Mcmillanclancy5305

The research study described in this paper investigated the potential to use steel furnace slag (SFS) as a stabilizing additive for clayey soils. Even though SFS has limited applications in civil engineering infrastructure due to the formation of deleterious expansion in the presence of water, the free CaO and free MgO contents allow for the SFS to be a potentially suitable candidate for clayey soil stabilization and improvement. In this investigation, a kaolinite clay was stabilized with 10% and 15% ladle metallurgy furnace (LMF) slag fines by weight. This experimental study also included testing of the SFS mixtures with the activator calcium chloride (CaCl2), which was hypothesized to accelerate the hydration of the dicalcium silicate phase in the SFS, but the results show that the addition of CaCl2 was not found to be effective. Relative to the unmodified clay, the unconfined compressive strength increased by 67% and 91% when 10% and 15% LMF slag were utilized, respectively. Likewise, the dynamic modulus increased by 212% and 221% by adding 10% and 15% LMF slag, respectively. Specifically, the LMF slag fines are posited to primarily contribute to a mechanical rather than chemical stabilization mechanism. Overall, these findings suggest the effective utilization of SFS as a soil stabilization admixture to overcome problems associated with dispersive soils, but further research is required.The microstructure evolution, tensile properties and work-hardening behavior of AA2219 alloy reinforced by in situ nanosized TiB2 particles were studied in this paper. The observation indicated an impeded recrystallization of the matrix alloy by nanosized TiB2 particles, and the hybrids of nanosized TiB2 particles and Al2Cu phases located at the grain boundary hindered the grain growth. Meanwhile, a large amount fiber textures of //ND were detected in nanosized TiB2/AA2219 composite. Tensile test results exhibited a combination of good strength and ductility of the present composite whose yield strength and tensile strength were 11.4% and 5.8% higher than those of the alloy, while its fracture strain increased slightly. Meanwhile, the correlation between this modified microstructure of nanosized TiB2 particles and comprehensive mechanical properties was established. This study provides a new insight into the fabrication and strengthening behaviors of Al matrix composites reinforced by in situ nanoparticles.Chitosan has emerged as a biodegradable, nontoxic polymer with multiple beneficial applications in the agricultural and biomedical sectors. As nanotechnology has evolved as a promising field, researchers have incorporated chitosan-based nanomaterials in a variety of products to enhance their efficacy and biocompatibility. Moreover, due to its inherent antimicrobial and chelating properties, and the availability of modifiable functional groups, chitosan nanoparticles were also directly used in a variety of applications. In this review, the use of chitosan-based nanomaterials in agricultural and biomedical fields related to the management of abiotic stress in plants, water availability for crops, controlling foodborne pathogens, and cancer photothermal therapy is discussed, with some insights into the possible mechanisms of action. Additionally, the toxicity arising from the accumulation of these nanomaterials in biological systems and future research avenues that had gained limited attention from the scientific community are discussed here. Overall, chitosan-based nanomaterials show promising characteristics for sustainable agricultural practices and effective healthcare in an eco-friendly manner.Polymer-matrix composites degrade under the influence of UV radiation in the range of the 290-400 nm band. The degradation of polymer-matrix composites exposed to UV radiation is characterized by extensive aging of the epoxy matrix, resulting in deterioration of their mechanical properties. Glass fibers/epoxy resin composites were made by an out-of-autoclave method whereas a fiber optic sensor was placed between different layers of laminates. In our work, we used a fiber Bragg grating sensor covered with graphene oxide and embedded in a polymer matrix composite to monitor UV radiation intensity. Measurements of UV radiation may allow monitoring the aging process of individual components of the polymer composite. In order to estimate the number of microcracks of epoxy resin, microstructure observations were carried out using a scanning electron microscope.Multidrug efflux pumps play an essential role in antibiotic resistance. EN450 order The conventional methods, including minimum inhibitory concentration and fluorescent assays, to monitor transporter efflux activity might have some drawbacks, such as indirect evidence or interference from color molecules. In this study, MALDI-TOF MS use was explored for monitoring drug efflux by a multidrug transporter, and the results were compared for validation with the data from conventional methods. Minimum inhibitory concentration was used first to evaluate the activity of Escherichia coli drug transporter AcrB, and this analysis showed that the E. coli overexpressing AcrB exhibited elevated resistance to various antibiotics and dyes. Fluorescence-based studies indicated that AcrB in E. coli could decrease the accumulation of intracellular dyes and display various efflux rate constants for different dyes, suggesting AcrB's efflux activity. The MALDI-TOF MS analysis parameters were optimized to maintain a detection accuracy for AcrB's substrates; furthermore, the MS data showed that E. coli overexpressing AcrB led to increased ions abundancy of various dyes and drugs in the extracellular space at different rates over time, illustrating continuous substrate efflux by AcrB. This study concluded that MALDI-TOF MS is a reliable method that can rapidly determine the drug pump efflux activity for various substrates.Oxidation resistance gene 1 (OXR1) is essential for protection against oxidative stress in mammals, but its functions in non-mammalian vertebrates, especially in fish, remain uncertain. Here, we created a homozygous oxr1a-knockout zebrafish via the CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR associated protein 9) system. Compared with wild-type (WT) zebrafish, oxr1a-/- mutants exhibited higher mortality and more apoptotic cells under oxidative stress, and multiple antioxidant genes (i.e., gpx1b, gpx4a, gpx7 and sod3a) involved in detoxifying cellular reactive oxygen species were downregulated significantly. Based on these observations, we conducted a comparative transcriptome analysis of early oxidative stress response. The results show that oxr1a mutation caused more extensive changes in transcriptional networks compared to WT zebrafish, and several stress response and pro-inflammatory pathways in oxr1a-/- mutant zebrafish were strongly induced. More importantly, we only observed the activation of the p53 signaling and apoptosis pathway in oxr1a-/- mutant zebrafish, revealing an important role of oxr1a in regulating apoptosis via the p53 signaling pathway.