Understanding the creep behavior of bentonite-sand mixtures as buffer materials in a low-level radioactive waste repository in Taiwan

Ren Guo-Liang,Huang Wei-Hsing,Chou Hsin-Kai,Chung Chih-Chung 한국원자력학회 2024 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.56 No.9

This study investigates the creep behavior of bentonite-sand mixtures as potential buffer materials for low-level radioactive waste (LLW) repositories, with a specific case study in Taiwan. To assess the long-term hydro-mechanical properties, constant-volume swelling pressure, hydraulic conductivity, strain-controlled shear, and stress-controlled shear tests were conducted on MX80 and KV1 bentonite-sand mixtures. The experimental results indicate that MX80-sand 70/30 mixtures are prioritized as the buffer materials with 2.10 MPa swelling pressure and 1 × 10 13 m/s hydraulic conductivity. However, the shear strength of mixtures was reduced by almost 50 % when fully saturated. Furthermore, this study proposed a novel stress-controlled direct shear apparatus to retrieve the creep model parameters. The numerical method based on the creep model efficiently supports and simulates the saturation process and creep displacement. The finite element method (FEM) result predicts that the buffer of both bentonite-sand mixtures will achieve an average degree of saturation of 95 % at the end of three decades and full saturation in 100 years. The simulated creep displacement results at key nodes suggest that both top and bottom parts in the buffer, assembled from MX80-sand 70/30 mixtures or KV1-sand 70/30 mixtures, will have almost equivalent values of 4 mm in the horizontal and 2 mm in the vertical directions eventually.

Glutamate attenuates lipopolysaccharide induced intestinal barrier injury by regulating corticotropin-releasing factor pathway in weaned pigs

Guo Junjie,Liang Tianzeng,Chen Huifu,Li Xiangen,Ren Xiaorui,Wang Xiuying,Xiao Kan,Zhao Jiangchao,Zhu Huiling,Liu Yulan 아세아·태평양축산학회 2022 Animal Bioscience Vol.35 No.8

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protection of glutamate (GLU) against the impairment in intestinal barrier function induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stress in weaned pigs. Methods: Twenty-four weaned pigs were divided into four treatments containing: i) nonchallenged control, ii) LPS-challenged control, iii) LPS+1.0% GLU, and iv) LPS+2.0% GLU. On day 28, pigs were treated with LPS or saline. Blood samples were collected at 0, 2, and 4 h post-injection. After blood samples collection at 4 h, all pigs were slaughtered, and spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, liver and intestinal samples were obtained. Results: Dietary GLU supplementation inhibited the LPS-induced oxidative stress in pigs, as demonstrated by reduced malondialdehyde level and increased glutathione level in jejunum. Diets supplemented with GLU enhanced villus height, villus height/crypt depth and claudin-1 expression, attenuated intestinal histology and ultrastructure impairment induced by LPS. Moreover, GLU supplementation reversed intestinal intraepithelial lymphocyte number decrease and mast cell number increase induced by LPS stress. GLU reduced serum cortisol concentration at 4 h after LPS stress and downregulated the mRNA expression of intestinal corticotropin-releasing factor signal (corticotrophin-releasing factor [CRF], CRF receptor 1 [CRFR1], glucocorticoid receptor, tryptase, nerve growth factor, tyrosine kinase receptor A), and prevented mast cell activation. GLU upregulated the mRNA expression of intestinal transforming growth factor β. Conclusion: These findings indicate that GLU attenuates LPS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier injury, which is associated with modulating CRF signaling pathway. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protection of glutamate (GLU) against the impairment in intestinal barrier function induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stress in weaned pigs.Methods: Twenty-four weaned pigs were divided into four treatments containing: i) non-challenged control, ii) LPS-challenged control, iii) LPS+1.0% GLU, and iv) LPS+2.0% GLU. On day 28, pigs were treated with LPS or saline. Blood samples were collected at 0, 2, and 4 h post-injection. After blood samples collection at 4 h, all pigs were slaughtered, and spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, liver and intestinal samples were obtained.Results: Dietary GLU supplementation inhibited the LPS-induced oxidative stress in pigs, as demonstrated by reduced malondialdehyde level and increased glutathione level in jejunum. Diets supplemented with GLU enhanced villus height, villus height/crypt depth and claudin-1 expression, attenuated intestinal histology and ultrastructure impairment induced by LPS. Moreover, GLU supplementation reversed intestinal intraepithelial lymphocyte number decrease and mast cell number increase induced by LPS stress. GLU reduced serum cortisol concentration at 4 h after LPS stress and downregulated the mRNA expression of intestinal corticotropin-releasing factor signal (corticotrophin-releasing factor [<i>CRF</i>], CRF receptor 1 [<i>CRFR1</i>], glucocorticoid receptor, tryptase, nerve growth factor, tyrosine kinase receptor A), and prevented mast cell activation. GLU upregulated the mRNA expression of intestinal transforming growth factor β.Conclusion: These findings indicate that GLU attenuates LPS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier injury, which is associated with modulating CRF signaling pathway.

H₂-optimal Control with Regional Pole Assignment via State Feedback

Guo-Sheng Wang,Bing Liang,Guang-Ren Duan 대한전기학회 2006 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.4 No.5

The design of H₂-optimal control with regional pole assignment via state feedback in linear time-invariant systems is investigated. The aim is to find a state feedback controller such that the closed-loop system has the desired eigenvalues lying in some desired stable regions and attenuates the disturbance between the output vector and the disturbance vector. Based on a proposed result of parametric eigenstructure assignment via state feedback in linear systems, the considered H₂-optimal control problem is changed into a minimization problem with certain constraints, and a simple and effective algorithm is proposed for this considered problem. A numerical example and its simulation results show the simplicity and effectiveness of this proposed algorithm.

Reconfiguring Second-order Dynamic Systems via P-D Feedback Eigenstructure Assignment : A Parametric Method

Guo-Sheng Wang,Bing Liang,Guang-Ren Duan 대한전기학회 2005 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.3 No.1

Ganoderma Lucidum Polysaccharides Target a Fas/Caspase Dependent Pathway to Induce Apoptosis in Human Colon Cancer Cells

Liang, Zengenni,Guo, Yu-Tong,Yi, You-Jin,Wang, Ren-Cai,Hu, Qiu-Long,Xiong, Xing-Yao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.9

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (GLP) extracted from Ganoderma lucidum have been shown to induce cell death in some kinds of cancer cells. This study investigated the cytotoxic and apoptotic effect of GLP on HCT-116 human colon cancer cells and the molecular mechanisms involved. Cell proliferation, cell migration, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and intracellular free calcium levels ($[Ca^{2+}]i$) were determined by MTT, wound-healing, LDH release and fluorescence assays, respectively. Cell apoptosis was observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. For the mechanism studies, caspase-8 activation, and Fas and caspase-3 expression were evaluated. Treatment of HCT-116 cells with various concentrations of GLP (0.625-5 mg/mL) resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability (P< 0.01). This study showed that the antitumor activity of GLP was related to cell migration inhibition, cell morphology changes, intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ elevation and LDH release. Also, increase in the levels of caspase-8 activity was involved in GLP-induced apoptosis. Western blotting indicated that Fas and caspase-3 protein expression was up-regulated after exposure to GLP. This investigation demonstrated for the first time that GLP shows prominent anticancer activities against the HCT-116 human colon cancer cell line through triggering intracellular calcium release and the death receptor pathway.

Synthesis, Application, and Recovery of Alkali-Clearable Disperse Dyes Containing Azo Pyridone Structure

Liang Jin,Tao Qian,Ren-Liang Wang,Tao Zhu,Wei-Guo Chen,Hua Jiang,Zhi-Hua Cui 한국섬유공학회 2022 Fibers and polymers Vol.23 No.4

Carboxylic acid ester disperse dyes containing an azo pyridone structure have a high molar extinction coefficient,excellent washing color fastness, and simple synthetic methods. Dyes were readily synthesized through a conventional diazocoupling reaction between the reactant ethyl p-aminobenzoate and a coupling component containing an azo pyridonestructure. Subsequently, the molecular structures of the target products were characterized by FTIR, mass spectrometry,1H NMR, 13C NMR, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The synthesized dyes were used to dyepoly(ethylene terephthalate) fabric, and their washing and rubbing color fastness properties were tested and compared underdifferent post-treatment methods. Moreover, under the condition of alkali clearing, the relationships among different alkaliconcentrations and clearing effects were studied to determine the optimal alkali clearing process conditions for dyed fabrics,and the minimum alkali consumption required to obtain the best results was determined. It was found that carboxylic esterdisperse dyes containing an azo pyridone structure showed good dyeing performance and alkali-clearable properties onpolyester fibers. In addition, in hydrolyzate recovery, BaCl2 (salting out) can be used instead of acidification to recover thedye hydrolyzate, which has good environmental benefits.

Robust L<SUB>1</SUB> Filtering with Pole Constraint in a Disk via Parameter-dependent Lyapunov Functions

Liang He,Guang-Ren Duan,Ai-Guo Wu 제어로봇시스템학회 2006 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2006 No.10

Subcellular Characterization of Porcine Oocytes with Different Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Activities

Fu, Bo,Ren, Liang,Liu, Di,Ma, Jian-Zhang,An, Tie-Zhu,Yang, Xiu-Qin,Ma, Hong,Zhang, Dong-Jie,Guo, Zhen-Hua,Guo, Yun-Yun,Zhu, Meng,Bai, Jing Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.12

The in vitro maturation (IVM) efficiency of porcine embryos is still low because of poor oocyte quality. Although brilliant cresyl blue positive (BCB+) oocytes with low glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity have shown superior quality than BCB negative (-) oocytes with high G6PDH activity, the use of a BCB staining test before IVM is still controversial. This study aimed to shed more light on the subcellular characteristics of porcine oocytes after selection using BCB staining. We assessed germinal vesicle chromatin configuration, cortical granule (CG) migration, mitochondrial distribution, the levels of acetylated lysine 9 of histone H3 (AcH3K9) and nuclear apoptosis features to investigate the correlation between G6PDH activity and these developmentally related features. A pattern of chromatin surrounding the nucleoli was seen in 53.0% of BCB+ oocytes and 77.6% of BCB+ oocytes showed peripherally distributed CGs. After IVM, 48.7% of BCB+ oocytes had a diffused mitochondrial distribution pattern. However, there were no significant differences in the levels of AcH3K9 in the nuclei of blastocysts derived from BCB+ and BCB- oocytes; at the same time, we observed a similar incidence of apoptosis in the BCB+ and control groups. Although this study indicated that G6PDH activity in porcine oocytes was correlated with several subcellular characteristics such as germinal vesicle chromatin configuration, CG migration and mitochondrial distribution, other features such as AcH3K9 level and nuclear apoptotic features were not associated with G6PDH activity and did not validate the BCB staining test. In using this test for selecting porcine oocytes, subcellular characteristics such as the AcH3K9 level and apoptotic nuclear features should also be considered. Adding histone deacetylase inhibitors or apoptosis inhibitors into the culture medium used might improve the efficiency of IVM of BCB+ oocytes.

Lactobacillus salivarius Strain FDB89 Induced Longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans by Dietary Restriction

Yang Zhao,Liang Zhao,Xiaonan Zheng,Tianjiao Fu,Huiyuan Guo,Fazheng Ren 한국미생물학회 2013 The journal of microbiology Vol.51 No.2

In this study, we utilized the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to assess potential life-expanding effect of Lactobacillus salivarius strain FDB89 (FDB89) isolated from feces of centenarians in Bama County (Guangxi, China). This study showed that feeding FDB89 extended the mean life span in C. elegans by up to 11.9% compared to that of control nematodes. The reduced reproductive capacities, pharyngeal pumping rate, growth, and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD)activity and XTT reduction capacity were also observed in FDB89 feeding worms. To probe the anti-aging mechanism further, we incorporated a food gradient feeding assay and assayed the life span of eat-2 mutant. The results demonstrated that the maximal life span of C. elegans fed on FDB89was achieved at the concentration of 1.0 mg bacterial cells/plate, which was 10-fold greater than that of C. elegans fed on E. coli OP50 (0.1 mg bacterial cells/plate). However, feeding FDB89 could not further extend the life span of eat-2mutant. These results indicated that FDB89 modulated the longevity of C. elegans in a dietary restriction-dependent manner and expanded the understanding of anti-aging effect of probiotics.

Mammalian Mediator 19 Mediates H1299 Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Clone Conformation, Growth, and Metastasis

Xu, Lu-Lu,Guo, Shu-Liang,Ma, Su-Ren,Luo, Yong-Ai Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Mammalian mediator (MED) is a multi-protein coactivator that has been identified by several research goups. The involvement of the MED complex subunit 19 (MED 19) in the metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma cell line (H1299), which expresses the MED 19 subunit, was here investigated. When MED 19 expression was decreased by RNA interference H1299 cells demonstrated reduced clone formation, arrest in the S phase of the cell cycle, and lowered metastatic capacity. Thus, MED 19 appears to play important roles in the biological behavior of non-small cell lung carcinoma cells. These findings may be important for the development of novel lung carcinoma treatments.