Effect of Graphene Oxide Nanosheets on Physical Properties of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete with High Volume Supplementary Cementitious Materials

Nanomaterials have been increasingly employed for improving the mechanical properties and durability of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) with high volume supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Recently, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets have appeared as one of the most promising nanomaterials for enhancing the properties of cementitious composites. To date, a majority of studies have concentrated on cement pastes and mortars with fewer investigations on normal concrete, ultra-high strength concrete, and ultra-high-performance cement-based composites with a high volume of cement content. The studies of UHPC with high volume SCMs have not yet been widely investigated. This paper presents an experimental investigation into the mini slump flow and physical properties of such a UHPC containing GO nanosheets at additions from 0.00 to 0.05% by weight of cement and a water−cement ratio of 0.16. The study demonstrates that the mini slump flow gradually decreases with increasing GO nanosheet content. The results also confirm that the optimal content of GO nanosheets under standard curing and under steam curing is 0.02% and 0.04%, respectively, and the corresponding compressive and flexural strengths are significantly improved, establishing a fundamental step toward developing a cost-effective and environmentally friendly UHPC for more sustainable infrastructure

Phenomenological Implications of Supersymmetric Family Non-universal U(1)-prime Models

We construct a class of anomaly-free supersymmetric U(1)' models that are characterized by family non-universal U(1)' charges motivated from E_6 embeddings. The family non-universality arises from an interchange of the standard roles of the two SU(5) 5* representations within the 27 of E_6 for the third generation. We analyze U(1)' and electroweak symmetry breaking and present the particle mass spectrum. The models, which include additional Higgs multiplets and exotic quarks at the TeV scale, result in specific patterns of flavor-changing neutral currents in the b to s transitions that can accommodate the presently observed deviations inthis sector from the SM predictions.Comment: 25 pages, 3 figure

Characterisation of dispersions within annealed HVOLF thermally sprayed AlSnCu coatings

High velocity oxy-liquid fuel (HVOLF) AlSnCu coatings are characterised following annealing for up to 5 hours at 300°C. A combination of statistical analysis of BSE images and TEM observations demonstrate the decrease in the number of sub-micron and nanoscale Sn particles with annealing, commensurate with a decrease in the coating microhardness. TEM evidence further suggests the coarsening of nanoscale Sn through a mechanism of a liquid phase migration within the Al matrix. EELS and EFTEM additionally allow the identification of the precipitation of theta'

Intestine‐Specific Expression of Human Chimeric Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase Attenuates Western Diet‐Induced Barrier Dysfunction and Glucose Intolerance

Intestinal epithelial cell derived alkaline phosphatase (IAP) dephosphorylates/detoxifies bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the gut lumen. We have earlier demonstrated that consumption of high‐fat high‐cholesterol containing western type‐diet (WD) significantly reduces IAP activity, increases intestinal permeability leading to increased plasma levels of LPS and glucose intolerance. Furthermore, oral supplementation with curcumin that increased IAP activity improved intestinal barrier function as well as glucose tolerance. To directly test the hypothesis that targeted increase in IAP would protect against WD‐induced metabolic consequences, we developed intestine‐specific IAP transgenic mice where expression of human chimeric IAP is under the control of intestine‐specific villin promoter. This chimeric human IAP contains domains from human IAP and human placental alkaline phosphatase, has a higher turnover number, narrower substrate specificity, and selectivity for bacterial LPS. Chimeric IAP was specifically and uniformly overexpressed in these IAP transgenic (IAPTg) mice along the entire length of the intestine. While IAP activity reduced from proximal P1 segment to distal P9 segment in wild‐type (WT) mice, this activity was maintained in the IAPTg mice. Dietary challenge with WD impaired glucose tolerance in WT mice and this intolerance was attenuated in IAPTg mice. Significant decrease in fecal zonulin, a marker for intestinal barrier dysfunction, in WD fed IAPTg mice and a corresponding decrease in translocation of orally administered nonabsorbable 4 kDa FITC dextran to plasma suggests that IAP overexpression improves intestinal barrier function. Thus, targeted increase in IAP activity represents a novel strategy to improve WD‐induced intestinal barrier dysfunction and glucose intolerance

Viscous evolution of point vortex equilibria: The collinear state

When point vortex equilibria of the 2D Euler equations are used as initial conditions for the corre- sponding Navier-Stokes equations (viscous), typically an interesting dynamical process unfolds at short and intermediate time scales, before the long time single peaked, self-similar Oseen vortex state dom- inates. In this paper, we describe the viscous evolution of a collinear three vortex structure that cor- responds to an inviscid point vortex fixed equilibrium. Using a multi-Gaussian 'core-growth' type of model, we show that the system immediately begins to rotate unsteadily, a mechanism we attribute to a 'viscously induced' instability. We then examine in detail the qualitative and quantitative evolution of the system as it evolves toward the long-time asymptotic Lamb-Oseen state, showing the sequence of topological bifurcations that occur both in a fixed reference frame, and in an appropriately chosen rotating reference frame. The evolution of passive particles in this viscously evolving flow is shown and interpreted in relation to these evolving streamline patterns.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figure

Demonstration of the Space Launch System Augmenting Adaptive Control Algorithm on Pole-Cart Platform

NASA's baseline Space Launch System (SLS) ight control system (FCS) includes an adaptive augmenting control (AAC) portion in addition to the ight-heritage nominal classical controller. The AAC algorithm is intended to improve the robustness and performance of the classical controller. Over the past several years, the AAC algorithm developed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has matured significantly through extensive simulation, rigorous analytical proofs, and a series of successful ight tests on a F18 aircraft. This study was part of a SLS program and NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) joint e ort to further increase the confidence level of the AAC algorithm by demonstrating its key functionalities on a classroom type of example, the pole-cart sys- tem, at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) dynamics and control laboratory. The fundamental dynamics behind balancing an inverted pendulum is similar to controlling an aerodynamically unstable rocket. Both systems are inherently open-loop unstable and requires feedback control for attitude stabilization. The principles behind the AAC algorithm is applicable to a wide range of conditionally stable dynamical systems. Hence, the outcomes from this simple and inexpensive exercise has provided the SLS program with additional confidence into the AAC design, operation, robustness, and application

The RNA-binding protein HuR contributes to neuroinflammation by promoting C-C chemokine receptor 6 (CCR6) expression on Th17 cells.

In both multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the C-C chemokine receptor 6 (CCR6) is critical for pathogenic T helper 17 (Th17) cell migration to the central nervous system (CNS). Whereas many cytokines and their receptors are potently regulated via post-transcriptional mechanisms in response to various stimuli, how CCR6 expression is post-transcriptionally regulated in Th17 cells is unknown. Here, using RNA-binding protein HuR conditional knock-out (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice, we present evidence that HuR post-transcriptionally regulates CCR6 expression by binding to and stabilizing Ccr6 mRNA and by promoting CCR6 translation. We also found that HuR down-regulates several microRNA expressions, which could target the 3\u27-UTR of Ccr6 mRNA for decay. Accordingly, knock-out of HuR reduced CCR6 expression on Th17 cells and impaired their migration to CNS compared with the response of WT Th17 cells and thereby ameliorated EAE. Together, these findings highlight how HuR contributes to Th17 cell-mediated autoimmune neuroinflammation and support the notion that targeting HuR might be a potential therapeutic intervention for managing autoimmune disorders of the CNS

Alternative Supersymmetric Spectra

We describe the features of supersymmetric spectra, alternative to and qualitatively different from that of most versions of the MSSM. The spectra are motivated by extensions of the MSSM with an extra U(1)' gauge symmetry, expected in many grand unified and superstring models, which provide a plausible solution to the mu problem, both for models with supergravity and for gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking. Typically, many or all of the squarks are rather heavy (larger than one TeV), especially for the first two families, as are the sleptons in the supergravity models. However, there is a richer spectrum of Higgs particles, neutralinos, and (possibly) charginos. Concrete examples of such spectra are presented, and the phenomenological implications are briefly discussed.Comment: 12 pages, LaTe