Incubation of ND prepared at a phospholipid/AMB ratio of 400:1 (w/w) at 37 degrees C for 1 h induced a shift in absorbance and near UV circular dichroism spectra consistent with antibiotic self-association. The kinetics of this spectral transition were investigated as a function of incubation temperature. While no change in A388 nm occurred in incubations at 20 degrees C, a time-dependent decrease in A388 nm was observed at 25, 30 and 37 degrees C. Inclusion of ergosterol in the ND membrane attenuated temperature-induced AMB spectral changes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth inhibition assays, ND containing self associated AMB were somewhat less effective than ND possessing a greater proportion of monomeric AMB. On the other hand, inclusion of ergosterol or cholesterol in the ND particle did not alter the growth inhibition properties of AMB-ND. The miniature membrane environment of ND provides a novel milieu for solubilization and characterization of lipophilic biomolecules.