Effect of Length of External Bar at Soffit on the Performance of Retrofitted RC Beams – A Finite Element Study

This paper presents the results of the finite element study on the effect of length of the external bar at soffit on the flexural behavior of retrofitted RC beams. A reference beam specimen and five retrofitted beam specimens with external bar length as variable were analysed using ANSYS 12.0 software and the results are presented. Initial cracking, performance at yielding of internal bar and at ultimate stage, ductility behavior, formation and propagation of cracks were studied and reported in this paper.Представлены результаты конечноэлементного расчета прогиба модифицированных железобетонных перекрытий с учетом влияния длины внешнего потолочного бруса. С помощью программного пакета ANSYS 12.0 выполнен расчет напряженно-деформированного состояния пяти образцов модифицированных железобетонных перекрытий, усиленных внешним брусом различной длины, и тарировочного образца. Исследованы процессы зарождения трещин, поведение перекрытий при пластической деформации внутреннего бруса и на стадии разрушения, а также закономерности формирования и распространения трещин.Наведено результати скінченноeлементного розрахунку прогину модифікованого залізобетонного перекриття з урахуванням впливу довжини зовнішнього стельового бруса. За допомогою програмного пакета ANSYS 12.0 розраховано напруженодеформований стан п яти зразків модифікованого залізобетонного перекриття, підсиленого зовнішнім брусом різної довжини, і тарувального зразка. Досліджено процеси зародження тріщин, поведінку перекриттів за пластичної деформації внутрішнього бруса і на стадії руйнування, а також закономірності формування і розповсюдження тріщин

A Remotely Operable Facility for Fabrication of Fuel Pins for test Irradiation

AbstractA laboratory scale facility has been set up for fabrication of test fuel pins through sol-gel route for irradiation in FBTR, Kalpakkam. The facility is a train of glove boxes fitted with master slave manipulators for carrying out various operations involved in the fuel fabricat ion process. The paper describes the design features of the equipment and mechanisms for automation, developed for microsphere production and other processes. The design features include control system and vision systems for man- machine interface

The Kynurenine Pathway Metabolites in Cord Blood Positively Correlate With Early Childhood Adiposity

Context The kynurenine pathway generates metabolites integral to energy metabolism, neurotransmission, and immune function. Circulating kynurenine metabolites positively correlate with adiposity in children and adults, yet it is not known whether this relationship is present already at birth. Objective In this prospective longitudinal study, we investigate the relationship between cord blood kynurenine metabolites and measures of adiposity from birth to 4.5 years. Methods Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to quantify cord blood kynurenine metabolites in 812 neonates from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) study. Fat percentage was measured by air displacement plethysmography and abdominal adipose tissue compartment volumes; superficial (sSAT) and deep subcutaneous (dSAT) and internal adipose tissue were quantified by magnetic resonance imaging at early infancy in a smaller subset of neonates, and again at 4 to 4.5 years of age. Results Cord blood kynurenine metabolites appeared to be higher in female newborns, higher in Indian newborns compared with Chinese newborns, and higher in infants born by cesarean section compared with vaginal delivery. Kynurenine, xanthurenic acid, and quinolinic acid were positively associated with birthweight, but not with subsequent weight during infancy and childhood. Quinolinic acid was positively associated with sSAT at birth. Kynurenic acid and quinolinic acid were positively associated with fat percentage at 4 years. Conclusion Several cord blood kynurenine metabolite concentrations were positively associated with birthweight, with higher kynurenic acid and quinolinic acid correlating to higher percentage body fat in childhood, suggesting these cord blood metabolites as biomarkers of early childhood adiposity.Peer reviewe

Integrative multi-omics database (iMOMdb) of Asian pregnant women

Asians are underrepresented across many omics databases, thereby limiting the potential of precision medicine in nearly 60% of the global population. As such, there is a pressing need for multi-omics derived quantitative trait loci (QTLs) to fill the knowledge gap of complex traits in populations of Asian ancestry. Here, we provide the first blood-based multi-omics analysis of Asian pregnant women, constituting high-resolution genotyping (N= 1079), DNA methylation (N=915) and transcriptome profiling (N=238). Integrative omics analysis identified 219 154 CpGs associated with cis-DNA methylation QTLs (meQTLs) and 3703 RNAs associated with cis-RNA expression QTLs (eQTLs). Ethnicity was the largest contributor of inter-individual variation across all omics datasets, with 2561 genes identified as hotspots of this variation; 395 of these hotspot genes also contained both ethnicity-specific eQTLs and meQTLs. Gene set enrichment analysis of these ethnicity QTL hotspots showed pathways involved in lipid metabolism, adaptive immune system and carbohydrate metabolism. Pathway validation by profiling the lipidome (similar to 480 lipids) of antenatal plasma (N = 752) and placenta (N = 1042) in the same cohort showed significant lipid differences among Chinese, Malay and Indian women, validating ethnicity-QTL gene effects across different tissue types. To develop deeper insights into the complex traits and benefit future precision medicine research in Asian pregnant women, we developed iMOMdb, an open-access database.Peer reviewe

Population-based plasma lipidomics reveals developmental changes in metabolism and signatures of obesity risk : a mother-offspring cohort study

Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).Background: Lipids play a vital role in health and disease, but changes to their circulating levels and the link with obesity remain poorly characterized in expecting mothers and their offspring in early childhood. Methods: LC-MS/MS-based quantitation of 480 lipid species was performed on 2491 plasma samples collected at 4 time points in the mother-offspring Asian cohort GUSTO (Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes). These 4 time points constituted samples collected from mothers at 26–28 weeks of gestation (n=752) and 4–5 years postpartum (n=650), and their offspring at birth (n=751) and 6 years of age (n=338). Linear regression models were used to identify the pregnancy and developmental age-specific variations in the plasma lipidomic profiles, and their association with obesity risk. An independent birth cohort (n=1935), the Barwon Infant Study (BIS), comprising mother-offspring dyads of Caucasian origin was used for validation. Results: Levels of 36% of the profiled lipids were significantly higher (absolute fold change > 1.5 and Padj < 0.05) in antenatal maternal circulation as compared to the postnatal phase, with phosphatidylethanolamine levels changing the most. Compared to antenatal maternal lipids, cord blood showed lower concentrations of most lipid species (79%) except lysophospholipids and acylcarnitines. Changes in lipid concentrations from birth to 6 years of age were much higher in magnitude (log2FC=−2.10 to 6.25) than the changes observed between a 6-year-old child and an adult (postnatal mother) (log2FC=−0.68 to 1.18). Associations of cord blood lipidomic profiles with birth weight displayed distinct trends compared to the lipidomic profiles associated with child BMI at 6 years. Comparison of the results between the child and adult BMI identified similarities in association with consistent trends (R2=0.75). However, large number of lipids were associated with BMI in adults (67%) compared to the children (29%). Pre-pregnancy BMI was specifically associated with decrease in the levels of phospholipids, sphingomyelin, and several triacylglycerol species in pregnancy. Conclusions: In summary, our study provides a detailed landscape of the in utero lipid environment provided by the gestating mother to the growing fetus, and the magnitude of changes in plasma lipidomic profiles from birth to early childhood. We identified the effects of adiposity on the circulating lipid levels in pregnant and non-pregnant women as well as offspring at birth and at 6 years of age. Additionally, the pediatric vs maternal overlap of the circulating lipid phenotype of obesity risk provides intergenerational insights and early opportunities to track and intervene the onset of metabolic adversities. Clinical trial registration: This birth cohort is a prospective observational study, which was registered on 1 July 2010 under the identifier NCT01174875.Peer reviewe

E2F5 status significantly improves malignancy diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ovarian epithelial cancer (OEC) usually presents in the later stages of the disease. Factors, especially those associated with cell-cycle genes, affecting the genesis and tumour progression for ovarian cancer are largely unknown. We hypothesized that over-expressed transcription factors (TFs), as well as those that are driving the expression of the OEC over-expressed genes, could be the key for OEC genesis and potentially useful tissue and serum markers for malignancy associated with OEC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using a combination of computational (selection of candidate TF markers and malignancy prediction) and experimental approaches (tissue microarray and western blotting on patient samples) we identified and evaluated E2F5 transcription factor involved in cell proliferation, as a promising candidate regulatory target in early stage disease. Our hypothesis was supported by our tissue array experiments that showed E2F5 expression only in OEC samples but not in normal and benign tissues, and by significantly positively biased expression in serum samples done using western blotting studies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analysis of clinical cases shows that of the E2F5 status is characteristic for a different population group than one covered by CA125, a conventional OEC biomarker. E2F5 used in different combinations with CA125 for distinguishing malignant cyst from benign cyst shows that the presence of CA125 or E2F5 increases sensitivity of OEC detection to 97.9% (an increase from 87.5% if only CA125 is used) and, more importantly, the presence of both CA125 and E2F5 increases specificity of OEC to 72.5% (an increase from 55% if only CA125 is used). This significantly improved accuracy suggests possibility of an improved diagnostics of OEC. Furthermore, detection of malignancy status in 86 cases (38 benign, 48 early and late OEC) shows that the use of E2F5 status in combination with other clinical characteristics allows for an improved detection of malignant cases with sensitivity, specificity, F-measure and accuracy of 97.92%, 97.37%, 97.92% and 97.67%, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Overall, our findings, in addition to opening a realistic possibility for improved OEC diagnosis, provide an indirect evidence that a cell-cycle regulatory protein E2F5 might play a significant role in OEC pathogenesis.</p

Co-limitation towards lower latitudes shapes global forest diversity gradients

The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is one of the most recognized global patterns of species richness exhibited across a wide range of taxa. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed in the past two centuries to explain LDG, but rigorous tests of the drivers of LDGs have been limited by a lack of high-quality global species richness data. Here we produce a high-resolution (0.025° × 0.025°) map of local tree species richness using a global forest inventory database with individual tree information and local biophysical characteristics from ~1.3 million sample plots. We then quantify drivers of local tree species richness patterns across latitudes. Generally, annual mean temperature was a dominant predictor of tree species richness, which is most consistent with the metabolic theory of biodiversity (MTB). However, MTB underestimated LDG in the tropics, where high species richness was also moderated by topographic, soil and anthropogenic factors operating at local scales. Given that local landscape variables operate synergistically with bioclimatic factors in shaping the global LDG pattern, we suggest that MTB be extended to account for co-limitation by subordinate drivers

Co-limitation towards lower latitudes shapes global forest diversity gradients

The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is one of the most recognized global patterns of species richness exhibited across a wide range of taxa. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed in the past two centuries to explain LDG, but rigorous tests of the drivers of LDGs have been limited by a lack of high-quality global species richness data. Here we produce a high-resolution (0.025° × 0.025°) map of local tree species richness using a global forest inventory database with individual tree information and local biophysical characteristics from ~1.3 million sample plots. We then quantify drivers of local tree species richness patterns across latitudes. Generally, annual mean temperature was a dominant predictor of tree species richness, which is most consistent with the metabolic theory of biodiversity (MTB). However, MTB underestimated LDG in the tropics, where high species richness was also moderated by topographic, soil and anthropogenic factors operating at local scales. Given that local landscape variables operate synergistically with bioclimatic factors in shaping the global LDG pattern, we suggest that MTB be extended to account for co-limitation by subordinate drivers

Strategy for large???scale monolithic Perovskite/Silicon tandem solar cell: A review of recent progress

For any solar cell technology to reach the final mass-production/commercialization stage, it must meet all technological, economic, and social criteria such as high efficiency, large-area scalability, long-term stability, price competitiveness, and environmental friendliness of constituent materials. Until now, various solar cell technologies have been proposed and investigated, but only crystalline silicon, CdTe, and CIGS technologies have overcome the threshold of mass-production/commercialization. Recently, a perovskite/silicon (PVK/Si) tandem solar cell technology with high efficiency of 29.1% has been reported, which exceeds the theoretical limit of single-junction solar cells as well as the efficiency of stand-alone silicon or perovskite solar cells. The International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics (ITRPV) predicts that silicon-based tandem solar cells will account for about 5% market share in 2029 and among various candidates, the combination of silicon and perovskite is the most likely scenario. Here, we classify and review the PVK/Si tandem solar cell technology in terms of homo- and hetero-junction silicon solar cells, the doping type of the bottom silicon cell, and the corresponding so-called normal and inverted structure of the top perovskite cell, along with mechanical and monolithic tandemization schemes. In particular, we review and discuss the recent advances in manufacturing top perovskite cells using solution and vacuum deposition technology for large-area scalability and specific issues of recombination layers and top transparent electrodes for large-area PVK/Si tandem solar cells, which are indispensable for the final commercialization of tandem solar cells