•The pozzolanic reaction of CBP contributes to the compressive strength of mortars.•Hydration products of blended pastes contain CH, C-S-H, C-A-H and C-A-S-H gels.•The pozzolanic reaction of CBP ...mainly occurs between 60 days to 90 days.
Recycled clay brick powder (CBP) from waste clay bricks was utilized as a supplementary cementitious material to partially replace cement to prepare cement pastes or mortars. The compressive strength, hydration products and microstructure of these blended samples under different curing time were investigated to explore the pozzolanic reaction of CBP. The results showed that the compressive strength of mortars contained CBP decreased gradually with the replacement level of CBP increasing at early age. However, the compressive strength of blended mortars developed gradually at later curing time and the mortar contained 20% achieved the highest compressive strength of 62.2 MPa at 90 days. The XRD results demonstrated that the addition of CBP resulted in the formation of C-A-H gel in blended pastes after 28 days. SEM pictures also found that the microstructure of blended pastes became more compact with curing time increasing, and SEM-EDS demonstrated that C-A-S-H gel was produced in blended pastes. Finally, it could be concluded that C-A-H and C-A-S-H gel were produced due to the pozzolanic reaction of CBP and the microstructure of specimens with CBP became more compact, which lead to compressive strength of blended specimens increasing gradually.
The penetration paths of chloride ions in recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) are of significant interest and have not been well studied previously. This study used X-ray computed tomography (X-CT) as ...a novel approach to investigate chloride ion penetration paths in RAC. The results indicate that X-CT can be used for the constant monitoring of chloride ion penetration paths in RAC, and the influence of mix proportions on the chloride ion penetration can be understood through the X-CT visualization.
•Adjusting the pH of HPG would lead to abnormal setting and strength degradation.•Excessive SL can promote the rehydration of HPG resulting in dense microstructure.•The formation of Ca3(PO4)2 under ...alkaline condition influence the hydration process of HPG and gypsum morphology.•A saturated solution of calcium hydroxide is needed for HPG during hydration in order to achieve better performance.
Pretreatment is very important for the application of phosphogypsum (PG), but it is seldom adopted in practise due to high investment and costs. In order to promote the application of PG, post treatment of hemihydrate phosphogypsum (HPG) by addition of slaked lime (SL) was investigated. As an alkaline additive, SL can neutralize HPG. In addition, the interaction of HPG and SL can not possibly be avoided, because SL is generally presented in composite binder and it is also the hydration product of cement based materials which are widely used. Therefore, the hydration process, setting and hardening characters of HPG with different SL contents at a constant water/powder ratio were studied in detail. It was found that small amounts of SL can neutralize HPG but lead to super retardation and strength degradation due to the formation of calcium phosphate which would hinder the dissolution of HPG and alter the morphology of gypsum from needle-like to tiny crystal with little interlocking. Surprisingly, the addition of excessive SL regardless of pH would promote the rehydration of HPG and eliminate the influence of calcium phosphate contributing to the comparable strength and normal setting possibly due to the preferential precipitation mechanism of calcium phosphate. This important finding could be translated into specific design guidelines for post treatment.
Several action regimes were employed, namely, those exposed to solutions containing single and/or composite chloride and sulfate salts, and under wet-dry cycles and/or flexural loading. The ...variations in dynamic modulus of elasticity（Erd values） were monitored, as well as the key factor impacting on the chloride ingress when concrete subjected to multiple action regimes was identified by the method of Grey Relation Analysis（GRA）. The changes in micro-structures and mineral products of interior concrete after different action regimes were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction（XRD）, mercury intrusion technique（MIP）, and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. The test results showed that the cyclic wet-dry accelerated the deterioration of OPC concrete more than the action of 35% flexural loading based on the results of Erd values and the GEA. The analyses from micro-structures could give certain explanations to the change in Erd values under different action regimes.
Stylosanthes sp. is the most important forage legume in tropical areas worldwide. Stylosanthes anthracnose, which is mainly caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, is a globally severe disease in ...stylo production. Little progress has been made in anthracnose molecular pathogenesis research. In this study, Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation was used to transform Stylosanthes colletotrichum strain CH008. The major factors of the genetic transformation system of S. colletotrichum were optimized as follows: A. tumefaciens' AGL-1 concentration (OD(600)), 0.8; concentration of Colletotrichum conidium, 1 × 10(6) conidia/mL; acetosyringone concentration, 100 mmol/L; induction time, 6 h; co-culture temperature, 25 °C; and co-culture time, 3 d. Thus, the transformation efficiency was increased to 300-400 transformants per 106 conidia. Based on the optimized system, a mutant library containing 4616 mutants was constructed, from which some mutants were randomly selected for analysis. Results show that the mutants were single copies that could be stably inherited. The growth rate, spore amount, spore germination rate, and appressorium formation rate in some mutants were significantly different from those in the wild-type strain. We then selected the most appropriate method for the preliminary screening and re-screening of each mutant's pathogenic defects. We selected 1230 transformants, and obtained 23 strains with pathogenic defects, namely, 18 strains with reduced pathogenicity and five strains with lost pathogenicity. Thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR was used to identify the transfer DNA (T-DNA) integration site in the mutant that was coded 2430, and a sequence of 476 bp was obtained. The flanking sequence of T-DNA was compared with the Colletotrichum genome by BLAST, and a sequence of 401 bp was found in Contig464 of the Colletotrichum genome. By predicting the function of the flanking sequence, we discovered that T-DNA insertion in the promoter region of the putative gene had 79% homology with the aspartate aminotransferase gene in Magnaporthe oryzae (XP_003719674.1).
Aberrant expression of Aurora A kinase has been frequently implicated in many cancers and contributes to chromosome instability and phosphorylation-mediated ubiquitylation and degradation of p53 for ...tumorigenesis. Previous studies showed that p53 is degraded by Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) encoded latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) through its SOCS-box (suppressor of cytokine signaling, LANA(SOCS)) motif-mediated recruitment of the EC(5)S ubiquitin complex. Here we demonstrate that Aurora A transcriptional expression is upregulated by LANA and markedly elevated in both Kaposi's sarcoma tissue and human primary cells infected with KSHV. Moreover, reintroduction of Aurora A dramatically enhances the binding affinity of p53 with LANA and LANA(SOCS)-mediated ubiquitylation of p53 which requires phosphorylation on Ser215 and Ser315. Small hairpin RNA or a dominant negative mutant of Aurora A kinase efficiently disrupts LANA-induced p53 ubiquitylation and degradation, and leads to induction of p53 transcriptional and apoptotic activities. These studies provide new insights into the mechanisms by which LANA can upregulate expression of a cellular oncogene and simultaneously destabilize the activities of the p53 tumor suppressor in KSHV-associated human cancers.
Agave species are an important family of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants with remarkable tolerance to heat and drought stresses (Agave deserti) in arid regions and multiple agricultural ...applications, such as spirit (Agave tequilana) and fiber (Agave sisalana) production. The agave genomes are commonly too large to sequence, which has significantly restricted our understanding to the molecular basis of stress tolerance and economic traits in agaves. In this study, we collected three transcriptome databases for comparison to reveal the phylogenic relationships and evolution patterns of the three agave species. The results indicated the close but distinctly domesticated relations between A. tequilana and A. sisalana. Natural abiotic and biotic selections are very important factors that have contributed to distinct economic traits in agave domestication together with artificial selection. Besides, a series of candidate unigenes regulating fructan, fiber, and stress response-related traits were identified in A. tequilana, A. sisalana, and A. deserti, respectively. This study represents the first transcriptome comparison within domesticated and wild agaves, which would serve as a guidance for further studies on agave evolution, environmental adaptation, and improvement of economically important traits.
A novel flame-retardant ternary composite of polymer/crosslinked rubber/nano-Magnesium hydroxide (MH), prepared by blending thermoplastic polymer with a special compound powder of crosslinked ...rubber/nano-MH, was introduced in this paper. The special compound powder of crosslinked rubber/nano-MH was prepared by co-spray drying the fluid mixture of nano-MH slurry and irradiated rubber latex. The cone testing results showed that the new flame-retardant ternary composite had better flame retardancy than the composite obtained by conventional process, such as longer “Time to ignition” and lower “mean heat release rate in initial time”. Thermogravimetry and transmission electron microscope were used to analyze the reason of different flame retardancy. It is found that more uniform dispersion of nano-MH in the new ternary composite than in conventional one maybe the main reason for better flame retardancy.
•Properties of RCPs and RBPs with different fineness were comparatively studied.•A detrimental RCP particle-cement paste interfacial zone is captured.•RBP shows the potential availability for ...replacing partial cement.
Considerable amounts of hybrid powder are produced when recycled aggregate is being prepared. An economic and environmental-friendly method of treatment is to take this recycled hybrid powder (RHP) as a sort of supplementary cementitious material for concrete and mortar. However, the application of RHP requires a deep understanding of its capacity and limitations, which relies on the clarity of properties possessed by the single powder contained in it. Therefore, in this study, the properties of recycled concrete powder (RCP) and recycled brick powder (RBP) as well as the impact of their incorporation on the mortar properties were investigated. The results showed that RBP had a lower negative impact on the workability of mortar than RCP due to its lower specific surface area and porosity. The water requirement ratios of RBPs and RCPs with different levels of fineness varied from 103 to 105% and from 110 to 114%, respectively. The activity indexes of RBPs reached the range between 82 and 87% at 90 days as a result of the pozzolanic effect, while those of RCPs varied from 72 to 78%. Moreover, RBP exhibited an excellent contribution to the flexural strength, which was ascribed to its favourable interfacial bonding with cement paste. Mercury intrusion porosimetry analysis also indicated that the addition of RBP led to a refined pore structure by reducing the average pore diameter. Notably, an improved shrinkage resistance was achieved by the incorporation of high-fineness RBP. A detrimental RCP particle-cement paste interfacial zone was observed in RCP-containing mortars, which was speculated to be an important reason for the appreciable decline in mechanical and durability-related properties.
Background
The berberine (Ber) is an isoquinoline alkaloid compound extracted from Rhizoma coptidis and has the effect that reduces adipose. MicroRNA‐192 (miR‐192) is related to fat metabolism. ...However, the relevant mechanism of berberine on lipid metabolism during in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine oocytes remains unclear.
Objectives
In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism by which berberine promotes the IVM and lipid metabolism of porcine oocytes via miR‐192.
Methods
Ber was added to IVM medium of porcine oocytes. MiR‐192 agomir, miR‐192 antagomir and negative control fragment were microinjected into the cytoplasm of oocytes without Ber. Rates of oocyte IVM and embryonic development in each group were observed. The content of lipid droplets in IVM oocytes in each group was analyzed by Nile red staining. Expression levels of miR‐192 and FABP3, SREBF1 and PPARG, were detected by qPCR and western blotting. The target genes of miR‐192 were determined by luciferase reporter assays.
Results and Conclusions
We found that Ber significantly increased the rate of oocytes IVM and blastocyst development, and decreased the area and numbers of lipid droplets in IVM oocytes. Ber significantly increased the expression of miR‐192 in IVM oocytes, and significantly decreased the expression of SREBF1 and PPARG, which were target genes of miR‐192. This study indicates that Ber promotes lipid metabolism in porcine oocytes by activating the expression of miR‐192 and down‐regulating SREBF1 and PPARG, thus, improving IVM of porcine oocytes.
This study investigated the molecular mechanism of Berberine (Ber) promoting the in vitro maturation (IVM) and lipid metabolism of porcine oocytes via miR‐192. The results suggest that Ber promotes lipid metabolism in IVM porcine oocytes and improves oocyte IVM by activating miR‐192 and downregulating SREBF1 and PPARG.
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