Frost resistance and pore structure properties of mortar containing air entraining agent combined with superabsorbent polymer

The air entraining effect of air entraining agent (AEA) is deeply affected by environment, which will further influence its function of improving frost resistance. To solve this problem, a strategy of using AEA combined with superabsorbent polymer(SAP) to improve the frost resistance of mortar was proposed in this study. Mass loss and relative dynamic elastic modulus of mortar were used to characterize frost resistance of mortar. Air void density, spacing factor, air void distribution and air content were measured to analyze its pore structure properties. The results verify that the combined use of AEA and SAP can improve the frost resistance of mortar in comparison with AEA alone. The air content and the porosity of mortar increased under the combination of AEA and SAP

Driver's Reaction Time towards Red-light Timing at Urban Intersections

AbstractThe study aims to explore the drivers’ reaction time influenced by the red-light timing at urban signalized intersections. The red-light timing ranges from 40seconds, 60s, 80s, 100s, and 120s. E-prime is used to simulate the signalized intersections and measure the drivers’ reaction time to the onset of green-light. 30 undergraduate drivers are involved and the data is analyzed in SPSS 17.0. The results show that 80seconds is the maximum timing for waiting for the red light as compared to other four timings in the way of shortest reaction time to the onset of green light. It is therefore suspected that the span of 80seconds is the cut-off timing for the red-light waiting at the intersections

Protection of p-coumaric acid against chronic stress-induced neurobehavioral deficits in mice via activating the PKA-CREB-BDNF pathway

There is a body of evidence to suggest that chronic stress modulates neurochemical homeostasis, alters neuronal structure, inhibits neurogenesis and contributes to development of mental disorders. Chronic stress-associated mental disorders present common symptoms of cognitive impairment and depression with complex disease mechanisms. P-coumaric acid (p-CA), a natural phenolic compound, is widely distributed in vegetables, cereals and fruits. P-CA exhibits a wide range of health-related effects, including anti-oxidative-stress, anti-mutagenesis, anti-inflammation and anti-cancer activities. The current study aims to evaluate the therapeutic potential of p-CA against stress-associated mental disorders. We assessed the effect of p-CA on cognitive deficits and depression-like behavior in mice exposed to chronic restraint stress (CRS); we used network pharmacology, biochemical and molecular biological approaches to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. CRS exposure caused memory impairments and depression-like behavior in mice; p-CA administration attenuated these CRS-induced memory deficits and depression-like behavior. Network pharmacology analysis demonstrated that p-CA was possibly involved in multiple targets and a variety of signaling pathways. Among them, the protein kinase A (PKA) - cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) - brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling pathway was predominant and further characterized. The levels of PKA, phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) and BDNF were significantly lowered in the hippocampus of CRS mice, suggesting disruption of the PKA-CREB-BDNF signaling pathway signaling pathway; p-CA treatment restored the signaling pathway. Furthermore, CRS upregulated expression of proinflammatory cytokines in hippocampus, while p-CA reversed the CRS-induced effects. Our findings suggest that p-CA will offer therapeutic benefit to patients with stress-associated mental disorders

Chinese medicine, Qijudihuang pill, mediates cholesterol metabolism and regulates gut microbiota in high-fat diet-fed mice, implications for age related macular degeneration

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicines have been used for thousands of years but without any sound empirical basis. One such preparation is the Qijudihuang pill (QP), a mixture of eight herbs, that has been used in China for the treatment of various conditions including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness in the aged population. In order to explain the mechanism behind the effect of QP, we used an AMD model of high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice to investigate cholesterol homeostasis, oxidative stress, inflammation and gut microbiota.Methods: Mice were randomly divided into three groups, one group was fed withcontrol diet (CD), the other two groups were fed with high-fat-diet (HFD). OneHFD group was treated with QP, both CD and the other HFD groups were treatedwith vehicles. Tissue samples were collected after the treatment. Cholesterollevels in retina, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), liver and serum weredetermined using a commercial kit. The expression of enzymes involved incholesterol metabolism, inflammation and oxidative stress was measured withqRT-PCR. Gut microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing.Results: In the majority of the lipid determinations, analytes were elevated by HFD but thiswas reversed by QP. Cholesterol metabolism including the enzymes of bile acid (BA) formationwas suppressed by HFD but again thiswas reversed by QP. BAs play amajor role in signaling between host andmicrobiome and this is disrupted by HFD resulting in major changes in the composition of colonic bacterial communities. Associated with these changes are predictions of the metabolic pathway complexity and abundance of individual pathways. These concerned substrate breakdowns, energy production and the biosynthesis of proinflammatory factors but were changed back to control characteristics by QP.Conclusion: We propose that the ability of QP to reverse these HFD-inducedeffects is related to mechanisms acting to lower cholesterol level, oxidative stress and inflammation, and to modulate gut microbiota

A review on protein based nanocarriers for polyphenols: interaction and stabilization mechanisms

Protein has been used as the carrier for protecting and targeting polyphenols and increasing their shelf-life. Interactions of a protein molecule with polyphenols are important, which change functions and physiochemical properties of the complex and provide protection to polyphenols. Interactions between proteins and polyphenols are largely non-covalent. Factors that affect such interactions include pH, temperature, and the structure of both proteins and polyphenols. Moreover, excellent stability of polyphenols can be achieved by using nanoencapsulation techniques such as emulsion, nanohydrogel, and nanocomplex formation. The use of protein combined with other compounds such as lipids and carbohydrates was found to be the most suitable carrier for polyphenols encapsulation. This review aims to describe the interaction between proteins and polyphenols, focusing on applying nanoencapsulation for increasing stability and targeted delivery of phenolic compounds

Chitosan-based melatonin bilayer coating for maintaining quality of fresh-cut products

This work was designed to develop the chitosan-based melatonin layer-by-layer assembly (CMLLA) via the inclusion method. The structural characterizations and interaction present in CMLLA were investigated by the scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform-Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The ratio of chitosan (CH) to carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) greatly influenced the mechanical properties, including the tensile strength, moisture content and color performance. Results showed that both antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of CMLLA were enhanced with the addition of melatonin (MLT). Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the CMLLA with 1.2 % (w/v) CH, 0.8 % (w/v) CMC and 50 mg/L MLT better contributed to the delay of chlorophyll degradation and the maintenance of shelf-life quality. Results from this study might open up new insights into the approaches of quality improvement of postharvest fresh products by incorporating the natural antioxidant compounds into natural polymers

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism WRN Leu1074Phe Is Associated with Prostate Cancer Susceptibility in Chinese Subjects

Deficiencies in the human DNA repair gene WRN are the cause of Werner syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by premature aging and a predisposition to cancer. This study evaluated the association of WRN Leu1074Phe (rs1801195), a common missense single nucleotide polymorphism in WRN, with prostate cancer susceptibility in Chinese subjects. One hundred and forty-seven prostate cancer patients and 111 male cancer-free control subjects from 3 university hospitals in China were included. Blood samples were obtained from each subject, and the single nucleotide polymorphism WRN Leu1074Phe was genotyped by using a Snapshot assay. The results showed that WRN Leu1074Phe was associated with the risk of prostate cancer in Chinese men and that the TG/GG genotype displayed a decreased prevalence of prostate cancer compared with the TT genotype (OR＝0.58, 95%CI:0.35-0.97, p＝0.039). Through stratified analysis, more significant associations were revealed for the TG/GG genotype in the subgroup with diagnosis age <_ 72 yr (OR＝0.27, 95%CI:0.12-0.61, p＝0.002) and in patients with localized diseases (OR＝0.36, 95%CI:0.19-0.70, p＝0.003). However, no statistically significant difference was found in the subgroup with age ＞72 yr or in patients with advanced diseases. We concluded that the genetic variant Leu1074Phe in the DNA repair gene WRN might play a role in the risk of prostate cancer in Chinese subjects