Sustainable design of self-consolidating green concrete with partial replacements for cement through neural-network and fuzzy technique

In order to achieve a sustainable mix design, this paper evaluates self-consolidating green concrete (SCGC) properties by experimental tests and then examines the design parameters with an artificial intelligence technique. In this regard, cement was partially replaced in different contents with granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) powder, volcanic powder, fly ash, and micro-silica. Moreover, fresh and hardened properties tests were performed on the specimens. Finally, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was developed to identify the influencing parameters on the compressive strength of the specimens. For this purpose, seven ANFIS models evaluated the input parameters separately, and in terms of optimization, twenty-one models were assigned to different combinations of inputs. Experimental results were reported and discussed completely, where furnace slag represented the most effect on the hardened properties in binary mixes, and volcanic powder played an effective role in slump retention among other cement replacements. However, the combination of micro-silica and volcanic powder as a ternary mix design successfully achieved the most improvement compared to other mix designs. Furthermore, ANFIS results showed that binder content has the highest governing parameters in terms of the strength of SCGC. Finally, when compared with other additive powders, the combination of micro-silica with volcanic powder provided the most strength, which has also been verified and reported by the test results

Polyethylene Glycol-grafted poly alpha-lipoic acid-dexamethasone nanoparticles for osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes synovial hyperplasia, cartilage destruction, and the formation of bone spurs. Macrophages play an indispensable role in the pathogenesis of OA by producing proinflammatory cytokines. To achieve the effect of arthritis, hormones can effectively inhibit the progression of inflammation by inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory cytokines by macrophages in traditional therapy. However, the drug is quickly cleared from the joint space, and the high injection site infection rate and low local drug concentration make the clinical efficacy of corticosteroids greatly reduced. We described the design and preparation of Polyethylene Glycol-grafted Poly Alpha-lipoic Acid-dexamethasone Nanoparticles (NPDXM/PPLA), elucidated the mechanism of action of NPDXM/PPLA in the treatment of OA in mice, and provided an experimental basis for investigating the treatment of OA with polymer nanoparticles loaded with dexamethasone. Flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy were used to confirm that NPDXM/PPLA was well absorbed and released by macrophages, and it was discovered that NPDXM/PPLA could efficiently reduce the proliferation of activated macrophages (RAW 264.7 cells). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that NPDXM/PPLA could efficiently reduce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. The knee bone structure of OA mice was investigated by MicroCT, and it was discovered that intraarticular injection of NPDXM/PPLA effectively alleviated the bone damage of the articular cartilage. Therefore, NPDXM/PPLA is a potential therapeutic nanomedicine for the treatment of OA

Improving the Field Emergence Performance of Super Sweet Corn by Sand Priming

A priming method called sand priming was developed using sand as a priming solid matrix. The effect of sand priming on improving the field emergence performance of five super sweet corn cultivars was investigated. Sand priming significantly improved field emergence performance of all super sweet corn cultivars, and there was marked improvement by priming at 20ºC for 24 hr. After sand priming at 20ºC for 24 hr, field emergence percentage (FEP) of “Green Superman”, “Huatian 1”, “Yangtian 1”, “Mitian 8”, and “Chaotian 43” was increased by 52.1%, 37.5%, 38.0%, 40.9%, and 33.3%, respectively. Their field emergence speed (FES) was 2.3, 1.8, 2.0, 2.0, and 1.8 times of the control, respectively. To further elucidate the effect of sand priming on improving the field emergence performance of super sweet corn, we analyzed the membrane system integrity, α-amylase activity and protein content. Sand priming at 20ºC for 24 hr improved membrane system integrity and α-amylase activity in all super sweet corn cultivars. Furthermore, sand priming at 20ºC for 24 hr accelerated the degradation of embryo protein after 1 d germination in “Green Superman”

Fabrication and Application of Photocatalytic Composites and Water Treatment Facility Based on 3D Printing Technology

Currently, the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater by photocatalytic technology has attracted great attention. In this study, a new type of 3D printing material with photocatalytic activity was first prepared to print a water treatment equipment, and then a layer of silver-loaded TiO2 was coated on the equipment to further improve the catalytic degradation performance. The composite filaments with a diameter of 1.75 ± 0.05 mm were prepared by a melt blending method, which contained 10 wt% of modified TiO2 and 90 wt% of PLA. The silver-loaded TiO2 was uniformly coated on the equipment through a UV-curing method. The final results showed that those modified particles were uniformly dispersed in the PLA matrix. The stable printing composite filaments could be produced when 10 wt% TiO2 was added to the PLA matrix. Moreover, the photocatalytic degradation performance could be effectively improved after 5 wt% of silver loading was added. This novel facility showed good degradability of organic compounds in wastewater and bactericidal effect, which had potential applications for the drinking water treatment in the future

PCL/Collagen/UA Composite Biomedical Dressing with Ordered Microfiberous Structure Fabricated by a 3D Near-Field Electrospinning Process

In this work, a functionalized polycaprolactone (PCL) composite fiber combining calf-type I collagen (CO) and natural drug usnic acid (UA) was prepared, in which UA was used as an antibacterial agent. Through 3D near-field electrospinning, the mixed solution was prepared into PCL/CO/UA composite fibers (PCUCF), which has a well-defined perfect arrangement structure. The influence of electrospinning process parameters on fiber diameter was investigated, the optimal electrospinning parameters were determined, and the electric field simulation was conducted to verify the optimal parameters. The addition of 20% collagen made the composite fiber have good hydrophilicity and water absorption property. In the presence of PCUCF, 1% UA content significantly inhibited the growth rate of Gram-positive and negative bacteria in the plate culture. The AC-PCUCF (after crosslinking PCUCF) prepared by crosslinking collagen with genipin showed stronger mechanical properties, water absorption property, thermal stability, and drug release performance. Cell proliferation experiments showed that PCUCF and AC-PCUCF had no cytotoxicity and could promote cell proliferation and adhesion. The results show that PCL/CO/UA composite fiber has potential application prospects in biomedical dressing

The mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of quaternary Mg-6Zn-0.8Mn-xCa alloys

In present study, the influence of calcium content on the microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of quaternary Mg-6Zn-0.8Mn-xCa alloys, where x = 1, 1.5, 3 or 4.5 wt.% Ca, was examined. The grain structure of this quaternary alloy system became more refined with increasing additions of Ca. In addition to a-Mg, the Ca2Mg6Zn3 phase was found to be present in Mg-6Zn-0.8Mn-1Ca and Mg-6Zn-0.8Mn-1.5Ca according to microstructural and thermal analysis (TA). In addition to the a-Mg and Ca2Mg6Zn3 phases, the Mg2Ca phase was found to be present in the Mg-6Zn-0.8Mn-3Ca and Mg-6Zn-0.8Mn-4.5Ca alloys. Alloys with 1 or 1.5 wt.% Ca led to increases in the tensile strength of Mg-6Zn-0.8Mn, although further Ca additions had a deleterious effect. The TA of Mg-6Zn-0.8Mn-xCa during its solidification indicates that the fraction of liquid phase increases with increasing Ca content at the dendrite coherency point, leading to an increase in secondary phases and increased corrosion rate of Mg-6Zn-0.8Mn-xCa alloys