Effect of surface treatment of recycled concrete aggregate by cement -silica fume slurry on compressive strength of concrete

Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) used as an alternative to natural aggregate (NA) contains weak adhered mortar. The adhered mortar adversely affects the properties of RCA, and compressive strength of concrete with RCA. Therefore, a treatment method by coating surface of RCA with cement-silica fume slurry (CSS) at concentrations of 20, 40, and 60% was done to evaluate its effects on crushing value and water absorption of RCA, and compressive strength of concrete with treated RCA. The replacements of natural coarse aggregate by RCA for concrete production were 0, 25, and 50% by volume. Compressive strength of the concrete having a constant water-to-cement ratio of 0.35 was tested at ages of 3, 7, 28, and 56 days. Results showed that crushing value and water absorption of the treated RCA were more improved when compared with those of the untreated RCA due to new products formed from cement hydration and pozzolanic reactions on its surface detected by using scanning electron microscope. The surface treatment with CSS at concentration of 60% was the most effective method when compared with that with CSS at concentrations of 20 and 40%. The higher the concentration of CSS, the higher the compressive strength of concrete with the treated RCA. The treatment of RCA led to a significant improvement of compressive strength of the concrete at later ages (i.e., at 28 and 56 days) when compared with the concrete using untreated RCA

Effect of surface treatment of recycled concrete aggregate by cement -silica fume slurry on compressive strength of concrete

Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) used as an alternative to natural aggregate (NA) contains weak adhered mortar. The adhered mortar adversely affects the properties of RCA, and compressive strength of concrete with RCA. Therefore, a treatment method by coating surface of RCA with cement-silica fume slurry (CSS) at concentrations of 20, 40, and 60% was done to evaluate its effects on crushing value and water absorption of RCA, and compressive strength of concrete with treated RCA. The replacements of natural coarse aggregate by RCA for concrete production were 0, 25, and 50% by volume. Compressive strength of the concrete having a constant water-to-cement ratio of 0.35 was tested at ages of 3, 7, 28, and 56 days. Results showed that crushing value and water absorption of the treated RCA were more improved when compared with those of the untreated RCA due to new products formed from cement hydration and pozzolanic reactions on its surface detected by using scanning electron microscope. The surface treatment with CSS at concentration of 60% was the most effective method when compared with that with CSS at concentrations of 20 and 40%. The higher the concentration of CSS, the higher the compressive strength of concrete with the treated RCA. The treatment of RCA led to a significant improvement of compressive strength of the concrete at later ages (i.e., at 28 and 56 days) when compared with the concrete using untreated RCA

The acceptability of and willingness to pay for a herpes zoster vaccine: A systematic review

Patients, predominantly the elderly, with Herpes Zoster (HZ) not only suffer symptoms of the disease but also bear considerable expenses. This study systematically reviewed the acceptability of and willingness to pay for the HZ vaccine. This review was registered in PROSPERO 2023 (CRD42023403062). We used “acceptance”, “willing to pay”, and “HZ vaccine” (and variations thereof) as keywords in a systematic search for original English research articles published up to April 7, 2023. The search was conducted over Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and Google Scholar in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The inclusion criteria were as follows: studies (1) that mentioned HZ vaccination, (2) related to acceptability or willingness to pay, and (3) with full texts available and peer-reviewed prior to final publication. Grey literature, letters to editors, commentaries, case reports or series, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, articles of poor quality, and articles with ambiguously defined and measured outcome variables were excluded. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the studies. Finally, the search yielded 24 studies, of which 9 were conducted in Asia, 8 in Europe, and 7 in America. General adults or patients aged 50 or older were often the target populations, for whom treatments were accompanied by healthcare providers’ recommendations. The willingness to pay and willingness to accept the vaccine ranged from $8 to$150 and 16.6% to 85.8%, respectively. Compared to the US, Asia and Europe had higher acceptance rates for HZ immunization. The most frequent excuses given for not being vaccinated are side effects, cost, lack of recommendations, anti-vaccination views, ignorance about the HZ vaccine, and the belief that one is not at risk for the disease. National campaigns should be developed to increase public awareness of HZ, and more international research should be conducted to understand the WTA and WTP for HZ immunizations

Quantifying antimicrobial access and usage for paediatric diarrhoeal disease in an urban community setting in Asia.

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial-resistant infections are a major global health issue. Ease of antimicrobial access in developing countries is proposed to be a key driver of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) epidemic despite a lack of community antimicrobial usage data. METHODS: Using a mixed-methods approach (geospatial mapping, simulated clients, healthcare utilization, longitudinal cohort) we assessed antimicrobial access in the community and quantified antimicrobial usage for childhood diarrhoea in an urban Vietnamese setting. RESULTS: The study area had a pharmacy density of 15.7 pharmacies/km2 (a pharmacy for every 1316 people). Using a simulated client method at pharmacies within the area, we found that 8% (3/37) and 22% (8/37) of outlets sold antimicrobials for paediatric watery and mucoid diarrhoea, respectively. However, despite ease of pharmacy access, the majority of caregivers would choose to take their child to a healthcare facility, with 81% (319/396) and 88% (347/396) of responders selecting a specialized hospital as one of their top three preferences when seeking treatment for watery and mucoid diarrhoea, respectively. We calculated that at least 19% (2688/14427) of diarrhoea episodes in those aged 1 to <5 years would receive an antimicrobial annually; however, antimicrobial usage was almost 10 times greater in hospitals than in the community. CONCLUSIONS: Our data question the impact of community antimicrobial usage on AMR and highlight the need for better education and guidelines for all professionals with the authority to prescribe antimicrobials

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Treatment of Real Textile Wastewater Using Electron Beam Irradiation

Textile wastewater is known to have a large number of hazardous pollutants, intense color and high chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration. The electron beam method is considered useful in treatment textile wastewater through chemical oxidation process. In this study, three real textile wastewaters (Sample 1: Reactive Black 5, Reactive Red 10, and Reactive Orange 13; Sample 2: Reactive Red 10 and Yellow GR; Sample 3: Reactive Black 5 and Turquoise Blue HF–G) from textile dyeing company in Ho Chi Minh city were treated by electron beam method. The effect of absorbed doses and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at different concentrations on the change of pH, removal capacity, COD and five day’s biological oxygen demand (BOD5) were investigated. The results indicated that color, COD, BOD5 and pH decreased with increasing absorbed dose. A sufficient amount of H2O2 in the radiation process could accelerate the color removal process. In the same condition, a color removal efficiency of ~90% was obtained with EB/H2O2, in contrast with color loss by using EB alone (~71%). These results highlighted the potential of EB radiation technology for treatment of textile dyeing wastewater

The acceptability of and willingness to pay for a herpes zoster vaccine: A systematic review

Patients, predominantly the elderly, with Herpes Zoster (HZ) not only suffer symptoms of the disease but also bear considerable expenses. This study systematically reviewed the acceptability of and willingness to pay for the HZ vaccine. This review was registered in PROSPERO 2023 (CRD42023403062). We used “acceptance”, “willing to pay”, and “HZ vaccine” (and variations thereof) as keywords in a systematic search for original English research articles published up to April 7, 2023. The search was conducted over Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and Google Scholar in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The inclusion criteria were as follows: studies (1) that mentioned HZ vaccination, (2) related to acceptability or willingness to pay, and (3) with full texts available and peer-reviewed prior to final publication. Grey literature, letters to editors, commentaries, case reports or series, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, articles of poor quality, and articles with ambiguously defined and measured outcome variables were excluded. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the studies. Finally, the search yielded 24 studies, of which 9 were conducted in Asia, 8 in Europe, and 7 in America. General adults or patients aged 50 or older were often the target populations, for whom treatments were accompanied by healthcare providers’ recommendations. The willingness to pay and willingness to accept the vaccine ranged from $8 to$150 and 16.6% to 85.8%, respectively. Compared to the US, Asia and Europe had higher acceptance rates for HZ immunization. The most frequent excuses given for not being vaccinated are side effects, cost, lack of recommendations, anti-vaccination views, ignorance about the HZ vaccine, and the belief that one is not at risk for the disease. National campaigns should be developed to increase public awareness of HZ, and more international research should be conducted to understand the WTA and WTP for HZ immunizations