Influences of Ultrafine Slag Slurry Prepared by Wet Ball Milling on the Properties of Concrete

The application of ultrafine ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) in concrete becomes widely used for high performance and environmental sustainability. The form of ultrafine slag (UFS) used in concrete is powder for convenience of transport and store. Drying-grinding-drying processes are needed before the application for wet emission. This paper aims at exploring the performances of concrete blended with GGBFS in form of slurry. The ultrafine slag slurry (UFSS) was obtained by the process of grinding the original slag in a wet ball mill, which was mixed in concrete directly. The durations of grinding were 20 min, 40 min, and 60 min which were used to replace Portland cement with different percentages, namely, 20, 35, and 50, and were designed to compare cement with original slag concrete. The workability was investigated in terms of fluidity. Microstructure and pore structure were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). The fluidity of concrete mixed with UFSS is deteriorated slightly. The microstructure and early strength were obviously improved with the grind duration extended

A Method for Evaluating the Maximum Capacity of Grid-Connected Wind Farms Considering Multiple Stability Constraints

Boosting the capacity of grid-connected wind farms will greatly contribute to increasing the share of sustainable energy in the global generation mix. It is imperative to study the way to quantitatively assess the maximum capacity of grid-connected wind farms in combination with power system stability characteristics. In this work, a method to evaluate the maximum capacity of grid-connected wind farms considering the joint constraints of frequency and voltage stability is proposed based on the global intrinsic property of frequency stability and the local characteristic of voltage stability. Firstly, the maximum capacity of grid-connected wind farms in the power grid with high wind power penetration is assessed globally based on the frequency stability constraints, and then locally considering the voltage stability constraints of each local power grid. Further on, a quantitative method to evaluate the capacity of grid-connected wind farms is proposed based on the correlation between the local static voltage stability margin and the local capacity of grid-connected wind farms, as well as the global constraint of the maximum capacity of grid-connected wind farms. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by the simulation results of an actual regional power grid

Application Status and Evaluation of Aquatic Plants in Wuhan Landscape Waters

The purpose of this study is to explore the landscape quality of aquatic plants in the landscape water in Wuhan, reveal the rules of its construction, and provide some basis for landscape design and evaluation of aquatic plants. Based on the six representative parks in Wuhan, 9 quantitative and qualitative indexes were selected, and the evaluation model was constructed by using the analytic hierarchy process(AHP). The results showed that a total of 36 species of aquatic plants were found, mainly emergent plants. The five research objects are in grade Ⅰ and Ⅱ, and only the aquatic plants in Shahu Park are at the level of level Ⅲ, which indicates that the quality of aquatic plants in the main landscape water of Wuhan is at an excellent level. The evaluation model can objectively be used in the Wuhan landscape water body . Based on the evaluation results, 3 excellent aquatic plant plots are recommended

Physico-chemical characteristics of wet-milled ultrafine-granulated phosphorus slag as a supplementary cementitious material

The phosphorus slag (PS) can be used as a supplementary cementitious material due to its potential hydrating activity. However, its usage has been limited by its adverse effects, including prolonged setting and lowered early-stage strength. In this study, we achieved ultrafine granulation of PS using wet-milling (reducing d(50) to as low as 2.02 mu m) in order to increase its activity, and examined the physico-chemical properties of the resulting materials, including particle-size distribution, slurry pH, zeta potential, and activity index, as well as how their replacement level and granularity affect the setting time and mechanical performance of PS-cement mixture systems. The results suggested that as the granularity increases, there are significant boosts in the uniformity of particle sizes, slurry pH, and activity index, and the effects on cement paste, including setting times, and early-and late-stage strengths, are significantly mitigated. When d(50)=2.02 mu m, the slurry becomes strongly alkaline (pH=12.16) compared to the initial d(50)=20.75 mu m (pH=9.49), and the activity is increased by 73%; when used at 40% replacement, the PS-cement mixture system can reach a 28 d compressive strength of 93.2 MPa, 36% higher than that of the pure cement control group.Web of Science33363362

RNA-seq-based analysis of drug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium selected in vivo and in vitro.

The aim of this study was to characterize the mechanism of fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance in Salmonella Typhimurium. We established the Caenorhabditis elegans-Salmonella Typhimurium model to select for ciprofloxacin resistance in Salmonella Typhimurium colonizing C. elegans, generating the resistant strains TN4. Gradient doses of ciprofloxacin were used to generate the resistant strain TW4 in vitro. RNA sequencing was used to establish the whole-transcriptome profile of three strains of Salmonella Typhimurium. The gene expression patterns of resistant strains TN4 and TW4 differed from those of the parental strain. In TN4, 2,277 genes were differentially expressed (1,833 upregulated and 444 downregulated) relative to the parental strain, and in TW4, 3,464 genes were differentially expressed (3,433 upregulated and 31 downregulated). Among these differentially expressed genes, 28 were associated with drug resistance and 26 were associated with the two-component systems in the two resistant strains. Seven different pathways were significantly sffected in two strains. Efflux pump overexpression was identified as one of the main mechanisms underlying FQ resistance in the two resistant strains. TW4 differentially expressed more efflux pump genes than TN4 and most of these genes were more strongly expressed than in TN4. However, expression of the efflux pump repressor gene and the mar operon was downregulated in TN4 but not in TW4. Two-component systems are also important in drug resistance. Our findings provide an important basis for further studies of the complex network that regulate FQ resistance in Salmonella

Detection and coexistence of six categories of resistance genes in Escherichia coli strains from chickens in Anhui Province, China

The aim of this study was to characterise the prevalence of class 1 integrons and gene cassettes, tetracycline-resistance genes, phenicol-resistance genes, 16S rRNA methylase genes, extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes and plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone resistance determinants in 184 Escherichia coli isolates from chickens in Anhui Province, China. Susceptibility to 15 antimicrobials was determined using broth micro-dilution. Polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing were used to characterise the molecular basis of the antibiotic resistance. High rates of antimicrobial resistance were observed; 131 out of the 184 (72.3%) isolates were resistant to at least six antimicrobial agents. The prevalences of class 1 integrons, tetracycline-resistance genes, phenicol-resistance genes, 16S rRNA methylase genes, extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes and plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone resistance determinants were 49.5, 17.4, 15.8, 0.5, 57.6 and 46.2%, respectively. In 82 isolates, 48 different kinds of coexistence of the different genes were identified. Statistical (χ2) analysis showed that the resistance to amoxicillin, doxycycline, florfenicol, ofloxacin and gentamicin had significant differences (P<0.01 or 0.01<P<0.05) among the strains that carried and did not carry the resistance genes, which showed a certain correlation between antimicrobial resistance and the presence of resistance genes

Preparation and Experimental Investigations of Low-Shrinkage Commercial Concrete for Tunnel Annular Secondary Lining Engineering

Secondary lining concrete is frequently used in underground tunnels. Due to the internal restriction of the annular concrete segment, micro-cracks may be caused by temperature stress and volume deformation, thus affecting the safe transportation of the tunnel. The purpose of this study is to provide a concrete experimental basis with low hydration heat and low shrinkage for tunnel engineering with different construction requirements. Different amounts of expansion agent (EA), shrinkage-reducing agent (SRA), and superabsorbent polymer (SAP) were considered in commercial concrete. It was found that EA elevated the degree of hydration and the hydration exothermic rate, while SRA and SAP showed the opposite regularity. SRA has the optimum shrinkage reduction performance with a 79% reduction in shrinkage, but the strength decreases significantly compared to EA and SAP groups. The effect of the combination of different shrinkage reducing components in commercial concrete is instructive for the hydration rate and shrinkage compensation in secondary lining engineering

Pathways significantly differently enriched in resistant strain TW4 and parental strain T0.

<p>Pathways significantly differently enriched in resistant strain TW4 and parental strain T0.</p

Validation of the RNA-seq assay of selected genes with a RT-qPCR analysis.

<p>RT-qPCR data confirmed the expression trends observed in the RNA-Seq data for a number of genes in resistant strains TN4 (A) and TW4 (B) compared with parental strain T0.</p