Mitigating alkali silica reaction in recycled concrete

Concrete made with recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) that had shown alkali silica reaction (ASR) distress was evaluated. It was found that ASR mitigation was needed to prevent continued expansion. Several mitigation methods were evaluated and compared to conventional concrete using the testing procedures of ASTM C 1260/1567 and ASTM C 1293. Pore solution analysis and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) were also conducted. It was found that fly ash, silica fume and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) were effective in mitigating ASR in RCA concrete. Compared to conventional concrete, slightly higher dosages were typically required. The ASTM C 1260/1567 test correlated well with ASTM C 1293 with few exceptions. Pore solution and TGA revealed that calcium hydroxide and alkalis are reduced by fly ash, silica fume and GGBFS substitution. Calcium depletion during the pozzolanic reaction is a sufficient condition for ASR arrest, but the alkali reducing effect appears to be more pivotal than calcium depletion. Lithium, as well as the other mitigation strategies, required higher dosages with RCA concrete than conventional concrete. The pore solution lithium to alkali ratio was found to be lower and at one year, reaching equilibrium at approximately 50 to 60 percent of the original dose. Modifying the soak solution of ASTM C 1260 resulted in higher levels of lithium in the test samples and made the test less conservative. Topical application of lithium nitrate solution showed reduced surface expansion of pavement blocks however there was no effect on inside expansion. Lithium was found to penetrate about 25mm

An aldehyde dehydrogenase gene, GhALDH7B4_A06, positively regulates fiber strength in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

High fiber strength (FS) premium cotton has significant market demand. Consequently, enhancing FS is a major objective in breeding quality cotton. However, there is a notable lack of known functionally applicable genes that can be targeted for breeding. To address this issue, our study used specific length–amplified fragment sequencing combined with bulk segregant analysis to study FS trait in an F2 population. Subsequently, we integrated these results with previous quantitative trait locus mapping results regarding fiber quality, which used simple sequence repeat markers in F2, F2:3, and recombinant inbred line populations. We identified a stable quantitative trait locus qFSA06 associated with FS located on chromosome A06 (90.74–90.83 Mb). Within this interval, we cloned a gene, GhALDH7B4_A06, which harbored a critical mutation site in coding sequences that is distinct in the two parents of the tested cotton line. In the paternal parent Ji228, the gene is normal and referred to as GhALDH7B4_A06O; however, there is a nonsense mutation in the maternal parent Ji567 that results in premature termination of protein translation, and this gene is designated as truncated GhALDH7B4_A06S. Validation using recombinant inbred lines and gene expression analysis revealed that this mutation site is correlated with cotton FS. Virus-induced gene silencing of GhALDH7B4 in cotton caused significant decreases in FS and fiber micronaire. Conversely, GhALDH7B4_A06O overexpression in Arabidopsis boosted cell wall component contents in the stem. The findings of our study provide a candidate gene for improving cotton fiber quality through molecular breeding

Grain-Size Analysis of the Late Pleistocene Sediments in the Corinth Rift: Insights into Strait Influenced Hydrodynamics and Provenance of an Active Rift Basin

Under embargo until: 2023-12-08Grain-size analysis of the sediments in borehole M0079A, which is located in the Corinth Rift, was used to explore hydrodynamic conditions and provenance in the Late Pleistcene Corinth Rift. Grain-size populations that were sensitive to the sedimentary environments were characterized by frequency distribution, particle size-standard deviation, and probability cumulative curves. Our results indicate the grain-size population component in the range 0.15-0.25 μm may be used as a sensitive proxy for hyperpycnal flows, which have commonly been triggered by river floods from the southern margin of the rift since ca. 0.593-0.613 Ma. The high-density plumes derived from the longer rivers of the southern rift that were prevalent before ca. 0.593-0.613 Ma. When sediment is supplied as hemipelagic deposition, the proportion of the total grain-size population that is in the 0.3-0.5 μm range becomes an index for suspension fall-out deposits. The core shows coarser sediments during the marine periods and this may be linked to the current circulation related to the Ishtmia Strait opening. The study thus illustrates how the establishment of interbasinal straits can influence the details of sedimentary hydrodynamics in the deep- water axis of an adjacent depocenter.acceptedVersio

Optimum design and research on novel vehicle hybrid excitation synchronous generator

Hybrid excitation is an organic combination of permanent magnet excitation and electric excitation. Hybrid excitation synchronous generator (HESG) both has the advantages of light quality, less losses and high efficiency like permanent magnet generator and the advantages of good magnetic field adjusting performance like electric excitation generator, so it is very suitable for the vehicle application. This paper presented a novel vehicle HESG which has skew stator core, permanent magnet rotor and both armature winding and field winding in the stator. Using ANSYS software, simulating the electric excitation field and the magnetic field, and finally the main parameters of HESG were designed. The simulation and the test results both show that the novel vehicle PMSG has the advantages of small cogging torque, high efficiency, small harmonic component output voltage and low waveform aberration, so as to meet the design requirements fully

Competition between liquid crystallinity and block copolymer self-assembly in core-shell rod-coil block copolymers

Core-shell type of architecture revealed the subtle competition between liquid-crystalline ordering and block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly in a rod-coil BCP system. Block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly offers a simple and controllable means to obtain nanostructures with typical orders on the scale of 5-100 nm. 1 Liquid crystals (LCs) are one class of soft materials that undergo self-organization at 1-10 nm. 2 Incorporating LCs as one of the blocks in a BCP results in LCBCPs that possess both structural hierarchy and functionality. 3 One unique type of LCBCP is the rodcoil BCP (RCBCP), in which one block adopts a rigid rod-like conformation. 4 Several factors affect the thermodynamic behavior of these systems, including c (Flory-Huggins parameter), N (degree of polymerization), f (volume fraction of each block), the order parameter of the macromolecular mesogen, and the area per junction of the rod (A rod ) and the coil (A coil ). 4 Novel self-assembling behaviors with complex phase structures different from the coil-coil systems have been observed. 4 In general, at symmetric volume fractions, lamellar morphology is prevalent. At asymmetric volume fractions, morphologies with highly curved interfaces such as sphere (S) or gyroid (G) have only been observed in low molecular mass rod-coil systems. 4c,5 As the molecular weight of the rod increases, the rigid rod becomes incompatible with the curved inter-material dividing surface (IMDS) dictated by S or G phases; there thus exists competition between liquid crystallinity of the rods and BCP self-assembly. Most of the reported work showed that liquid crystallinity dominated the phase behavior and the S or G phase was often degenerated into structures with planar IMDS such as zig-zag, arrow-head, mushroom, perforated lamellae, etc. 4a-d This is because the interaction between the rods is relatively strong and LC ordering dominates the ordering process. Thus, we hypothesize that in a RCBCP system with relatively weak LC interactions, BCP self-assembly could dominate the overall phase structure. In order to test this hypothesis, we designed a core-shell RCBCP using mesogen-jacketed LC polymers (MJLCP). Side-attaching LC mesogens directly along the polymer backbone leads to MJLCP systems within which the strong interactions between the mesogens and backbone force the backbone to adopt an extended chain conformation and the polymer chains arrange in the form of macromolecular columns. 6 Further linking MJLCPs with coil chains leads to MJ-RCBCPs. Compared to other types of rod-forming macromolecules such as polypeptides, 7 LC/conjugated oligomers, 8 and poly(hexyl isocyanate) (PHIC) and it derivatives, 4a using MJLCP as the rod to form RCBCP is advantageous because the length, diameter and the surface chemistry of the macromolecular rods can be readily controlled. 9 The molecular weight of the rod dictates the rod length, and the mesogen structure determines the rod diameter and surface chemistry. By using relatively long soft tails in the molecular design, a core-shell rod can be obtained with an aromatic core and an aliphatic shell. (Scheme 1a). Herein we report that, in this system, the shell decouples the strong rod-rod interactions and influences the competition between liquid crystallinity of the rods and BCP self-assembly, which in turn, leads to a variety of new hierarchical structures. The unique role of the shell in the RCBCP structure formation is two fold: first, in the symmetric BCPs, both BCP self-assembly and LC ordering dictate planar IMDS. In this case, the shell enhances the LC ordering and novel columnar-hexagonalin-lamellar (F H -in-L) hierarchical nanostructure was observed. Second, in the asymmetric BCPs, since BCP self-assembly and LC ordering dictate different types of IMDS (curved vs. planar), the shell decreased rod-rod interaction and BCP self-assembly became the dominant factor. Consequently, LC symmetry breaks (from F H to F N ) to compromise with the stronger BCP self-assembly process. Poly[styrene-block-{3,5-bis[(4 0 -((4 00 -tetradecanoylbenzoyl)oxy)benzoyl)oxy]styrene}] (PS-b-PTBOS) where the mesogen is a bent-core LC (BCLC), was chosen as the model RCBCP system (Scheme 1b, see ESI † for the detailed experimental procedure). 9 BCLCs exhibit unique phase structures and possess excellent electro-optical properties. 10 In the present case, the five-ring mesogen ensures a rigid core of the rod with a relatively large diameter while the 14-C tails of the mesogen render a relatively thick ''shell''. A series of BCPs have been synthesized using atomic transfer radical polymerization, representing the symmetric, PS-rich and PTBOS-rich BCPs. On the basis of differential scanning calorimetry and polarized light microscopy experiments, all these samples show LC behavior with the isotropization temperature of 240 C (see ESI †). Small-angle X-ray scattering and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXS, WAXD) experiments were conducted on the sheared BCP samples, and Scheme 1c shows the shear geometry consisting of the flow direction (FD), constraint direction (CD), and load direction (LD). For the symmetric BCPS, (i.e. PS 202 -b-PTBOS 35 f PTBOS 0.58)

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of PGG–paclitaxel, a novel macromolecular formulation of paclitaxel, in nu/nu mice bearing NCI-460 lung cancer xenografts

PGG–PTX is a water-soluble formulation of paclitaxel (PTX), made by conjugating PTX to poly(l-γ-glutamylglutamine) acid (PGG) via ester bonds, that spontaneously forms a nanoparticle in aqueous environments. The purpose of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of PTX following injection of either free PTX or PGG–PTX in mice. Both [3H]PTX and PGG–[3H]PTX were administered as an IV bolus injection to mice bearing SC NCI-H460 lung cancer xenografts at a dose of 40-mg PTX equivalents/kg. Plasma, tumor, major organs, urine, and feces were collected at intervals out to 340 h. Total taxanes, taxane extractable into ethyl acetate, and native PTX were quantified by liquid scintillation counting and HPLC. Conjugation of PTX to the PGG polymer increased plasma and tumor C max, prolonged plasma half-life and the period of accumulation in tumor, and reduced washout from tumor. In plasma injection of PGG–PTX increased total taxane AUC0–340 by 23-fold above that attained with PTX. In tumors, it increased the total taxane by a factor of 7.7, extractable taxane by 5.7, and native PTX by a factor of 3.5-fold. Conjugation delayed and reduced total urinary and fecal excretion of total taxanes. Incorporation of PTX into the PGG–PTX polymer significantly prolonged the half-life of total taxanes, extractable taxane, and native PTX in both the plasma and tumor compartments. This resulted in a large increase in the amount of active PTX delivered to the tumor. PGG–PTX is an attractive candidate for further development

Effect of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor on atrial electrical instability in atrial fibrillation

Background and objectiveAround 33.5 million patients suffered from atrial fibrillation (AF), causing complications and increasing mortality and disability rate. Upstream treatment for AF is getting more popular in clinical practice in recent years. The angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) is one of the potential treatment options. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of ARNI on atrial electrical instability and structural remodeling in AF.MethodsOur research consisted of two parts – a retrospective real-world clinical study and an animal experiment on calmness to verify the retrospective founding. In the retrospective study, we reviewed all patients (n = 110) who had undergone the first AF ablation from 1 August 2018 to 1 March 2022. Patients with ARNI (n = 36) or angiotensin II receptor antagonist (ARB) (n = 35) treatment were enrolled. Their clinical data, ultrasound cardiogram (UCG) and Holter parameters were collected before radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) as baseline and at 24-week follow-up. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. In the animal experiment, we established an AF model (n = 18) on canines by rapid atrial pacing. After the successful procedure of pacing, all the 15 alive beagles were equally and randomly assigned to three groups (n = 5 each): Control group, ARB group, and ARNI group. UCG was performed before the pacing as baseline. Physiological biopsy, UCG, and electrophysiological study (EPS) were performed at 8-week.ResultsClinical data showed that the atrial arrhythmia rate at 24-week was significantly lower in ARNI group compared to ARB group (P < 0.01), and ARNI was independently associated with a lower atrial arrhythmia rate (P < 0.05) at 24-week in multivariate regression logistic analysis. In the animal experiment, ARNI group had a higher atrial electrical stability score and a shorter AF duration in the EPS compared to Control and ARB group (P < 0.05). In the left atrium voltage mapping, ARNI group showed less low voltage and disordered zone compared to Control and ARB group. Compared to Control group, right atrium diameter (RAD), left ventricle end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), E/A, and E/E′ were lower in ARNI group (P < 0.05) at the 8-weeks follow-up, while left atrium ejection fraction (LAEF) and left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) were higher (P < 0.01). Compared to ARB group, LVEF was higher in ARNI group at the 8-week follow-up (P < 0.05). ARB and ARNI group had a lower ratio of fibrotic lesions in the left atrium tissues compared to Control group (P < 0.01), but no difference was found between the ARB and the ARNI group.ConclusionARNI could reduce atrial electrical instability in AF in comparison with ARB in both retrospective study and animal experiment

MEI Kodierung der frühesten Notation in linienlosen Neumen

Das Optical Neume Recognition Project (ONRP) hat die digitale Kodierung von musikalischen Notationszeichen aus dem Jahr um 1000 zum Ziel – ein ambitioniertes Vorhaben, das die Projektmitglieder veranlasste, verschiedenste methodische Ansätze zu evaluieren. Die Optical Music Recognition-Software soll eine linienlose Notation aus einem der ältesten erhaltenen Quellen mit Notationszeichen, dem Antiphonar Hartker aus der Benediktinerabtei St. Gallen (Schweiz), welches heute in zwei Bänden in der Stiftsbibliothek in St. Gallen aufbewahrt wird, erfassen. Aufgrund der handgeschriebenen, linienlosen Notation stellt dieser Gregorianische Gesang den Forscher vor viele Herausforderungen. Das Werk umfasst über 300 verschiedene Neumenzeichen und ihre Notation, die mit Hilfe der Music Encoding Initiative (MEI) erfasst und beschrieben werden sollen. Der folgende Artikel beschreibt den Prozess der Adaptierung, um die MEI auf die Notation von Neumen ohne Notenlinien anzuwenden. Beschrieben werden Eigenschaften der Neumennotation, um zu verdeutlichen, wo die Herausforderungen dieser Arbeit liegen sowie die Funktionsweise des Classifiers, einer Art digitalen Neumenwörterbuchs