Mechanical behaviour of sustainable concrete with waste ceramic aggregate replacement

Sustainability and material use have been becoming increasingly important in industry and academia in recent years, prompting investigations for ways to improve sustainability in construction materials. Past studies have investigated natural aggregate replacement in concrete with a variety of materials, including recycled concrete, glass, bricks, ceramics, and even automobile tires. These studies have produced varied results. Ceramic materials are a great prospective material for aggregate replacement due to their desirable mechanical properties and availability in waste streams worldwide. This study focusses on coarse aggregate replacement with ceramic tile materials of virgin and waste origins, reaching as high as 100% replacement. To limit the variability experienced in previous studies, great emphasis was placed on limiting parameters tested between series to the physical properties of the replacement ceramic materials alone. Test results thus far have shown that natural coarse aggregate can be replaced in ratios as high as 100%, with only minimal effects on the mechanical properties of the resulting concrete. Compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths have shown minor change, with only a slight increase in elastic modulus. This study shows that ceramic waste material has great potential for use in concrete when a suitable preparation method is used.published_or_final_versio

Blacklistable Anonymous Credentials: Blocking Misbehaving Users without TTPs (Extended Version)

Several credential systems have been proposed in which users can authenticate to services anonymously. Since anonymity can give users the license to misbehave, some variants allow the selective deanonymization (or linking) of misbehaving users upon a complaint to a trusted third party (TTP). The ability of the TTP to revoke a user\u27s privacy at any time, however, is too strong a punishment for misbehavior. To limit the scope of deanonymization, systems such as ``e-cash\u27\u27 have been proposed in which users are deanonymized under only certain types of well-defined misbehavior such as ``double spending.\u27\u27 While useful in some applications, it is not possible to generalize such techniques to more subjective definitions of misbehavior. We present the first anonymous credential system in which services can ``blacklist\u27\u27 misbehaving users without contacting a TTP. Since blacklisted users remain anonymous, misbehaviors can be judged subjectively without users fearing arbitrary deanonymization by a TTP

Consensus on level descriptors for a functional children's eating and drinking activity scale

Aim: To agree wording of level descriptors for a measure of functional outcome of children's eating and drinking. Method: An online, modified Delphi method was used to gather feedback on current level descriptor wording and generate rewording suggestions. Thirty speech and language therapists, working in a variety of settings and geographical locations, were invited to be part of the Delphi expert panel. Content analysis was used to evaluate participants' comments and develop consensus level descriptors. Consensus for acceptable wording was set at 80% agreement. Face validity was assessed using 5-point Likert scales. Results: Nineteen expert speech and language therapists (median experience 18 years) completed round one; 15 out of 19 completed round two. Level descriptor rating reached 80% agreement in two rounds. Additionally, 93% of participants agreed the scale would accurately capture change in their setting, with 87% likely to use the scale in practice. Interpretation: This study has produced agreed wording for a functional measure of eating and drinking activity suitable for use with paediatrics feeding disorders, regardless of disease aetiology, presentation, age, or setting. Potential for widespread use is supported. Further evaluation of the tool's reliability and validity is required

Adaptive homodyne measurement of optical phase

We present an experimental demonstration of the power of real-time feedback in quantum metrology, confirming a theoretical prediction by Wiseman regarding the superior performance of an adaptive homodyne technique for single-shot measurement of optical phase. For phase measurements performed on weak coherent states with no prior knowledge of the signal phase, we show that the variance of adaptive homodyne estimation approaches closer to the fundamental quantum uncertainty limit than any previously demonstrated technique. Our results underscore the importance of real-time feedback for reaching quantum performance limits in coherent telecommunication, precision measurement and information processing.Comment: RevTex4, color PDF figures (separate files), submitted to PR

Amino acids whose intracellular levels change most during aging alter chronological lifespan of fission yeast

Amino acid deprivation or supplementation can affect cellular and organismal lifespan, but we know little about the role of concentration changes in free, intracellular amino acids during aging. Here, we determine free amino-acid levels during chronological aging of non-dividing fission yeast cells. We compare wild-type with long-lived mutant cells that lack the Pka1 protein of the protein kinase A signalling pathway. In wild-type cells, total amino-acid levels decrease during aging, but much less so in pka1 mutants. Two amino acids strongly change as a function of age: glutamine decreases, especially in wild-type cells, while aspartate increases, especially in pka1 mutants. Supplementation of glutamine is sufficient to extend the chronological lifespan of wild-type but not of pka1Δ cells. Supplementation of aspartate, on the other hand, shortens the lifespan of pka1Δ but not of wild-type cells. Our results raise the possibility that certain amino acids are biomarkers of aging, and their concentrations during aging can promote or limit cellular lifespan

Amino acids whose intracellular levels change most during aging alter chronological lifespan of fission yeast

Amino acid deprivation or supplementation can affect cellular and organismal lifespan, but we know little about the role of concentration changes in free, intracellular amino acids during aging. Here, we determine free amino-acid levels during chronological aging of non-dividing fission yeast cells. We compare wild-type with long-lived mutant cells that lack the Pka1 protein of the protein kinase A signalling pathway. In wild-type cells, total amino-acid levels decrease during aging, but much less so in pka1 mutants. Two amino acids strongly change as a function of age: glutamine decreases, especially in wild-type cells, while aspartate increases, especially in pka1 mutants. Supplementation of glutamine is sufficient to extend the chronological lifespan of wild-type but not of pka1Δ cells. Supplementation of aspartate, on the other hand, shortens the lifespan of pka1Δ but not of wild-type cells. Our results raise the possibility that certain amino acids are biomarkers of aging, and their concentrations during aging can promote or limit cellular lifespan

Luminescent gold(III) thiolates: Supramolecular interactions trigger and control switchable photoemissions from bimolecular excited states

A new family of cyclometallated gold(III) thiolato complexes based on pyrazine-centred pincer ligands has been prepared, (C^Npz^C)AuSR, where C^Npz^C=2,6-bis(4-ButC6H4)pyrazine dianion and R=Ph (1), C6H4tBu-4 (2), 2-pyridyl (3), 1-naphthyl (1-Np, 4), 2-Np (5), quinolinyl (Quin, 6), 4-methylcoumarinyl (Coum, 7) and 1-adamantyl (8). The complexes were isolated as yellow to red solids in high yields using mild synthetic conditions. The single-crystal X-ray structures revealed that the colour of the deep-red solids is associated with the formation of a particular type of short (3.2–3.3 Å) intermolecular pyrazine⋅⋅⋅pyrazine π-interactions. In some cases, yellow and red crystal polymorphs were formed; only the latter were emissive at room temperature. Combined NMR and UV/Vis techniques showed that the supramolecular π-stacking interactions persist in solution and give rise to intense deep-red photoluminescence. Monomeric molecules show vibronically structured green emissions at low temperature, assigned to ligand-based 3IL(C^N^C) triplet emissions. By contrast, the unstructured red emissions correlate mainly with a 3LLCT(SR→{(C^Npz^C)2}) charge transfer transition from the thiolate ligand to the π⋅⋅⋅π dimerized pyrazine. Unusually, the π-interactions can be influenced by sample treatment in solution, such that the emissions can switch reversibly from red to green. To our knowledge this is the first report of aggregation-enhanced emission in gold(III) chemistry

First record of humpback whale songs in Southern Chile: Analysis of seasonal and diel variation

Male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) produce complex, patterned songs that are traditionally recorded on their breeding grounds. In this work, we report results from the first continuous acoustic monitoring of a humpback whale feeding ground off southern Chile, Corcovado Gulf. Using an autonomous continuously recording system anchored to the seafloor and an automatic signal detector, we used the units within a song to analyze the temporal distribution and diel patterns of humpback whales. Acoustic recordings were made at the end of the austral summer and autumn of 2012. Songs occurred over the entire 130 d monitoring period, from 1 February to 15 June 2012. The percentage of units detected increased throughout the monitored period with the highest detections in the last recorded month (June), despite recording for fewer days that month. Furthermore, songs were detected during all light regimes studied, but most frequently during darknessPostprint (author's final draft

Older Adult Preferences of Mobile Application Functionality Supporting Medication Self-Management

Health systems and insurers alike are increasingly interested in leveraging mHealth (mobile health) tools to support patient health-related behaviors including medication adherence. However, these tools are not widely used by older patients. This study explores patient preferences for functionality in a smartphone application (app) that supports medication self-management among older adults with multiple chronic conditions. We conducted six discussion groups in Chicago, Miami, and Denver (N = 46). English-speaking older adults (55 and older) who owned smartphones and took five or more prescription medicines were invited to participate. Discussions covered familiarity with and use of current apps and challenges with taking multidrug regimens. Participants reviewed a range of possible mobile app functions and were asked to give feedback regarding the acceptability and desirability of each to support medication management. Very few participants (n = 3) reported current use of a mobile app for medication support, although all were receptive. Challenges to medication use were forgetfulness, fear of adverse events, and managing medication information from multiple sources. Desired features included (1) a list and consolidated schedule of medications, (2) identification and warning of unsafemedication interactions, (3) reminder alerts to take medicine, and (4) the ability record when medications were taken. Features relating to refill ordering, pharmacy information, and comparing costs for medication were not considered to be as important for an app

Supersymmetric solutions of PT-/non-PT-symmetric and non-Hermitian Screened Coulomb potential via Hamiltonian hierarchy inspired variational method

The supersymmetric solutions of PT-symmetric and Hermitian/non-Hermitian forms of quantum systems are obtained by solving the Schrodinger equation for the Exponential-Cosine Screened Coulomb potential. The Hamiltonian hierarchy inspired variational method is used to obtain the approximate energy eigenvalues and corresponding wave functions.Comment: 13 page