Properties of Concrete Using Treated Low-Class Recycled Coarse Aggregate and Blast Furnace Slag Sand

Since high quality natural aggregates are becoming scarce, it is important that industrial recycled products and by-products are used as aggregates for concrete. In Japan, the use of recycled aggregate (RG) is encouraged. Since, strength and durability of recycled aggregate concrete is lower than that of normal aggregate concrete, the use of recycled aggregate has not been significant. In order to improve physical properties of concrete using recycled coarse aggregate, blast furnace slag sand has been proposed. Recently, blast furnace slag sand is expected to improve durability, freezing, and thawing damage of concrete in Japan. Properties of fresh and hardened concrete bleeding, compressive strength, and resistance to freezing and thawing which are caused by the rapid freezing and thawing test using liquid nitrogen is a high loader than the JIS A 1148 A method that were investigated. As a result, concrete using treated low-class recycled coarse aggregate and 50% or 30% replacement of crushed sand with blast furnace slag sand showed the best results, in terms of bleeding, resistance to freezing and thawing

Activation of the IKK2/NF-κB pathway in VSMCs inhibits calcified vascular stiffness in CKD

IKK2/NF-κB pathway–mediated inflammation in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) has been proposed to be an etiologic factor in medial calcification and stiffness. However, the role of the IKK2/NF-κB pathway in medial calcification remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that chronic kidney disease (CKD) induces inflammatory pathways through the local activation of the IKK2/NF-κB pathway in VMSCs associated with calcified vascular stiffness. Despite reducing the expression of inflammatory mediators, complete inhibition of the IKK2/NF-κB pathway in vitro and in vivo unexpectedly exacerbated vascular mineralization and stiffness. In contrast, activation of NF-κB by SMC-specific IκBα deficiency attenuated calcified vascular stiffness in CKD. Inhibition of the IKK2/NF-κB pathway induced cell death of VSMCs by reducing anti–cell death gene expression, whereas activation of NF-κB reduced CKD-dependent vascular cell death. In addition, increased calcification of extracellular vesicles through the inhibition of the IKK2/NF-κB pathway induced mineralization of VSMCs, which was significantly reduced by blocking cell death in vitro and in vivo. This study reveals that activation of the IKK2/NF-κB pathway in VSMCs plays a protective role in CKD-dependent calcified vascular stiffness by reducing the release of apoptotic calcifying extracellular vesicles

Electronic-Structure-Driven Magnetic Ordering in a Kondo Semiconductor CeOs2Al10

We report the anisotropic changes in the electronic structure of a Kondo semiconductor CeOs$_2$Al$_{10}$ across an anomalous antiferromagnetic ordering temperature ($T_0$) of 29 K, using optical conductivity spectra. The spectra along the $a$- and $c$-axes indicate that a $c$-$f$ hybridization gap emerges from a higher temperature continuously across $T_0$. Along the b-axis, on the other hand, a different energy gap with a peak at 20 meV appears below 39 K, which is higher temperature than $T_0$, because of structural distortion. The onset of the energy gap becomes visible below $T_0$. Our observation reveals that the electronic structure as well as the energy gap opening along the b-axis due to the structural distortion induces antiferromagnetic ordering below $T_0$.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Pancreatectomy in patients with HD

Background : Several reports have shown the high mortality rate of pancreatic resection in patients with hemodialysis (HD), however, its long-term outcome remains unclear. In this study, we examined cases of pancreatic resection in patients with HD and conducted a literature review. Methods : Four patients with HD who underwent pancreatic resection from 2004 to 2019 were enrolled. To compare the clinicopathological variables of HD and non-HD patients, 161 non-HD patients who had undergone surgical resection for pancreatic cancer were enrolled. Results : Among four cases of pancreatic resection with HD, three cases were malignant diseases. All patients with HD had some co-morbidities (100% in HD group, 45.3% in the non-HD group) and postoperative complications (100% in the HD group, vs 46.6% in the non-HD group). Although one patient had severe postoperative complications and length of postoperative hospital stay was longer, the 30- and 90-day mortality rates were both 0% in patients with HD. However, three cases in the HD group (75%) died approximately 6 months after surgery, including one cancer-related death. Conclusions : Pancreatic surgery in patients with HD should be carefully indicated, especially pancreaticoduodenectomy or total pancreatectomy, because of the poor prognosis induced by non-cancer-related causes of death

Low-Temperature Heat Capacity Anomalies in Ordered and Disordered Phases of Normal and Deuterated Thiophene

We measured the specific heat Cp of normal (C4H4S) and deuterated (C4D4S) thiophene in the temperature interval of 1 = T, K = 25. C4H4S exhibits a metastable phase II2 and a stable phase V, both with frozen orientational disorder (OD), whereas C4D4S exhibits a metastable phase II2, which is analogous to the OD phase II2 of C4H4S and a fully ordered stable phase V. Our measurements demonstrate the existence of a large bump in the heat capacity of both stable and metastable C4D4S and C4H4S phases at temperatures of ~10 K, which significantly departs from the expected Debye temperature behavior of Cp ˜ T3. This case study demonstrates that the identified low-temperature Cp anomaly, typically referred to as a “Boson-peak” in the context of glassy crystals, is not exclusive of disordered materials.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version