Experimental Study of Chloride Resistance of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete with Fly Ash and Modeling.

Herein, the paper reports an experimental investigation lasting one year on the chloride resistance of polypropylene fiber (PF) reinforced concrete with fly ash (FA). Four influential factors at four levels were studied, viz. water to binder ratio (w/b) (0.53, 0.34, 0.29, and 0.25), PF dosage (0%, 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.1% in volume basis of the total volume of concrete), FA content (0%, 15%, 25%, and 35% in mass substitution ratio of cement) and concentration of NaCl solution (0%, 3%, 5%, and 7%). Dry-wet cyclic immersion and long-term soaking were taken into consideration in addition to the aforementioned factors. A L16(44) orthogonal table was used to sequence influencing factors and to determine the optimal combination. Results showed that 7% NaCl solution caused the highest chloride content in 0-5 mm depth, whilst the w/b ratio of 0.25 curbed the chloride penetration within 10 mm even for concrete subjected to dry-wet cyclic immersion for 360 d. Subsequently, a respond surface model (RSM) basing on polynomials was constructed to visually evaluate the effect of PF dosage and FA content. Results clarified that a cubic model was more precise and PF dosage and FA content turned out to have the positive facilitation to chloride resistance. The positive effect of PF however is not consistent and commensurate for concrete with varied fly ash content. Finally, a fuzzy logic based nonlinear model accommodating all seven influencing factors was verified to be proper and adaptive in predicting chloride content.

Electric pulse stimulation inhibited lipid accumulation on C2C12 myotubes incubated with oleic acid and palmitic acid.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of electrical pulse stimulation (EPS) on lipid accumulation and alteration of fatty acid-related enzymes in C2C12 myotubes incubated with fatty acids. METHODS: Mouse C2C12 myotubes were incubated with oleic acid and palmitic acid, and differentiated C2C12 myotubes were treated with EPS, oil-red O (ORO), BODIPY staining and triglyceride (TG) content were examined. Total RNA was isolated, and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed. RESULTS: (1) EPS decreased TG content (p < .01). (2) EPS significantly induced the mRNA expression of FAD/CD36 (p < .05), FATP4 (p < .001), FABP1 (p < .01) and FABP5 (p < .01). (3) EPS significantly inhibited the mRNA expression of fatty acid synthase (p < .01). (4) Adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone-sensitive lipase expression were significantly elevated (p < .001), and induced the mRNA expression of CPT1 (p < .01), ACOX1 (p < .05), UCP3 (p < .05) and PPARα (p < .001) after EPS. CONCLUSION: EPS reduced lipid droplet accumulation; enhanced CD36, FATP4, FABP1 and FABP5 expression; inhibited C2C12 myotube fatty acid re-esterification; and promoted fatty acid oxidation in C2C12 myotubes.

Association of adenylate cyclase-2 gene polymorphism with bipolar disorder.

The pathogenesis of the Bipolar Disorder(BPD) is still unclear. Some studies suggest that abnormal signal transduction in specific pathways may play an important role in the pathogenesis of BPD (Sui et al., 2015). Adenylate cyclase (ADCY) is an essential component of the adenylate signaling pathway. Previous studies have shown that some SNPs within the adenylate cyclase gene could affect the therapeutic response to mood stabilizers and antidepressants. Moreover, in 2014, one whole-genome study suggested that the ADCY-2 gene may be associated with BPD (Mühleisen et al., 2014). This study aims to investigate the association between ADCY-2 gene polymorphism and BPD in Chinese Han population.

Sulfur Dioxide Degradation by Composite Photocatalysts Prepared by Recycled Fine Aggregates and Nanoscale Titanium Dioxide.

To alleviate the heavy burden on landfilling, construction and demolition wastes (C&DWs) are recycled and reused as aggregates in cementitious materials. However, the inherent characteristics of recycled fine aggregates (RFA), such as the high crushing index and high-water absorption, magnify the reusing difficulty. Nevertheless, attributing to the high porosity and high level of calcium hydroxides existing in the old mortar, RFA is featured with a high specific surface area and a high alkalinity. These features are useful to augment the total photo-degradation of SO2 by nano-TiO2 (NT) intermixed mortar, leading RFA to be an excellent potential carrier to load nano-TiO2 and prepare the composite photocatalyst. Hence, this study proposed to load NT onto the surface of RFAs and river sands (RSs) (the control) by the soaking method, preparing composite photocatalysts denoted as NT@RFA and NT@RS, respectively. The prepared composite photocatalysts were then utilized as sands in photocatalytic mortar to evaluate for SO2 degradation. Experiments identified a 50% higher amount of NT was loaded onto the surface of FRA relative to the control. This higher loading amount plus higher alkalinity ultimately translated into a higher photocatalytic activity. In addition, the mortar containing NT@RFA exhibited 46.3% higher physiochemical absorption and 23.9% higher photocatalytic activity than that containing NT@RS. In addition, the durability, embodied by the reuse and anti-abrasive properties, of NT@RFA exceeded that of NT@RS. The overall findings reveal that the NT@RFA not only garners beneficial effect from the high porosity but also generates positive effect from the high alkalinity. Though a number of studies deal with building materials with NT, this study is the first to load NT onto RFA and prepare composite photocatalysts which were then used as fine aggregates in building materials. Consequently, this study proves the potential high-added-value reusability of RFA in green construction materials and provides a low-cost, high-efficiency approach to degrade atmospheric SO2.

[Effects of Coriaria Sinica Maxim's extract on microcirculation and oxidative stress of wounds in rats with deep second-degree burn].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Coriaria Sinica Maxim's extract(CSME) on microcirculation and oxidative stress of wounds in rats with deep second-degree burn. METHODS: One hundred and eighty rats were randomly divided into normal saline group(NS), white petroleum group(WPL), silver sulfadiazine group (SSD), Coriariasinica Maxim's extract group which were divided into low dose(CSME-L),middle dose(CSME-M) and high dose(CSME-H). After anesthesia with burn instrument to burn the hair removal area of rats, these wounds were confirmed by pathological results with deep second degree burns.And then,those drugs were applied respectively on the wounds,such as NS、WPL、SSD and different concentrations of CSME. After injury at 48 h, 7 d, 14 d and 21 d,the healing rate(HR) of wound was measured, and the microvessel density (MVD), tissue moisture (TM), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), model driven architecture (MDA), superoxide dismutase(SOD) and hydroxyproline(HYP) were detected, too. All pathological sections of the wound tissue were observed. RESULTS: The HR of CSME groups were obviously increased with a dose-dependent manner, which was significantly higher than that of NS and WPL (P<0.05); On the 21st day, the diameter, number, distribution of the vessels and and the TM were less than other groups with a dose-dependent manner; On the 7th and 14th day after injury, CSME groups were significantly higher than the NS, WPL and SSD with a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05), but, on the 21st day after injury, they were lower than NS, WPL and SSD with a dose-dependent (P<0.05) manner. The levels of SOD, HYP, NO and ET in CSME groups were higher than those in other groups with dose-dependent on SOD activity, HYP, NO and ET content (P<0.05), while MDA activity was weaker than other groups (P<0.05). Similarly, pathological findings were also shown that CSME groups were better than other groups with a dose-dependent manner in decrease decreasing of wound repair time and hyperplasia of scar tissue. CONCLUSIONS: CSME can relieve tissue edema, promote wound contraction, speed up the formation of eschar and accelerate the proliferation of granulation tissue, which are beneficial to the wound healing in the early stages. But, it can inhibit the hyperplasia of granulation tissue to prevent the excessive scar hyperplasia of burn wound in the later stages. Its mechanism is related to regulation what microcirculation, oxidativestress, NO and VEGF.

Effect of Agriculture and Construction Wastes on the Properties of Magnesium Oxychloride Cement Mortar with Tourmaline Powder.

This research attempted to develop an environmentally-friendly functional building mortar by the combined use of agriculture wastes (agro-wastes) and construction wastes in magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC). The agro-wastes referred to corn stalk (CS) and saw dust (SD), which were used to improve the flexural properties of host cementitious material, whilst the construction wastes referred to recycled clay brick powder (CBP), which was employed to enhance compressive strength and water resistance. Moreover, tourmaline powder (TP) was added as a negative ion-inducing admixture, at a fixed dosage of 10% by weight of MgO, to bestow air-improving functions on the end products. Results showed the flexural strength of MOC was enhanced by the addition of CS and SD. Besides, the incorporation of CBP improved the water resistance in a dosage-dependent way. In addition, the specimens containing CS and SD also had better negative ion-inducing performance due to their higher porosity. Overall, the study provided a feasible and attractive approach to recycle agro- and construction wastes for the production of air purifying mortar. The developed mortar possesses an eco-friendly nature (simultaneous reuse of various waste materials and improvement of the air quality).