Ultra-High Performance 'Ductile' Concrete Technology Toward Sustainable Construction

This paper briefly presents an overview of the material characteristics of a Malaysia blend of ultra-high performance ductile concrete (UHPdC) know as DURA®. Examples of the environmental impact calculations of UHPdC structures compared to that of conventional reinforced concrete design are presented. The comparison studies show that many structures constructed from UHPdC are generally more environmentally sustainable than built of the conventional reinforced concrete with respect to the reduction of CO2 emissions and embodied energy. The enhanced durability of UHPdC also provides for significant improvements in the design life, which further supporting the concept of sustainable construction

Variable Engagement Model for the Design of Fibre Reinforced Concrete Structures

In this paper a model is developed to describe the behaviour of randomly orientated discontinuous fibres in reinforced composites subject to uniaxial tension. The model is built by integrating the behaviour of single, randomly oriented, fibres over 3D space and is capable of describing the peak and post-peak response of fibre-cement-based composites in tension. The model is used to form a constitutive law for use in finite element analysis of reactive powder concrete members with a prestressed reactive powder beam failing in shear analysed. A good correlation between the theoretical and experimental results attained

Estradiol regulates miR-135b and mismatch repair gene expressions via estrogen receptor-β in colorectal cells.

Estrogen has anti-colorectal cancer effects which are thought to be mediated by mismatch repair gene (MMR) activity. Estrogen receptor (ER) expression is associated with microRNA (miRNA) expression in ER-positive tumors. However, studies of direct link between estrogen (especially estradiol E2), miRNA expression, and MMR in colorectal cancer (CRC) have not been done. In this study, we first evaluated the effects of estradiol (E2) and its antagonist ICI182,780 on the expression of miRNAs (miR-31, miR-155 and miR-135b) using COLO205, SW480 and MCF-7 cell lines, followed by examining the association of tissue miRNA expression and serum E2 levels using samples collected from 18 colorectal cancer patients. E2 inhibited the expressions of miRNAs in COLO205 cells, which could be reversed by E2 antagonist ICI 182.780. The expression of miR-135b was inversely correlated with serum E2 level and ER-β mRNA expression in CRC patients' cancer tissues. There were significant correlations between serum E2 level and expression of ER-β, miR-135b, and MMR in colon cancer tissue. This study suggests that the effects of estrogen on MMR function may be related to regulating miRNA expression via ER-β, which may be the basis for the anti-cancer effect in colorectal cells

The protective role of carotenoids and polyphenols in patients with head and neck cancer

AbstractHead and neck cancer is a critical global health problem and approximately 650,000 patients per year are diagnosed with this type of cancer. In addition, head and neck cancer exhibits a high recurrence rate, readily causing second primary cancers in other locations, often yielding a poor prognosis. Current medical and surgical treatment options result in considerable impairment of speaking and swallowing functions, with side effects such as nausea, vomiting, bone marrow suppression, and renal damage, thereby impairing patients' quality of life. Thus, developing a prevention and therapeutic intervention strategy for head and neck cancer is vital. Phytochemicals have been shown to have a unique ability to protect cells from damage and modulation of cell repair. The chemopreventive activities of phytochemicals have also been demonstrated to be associated with their antioxidant properties and the induction and stimulation of intercellular communication via gap junctions, which play a role in the regulation of cancer cell cycle, differentiation, apoptosis, and stagnate cancer cell growth. Phytochemicals can also regulate cancer cell signaling pathways, reduce the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells, and protect normal cells during treatment, thus reducing the damage caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The most studied of the chemopreventive effects of phytochemicals are the carotenoids and phenolics. In this review, we investigated the multiple mechanisms of carotenoids and polyphenols (PPs) for use in preventing head and neck cancer, reducing the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, improving patient survival rates, and reducing the occurrence rate of second primary cancers

A Calculation Method of X-Ray Emitted Intensity in Multi-Layer Films by Monte Carlo Simulation

A calculation method of X-ray emitted intensity in multi-layer films is proposed in this paper. The method is based on the work developed by us: (1) a simplified physical model of electron scattering and Monte Carlo evaluations in a single medium and in multi-layer media and (2) the theories and the formulae for excitation, absorption and fluorescence of characteristic X-rays. The intensity ratio of X-rays for the known thickness films, Au/Cu/Si and Cr/Ni/Si, were calculated at 20, 25 and 30 keV. Calculated results are compared with experimental values of electron microprobe analysis for the multi-layer film specimens, and the correspondence is excellent. The work lays foundations for X-ray quantitative microanalysis of multi-layer specimens

THE KINETIC ANALYSIS OF CONTINUOUS JUMP WITH BENT LEGS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of fatigue on lower extremity dynamics during 60s continuous jump with bent legs (CJBL). Twelve college students served as subjects in this study. A Kistler force plate (500Hz) was used to collect vertical ground reaction force. Dependent t-test was used to test the difference between prefatigue and post-fatigue (a = .05). There were significantly differences on instantaneous force, peak force before take-off phase, and average concentric power between prefatigue and post-fatigue during CJBL (