Genetic Sharing with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Diabetes Reveals Novel Bone Mineral Density Loci.

Bone Mineral Density (BMD) is a highly heritable trait, but genome-wide association studies have identified few genetic risk factors. Epidemiological studies suggest associations between BMD and several traits and diseases, but the nature of the suggestive comorbidity is still unknown. We used a novel genetic pleiotropy-informed conditional False Discovery Rate (FDR) method to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BMD by leveraging cardiovascular disease (CVD) associated disorders and metabolic traits. By conditioning on SNPs associated with the CVD-related phenotypes, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, triglycerides and waist hip ratio, we identified 65 novel independent BMD loci (26 with femoral neck BMD and 47 with lumbar spine BMD) at conditional FDR < 0.01. Many of the loci were confirmed in genetic expression studies. Genes validated at the mRNA levels were characteristic for the osteoblast/osteocyte lineage, Wnt signaling pathway and bone metabolism. The results provide new insight into genetic mechanisms of variability in BMD, and a better understanding of the genetic underpinnings of clinical comorbidity

Search for gravitational-wave transients associated with magnetar bursts in advanced LIGO and advanced Virgo data from the third observing run

Gravitational waves are expected to be produced from neutron star oscillations associated with magnetar giant f lares and short bursts. We present the results of a search for short-duration (milliseconds to seconds) and longduration (∼100 s) transient gravitational waves from 13 magnetar short bursts observed during Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo, and KAGRA’s third observation run. These 13 bursts come from two magnetars, SGR1935 +2154 and SwiftJ1818.0−1607. We also include three other electromagnetic burst events detected by FermiGBM which were identified as likely coming from one or more magnetars, but they have no association with a known magnetar. No magnetar giant flares were detected during the analysis period. We find no evidence of gravitational waves associated with any of these 16 bursts. We place upper limits on the rms of the integrated incident gravitational-wave strain that reach 3.6 × 10−²³ Hz at 100 Hz for the short-duration search and 1.1 ×10−²² Hz at 450 Hz for the long-duration search. For a ringdown signal at 1590 Hz targeted by the short-duration search the limit is set to 2.3 × 10−²² Hz. Using the estimated distance to each magnetar, we derive upper limits upper limits on the emitted gravitational-wave energy of 1.5 × 1044 erg (1.0 × 1044 erg) for SGR 1935+2154 and 9.4 × 10^43 erg (1.3 × 1044 erg) for Swift J1818.0−1607, for the short-duration (long-duration) search. Assuming isotropic emission of electromagnetic radiation of the burst fluences, we constrain the ratio of gravitational-wave energy to electromagnetic energy for bursts from SGR 1935+2154 with the available fluence information. The lowest of these ratios is 4.5 × 103

Salt scaling resistance of 3D printed concrete

Extrusion-based 3D concrete printing is an emerging technology in the construction field due to the many advantages associated with it as compared to conventional mould casting technology. However, many aspects like durability and long-term service performance are yet to be investigated in detail. The present study focuses on understanding the salt scaling resistance of 3D printed concrete samples. 3D printed concrete samples were prepared with a Portland cement mixture on the one hand and a mixture containing a blend of Portland cement and blast furnace slag on the other hand. The printed samples were subjected to freeze and thaw cycles with a 3% saltwater concentration. It was observed that the 3D printed samples exhibited better resistance against salt scaling compared to the mould cast samples made with the same mixture. The pore structure of the 3D printed samples was characterized by mercury intrusion porosimetry. It was observed that the presence of a higher amount of interconnected and coarser pores at the interlayer region of the 3D printed samples, acting like pockets of air voids, facilitates the release of ice crystallization pressure during the freezing phase. The study gives insights into the durability characteristics and feasibility of using 3D printed concrete elements exposed to aggressive environmental conditions

Transport properties of 3D printed concrete elements

Extrusion-based concrete 3D printing is getting broader attention in academia and industry. However, the larger interconnected pores at the interlayer region reduce the mechanical integrity and durability performance of 3D printed concrete elements. The present study investigates the influence of layer improvement techniques on the transport properties of 3D printed elements. Printed concrete wall elements were prepared with and without fresh cement paste applied in between the layers. The transport of chloride and moisture was investigated by measuring the non-steady-state migration coefficient and the conductivity. It was observed that the application of fresh cement paste at the interlayer decreased the migration coefficient as compared to the printed samples without cement paste in between the layers. The study gives further insights into the transport of ions through the interconnected interlayer region and the influence of the interlayer bond improvement technique on the transport properties

Recent progress and technical challenges in using calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement

Calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement can be used as a replacement for Portland cement to reduce CO2 emissions. However, the performance of CSA cement remains unknown with regard to its hydration mechanism, mechanical and long-term performance. Therefore, it would be beneficial to consolidate the literature on CSA cement to facilitate its use in the construction industry. To this end, recent progress and technical challenges of using CSA cement are discussed in this paper. We begin with the introduction of the different types of CSA cement and the manufacturing process. This is followed by a detailed discussion on the hydration mechanisms and phase assemblage, mechanical performance, and long-term durability of CSA cement. Finally, the applications of CSA cement are discussed

Salt scaling resistance of 3D printed concrete

Extrusion-based 3D concrete printing is an emerging technology in the construction field due to the many advantages associated with it as compared to conventional mould casting technology. However, many aspects like durability and long-term service performance are yet to be investigated in detail. The present study focuses on understanding the salt scaling resistance of 3D printed concrete samples. 3D printed concrete samples were prepared with a Portland cement mixture on the one hand and a mixture containing a blend of Portland cement and blast furnace slag on the other hand. The printed samples were subjected to freeze and thaw cycles with a 3% saltwater concentration. It was observed that the 3D printed samples exhibited better resistance against salt scaling compared to the mould cast samples made with the same mixture. The pore structure of the 3D printed samples was characterized by mercury intrusion porosimetry. It was observed that the presence of a higher amount of interconnected and coarser pores at the interlayer region of the 3D printed samples, acting like pockets of air voids, facilitates the release of ice crystallization pressure during the freezing phase. The study gives insights into the durability characteristics and feasibility of using 3D printed concrete elements exposed to aggressive environmental conditions.Extrusion-based 3D concrete printing is an emerging technology in the construction field due to the many advantages associated with it as compared to conventional mould casting technology. However, many aspects like durability and long-term service performance are yet to be investigated in detail. The present study focuses on understanding the salt scaling resistance of 3D printed concrete samples. 3D printed concrete samples were prepared with a Portland cement mixture on the one hand and a mixture containing a blend of Portland cement and blast furnace slag on the other hand. The printed samples were subjected to freeze and thaw cycles with a 3% saltwater concentration. It was observed that the 3D printed samples exhibited better resistance against salt scaling compared to the mould cast samples made with the same mixture. The pore structure of the 3D printed samples was characterized by mercury intrusion porosimetry. It was observed that the presence of a higher amount of interconnected and coarser pores at the interlayer region of the 3D printed samples, acting like pockets of air voids, facilitates the release of ice crystallization pressure during the freezing phase. The study gives insights into the durability characteristics and feasibility of using 3D printed concrete elements exposed to aggressive environmental conditions.C