Development of partial factor design method on bending strength of piles for Japanese Specifications for Highway Bridges

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the development of a partial factor design method on the bending strength of piles for the Japanese Specifications for Highway Bridges. First, uncertainties in mobilised bending moments and yield bending moments were evaluated by Monte Carlo simulations. Second, the reliability of piles designed by the previous specifications were evaluated on the basis of reliability analysis considering uncertainties in the mobilised bending moments, yield bending moments, and other factors. Finally, a partial factor design method utilising a survey subsurface investigation method and ground type was developed to reach target reliability levels determined by the Standards.     

闽江河口地区河道演变及其影响因素分析

比之传统的调查方法,利用遥惑技术进行岸线解译具有范围大、多时段、省时、省力以及快速等优点。根据多时相TM遥惑数据,对闽江河口地区岸线进行解译,结合20世纪60年代地形图和2001年海图,分析了河口地区河道演变情况．对河流岸线和浅滩变化进行对比分析,发现闽江口南部水道多呈淤积状态,北边水道则为弱侵蚀型岸线;南部水下浅滩有新发育,原有的浅滩面积有很大的扩展,北边水道变化较小;文章最后对河道演变的影响因素进行了初步的探讨。     

浒苔光照和盐度胁迫响应基因UpMYB44的克隆与表达分析

为证明R2R3-MYB转录因子在浒苔响应非生物胁迫例如盐度和光照的过程中发挥的重要调控作用,利用实时荧光定量PCR、酵母双杂交系统、亚细胞定位等技术,研究获得了浒苔UpMYB44基因1 437 bp的开放阅读框(ORF)全长序列,编码478个氨基酸,属于典型的R2R3-MYB转录因子并通过烟草叶片转化确定其定位于细胞核,UpMYB44参与浒苔响应光照和盐度的胁迫过程,其中在低光和高盐胁迫下UpMYB44基因的相对表达量升高。筛选出了与UpMYB44互作的UpCPP5蛋白,该蛋白与浒苔的生长和细胞分裂有关,推测UpMYB44可能通过与UpCPP5互作,形成蛋白复合体参与浒苔的增殖过程。研究为日后深入探究MYB类转录因子家族调控藻类生长发育的过程奠定了基础,同时为研究浒苔快速繁殖的机制提供了思路。     

白芍(Radix paeoniae alba)提取物对中华绒螯蟹(Eriocheir sinensis)造血组织发育及造血因子Astakine的影响

血淋巴细胞在甲壳动物免疫反应中起着非常重要的作用,其主要由造血组织(Hematopoietic tissue, HPT)生成并随着开管式循环分布到身体各处。到目前为止,还没有相关研究表明甲壳动物造血组织是否受草本植物的影响。本研究以中华绒螯蟹(Eriocheir sinensis)为对象,利用荧光定量PCR、免疫荧光和组织化学等技术,初步探索了白芍(Radix paeoniae alba)提取物对中华绒螯蟹造血组织和造血因子Astakine的影响。结果显示,在原代培养的造血组织细胞中添加终浓度为0.85mg/mL的白芍提取物后,造血因子Astakine mRNA的表达量显著上调(P0.05)。进一步制备含1%白芍提取物的中华绒螯蟹饲料并进行饲喂实验,结果显示饲喂含白芍提取物饲料的中华绒螯蟹造血组织的Astakine mRNA的表达量较饲喂前上调了10.5倍,要高于对照组。免疫荧光结果同样表明,饲喂含白芍提取物饲料后中华绒螯蟹造血组织的Astakine蛋白荧光信号也要强于对照组。通过造血组织的形态学观察和造血组织体重百分比的检测,我们发现白芍组中华绒螯蟹造血组织含有较多卵形小叶,且造血组织体重百分比较饲喂前增加了6.64%,而对照组仅增加1.6%。免疫保护率实验显示,在脂多糖急性刺激下,白芍添加组的中华绒螯蟹的存活率(77.5%)要高于对照组(57.5%)。综上所述,白芍提取物可以促进中华绒螯蟹造血因子的表达和造血组织的发育,从而提高中华绒螯蟹的免疫调节功能。     

益气和胃胶囊联合八段锦治疗慢性胃炎伴焦虑、抑郁50例

目的：探讨益气和胃胶囊联合八段锦治疗慢性胃炎（CG）伴焦虑、抑郁的疗效及其对炎症因子、免疫功能等的影响。方法：选取100 例CG伴焦虑、抑郁的患者为研究对象,按随机数字表法将其分为2组,每组各50 例。对照组行西医常规治疗,治疗组在对照组基础上加用益气和胃胶囊联合八段锦治疗。比较2组综合疗效、焦虑自评量表（SAS）和抑郁自评量表（SDS）评分、患者免疫功能和炎症因子指标变化、不良反应及治疗后6个月生活质量。结果：总有效率治疗组为96.00%（48/50）,对照组为72.00%（36/50）,2组比较,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.01）;治疗前2组SAS与SDS评分、免疫功能及炎症因子指标比较,差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）,治疗后2组SAS、SDS评分较治疗前均明显下降,且治疗组治疗后SAS、SDS评分低于对照组,差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.01）;治疗后2组CD3⁺、CD4⁺和CD4⁺/CD8⁺水平较治疗前显著提高,且治疗组升高幅度优于对照组,差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;治疗后2组白细胞介素（IL）-6、IL-7及转化生长因子（TGF）-β1水平较治疗前显著降低,且治疗组降低幅度大于对照组（P＜0.05或P＜0.01）;不良反应发生率治疗组为2.00%（1/50）,对照组为20.00%（10/50）,2组比较,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.01）;出院后6个月随访,生活质量（QOL-100）评分治疗组高于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.01）。结论：在CG伴焦虑、抑郁的西医常规治疗基础上加用益气和胃胶囊联合八段锦治疗可改善患者焦虑、抑郁症状,提高免疫功能和生活质量,减少炎症反应和不良反应,值得临床推广。     

Investigation of inner-basin variation: Impact of large reservoirs on water regimes of downstream water bodies

Large dams and reservoirs alter not only the natural flow regimes of streams and rivers but also their flooding cycles and flood magnitudes. Although the effect of dams and reservoirs has been reported for some vulnerable locations, the understanding of the inner-basin variation with respect to the effects remains limited. In this study, we analyse the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) built on the Changjiang mainstream (Yangtze River) to investigate the dam effect variations in the system of interconnected water bodies located downstream. We investigated the effect of flow alterations along the downstream river network using discharge time series at different gauging stations. The river–lake interactions (referring to the interactions between the Changjiang mainstream and its tributary lakes i.e. the Dongting and Poyang lakes) and their roles in modifying the TGD effect intensity were also investigated in the large-scale river–lake system. The results show that the water storage of the tributary lakes decreased after the activation of the TGD. Severe droughts occurred in the lakes, weakening their ability to recharge the Changjiang mainstream. As a consequence, the effect of the TGD on the Changjiang flow increase during the dry season diminished quickly downstream of the dam, whereas its impact on the flow decrease during the wet season gradually exacerbated along the mainstream, especially at sites located downstream of the lake outlets. Therefore, when assessing dam-induced hydrological changes, special attention should be paid to the changes in the storage of tributary lakes and the associated effects in the mainstream. This is of high importance for managing the water resource trade-offs between different water bodies in dam-affected riverine systems.     

Stability analysis of shotcrete supported crown of NATM tunnels with discontinuity layout optimization

For tunnel constructed by New Austrian Tunnelling Method, the crown is the upper part of tunnel section, constructed during excavation process and supported by shotcrete. The stability of the crown has great influence on the safety of tunnel itself and the buildings above, which correlates, among others, with geometrical setup of tunnel and material properties of shotcrete and soil/rock. In this paper, aiming at analyzing the stability of shotcrete supported crown, a recently presented numerical method discontinuity layout optimization is adopted, which introduces a great amount of potential discontinuities cross over one another and provides a wide search space for efficient upper limit analysis. In the analysis, a well‐established hydration model of cementitious material is implemented for accounting the hydration of shotcrete. Then assumptions based on convergence‐confinement method are used for accounting the 3‐dimensional effect in 2‐dimensional analysis, finally providing time‐space–dependent assessments of stability of shotcrete supported crown.     

Modelling the internal stress field in argillaceous rocks under humidification/desiccation

This paper deals with analytical and numerical modelling of the internal stress generated in argillaceous rocks during humidification/desiccation processes, which is an essential issue for damage study. This local stress field arises from two mechanisms: (i) complex interactions between free swelling/shrinking clay matrix and non‐strained inclusions of carbonate and quartz and (ii) a self‐restraint effect induced by the moisture gradient during the transient moisture exchange process. The inclusion–matrix interaction is investigated in different cases. Firstly, the analytical solution of the stress around a cylindrical inclusion embedded in an infinite swelling matrix is derived: The inclusion would suffer tension (compression) under humidification (desiccation), and the resulting cracking patterns are discussed. Then, the problem of two inclusions with different distances in an infinite swelling matrix is considered, and it is shown that the local stress around an inclusion will be perturbed and amplified by neighbouring inclusions. Finally, an inclusion outcropping at the free surface of a swelling matrix is modelled as to investigate the effect of free surface: The inclusion–matrix interface undergoes shear stresses of which the maximum is found at the free surface. In addition to the inclusion–matrix interaction, the self‐restraint effect is investigated: The induced stress is maximal at the beginning of humidification/desiccation processes and vanishes gradually with time. The quantity of the self‐restraint stress is strongly controlled by the hydric loading rate. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An ensemble approach for the analysis of extreme rainfall under climate change in Naples (Italy)

In the present paper, an ensemble approach is proposed to estimate possible modifications caused by climate changes in the extreme precipitation regime, with the rain gauge Napoli Servizio Idrografico (Naples, Italy) chosen as test case. The proposed research, focused on the analysis of extremes on the basis of climate model simulations and rainfall observations, is structured in several consecutive steps. In the first step, all the dynamically downscaled EURO‐CORDEX simulations at about 12 km horizontal resolution are collected for the current period 1971–2000 and the future period 2071–2100, for the RCP4.5 and the RCP8.5 concentration scenarios. In the second step, the significance of climate change effects on extreme precipitation is statistically tested by comparing current and future simulated data and bias‐correction is performed by means of a novel approach based on a combination of simple delta change and quantile delta mapping, in compliance with the storm index method. In the third step, two different ensemble models are proposed, accounting for the variabilities given by the use of different climate models and for their hindcast performances. Finally, the ensemble models are used to build novel intensity–duration–frequency curves, and their effects on the early warning system thresholds for the area of interest are evaluated.     

A geomorphology‐based integrated stream–aquifer interaction model for semi‐gauged catchments

Many of the existing stream–aquifer interaction models available in the literature are very complex with limited applicability in semi‐gauged and ungauged catchments. In this study, to estimate the influent and effluent subsurface water fluxes under limited geo‐hydrometeorological data availability conditions, a simple stream–aquifer interaction model, namely, the variable parameter McCarthy–Muskingum (VPMM) hillslope‐storage Boussinesq (hsB) model, has been developed. This novel model couples the VPMM streamflow transport with the hsB groundwater flow transport modules in online mode. In this integrated model, the surface water–groundwater flux exchange process is modelled by the Darcian approach with the variable hydraulic heads between the river stage and groundwater table accounting for the rainfall forcing. Considering the exchange fluxes in the hyporheic zone and lateral overland flow contribution, this approach is field tested in a typical 48‐km stretch of the Brahmani River in eastern India to simulate the streamflow and its depth with the minimum Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency of 94% and 88%; the maximum root mean square error of 134 m³/s and 0.35 m; and the minimum index of agreement of 98% and 97%, respectively. This modelling approach could be very well utilized in data‐scarce world‐river basins to estimate the stream–aquifer exchange flux due to rainfall forcings.