5,538 research outputs found
Flexural strengthening of masonry members using advanced cementitious materials
Two different cement based fiber reinforced composites for the flexural strengthening of
masonry beams under monotonic loading are studied. Steel Fiber Reinforced Self-
Compacting Concrete (SFRSCC) with tensile strain-softening behavior, and PVA fiber
reinforced cement based mortar (SHCC) with tensile Strain-Hardening were the developed
composites. Both composites were applied on the tensile surface of masonry beams and the
effectiveness of this technique for the flexural strengthening of these quasi-brittle structural
elements was assessed by performing four point beam bending tests. Both materials
contributed effectively to increase the load carrying capacity and ultimate deflection ductility
of the tested masonry beams, but, higher average values were obtained for these two
indicators of the strengthening effectiveness when using a layer thickness of SHCC that is 2/3
of the thickness of SFRSCC. Furthermore, much more homogenous results, in terms of forcedeflection
relationship, were obtained with masonry beams strengthened with SHCC than
with SFRSCC
Effects of Long-Term Hypoxia on Enzymes of Carbohydrate Metabolism in the Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis
The goal of the current study was to generate a comprehensive, multi-tissue perspective of the effects of chronic hypoxic exposure on carbohydrate metabolism in the Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis. Fish were held at approximately 1.3·mg·lâ1 dissolved oxygen (~3.6·kPa) for 4·weeks, after which maximal activities were measured for all glycolytic enzymes in four tissues (white skeletal muscle, liver, heart and brain), as well as for enzymes of glycogen metabolism (in muscle and liver) and gluconeogenesis (in liver). The specific activities of enzymes of glycolysis and glycogen metabolism were strongly suppressed by hypoxia in white skeletal muscle, which may reflect decreased energy demand in this tissue during chronic hypoxia. In contrast, several enzyme specific activities were higher in liver tissue after hypoxic exposure, suggesting increased capacity for carbohydrate metabolism. Hypoxic exposure affected fewer enzymes in heart and brain than in skeletal muscle and liver, and the changes were smaller in magnitude, perhaps due to preferential perfusion of heart and brain during hypoxia. The specific activities of some gluconeogenic enzymes increased in liver during long-term hypoxic exposure, which may be coupled to increased protein catabolism in skeletal muscle. These results demonstrate that when intact fish are subjected to prolonged hypoxia, enzyme activities respond in a tissue-specific fashion reflecting the balance of energetic demands, metabolic role and oxygen supply of particular tissues. Furthermore, within glycolysis, the effects of hypoxia varied among enzymes, rather than being uniformly distributed among pathway enzymes
A SQUAMOSA MADS-box gene involved in the regulation of anthocyanin accumulation in bilberry fruits
Anthocyanins are important health promoting phytochemicals that are abundant in many fleshy fruits. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) is one of the best sources of these compounds. Here we report on the expression pattern and functional analysis of a SQUAMOSA (SQUA) class MADS-box transcription factor, VmTDR4, associated with anthocyanin biosynthesis in bilberry. Levels of VmTDR4 expression were spatially and temporally linked with colour development and anthocyanin-related gene expression. Virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) was used to suppress VmTDR4 expression in bilberry resulting in substantial reduction in anthocyanin levels in fully ripe fruits. Chalcone synthase was used a positive control in the VIGS experiments. Additionally, in sectors of fruit tissue in which the expression of the VmTDR4 gene was silenced, the expression of R2R3 MYB family transcription factors related to the biosynthesis of flavonoids were also altered. We conclude that VmTDR4 plays an important role in the accumulation of anthocyanins during normal ripening in bilberry; probably through direct or indirect control of transcription factors belonging to the R2R3 MYB family
On Hilberg's Law and Its Links with Guiraud's Law
Hilberg (1990) supposed that finite-order excess entropy of a random human
text is proportional to the square root of the text length. Assuming that
Hilberg's hypothesis is true, we derive Guiraud's law, which states that the
number of word types in a text is greater than proportional to the square root
of the text length. Our derivation is based on some mathematical conjecture in
coding theory and on several experiments suggesting that words can be defined
approximately as the nonterminals of the shortest context-free grammar for the
text. Such operational definition of words can be applied even to texts
deprived of spaces, which do not allow for Mandelbrot's ``intermittent
silence'' explanation of Zipf's and Guiraud's laws. In contrast to
Mandelbrot's, our model assumes some probabilistic long-memory effects in human
narration and might be capable of explaining Menzerath's law.Comment: To appear in Journal of Quantitative Linguistic
Growth and characterization of heteroepitaxial La-substituted BaSnO films on SrTiO (001) and SmScO (110) substrates
Heteroepitaxial growth of BaSnO (BSO) and BaLaSnO (x = 7
%) (LBSO) thin films on different perovskite single crystal (SrTiO (001)
and SmScO (110)) substrates has been achieved by Pulsed Laser Deposition
(PLD) under optimized deposition conditions. X-ray diffraction measurements
indicate that the films on either of these substrates are relaxed due to the
large mismatch and present a high degree of crystallinity with narrow rocking
curves and smooth surface morphology while analytical quantification by proton
induced x-ray emission (PIXE) confirms the stoichiometric La transfer from a
polyphasic target, producing films with La contents above the bulk solubility
limit. The films show degenerate semiconducting behavior on both substrates,
with the observed room temperature resistivities, Hall mobilities and carrier
concentrations of 4.4 , 10.11 , and 1.38
on SmScO and 7.8 , 5.8 , and 1.36 on SrTiO ruling out any extrinsic
contribution from the substrate. The superior electrical properties observed on
the SmScO3 substrate are attributed to reduction in dislocation density from
the lower lattice mismatch.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, supplementary informations 2 figure
Genomic catastrophes frequently arise in esophageal adenocarcinoma and drive tumorigenesis
Oesophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) incidence is rapidly increasing in Western countries. A better understanding of EAC underpins efforts to improve early detection and treatment outcomes. While large EAC exome sequencing efforts to date have found recurrent loss-offunction mutations, oncogenic driving events have been underrepresented. Here we use a combination of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and single-nucleotide polymorphism-array profiling to show that genomic catastrophes are frequent in EAC, with almost a third (32%, nŒ40/123) undergoing chromothriptic events. WGS of 22 EAC cases show that catastrophes may lead to oncogene amplification through chromothripsis-derived double-minute chromosome formation (MYC and MDM2) or breakage-fusion-bridge (KRAS, MDM2 and RFC3). Telomere shortening is more prominent in EACs bearing localized complex rearrangements. Mutational signature analysis also confirms that extreme genomic instability in EAC can be driven by somatic BRCA2 mutations. These findings suggest that genomic catastrophes have a significant role in the malignant transformation of EAC
The Coulomb-Oscillator Relation on n-Dimensional Spheres and Hyperboloids
In this paper we establish a relation between Coulomb and oscillator systems
on -dimensional spheres and hyperboloids for . We show that, as in
Euclidean space, the quasiradial equation for the dimensional Coulomb
problem coincides with the -dimensional quasiradial oscillator equation on
spheres and hyperboloids. Using the solution of the Schr\"odinger equation for
the oscillator system, we construct the energy spectrum and wave functions for
the Coulomb problem.Comment: 15 pages, LaTe
Connection Between Type A and E Factorizations and Construction of Satellite Algebras
Recently, we introduced a new class of symmetry algebras, called satellite
algebras, which connect with one another wavefunctions belonging to different
potentials of a given family, and corresponding to different energy
eigenvalues. Here the role of the factorization method in the construction of
such algebras is investigated. A general procedure for determining an so(2,2)
or so(2,1) satellite algebra for all the Hamiltonians that admit a type E
factorization is proposed. Such a procedure is based on the known relationship
between type A and E factorizations, combined with an algebraization similar to
that used in the construction of potential algebras. It is illustrated with the
examples of the generalized Morse potential, the Rosen-Morse potential, the
Kepler problem in a space of constant negative curvature, and, in each case,
the conserved quantity is identified. It should be stressed that the method
proposed is fairly general since the other factorization types may be
considered as limiting cases of type A or E factorizations.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX, no figure, to be published in J. Phys.
Draft Genome Sequences of Six Different Staphylococcus epidermidis Clones, Isolated Individually from Preterm Neonates Presenting with Sepsis at Edinburgh\u27s Royal Infirmary
Herein, we report the draft genome sequences of six individual Staphylococcus epidermidis clones, cultivated from blood taken from different preterm neonatal sepsis patients at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
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